The Word in Black and Red

Join Micah, Josiah, Alex Zambito, & Ross Thorn as we explore the importance of sacrifice and food in Leviticus 17. Why does Leviticus place such importance on blood? What does it mean for blood to be the "life force"? How do these ancient laws ensure an equitable distribution of wealth? How does this text establish the political power of particular kings? How can we respect the sacrifices we h...

Join Micah, Hadar Cohen, and Simon Doong as we explore the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. What is Azazel? What is witchcraft and how is it a part of our faith? How can we both hold people accountable while offering reconciliation? And what does this ancient practice have to teach us about our responsibility to Palestine today? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on this episo...

Join Micah, Matt Cox, Rig, and Pastor Kuma as we explore genital emissions in Leviticus 15. What are the implications of the broad periods of uncleanliness? Are these bodily fluids holy, gross, or something in between? What role does uncleanliness have in holiness, and how does Christianity’s relationship with death affect this? And can these protocols survive contact with a teenage boy? Find out...

Join Micah, Ell, Rev. Ronnie, and Pastor Sarah as we explore the genital emissions for the first of two episodes in Leviticus 15.W hat does “unclean” mean in the text and how has Christian culture changed it? How did these laws affect how open women could be about their cycles? And what’s the “mensies” tent? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on this episode of The Word in...

First draft: Join Micah, Mat Meyer, Grahmin, and Darth as we explore the rules around the purification of skin diseases in Leviticus 13-14. What are the skin diseases we're even talking about here? How have these laws been used to exclude? And how can we use these laws to help include those we've already excluded? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on this episode of The W...

Join Micah, Ell, and Ronnie as we explore the rules about menstruation and childbirth in Leviticus 12. How was childbirth different when this text was written? Are these rules for birth-givers meant to oppress or to give them a break? And how dangerously close are women to being gods? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on this episode of The Word in Black and Red! Ell wants you...

oin Micah, Mystic Mikester, and Vivian Asimos as we explore the clean and unclean animals in Leviticus 11. How can identity demarcation be used for either oppression or liberation and communal autonomy? How does this set of ancient communities standards apply to impossible political choices? And how many feet does a cricket have anyway? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on thi...

Join Micah, Rabbi Noyo , Josiah from Pulp! , and Aaron J Smith from All Things Made New as we explore the death of Aaron's sons in Leviticus 10. Why did God kill Aaron's sons? What do our interpretations have to teach us about God's boundaries? How do we restore broken relationships? What does this story have to teach us about the difficulty of relationship? And why does God particularly love the...

Join Micah, Blue, Darth, and Pastor Don as we explore the ordination of the priests in Leviticus 8-9. What is the significance of all of this ancient symbology? Why does it matter to us today? How are our own spiritual traditions the cultural manifestations of our own settings? And what in the world is a censer full of banana pudding? Find out some answers to these questions and more on this episo...

Join Micah, W Scott McAndless, Anthony Moss, and Darth as we explore the material reality of sacrifice in Leviticus 6:8-7:38. What are all of these different sacrifices and what do they mean? What does this ancient system communicate about the way our faith ancestors were dealing with the everyday material realities they struggled with and against? What does it mean for everyone to be holy? What d...

Join Micah, Ben Boswell, Terry J. Stokes, and Jules Webb as we explore the concept of purification and reparations in Leviticus 4-6. What does this ancient text on making reparations have to teach us about wealth? What is the Levitical and then Christian perspective on reparations owed to the descendants of enslaved people? How does this passage play into the story of Zacchaeus and illustrate the...

Join Micah, Waffles, Aaron J Smith, and Avery Arden as we explore the sacrifices outlined in Leviticus 1-3. Why are we reading this ancient book about sacrifices in a religion at least two removed from our own? What is the difference between perfection and holiness? How can we read this text as liberatory for the very people whom it excludes? And how dense do you need to be an apostle? Find out so...

Join Micah, Aaron, Ell, and Spencer as we discuss God entering God's dwelling in Exodus 40. What is the significance of this final moment? How is God coming to dwell with the people a transformative experience for everyone? And how can we become God's dwelling place? Find out some answers to these questions and more on this episode of The Word in Black and Red! Aaron J Smith's All Things Made New...

