The Biblical Mind

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...

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 compar...

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...

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 Bea...

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...

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 que...

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 Sadd...

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...

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 wh...

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 W...

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 class...

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,...

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 mo...

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 Denhollan...

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...

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...

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 cr...

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 jo...

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 dee...

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 ...

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 cult...

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 "quie...

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 knowl...

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 provi...

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...