The Dig In Podcast w/Johnny Ova

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Nathan Finn, one of evangelicalism's foremost historians of spiritual awakenings, to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing the church today: How do we discern between authentic moves of God and emotionalism that burns out as quickly as it ignites? Dr. Finn brings decades of research studying every major revival from Jonathan Edwards' Northam...

What if ancient Israel didn't start out believing in one God? In this groundbreaking episode, Oxford Professor Emeritus Dr. John Day reveals how archaeological evidence and biblical texts themselves show that early Israelites worshipped multiple deities from the Canaanite pantheon. With over 40 years of scholarship and doctorates from both Cambridge and Oxford, Dr. Day takes us on a fascinating jo...

How does the Old Testament connect to the New Testament? What’s been fulfilled in Christ, and what timeless truths still shape our lives today? In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Geoff Harper, Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew at Sydney Missionary & Bible College. Together they explore the richness of the Hebrew Bible, the importance of intertextuali...

Pastor Brian Zahnd joins Johnny Ova to unpack what he calls the kaleidoscopic cross, a bold, multi-layered view of the crucifixion that challenges everything you thought you knew. In this episode, we dive into: Why the cross can’t be reduced to one meaning The problem with penal substitution and transactional theology How art, poetry, and ancient voices unlock new angles of the cross Why Christian...

What does the book of Lamentations reveal through the cries of its children? In this powerful conversation, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Timothy Yap , Lecturer in Historical Theology and PhD in Old Testament studies, to uncover the overlooked voices at the heart of Jerusalem’s fall. From starving infants to abandoned sons and daughters, Lamentations paints a haunting picture of suffering,...

What did the ancient world really believe about the gods? And how did humanity move from countless divine beings to the bold claim that there is only one God? In this episode of The Dig In Podcast , Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Michael Hundley, professor of Religious Studies at the University of Memphis and Ph. D. graduate of the University of Cambridge. Dr. Hundley’s research focuses on t...

Today on The Dig In Podcast , Johnny Ova welcomes Dr. Guy MacLean Rogers , one of the world’s leading historians of the ancient world, for a deep dive into the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. This is the moment that forever changed Jewish life, shook the Roman Empire, and influenced the rise of Christianity. Dr. Rogers is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley Colleg...

What did worship in ancient Israel actually sound like? Were the Psalms quiet devotionals, or loud, communal songs that echoed through the temple courts? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Foth, Academic Dean at Prairie College and author of Semantics and Poetics of the Righteous and the Wicked in the Psalms , joins Johnny Ova to bring the Psalms to life. Together they explore how the Psalms were sung, th...

In this powerful episode, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Prof. Steven Mann, chair of the seminary at Azusa Pacific University and a leading expert in speech act theory, Old Testament theology, and biblical narrative. Together, they explore how God’s words throughout Scripture are not just spoken statements but active forces that create, command, bless, warn, and transform. Prof. Mann explains ho...

In this powerful episode of The Dig In Podcast , Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Prof. Juliana Claassens, Old Testament scholar and author of Mourner, Mother, Midwife , to explore the rich and often overlooked feminine metaphors for God found in the Hebrew Bible. Together, they discuss: God as mourner, mother, and midwife How Scripture speaks to trauma, injustice, and healing The impact of patria...

What does it really mean to fear God? In this powerful episode, Johnny Ova sits down with Old Testament scholar Prof. Bradley Cameron to unpack one of the most misunderstood biblical themes, the fear of God. Far from being a message of fear-based control, the Bible presents fear as something emotionally rich, theologically grounded, and deeply transformational. Together they explore: Why the fear...

Can you be faithful to God and still cry out in protest? Can you worship while you’re wounded? In this episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny Ova is joined by Dr. William Morrow, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University and author of Protest Against God , to explore the deep emotional and theological world of the lament Psalms. Together, they unpack how ancient Israel responded to suffering, why p...

In this episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Iain Provan, respected Old Testament scholar and author of Seriously Dangerous Religion , to explore how the ethical vision of the Old Testament still speaks into the moral confusion of today. They unpack the difference between biblical law and ethics, the prophetic message of Isaiah, and how to faithfully wrestle with some of t...

If God has always looked like Jesus, what does that mean for how we understand wrath, judgment, and justice? What do we do with the violence in the Old Testament, or the warnings of hell in the New? In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Dr. Brad Jersak joins Johnny Ova for a deeply theological yet pastoral conversation on one of the most urgent questions of our time: What is God really like? T...

How can ancient Hebrew manuscripts help us understand the Bible more clearly, and what do they reveal about the Messiah? In this episode of The Dig In Podcast , Pastor Johnny Ova is joined by Old Testament scholar and author Dr. Kevin Chen to explore the powerful story that unfolds through preserved Hebrew texts. From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Messianic vision in Genesis, they unpack how the lit...

Dr. James Nogalski joins Pastor Johnny Ova on The Dig In Podcast to walk us through the Book of the Twelve, not as twelve random prophetic books, but as one unified scroll with a powerful message. From Hosea to Malachi, this conversation uncovers how themes of justice, restoration, and covenant all come together across time, space, and scribal design. We explore: Why the prophets were compiled int...

What really happened in Sodom and Gomorrah? In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Dylan Johnson, an expert in ancient Near Eastern texts and Hebrew Bible scholarship, to explore one of the Bible’s most controversial stories. Together, they unpack: -The historical and cultural backdrop of Sodom and Gomorrah -How hospitality, injustice, and oppression shaped the...

Join us on The Dig In Podcast as we delve into the profound depths of the book of Isaiah with Dr. Paul D. Wegner, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California. With a Ph. D. from King's College, University of London, Dr. Wegner brings decades of scholarly expertise to our discussion, illuminating the historical context and literary structure of Isaiah's proph...

What if everything you were taught about hell... deserves a second look? In this bold and freeing episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny sits down with Bishop Jamie Englehart for an honest and eye-opening conversation about one of the most misunderstood topics in Christianity...HELL. Jamie is the creator of the course Get the Hell Out , a deep theological dive that challenges the traditional view...

Round 2 is here, and this time it’s face-to-face. Johnny Ova sits down in person with Dr. Matthew Hester right here in New York for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about faith, Scripture, and what it means to follow Jesus with both heart and mind. This episode picks up where their first conversation left off, but takes an even deeper dive into one of the most foundational questions for believ...

In this heartfelt episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny sits down with Pastor Mike Santiago, lead pastor of Focus Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the United States. Their conversation weaves together powerful themes of ministry, family, and revival in a way that feels both personal and deeply spiritual. Pastor Mike shares the incredible story of his journey in ministry, reflecting...

There’s a quiet revolution happening in the Church, a reformation not of systems, denominations, or new movements, but of hearts returning to the core of it all: Jesus. In this episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny sits down with Dr. Matthew Hester for a deep and refreshing conversation about what it means to strip away the noise and return to the simplicity and power of Christ at the center. Tog...

What does it really mean to be authentic in your faith? In this powerful and raw episode of The Dig In Podcast , Johnny is joined by Pastor Miano, whose journey from gang life to gospel truth will challenge everything you think you know about Christian transformation. Miano shares his gripping story of survival, redemption, and radical change, going from the streets to the pulpit through the grace...