Join Micah, Mike, Spencer, and Ronnie as we explore the construction of God's dwelling in Exodus 35:4-39:43. Why does it matter how the tabernacle for a religion three thousand years ago was set up? What sort of cultural memory was necessary to hold on to this, and what was being communicated about the current oppression the authors were writing? How is this rainbow-filled building a tool of resis...

Join Ell, Scott, Natasha, Mike, Jules, Matt, Dave, Avery, and Micah for our Christmas Special 2025! Hear reflections on Mary, the love of God, and the role of the ordinary in the greatest revolution in history. Find more resources at our new website: thewordinblackandred.com You can find the show, more episodes, and other means of listening at thewordinblackandred.com . Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Join Micah, Scott, Mat, and Avery as we explore who God is, what the new covenant looks like, and why Moses is quite so shiny in Exodus 34-35:3. How do we see the idea that God is love here in this ancient passage about cursing disobedient people for four generations or driving out the indigenous inhabitants of Canaan? What is the spiritual significance of Moses' shining face? And how can this new...

Join Micah, Ell, Grahmin, and Avery as we discuss Moses seeking after and seeing God in Exodus 33. Why is God still pulling away from the people? What does Moses do to restore the relationship? And what do you mean, God showed Moses God's butt? Find out answers to these questions and more on this episode of The Word in Black and Red! Ell is busy unionizing the disciples and wants you to join them....

Join Micah, Ell, Fae, and Don as we discuss the Golden Calf in Exodus 32. What is the significance of the golden calf, and did it really happen here? What political agenda is this story achieving, and why does it show up right here? What are the golden calves of our own age, and how should we deal with them? Find out some perspectives on these questions and more on this episode of The Word in Blac...

Join Micah, Blue, Spencer, and Aaron as they discuss the proper worship and the Sabbath in Exodus 29-31. Why is this so much harder than just worshiping a cow? What is the purpose of this census, and why does God later hate censuses? How does this passage help us resist the endless and relentless urge to accumulate under capitalism? Find out some answers to these questions and more on this episode...

Join Micah, Aaron, and Jules as we discuss the building of the tabernacle and vestments for the priests in Exodus 25-28. Why do these ancient descriptions matter for our own perception of our faith? How is God's presence mediated through these objects in the tabernacle and in our own religious practices? And how is the early church reimagining the ark of the covenant as Mother Mary--and how can th...

Join Micah, Ell, Pastor Don, and new guest Father Micah Lazarus, priest-in-charge of St. Photini Universalist Orthodox Church as we discuss the Mosaic Covenant in Exodus 24. Why is God maintaining distance between Godself and the people? What does God's struggle with intimacy with many people illustrate about the perspective of a chosen people that some come to see as the means by which God saves...

Join Micah, Mat, Waffles, and Josiah as we explore the genocidal prediction of the book of Joshua in Exodus 23:20-33. Why is the Bible so comfortable with this promise of genocide? How can we read this book that has such a fascist text buried inside it as liberatory? What is the relationship between being an oppressed people and becoming the oppressor? And how can reading and resisting the implica...

Join Micah, Mystic Mike (formerly Mike the Anarchist), Aaron J Smith from All Things Made New, and Dave Bindewald from the Center for Play and Exploration as we discuss letting the fields give fruit for the poor, Sabbath rest, and the festivals outlined in Exodus 23:10-19. What does the Bible teach that the poor deserve? What does rest mean for our modern self-care rituals? How does God's command...

Content Warning: Explicit discussion about sexual assault and the way sexual assault victims have been and are being mistreated. Join Micah, Ell, and Blue as we dive into the strange set of laws in Exodus 22:16-23:9. How have the victims of sexual assault been treated in the Bible and what ethic does this point us to? Is God demanding child sacrifice and did it really happen? What is the role of m...

Join Micah, Ell, Mat, and Aaron as we discuss the laws around slavery, violence, and property in Exodus 21-22:15. Why is learning about these antiquated and horrific laws important for our own time? Why did the Hebrew people revert back so quickly to reinstate the systems of oppression that they just escaped? And how can the legal imagination of this ancient people help us reimagine our own legal...