About Us
There’s more to the story…
Bible Search & Rescue is a project of the Westar Institute.
The Westar Institute was created to conduct scholarship about religion in public view and to communicate the results of scholarship to the public. We continue the study of religion and biblical texts that has been established in academic institutions since the seventeenth century. We share the treasures of that scholarship in public.
When we meet in person, our academic discussions are held with scholars gathered at a large open arrangement of tables. Members of the public are seated around that inner table to listen. Vital conversations among the scholars and non-specialists happen during coffee and meal breaks. Special sessions are also held with the non-specialists. Our online meetings follow a similar pattern.
Many sessions include a decision about what the scholars agree on after hearing and discussing the results of research presentations. Scholars vote using colored beads. Red means “Yes.” Pink means “Probably.” Gray means “Probably not.” Black means “No.” You will also see these colors on the meter on The Rescue page.
This site extends Westar’s efforts to share results in language that is easily understood. We hope that Bible Search & Rescue will not only help you learn about the results of centuries of scholarship but also invite you into continuing exploration.
Contact us: bsr@westarinstitute.org
Website Founder, Westar Scholar Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott
Website Director, Westar Scholar Dr. Chad Venters
Website Author, Westar Scholar Dr. Perry Kea
Website Author, Westar Associate The Reverend Gordon W. G. Raynal
The Reverend Gordon W. G. Raynal, MDiv, Union Presbyterian Seminary; Masters in Christian Education, Presbyterian School of Christian Education; BA (History), AA (Nursing) Clemson University. Gordon is an Honorably Retired Teaching Elder of the Presbyterian Church, USA, and retired registered nurse. He spent thirteen years working in the area of psychiatric nursing in hospitals, experience that informed his practice in the ordained ministry. Ordained in 1982, he served pastorates in Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, and South Carolina. The last seven years of his career he served as Stated Clerk and Presbytery leader in Foothills Presbytery in The Upstate of South Carolina. Gordon has been an Associate Member of Westar since 1995, participating in the Canon Seminar in the late 90s. He currently serves on the Editorial Board of The Fourth R and contributes articles to the magazine. Gordon resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He and his significant other Donna share a love of dogs, travel, movies, reading, and of course, each other! Gordon is father to Amah, and she and her husband have four children.
Website Editor, Barbara Hampson
Barbara Hampson has been with Westar since 2015, when she began copy editing manuscripts for Polebridge Press. She is currently the Assistant Editor of the The Fourth R magazine. Barbara previously worked in communication for a regional office of the United Church of Canada, where she was the webmaster and the editor of a quarterly newsletter. For several years she served as co-editor of Axial, the journal of the SnowStar Institute in Canada.