Data Over Dogma

Its Jubilee time- and what are we celebrating? A no-longer-canonical book, I guess. Jubilees is a Second Temple rewrite of Genesis that reshapes creation stories, adds angelic narration, and updates the calendar to aaaaaalmost get the number of days in the year right. Then we tackle the viral claim that the Bible has 63,779 perfect cross-references. Does it prove divine authorship? Maybe! Ok, no....

Catholics don't read the Bible! Or at least, according to studies most don't read it in their homes. But according to our guest, Michael Peppard, that doesn't mean that they don't have a deep and meaningful relationship with it. This week, we're talking with Dr Peppard about his book How Catholics Encounter the Bible". It's a fascinating look at the world of Catholicism: the culture, the theology,...

Dominion! Do men have it over their wives? This week we're looking at Ephesians 5 where it very clearly says that wives should be subject to their husbands as to the Lord. OR DOES IT?!? We're going deep into Doc McClellan's linguistic grab-bag to parse out what it actually says. Because ancient Greek is tricky, and doesn't operate the way modern English does. Then, it's ANCIENT ALIENS!!! Were peop...

Giving you good biblical data is our cross to bear, but what that cross looks like and what it symbolizes is a question! We're all very aware of the traditional crucifix or cross as a symbol of Christianity, but how did the thing that killed Jesus come to represent his followers? And why? And is it possible that Jesus didn't die on a cross at all (that's what Jehova's Witnesses believe)? Then, we'...

Ooooh... this week's show is keeping it SPICY! First we're going to tackle what might at first feel like one of the least controversial of the Ten Commandments. But if you've listened to this show, you know that's almost never the case. So when the Bible says "thou shalt not commit adultery," what is it really getting at? Then we dive into the book of Hosea, which comes out swinging, and only gets...

The antichrist is coming! According to Peter Thiel, anyway. But who or what he thinks the antichrist actually is seems a little fuzzy. Well, this week on the Data Over Dogma show, we're looking at Thiel's odd take on the end times to see if it stacks up with what's in the Bible. Then, we're looking at the star of David. Where did it come from? How did it come to be the symbol of Judaism? And are t...

This week, it's the story of Noah's ark! But WHICH story? Is it possible that there was more than one ark narrative floating around in the sea of antiquity? If so, how did the biblical authors handle the differences? We're taking the differing (even conflicting?!) narratives two-by-two onto our ship, and seeing what we can sort out. Here's hoping it's a sufficient number of cubits long! Then, eat,...

This week, we're grabbing hold of the apocrypha with both hands and not letting go! Or is it deuterocanonical? I guess that depends on whose tradition you're looking at. Regardless, it's a weird book and there's a lot of interesting stuff to talk about. Was it written during the exile, as it claims? What insights does it give us into the mindset of the time? Who the heck is Baruch??? ---- For earl...

This week should be sponsored by that "adult play" company, because we're getting a little naughty! Or rather- the Bible got a little naughty (maybe), and we're just talking about it. First, though, we're going to talk about one of those famous "judges" that the book of Judges was named for. It's the story of Gideon, and it has a lot going on! Did Gideon see God or an angel? Why did he ask for sig...

This week it's a johannine deep dive, and we brought in the big guns! Our guest is Hugo Méndez, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and all-around nice guy. Hugo's book, The Gospel of John, a New History, is making waves in the world of Bible scholarship, and we're here for it. Grab a board, and let's surf those waves together! Get the book...

That's right- this week, we're going full Indy! Well... it's not like we're traveling to the ends of the Earth to keep the bad guys away from precious ancient artifacts, but we are going to talk about two of Dr. Jones' most important archaeological finds (thefts): the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Grail! First, we're going to look at the Ark, that big box that Moses built. What is it? What's i...

It is one of the most important verses of the Hebrew Bible, and it's only six words! Well, six in Hebrew. In English, it's anywhere from nine to twelve words, depending on who's doing the translating. It's the Shema, a prayer from Deuteronomy still holy in Judaism. But why is it so important? What makes that one verse so special? And for the love of all that's holy- why is it so hard to translate?...

Was there prostitution in the temple? For a long time, there have been claims that the holy temples of ancient Judea included some form of sacred sex work. Where did this idea come from? Is it valid? And what does this conversation have to do with hate pastor and frequently wrong guy Doug Wilson? Then, get out your magnifying glasses and call in Poirot, Sherlock, and the whole Scooby gang, because...

Will the real Christians please stand up? This week, we're getting to the bottom of a very divisive issue. In a world where people in different sects of Christianity are constantly drawing lines in the sand, and declaring who counts as a "real Christian", can we look to the Bible itself to help us determine the truth? Or will the Dans just muddy the waters again? In the second half of our show, we...

Ooooh MAMA! For a story that's thousands of years old, we sure do hear a lot about Jezebel. Or do we? Pastors and Christian influencers like Mark Driscoll and Charlie Kirk love to invoke the idea of "Jezebel spirit" whenever they don't like what a woman is doing. But is their portrait of the character of Jezebel honest, or are they just looking for a bludgeon to beat up women? Then, we're looking...

Atonement! It's one of the central ideas of Christianity, and is absolutely essential to Christian theology... so what is it? You might be surprised to know that throughout Christian history, atonement has meant many very different things. On this week's show, we'll discuss the twists and turns this idea has taken, as influential thinkers have grappled with the idea of the atonement of Jesus. Then...

It's a lie! This week we're looking at a very odd falsehood in the Bible. And the really weird part is that it's told multiple times, by multiple important biblical people, including the grand-daddy of the biblical lineage himself, Abraham. Then, we'll look an interesting little bit of home decor from biblical times. Teraphim seem to be little humanoid icons that folks kept around the house, but w...

What does it mean to be "saved" in that uniquely Christian sense? It makes sense, if you're going to talk about a savior, that you would have people that that savior is saving. But where does this idea come from, and to whom does it apply. Heaven knows, even various Christian sects can't agree on this, but as is our wont here on the Data Over Dogma show, we're going to dig in to the topic, and mak...

Have all of the prophecies about Jesus' death and resurrection already happened? Did the apocalypse come and go, and now we're just coasting? Here's the thing about prophecies: the good ones are never specific enough! Sure, every now and then someone will come along and give exact dates and times for when some apocalyptic event is going to happen, but those guys are inevitably just proven wrong. T...

Forget the fourth of July- if you want real fireworks, you gotta check out the incendiary interview between Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz. It was... a lot. But when two insufferable gasbags collide that hard, you're going to get a gas giant explosion. Just be glad you couldn't smell it. One of the points of contention had to do with Israel, and Cruz's insistence that the Bible commanded him (and all...

Ooooh! Dan McClellan has a bee in his bonnet, and her name is Allie Beth Stuckey! This week we're looking at the parable of the sheep and the goats. In it, sheep are good, and goats are bad, and the Lord has some sorting to do. How do you get to be a sheep? Feed, house, clothe, and generally take care of your brothers and sisters. But that presents a problem for Allie Beth: who are her brothers an...

What's your ethnicity? Who else is included in that group, and why do you draw those boundaries where you do? Well, this week we're bringing in hired-gun Bible expert Dr Aaron Higashi to walk us through the rich and sometimes confusing concept of ethnicity, and some of the surprising ways ethnic heritage plays out in the Bible (the Israelites ARE Canaanites? Whaaaaa???!) . Then, we're going to del...

Were the authors of the Bible just writing firsthand accounts of events that actually happened? That's a pretty tough case to make. As a matter of fact, we have very good reason to believe that many of the stories of the bible have shared roots with many other stories/myths of ancient southwest Asia and northern Africa. This week, we'll look at many of those stories, and discuss their parallels an...

Welp it's June, and that means LGBTQIA+ Pride month! At least that's what it means for many. For a minority of people, June is national grumpy homophobe month. One thing about the grumpy set is that they really love to use the Bible to shore up their dogmatic belief that gay folks (and trans and bi and all the other acronym-represented people) are going against God. So let's talk about it. Our fir...

For episode 116, we're venturing into the spooky world of divination! Many a Christian pastor has railed against this practice, but what if the medium used for divining isn't a rod or a stick, but THE BIBLE ITSELF!? Does that take the curse off it? Make it worse? Will it work to provide other-worldly guidance in your life? Is it forbidden? We... well, we might answer some of these questions... But...