The Biblical Mind (centerforhebraicthought)
Explore every episode of The Biblical Mind
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 2022 | Repentance in Deed and Word (Shalom Carmy) | 00:39:05 | |
We all desire repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But these concepts are complicated, and seeing them from a Jewish perspective on biblical law can provide a fresh perspective to non-Jews. In this episode, the discussion of repentance and forgiveness continues with Rabbi Shalom Carmy and Dru Johnson. They distinguish between the action of repentance and the intention of repentance and question whether you can really reconcile without both. They also consider group forgiveness, and whether any one member of a group can facilitate reconciliation on behalf of the group. Growing in these practices, and doing them biblically, requires sustained and frequent reflection on their significance. Shalom Carmy is Assistant Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Bible at Yeshiva University. He specializes in biblical interpretation and modern Jewish thought, and writes for several religious and Jewish publications. He previously wrote “And God Saw Their Deeds”: Biblical Repentance in Action (and Less So in Feeling) for The Biblical Mind. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 18 Feb 2022 | The Church Needs African Hermeneutics (Liz Mburu) | 00:32:43 | |
Where you are situated in time and space affects how you interpret the world. This cultural, geographical, and historical consciousness likewise forms a hermeneutical lens whereby we read and understand Scripture. Professor Liz Mburu, a Kenyan theologian and author of African Hermeneutics, joins us this week on the podcast to discuss how she views Scripture through an African hermeneutical lens. One African way of seeing the Bible is as a text of power, with a strong focus on the role of the Holy Spirit. As members of the body of Christ, Christians around the globe need each other's perspective to develop a full understanding of Christianity and how to practice it. Show notes:
Show Notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
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| 14 Nov 2023 | Why We Need the Global Church (Stephen T. Pardue) | 00:41:36 | |
In this episode, we discuss Stephen T. Pardue's newest book Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church. | |||
| 28 Jul 2023 | A Bend in the Road for TBM and CHT, and Farewell Celina! | 00:13:41 | |
The Biblical Mind and the Center for Hebraic Thought are entering a new phase after ending a formal partnership with The King’s College. Additionally, CHT director of operations and TBM editor Celina Durgin will leave her position at the center on July 28, 2023. In this mini episode, Dru and Celina provide a bit more context, and Celina bids the CHT goodbye and shares a little about where she's going next. The Biblical Mind magazine and podcast will keep publishing during this transition, though less frequently and regularly than it had been until recently. The CHT’s other partnerships and affiliations will be unaffected. We hope and pray for a new partnership to allow the CHT to emerge from its period of dormancy and resume full programming in the coming months. Thank you for continuing to follow us. | |||
| 26 Aug 2022 | The Bonhoeffer of Ethiopia (Abeneazer Urga) | 00:35:37 | |
Amid persecution from the Marxist state and a fragmented Ethiopian church, Gudina Tumsa became a figure who advocated a holistic theology of justice, church unity in Ethiopia, and the health and strength of the church more broadly. In this episode, Dru asks Abeneazer Urga about his book The Bonhoeffer of Africa, a biography of Ethiopian theologian Gudina Tumsa. Tumsa's life has brought him comparisons to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Along the way, Dru and Abeneazer discuss the state of the church in Ethiopia, from its fourth-century roots to its Christological theology to the way the Western church differs from the modern Ethiopian church. Abeneazer Urga teaches at the Evangelical Theological College in Ethiopia and is a member of Equip International. He specializes in New Testament and Missiology and has done work exploring holistic theology and theology from an African perspective. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 20 Aug 2021 | Proverbs 31 Isn't a Future-Wife Checklist (Dominick Hernandez) | 00:39:15 | |
Many Christians have extolled the “Proverbs 31 woman,” but that proverb must be read in the context of the others, or we might miss what it is really about. Dr. Dominick Hernandez says people cannot skip the poetic sections of the Bible and still claim to value Scripture. In this conversation, Dr. Hernandez and Dru Johnson dive into the book of Proverbs. They discuss the structure of the book, why we should read it, how we should read it, and the significance of its poetic form. Show notes:
Show notes by Serena Tuomi. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 10 Dec 2021 | What Are Sermons for, and How Can They Be Improved? (Jonathan Pennington) | 00:36:17 | |
When it comes to preaching, less is more. If you really understand a complex issue, you should be able to write it down on a postcard. In light of this, how does one avoid dumbing down their preaching while still clearly communicating a complex message? Dru and CHT fellow Dr. Jonathan Pennington discuss his book Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Make You a Better Preacher, how to convey rich meaning in a sermon while keeping it simple, and the significance of preaching within a worship service. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 19 Aug 2022 | ICYMI: What Is the Point of Prayer? Does It Change God’s Mind? (John C. Peckham) | 00:33:35 | |
This episode was originally published in July, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. If God is sovereign, what is the point of prayer? Is it merely a meditative exercise, or do our petitions shape the outcome of history? Prayer is a ritual and relational device Christians use to communicate with God. God is open to the requests of all people everywhere and actually wants to bring mercy and blessings instead of judgment—but that doesn’t mean that the function of prayer is simple to understand. Prayer is a nuanced activity. In this conversation, Dru Johnson and John C. Peckham answer a variety of questions surrounding prayer. Does God hear the prayers of people outside of the lineage of Israel? Can God act in contradiction to His promises and His Word if we pray for it? Does a person's character affect how God answers their prayers? Show notes:
Show notes by Serena Tuomi. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | ICYMI: How the Translation of ’Faith’ in the Bible Falls Short (Matt Bates) | 00:25:14 | |
This episode was originally published in March, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Many of us have learned definitions of faith, belief, and trust that merely concern internal mental states. We say we believe something when we mentally affirm its truth, and we say we trust God when we believe what the Bible says. But these introspective forms of faith aren't really what the biblical authors have in mind when they talk about faith in the Bible. For them, faith is more of a full-bodied allegiance to Jesus, a commitment to serve and work alongside Him as our King. In this episode, Dr. Matthew Bates talks to Dru Johnson about allegiance and faith in the Bible. They consider how, in the context of the Roman empire, the idea of loyalty in patron–client relationships shaped the way the biblical authors understood trust, authority, and honor. Along the way, they also discuss some of the biblical metaphors for salvation that are drawn from the social dynamics of the ancient world, and how the Hebrew Bible influenced the New Testament's view of power and authority. They conclude by outlining about how modern people can understand the language of kingdom and lordship in Scripture, and how the church can inculcate rituals of allegiance in the body of Christ. Show notes:
Learn more about Matt Bates. Matthew Bates's most recent book: Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ Show notes by Micah Long. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 11 Mar 2022 | The True Causes and Purposes of Religious Doubt (Matthew LaPine) | 00:33:23 | |
For many people, the stress of the pandemic has amplified what would otherwise be small tensions and concerns. This tensions can eventually cause or manifest as creeping religious doubt, which may be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as a sign of a larger underlying spiritual problem. Dr. Matthew A. LaPine, pastor of Theological Development at Cornerstone Church of Ames and author of The Logic of the Body: Retrieving Theological Psychology, joins us this week to discuss how he guides others through their doubts (especially college students), and reminds us that in the midst of brokenness, there is still tremendous joy that flows from fellowship with God and others. Show notes:
Show Notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 08 Oct 2021 | Making Leaders Who Can Make Disciples (The Pillar Seminary) | 00:35:14 | |
The Pillar Seminary was founded to address persistent problems in churches and their leadership. Its students not only receive a Scripture-first education—as opposed to theology-first—but also quickly begin practicing what they're taught. The purpose of studying the biblical texts is to be transformed by them. True "head knowledge" of Scripture involves "heart knowledge"; by practicing biblical principles, we can understand the text better. Join us this week as Scott Booth, Dan Lowery, and Donnell J. Moore discuss how Pillar's approach to seminary and studying Scripture ultimately transforms students, equipping them to lead in their local churches, make disciples, and meet needs effectively within their ministries. Show Notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 30 Sep 2022 | Growing Up Christian in the Gaza Strip (Khalil Sayegh) | 00:30:17 | |
In this week's episode, Khalil Sayegh shares his experience as a Palestinian Christian. The territory of Palestine contains two regions: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Though they share a people and a history, the two areas are separated by the country of Israel and are ruled by two different governments (the West Bank by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Gaza Strip by Hamas). Khalil discusses the modern political and religious dynamics at play in the Gaza Strip, including the relationships between Israel and Hamas and between Islam and Christianity. He also surveys Christianity in Palestine, from its use of Scripture to its approach to evangelism. Khalil Sayegh is a Fellow at the Philos Project. He grew up in the Gaza Strip and currently lives in the West Bank. His public work focuses on challenging the negative perceptions of Jewish people in Palestinian society and promoting peace among the various religious groups in the region. He has studied at Bethlehem Bible College and American University. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 29 Apr 2022 | Rituals Teach: Why We Can’t Ignore Leviticus (Mark Scarlata) | 00:33:24 | |
