ProveText

How do you stay encouraged when life, work, and ministry often feel thankless? In this episode of Sabbatical Insider, Dr. Fredrick J. Long reflects on the importance of encouragement, prayer, and intentional appreciation. After receiving a simple thank-you note from a student, Fred opens a collection of letters and emails he has saved for decades—messages from students, mentors, colleagues, and fa...

How do you keep your Biblical Greek from becoming rusty? For author Mark Joseph Simon, the answer was unexpected: pray in Greek. In this conversation, Mark shares how praying in Biblical Greek transformed his language retention, helped him move beyond rote memorization, and deepened both his understanding of Greek and his devotional life. Topics include:📖 Why so many students forget Biblical Gree...

Was the flood really about God's anger? Most of us learned the story of Noah as children: people were bad, God got angry, and the flood happened. But Genesis tells a much bigger story. In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb explores how the flood is actually a story of decreation, restraint, and God's determination not to give up on creation. Along the way, you'll discover why the...

What does the office of a biblical scholar actually look like? In this Sabbatical Insider episode, Dr. Fredrick J. Long takes you on a personal tour of his office at Asbury Theological Seminary, sharing the books, commentaries, original language resources, research methods, and personal stories that have shaped decades of teaching and scholarship. Along the way, you'll learn why original langu...

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Terry Lindvall. If you haven't seen Part 1 yet, start there first: https://youtu.be/jBuZ6d7O2es What happened to Christian humor? For centuries, Christians laughed, joked, mocked hypocrisy, and used satire to expose pride, corruption, and foolishness. But somewhere along the way, many believers became afraid to laugh. In Part 2 of this conversation,...

Many Christians assume the Old Testament is primarily about rules, restrictions, sacrifices, and barriers between God and humanity. But what if those things existed for the exact opposite reason? In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb explores one of the Bible's most important themes: God's relentless desire to dwell with His people. From Eden to the Tabernacle, from the Temple to Jesu...

Do our prayers really make a difference? In this episode of Sabbatical Insider, Dr. Fredrick J. Long reflects on the ministry of intercession while giving viewers a glimpse inside Asbury Theological Seminary, including the Richard Allen Chapel and his office in the Beeson Center. Drawing from Andrew Murray's classic work The Ministry of Intercession , Fred explores Christ's ongoing interce...

Most Christians read the Bible far too seriously. But what if Scripture contains far more humor, irony, satire, and laughter than we've been taught to see? In this conversation, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb sits down with humor scholar Dr. Terry Lindvall to explore the hidden comedy of the Bible—from Sarah's laughter and Noah's drunkenness to Jewish humor, biblical irony, and the surprisi...

Most Christians define holiness as "being set apart." But what if that's not how Scripture introduces holiness at all? In this episode of the ProveText Podcast, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb explores holiness through the lens of Genesis and the broader biblical story. Rather than beginning with moral behavior, the Bible begins with God's presence. From Eden to the Tabernacle, from th...

Today’s episode is a deeply personal one. Fred reflects on the passing of his beloved dog, Callie, after fifteen years together. As he processes grief, he explores some of Christianity’s biggest questions: What happens when we die? Do believers immediately go to be with the Lord? Is "soul sleep" biblical? And what hope, if any, might there be for the animals we love? Drawing from passage...

What happens when Christians start choosing sides? In this episode of Corinth Conversations, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and Dr. Fredrick J. Long explore one of the earliest leadership crises in the church. Why were believers saying, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas"? Was this simply a disagreement—or something deeper? Together they unpack 1 Cori...

Can the entire Bible really be summarized in just five words? Many Christians know the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul—but struggle to explain how those stories fit together into one unified narrative. In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb presents a simple framework that helps make sense of the entire Bible: • Creation • Decreation • Recreation • New Cre...

Is academic writing just intellectual showmanship? In this episode of Sabbatical Insider , Dr. Fredrick J. Long reflects on a surprising criticism he recently received—that academic writing is elitist—and uses it as a starting point to explore the purpose of scholarship itself. Fresh off completing the latest issue of the Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies and celebrating the publication of his...

What happens when the sexual revolution becomes your childhood? In this intense and deeply personal conversation, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb sits down with author and musician Moira Greyland to discuss growing up inside a world shaped by radical sexual ideology, abuse, identity deconstruction, and the collapse of family structure. Moira shares her experience being raised by highly influential publi...

What’s actually on a biblical scholar’s shelf? In this episode of Sabbatical Insider , Dr. Fredrick J. Long takes viewers inside his study to explore books, ancient coins, theology, publishing, and one of the central themes of Jesus’ message: the Kingdom of God. From conversations about empire and kingship to reflections on scholarship, students, and ancient Roman propaganda, this episode offers a...

What is the soul? Is it different from our thoughts, emotions, and body? And how does God transform our inner life? In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb talks with GlossaHouse author Patrick Holley about his book Jesus and the Soul: How Our Spirit Transforms Our Mind and Emotions . Together, they explore Christian anthropology, psychology, emotions, automatic thoughts, temptation, the will,...

Covenant is often treated like a spiritual contract: terms, conditions, and benefits. But in Scripture, covenant is much bigger than paperwork. In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb explains how biblical covenant is rooted in relationship, loyalty, kingship, and allegiance. From the Hebrew word berit to the Greek diatheke , covenant language carries the weight of God’s kingdom, Jesus’ reign,...

What happens when scholarship collides with real life? In this deeply personal episode of Sabbatical Insider , Dr. Fredrick J. Long shares the difficult realities behind the scenes of his sabbatical journey; from discouragement and lack of progress to family responsibilities, drought conditions on the farm, caring for animals, physical exhaustion, and learning how to “abide” through challenging se...

What happens when a culture loses belief in God? In this deep and surprisingly funny conversation, Dr. Chris Palmer joins Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb to discuss nihilism, modern despair, AI, atheism, church hurt, faith, science, memes, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, and why Christianity still matters in a collapsing culture. Dr. Palmer’s new book A World Without God explores what happens when society abando...

What if the biggest problem in Genesis 3 wasn’t just disobedience… but deception? In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb uncovers the serpent’s strategy in the Garden of Eden—not to deny God, but to distort His character. The lie? That God was holding something back. But when humanity took the bait, they didn’t become like God… they became afraid, ashamed, and hidden. And God’s response? It wa...

Why does Christianity feel so divided today? If there’s one Spirit and one Church , why are there so many denominations, disagreements, and tensions—even among sincere believers? In this conversation, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb sits down with theologian, pastor, and ethicist Paul J. Morrison to explore: Why Christians disagree—and what actually matters most What the Holy Spirit is (and isn’t) doing...

The fall of humanity didn’t begin with a bite—it began with a question. In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb explores Genesis 3 and the serpent’s subtle strategy: not denying God’s existence, but distorting His character. “Did God really say?” That question planted doubt, reframed trust as restriction, and introduced the idea that God might be holding something back. Before any action was ta...

In this episode of Sabbatical Insider , Dr. Fredrick J. Long continues documenting his translation work through the book of Ephesians using the Patriarchal Greek text tradition. This episode explores Ephesians 4:1–6, the unity of the Spirit, the sevenfold “one” affirmations, and a fascinating textual variant that may shape how we understand Paul’s declaration that God is “over all, through all, an...

What if the greatest threat to the church isn’t culture, politics, or persecution… but Christians themselves? In this episode of The Corinth Conversations, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and Dr. Fredrick J. Long dive into 1 Corinthians 1:10–11, where Paul confronts a deeply divided church—not one under attack from the outside, but one fracturing from within. They explore: - What Paul really means by “u...

Is faith just believing the right things… or is it something more? In this episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb challenges a common assumption: that faith is merely intellectual agreement. Digging into the Greek word pistis, he shows that biblical faith is far deeper—it’s about trust, loyalty, and ultimately allegiance. From Romans 10 to James 2, the New Testament presents faith not as private belie...