The Bible For Normal People

In this episode, Pete & Jared define critical thinking and unpack what it means to read the Bible critically. They suggest that a "God said it, that settles it" approach to scripture may not factor in the context, audience and literary style that the author employs in writing. Thinking critically about how we approach scripture allows us to experience the fullness and richness of the text. http://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com https://peteenns.com   Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople   Wild Goose Festival http://wildgoosefestival.org/   Evolving Faith conference https://www.evolvingfaithconference.com/  

In this episode, Pete & Jared speak with Jeffrey Stackert about the origins of the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament. Rather than looking at the books as separate works written by Moses, they discuss the documentary hypothesis which suggests that the Pentateuch was compliled from four sources. And many of the contradictions in the text may actually be indications of converging viewpoints from editors  including or omiting details to preserve the integrity of the text.

In this episode, Pete & Jared speak with recording artist Audrey Assad about her music, her theology, and the shift from her conservative fundamentalist roots to Catholicism. http://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com https://peteenns.com https://www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to Wil Gafney about the Womanist interpretation of the Bible. In their discussion, she brings out fascinating nuances in the text and challenges the predominantly patriarchial interpretation of the past.    https://www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople   https://peteenns.com/      

In this episode, Pete (joined by his cat Marmalade) shares 10 things essential to understanding the book of Romans. He's quick to point out a number of varying opinions about this important letter and suggests that the ways in which we've come to understand Paul's writings may be incomplete at best. And the trite ways that some of the more familliar passage have been recited are far from Paul's original intent.

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to Craig Allert about how the canon of scripture was curated. They also discuss the doctrine of "sola scriptura" and how the intertestimental books can be beneficial in bringing addition context and detail to our understanding of scripture. thebiblefornormalpeople.com/course patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople

This week Jared walks us through the ways in which the Bible is true and in some ways untrue. He'll start by unpacking what we mean when we talk about truth and give us some helpful insights into how we can approach historical facts that sometimes seem to be at odds with the Biblical text.   www.peteenns.com www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople  

In this episode, Jared & Pete talk to author, teacher and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor. They discuss the many different stages and "human fingerprints" involved in getting the Bible from the original manuscripts to the printed translations that we read, including our own theological history and tradition.

In this episode, Pete & Jared talk to William Paul Young, author of the NY Times bestselling book and feature film, "The Shack." Young describes his thought process behind his controversial portrayal of God the Father as an African-American woman and reminds us that we all bring some level of interpretation to the Biblical text. www.peteenns.com www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople  

On this week's episode we have Fr. Richard Rohr to talk about a contemplative approach to the Bible. [re-broadcast from March 26, 2017 (Episode 2)]

In this episode, Pete and Jared discuss Deuteronomy, the so-called “Deuteronomistic History,” and why God in these books is so over-the-top angry most of the time. https://peteenns.com/ https://www.patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople

On this episode, we talk with Peter Rollins about how Christians have made the Bible (along with their views of God) into a "sacred object.” And, spoiler alert: that's actually not a good thing.

Archaeologist Cynthia Shafer-Elliott turns a 2D Bible into a 3D picture by digging up artifacts from everyday ancient Israelite life. These were real people with real habits and customs that we never really see on the pages of the Bible.

In this episode, Pete Enns works through 7 big-picture issues that help us see what Proverbs is all about and why the idea of Wisdom is such an absolutely central and vital biblical concept that many know very little about.

Jared & Pete talk with Brian McLaren about the dangers of a "weaponized Bible" and how our own bias and interpretation may cause us to reach some incomplete conclusions