Bible Streams

Genesis... The Book of Beginnings, where it all starts... And how a story starts sets the rest of it in context. So how does Genesis set a context for everything that comes after it? Setting first things first might just help us understand the whole rest of the Bible! Join Jo, Alex and Chris as we work our way through this foundational book over the next few weeks: discovering new things, having o...

As we wind down at the end of yet another year of Bible Streams, join our producer, Tim, as he sits down with Jo, Alex, and Chris to talk about all the highlights from 2022 (with a little bit of fun along the way) and to look ahead to 2023. As is now a yearly tradition with Riverlife Podcasts, there will also be bloopers and outtakes. Here's to another awesome year ahead! Resources/Links mentioned...

We conclude our intermittent series featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. Last up is Jo Leutton (MDiv. Malyon Theological College), with his project: “‘Come, Holy Spirit’: Lonnie Frisbee’s Prayer and the Origins of the Vineyard Movement.” Church history doesn't always feature in our conversations...

John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John. Resources/Links mentione...

2 John - short and punchy - still reserves clear teaching and clear instruction in how we stay strong in our love and clear in our theology. Jesus is Lord. He came in the flesh, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't even let them in your house! Or should you? John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when w...

The integrated and 'braided' nature of John's writing and thoughts are both encouraging, pastoral, and sometimes hard to follow. As Alex, Chris and Jo finish their look at 1 John, they help pace through the key understandings that John is trying to communicate. John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think...

In this episode, Chris and Jo take a look at 1 John. They discuss introductory concerns and look at the text of chapters 1 and 2. What's all this talk of love? Why the issues with sin and darkness? And who are these antichrists? John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often ove...

John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John. Resources/Links mentione...

We continue our intermittent series featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. Next up is Alex Walker (BA (Hons)[UQ]), with his project: "Ezekiel’s Temple as the Perfect Tabernacle: A Study of Divine Presence and Absence in Exodus and Ezekiel." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what make...

The Megillot is a beautiful and challenging collection of books that are connected by a number of things, including that they are all books read at significant Jewish Festivals. As we finish off our series looking at these books, we take listener questions and wrap up our walk through the books of the Scroll. --- There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew B...

As we come to the last episode of our series on the Megillot, these five short books that a grouped together as 'the Scroll' in the Hebrew Bible, we find Ecclesiastes. Seemingly easy to read, like Proverbs, with memorable sections and familiar themes, it is in fact hard to discern what we should take away from this book. Is everything meaningless? Does God care what happens? Why isn't the author g...

Lamentations is not one of the more popular books in the biblical canon. In fact, its five densely populated poems are some of the hardest reading in scripture, not in terms of understanding, but in the state of despair and grief we hear poured out. Ther is a brief shining moment at the centre of the book, a ray of hope in what seems to be an otherwise desolate wasteland of broken dreams and shatt...

Love, loss, high drama and a penultimate moment that will leave you on the edge of your seat, the little book of Ruth delivers more than just an epic story in miniature. It's a tale loaded with technical insight into the ancient Hebraic practice of law, community, custom and generational legacy. It rarely mentions God but demonstrates His powerful work in the ordering of circumstances and hidden p...

Seductive and suggestive, or pure and pious? No other book in the Bible has garnered so much attention about its subject matter and its appropriateness for God's covenant people to read in worship as the Song of Songs! Is it too much, or is it a healthy depiction of human sexuality and relationships? Should we read it as a love poem or an allegory of Jesus and the Church? Who wrote it - Solomon or...

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance b...

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance b...

Philemon is just 25 verses but is full of insight and practical application for living like Jesus in a messy and complicated world. How do we treat people who are more or less powerful than us? How do we find reconciliation when we've been wronged? How should we approach systemic injustice? All of this and more is wrapped up in this amazing letter, and one of it's central ideas: koinonia. Chirs, A...

We start a new (and intermittent) series, featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. First up is Chris Knott (MDiv[ACT]), with his project: "The implications of Romans 13:1-7 for Christians participating in the exercise of secular authority." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what makes...

The Ezra-Nehemiah text is a complex series of writings, memoirs and reflections. It presents the reader with lots of questions - and you've sent us yours! On our first ever Q&A episode, we answer listener questions around a bunch of themes and issues raised in this fascinating text! Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: Dr Gary Schnittjer -...

Old Testament scholar and expert on Ezra-Nehemiah Dr Gary Schnittjer joins Jo, Alex and Chris to talk about the challenges and themes of this often-overlooked text. Gary teaches Old Testament and biblical Hebrew in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Philadelphia, and recently released his expansive work on the Old Testament Use of the Old Testament. He sheds light on some of the more co...

While content has been limited this year, there has still been a lot to talk about in 2021 across the three podcasts across the Riverlife network. We've heard from some incredible guests and discussed a range of topics across theology, scripture, justice, and community! Join our producer, Tim, as he sits down with Jo to talk about all the highlights from 2021 and to look ahead to 2022. As is now a...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...