Strange New World

Part Two of our two-part series, “The Bible and Climate Change” - exploring what Jesus has to do with climate change, zeroing in on his last public teaching, the final words he wants ringing in our ears. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.

Rethinking the Bible from the ground up, in the face of the greatest global challenge in human history. In this episode, we start with Genesis, and uncover how "climate change" - though it's never mentioned in the Bible - is on virtually every page. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.

Rethinking the holiday from the ground up, with help from Mary Magdalene and one of the most harrowing, fascinating stories in scripture: the story of Rizpah.

What’s the greatest work of art in Christian history? And how can Berry’s Sabbath poems and Matisse’s Chapel of the Rosary, which Matisse himself considered his masterpiece, help us understand the many mysteries in the holiest week of the Christian Year?

Why was Jesus, an unarmed, peasant rabbi, seen as such a threat to the powers that be (including the mighty Roman Empire) that they had him killed? The prophet Ezekiel gives us a clue, and Berry’s poem about resurrection and Matisse’s transformative painting shed light on the deep meanings of the cross.

The story of the cross, and many of the stories leading up to it, contain a kind of trap – and if we’re not careful, it’ll catch us unaware. The story of Jesus and the man born blind is no exception, and as we explore it, Wendell Berry and Henri Matisse can help us “see.”

Guided by Wendell Berry’s poems and Henri Matisse’s line drawings, a romp through time, eternity, “eternal life,” the Sabbath - and the often overlooked way many of the Bible’s books, including the Gospel of John, generate meaning.

A deeper dive into Henri Matisse’s luminous vision of the artist, Wendell Berry’s meditations on divine joy, and one of the most famous (and misunderstood) verses in the New Testament, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…”

In this episode, we explore how both Wendell Berry’s practice of Sabbath walking (and writing) and Henri Matisse’s approach to “realism” can shed light on Matthew’s famous story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

It's a question at the heart of everything: What is love, anyway? It’s nothing less than the key to understanding God, Jesus’ teachings, and Christmas itself, and yet we rarely explore what it really means. With E. E. Cummings and Mary Oliver as our guides, we set out to find an answer.

An exploration of Jesus' puzzling answer to John the Baptizer's question, Mary Oliver's fascinating response to the question, "What is a poem?", and E. E. Cummings' dazzling meditation on the cosmic, intimate, joyful dimensions of Christmas.

A deep dive into baptism, "the wheat and the chaff," whether poetry can be “true,” and how E. E. Cummings, Mary Oliver, and the wonder of creation can help us understand “the Way” at the heart of Advent and Christmas.

How the Bible is made of poetry, and how Mary Oliver, E. E. Cummings, and the wonder of creation can help us hear Jesus’ call for this Advent and Christmas season: “Keep awake. Be ready.”

An exploration of how, for Jesus, humility is the key to the mission of the church, the essential stance without which mercy, faith, praise, and justice can become distorted and dangerous.

In this episode, we take on one of the most controversial and perplexing questions when it comes to “justice”: should the church be mixed up in politics? Jesus’ answer might surprise you.

In this episode, we explore how the power of “praise” can both divide and connect, and discover Jesus' vision for how the Christian church should relate to people of other religions (and no religion at all).

In this episode, we explore what Jesus really meant by “faith” - and how for him, the church is actually a community of “little faith” (or no faith at all).

What is the church? What is it for? In this opening episode of a five-part miniseries, we first clarify what the church is not - and then turn to Jesus' provocative parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Is Easter an end, or a beginning? And what difference can it make to our world today, so torn by conflicts over immigration, justice, and injustice?

“Wheatfields with Crows” is Vincent’s last major painting, and as it turns out, it’s a brilliant portrait of the tensions at the heart of Easter morning: sadness and loneliness, restoration and grace. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.

Should the church wade in to political controversies? And if so, when, and how? The stories of Holy Week can help - and in turn, thinking about this thorny question can help us deepen our understanding of Holy Week.

The story of Van Gogh's beloved "Starry Night," and how it can help us see the story of Palm Sunday - and the Bible generally - with new eyes. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.

After the first three months of the new presidential administration and Congress, and in the midst of division, confusion, and controversy - what wisdom, what light can the Bible provide? A story from the Gospel of John gives us a clue…

In this episode, we dive into one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, a still life of an ordinary, worn-out pair of shoes. And the link between that painting and Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet gets to the heart of what life is all about: in a word, tenderness. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.

In this episode, we turn to Vincent’s version of “The Sower” he painted in November of 1888, a springboard for exploring two of Jesus’ most famous (and misunderstood) teachings: “The Parable of the Sower,” and “The Prodigal Son.”