Hakeem Bradley, a CHT Fellow and biblical scholar with roots in the Five Percent Nation, shares his transformative journey from skepticism to faith in Jesus. He discusses how engaging with scripture involves embracing tension rather than seeking easy answers. Bradley emphasizes the importance of asking profound questions to deepen understanding and critiques the tendency to force New Testament connections on Old Testament texts. His unique perspective highlights the impact of personal relationships on faith and the broader implications of cultural identities within biblical scholarship.
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Tune Into Scriptural Tension
Ask why you hold your scriptural views before debating them.
Present different perspectives to deepen conviction rather than eliminate tension.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Journey From Five Percent Nation
Hakeem grew up in the Five Percent Nation, which teaches Black divinity and views Christianity as oppression.
His mentorship with a genuine follower of Jesus in a predominantly white city led him to faith in Christ.
insights INSIGHT
Jesus and Hebrew Bible Connection
Jesus' teachings connect deeply with the Hebrew Bible context.
Understanding the Old Testament is essential to fully grasp Jesus' mission and message.
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What if the Bible isn’t meant to be neatly packaged and easily explained? In this episode, CHT Fellow Hakeem Bradley joins The Biblical Mind Podcast to discuss how engaging scripture means leaning into tension rather than eliminating it. He explains why asking better questions leads to deeper understanding and why forcing Jesus into every Old Testament passage can sometimes do more harm than good.
Bradley also shares his personal story—growing up in the Five Percent Nation, a movement that sees the Black man as divine, and how a surprising mentorship relationship led him to faith in Jesus. His journey from deep skepticism to biblical scholarship gives him a unique perspective on how to approach scripture without assumptions or shortcuts.
The conversation explores how biblical authors thought, why Jesus himself had to read scripture in context, and how reading the Bible as a tension-filled conversation—rather than a collection of easy answers—can reshape faith and theology.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:08 Navigating Questions on Creation and Biblical Interpretation
06:01 The Role of Tension in Understanding Scripture
10:01 Hakeem's Journey from Five Percenter to Follower of Jesus
18:31 The Importance of the Old Testament in Understanding Jesus
22:15 Personal Journeys in Biblical Understanding
23:11 The Challenge of Connecting Old Testament to Jesus
25:50 Understanding Biblical Texts on Their Own Terms
29:31 The Role of the Bible Project in Modern Scholarship
33:34 Exploring the Catholic Epistles and Their Significance
38:47 Intertextual Connections in Biblical Texts
The Biblical Mind 