What If We Took God’s Instruction Seriously? (Ryan O’Dowd)

Is it biblical to "follow your passion"? How do you know if the law is written on your heart? In this week's episode, Dru interviews CHT Fellow Ryan O'Dowd on engaging deeply with the Bible, living in accordance with the Torah's instruction, and ministering as the church. Scripture provides a host of instructions about how to live: everything from the proper view of our passions to helping the marginalized to saving money. But too often, we don't even know what it says—or we just don't take it seriously. As we mirror the practices described in Deuteronomy, like constant public engagement with Scripture, communal feasting, and building flourishing economic communities, we will find that the Bible will open up itself to our understanding.

Rev. Ryan P. O'Dowd is a Senior Fellow at Chesterton House at Cornell University, the pastor at Bread of Life Anglican Church, and an Academic Fellow at CHT. His research interests include wisdom literature and the epistemology of the Torah. He has written for The Biblical Mind about virtual worship and the Lord's Supper and the book of Proverbs as instruction in virtue.

Show notes:

• 0:00 Confronted by Scripture
• 2:35 Following your passion
• 6:07 Jeremiah, Job, and suffering
• 8:28 Becoming immersed in Scripture
• 11:02 Engaging the Bible as a community
• 14:04 Constantly memorizing and discussing Scripture
• 17:17 Practices that bring us to knowledge of God
• 22:08 Deuteronomic churches
• 25:30 Serving and helping the lonely
• 30:01 Torah economics—saving and feasting
• 31:33 Right practice and right thinking about Scripture

Show notes by Micah Long

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.