About

My name is Kelly Sollinger. For three years I was on staff at the St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbus, Ohio, and my most fulfilling ministry there was leading a weekly study of the Sunday scripture readings. When our group was no longer able to meet, I began writing weekly email reflections instead, a ministry that has become all you’ll find on this website.

Growing up in the Southern Baptist church, the Bible was my first language in many ways. I studied scripture at Baylor University and I have a Masters in Theology from Ohio Dominican University with an emphasis in scripture.

Every week I write a commentary on the Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. I attempt to put these readings into several contexts:

• The context of the lectionary. How we interpret a reading can sometimes depend on the liturgical season such as Advent or Lent.
• The historical and cultural context. Scriptures originated in a particular culture and way of thinking and they can often be confusing to us because we don’t understand the context. I’ll provide some background on the culture and history of the time and how it relates to the passage.
• The Biblical context. If we try to read poetry as fact, we’ll end up with a skewed understanding of what the original author was trying to say. Knowing a passage’s context in the larger Biblical narrative can help enlighten the readings.

In addition to the weekly email, I teach scriptures in a variety of settings. I am also a mixed media artist, writer, poet, and teacher. Find out more about me at DancingOwlStudio.com.