This We Believe: Exploring the Essential Texts of the Christian Faith

Interpreting scripture like the early Christians can seem like a free for all, where anyone can come up with whatever meaning they want. As it turns out, the early Christians had very firm boundaries for what constitutes proper reading of the Bible, but these boundaries actually enabled multiple, non-contradictory interpretations of individual passages. What are these boundaries, and how do they g...

The Bible is filled with symbols that appear and reappear throughout its various books. How can we draw connections between these symbols, how are these symbols fulfilled in Christ? How can our understanding of these symbols transform our physical encounters with God's creation? Video of this episode available at: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve Support the show *New Book* From Word to...

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve It is often said that the Bible is one dramatic story, but is it more than that? If the Bible is just a drama from Genesis to Revelation, doesn’t it seem to make the early parts of that story, the parts before the birth of Jesus, less important or unnecessary? This episode examines an early Christian approach to telling the story of the Bible cente...

How did the early Christians worship Jesus Christ in Church, and how was this worship impacted by what they read in scripture? How were they able to be guided by books like Leviticus as they structured their worship services? How does an understanding of Jesus fulfilling all of scripture change the way that we worship him at Church? This episode examines how the early Church understood worship and...

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve Is Jesus really present in all of the Old Testament, and if so, how is he present? Is it only in an indirect way, or something more immediate and direct?  This episode discusses how the early Christians saw Jesus as both fulfilling all of Scripture and as really present in all of scripture, including the Old Testament. Jesus is not just foreshadowe...

When we read the Bible, God draws us into Sacred Time, where we can experience the past and future events of scripture as if they are present to us. In this episode, find out how the early Christians understood sacred time, and how this impacted what how they read the Bible. Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve/ Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welco...

video link: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve Many of us are taught to read the Bible like we are going to therapy, mining scripture for passages that inspire us, or help us solve problems in our lives. Though there are strengths of this approach, therapeutic readings can tend to create a transactional relationship between us and God, and can prompt us to read our own wants and desires into t...

video feed: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve Many of us are taught to read the Bible like historians. We read a passage, use the tools of academia to reconstruct its original context, then tease out morals and principles to help us in our current context. While this approach has many strengths, it also has some major weaknesses, as it can lead to elitist, unstable, unspiritual, and unbiblica...

Now on video. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve Order Four Mountains: Encountering God in the Bible from Eden to Zion   Why does our experience reading the Old Testament seem so different than our experience reading the New Testament? Do you long to have those kind of life changing encounters with God not just in the Gospels, but also in books like Number and Exodus? Today we...

Now on video. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeBelieve This special season of This We Believe teaches Christians how to read the Bible like the early Church. It will examine the problems with modern approaches to readings scripture, how the wisdom of the early church can help Christians encounter the Glory of Jesus Christ in every book of the Bible, and practical steps we can all tak...

In these special episodes, Dr Niebauer discusses how the early Christians read scripture, and how his new book, Four Mountains: Encountering God in the Bible from Eden to Zion can help both new and mature Christians read the Bible in a similar manner. Available here: https://a.co/d/9F3FjzC If your church wants to use Four Mountains for a Bible study, visit http://michaelniebauer.com for discussion...

What are the vows that we make before God, and how are they different from the promises and pledges we make in the world? What do the promises we make to others tell us about promises we make to God? This episode discusses the teaching of Jesus regarding speech in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:33-37). Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacre...

What is the relationship between adultery and the ways in which we gaze upon the images of other human beings? Why does Jesus only permit divorce in the case of sexual immorality? When, if ever, is remarriage allowed after divorce? This episode continues our series on the sermon on the mount by discussing Jesus' teaching on adultery and divorce in Matthew 5: 27-32. Support the show *New Book*...

What are the ways that anger manifests itself in the human heart, and what can we do to control it? Why is it important to deal with conflict before we come to the altar at church, and before we resort to the legal system? This episode continues our series on the Sermon on the Mount with Matthew 5: 21-26. Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred...

What are the moral laws in the Old Testament, and how do we discern which laws are moral and which are not? How can such laws teach us about the love of God? This episode continues our three episode series on Matthew 5: 17-20 in the Sermon on the Mount, addressing how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament laws known as the Moral Law. Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary...

What does it mean to follow the Old Testament laws that pertain to temples and animal sacrifices, if we do not have these things today? What do these laws tell us about how Christians today ought to approach worship? This episode continues our three episode series on Matthew 5: 17-20 in the Sermon on the Mount, addressing how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament laws known as the Ceremonial, or Liturg...

What does it mean for Jesus to fulfill the law? Does this mean we no longer have to follow the Old Testament laws? How can we tell which laws we still have to follow and which ones we don’t? This episode begins a three episode series on Matthew 5: 17-20: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you,...

What does it mean to be the light of the world, and what, if anything, does the church have to do in order to become the light of the world? Do Christians have to worry about the impact and influence that their actions have on the world? This episode discusses Matthew 5: 14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a bas...

What does it mean for Christians to be the salt of the earth? How do Christians impact the world without being overcome by it? This episode unpacks Jesus' first statement after the Beatitudes: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” Sup...

What does it mean to be a peacemaker, and how do actively make peace with others in the world? How does are ability to be at peace with God effect our ability to be peacemakers with our friends? This episode discusses the seventh Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You...

Why is it that Christians who exhibit mercy and meekness should expect to be treated poorly by the world? If Jesus is the true way to all that is good, true, and beautiful, then why will Christians be reviled for believing in him? This episode addresses the final two beatitudes: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake," and "Blessed are you when others revile y...

What does it mean to be pure in heart? Is holiness something that we achieve, or something God does for us? What is the relationship between purity of heart and a vision of the face of God? This episode discusses the sixth Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Throug...

Why do Christians proclaim “Lord have Mercy, Christ Have Mercy” each Sunday at Church? How can God be merciful and justice, and what is the relationship between justice and mercy? What does it mean for us to show mercy on our enemies? This episode discusses the beatitude “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary W...

What does it mean to be righteous, and how do we become righteous? How can we hunger and thirst for something other than food?  This episode discusses the fourth Beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https...

What does it mean to be meek? Why should we not retaliate when someone harms us? How do we endure harm without having it effect our identity? This episode discusses the third Beatitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Support the show *New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL...