The Open Book

The Newsletter of Carmen Joy Imes

I love beginning a new chapter.

Isn’t it a thrill to open a new book and start reading? A book can take you just about anywhere. Last week on vacation I read a science-y adventure story by Baruch and Judy Taubes Sterman called The Rarest Blue: The Remarkable Story of an Ancient Color Lost to History and Rediscovered. The story is a blend of ancient history, Jewish law, chemistry, botany, archaeology, memoir, and marine biology—what a combination!

My current research on Exodus has me in the tabernacle instructions, and—believe me—they are anything but boring. The book on blue changed my mind about how to translate the color words describing the high priest’s garments. I already knew a fair bit about the source of the dye and vaguely about the ancient process of dying expensive fabrics. In fact, I’ve already published about it in two or three places! But now I’m convinced I had the colors wrong. That’s what I love about reading. It opens up new ideas. Getting the Bible right is worth the effort.

I feel the same way about beginning to write. I love the possibility inherent in a blank page.

I’ve thought for months about what to call my newsletter and how to get started. I even polled people on Substack and Twitter to see which title would resonate most. Carmen’s Corner? Where in the Word is Carmen Joy Imes? Carmen’s Joy? Then out of the blue, I had a better idea: The Open Book.

I want to gather with others around an open Bible, seeking to understand it better and to respond faithfully.

Some of you helped me design a new logo. Thank you! I hope this conveys invitational warmth, simplicity, and openness to learning.

I’ve devoted my life to the study and teaching of this Book, especially the Old Testament. Christians often experience the Bible as a “closed” book—full of unsolved mysteries and puzzling passages. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With patience and careful study, the Bible can open itself to us. (To be more precise, as we grow in our competence as readers, the Holy Spirit works to help us translate our understanding into faithful action.)

My day job is teaching the Old Testament to (mostly) undergraduate students at Biola University. My greatest joy is seeing students have an “aha!” moment in class or during office hours as they open the Bible and it begins to make sense. I’m also the author of several books for wider audiences: Bearing God’s Name, Being God’s Image, and the forthcoming Becoming God’s Family, all published by IVP. By writing books and traveling to speak, my classroom expands until it includes all of you! I’m convinced of the Bible’s relevance to everyday life—to your everyday life. And that’s why I’m inviting you to join me around The Open Book.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Why call it “The Open Book”?

Truth shouldn’t stay under lock and key. That’s why I’m calling this newsletter The Open Book. The reason I write is to help more people discover the relevance of Scripture for the Christian life. I want to open the world of biblical scholarship to anyone who wants to learn alongside me. People regularly tell me that my books and lectures make complex subjects easy to grasp. No one should feel like they’re shut out of the conversation because they think their questions are too basic or because they can’t keep up with the vocabulary. We all start knowing nothing, and we all still have a lot to learn.

This newsletter is the place where I plan to talk about what I’m writing and what I’m learning as I write. My own book projects will be open here for you. Before they hit the shelves, you’ll get a glimpse here of work in progress. In a future post I’ll let you know about my current projects, which range from a children’s book to a teen curriculum to academic book chapters and Bible commentaries. If you want to be part of a launch team for one of my books, this is where we’ll gather. I’ll also let you know if I’m traveling to speak somewhere as well as how you can invite me to speak at your church, school, conference, or other event. If I’m reading something that’s worth sharing, I’ll probably write about that, too!

I have one more reason to call this newsletter “The Open Book.” If you’ve followed me on other social media platforms (such as Facebook, X, YouTube, BlueSky, or Instagram) or read any of my books or sat in my classroom, you’ve probably noticed that I’m an open book. I view vulnerability as the currency of real relationships and a key ingredient in effective communication, so I don’t like to hide behind abstract ideas. A student produces my YouTube videos, but yours truly is the one responding to each and every comment here, there, and on other platforms.

Here’s what you can expect from me here:

1. A monthly post with upcoming speaking engagements and current writing projects or new releases. These are meant to keep you in the loop as well as prompt prayer support.

2. Occasional posts alerting you to podcast interviews, new video content, what I’m reading, or books I recommend. I hope these will be educational and enriching.

3. Occasional posts engaging with current events or sharing links to articles I write for other platforms, such as Christianity Today.

4. Notes or posts with inspiring stories about the church or the Bible or the Christian life. Notes are shorter than posts and won’t automatically appear in your inbox, but you can join the conversation on Substack.

Why Substack?

I started engaging here over the summer, and I’m hooked. It’s hands-down the best social media platform I’ve seen. Substack includes long-form posts like this one as well as shorter content in the form of notes and comments. It’s like blogging, only better because of the connections that happen between readers and writers. The platform brings together people with similar interests and allows readers to support content creators directly.

Posts are more thoughtful. More substantive. More beautiful.

Overall the community is more supportive with very little mudslinging and no ads. Did you catch that? No paid advertising. Just real writers and artists engaging with others respectfully and sharing their work. Truly a breath of fresh air.

Substack also offers a superior writing experience. The user interface feels intuitive to me. I’ve used a variety of platforms for creating blog posts and newsletters. This one is by far the smoothest. This is my first day trying it, but adding pictures, videos, or audio content is a breeze.

If you’re new here, welcome! Whether you only read my newsletter or discover other writers here as well, I hope you’ll find it easy to navigate.

What does it cost to subscribe?

Nothing. My aim is to make biblical scholarship accessible—an open book!—to as wide an audience as possible. I already have a full-time salary, so I won’t be hiding content behind a paywall.

However, if you believe in what I’m doing and want to support my work, you’re welcome to become a paid subscriber. Any income generated will be used to enhance what I’m able to offer for free (e.g., hosting fees for my website, turning my YouTube videos into a podcast, graphic design or video production, new equipment such as a microphone or better lighting, translation into other languages, etc.). As my way of saying ‘thank you,’ once or twice a year I’ll host a live Zoom call with my paid subscribers so you can ask me anything you want about the Bible.

Welcome to The Open Book! The best chapters are yet to come.