The Bible For Normal People

In this episode, Jared takes us into the book of Jeremiah and delves into some of the historical and cultural significance of the text. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode from Season 1, Jared and Pete talk to Dr. Kent Sparks about the origins of the Israelites. Along the way they get into the nature of the Bible, the nature of the Christian faith, fundamental theological issues like soteriology, and the nature of God. After all, you can't talk about anything without talking about everything. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...

This week Pete & Jared sit down with Kevin Makins, founding pastor of Eucharist Church in Hamilton, Ontario. They talk about community, how he reads the Bible and how it informs the culture of his faith community. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the Bible have to say about politics? Nothing, really. On the other hand, a lot—but not the way many tend to think. Rather than supporting a political agenda, the biblical story challenges us to hold those agendas to account when they fail to promote justice. What is needed more then another clever politician with resources to ram things through are prophetic voices that remain distant f...

This week, Jared & Pete talk to Brent Strawn about the Old Testament. They discuss some of the common criticisms of the Old Testament and how the modern Church has over-emphasized the New Testament much to its detriment. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Pete & Jared discuss the value that creeds have in shaping the way we practice our faith. And how they can sometimes fall short, as demonstrated by the modern Statement on Social Justic & The Gospel. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to Mark Smith about the origin of Yahweh and how the term was understood in the first century. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared tackles the question of how to engage with people that believe differently that we do. Many times we're guilty of shutting down the conversation and alienating people with opposing viewpoints rather than seeking to hear and understand their perspective. Jared shares some excellent tools in helping us move the conversation forward. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choice...

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to William M. Schniedewind, professor of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA. They discuss the challenges of accurately capturing the oral tradition of the Hebrew scriptures and what we can learn from looking at the history and context of how it was written. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bible for Normal People podcast LIVE from the Wild Goose festival. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Pete Enns unpacks some of the problems presented by the Bible additional. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this reissue from Season 1, Jared and Pete talk to Rachel Held Evans on wrestling with doubt, how women are portrayed in the Bible and loving the scriptures even through personal doubt and deconstruction. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared & Pete answer questions submitted from The Bible For Normal People community. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Pete & Jared talk with Sarah Bessey about her background in the Word of Faith movement, her deconstruction, and her journey to finding freedom in the Scriptures as she learned to read and understand it in a new way. They also discuss how to raise kids with strong faith without transferring your own doubt and theological baggage to them. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choice...

In this episode, Pete takes a look at 9 things you need to know to get the somber book of Ecclesiastes. He cautions us against an optimistic reading as the author intends to question everything—even God. It's a book that's not for the faint of heart (or for the new believer), as you need to have weathered the storms of faith to fully appreciate the tough questions being asked . . . and ultimately,...

In this episode, Pete and Jared talk with Jamie Wright, whose experience as a missionary in Costa Rica had led her to question the church, missions and evangelicalism all while retaining her deep love for and faith in Jesus. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk with Rob Bell about his new book, "What is the Bible" and his own evolution in his thinking about the Bible [re-broadcast of Episode 1 from March 20, 2017] Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Pete & Jared define critical thinking and unpack what it means to read the Bible critically. They suggest that a "God said it, that settles it" approach to scripture may not factor in the context, audience and literary style that the author employs in writing. Thinking critically about how we approach scripture allows us to experience the fullness and richness of the text. Show No...

In this episode, Pete & Jared speak with Jeffrey Stackert about the origins of the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament. Rather than looking at the books as separate works written by Moses, they discuss the documentary hypothesis which suggests that the Pentateuch was compiled from four sources. And many of the contradictions in the text may actually be indications of convergin...

In this episode, Pete & Jared speak with recording artist Audrey Assad about her music, her theology, and the shift from her conservative fundamentalist roots to Catholicism. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to Wil Gafney about the Womanist interpretation of the Bible. In their discussion, she brings out fascinating nuances in the text and challenges the predominantly patriarchal interpretation of the past. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Pete (joined by his cat Marmalade) shares 10 things essential to understanding the book of Romans. He's quick to point out a number of varying opinions about this important letter and suggests that the ways in which we've come to understand Paul's writings may be incomplete at best. And the trite ways that some of the more familiar passage have been recited are far from Paul's ori...

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to Craig Allert about how the canon of scripture was curated. They also discuss the doctrine of "sola scriptura" and how the intertestimental books can be beneficial in bringing addition context and detail to our understanding of scripture. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Jared walks us through the ways in which the Bible is true and in some ways untrue. He'll start by unpacking what we mean when we talk about truth and give us some helpful insights into how we can approach historical facts that sometimes seem to be at odds with the Biblical text. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to author, teacher and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor. They discuss the many different stages and "human fingerprints" involved in getting the Bible from the original manuscripts to the printed translations that we read, including our own theological history and tradition. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices