Podcasts by The Bible For Normal People

Episode 188: Willie James Jennings - The Book of Acts & the Acts of the Spirit from 2021-11-22T05:01

Isn’t Acts just about the founding of the church? In this episode, Willie James Jennings joins Pete and Jared to discuss how the book of Acts reconstitutes what it means to be the people of God....

Episode 187: Kirsten Powers - How Grace Saves Us from 2021-11-14T05:01

In this episode, Kirsten Powers joins Pete and Jared to discuss toxic public discourse, non-dualistic thinking, and a look at how grace might hold a different meaning than we previously imagined...

Episode 186: Jared Byas - Making of the Modern Mindset, Part 2 from 2021-11-08T05:01

In this episode, Jared Byas explores the impact of reason and rationalism as he continues his deep dive into the origins of the modern mindset.

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Episode 185: Randy Woodley - Following Jesus as a Native Traditionalist from 2021-11-01T04:01

In this episode, Randy Woodley joins Pete and Jared to discuss the impact of dualistic thinking on theology and how Jesus can be accessed outside of scripture.

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Episode 184: Heather Macumber - Monsters in the Bible from 2021-10-25T04:01

What comes to mind when you think about monsters? In this episode, Heather Macumber joins Pete and Jared to discuss monster theory and how monsters are more prevalent in scripture than most peop...

Episode 183: Jennifer Bashaw - What Did the Crucifixion Do? from 2021-10-18T04:01

In this week’s episode, Jennifer Bashaw joins Pete and Jared to discuss how various atonement theories attempt to explain Jesus’s death.

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Episode 182: Pete & Jared - The Evolution of Adam from 2021-10-11T04:01

Can Christianity and evolution coexist? In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared discuss a path forward ...

Episode 181: Kate Bowler - The Prosperity Gospel & a Theology of Suffering from 2021-10-04T04:01

In this week’s episode, Kate Bowler joins Pete and Jared to discuss how suffering can cause us to adjust what we think God is like and how harmful the prosperity gospel can be.

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Episode 180: Brian K. Blount - Revelation for Today from 2021-09-27T04:01

The book of Revelation is just plain weird. For this episode, Pete and Jared sit down with Brian K. Blount to discuss how to read and understand the book of Revelation.

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Episode 179: Paul Deal - Integrating Faith and Psychology from 2021-09-20T04:01

On this episode, Pete and Jared sit down with Paul Deal to discuss the intersection of mental health, psychology, and faith.

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Episode 178: Pete Enns - Pete Ruins Isaiah from 2021-09-13T04:01

In this episode of the Bible for Normal People, Pete Enns continues his habit of ruining things for everyone. Today’s topic is the book of Isaiah, and Pete shares five fun facts that biblical sc...

Episode 177: Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. - Social Justice & the Radical Gospel from 2021-09-06T04:01

For this episode, Pete and Jared are joined by Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., who walks us through pervasive biblical evidence for social justice.

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Episode 176: Jared Byas - The Making of the Modern Mindset, Pt. 1 from 2021-08-23T04:01

For this episode, Jared Byas takes a deep dive into the origins of the modern mindset and how understanding our own context impacts our study of the Bible.

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Episode 175: Jodi Magness - The Jesus of Archaeology from 2021-08-09T04:01

In this episode, Pete and Jared sit down with Jodi Magness to discuss what archaeology can teach us about Jesus in his Jewish context. And also - quiches, frittatas, and toilets. Oh my!

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Episode 174: Brian McLaren - The Four Stages of Faith from 2021-07-26T04:01

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Brian McLaren to discuss stages of faith, the prevalence of doubt, and what paths to faith after doubt might look lik...

Episode 173: Cheryl B. Anderson - The Ethical Impact of Biblical Interpretation from 2021-07-12T04:01

Can biblical interpretation have an ethical impact? Our guest this week, Cheryl B. Anderson, combines her background as a practicing attorney with her Ph.D. in Biblical studies to create a compe...

Episode 172: Pete Enns - A Whole Different Way of Reading Genesis from 2021-06-28T04:01

In this episode, Pete looks at Genesis from an angle we’re guessing will be new to many of you. We’re going to focus on the big picture. What is Genesis as a whole about? For what purpose was it...

Episode 171: Ted Lewis - The Origins of God from 2021-06-14T04:01

The word of the day is "complicated" and the nerd-o-meter is set to the max. Join us on this week's episode as Pete & Jared explore the messiness of history and the origins of Ya...

Episode 170: Kristin Kobes Du Mez - A Modern Church History of Toxic Masculinity from 2021-06-07T04:01

Where did white Evangelical support for men like Donald Trump come from? Pete & Jared sit down with Kristin Kobes Du Mez to discuss toxic patterns of masculinity and patriarchy that have sur...

Episode 169: Pete & Jared - The Bible and the "Problem of History" from 2021-05-31T04:01

What do you do when you notice something in the Bible that doesn’t pass the muster of historical research? In this episode, Pete & Jared discuss the problem of history found within the pages...

Episode 168: Xavier Pickett - When Did White Christian America Lose Its Mind? (Reissue) from 2021-05-24T04:01

In this reissued episode, Pete & Jared converse with Xavier Pickett about ways in which the Bible ...

Episode 167: Joshua Harris - A Story of Public Deconstruction from 2021-05-17T04:01

On this episode, Joshua Harris discusses his public deconstruction and how he has wrestled with questions of accountability for harmful ideas while also making room for grace.

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Episode 166: Matthew Paul Turner - Teaching God to Our Kids from 2021-05-10T04:01

How should we talk to our kids about God and the Bible? On this episode, Matthew Paul Turner discusses the importance of allowing children the space to explore spirituality and ask questions abo...

Episode 165: Stephanie Tait - Disability Theology is for Everyone from 2021-05-03T04:01

We invited Stephanie Tait to discuss the cultural lens of ableism and how disability theology shapes the way she views God and the Bible. 

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Episode 164: Pete Enns - Where Did Our Bible Come From? from 2021-04-26T04:01

On this episode, Pete talks about where our Bible comes from, its messy history, and what that means for us today. 

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Episode 163: Tripp Fuller - Thinking About Jesus Today from 2021-04-19T05:01

We brought in Tripp Fuller, host of the podcast Homebrewed Christianity, to share his perspective on the Jesus of history and the Christ of theology and its relevancy in our lives today. 

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Episode 162: Jared & Sarah Byas - Parenting in a Faith Transition from 2021-04-12T04:01

Wondering how Jared and his wife, Sarah, have navigated parenting amidst their transitions of faith? They cover what they tell their kids about Christianity, the Bible, and how their parenting i...

Episode 161: Amanda Mbuvi - Finding Ourselves in the Stories of the Bible from 2021-04-05T04:01

Why were the stories of the Bible written down? On this episode Amanda Mbuvi shares about how the Bible plays a role in identity formation and how that affects how we read it. 

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Episode 160: Pete and Jared - The Risk of an "Errant" Bible from 2021-03-29T04:01

Why is Bible inerrancy so hard for people to give up? Pete and Jared dive into some possible explanations and take a look at the history of the belief that the Bible is inerrant. 

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Episode 159: Richard Elliott Friedman - Who Wrote the Pentateuch? from 2021-03-22T04:00

We love a good discussion on the formation of the Bible. Listen in as we talk to scholar Richard Elliott Friedman about the various texts that make up the Hebrew Bible, what clues we have to dat...

Episode 158: Maria Doerfler - Reading the Bible in Times of Crisis from 2021-03-15T04:01

There’s many difficult stories the Bible but one people struggle with the most are those dealing with the death of children. On this episode, we are joined by Maria Doerfler who shares rich pers...

Episode 157: Nadia Bolz-Weber - Being a Christian in the Messiness from 2021-03-08T05:01

We had a great conversation with Nadia Bolz-Weber about what is compelling about Christianity, why we all need to stop trying so hard, and what in the world there is to be hopeful about. 

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Episode 155: Sarah Bessey - Why Bother Praying? from 2021-02-22T05:01

Praying can feel difficult during hard times and especially after a faith deconstruction. Sarah Bessey joins us on this episode of the podcast to talk about what inspired her to write a book on ...

Episode 154: Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Brettler - How Jews & Christians Read the Bible Differently from 2021-02-15T05:01

It shouldn’t be a surprise to us now that people can read the same text and walk away with vastly different meanings. On this episode of the podcast, we’re talking with Amy-Jill Levine and Marc ...

Episode 153: James Kugel - Shifting Perspectives on God in the Bible from 2021-02-08T16:01

James Kugel is back on the podcast sharing about how people during the biblical period understood God and how their views changed overtime. How does their understanding of God influence our unde...

Episode 152: Pete Enns - What Makes Christianity Different? from 2021-02-01T06:01

We’re back with Season 5! On this episode, Pete shares what makes Christianity distinct for him. He discusses the beginning of the Jesus movement, explains how New Testament writers probably und...

Episode 151: 2020 - Let's Not and Say We Did from 2020-12-14T06:01

2020— What a year. We’re wrapping up the year and the fourth season of the podcast with a look back onto what we learned from this season and from the year as a whole.

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Episode 150: Christopher Rollston - Where Does Hebrew Come From? from 2020-12-07T06:01

This episode features linguist and professor Christopher Rollston who helps us understand the importance of studying languages when it comes to dating and understanding the Bible. We talk about ...

Episode 149: Dan Koch - The End Times & American Christian Culture from 2020-11-30T06:01

Many of us have encountered a type of Christianity that preaches an impending rapture and a call to repent of our sins as soon as possible. But where did that interpretation of Christianity come...

Episode 148: Pete Enns - Adam, Evangelicalism, & the Metanarrative of Evolution from 2020-11-23T05:01

How has theology developed alongside the findings of science? On this episode, Pete is sharing his reflections on what quantum physics and the theory of evolution tell us about the Bible and how...

Episode 147: Benjamin D. Sommer - Does God Have a Body? from 2020-11-16T06:01

Benjamin D. Sommer is back on the podcast telling us all about his work on a biblical understanding of God’s body. He takes us through the history of thought on God’s body, the material God’s bo...

Episode 146: Jared Byas - Rediscovering Jonah - Part 3 from 2020-11-09T06:01

Jared has been breaking down Jonah for us on his solo episodes this year and this is his last segment! He delves into what the over all message of Jonah is, what questions it leaves us with, and...

Episode 145: Emilie Townes - The Wisdom of Hope from 2020-11-02T06:01

We invited Emilie Townes on the podcast to talk about womanist ethics but our conversation morphed into so much more. We touched on the role of the Bible in ethics, the relevance of the Bible in...

Episode 144: Austen Hartke - The Bible & the Lives of Transgender Christians (REISSUE) from 2020-10-26T05:01

In this reissued episode, Pete and Jared sit down with Austen Hartke to discuss what the Bible has to say about transgender people. They get into unexamined Bible passages, mysterious Hebrew wor...

Episode 143: Martha Himmelfarb - Second Temple Judaism & Apocalyptic Literature from 2020-10-19T05:01

Getting into the Halloween spirit? Don’t miss this spooky episode talking about all things apocalypse in Second Temple Judaism! Our guest Martha Himmelfarb is an expert on the subject and she te...

Episode 142: Jared Byas - Rediscovering Jonah - Part 2 from 2020-10-12T05:01

This episode is the second installment of Jared’s deep dive (no pun intended) into the book of Jonah. In this episode, Jared gives us a taste of how rich this book is in metaphors and how a full...

Episode 141: John Franke - God Is On a Mission and So Can You from 2020-10-05T05:01

John Franke joins the podcast to discussing his new book, Missional Theology. John shares some key co...

Episode 140: Paula Fredriksen - When Christians Were Jews from 2020-09-28T05:01

What separated Judaism from the Christian movement during the Second Temple Period? In this episode, Paula Fredriksen breaks down the beginnings of the Jesus movement and how it came to flourish...

Episode 139: Pete Enns - You Have Questions, Pete Has Answers from 2020-09-21T05:01

This episode of the podcast is filled with listener question from our Ask Pete and Jared page on the website. Pete answers questions about Job, ancient Egyptian letters, the world of biblical sc...

Episode 138: Pete & Jared - How Love Changes the Meaning of the Bible from 2020-09-14T05:01

What does it mean to “speak the truth in love?” On this episode we’re taking about Jared’s new book Love Matters More Listen