The Bible For Normal People

What do people mean when they say they take the Bible literally? In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared breaks down how words in this common phrase are overworked and underpaid, how it functions as a cultural password, and how we can approach the text with intellectual honesty by reading the Bible literarily. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Brian McLaren to discuss stages of faith, the prevalence of doubt, and what paths to faith after doubt might look like. This is a reissue of The Bible for Normal People Episode 174 from July 2021. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared and Pete are joined by Amy Kalmanofsky to reveal the narrative role of sisters in the Hebrew Bible, explain three categories of sister relationships, and identify “ideal” and “dangerous” sisters in the text. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dale C. Allison Jr. joins Pete in this episode of Faith for Normal People to talk about his own mysterious divine encounters, how testimony can become data, and why it’s important to acknowledge the limits of logic when it comes to validating what is unexplainable. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you thought you knew about Mary Magdalene is questioned in this episode of The Bible for Normal People, in which Elizabeth Schrader Polczer joins Pete and Jared to discuss textual criticism, the meaning of Magdalene, and why John 11 might not be as straightforward as we think. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Danté Stewart joins Pete and Jared to share how reading the works of Black authors shaped his spiritual journey and how viewing Black literature as sacred can make us larger, freer, and more loving.  Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Manuel Cruz to discuss the philosophy of being moral, how morality intersects with the Christian spiritual life, and what we can learn about God from philosophers Jean-Luc Marion and Simone Weil. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Kaitlin Curtice joins Pete and Jared to talk about her new book Living Resistance and how a life of faith can thrive if we let go of the need for linear success and instead view faith as a cyclical journey toward healing and wholeness. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared answer questions from community members in The Society of Normal People, pulling on a common thread of how to move beyond dualism and find wisdom in a more balanced perspective. Show Notes → This episode was sponsored by Lumi. To learn more about microdosing THC, go to Microdose.com and use code NORMALPEOPLE to get free shipping & 30%...

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Jared and co-host Jennifer Garcia Bashaw talk with sex educator Erica Smith, M.Ed. about the harmful effects of purity culture and the work she does to empower adults who want to create a new sexual ethic for themselves. Show Notes → Please note: this episode includes themes of sexuality with vocabulary that may not be suitable for children or public spa...

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Lisa Marie Bowens to peel back the layers within 2 Corinthians, examining the themes, rhetoric, and narrative purpose of the cosmic battle between God and Satan depicted by Paul. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this very special episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared are graced by the presence and wisdom of Rainn Wilson, whose new book Soul Boom prescribes a spiritual revolution to treat our self-destruction, emboldening us to move toward a better version of ourselves for the sake of the earth and each other. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Murderous kings, political turmoil, and charismatic shepherds—oh my! In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete outlines the thematic underpinnings, historical context, and biblical scholarship surrounding the book of 1 Samuel.  Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with D. Danyelle Thomas about how decolonizing Christianity is an act of love toward marginalized communities, and why deconstruction doesn’t go far enough in forming a truly inclusive faith. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared and Pete talk with Dan McClellan about divine agency in early Israelite thought, and how cognitive linguistics helps us to make sense of the complications that arise from trying to neatly categorize deity vs. non-deity in Scripture. Show Notes → This episode was sponsored by Lumi. To learn more about microdosing THC, go to Microdose.com and use...

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, our beloved co-host Jared Byas bestows upon us the rare gift of vulnerability as he shares his own story of shifting faith through childhood and young adulthood, leading to the birth of The Bible for Normal People. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it mean for the Bible to be authoritative? In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Cameron B. R. Howard joins Pete and Jared to discuss how tradition has impacted the idea of authority of the biblical text, and how reading the Bible as a collection of multi-vocal testimonies can inspire a new outlook on its authority.  Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

Cultural anthropologist Joseph Henrich joins Pete and Jared in this episode of Faith for Normal People to explain how the unique psychology of modern Western society was shaped by particular rules about family structure and marriage practices, often forced by religious institutions. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Josh James to embark on an adventure through the Book of Psalms, unpacking the biblical scholarship surrounding this beloved, strange, ancient collection of poetry we so often take at face value—missing the true diversity in authorship and message.  Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete hosts a conversation with Robin Parry about the historical roots, biblical references, and common misunderstandings related to universal salvation in the Christian tradition—as well as the hope it might offer as part of God’s cosmic plan. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Sam Boyd joins Pete and Jared to uncover the misconceptions which are often read into the Tower of Babel story and get to the heart of the political and cultural implications of the narrative. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, social psychologist Jonathan Jong joins Pete and Jared to talk about the history and science behind death anxiety and how the reality of mortality impacts people within and beyond the Christian faith tradition. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared consider how elevating the Bible to a special status can cheapen our experience of reading it as a multi-vocal anthology of literature. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Jared talks with author and trauma-informed counselor K.J. Ramsey about the impact of trauma, finding hope through loss, and trusting the wisdom of our emotions and our bodies. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aaron Koller joins Pete and Jared in this episode of The Bible for Normal People to explore the book of Esther, discussing scholarly opinions of its historical accuracy, major themes within the narrative, challenges to current Jewish beliefs, and how the story interacts with Purim. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices