What do we do with the passages in the Bible that are really difficult? Violence, slavery, the treatment of women—what the Bible has to say about these topics has, at times, been misinterpreted and misused. Join Tim, Jon, Carissa, and special guest Dan Kimball as they discuss his book, How (Not) to Read the Bible , and explore how any topic in the Bible looks different when we see it as part of a unified story. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00-15:20) Part two (...
Dec 06, 2021•56 min•Ep 279•Transcript available on Metacast Are there ways to read the Bible other than a private quiet time? For most of Church history, followers of Jesus read the Bible out loud in groups and passed along its message verbally. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa talk about what it means for the Bible to be communal literature and how knowing that might just change the way we experience it today. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-9:30) Part two (9:30-13:45) Part three (13:45-21:30) Part four (21:30-31...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 278•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever figured out halfway through a conversation that you and another person were on totally different pages? Reading the Bible can feel like this at times. We’re all products of our cultures, families, and environments, and it affects how we understand others. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa prepare us for a cross-cultural conversation with the Bible by discussing the cultural values of the biblical authors. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00-13:2...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep 277•Transcript available on Metacast What makes the biblical languages so important? Because the Bible was written in another time and culture, we need to honor its ancient historical context and original languages as we read and study it. In this week’s podcast episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa explore why an awareness of the Bible’s culture––and our own––can help us be better interpreters of the Bible. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00-15:00) Part two (15:00-20:30) Part three (20:30-33:15) Part four...
Nov 15, 2021•59 min•Ep 276•Transcript available on Metacast As followers of Jesus, how can we know we are making the “right” choice in situations the Bible doesn’t address? How can we know the difference between what’s good and bad? In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa talk about the Bible’s purpose as wisdom literature designed to reveal God’s wisdom to humanity––even for complex circumstances it doesn’t explicitly address. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-13:20) Part two (13:20-19:45) Part three (19:45-31:00) Part four ...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 275•Transcript available on Metacast How were the books of the Bible selected? What should we do if we have a hard time reading the Bible? How does the Bible apply to daily life? In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa respond to your questions from the Paradigm series so far. Thanks to our audience for all your incredible questions! View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Do Christians Need To Have a Daily Quiet Time? (0:38) What’s the Difference Between Inspired and Inerrant? (9:57) What Bible Did Jesus Use? (31:09) Sh...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep 274•Transcript available on Metacast The apostle John is the most poetic of the Gospel storytellers, but what is he really communicating with his beautiful, imagery-laden language? Join Tim, Jon, and Carissa for a closer look at John 1 and discover how John incorporates elements of the Genesis and Exodus narratives to form a portrait of how God responds to rebellious people. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-13:15) Part two (13:15-24:45) Part three (24:45-37:30) Part four (37:30-48:00) Part five (48:00...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep 273•Transcript available on Metacast What’s the ideal way to study the Bible? Is it 20 minutes of reading every morning or larger blocks of time throughout the week? In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and Carissa as they discuss what it means for the Bible to be ancient Jewish meditation literature. The biblical authors never intended for it to be understood in one sitting, but over the course of a lifetime of re-reading. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-19:30) Part two (19-30-32:00) Part three (32:00-46...
Oct 18, 2021•55 min•Ep 272•Transcript available on Metacast Is the story of the Bible about humans or God? Because the Bible is about the Messiah—the God who became human—it’s about both God and humans. In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa discuss how the story of the Bible and all of its main themes come to their fulfillment in Jesus, making it a story that’s personal but not private, a redemption story for all of us. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00 - 16:45) Part two (16:45 - 31:00) Part three (31:00 - 46:30) Part f...
Oct 11, 2021•56 min•Ep 271•Transcript available on Metacast At first glance, the New Testament can seem wildly different from the Old Testament––but is it? Jesus saw himself as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures and the climax of the story that began thousands of years before his birth. In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and Carissa as they explore the unity of the New Testament and the intricate yet consistent storyline of the Bible. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00-10:40) Part two (10:40-23:30) Part three (23:30-34...
Oct 04, 2021•53 min•Ep 270•Transcript available on Metacast How can a collection of ancient manuscripts written by numerous people over thousands of years tell one unified story? In this episode, Tim, Jon, and Carissa dive into how the Bible was written and how such a diverse collection of authors, literary styles, and themes can form one divinely inspired, unified story. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00:00 - 13:30) Part two (13:30 - 22:00) Part three (22:00 - 36:00) Part four (36:00 - 45:40) Part five (45:40 - end) Refere...
Sep 27, 2021•58 min•Ep 269•Transcript available on Metacast How does God work in the world and communicate with humanity? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore God’s relationship with his creation and the relationship between the Bible’s divine and human origins. They also discuss how God uses human words to communicate his divine word. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-16:30) Part two (16:30-31:30) Part three (31:30-end) Referenced Resources Interested in more? Check out Tim’s library here. Show Music “Defender (Instrumen...
Sep 20, 2021•52 min•Ep 268•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever read the Bible and felt like you’re not “getting it” or that you’re not connecting with God? In this episode, Tim and Jon take a look at the (often unhelpful) paradigms through which we interact with Scripture. They explore how seeing the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus not only gives the Bible space to do what it was created to do, but frees us up to be transformed by the story it’s telling. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-15:00) Par...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep 267•Transcript available on Metacast What makes a person worthy to be chosen by God to do his work? In the story of the Bible, some of God’s choices seem obvious, people with lots of merit. Other times, his rationale is less clear to us––as with Jonah, a chosen one who might be worse than the people he was supposed to help. In this episode, listen in as Tim describes the biblical design pattern of the chosen righteous intercessor. This is a sneak peek into our free graduate-level course on Jonah, which will be featured in the new C...
Sep 06, 2021•55 min•Ep 266•Transcript available on Metacast The Hebrew Bible contains one story of human failure after another, leaving us with no doubt in our minds: humanity desperately needs a leader. In this episode, Tim walks us through the structure of the Hebrew Bible and how it shows us Jonah is an anti-leader, the opposite of what humanity needs, whose failure prepares us for the ultimate leader and Savior, Jesus. This is a sneak peek into our free graduate-level course on Jonah, which will be featured in the new Classroom resource available in ...
Aug 30, 2021•54 min•Ep 265•Transcript available on Metacast A stubborn prophet, a wicked nation, a giant fish––the story of Jonah is frequently translated into the popular imagination through TV and movies. But what is it really about? In this episode, learn from Tim about where Jonah fits into the story of the Bible that ultimately points to Jesus. This is a sneak peek into our free graduate-level course on Jonah which will be featured in the new Classroom resource available in 2022. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-18:...
Aug 23, 2021•54 min•Ep 264•Transcript available on Metacast Does God hold children responsible for their parents’ sins? In the fifth installment of our most-listened-to podcast episodes, join Tim, Jon, and Carissa for a look at the most quoted verse in the Bible, Exodus 34:6-7, and find out why God’s justice and his loyal love go hand in hand as a central part of who he is. QUOTE If later generations repeat or persist in the covenant rebellion of their ancestors, they’re going to get the same consequences. But when we talk about these “thousands” that ge...
Aug 16, 2021•58 min•Ep 263•Transcript available on Metacast The word “gospel” has acquired many meanings since the biblical authors first used it. What does it really mean? In the fourth of our five most-listened-to podcasts, Tim and N.T. Wright discuss the meaning of this important word in its original context, and explore what it means for Jesus to take charge as King and for his disciples to build his Kingdom. QUOTE When God takes charge, he doesn’t send in the tanks, he sends in the meek and the poor and the hungry-for-justice, the merciful, the peac...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 262•Transcript available on Metacast Earn it, lose it, take it, spend it, save it––we talk about time like currency. The Sabbath can be confusing to talk about, but it is God’s reminder to humanity that time is not a possession. In the third of our five most-listened-to podcasts, join Tim and Jon as they explore why the Sabbath is far less about a weekend or special religious service and far more about rescue and God’s miraculous provision. QUOTE To say that the Sabbath belongs to God is to jar you into remembering time doesn’t bel...
Aug 02, 2021•58 min•Ep 261•Transcript available on Metacast Humans are like trees. While this thought might not have been at the top of your mind this week, it was a key idea for the biblical authors. In the second of our five most popular podcasts, explore the connection between humans and trees with Tim and Jon as we learn why trees are mentioned more times than almost anything else in the Bible. QUOTE If you look at days three and six, you’ll see they both have two creative acts. The second creative act on day three is a fruit tree, and on day six it’...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep 260•Transcript available on Metacast God’s law––it can be an intimidating topic. Why are there over 600 laws? What do we do with them? We’re re-releasing our five most popular podcasts, and the episode with the most listens is also the first one we ever recorded. Listen in as Tim and Jon unpack what the laws meant for ancient Israel and what they mean for us today. Show produced by Cooper Peltz, Dan Gummel, and Zach McKinley. Remastering by Jake Trethaway. Show notes by Lindsey Ponder. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Origina...
Jul 19, 2021•51 min•Ep 259•Transcript available on Metacast Are Genesis 1 and 2 literal? What’s up with the differing timelines in those chapters? Where are the dinosaurs in the Bible? How do you know what ancient Hebrew words really meant? In this episode, Tim and Jon tackle your questions from the Ancient Cosmology series. Thanks to our audience for all your incredible questions! View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps How Can You Know the Correct Meaning of Ancient Words? (5:52 - 12:06) Can You Understand the Bible Without Other Resources?...
Jul 12, 2021•59 min•Ep 258•Transcript available on Metacast Did humans originate by intelligent design or the process of evolution? This question has been debated by the scientific community and readers of Genesis for almost 200 years. In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and special guest Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass as they discuss human origins and a way to bridge the gap across such a significant debate. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-20:40) Part two (20:40-35:00) Part three (35:00-47:30) Part four (47:30-59:00) Part five (59:0...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep 257•Transcript available on Metacast It’s easy to recognize the psalms as beautiful poems. But how do we understand their deeper meaning? How psalms are organized (both internally and within the book of Psalms) is just as significant to their meaning as the words themselves. In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and Carissa for a deep dive into Psalm 148, where we see Yahweh as the ideal king who restores order to all creation. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (00-8:30) Part two (8:30-16:45) Part three (16:45-...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep 256•Transcript available on Metacast How compatible is the Bible with science? And why does the creation story look different between Genesis 1 and 2? In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and special guest Dr. John Walton as they discuss these questions and the necessity of studying ancient culture and cosmology to truly understand our Bibles today. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-14:30) Part two (14:30-25:00) Part three (25:00-35:20) Part four (35:20-48:20) Part five (48:20-end) Referenced Resources Inte...
Jun 21, 2021•59 min•Ep 255•Transcript available on Metacast What does it mean that the biblical authors expected the return of Eden? The prophets anticipated waters of life from God would do miraculous things like restore the barren Dead Sea region to its former lush state and unite all humanity. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they follow the waters of life from Genesis 1-2 throughout time, in anticipation of the coming Day of the Lord. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-11:15) Part two (11:15-28:30) Part three (28:30-3...
Jun 14, 2021•46 min•Ep 254•Transcript available on Metacast Are there two creation stories in Genesis? How do Genesis 1 and 2 fit together and into the rest of the biblical story? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore these questions and the theme of water in the opening chapters of the Bible. Yahweh’s transformation of the chaos waters into waters of life set the stage for his calling upon his people and an important theme that will carry us from Genesis to Revelation. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-9:20) Part two (9:2...
Jun 07, 2021•40 min•Ep 253•Transcript available on Metacast The biblical authors often use creation imagery that clearly didn’t come from Genesis 1. Did they borrow from the creation accounts of other cultures? In this episode, join Tim and Jon for a deep dive into Genesis 1:1-2 and discover its similarity to other ancient cosmologies, plus one key difference: Yahweh is infinitely greater than all other gods. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-9:00) Part two (9:00-26:00) Part three (26:00-40:00) Part four (40:00-50:00) Par...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep 252•Transcript available on Metacast What is existence? What existed before humans did? Ancient people groups asked the same questions we do today, with totally different answers. In this episode, Tim and Jon survey the cosmologies of Israel’s neighbors, ancient Egypt, Canaan, and Babylon––people groups the biblical authors shared more in common with than modern readers––to shed light on the Bible’s creation account. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0-6:30) Part two (6:30-19:00) Part three (19:00-39:30)...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep 251•Transcript available on Metacast What does the Bible really say about the origins of the universe? The biblical authors had a completely different framework for this question than we do. When we expect the Bible to settle our debates, we close ourselves off from understanding the text as they intended it. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they kick off a new series on Genesis 1-3, beginning with a look at ancient cosmologies. View full show notes from this episode → Timestamps Part one (0:00-8:15) Part two (8:15-12:30) Part ...
May 17, 2021•35 min•Ep 250•Transcript available on Metacast 