If God teaches us through rituals, then we have a responsibility to examine these rituals. By studying them, asking questions, and engaging with them, we can better understand God’s holiness. The Book of Leviticus is concerned with so many aspects of life (what we eat, what we wear, etc.), and it offers us a holistic way to interact with the world and truly be set apart. Rev. Dr. Mark Scarlata joins Dru Johnson this week to discuss his book, A Journey through the World of Leviticus: Holiness, Sacrifice, and the Rock Badger and how engaging with Leviticus and its laws can help us better understand God and the rest of Scripture. Show notes:
Q&A: Email us your questions about the intellectual world of the Bible at cht_administrator@tkc.edu, and we'll answer them in an upcoming Q&A episode. Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 02 Mar 2024 | When No One Reads Books Anymore | 00:54:11 | |
Byron Borger, owner of Hearts and Minds Bookstore speaks with Dru Johnson about literacy, theology, and the need for bookstores to cultivate the Christian imagination. AI Generated Takeaways
—The decline in reading and literacy rates among Americans is a concern, particularly among younger generations. —Books play a crucial role in personal growth and Christian discipleship, expanding one's understanding of the world and deepening their faith. —The power of books to inspire imagination and critical thinking is essential for engaging with complex texts, including the Bible. —Wise book recommendations that consider individual interests and readiness are important for fostering a love of reading. —Christian publishing has seen trends towards ecumenical reading, contemplative spirituality, and a commitment to social justice. Christian books should go beyond self-help and focus on worldview formation and the lordship of Christ over the life of the mind. —Christian bookstores should offer diverse book categories to cater to different interests and needs. —The rise of online marketing and the influence of Amazon have changed the publishing industry, with authors now expected to promote their own books. —Supporting local bookstores is important to maintain a human connection and receive personalized recommendations. —Physical spaces like bookstores and libraries provide opportunities for serendipitous discoveries and foster lifelong learning. —Lifelong learning is a distinctively Christian act that can be seen as an act of worship and a way to practice the presence of God. | |||
| 19 Nov 2021 | Toward an Integrated Liturgy of Work and Worship (Matthew Kaemingk) | 00:35:31 | |
There is a deep division between work and worship in the West. However, the worship of the ancient Israelites integrated the sanctuary into the streets. What are ways that our work today (even sending emails) can be celebrated and offered to God as a form of worship? With reference to his book Work and Worship, Matthew Kaemingk explains how the tasks we do every single day can be integrated into our worship and daily liturgy. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 03 Jun 2022 | African Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Economic Justice (Gift Mtukwa) | 00:37:44 | |
The church should not only perform charity work, but also pursue economic justice. Dr. Gift Mtukwa joins Dru Johnson to discuss the Kenyan church and Gift's Pauline scholarship. They examine the importance of multiculturalism in the church, which requires navigating cultural differences in language, worship style, and socioeconomic status. Additionally, Gift explains how reading Paul helps the modern Kenyan church understand poverty, economic opportunity, and financial prudence. Gift Mtukwa is the Chair of the Department of Religion and Christian Ministry at Africa Nazarene University and lead pastor of the University Church of the Nazarene. Born in Zimbabwe, he now lives in Nairobi, Kenya. His research centers on contextual readings of Scripture, especially Paul's letters. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 28 Apr 2023 | ICYMI: Jesus Shows That God and Humans Are a Good Match (Lucy Peppiatt) | 00:32:52 | |
This episode was originally published on May 5, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. "It was most fitting for God to come save the people he made in the first place," says Dr. Lucy Peppiatt, Principal at Westminster Theological Centre. The early church loved to discuss the "fittingness of the Son to become human," because it implies that God has a passion for man. He purposed from the beginning of time that He would come to save us, as one of us, and that means that there is something about humans that is fitting to be united with God. And that is the gospel. In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson and Dr. Peppiatt talk all about Jesus of Nazareth: Who was he? Who did people think he was? Why did he teach and present himself indirectly rather than just revealing himself to man? Dru and Dr. Peppiatt address challenging questions about the hiddenness of God in Christ, the incarnation, the union of the divine and the human in the Son, and more. Show notes:
Show notes by Serena Tuomi. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 23 Sep 2022 | Revelation 101: Leaving Behind Left Behind (Jason Staples) | 00:38:44 | |
"This is a revelation of how things are, not so much how things have been." -Jason Staples Modern Christians reading the Book of Revelation tend to filter it through the lens of popular fiction (such as the Left Behind series) and a very modern concept of its strange language and imagery. From the four horsemen, to the secret thunder in chapter 10, to the mixing of metaphors throughout the text, Revelation presents a challenge for modern readers. In this episode, Dr. Jason Staples (Assistant Teaching Professor at North Carolina State University) helps sort through the symbols in the Book of Revelation. By examining the historical context of late Second Temple Judaism, the genre of apocalypse, and key passages from the Hebrew Bible, the meanings of the symbols begin to emerge. Though many passages remain mysterious, even to trained scholars, the Book of Revelation communicates a message of central importance about the present Kingdom of God and the role of the church in the world. Jason Staples teaches in the areas of biblical literature, early Judaism and Christianity, and modern issues in ethics and religion. He is the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity. In addition to his scholarly work, Jason has worked in sports media and voiceover narration. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 15 Oct 2021 | Two Upcoming Series, Feat. Esau McCaulley, Rachael Denhollander, Others | 00:03:04 | |
Starting 10/22: "By the Oppressed to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads the Bible," featuring Vince Bantu, Esau McCaulley, Lisa Bowens, and Anthony Bradley Upcoming Series on repentance and reconciliation, featuring Rachael and Jacob Denhollander, and others TBD | |||
| 10 Feb 2023 | The State of Jewish–Christian Relations (Pesach Wolicki) | 00:34:49 | |
Despite their shared foundations and concern for the Word of God, Christians and Jews rarely interact on the basis of faith in the modern world. Many Jewish communities, in response to centuries of antisemitism and persecution, have shielded themselves from Christians, while modern Christians often know very little about the Jewish faith. Dru interviews Rabbi Pesach Wolicki about the state of relations between Christians and Jews. For Pesach, the Jewish faith centers on a universal mission to bless the whole world; as a result, his work focuses on sharing Judaism and Jewish readings of Scripture with Christians. They discuss thinkers from Maimonides to Luther, the way reading the Talmud can help Christians, and why tension still exists between Christians and Jews today. Plus, hear Pesach's critique of the popular worship song "Reckless Love." Rabbi Pesach Wolicki is an Orthodox Rabbi whose work focuses on relations between Christians and Jews. Currently, he works as the Executive Director of the Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation. He has taught at churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries across North America, and writes regularly for various news outlets. He currently lives in Israel with his wife and eight children. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 05 Dec 2024 | What Do You Want? (Mike Tolliver) Ep 177 | 00:09:54 | |
Welcome to the final installment of this podcast series on the past, present, and future of the Center for Hebraic Thought! In this episode, hosts Dru Johnson and Mike Tolliver turn their attention to you, the audience, asking for your thoughts, questions, and suggestions as the Center grows and evolves. We explore exciting possibilities, including new video content for YouTube, packaged resources for community groups and classrooms, and fresh scholarship on topics like the philosophical elements of Moses and Plato, the significance of the Old Testament calendar, and even Hebraic perspectives on modern questions like tattoos. Join us as we discuss our plans to equip learners, from churchgoers to Bible college students, with meaningful and accessible resources for a lifetime of engaging with Hebraic thought. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:01 More of What We Are Already Doing 04:16 Some New Things For The Center For Hebraic Thought Audience 04:53 More Resources For The Biblical Mind Audience 06:56 Questions We've Never Answered On The Show 08:27 How To Get Us These Questions | |||
| 24 Jun 2022 | How the Early Church Engaged with Scripture (Brian J. Wright) | 00:37:31 | |
When we think of the early church, some of us might imagine groups of illiterate believers guided by one or two trained readers or teachers. In fact, the historical reality was very different. Brian J. Wright describes an ancient world obsessed with reading—especially public, communal reading of significant texts, including lots of questioning and dialogue. In this episode, Dru Johnson and Brian Wright examine literacy levels in the Roman Empire, the early church's engagement with Paul's letters, and historical evidence about reading in the first and second centuries. They also discuss the modern church's Bible engagement, and how we can take a more dialogical and active approach to reading Scripture. Brian J. Wright is an associate pastor at Denia Community Church, an adjunct professor, and author of Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus: A Window into Early Christian Reading Practices. He studies communal reading in the scholarly context, challenging long-held views about literary culture, and also encourages contemporary communal reading practices. Show notes:
Tweetable Quote "There's wisdom in us doing it [reading and teaching] together. Everything about the community is really at the heart of the conversation." Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 15 Apr 2022 | What Can Non-Jewish Clergy Learn from Jewish Studies? (Jeff Jacoby) | 00:43:04 | |
This week, Jeff Jacoby, op-ed columnist for The Boston Globe since February 1994, joined Dru to discuss his essay in Sapir, "Jewish Study for Non-Jewish Clergy." He proposes a project of study with deep historical roots that would benefit clergy and anyone who takes religion seriously, not just as an abstract intellectual exercise. He writes, "Imagine that it were possible for non-Jewish clergy — Catholic, Muslim, Baha’i, Mormon, Baptist, Hindu — to have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with the world of Torah study from the inside, even if for only a limited time."
