Found in Translation

As we wrap up season four on the fourth gospel, it's time to reflect on how these larger themes come together. And it begs the question: what kind of story is Lazarus/Eleazer telling? Is it one of punishment-avoidance, gnostic escape, antisemitic screed, or embodied cosmic liberation? ... Translation (Google Doc):  https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF):  https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF-re...

Some translators treat language like objects, as mere hallowed jargon on a leash than a living exchange in the wild. These sacred texts should be a zesty enterprise, but unfortunately there are some who engage in logjamming the Bible with jargon compulsively, seemingly without joy. Their preferred nomenclature make these subversive texts stupefyin', shrouding their liberating power in classist...

Yeah, there's a lot in that episode title. But then again, there's a lot of weirdness with the divine Spirit in the Fourth Gospel. How might Spirit language draw us away from our bodies, when it's meant to be about God coming home to them? What does Jesus' lines in John 20 about receiving the Life Breath and then forgiving and retaining sins have to do with our capacity to violentl...

The identity of the Beloved Disciple, and therefore the author of John, has been a topic of low-consequence speculation for centuries. But recent scholarly insights give this mystery a profound gravity: a woman upheld as a pillar in the early church and apostle to the apostles was also the sister of the author of the New Testament's most mystical and intimate stories about Jesus Christ. The Fo...

Lots of talk about cleansing and impurity in the fourth gospel. Lots of talk about cleansing and impurity in, well, in purity culture. Not a good look. Not a good legacy. Disgust toward humans, it turns out, disgusts humans. Or it should. Many of us have found ourselves closer to Jesus through being delivered from disgust and purity paradigms toward one another. Yet there all the purity talk is in...

We need to talk about all the little footholds in the text that popular translations give to antisemitism. Sometimes it's de-judaizing early Christianity ("the law" instead of "Torah," etc.). Other times it's hyper-"othering" Jewish folk. This legacy of most translations enabling antisemitism must be faced, condemned, and repented of. ... Translation (Google Doc): ...

We've all seen John 3:16 in weird places – billboards, sporting events, bumper stickers, bracelets – even tattoos! In a tradition like evangelicalism that is so committed to sales and "closing the deal" through religious conversion, it kinda makes sense. Conventional translations of the verse have mixed with evangelical heaven-hell fetishes to leave many of us thinking "going to he...

We've been pretty dogged about the point of the Jesus stories is not to go to heaven, and it sure as hell isn't about not going to hell. Jesus stories point to something far better than that. But what to do about all that eternal life language? That sure seems to direct us toward a living-forever-one-way-or-another fate. Turns out, the greek there is a window into a much more faithful way...

Glory to some people means one very specific thing – and at times one suspects how the use glory paints a picture of an insecure-but-big God needing lots of accolades. It's become a religious technical term with serious downsides. To others, glory is a blurry religious word that carries little meaning – it's a word that's become a sound . Hmmm. This week the Brandons try to make sense...

Metaphors, Wittgenstein said, have a way of dragging us along. And theologian Leonard Sweet speaks of divine authority in the Bible being found in its stories and metaphors, not merely word-for-word. But what happens when the pattern of a particular metaphor is stripped out of sacred literature? What happens when you bring it back? Pull a camping chair out into the field with us and let the fresh...

Is reality a monologue or a conversation? Is the unity of all things singular, or is it generative unity among difference? What lies at the heart of the Divine and of the cosmos: a throne or a table? OK that may sound grandiose, but this change in John's legendary opening line may lead you to ask similar questions. ... Translation (Google Doc):  https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): ...

We're back for season four! As we explore the Gospel According to John (sus name btw), we will be offering shorter episodes that explore the literature thematically rather than sequentially. In this episode we'll be going over some of the distinctives of the fourth gospel, as well as the legacy it has in each of our own faith journey. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-G...

We've been busy! Listen in to know what to look forward to. ... Opportunity Walks  by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In the final chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: "y'all" vs "you," "Christ's Torah" vs "Law of Christ," giving to leaders, and recap where Galatians has taken us. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF):  https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatia...

In the back half of chapter five of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: "impulsive bodily cravings" vs "desires of the flesh," other weird ways of being bigoted against bodies, and Paul's latest list of No-No's. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF):  http...

In the beginning of chapter five of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: why faithfulness is more saving than faith, the authoritarian nature of obedience, and the tangle of viticultural, social, and penile puns Paul waggles at his opponents. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF):...

In the fourth chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: 'fundamental assumptions of the world systems' vs 'elemental spiritual forces of the world' how Paul's arguments are a template for decolonizing everywhere, and what to do about that weird allegory. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly...

In the rest of chapter three of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: what's wrong with faith, #blessed, 'cursed' vs 'declaration of impending hardship,' the sacred nanny, and how 'and' loops in massive implications for all of this. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc T...

In the first five verses of chapter three of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: how easy it is to read antisemitism in Galatians; Torah and torah vs Law ; faithfulness vs belief or faith ; and what gets Paul extra cranky. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF):  https://bit.ly/FI...

In the second chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore how to describe a mensch, deviators from other ethnicities  vs  Gentile sinners , why cultural conformity mandates and confusing supremacism for particularity are in Paul's sights, and considered just  vs  justification vs holy belonging. ... Translation (Goog...

Welcome to the third season of Found in Translation ! In this episode we begin the first chapter in Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson. We discuss: desire vs will , designated for destruction vs accursed , presuppositions of the precepts passed down vs traditions , how to talk about your relatives, and more! ... Translation (Google Do...

Welcome to the third season of Found in Translation ! We're excited to dive into Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson. Today we'll be giving an overview of Galatians, contrasting typical (super-Protestant) interpretations with how each of us make sense of one of Paul's more perplexing letters. ... Translation (Google Doc): h...

Brandon & Brandon tip their hand about season 3, which begins Friday, July 29 on Facebook Live and YouTube, and August 1 wherever fine podcasts are served. ... Join the community:  https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks  by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 6:10-24, the final episode of season 2 and on Ephesians. We put a lot of the parts together from all of Ephesians, particularly as themes are resythesized and re-stated in its final paragraphs. It's a juicy one and we get kinda giddy about it. cosmic powers  vs conquerors of th...

We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 6:1-9. It extends last week's squirm-inducing language, this time about kids and enslaved people. anger in the family; "father, and do not sin;" enslaved people vs slaves ; discrimination vs favoritism ; and more! ... Translation (Google Doc):  https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesi...