No Experts Allowed

Since last May, when No Experts Allowed stopped, Jesus has not returned. But the podcast has; we're elated to be back. With its return comes a few changes: We're moving to a more serial format. Rather than episodes every Saturday, we'll produce a few episodes for each particular church season that explore a different topic. Episodes will air on Sunday - but you're free to listen to them whenever y...

It is finished. After 109 episodes, exploring texts from across the Bible, answering strange questions, laughing, and occasionally crying, Jonathan and Seth sign off with a special episode. They discuss some of their favorite moments and “take aways.”  They read one last text together (for the podcast, at least) and pray. Thank you, listeners, for being our cloud of witnesses. Thanks for reading t...

Jesus promises the Advocate, The Holy Spirit, to accompany the disciples when he returns to the Father. The Holy Spirit will empower them in Jesus' physical absence, teaching them to live as Jesus-followers until Jesus returns. So, Jonathan and Seth discuss the central theological question: How do Christians live in the period between Jesus' ascension and return? They discuss how this passage answ...

“The Way,” as the early Church was called, was exclusive to Jews, but Peter has a vision that opens the Jesus-followers to eating foods that were previously thought unclean and to accepting Gentiles into their movement. Jonathan and Seth talk about the ways grace extends to people they may not want it to extend to. This episode asks: who do we think is unworthy of grace? Why? Who am I that I could...

Jesus' opponents want to know if he is the Messiah. "Tell us plainly," they demand (Jn 10:24). They've seen his works but want assurance. So, Jonathan and Seth discuss doubt. They disagree, discuss it, and conclude that Seth may have been too "down" on doubt. We may be unable to accompany people experiencing uncertainty if we try to avoid it. Interpreting Scripture with others can be life-giving....

“Do you love me?” asks Jesus. Just as Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus asks Peter whether he loves him three times. In English, the questions seem repetitive, but the Greek forms of “love” help clarify Jesus’ questions. Jonathan and Seth discuss this passage as great storytelling and a profound narrative about grace. It’s one of Jonathan’s favorite passages; we hope this episode becomes one o...

Revelation can be scary. But, like the whole Bible, it doesn't have to be. Looking for Jesus, knowing that Revelation addresses a particular time and place, and embracing the unknown help tame it. Since this is the podcast's first dive into Revelation, Jonathan and Seth give a short primer to the book. They discuss how Revelation can encourage people during difficult circumstances. The pair also c...

No one rises from the dead. That's why many of Jesus' disciples did not believe the news that the stone sealing the tomb moved and that it was empty, except for Jesus' folded clothes. Thomas receives the worst treatment for his unbelief. He's "doubting Thomas" for almost 2,000 years. Mary, however, encounters Jesus in the garden and believes. Jonathan and Seth discuss who we trust and what that sa...

Around 1700, a Catholic priest in Peru created a service commemorating Jesus’ three hours on the cross and his final words. Traditionally, it runs for 3 hours. Jonathan and Seth adapt this service for this Good Friday episode and condense it to roughly 10 minutes. They encourage you, however, to pause and reflect on Jesus’ sayings. The next episode airs on Easter Sunday (rather than the usual Satu...

Entering Jerusalem, Jesus emanates peace. He knows what will happen there and has alluded to it frequently to the disciples. More importantly, Jesus knows who he is. Jonathan and Seth discuss how we achieve this peace in our daily lives. It looks similar to Jesus': knowing whose we are, neither overinflating our ego nor belittling ourselves. Inner peace can affect the world too, make others feel a...

After one hundred episodes (counting only a handful of re-airs), Jonathan puts Seth’s Bible knowledge to the test against two longtime friends. See how Seth fairs and whether he can continue hosting No Experts Allowed. We’ll return next week with an episode related to Palm Sunday. Until then, thank you to all our listeners, whether you’ve listened once or have been following us for almost two year...

Reconciliation involves power dynamics. The two parties are rarely equal. This inequality applies to God who “reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18) and, in turn, gives people the task of reconciling too. Jonathan and Seth, however, discuss how people may force reconciliation or use it to maintain the status quo. They discuss how reconciliation is ultimately God's doing and not to...

If you're like us, you're familiar with the phrase: "My plans aren’t your plans, / nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord" (Jer. 55:8).  It often loses its context; it stands alone. Jonathan and Seth discuss how they've heard this verse cited. They also discuss Israel's situation in exile as the background for Isaiah's pronouncement. This context helps them hear the phrase as comforting to peopl...

Abram "cuts" a covenant with God. But this covenant requires children; Abram's heir is enslaved, who Abram does not want to receive the inheritance. Later in Israel's history, being enslaved in Egypt will become central to their identity. Jonathan and Seth use this reversal to discuss how what bothers us about ourselves may also bother us when we see those qualities in others. It's a reflective ep...

Declarations that “Jesus is Lord” (Rom. 10:9) inevitably also declares that others are not lords. Caesar was not in antiquity, neither are contemporary despots, nor employers, or partners. But how does one decide what and who to support? Jonathan and Seth tackle that question and apply it to the conflict in Ukraine. With the late Thomas Merton we pray for peace: “Teach us to be long-suffering in a...

Jesus’ transfiguration is communal. Peter, James, and John accompany Jesus up the mountain; Moses and Elijah appear. Just like “no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed” (Luke 8:16), Jesus’ glistening and glorious face shines onto the disciples. So, Jonathan and Seth discuss its communal element. Jesus’ glory continues to shine in communities too- in churches arou...

Jonathan's break was looking up: he moved, started a new job, and was approved for ordination. Seth's break was rockier: he had emergency surgery after losing vision in his left eye. They each note that these felt like rewards or punishments. So, they discuss how "getting what you deserve" embeds itself in our theologies. While one may resist loving their enemies, the idea of karma can seem simple...

Theologians have produced many theories to explain suffering, but sometimes it seems to simply happen with no reason and with no long term gain. The reality of suffering seems as relevant as ever. Communally, more than 2,000 people die of the coronavirus daily in the United States alone. Personally, Seth’s retina detached in his left eye, leaving him partially blind and in need of surgery. So, we...

Robert Alter calls the book of Esther "Carnivalesque." He notes that no competent empire would have irreversible decrees. The king is portrayed as a buffoon, incapable of making decisions. The book serves as the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim. Jonathan and Seth discuss Pirium, which commemorates the day Jews were to be killed, and how we recall negative situations. Over the next few weeks,...

In a few verses, the crowd switches from praising Jesus to attempting to throw him off of a cliff. They are irate because Jesus tells them he will not perform the same miracles for them as he did in Capernaum. His mission is broader than that, and he cites two texts from the Hebrew Scriptures to prove that God's plan has always been that way. Jonathan and Seth discuss how we react when we see God...

Bodies have a complicated history for many. Some people like theirs; others feel uncomfortable in theirs. Peoples' feelings about their bodies and their bodies themselves change over time. Paul's words, however, remain unchanged, except for translation changes. Jonathan and Seth use this as an opportunity to read from The Message, talk about how this passage can be heard differently by people with...

Paul lists the gifts of the Spirit and emphasizes that they are varied, but all from God and all beneficial. It corrects to the Jesus followers in Corinth who were prizing speaking in tongues over God’s other gifts. Jonathan and Seth fall into the same trap, focusing initially on speaking in tongues to the detriment of the other gifts. They end up discussing speech more generally, preaching using...

John’s Gospel starts unlike the Synoptics. Rather than beginning “zoomed in” on a family or a young, soon-to-be pregnant girl, John starts his narrative at the beginning of time and space. Jonathan and Seth explore why this narrative differs so much from the other gospel openings, what are the implications, and whether these discrepancies should distract us from the stories. The pair returns to th...

The Christ Hymn, Philippians 2:6-11, often loses its literary and historical context. Theologians latch onto Christ's kenosis, Christ's self-emptying, and spin that word into entire theological systems. Paul, however, places this early Christian hymn in a letter to the Philippians as a model for their behavior. Jonathan and Seth try to read this text in context, struggle with its implications for...

Jonathan narrates A Visit From Saint Nicholas by Clement C. Moore while Seth provides the sound effects for this beloved Christmas classic. After, they read Luke's account of Jesus' birth. We acknowledge not everyone experiences Christmas merrily, so we hope your holiday is gentle and full of the Christ child's grace.