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 12 Nov 2021 | Crying for Justice: Why We Should Pray the ‘Angry‘ Psalms (Trevor Laurence) | 00:33:49 | |
Pleas for justice in the book of Psalms—the imprecatory psalms—can make some Christians uncomfortable. They're often passed over in the psalter during worship. How do petitions for justice map onto the mission of Jesus? How are imprecatory prayers compatible with commands to love our neighbors? Though the Psalms contain many cries for vengeance, they also continually call readers back to a standard of holiness. Trevor Laurence discusses imprecatory prayers, the power of words to express profound pain to God, and how we can instinctively discern God and the world as we struggle through life. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 17 Feb 2023 | ICYMI: Don’t Skip the Poems (Michelle Knight) | 00:30:29 | |
This episode was originally published on October, 2020. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. The poetry in Scripture can be hard to understand. And, especially when it is embedded within a story, such as the Song of Deborah, we might be tempted to skip over it. It uses a lot of allusion and metaphor and is pregnant with imagery and historical detail. We would rather the author just "get to the point" and give us a bullet-point summary. However, to ignore the stylistic force of biblical poetry (or any biblical genre) is to miss out on some of the deep theological underpinnings of the text. In this episode, Dr. Michelle Knight, Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, discusses biblical poetry and literary sensitivity to the genres of Scripture. She and Dr. Dru Johnson zoom in on the Song of Deborah in Judges and the violence it seems to celebrate, then expand to discuss Joshua and Judges more broadly. They cover biblical characterization, how the New Testament authors draw on motifs in Judges, and even compare Joshua to a Marvel movie. In the end, they aim to encourage us toward both theological understanding and literary prowess when we read the Bible. Show notes:
Read more about Michelle Knight. Show notes by Micah Long. | |||
| 06 Jan 2023 | Raising Chickens, Reading Scripture, and Running Governments, Reformed-Style (Jessica Joustra) | 00:50:31 | |
What does it mean for Christ to reign over every sphere of life? Many Christians relegate faith to "spiritual" activities, such as reading the Bible, going to church, and praying. However, the Christian tradition—and especially the Reformed tradition—can guide Christians in everything from personal ethics to politics to raising chickens. In this episode, Dru talks with Jessica Joustra, Assistant Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University, about the ideas of Reformed thinkers Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck (as well as the ways that they draw on John Calvin). As Protestants, these men wanted to capture a faithful, traditional, and thorough way of reading the Bible; as 19th-century men, they strove to live as Christians in the modern world, both through public theology and through active participation in politics. The Reformed tradition offers rich ways of thinking about law, vocation, systemic sin, economics, and even America's contemporary political structures, all while remaining rooted in Scripture's conceptual world. Jessica Joustra is an Assistant Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University and Associate Researcher at the Neo-Calvinist Research Institute of the Theologische Universiteit Kampen. She teaches in the areas of Reformed theology and ethics, and has contributed to several works centered around Bavinck and Kuyper. Most recently, she and her husband (Robert Joustra) released Calvinism for a Secular Age: A Twenty-First Century Reading of Abraham Kuyper’s Stone Lectures. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 17 Jun 2022 | Entering the Hell and Heartbreak of the Grotesque Book of Judges (Daniel Stulac) | 00:35:16 | |
Is the Book of Judges a morality play? A celebration of violence? An injunction against moral relativism? Could it be . . . good news? In this week's episode, Dru Johnson interviews Dr. Daniel J. Stulac, who challenges us to enter the hell and heartbreak of this grotesque, violent, and provocative part of Scripture. Rather than adopting moralistic readings of Judges (common in Sunday school classes and children's Bibles), Daniel wants us to read Judges prophetically—as a book that mirrors the violence in our own hearts and turns us to greater dependence on an a King who will set things right. Dr. Stulac is a visiting assistant professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School, and the author of the recent monograph, Gift of the Grotesque: A Christological Companion to the Book of Judges. His other areas of interest include the agriculture of ancient Israel and the intersection of agrarianism and biblical hermeneutics. Show notes:
Tweetable quote: "At the heart of idolatry is the desire to be in control of the divine." (22:10) Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 17 Dec 2021 | African Americans Understood Paul‘s Words While Slave Owners Twisted Them (Lisa Bowens) | 00:39:01 | |
Discussing her book African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation, Dr. Lisa Bowens identifies how people twisted the Scriptures written by the Apostle Paul to promote slavery and justify it as a Christian practice. But at the same time, Dr. Bowens explains, Black Americans were interpreting Paul's writings for themselves, and throughout history, they still appealed to Pauline texts extensively to protest and resist their oppression, and ultimately to build a strong foundation for the American church. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 09 Jun 2023 | Is ’Systemic Injustice’ Biblical? (Michael Rhodes) | 00:46:55 | |
Terms like "systemic sin" or "structural injustice" immediately make many people think of contemporary ideologies that they either strongly embrace or strongly oppose, such as socialism or the much-discussed (but poorly understood) critical race theory. These charged terms are often employed in vague or unhelpful ways. The Bible has many examples of sin and injustice that are not purely individual—of evil that is bigger than the sum of the evildoers, and iniquity that reverberates through generations. How can we think more clearly and biblically about the nature of evil and injustice? Sin is many things in Scripture: an action, an identity, an agent or power, and the brokenness of structures and systems. People err when they don't grasp the Bible's full, complex picture of sin. Michael Rhodes (PhD, Trinity College Bristol/University of Aberdeen) is a Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, author of Formative Feasting: Practices and Virtue Ethics in the Deuteronomic Tithe Meal and Corinthian Lord’s Supper (2022), and co-author of Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 03 Nov 2021 | Understanding Supersessionism and the Controversy over a TBM Article (Ari Lamm) | 01:00:57 | |
A couple of weeks ago, The Biblical Mind published an article by Michael LeFebvre titled Jesus Restored the Original Purpose of the Law in the New Testament. Some readers expressed concern that the article endorsed supersessionist views. Not intending to suggest supersessionism, Michael revised some language in the article to address the concerns. It was retitled Jesus' Concept of the Law in the New Testament. Some Christians readers said they didn't fully understand the reaction. In response, Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm joined the podcast to explain supersessionism, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, and the reaction to some language in Michael's original article. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 15 Jul 2022 | Discussing the New CHT Book on Gender in the Bible (Feat. 3 of the Contributors) | 00:28:51 | |
This episode previews the CHT's new book The Biblical World of Gender: The Daily Lives of Ancient Women and Men. Three of the authors from the book (Carmen Imes, Nijay Gupta, and Cynthia Shafer-Elliott) discuss their contributions. They touch on the gender assumptions in the ancient Near East and Roman Empire, along with some of the Bible's challenging passages about slavery and authority. Carmen Imes is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University and the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. She has been a missionary to the Philippines and releases "Torah Tuesday" videos on her YouTube channel. Nijay Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin for Biblical Research, and the author of Paul and the Language of Faith. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott is Associate Dean and Associate Professor in the School of Theology and Leadership at William Jessup University. She does archaeological research on ancient Israel, including households, food preparation, and gender dynamics in the family, and is an editor of the recent T&T Clark Handbook of Food in Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible. Show notes: Carmen Imes
Nijay Gupta
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 21 Oct 2022 | Moving from Egypt to the U.S. as a Coptic Christian (Mariam Wahba) | 00:38:47 | |
Dru interviews Mariam Wahba, a Coptic Christian born in Egypt who immigrated to the U.S. as a child. They discuss the multiple facets of her identity and experience, including how being a Coptic Christian shaped everything from her interactions with Muslim Egyptians to how she now celebrates holidays in the U.S. She also describes some of the distinctives of Coptic Christianity, in contrast with Western Christianity, and explores the tension between cultural assimilation and retaining one's native identity as an immigrant. Mariam Wahba is the Associate Directory of Advocacy at the Philos Project. A graduate from Fordham University, she works in the areas of Middle Eastern foreign policy, religious freedom, and Israeli-Arab relations. She co-hosts the podcast Americanish. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 03 Dec 2021 | Three Grinches in a Pod: Complicating Christmas | 00:31:03 | |
It's that time of year again. It's the time when those who hate eggnog, pretty lights, cheery music, presents, and joy itself crawl out of their dark, barren hovels, bent on ruining Christmas. Well, we aren't those people. Let us have our winter festival, says Dru. Let us have our (modest) presents, says Celina. Let us have our feasting, says Amy. But we all ask, what does the winter festival of American Christmas really have to do with the first and second comings of Jesus Christ? Are traditional Advent practices a straightforward way to redeem the holiday? Do we even want to put the "Christ" back in "Christmas"? Join Dru, Celina, and Amy as they discuss how we might faithfully improvise rituals of waiting and celebration to help us remember our place within the story of God's promise to the nations through Israel.
*Despite her protestations, Celina has since admitted that Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" totally slaps. Show notes by Celina Durgin Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 25 Feb 2022 | Still Trying to Find Yourself? Try Losing It First (Alan Noble) | 00:46:24 | |
One of the most countercultural sentences comes from the Heidelberg Catechism: our only comfort in life and death is that "I am not my own, but but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." The loudest voices in the contemporary West seem to tell us that we belong to ourselves, that we author our own destinies and create our own identities. This is not the way of Scripture. It's also an exhausting, depressing, and disappointing way to live. Indeed, belonging to yourself is literally impossible. Counterculturally and even counterintiutively, we need to practice dying to ourselves and living for others, because we belong to God and to our communities. Though the burden of belonging to others is difficult to bear, with practice and the Holy Spirit’s help it is possible. Dr. Alan Noble joins us to discuss his book You Are Not Your Own, and how to practice belonging to God in a world that is self-seeking. Show Notes:
Other resources mentioned: The Meaning of the City, by Jacques Ellul Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 11 Nov 2022 | Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity (Jangkholam Haokip) | 00:34:04 | |
Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual salvation and the question of what happens when we die. But as we amplify other Christian voices, we find that the riches of the gospel might stretch far beyond our original conceptions. In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Jangkholam Haokip, an Indian theologian, author, and former professor. Growing up in Churachandpur, Manipur, in Northeast India, Jangkholam converted to Christianity as a child. Drawing on his experiences with indigenous Indian culture and religion, he had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on Christian theology, including Scripture's portrayal of sin's effects on nature, the value of yet-unheard perspectives, and the way that the gospels can affect the lives of whole communities. After his long career as a professor at Union Biblical Seminary in India, Jangkholam has founded the Bethesda-Khankho Foundation, which aims to transform indigenous Indian communities through education and poverty outreach. He also contributed to the recent book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 24 Apr 2024 | Why Does Church Matter? Learning from Jazz (Mark Glanville) | 00:38:51 | |
Quotes from this episode: "With the Bible in our hands, it's time to improvise church again and to see what the spirit is calling us to and how the spirit is opening wide our imagination for what the church can be today."
"We're doing a bit like what jazz musicians do. We immerse in the biblical story and we improvise on that biblical story, the Bible in our hand."
"Church is a conversation. Communities that are able to have conversations is really important. We can talk about anything. We can talk about the sermon together. We can talk about pressing issues facing our community, facing our neighborhood that we can get involved with."
In this episode:
— Introduction and Setting the Stage
— Conceptual Hurdles and the Need for Fresh Imagination
— Improvising on the Tradition: Learning from the Biblical Story
— Being Rooted in the Neighborhood: Leadership and the Role of Every Member
— The Challenges of Size: Can Large Churches Safely Improvise?
— Local Aesthetics and the Physical Space of Worship | |||
| 27 Jan 2023 | The First Christian Nation? Keeping Up with the Armenians (Heather Ohaneson) | 00:28:08 | |
Despite the rich history of Armenia as an ancient Christian community, many Christians know very little about the Armenian ethnicity, culture, nation, and faith. In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Heather Ohaneson, pastor of Armenian Martyrs' Congregational Church, about Armenian history from the early days of the church until now, along with her experience as an evangelical Protestant Armenian pastor. They discuss the culture, language, and global migration of the Armenian people, and the aftermath of the Armenian genocide and recent conflicts on their nation. And yes, the Kardashians get a mention. Dr. Heather Ohaneson is the pastor of Armenian Martyrs' Congregational Church in Havertown, Pennsylvania. She received her PhD in philosophy of religion from Columbia University, and taught at George Fox University and Azusa Pacific University. Currently, she is pursuing an MDiv at Princeton Theological Seminary and ordination in the United Church of Christ to continue to serve the Armenian Evangelical community. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 10 Jun 2022 | True Sabbath Isn’t Narcissism Disguised as Self-Care (Kelsey Osgood) | 00:29:53 | |
In a world of distractions, hyperactivity, and burnout, many of us yearn for rest from our work and our devices. To find this rest, many have turned to the Jewish practice of shabbat or sabbath, ceasing at least some of their regular activity during one day of the week. Kelsey Osgood, a graduate of Colombia University and Goucher College, is a writer and practicing Orthodox Jew. In this episode, Dru and Kelsey discuss her recent article, "Why Your 'Digital Shabbat' Will Fail." Kelsey argues that resting in religious community, rather than as an individual—and not merely for personal reasons, but because God requires it—is a practice that, though difficult, is deeply beneficial. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 04 Mar 2022 | Love Enemies Better through Knowing the Biblical Land (Danielle Parish) | 00:31:52 | |
The Jewish and Christian faiths exist because of the events that happened in a particular place and time. To understand biblical texts—including issues of justice and loving strangers and enemies—we should learn something about the places where the events they describe occurred. Danielle Parish, pastor of Spark Church in Palo Alto, CA, who leads study tours in Israel, discusses the importance of the biblical land and how enjoying creation as "guardians of the Garden" can deepen our knowledge of Scripture. Show Notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 24 Feb 2023 | Old—and New—Testament Violence and the Shalom of God (Matthew J. Lynch) | 00:40:55 | |
Readers of the Book of Joshua (and many other parts of the Bible) are inevitably confronted with the poblem of violence in Scripture. Texts referring to the destruction of whole cities or the killing of men, women, and children can cause us to question whether God is truly loving and just. In this episode, Dr. Matt Lynch discusses violence in Scripture from his new book Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God. He considers the difficulties with approaching violence from a modern perspective, the ways of reading the different violent accounts presented in Scripture, and how literally we should take biblical rhetoric. Plus, hear why being so-called "New Testament Christians" doesn't really distance us from violence in the Bible. Dr. Lynch is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Regent College in Vancouver. His research looks at issue of violence and the idea of monotheism in the biblical texts. Prior to his work at Regent, Matt taught at Westminster Theological Centre, Nashotah House, and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. In addition, he founded and co-hosts the OnScript podcast. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 14 Jul 2023 | QAnon, Conspiracy Theories, and the Church (Michael W. Austin) | 00:45:09 | |
Dr. Michael W. Austin is a Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University, an author, and a speaker. He has published 12 books; most recently, he co-edited and contributed to QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories. Most of his teaching, writing, and speaking is focused on ethical questions related to character and human flourishing. He believes that philosophy has much to offer us, in our individual, social, and spiritual lives. For many years, he's also been a speaker for the Kentucky Humanities Council, and he contributes to a blog for Psychology Today, “Ethics for Everyone.” | |||
| 07 Oct 2022 | Israelites vs. Hebrews vs. Jews . . . ? (Jason Staples) | 00:30:56 | |
What do we mean when we say that "Jesus was a Jew?" Scripture uses a lot of labels to refer to God's chosen people, including "Israelite," "Judahite," "Hebrew," and, of course, "Jew." In this episode, Jason Staples helps us sort through the etymologies, histories, ethnicities, and nationalities behind these labels, examining the earliest usage of "Jew" in the Hebrew Bible, its role in the Second Temple Period, and its interpretations in the modern era. He also considers key Bible passages that use these labels and helps debunk a common assumption about "Jew" as a pejorative term. Jason Staples teaches at North Carolina State University in the areas of biblical literature, early Judaism and Christianity, and modern issues in ethics and religion. He is the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity. In addition to his scholarly work, Jason has worked in sports media and voiceover narration. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 06 Aug 2021 | If Christians Read Scripture Like Jews Do, Continued (Ari Lamm) | 00:45:12 | |
Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm returns to continue discussing the fascinating and fruitful ways that Jews approach studying Scripture. Dr. Lamm's Orthodox Jewish upbringing taught him to embrace the view of the Hebrew Bible as layered, complex, and challenging—for, the very idea of God suggests that He has complex and layered ideas to communicate with His creation. Dr. Lamm encourages Christians to be similarly comfortable with questioning biblical texts on a deeper level. Don’t forget to check out Dr. Lamm’s podcast Good Faith Effort. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 20 May 2022 | Who Is the ’Foreigner’ We’re Supposed to Love? (M. Daniel Carroll R.) | 00:41:44 | |
The history of humanity is the history of migration. People have always been on the move, in Scripture and in the modern day. Understanding the migrants near us, their experiences, and the languages they speak can equip us to love them better. M. Daniel Carroll R., author of Global Migration and Christian Faith: Implications for Identity and Mission, explains our biblical obligation to love the foreigner, which includes not only people from a foreign country but also those with different socioeconomic backgrounds or even just very different life experiences. Show notes:
Q&A: Email us your questions about the intellectual world of the Bible at cht_administrator@tkc.edu, and we'll answer them in an upcoming Q&A episode. Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 29 Oct 2021 | Prosperity, Responsibility, and Economics in the Torah (Michael Eisenberg) | 00:30:16 | |
Does the Torah mention wealth redistribution? What is the purpose of leaving the corners of your field unharvested? What economic system does the Torah advocate, and how would one live in accordance with it? Join us this week as Michael Eisenberg discusses these questions and more, covered his latest book, The Tree of Life and Prosperity. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
| |||
| 16 Dec 2022 | Paying Attention to the People, Places, and Things in the Bible (Kat Armstrong) | 00:37:33 | |
Christians know that we should read the Bible. But often, the "should" eclipses the "why"—the fact that Scripture presents a unified, powerful, mysterious story written by God for the benefit of his people. In this episode, Dru interviews Kat Armstrong, a Bible teacher, speaker, and author who aims to cultivate joyful, imaginative reading of Scripture. The Bible contains rich networks of imagery, but we must read carefully to notice them. Kat's new Bible study series, Storyline Bible Series, takes a deep dive into some of the recurring motifs in Scripture, from mountains and valleys to sticks and stones. Additionally, Kat discusses how her son helps her pay closer attention to the Bible, why the Bible isn't an instruction manual, and how Scripture eschews dividing its characters into "good guys" and "bad guys." Kat Armstrong is a Bible teacher from Dallas who is passionate about helping people develop holy curiosity and delve more deeply into the story of the Bible. Her work includes speaking at events and conferences and writing books and Bible studies. You can find out more about her at her website. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 18 Nov 2022 | The Knowledge Crisis and Misinformation in Biblical Perspective (Bonnie Kristian) | 00:40:32 | |
Constant cries of "fake news" and misinformation point to a central issue in our culture: we have far too much information from far too many sources, and we do not know whom to trust. Whether captivated by online communities and YouTube personalities or glued to Twitter and news sites, we consume a lot of content but remain ignorant, apathetic, and anxious. In this episode, Dru interviews Bonnie Kristian about her new book Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community. They discuss the dangers of our culture's approach to knowledge, the importance of emotion and tradition in developing our beliefs, and how our daily practices shape our knowledge-acquisition. As we critically evaluate our habits, we can learn to better cultivate our attention and equip ourselves to receive and consider information. Bonnie Kristian is a journalist and author. Currently, she writes the column "The Lesser Kingdom" at Christianity Today. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Politico, and The Daily Beast. Additionally, she holds a Master's degree in Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 22 Jul 2022 | Q&A Series: Is There Marriage in Heaven? (Dru Johnson) | 00:28:11 | |
From Genesis, marriage looks like it is one of the most important parts of creation. So, does Jesus really say in Luke 20 that there will be no "marrying and giving in marriage" in the new heavens and earth? In the first episode of The Biblical Mind Q&A series, Dru Johnson examines the phrase "marrying and giving in marriage" across Scripture—and what Jesus really meant by it. In Luke 20, the Sadducees approach Jesus and ask about a woman who had multiple husbands. Jesus' response might seem to suggest that no one is married in the age of resurrection. Dru argues that Luke has in mind a broader, more subtle point about the resurrection and the end of the world. Dru Johnson is the Director for the Center of Hebraic Thought, the host of The Biblical Mind Podcast, and an Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at The King's College. He is also the author of the recent book Biblical Philosophy: A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 07 Apr 2023 | Understanding the Slaughter of the Canaanites in the Book of Joshua (Paul Hinlicky) | 00:32:29 | |
Herem warfare is the commandment to exterminate all survivors. The law of herem warfare appears in the Book of Joshua and contravenes the usual motivations for going to war in the ancient Near East. Armies in that context typically killed only males and took women, children, and possessions before turning the conquered nation into a subjugated satellite nation. The law of herem warfare, on the other hand, forbade enslavement and required that all be killed. Dru and Paul R. Hinlicky discuss this topic and more within the Book of Joshua. Dr. Hinlicky wrote Joshua for the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. Dr. Hinlicky (PhD, Union Theological Seminary, 1983) is an internationally known theologian who has published more than seventy articles and many books. He teaches theology at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. He is an authority on the theology of Martin Luther and how Luther's theology played out in history since the time of the Reformation. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 21 Nov 2024 | So, What Happened? (Dru Johnson) The Biblical Mind Ep. 175 | 00:07:35 | |
In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson, Director of the Center for Hebraic Thought (CHT), shares the journey of the Center, its recent challenges, and its exciting relaunch as an independent 501(c)(3). Dr. Johnson reflects on the CHT’s founding mission: exploring the unique thinking patterns of the biblical authors and their relevance today. He highlights the Center's initial support from the Philos Project and its integral role in bridging the Old and New Testaments through Hebraic thought. The closure of King's College in spring 2023 forced a significant transition for the CHT. Dr. Johnson recounts the personal and professional disruptions, including relocating his family and accepting a visiting appointment at Hope College in Michigan, alongside a major project at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The episode introduces Mike Tolliver, the CHT’s new Executive Director, who spearheaded the relaunch with his entrepreneurial and scholarly expertise. Dr. Johnson expresses optimism for the Center's future, hinting at exciting new initiatives aimed at expanding its impact.
Chapters 00:05 Introduction and the Mission of the CHT 02:44 Challenges from the Closure of King's College 04:30 Personal and Professional Adjustments 06:00 The Role of Mike Tolliver in Relaunching the CHT | |||
| 04 Nov 2022 | Our Complicated History with Evil (Discover Your Roots Season 2 Premiere) | 00:36:24 | |
Hitler is evil. Helping an old lady cross the street is good. Simple, right? But there’s an underlying question here: Why? What are good and evil? In this crossover with our partner organization Passages Israel, Dru Johnson (CHT Director) and Mattanah DeWitt kick off Season 2 of Discover Your Roots, which aims to unpack weighty questions about the nature of good and evil. In this episode, Dru gives an overview of the season, walking us through a few common conceptions (and misconceptions!) about good and evil through the lens of psychology, philosophy, culture, and—ultimately—Scripture. The whole season is available here! Discover Your Roots is produced by Passages Israel. Passages sponsors and coordinates journeys to the Holy Land to strengthen the faith of Christian students, connect them to Israel, and prepare them for a life of Christ-centered leadership. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 25 Mar 2022 | Beyond Bible Study: From Consumers to Participants (Caroline Smiley and Kyle Worley) | 00:37:00 | |
To find your place in the story of Scripture, you have to understand the story and then how the story continues into our world today. Many Christians haven't learned a method for reaching sound theological conclusions, and end up being more defensive than constructive. Some Christians are also content to lack Bible knowledge as long as the pastor or another leader has it, instead of becoming knowledgeable themselves within a community. Caroline Smiley and Kyle Worley explain how they have partnered to help people learn theological methods and frameworks to study the Bible in a way that is sustainable and replicable. Show notes:
Book mentioned: By the Renewing of Your Minds, by Ellen T. Charry Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 02 Dec 2022 | What If We Took God’s Instruction Seriously? (Ryan O’Dowd) | 00:35:50 | |
Is it biblical to "follow your passion"? How do you know if the law is written on your heart? In this week's episode, Dru interviews CHT Fellow Ryan O'Dowd on engaging deeply with the Bible, living in accordance with the Torah's instruction, and ministering as the church. Scripture provides a host of instructions about how to live: everything from the proper view of our passions to helping the marginalized to saving money. But too often, we don't even know what it says—or we just don't take it seriously. As we mirror the practices described in Deuteronomy, like constant public engagement with Scripture, communal feasting, and building flourishing economic communities, we will find that the Bible will open up itself to our understanding.
Rev. Ryan P. O'Dowd is a Senior Fellow at Chesterton House at Cornell University, the pastor at Bread of Life Anglican Church, and an Academic Fellow at CHT. His research interests include wisdom literature and the epistemology of the Torah. He has written for The Biblical Mind about virtual worship and the Lord's Supper and the book of Proverbs as instruction in virtue. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 24 Sep 2021 | Reading Evangelicals: Doctrine, Culture, and Popular Christian Fiction (Daniel Silliman) | 00:39:39 | |
Left Behind. This Present Darkness. Love Come Softly. The culture of faith in the West has been greatly shaped by Christian fiction. Many books that are popular in Christian circles plant flags of doctrines within their pages, providing something for Christians to buy into. Join us this week as Daniel Silliman (author of Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith and news editor for Christianity Today) discusses how books such as Left Behind have influenced evangelicalism, and how the book market more broadly has influenced Western Christianity. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 28 Mar 2023 | Is It Time to Quit ’Quiet Time’? Discussing Our View (Dru Johnson & Celina Durgin) | 00:28:05 | |
Instead of interviewing a guest, TBM host Dru Johnson and editor Celina Durgin discussed an article they co-wrote for Christianity Today: "Is It Time to Quit 'Quiet Time'?" Many people read their Bibles on their own, and some do so daily. When combined with communal study, some form of this practice is important for anyone wanting to become fluent in Scripture. However, private Bible-reading can go wrong. It can be fragmented, individualistic, uninformed, and essentially passive. It can be impotent or even deleterious for readers whose misunderstandings go uncorrected and who don't apply true biblical principles to life. At its most distinctive, the "quiet time" ritual of private prayer, listening, and devotional Bible-reading is an artifact of Western culture from the last 150 years. Dru and Celina explored the history of this practice in an article in Christianity Today, published online and slated to appear in the April print edition. They concluded that the form quiet time often takes is not conducive to Bible literacy and can actually compound misunderstanding over time. It can even be an empty ritual that Christians perform to feel pious while failing to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. If you're a regular listener, you can probably guess that Dru and Celina favor community-based solutions to this problem. Dru hosts The Biblical Mind podcast, directs the Center for Hebraic Thought, and is an Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at The King’s College in New York City. Celina is the Editor of The Biblical Mind magazine and podcast. She was previously an editorial fellow at a political magazine in New York, and then, after graduate school, worked in the editorial department of a marketing company in downtown Boston. Some of her written work can be found in Christianity Today. Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 17 Sep 2021 | Overcoming Common ‘Mistruths‘ We‘ve Heard in Church (Brent Strawn) | 00:31:02 | |
Somewhere along the line, we have inherited many "mistruths" about Scripture, as Dr. Brent Strawn calls them. These are conceptions that aren't completely false, but are misleading—and sometimes pose a greater threat to truth than complete falsehoods do. He discusses his latest book, Lies My Preacher Told Me, and how misconceptions have seeped their way into the church, affecting their views of Scripture, God, and their faith. Brent doesn't mean to pick on pastors per se, but his book explores various ways in which mistruths have taken hold. He identifies key mistruths—such as excessive christocentrism and neglect of or aversion to the Old Testament—in the church and suggests how we might overcome them. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 29 Nov 2023 | Scripture, Sexuality, and Podcasting (Preston Sprinkle) | 00:59:35 | |
In the first half of this episode, Dru Johnson talks with Preston Sprinkle about his journeys into the LGBTQ+ communities, theologies, and conversations and the psychological research in that field. He also discusses his convictions about biblical views on sexuality that emerged from this quest.
In the second half of this episode, Preston and Dru talk about the theology (and ecclesiology) of podcasting itself. Who should and should not be doing it, and what cautions should they be employing.
Audio editing by Nate Spanos. | |||
| 06 May 2022 | Reissue: Violence in the Bible Isn’t What You Think It Is (Matt Lynch) | 00:32:04 | |
This episode was originally published on October 16, 2020. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Many readers of Scripture are jarred when God and Israel commit violence in the Old Testament. From the conquest of Canaan, to the lives of the biblical patriarchs, to the great flood in Genesis, we cannot avoid the fact that God and His people fight and kill. This can lead to a crisis of faith—how can God be good if He is violent? Dr. Matt Lynch, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Regent College, wants to reframe our questions; rather than merely worrying about God's use of violence, we could instead ask how the biblical authors are critiquing our use of violence. In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson interviews Dr. Lynch about how the Bible portrays violence. They discuss Scripture's persistent connection between violence and tumult, and the difference between justified forceful harm and unjust violence. They also address the ethical connection between human beings and the rest of creation, and how violence in the Old Testament and New Testament separates humanity from God and the earth. Show notes:
Dr. Lynch's new book: Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Literary and Cultural Study Show notes by Micah Long. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 28 Jan 2022 | Extreme Violence, Nahum, and Reconciliation in the Congo (Jacob Onyumbe Wenyi) | 00:26:15 | |
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been afflicted by war and violence. The people are not always ready for reconciliation, because they are busy seeking justice. Dr. Jacob Onyumbe Wenyi, a professor and a Roman Catholic priest of the diocese of Tshumbe (D.R. Congo), discusses his book on Nahum, "Piles of Slain, Heaps of Corpses." The violence in the book of Nahum connects directly to the experiences of people in the Congo. Dr. Onyumbe Wenyi explains how Nahum's portrayal of a vengeful God and abhorrent war scenes can speak to severely traumatized communities. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 14 Jan 2022 | The Torah Is Not a Law Book (Jerry Unterman) | 00:33:40 | |
The nation of Israel was born into a world that was already culturally old and established. When the Torah appeared, the ancient Near East contained several law collections. CHT fellow Dr. Jerry Unterman explains that unlike other law codes of the ANE, the Torah is not a law book. Rather, its unique framework reveals it to be a treaty—a covenant between God and His people, embedded in a narrative. Show Notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 03 Feb 2023 | The Unwritten Word: Learning from High Orality-Reliant Cultures (Charles Madinger) | 00:43:37 | |
Western culture relies extensively on written text to communicate. But the majority of people across the world rely far less on reading than they do on speech, body language, story, images, and their other senses. Charles Madinger joins the podcast this week to explore the concept of orality—the multifaceted way in which people were created to communicate. Though well-meaning pastors and missionaries may rely on three-point sermons and Bible translation projects, these efforts often miss the variety of ways that the active, living Word of God engages people's bodies and minds, in communities. Charles also examines Jesus' parables and the many ways God interacts with his people throughout Scripture, how McDonald's might do a better job communicating than most pastors, and whether Gen Z is escaping the low orality-reliance of Western culture. Dr. Charles Madinger is the Founder and Director of the Institutes for Orality Strategies, a collective of organizations committed to evangelizing to oral communicators. In addition to his scholarly publications in the field of orality, he has worked in global ministry for thirty years. He also serves the 4.2.20 Foundation as the Vice President of the Center for Oral Scriptures. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 30 Jun 2023 | ’Fireside’ Chat: Distance between Seminaries and Churches (Matt LaPine) | 00:44:10 | |
Dru enjoys a more casual conversation with Matthew A. LaPine (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), pastor of theological development at Cornerstone Church and lecturer at Salt School of Theology (Ames, Iowa). Their chat covers theological and pastoral education, considering the in-house models of megachurches and the ways in which seminary can be disconnected from the reality of church life. | |||
| 03 Mar 2023 | Trusting Reality: ’Longing to Know’ Turns 20 (Esther Meek) | 00:40:55 | |
"Knowing is an activity that all of us are involved in, all of the time," writes Dr. Esther Meek in her book Longing to Know, which turns 20 this year. "Usually knowing happens without our taking great thought to the process. But sometimes we stop and think about what we're doing. When we stop and think, what we were doing without much thought becomes murky indeed." Think of learning to ride a bike. After a period of assisted practice, something clicks. A person who initially couldn't balance on a bike can suddenly ride off on their own. The external process of learning to ride a bike—guidance from a parent or a friend, training wheels, brief intervals of unassisted pedaling—are all easily identifiable. But the personal transformation—from not knowing how to ride a bike to knowing how—is more mysterious. Building on the thought of Michael Polanyi, Dr. Meek challenges conceptions of knowing that have reigned since the Enlightenment, which don't reflect the way the biblical authors appear to portray how we acquire knowledge. It turns out that, for instance, doing what YHWH commands "so that you may know" looks a lot like learning to ride a bike. Esther Lightcap Meek (BA Cedarville College; MA Western Kentucky University; PhD Temple University) is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. She is also Senior Scholar with The Seattle School for Theology and Psychology, a Fujimura Institute Scholar, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 14 Oct 2022 | The Pitfalls of Children’s Bibles (Rachel Wilkowski) | 00:35:00 | |
"Why wasn't I trained to read this way as a child?" —Rachel Wilkowski Over the last several decades, the Christian world has eagerly produced a host of children's Bibles—retellings of biblical stories in "kid-friendly" language, complete with cute, colorful illustrations. Many of these children's Bibles, however, come laden with assumptions about the nature of childhood, which parts of Scripture are considered appropriate, and what "lesson" the stories teach. Rachel Wilkowski, a researcher in the area of children's Bibles, joins Dru Johnson to discuss history and pitfalls of these books. They discuss the impacts of "pre-interpreting" the biblical texts for children, including the propensity toward moralism and sanitizing some of the difficult parts of Scripture. They also consider how religious beliefs and the publishing industry combine to shape what is presented in these retellings of Scripture. Rachel Wilkowski is a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin and Family Ministries Director at St. Peter's Fireside in Vancouver. She has particular research interest in how Genesis 1-3 (and other parts of the Hebrew Bible) are interpreted and retold in children's Bibles from different Jewish and Christian traditions. She has 14 non-biological nieces and nephews and one biological nephew. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 05 Nov 2021 | Reading the Bible While Black: The Crucial Perspective of the Black Church (Esau McCaulley) | 00:39:02 | |
"Blackness is a part of American culture." Too often American Christianity is equated with white Christianity, while expressions of Black Christianity are overlooked. Continuing our series "By the Oppressed, to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads Scripture," Esau McCaulley, author of Reading While Black, explains how American Black history has given Black Christians an important lens through which to understand Scripture, and how power can actually be a distorting lens. When people hear biblical interpretations they might have missed because of their own experiences, the narrative can change. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
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| 01 Oct 2021 | Why Jesus‘ Judaism Matters (Jen Rosner) | 00:37:38 | |
Many Christians know that Jesus was a Jew, but they don't necessarily think much about this fact or grasp its significance. In this episode, Jen Rosner discusses the importance of recognizing that Jesus embraced his Jewish identity in his lifetime, and the implications of his Judaism for the church and for our understanding of the New Testament today. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 09 Dec 2022 | There Is No West without the Near East (Robert Nicholson) | 00:39:00 | |
The Near East carries a strange set of connotations in the modern West. On the one hand, it is the origin of our most significant ethical traditions. On the other, it is an area full of political tensions and years of violent conflict. In this episode, Robert Nicholson (Founder and President of Philos Project and CHT Senior Fellow) helps Christians evaluate their attitudes toward the Near East and its importance for Christian history and the faith today. From the perception of Israel, to the various groups of Muslims in the region, to the frequently-persecuted Christian communities, the Near East presents a complicated combination of religious, ethnic, and political identities. Christians have opportunities to pursue peace by advocating pluralistic respect, recognizing the positive developments in the region, and praying. Robert Nicholson is the Founder and President of Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement in the Near East. He holds an MA in Middle Eastern history and a JD from Syracuse history, and he also co-founded Passages Israel, serves on the board of In Defense of Christians, and teaches at The King's College. His writings have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal and First Things, and he also hosts the podcast The Deep Map. Show notes:
For more about one practical way to get involved with the work of Philos Project, check out their 21 Martyrs Pilgrimage Campaign, a fundraising effort to bring the families of the 21 Christian Copts killed in 2015 on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 08 Apr 2022 | The Sexual Reformation: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Gender? (Aimee Byrd) | 00:41:48 | |
Certain modern stereotypes and gender roles influence how women and men in the church understand their humanity and sexuality. When people fall short of these expectations, they can feel inadequate. An idea that has pervaded church history is that men and women are polar opposites. Famous theologians have called women inferior. Regarding gender, what is actually "biblical," and what is merely cultural—and sometimes very harmful? This week, Aimee Byrd critiques the stereotypes in light of her new book The Sexual Reformation, with an eye to restoring the dignity of personhood. She focuses mainly on the Song of Solomon to explore what the roles of men and women, married and single, truly are based on God’s spousal love for His people. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 03 Sep 2021 | God Wears a Robe? Reading the Psalms as Poetry (Chip Hardy and Matt Mullins) | 00:38:47 | |
Why is the Book of Psalms important? How does reading the psalms as poetry help us to understand them? In this conversation, Dru Johnson talks with Chip Hardy and Matt Mullins about psalm 93 and the importance of the structure, metaphors, and wording of the psalms. They warn against reducing the poetry to a fluffy expression of an internal state (if that were all poetry is, it wouldn't be worth reading). The structure of the words in the Book of Psalms is integral to their meaning. The rhythm and pace of the language can conjure certain images and attitudes. In psalm 93, the language crescendos to suggest a sense of God's overwhelming power and majesty. Chip and Matt guide listeners carefully through this psalm and offer their advice on studying this book for life and ministry. Show notes:
Show notes by Serena Tuomi. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 21 Jan 2022 | What Biblical Racial Reconciliation Actually Looks Like (Anthony Bradley) | 00:32:10 | |
Reconciliation in practice involves local communities acknowledging the wrongs of their particular pasts and figuring out how to move forward— what the responsibilities are and how to live together in peace. In the area of racial reconciliation, we focus a lot on justice and the responsibilities of the offenders. But biblical reconciliation also requires the injured party to show mercy and eventually let go of the wrongs, which is profoundly humbling to those receiving the mercy. Dr. Anthony Bradley joins us this week to discuss what has informed current racial tensions and how churches and communities can move forward. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 18 Mar 2022 | What Do Rituals ’Do,’ and What Makes a Ritual Sacred? (Ben Noonan) | 00:30:41 | |
Rituals aren't mechanistic activities that may or may not produce a direct, isolated result. Rather, rituals shape a person over time. What distinguishes mundane rituals such as brushing your teeth or drinking coffee from sacred rituals such as baptism? In Scripture, sacred rituals are formative for particular purposes, separating God’s people from the rest of the world, while simultaneously providing people with a community. Dr. Ben Noonan joins us to discuss rituals and practices: which ones from the Bible are meant for today, how they change us, and how the rituals we don’t necessarily practice today draw on principles that still can apply to our lives. Show notes:
Show Notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 21 Apr 2023 | What the Image of God Is and Is Not (Carmen Imes) | 00:43:22 | |
You might have heard that being made in the image of God refers to human rationality, relationality, moral agency, or some combination of these qualities. Dr. Carmen Imes disagrees. She and Dru discuss what they think the author of Genesis was actually referring to with the phrase "image of God," in light of Carmen's latest book Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (forthcoming in June, 2023). Along the way, they discuss artificial intelligence, the resurrection and renewal of creation, and why Eve should have been more assertive. Carmen (PhD in Biblical Theology, Wheaton College) is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is also the author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. Carmen is an active member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies. Carmen keeps a blog called Chastened Institutions and releases weekly Torah Tuesday videos on her YouTube channel.
Show notes by Celina Durgin This episode's music was generated by artificial intelligence. | |||
| 24 Mar 2023 | Women in the Early Church (Nijay Gupta) | 01:03:37 | |
This episode was originally published by OnScript podcast. Thanks to the OnScript team for letting us share this episode with our listeners. Here are the OnScript show notes for this episode:
Episode: The book we’re talking about today is Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church with IVP Academic. In this episode, we explore the data about women in Scripture and antiquity including ideas such as women’s leadership is an exception that relies upon the norm of male leadership, persistent myths about women in the Roman empire, and the hotly contested passages in Paul. Guest: Dr. Nijay Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written over 21 books, including commentaries on Colossians, Thessalonians, and Philippians. He’s written 15 New Testament Words of Life: A New Testament Theology for Real Life (Zondervan), A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies: Understanding Key Debates (Baker Academic), and Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (IVP Academic), discussed in this episode. He has also written several books helping scholars research, write, and get a sense of the field of NT studies. These include The Writer: A Guide to Researching, Writing, and Publishing in Biblical Studies (Cascade) and Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond (2nd ed.; Cascade). | |||
| 05 Aug 2022 | Forming Trauma-Safe Churches (Scott Harrower and Joshua Cockayne) | 00:35:44 | |
We hear the word "trauma" a lot today—but what does it really mean? For Christians who have experienced horrific, overwhelming, life-threatening events events, the church can be a place either of fear or of healing. In this episode, Scott Harrower and Joshua Cockayne discuss their new book Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Churches (written with Preston Hill). They examine attitudes and practices that help us recognize, accept, and respond to traumatized individuals within the church. As the church becomes a community of help and safety, and as its members grow in Christlikeness, it can become a haven for the traumatized and vulnerable. Scott Harrower is a Lecturer in Christian Thought at Ridley College and an ordained Anglican minister. He writes on the history of early Christianity and philosophical issues such as the problem of evil. Joshua Cockayne is a Divinity Honorary Lecturer at the University of St. Andrews. His research focuses on spirituality and ecclesiology, and he works in the area of analytic theology. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 27 May 2022 | Reissue: What Does Reconciliation Mean for Sexual Abuse Survivors? (Rachael and Jacob Denhollander) | 00:39:55 | |
This episode was originally published on February 4, 2022. In light of the Southern Baptist Convention's release of a report on sexual abuse within the denomination, we thought this episode was worth reissuing for our newer listeners. This week, Rachael and Jacob Denhollander joined the podcast to discuss what reconciliation and restoration can look like following horrific abuse. Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and former gymnast, rose to international prominence in 2016 when she became the first woman to publicly denounce and pursue criminal charges against former USA Gymnastics’ team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused more than 500 girls and women. Rachael authored What Is a Girl Worth?, which explores her story in depth. In cases of abuse and sexual misconduct within the church, Christians can become fixated on forgiving and forgetting, and fear what will happen if the church gets bad press. But God will continue preserving His church, hence our job is not to protect the church from critique; it is to pursue justice. Failure to do so systemically enables sexual abuse. Justice and reconciliation must go hand in hand. Show Notes:
Tweetable: "The church has an obligation to pursue justice because that's who God is." Resources: https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/6-ways-pastors-can-care-for-victims-of-sexual-abuse/ https://churchcares.com/ Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 12 Aug 2022 | The Dangers of Celebrity in the Church (Katelyn Beaty) | 00:38:32 | |
We live in a fame-saturated culture. Celebrity figures run our largest corporations, media entities, and megachurches. But the characteristics of celebrity—unquestioned authority, dynamic public personas, and tendency toward abuse—make it a dangerous feature in Christian churches. Recent stories about abusive, exploitative celebrity pastors have spotlighted this fact. In this episode, Katelyn Beaty discusses her new book Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church. She identifies the key features of fame and celebrity that infect every element of our culture and diagnoses their central issues, including secrecy, self-promotion, anger, and pride. She asks whether the business world has become the model for the church and whether the American church is unique in its elevation of celebrity pastors. The church needs to know the dangers of celebrity and find ways to remain accountable in its pursuit of the gospel. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 23 Dec 2022 | Most Popular Episode of 2022: ’Going to Heaven’ vs. Resurrection, the New Heavens, and the New Earth (J. Richard Middleton) | 00:32:19 | |
In case you missed it, this was our most popular episode of 2022. We hope this conversation encourages Christians with the biblical hope of the resurrection and the age to come. What happens to you when you die? Many Christians picture eternal life as spending time in an ethereal heaven with God, either immediately after death as a disembodied spirit or after a "rapture" of Christians. Books and films, made by and for Christians, have promoted this idea of the afterlife. Dr. J. Richard Middleton wants to challenge this particular view of the Christian afterlife. What happens immediately after we die does not much matter to the biblical authors; they concern themselves with proclaiming the hope of the eventual resurrection and preaching the Kingdom of God. In this episode, he discusses common words in our theological vernacular—spirit, soul, resurrection, hell, heaven, etc.—and challenges us to rethink them through a biblical lens. The story of the Bible is not the story of what happens between death and resurrection, but the story of the "redemption of the world." Dr. Middleton is Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Roberts Wesleyan College. He specializes in the Christian worldview, Christianity and postmodernism, Old Testament Theology, and eschatology. His most recent book is A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 22 Oct 2021 | How the Marginalized Church Reads the Bible, Part 1: Vince Bantu | 00:45:10 | |
New CHT fellow Dr. Vince Bantu of Fuller Theological Seminary is back on the podcast, this time to discuss the how historically marginalized and oppressed parts of the church understand Scripture better than the dominant church does—from the early church to the African church to the Black church in the U.S. today. Dr. Bantu and Dru explore the interpretive advantages that the lack of political and social power can confer on readers of the Bible—a book written largely by people who suffered oppression and exile. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 05 May 2023 | ICYMI: How ’Christianese’ Is Like Corporate Jargon (Valerie Hobbs) | 00:33:15 | |
This episode was originally published in May of 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. A new episode is coming next week. Why do we say "come to Jesus"? This Christianese phrase doesn't just show up in church—it shows up in offices, homes, and schools around America, where we speak of "come-to-Jesus moments." What about words like "community" or "intentional"? Do we even know what those words mean? Unless we attend to our words and try to express our thoughts more carefully, our religious language can end up thin, impotent, and laden with clichés. In this episode, Dru Johnson talks to Dr. Valerie Hobbs, a Senior Lecturer and linguist at the University of Sheffield. Dr. Hobbs specializes in the construction, use, and progression of religious language in contemporary discourse. They discuss the definitions and origins of religious language and Christianese, and how they can be distinguished from simple "in-group" or technical language. Then, they consider how our most powerful (or just persistent) ideas about death, God, and spirituality find their way out of the church and into corporate discourse, or vice-versa. They conclude with remarks on how to think about prayer, apologizing, and even the idea of racial reconciliation, to help us choose better words and think more deeply. Show notes:
Learn more about Valerie Hobbs and her work. Her most recent book, An Introduction to Religious Language Show notes by Micah Long. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 12 Dec 2024 | Judaism is About Love (Shai Held) part 1 Ep. 178 | 00:42:13 | |
In this special episode, Dr. Dru Johnson interviews Rabbi Dr. Shai Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute, about his book, Judaism is About Love. The conversation explores the intricate relationship between love and law in Judaism, offering insights for both Jewish and Christian audiences. Rabbi Held emphasizes that, in Judaism, law is not opposed to love but serves as its manifestation, challenging the common dichotomy in some Christian traditions. He highlights the centrality of love in Jewish rituals and commandments, portraying them as pathways to cultivate love for God and others. Through examples like the Torah’s command to love the stranger and the ritual practice of gratitude, Rabbi Held illustrates how Jewish thought integrates love into every aspect of life. The episode also delves into Rabbi Held’s methodology, blending traditional Jewish interpretations with modern academic approaches. He discusses his book’s aim to present Jewish spirituality in an accessible yet deeply reflective way. For those curious about Hebraic and Jewish thought, this episode provides a compelling perspective on the transformative power of love, the joy of being commanded, and the communal and spiritual dimensions of the Torah’s teachings. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Rabbi Shai Held and His Work 05:18 The Relationship Between Torah and Love 10:06 Methods of Jewish Thought and Love 13:36 Rituals and Their Role in Instilling Love 17:35 The Interplay of Love and Ritual 21:18 Understanding Love in the Context of Divine Love 24:53 Comparing Approaches to Love in Jewish Thought 30:39 The Call to Love in Contemporary Society 36:21 Exploring Jewish Humor and Its Depths 37:19 Influential Works in Biblical Studies 37:46 A Fun Game of Love Songs | |||
| 09 Sep 2022 | A Jewish View of the Afterlife in the Hebrew Bible (Jeremiah Unterman) | 00:39:27 | |
For Christians accustomed to certain ideas of heaven and hell, other views of the afterlife in Scripture may seem strange. But Jewish views of the afterlife have a storied and fascinating tradition of their own. In this episode, Dru is joined by Dr. Jeremiah Unterman, Senior Fellow at the Center for Hebraic thought. They discuss Jewish views of the afterlife from the ancient to modern times, encountering the concepts of sheol, ruach, gehenna, immortality, and judgment. Dr. Unterman offers perspectives on the story of Saul and the Necromancer, the phrase "gathered to their fathers," burial practices of the ancient Near East, and the role that theodicy plays in developing Jewish views of the afterlife. Jerry Unterman is a Resident Scholar at the Herzl Institute, former professor (Yeshiva University, Northwestern University, and others), an author, and Senior Fellow at the Center for Hebraic Thought. In 2017, he released Justice for All: How the Jewish Bible Revolutionized Ethics, a look at the influence of the Hebrew Scriptures on the values and practices of the modern world. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 11 Feb 2022 | The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America (Aaron Griffith) | 00:44:13 | |
In the latter half of 20th century, the evangelical community's developing attitudes toward crime and punishment overlapped with the increasingly punitive approach of the American criminal justice system. Faith leaders such as Billy Graham and James Dobson cast crime as an issue of the criminal's heart, deemphasizing its enmeshment with broader social structures and ills. On this episode, Aaron Griffith discusses his book God’s Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America and how thinking about criminality can help people deepen their understanding of sin and redemption. Show notes:
Books/articles mentioned:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 28 Apr 2022 | Update: Now Accepting Questions for Upcoming Q&A Episodes! | 00:01:11 | |
We at the CHT and TBM are curious about your thoughts and questions regarding the intellectual world of the Bible! We’re now inviting listeners to send us questions, and we’ll start answering them in upcoming Q&A episodes. You can email us your questions at cht_administrator@tkc.edu. Have you ever wanted to jump into a conversation between Dru and one of our guests? Do you want to probe more deeply into a topic of a previous episode? Or do you perhaps have a question on a topic we’ve never discussed, but that you think we could answer? We look forward to hearing from you! | |||
| 13 May 2022 | Knowing God through Welcoming the Stranger (Mark Glanville) | 00:39:46 | |
The Old Testament, especially Deuteronomy, repeatedly entreats the Israelites to welcome the stranger. The Israelites were required to love the stranger because God loves the stranger. In the gospels, Jesus practices this teaching continually, forming a makeshift family from the vulnerable around him. The church should likewise adopt the stranger and the vulnerable as family, because this is God’s design for humanity. Mark Glanville, pastor and professor of pastoral theology, discusses the biblical ethic of welcoming refugees; his involvement in Kinbrace, a Canadian nonprofit that provides refugee housing and support; and how welcoming those on the margins can shape our view of Scripture and the world. Show notes:
Q&A: Email us your questions about the intellectual world of the Bible at cht_administrator@tkc.edu, and we'll answer them in an upcoming Q&A episode. Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 23 Feb 2024 | Will AI Take Over the World (Adam Graber) | 00:44:45 | |
Appropriately: An AI generated summary of our conversation:
The conversation explores the influence of technology on humanity and the reciprocal relationship between the two. It discusses the impact of smartphones and identifies key technologies that have shaped the world. The balance between screen time and creativity is examined, along with the concerns and benefits of AI. The importance of foundational knowledge and skills is emphasized, as well as the need for critical evaluation of sources. The conversation also addresses the biases present in AI systems and the challenges of tracing causal links within them. The conversation explores the use of AI in data analysis and interpretation, particularly in the context of Bible study. It raises questions about the validity and limitations of using AI for interpretation and emphasizes the need for critical evaluation.
Takeaways
Chapters
01:31 The Influence of Technology on Humanity
03:26 Technology Shaping Our Experience
04:21 Examples of Technology
06:23 The Relationship Between Technology and Humanity
09:27 The Impact of Smartphones
10:48 Technologies that Have Changed the World
13:24 Balancing Screen Time and Creativity
16:09 The Concerns and Benefits of AI
19:52 The Role of AI in Creativity
25:09 The Importance of Foundational Knowledge and Skills
27:48 The Biases of AI Systems
31:34 The Human Element in AI Systems
36:26 The Need for Critical Evaluation of Sources
39:43 The Human Bias in AI Systems
40:26 The Concerns about Tracing Causal Links in AI
41:29 AI and Data Analysis
42:27 Statistical Method of Interpretation
43:57 Critically Evaluating AI Interpretation | |||
| 05 Jun 2023 | Technology Isn’t a Neutral Tool (Jason Thacker) | 00:39:11 | |
From social media, to the printing press, to artificial intelligence, to the pencil, technologies have often been regarded as things that can't be good or bad apart from how people choose to use them. Jason Thacker doesn't think any technology is merely a neutral tool, because as people use technology to shape the world, it also shapes them and their culture. Jason Thacker serves as an assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College in Louisville, KY. He also is a research fellow in Christian ethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the author of several books including Following Jesus in the Digital Age and The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. He also holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is currently a PhD candidate in ethics, public theology, and philosophy. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 20 Jan 2023 | Jewish Identity, Deconstruction, and Misusing the Bible (Marty Solomon) | 00:34:44 | |
How do we approach the Bible? Do we see it merely as a "perfect rulebook"? A piece of literature to be picked apart? Or do we see it as something that threatens to transform us and upend our preconceptions, helping us live in accordance with God and His activity? In this episode, Dru interviews Marty Solomon, cohost, creator, and Executive Producer of The BEMA Podcast and President of Impact Campus Ministries, about his approach to reading and teaching the Bible. They consider different approaches to Scripture, from fundamentalism to textual criticism to deconstruction, and explore the ways each might shed more light on the text. They also explore how understanding Jewish identity (both ancient and modern) can present both opportunities and pitfalls for understanding Scripture. Marty Solomon is an author, teacher, and resource creator who aims to help people read the Bible in its historical and Jewish context. Along with his work at The BEMA Podcast and Impact Campus Ministries, he has written a book called Asking Better Questions of the Bible: A Guide for the Wounded, Wary, and Longing for More (releasing February 7, 2023). He aims to bring the best of Christian history, modern scholarship, and discipleship to the church, especially college students, to help them love God and serve his kingdom. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long. | |||
| 13 Jan 2023 | Reading the Bible Like an Adult (Avital Hazony Levi) | 00:46:53 | |
How do we read the Bible like adults? For many people who grew up in communities of faith, the Bible stories have been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. But it's often not until later in life that the richer meanings of the stories come alive, misconceptions are corrected, and the voices of the biblical authors become clearer—even as we relinquish naive certainties and the expectation of a black and white world. In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Avital Hazony Levi, instructor in Jewish philosophy and Bible at Midreshet Nishmat. They discuss everything from the nitty-gritty vocabulary of the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to the ways in which Western philosophical concepts threaten to drown out the voices of the biblical authors to the psychology of female characters in the Hebrew Bible. Along the way, they examine core biblical concepts such as loyalty, trust, responsibility, and generational sin. Currently a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University, Avital has a rich background in both the Hebrew Bible and philosophy, and her work spans from moral epistemology to the nature of loyalty and worship. She has taught philosophy, Jewish thought, and Tanakh at Nishmat, TVA, and the Orthodox Union college summer program. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 17 Mar 2023 | Trying to Master the Bible? Try Savoring It Instead (Andrew Abernethy) | 00:37:13 | |
Literature students who can analyze a passage from East of Eden with ease often flounder when trying to analyze a Bible passage. Why? Dr. Andrew Abernethy explains how people can overcome barriers to understanding Scripture by using skills they already have, and by seeking not just to understand, but also to savor. Dru asks Dr. Abernethy, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois, about his new book Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible. Prior to joining the faculty at Wheaton, Dr. Abernethy was a Lecturer in Old Testament at Ridley College (Melbourne), where he benefited greatly from teaching and living with fellow Christians in a cross-cultural and post-Christian context. He has written numerous articles and is also the author of several other books: Eating in Isaiah (Brill, 2014); The Book of Isaiah and God’s Kingdom (IVP, 2016); God’s Messiah in the Old Testament (Baker, 2020); Discovering Isaiah (Eerdmans/SPCK, 2021). Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin | |||
| 30 Jul 2021 | Ancient Jewish Pilgrims and Sacrificial BBQ (Jeffrey Garcia) | 00:31:12 | |
When you hear the word "pilgrim," your first thought might be of the pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth Harbor in 1620, or of English medieval pilgrims. You might be less familiar with the ancient Jewish pilgrims who journeyed to the temple in Jerusalem. CHT fellow Dr. Jeffrey P. Garcia joins Dr. Dru Johnson to discuss this overlooked practice that fills in some historical context of the first-century biblical world. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 16 Sep 2021 | Narrative of Place: Why Historical and Geographical Context Matters (Cyndi Parker) | 00:32:20 | |
In seminary, Dr. Cyndi Parker of Narrative of Place became frustrated with the lack of focus on understanding the lived experience of ancient people in the Bible. She decided to go to Israel for a full year to understand the physical context of the biblical world—to experience the seasons, to see when the grass grows, to feel the hot Middle Eastern sun, to set foot on the soil. Sitting and reading is so different from putting your feet on the ground in Israel. Join us this week as Cyndi shares about maps, the Middle East, and the importance of place for the student of Scripture. Show notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast. | |||
| 27 Nov 2024 | Where Are We Going? (Mike Tolliver) Ep. 176 | 00:09:36 | |
In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson introduces Mike Tolliver, the new Executive Director of the Center for Hebraic Thought (CHT). Together, they discuss exciting developments for the Center following its recent relaunch as an independent 501(c)(3). Mike shares his academic background in theology and philosophy, highlighting his passion for Hebraic thought and its integration into biblical scholarship. The episode outlines the formalization of the CHT’s two primary initiatives: the Center for Hebraic Thought, aimed at scholars, and The Biblical Mind, tailored for the broader church and theological students. Plans include commissioning new scholarly work, providing free, high-quality resources for churches and classrooms, and launching tightly packaged multimodal courses. A key highlight is the introduction of a PhD scholarship fund for students in the humanities focusing on Hebraic thought. The Center also plans to expand its offerings to scholars, such as broader platforms for publishing and improved compensation. Additional goals include an annual conference and a redesigned, user-friendly website. The episode concludes with an announcement of the CHT’s first capital campaign, designed for micro-donors to participate. Mike emphasizes strategy and collaboration as central to the Center’s future success, ensuring its ability to serve both academic and non-academic audiences effectively. Chapters 00:27 Introduction 01:21 Mike Tolliver's Background 02:50 Discussing the Changes That Are Coming for the Center 05:40 The Mission as an Independent Non-Profit 06:58 The Immediate Changes | |||
| 30 Aug 2023 | Why Is Leviticus so Hard to Read? (Dr. Jay Sklar) | 00:32:44 | |
| 07 Jan 2022 | No One Asks for Forgiveness in the Bible? (Joshua Berman) | 00:31:39 | |
People don't ask for or grant forgiveness in the Bible—at least, not in the way modern people are familiar with. Scripture is less focused on whether someone feels sorry or magnanimous than on practical reconciliation and restoration. Repeatedly in biblical narratives, characters demonstrate this reconciliation with a kiss. Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman discusses how forgiveness as we understand it is a modern notion and how the relevant biblical notion differs. Show Notes:
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 01 Apr 2022 | A Look Back at Rethinking ’Quiet Time’ (Jen Wilkin) | 00:36:52 | |
This episode was originally published on January 1, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Why do many Christians elevate the practice of "quiet time": isolated, often hurried and brief daily Bible-reading? Jen Wilkin—author, speaker, and leader of many Bible studies—challenges this practice. She believes that, rather than instilling deep Bible literacy, the typical "quiet time" encourages shallow reading and pursuit of instant gratification in the form of cheap satisfaction or vague encouragement at the expense of comprehension. Reading any book this way would not yield a thorough grasp of its themes, narrative, characters, and worldview, Jen says, so why read the Bible this way? While affirming its inerrancy, Jen cautions against treating Scripture like a magic 8-ball. The practice of quiet time is indeed formative, but not necessarily for the better. She proposes an alternative method of Bible study involving, among other things, extended (if not daily) reading and regular input from other careful Scripture-readers. Show notes:
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 02 Sep 2022 | Thinking Biblically about Institutions (Ari Lamm) | 00:48:43 | |
The Bible tells stories about individuals, families, and nations. But it also tells stories about institutions—the chosen and unchosen social structures that range from marriage, to news media, to the Supreme Court. Today, many people see major institutions as weak, corrupt, or untrustworthy (sometimes correctly). In this episode, Dru welcomes Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm back to the podcast for the fourth time to discuss the idea of institutions in the Hebrew Bible. Ari surveys the role of institutions the biblical narratives, looking at the earliest chapters of Genesis, the story of Abraham, the golden calf narrative, and the nations of Egypt and Babylon. They also discuss the right response to broken and corrupt institutions, the dangers of "spiritual highs," and the corrective role of prophetic voices. Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm is the CEO of Bnai Zion, an organization that aims to strengthen Israel and Jewish people, as well as the host of Good Faith Effort, a podcast that examines the Bible and its interactions with society. He studied Judaism and Christianity at University College London and Princeton University, and received his rabbinical ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He frequently writes and speaks about Jewish values and their positive impact on the world. Show notes:
Show notes by Micah Long | |||
| 13 Aug 2021 | Biblical Artist Series: Seeing Differently through Art (Steve Prince) | 00:56:43 | |
Steve Prince knew he wanted to be an artist since he was five years old. Art can be a powerful way to worship, and being a maker of things allows us to reflect God the Creator. For Prince, being a Christian and an artist go hand and hand—he sees his artwork as a calling. In this episode, Dru Johnson talks to Steve about his life as a Christian artist, the influence of his Catholic upbringing in New Orleans, how he communicates through art, and how Scripture and art relate. They discuss a piece of Prince’s art. Show notes:
Show notes by Serena Tuomi. Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||
| 10 Mar 2023 | Jazz, Justice, and the Gospel (William Edgar) | 00:36:02 | |
The rich and sad story of jazz has shaped both its sorrowful sounds and its joyful hope. William Edgar, the author of A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel, discusses the subtle and not-so-subtle ways the Bible has informed the movement and music of jazz throughout its history. William (BA, Harvard University, MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary, DTh, Université de Genève) is professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He directs the gospel-jazz band Renewal, which features the legendary singer Ruth Naomi Floyd. He is also currently professeur associé at the Faculté Jean Calvin, Aix-en-Provence (France). He has published more than 20 books and numerous articles in French and in English. His most recent book is A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel (IVP Academic, 2022). He and his wife, Barbara, have two children and three grandchildren. Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin
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| 21 Oct 2023 | Are Psychedelics Good for Depression, or Anything at All? (Ben ”Doc” Askins) [Full Episode] | 01:07:18 | |
Audio editing (and strategic bleeping) by John Viinalass. In the first half of this extra long episode: We discuss the strange biography of Ben "Doc" Askins, from combat medic to seminary student to Army physician's assistant (PA) to Psychiatric PA researching psychedelic medicine and trauma.
In the second half of this extra long episode: We discuss if there is an appropriate roll for various drugs, including psychedelics and MDMA, in assisting the dying, integrating traumas, and more. We also figure out what a "bad trip" on LSD might be. | |||
| 16 Sep 2022 | Would Moses Forgive Student Debt? (Michael Rhodes) | 00:40:43 | |
The Biden Administration's recent student debt forgiveness act in the U.S. has sparked conversations—many of them heated—about the nature of fairness, justice, poverty, and economic well-being. In this episode, Michael Rhodes joins Dru to discuss debt forgiveness in Scripture and the modern world. Rhodes surveys the radical Torah policies of cyclical debt forgiveness and the Year of Jubilee, and how they contrast with the debt forgiveness policies in the rest of the ancient Near East. A world of subsistence farming where predatory loans can create cycles of debt slavery and intergenerational poverty may not immediately seem similar to modern America—but on a closer look, similarities appear. Michael Rhodes is a Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in New Zealand. He has worked on community development programs in Kenya and South Memphis, and has also served as a pastor. His academic research focuses on the nature of justice and mercy in Torah economics and ritual meals in Scripture. He is also co-author of Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give. Show notes:
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits. | |||