The Bible (Unmuted)

How does one go about crafting a theology of human identity? That's the question today's guest, Ryan Dillon, seeks to answer. Ryan recently published a book called Sacramental Identity: Finding Who We Are through Participation in God's Story (link below). In this conversation, listeners get a taste of what the book is all about, as well as some additional insights from Ryan about &quot...

The church of Laodicea considered itself rich and self-sustaining. And yet, it wasn't. Jesus calls it "wretched" and "poor." He also says the church is "lukewarm" and that he'd rather it be either "cold" or "hot." These metaphors have led to a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. What does Jesus mean by "hot"? Why does he say he...

In the message to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus is described as one who possesses "the key of David." What is significant about a "key" in this context, and how does Isaiah shed light upon it? Many prophecy teachers, furthermore, think this message to the Philadelphian believers is actually a message about the final tribulation and specifically alludes to the "rapture&...

The church at Sardis has a reputation for "being alive," but in reality they are a "dead" church. Jesus's response is simple: he tells them to have a change of heart and "wake up." But there are other aspects of this passage that are difficult to understand. For example, Jesus tells Sardis that, if they don't repent, he "will come like a thief." Does...

In this episode, Matt leads listeners through the message given to the church at Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29). This church was a growing church, though not without problems. A local false prophet, a person called "Jezebel," was apparently wreaking havoc upon the congregation by her teaching. Matt explores what, exactly, this might have been all about, as well as discusses how to make sense of...

Part 2 of 2 of Matt's interview with Brian Zahnd, the author of The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross (link below). Description: Everything about the gospel message leads  to  the cross, and proceeds  from  the cross. In fact, within the narrative of Scripture, the crucifixion of Jesus is literally the crux of the story―the axis upon which the biblical story turns. But it...

Part 1 of 2 of Matt's interview with Brian Zahnd, the author of The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross (link below). Description: Everything about the gospel message leads  to  the cross, and proceeds  from  the cross. In fact, within the narrative of Scripture, the crucifixion of Jesus is literally the crux of the story―the axis upon which the biblical story turns. But it...

The city of Pergamum had a long history with the Imperial Cult. How might knowing about that relationship help modern readers understand Rev. 2:12-17 -- particularly with respect to how John writes that "Satan's throne" resides in Pergamum? Are there other things in Pergamum to which this could refer? There's also the mention of the Old Testament character Balaam, which may shed...

In this episode, Matt takes listeners through the first and second messages to the seven churches -- to Ephesus and Smyrna, respectively. How do we understand the critique given to the Ephesian church? What is meant, for example, by their having "abandoned the love [they] had at first"? Moreover, who were the Nicolaitans, and what challenge did they present to these believers? When the c...

John’s opening vision of “the Son of Man” is full of Old Testament allusions, and readers need to gain familiarity with these OT texts in order to understand the depth of meaning John seeks to convey. It invites us to ask, “What did John’s vision—and the symbols inherent to it—intend to communicate? Why was it important for the seven churches to learn about this vision?” Moreover, some prophecy te...

Revelation is an ancient text that garners a lot of speculation in today's modern world. Sadly, it's been read in such a way that has spread a lot of fear --not to mention confusion about what Christianity actually teaches about eschatology. In this episode, Matt kicks off a new series on this fascinating text, showing how it was originally intended to spread encouragement and clarity for...

In this episode, Matt talks with Andrew Judd, whose research brings together hermeneutics, genre theory, and biblical studies. Andrew gives listeners a tour of some of the more troubling/difficult passages of Scripture and brings to bear upon them them the insights of his research, specifically as it has to do with genre theory and the hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer -- both of which can help m...

Matt chats with Dr. Nancy Dawson about her new book, All the Genealogies of the Bible: Visual Charts and Exegetical Commentary ⁠ . Why are genealogies important? How do they contribute to discovering Scripture's narrative? How do genealogies give us insights into the way early Jewish and Christian people viewed the past in relation to their present? Listen to find out! Order Dr Dawson's bo...

