Bible Streams

As we reach the end of Joseph's story, and the end of Genesis, the authors start to lift their audience's eyes to the ongoing work of the covenant in the family of Abraham as it grows and responds to God. Jacob, in his dying days, blesses his sons, and begins the next stage of the redemptive story, as the nation of Israel is foreshadowed and prophesied. Join Alex, Chris & Jo as they begin to wrap...

J-J-J-Joseph! The Dreamer and his dreamcoat: a pop-culture construct or a biblical reality? Alex and Jo explore Joseph, his story, the weird inclusions that seem off-topic, and the realisation that Joseph continues the story of God delivering on His promises to provide descendants, place and blessing... But how can that be when Joseph finds himself ensconced in the leadership of Egypt, the ancient...

In this special bonus episode, Jo and Chris are joined by Riverlife's own Ada Richards, and Rev Dr Peter Francis (Principal, Malyon Theological College) to find out why pursuing biblical and theological study makes a difference. Ahead of Malyon's upcoming Open Afternoon/Night, we ask them about their own academic journeys, what bible college has to offer, and how a deeper understanding of God's wo...

Time to face the music. Jacob the schemer now endures trials of his own as he struggles with exile, family strife, and the call to return to the land God promised his family. Join Jo and Chris as we watch the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac slowly, but surely leave his mark on Jacob too. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: Genesis (NIVA...

The story of the covenant people of God continues with Isaac and Jacob. Marriage type-scenes, sneaky tricks and misplaced blessings mark this section of Genesis, making it one of the most unpredictable parts of the story so far! Jo, Chris and Alex unpack this dense and engaging section as we continue to see God's promises and his purposes bear fruit. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or a...

Abraham's call is the first test of his covenant obedience, but it's certainly not his last! What should we do in our modern time with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? How do we reconcile the treatment of Hagar the concubine and her son, Ishmael? And what about the binding of Isaac, with the near sacrifice of the promised child? Chris, Alex & Jo tackle these tough scenes of Genesis as we con...

Abraham: the Father of nations, the figurehead at the source of three world religions... Alex and Chris start to unpack the life and call of Abraham, the obstacles that seemed to stand in the way of the plans of God for blessing the world, and the way God's call and promises seem to grow and evolve throughout the story of Israel. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpf...

Genesis can be really confusing - why does God do what He does? Why make the rainbow a sign? Why confuse everyone's language at Babel? Doesn't this fly in the face of things that we know and have learned about God's character? And why did God pick Abraham? Chris and Jo tackle the last chapter of the 'pre-history' in Genesis. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful fo...

Genesis - the Book of Beginnings - has a couple of near-endings as well, with the Flood narrative being one of those! Alex, Chris and Jo tackle one of the biggest sections in the prehistory section of Genesis, and work through the different perspectives and positions on the key parts. What do you think? Which one do you think fits the text? And what do we do with that, then? Resources/Links mentio...

It starts getting intense in Genesis 3 & 4 - sin enters the picture... And brings with it all sorts of complications. What are they? And what impact do they have on us today? Are Adam & Eve even the parents of all humanity? Even the answer to that question raises myriad other questions! Join Jo, Alex & Chris as they unpack this momentous section of scripture in a mammoth-sized episode! Resources/L...

In the beginning... The words are embedded in our culture, but in the beginning of what? And with who? And what is the purpose? Join Chris and Jo as they dive deep into the first two chapters of Genesis, examining some of the big ideas and overarching themes of these most significant passages. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: Genesis (...

Were Adam and Eve the first people? What is the purpose of the Garden of Eden? What is true about Genesis, and what is real? How literal should we be about what we read? Dr John Walton has spent his entire academic career looking at these issues and many more. Alex, Chris and Jo talk to John about the Ancient Near Eastern understanding of the origins of the universe, humanity, and how best we shou...

Genesis... The Book of Beginnings, where it all starts... And how a story starts sets the rest of it in context. So how does Genesis set a context for everything that comes after it? Setting first things first might just help us understand the whole rest of the Bible! Join Jo, Alex and Chris as we work our way through this foundational book over the next few weeks: discovering new things, having o...

As we wind down at the end of yet another year of Bible Streams, join our producer, Tim, as he sits down with Jo, Alex, and Chris to talk about all the highlights from 2022 (with a little bit of fun along the way) and to look ahead to 2023. As is now a yearly tradition with Riverlife Podcasts, there will also be bloopers and outtakes. Here's to another awesome year ahead! Resources/Links mentioned...

We conclude our intermittent series featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. Last up is Jo Leutton (MDiv. Malyon Theological College), with his project: “‘Come, Holy Spirit’: Lonnie Frisbee’s Prayer and the Origins of the Vineyard Movement.” Church history doesn't always feature in our conversations...

John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John. Resources/Links mentione...

2 John - short and punchy - still reserves clear teaching and clear instruction in how we stay strong in our love and clear in our theology. Jesus is Lord. He came in the flesh, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't even let them in your house! Or should you? John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when w...

The integrated and 'braided' nature of John's writing and thoughts are both encouraging, pastoral, and sometimes hard to follow. As Alex, Chris and Jo finish their look at 1 John, they help pace through the key understandings that John is trying to communicate. John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think...

In this episode, Chris and Jo take a look at 1 John. They discuss introductory concerns and look at the text of chapters 1 and 2. What's all this talk of love? Why the issues with sin and darkness? And who are these antichrists? John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often ove...

John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John. Resources/Links mentione...

We continue our intermittent series featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. Next up is Alex Walker (BA (Hons)[UQ]), with his project: "Ezekiel’s Temple as the Perfect Tabernacle: A Study of Divine Presence and Absence in Exodus and Ezekiel." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what make...

The Megillot is a beautiful and challenging collection of books that are connected by a number of things, including that they are all books read at significant Jewish Festivals. As we finish off our series looking at these books, we take listener questions and wrap up our walk through the books of the Scroll. --- There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew B...

As we come to the last episode of our series on the Megillot, these five short books that a grouped together as 'the Scroll' in the Hebrew Bible, we find Ecclesiastes. Seemingly easy to read, like Proverbs, with memorable sections and familiar themes, it is in fact hard to discern what we should take away from this book. Is everything meaningless? Does God care what happens? Why isn't the author g...

Lamentations is not one of the more popular books in the biblical canon. In fact, its five densely populated poems are some of the hardest reading in scripture, not in terms of understanding, but in the state of despair and grief we hear poured out. Ther is a brief shining moment at the centre of the book, a ray of hope in what seems to be an otherwise desolate wasteland of broken dreams and shatt...

Love, loss, high drama and a penultimate moment that will leave you on the edge of your seat, the little book of Ruth delivers more than just an epic story in miniature. It's a tale loaded with technical insight into the ancient Hebraic practice of law, community, custom and generational legacy. It rarely mentions God but demonstrates His powerful work in the ordering of circumstances and hidden p...