
Faith Improvised
Exploring what it means to be faithfully Christian in our always-changing world with its challenges and opportunities. I like to think out loud and talk with friends about biblical texts, books, politics, sports, music, films, and basically anything that interests me. This is all an attempt to be fully alive in God’s good world and to enjoy the liberating reality of the Christian gospel.
Latest episodes

Mar 21, 2023 • 1h 10min
The Bible Is a Library, Pt. 2
In this episode, I recommend Nijay Gupta's new book, Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (IVP Academic, 2023), and I talk a bit more about why it’s so important to understand the different kinds of literature in the Bible.

Mar 14, 2023 • 1h 5min
The Bible Is a Library
In this episode, I recommend Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past, edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer (Basic Books, 2023), and I talk about how important it is to reckon with the various kinds of literature found in the Bible.

Feb 21, 2023 • 1h 13min
The Questions the Bible Asks of Us
In this episode, I recommend Gabor Maté's brilliant new book on trauma and healing, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture Avery, 2022), and I address some of the questions raised by the series on the big story of the Bible.

Feb 14, 2023 • 52min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 15
In this episode, I talk about the current moment of the biblical story in a sub-series on engaging with Scripture that went on a whole lot longer than I thought it would.

Feb 7, 2023 • 59min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 14
In this episode, I talk about the early church and how that fits into the biblical story.

Jan 31, 2023 • 1h
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 13
In this episode, I talk about Jesus and how he fits into the biblical story.

Jan 24, 2023 • 35min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 12
In this episode, I try to provide some backdrop to the historical dynamics that shaped the culture to which Jesus arrived.

Jan 17, 2023 • 57min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 11
In this episode, I finish talking about God’s call of Israel and what that means for God’s aim to reclaim the world for his glory.

Jan 10, 2023 • 52min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 10
I recommend Bono’s new memoir called Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (Knopf, 2022), and I talk about God’s call of Israel and what that means for God’s aim to reclaim the world for his glory.

Nov 29, 2022 • 44min
The Big Story of the Bible, Pt. 9
In this episode, I talk about God’s call of Israel and what that means for God’s aim to reclaim the world for his glory.