Unbinding the Bible

This episode is a sermon I preached on June 7, 2020 from Matthew 9:9-13, where Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners and it draws the attention of the Pharisees. I'm inserting it here on the podcast because the "sickness" displayed by the Pharisees stems directly from the fall in Genesis 3. And sadly, what Jesus defines as "sickness" many religious people define as "righteousness."  

In this THROWBACK THURSDAY episode, we're still looking at Genesis 3:1-7, only this time focusing in on shame and what it has done (and continues doing) to the human race. This episode was originally published January 10, 2019 as episode 017 - What Went Wrong? 

On this Throwback Thursday, we're going back to episode 016 - published January 3, 2019 - where we discussed the fall of man from Genesis 3:1-7. Man's fall into sin is still one narrative that has tremendous explanatory power to help us understand why our world looks the way it does. And while there are always new lenses through which to view the fall of man, this episode forms a good foundation u...

This week on the podcast I have a conversation with Randall Balmer on his book, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right. We'll look at the real reason Christians rallied around the Republican party in the early 80's; and (spoiler) it wasn't over abortion, as is often the circulated narrative. We'll talk about this history and why it matters for the church today. 

The following is a sermon I preached on Christ the King Sunday, November 21, 2021. Taken from John 18, we focused in on Jesus' repeated phrase to Pilate, "my kingdom is not of this world." My aim throughout the message was on getting Christians to rightly understanding what Jesus' DID NOT mean by these words as well as what he DID mean. The message concluded with an attempt to apply these insights...

The following is a sermon I preached in our church on November 14, 2021 on Mark 13:14-23 - Jesus telling his disciples about the coming destruction of their temple. I've chosen to use the term "institution" because it helps those of us unfamiliar with temples to see that organizations, nations, and even empires fit this category too. Israel had turned their temple (an institution set up by God him...

On this week's episode, we'll look at Jesus' apocalyptic-sounding words from Luke 21 and discuss why these "end-time" passages kick off the Advent season in many liturgical churches. We'll properly define "apocalypse" and discuss why it calls us to look for Jesus-revealing-God and NOT Jesus-destroying-the-world.  You can email me at: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com

This week's episode is the first in a new series I plan to sprinkle throughout the podcast. THROWBACK THURSDAY will be replays of past Unbinding the Bible episodes that have generated the most discussion and response or ones that I believe address the most important concepts or themes presented throughout the podcast.  I believe THROWBACK THURSDAY will quickly become a favorite, even reminding you...

This week's episode is a conversation I had with Ruth Everhart on her book, The #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church's Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct. This is a topic that is sadly avoided in many Christian contexts. And it's time that changed! This conversation is a great introduction to the entire topic and I'm thankful to be having it with Ruth.  Please consider sharing this episode w...

On this episode, we'll look at a great book I'm currently reading, The Covenanted Self, by Walter Brueggemann, and what it actually means to "covenant" with both God and our neighbor. Learning to assert oneself as well as abandon oneself are both an integral part of what it means to relate well with others. And for me, this one insight is beginning to reshape the way I understand not only mankind'...

This episode is a sermon I preached in our shared ministry September 12, 2021. Taken from Mark 8:27-38, this sermon focuses on what it means to allow Jesus to be both the source of our salvation as well as the shape of it. This is a challenging message for the church today, but it is vitally important that we get it right! 

In this episode, I'd like to discuss what the relationship is between the law and the gospel, the letter versus the spirit of the law, and the concept of the old and new covenants. What was Jesus' relationship to the law and how should Christians today think of it for their own lives? I plan to read an entry from a journal of mine where I attempted to work out some initial thoughts to all these qu...

For this week's episode, I have Tim Gombis back on the show to talk about his new book, Power in Weakness: Paul's Transformed Vision for Ministry. Tim was my guest for the very first By the Book episode and, after listening to this episode, you'll understand why I wanted to talk with him again. You will be encouraged, strengthened, challenged, and convicted from our conversation. I highly recommen...

In this episode, we'll look at Paul's words to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:10, paying particular attention to the relationship between what Paul calls the "ministry of reconciliation" and the "message of reconciliation." Rooted in the life of Jesus himself, Paul demonstrates how his "ministry of reconciliation" perfectly embodies his "message of reconciliation" and calls the Corinthian...

Unbinding the Bible is back! And to kick things off, we'll talk about my 3-month break, an old (and new) hobby I'm engaged in, a bit about the Enneagram, and where I'm hoping to take the podcast in the weeks and months to come. It's exciting to be back with you all! 

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:17-21 - the closing verses of the book! We've come such a long way and in these verses we'll hear John's (and Jesus') final plea for the Bride to embody the posture of the kingdom. Drawing on one OT passage and one from the NT, we'll hear God's heart of compassion and how it, quite literally, far exceeds our own.  This will be the final episode of Unbin...

In this By the Book episode, I have a conversation with Tim Muehlhoff about a book he co-authored (with Richard Langer) called, Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church. Tim and I had a blast talking together about a topic that is incredibly needed in the church today. This is one By the Book episode you don't want to miss!  You can follow Tim, gather resources, or be linked to...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:12-16. We'll address several themes already covered on the podcast and then focus in on Jesus' words that this testimony (the ENTIRE book of Revelation, by the way) is "for the churches." The church today desperately needs to understand this, as the all-too-common assumption is that our job is to tell those in the wider world how to live. Not so! Our ca...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:6-9, paying particular attention to John's use of the words "keep the words of this book," which echo (or bookend) words he began the book with from Revelation 1:3. We'll talk a bit about what "keeping" the words of this book means and what it might look like for churches to faithfully do so.  Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/8683...

In this week's episode, I have a conversation with Kaitlyn Schiess about her book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor. Kaitlyn brings together spiritual formation with political concerns in a way that faithfully expresses the reality of the kingdom of God and invites the church to live out its common life with others in a way that is faithful to that kingdom....

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:1-5. In it John speaks of the tree of life and the river of the water of life. We'll look at several OT and NT passages to help us understand the significance of both and what they mean for the calling of the church and the flourishing of the world.  Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094 Email comments/questions to: Unbindin...

This week's episode is a sermon I preached at our church two weeks ago - where Jesus meets with his disciples in Luke 24 and shows them his hands and his feet. I'm inserting it here on the podcast for its connections between Jesus' resurrection and the eventual resurrection of all things, which John describes in Revelation 21-22, paying particular attention to the fact that even in the resurrectio...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 21:22-27 and focus in on the purpose of "gates" in the heavenly city. Contrasting this scene with Jesus' description of hell's gates in Matthew 16 will shed immense light on the posture God has toward the world as well as the posture of the New Jerusalem. The "kings of the earth will bring their glory into" this heavenly city. We'll end the episode by expl...

This episode is a By the Book conversation with Sandra Richter about her book, Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters. As an Old Testament scholar, Sandra looks closely at God's expectations for his image-bearers and what that means about the way we, as 21st century Americans, think about and treat the world God has entrusted to our care.  Toward the end of...

In this episode, we'll look at several themes John is weaving together in how he chooses to describe this holy city, New Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb. These insights will help tie together large swaths of biblical material and will encourage Christians to understand who we've been called to be and how Jesus has made it all possible.  Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/8683...