Context Matters

Today's episode flips the tables and places me in the hot seat. Wesley Arning and Ryan Presley interviewed me about the book of Deuteronomy for their podcast called The Wayside Podcast. So I am rebro…

When scholars examine the writing, copying, and editing of biblical text, they can discern a complexity in the Hebrew Bible. There is scribal activity at the copying AND editing levels. What does thi…

Textual criticism is about. offering a critique about what the best reading of the biblical text is, because before you can translate it, you need to know that you've got the best reading possible. A…

In today's episode with the Rev. Dr. George Athas, we pick up the historic overview of what is incorrectly called the 400 years of silence. We dive into the significant historical influence of Greek …

We casually talk about 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments, but why do we say that? Who was the first to coin that phrase? What if that is an anti-Messianic statement? Then should…

Dr. Heath Thomas is back to talk more about his book The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction. Often the prophets are not addressing the individual's sin but the whole community's sin. So what …

Dr. Heath Thomas grow up as a pastor's kid, thought he'd be an English teacher but ended up  specializing in Hebrew Poetry. He is now the president of Oklahoma Baptist University and somehow found ti…

Although cherubim in European art are cute, small, and angelic, the ancient world thought of them as terrifying protectors. In today's conversation, Dr. Gray continues to describe what we can learn a…

If the imagination influences spiritual formation, then what can we discover about how people in the ancient world thought of the spiritual realm by looking at their art? Today's guest is Dr. Taylor …

Today we continue our conversation about Dr. Lanta Davis' new book called Becoming by Beholding. We begin with "bestiaries" - what they are and what their purpose was in early Christian art. We also …

Dr. Lanta Davis joins us today to talk about her new book called Becoming by Beholding.  Her book will prompt you to think about the connection between art, imagination, and theology. How did the his…

Dr. Ryan Vroegindewey joins us once again to talk about the global food system, how animal welfare matters, and how to think about "organic", "mono cropping", and "genetically modified food". 

Helpful…

How does the Bible instruct us to treat the world, our food, and our ground? Today we talk with Dr. Ryan Vroegindewey about how he became aware of the complexities in our global food systems and what…

Dr. Stephen Ko is an interdisciplinary writer at the intersection of faith, medicine, and public health. He is also the Senior Pastor of New York Chinese Alliance Church. In his new book Faith Embodi…

Dr. Stephen Ko is an interdisciplinary writer at the intersection of faith, medicine, and public health. He is also the Senior Pastor of New York Chinese Alliance Church. In his new book Faith Embodi…

Dr. Mark Glanville joins us today from his piano to talk with me about his newly released book titled Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm and Soul. We start with a conversa…

Dr. Mark Glanville joins me from his piano to talk about his new book Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul. What is it about jazz and scripture that make them natu…

This is part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Ericka Dunbar who is an Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Baylor University. We talk about noticing the small characters in a narrative. Who are the u…

In part 1 of our conversation on the book of Esther, Dr. Ericka Dunbar introduces us to contextual influences in her life that changed how she read the book of Esther. Far from a story about queens a…

Dr. Nadya Williams is a Classics Historian who brings her knowledge of the culture and writings generated in the Greco-Roman world to bear on the early church. This is Part 2 of our conversation rega…