Matt chats with Ronn Johnson and Mike Chu, who both host The Divine Council Worldview Podcast. The conversation covers a range of topics, from what is a divine council worldview and the fall of spiritual beings to translation issues and the practical benefits of DCW. Subscribe to The Divine Council Worldview Podcast on all major podcast platforms, including : Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show...

How can the Lord's Prayer help us anticipate the eschaton? In this episode, Matt takes listeners from Eden to Easter, showing how the bodily resurrection of Jesus can inspire us to work for the Kingdom here and now as we await our own resurrection. *This is based on an article posted to Matt's website, which you can read here: " Thy Kingdom Come" + + + Check out Matt's newest...

Matt takes listeners through Psalm 45 LXX (46 MT). This Psalm is well-known ("Be still, and know that I am God"; NRSV, v. 10), but many people might not be aware of its eschatological context -- the first clue of which can be found in the LXX superscription ("For the end"). What, for instance, does this Psalm have to do with the temple visions of Ezekiel and Revelation? And how does all this conne...

Matt takes a deep dive into Psalm 22 LXX (23 MT). Lots of questions are explored. For example, what is meant by "soul" in v. 3? And what does it have to do with the body? Moreover, what sort of image is evoked in v. 5, where God sets a table "opposite those who afflict" the psalmist? Furthermore, how might Christians understand this "table" in light of what Paul says...

In this final episode of the Romans series, Matt tackles a number of topics and addresses several important questions, such as: How does Romans 16 fit within the letter as a whole? Are there reasons for thinking it was not part of the original letter and, if so, how do these reasons hold up to critical scrutiny? Paul mentions a number of other people in this section, too, (Phoebe, for example) and...

How did Paul envision his apostolic ministry with respect to, say, the Old Testament's levitical/sacrificial system? Did Paul think his ministry was wholly discontinuous with that system? Or did he see it as operating in continuity with it? Moreover, how did Paul think his missionary efforts related to the ministry of Isaiah's suffering servant ? And finally, what role did "signs and...

Matt chats with Steve Walton, a Senior Research Fellow at Trinity, College, Bristol. Steve is the author of Reading Acts Theologically , which was published by T&T Clark in the Library of New Testament Studies series. He is currently working on an Acts commentary, which will be published as part of the Word Biblical Commentary set. Steve’s Acts commentary comes in three volumes, the first of w...

In this episode (Part 2 of 2), Matt talks with philosopher Berel Dov Lerner (PhD, Tel Aviv University) about his new book, Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes. The conversation touches on a range of topics, including the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, the Abrahamic Covenant, the problem of evil, Job's suf...

In this episode (Part 1 of 2), Matt talks with philosopher Berel Dov Lerner (PhD, Tel Aviv University) about his new book, Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes. The conversation touches on a range of topics, including the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, the Abrahamic Covenant, the problem of evil, Job's suf...

In this episode, Matt talks with Dr. Robert Alter (PhD, Harvard University) about his Hebrew Bible translation. They discuss translation theory in general and what Alter calls "the heresy of explanation." A range of other topics are discussed as well: How the language of the Hebrew Bible compared with the everyday language of an ancient Hebrew, the poem in Jeremiah 20, the two creation s...

In Romans 14-15, Paul appeals to his christological convictions to help believers learn how to navigate for themselves life within a church full of different opinions. But he does this by way of appealing to Scripture, particular to Psalm 68 (LXX) in Romans 15. Matt argues that Paul's use of Scripture here -- like the many times before in Romans -- occurs within the context of a story so impor...

In the early Roman church, it appears there might have been some serious disagreements about whether (and how) to follow certain dietary restrictions. While Jewish Christians, for instance, would have wanted to follow the dietary regulations outlined in Torah, Gentiles Christians likely had different opinions on the matter. In Romans 14, Paul offers his readers some helpful guidelines for how to n...