The Bible Uncut and Unfiltered

And so we arrive at Ecclesiastes' most well-known passage — Chapter 3's time poem. But what exactly does this list of contrasting times mean? Must these verses only be referenced during periods of transition in life, or do they have a deeper practical wisdom for every day? As you've likely guessed, there's a lot more to this poem than just what's on the surface. Qoheleth has a...

What is the meaning of life? Few questions strike at the core of human existence as succinctly as this. And the responses given will likely change drastically depending on who you ask. Some look for purpose in leaving a lasting legacy, accomplishing great feats, or giving their all for a religious cause. In Ecclesiastes Chapter 2, Qoheleth claims to have tried all that and found every possible end...

Imagine you were given unlimited time and resources to find the best restaurant in the country. How would you even begin your investigation? And how long until you tired of it? Ecclesiastes is this thought experiment on a much larger scale — What if someone who had it all tried to find the surest path to happiness in life? That's exactly what our anti-hero, Qoheleth, does; yet, in the end, he...

We all have stuff we don't know, but have you ever considered what information you don't know that you don't know? As we begin our Ecclesiastes study this week, we address the book's authorship, cultural context, themes, and key words. This is the launching point for seeing Ecclesiastes, the Bible, and life itself from a whole new angle. This is Ecclesiastes Uncut and Unfiltered. W...

January is spiritual abuse awareness month. Since many people have never even heard of spiritual abuse, we're dedicating a couple weeks of podcast episodes to the discussion. This week, we're honored to share the mic with our friends, Chris and Rachel Knobil. Their podcast, Finding Normal, documents their journey out of spiritually abusive churches into a healthier spirituality. We talk ab...

January is spiritual abuse awareness month. Since many people have never even heard of spiritual abuse, we want to dedicate the next two weeks of podcast episodes to this discussion. This week, we're honored to share the mic with Eric Skwarczynski of the Preacher Boys Podcast. Eric grew up Independent Fundamental Baptist and first confronted abuse in the church as a teenager. He's dedicate...

Few doctrinal beliefs are as widely accepted as God's ability to do anything and everything, also known as omnipotence. It's even in one of the first songs children learn in church — "My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do." But what if the song got it wrong? What if there are some things God actually can't do? In this week's epis...

The Christmas story is undoubtedly the most popular portion of the entire Bible. Even people who have never stepped foot inside a church could likely give you the highlights. But all that familiarity can lead to us to think we know more about the story than we actually do. If your idea of the Nativity is the virgin Mary giving birth to baby Jesus in a stable surrounded by animals, singing angels,...

Did anyone survive the Flood? How can we be more ethical in our treatment of animals, particularly those we raise to eat? Is there any way to do church without running the risk of creating an abusive system? And why is there so much incest in the Bible? You asked; we responded! Time for our second Question and Response session (Plus a quick study on Noah in the rest of the Bible!). Website: TheBib...

A story is only as good as its villains. Star Wars has Palpatine, Harry Potter has Voldemort, and the Bible has Babylon. Witness here the origin story of Babylon, a people whose hubris leads them to recreate Genesis 6 only to have Yahweh show up and foil their plans. But the narrative doesn't go quite how you remember hearing it taught before. Time for Genesis 11 Uncut and Unfiltered! Website:...

If ever there was a chapter of Genesis you'd be tempted to skip, it'd likely be this one. Genesis 10 swarms with names the average person has never even heard before let alone tried to pronounce. But don't change the channel yet! This chapter pivots us from the story of Noah into the story of our next protagonist — Abraham. The names you thought were just there to tie your tongue in kn...

Now that we've passed the crescendo of the Flood narrative, most versions of the story wrap up with the introduction of the rainbow and move on. But we're not quite done with Noah. As the new Adam in a new Creation, he plants himself a new Garden, and we wait to see if he can pass the Garden test or if he will fail like the humans before him. This week, discover the significance of the rai...

Question: What do the Psalms, the book of Esther, the conquest of Canaan in Joshua, and Jesus' baptism have in common? Answer: They all draw on imagery from the Flood story in Genesis 8. When biblical authors wanted to make a point about how chaotic life can be or how God is in control over that chaos, they'd often borrow language from the Flood account. Those words then form key hyperlink...

Just how well do you know the story of Noah’s Flood? Let’s have a pop quiz and find out! 1. How many of each animal did Noah take on the ark? 2. How long did the Flood last? 3. How high up did the waters go? You’ll have to listen to the full episode for the answers, but I’ll give you a hint. They’re not 2 by 2, 40 days, and above Everest. They’re (possibly) not even by 7’s and 2’s, 1 year, and 15...

Noah's Flood—Was it global or local? That seemingly simple question is one of the biggest battlegrounds in the book of Genesis and the Bible as a whole. This week, we cover the highlights of both views and revisit divine violence in the Bible. We also introduce several ancient flood mythologies and discuss why they don't prove or disprove the biblical account. Get ready, because we're...

In the darkest corners of sacred history, where the line between faith and horror blurs, lies a series of tales, both eerie and disturbing. What you are about to hear is an anthology of 6 Bible stories retold through the lens of the horror genre. While these may not be the versions you remember from Sunday school, they have been there all along, lurking on the margins of the page, watching you fro...

What's your favorite scary Bible story? If you said, "Wait, there are scary stories in the Bible?" prepare to be surprised! Christians often get a bad rap for overreacting to Halloween and all things horror. But here's the twist — The Bible makes frequent use of the horror genre. In fact, horror is arguably the most conservative Christian genre of all. Join us this week for a chilling exploration...

Was Goliath connected to the Nephilim of Genesis 6? Could God really have worked through evolution? How can people be inherently good if the Bible seems to talk so much about our sin? And how can we learn new ways of viewing Scripture without going too far? You asked; we responded! Here's our first ever Q&R! Oh, and we're planning to do another before the end of the year, so be sure to...

Humans were made for Eden-like peace, but, left to our own devices, we tend to compound the violence and errors of previous generations. As Genesis 6 continues the downward spiral from Chapters 3-4, Yahweh works to start over with a new Adam, a vigneron named Noah. Find out why he was probably a priest, maybe a king, and definitely not an evangelist on this week's episode! Website: TheBibleUnc...

Picture if you will a world where the natural and the supernatural collide, where angels fall, gods rule over the nations, and a mutant race of evil superhumans roams the earth. You've just crossed over into the realm of Genesis 6:1-5. Most people skip over the first few verses of this chapter in a rush to the Flood story, but few other passages in the Bible provide as much insight into the mi...

"I love those long lists of names in the Old Testament!" said no one ever. Until today! This week, we cover the genealogy in Genesis 5, and, with a little help from some other ancient documents, we discover incredible insights that you've definitely never heard in church before. Get ready, this might be the most interesting chapter we've studied so far! Website: TheBibleUncut.com...

Cain and Abel — one of the most famous pair of brothers in any tale ever told, but do you know their story as well as you think you do? Why was Cain's sacrifice rejected and Abel's accepted? Why were they offering sacrifices in the first place? How does God deal with Cain's response? And what's the deal with including all those names at the end of the chapter? Find out all that and...

Arguably no other chapter in the Bible has been as misunderstood and misused as Genesis 3. Even though it's often called the story of "The Fall" and "The Curse," there's not really a fall, and humanity isn't cursed. And the further we go into the chapter, the more our assumptions start to unravel. The serpent doesn't lose its legs. God doesn't ordain male he...

We're all familiar with children's Sunday school illustrations of the snake wrapped around the apple tree talking to Eve. But what if that's not what happened? What if the snake wasn't really a snake but something more? This week, meet the nachash — a wild, untamed chaos creature from another realm. Who or what is it, and why does it target the newly-created female human? The answe...

In this week’s discussion, we'll explore singleness and marriage, replace helpmeet with partner, learn why Adam didn’t lose a rib, and reconsider the shame many of us feel about our bodies. This one is going to burst some bubbles. Get ready to see Genesis 2 uncut and unfiltered! Website: TheBibleUncut.com Donate: TheBibleUncut.com/support-us Facebook: TheBibleUncutandUnfiltered Instagram: @The...