Bible "Detox": Reading Judges 19 Resiliently

March 17, 2026, 7:30pm Eastern Time

Reckoning with and resisting the misuse of the Bible to promote and justify violence and oppression.

One of the most gruesome texts in the Bible is the story of the assault of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19. Several years ago, this passage was presented for interpretation to candidates for ordination in the Presbyterian Church USA, which triggered a controversy about the appropriate handling of texts with violent content by faith leaders and congregations. Should these texts be avoided entirely? What if difficult texts have something to teach us about liberation and God’s justice? In this session, rev. dr. abby mohaupt, a Presbyterian pastor and popular educator, will facilitate a conversation on how reading Judges 19 in a trauma-informed manner opens the possibility for lessons about how we believe women and welcome immigrants.

Image: “The Levite and the Concubine” by Gustave Doré

Please Note! Registration closes one half hour prior to the start of the event.

Speaker Bio

rev. dr. abby mohaupt is the Director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett and loves helping people connect and organize with others. She has spent the majority of her career in online theological education, particularly in climate justice and interfaith spaces, gaining experience in digital organizing, pedagogies of the oppressed, and practical/creative theologies. She is co-author of the book Climate Justice, Climate Hope (2025) with Michael Malcom. While curating the Collective is her fulltime day job, abby also enjoys long runs, good coffee, and drawing with her daughter.