Constant cries of "fake news" and misinformation point to a central issue in our culture: we have far too much information from far too many sources, and we do not know whom to trust. Whether captivated by online communities and YouTube personalities or glued to Twitter and news sites, we consume a lot of content but remain ignorant, apathetic, and anxious. In this episode, Dru interviews Bonnie Kristian about her new book Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community. They discuss the dangers of our culture's approach to knowledge, the importance of emotion and tradition in developing our beliefs, and how our daily practices shape our knowledge-acquisition. As we critically evaluate our habits, we can learn to better cultivate our attention and equip ourselves to receive and consider information. Bonnie Kristian is a journalist and author. Currently, she writes the column "The Lesser Kingdom" at Christianity Today. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Politico, and The Daily Beast. Additionally, she holds a Master's degree in Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary. Show notes: 0:00 The dangers of the knowledge crisis 4:30 Habituation from media 6:50 Emotion and reason in the evangelical world 8:57 The role of tradition 10:52 Good epistemic practices and information overload 14:28 Trustworthy guides and sources of information 20:18 Blind-spots in reporting 24:03 Bonnie's interest in epistemology 28:00 The influence of YouTube and TikTok 32:48 Can we escape our bad knowledge systems? 35:35 Practices to develop right thinking Show notes by Micah Long

Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual salvation and the question of what happens when we die. But as we amplify other Christian voices, we find that the riches of the gospel might stretch far beyond our original conceptions. In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Jangkholam Haokip, an Indian theologian, author, and former professor. Growing up in Churachandpur, Manipur, in Northeast India, Jangkholam converted to Christianity as a child. Drawing on his experiences with indigenous Indian culture and religion, he had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on Christian theology, including Scripture's portrayal of sin's effects on nature, the value of yet-unheard perspectives, and the way that the gospels can affect the lives of whole communities. After his long career as a professor at Union Biblical Seminary in India, Jangkholam has founded the Bethesda-Khankho Foundation, which aims to transform indigenous Indian communities through education and poverty outreach. He also contributed to the recent book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity. Show notes: 0:00 Announcement about our upcoming event 1:22 Converting to Christianity 5:03 Further education and understanding the gospel 8:51 Individualism in Western Christianity 15:09 Sin and the health of nature 20:10 Tribal Indian thought in the biblical texts and Western theology 25:48 The value of indigenous theology 29:47 Christianity as a help for Indian history, identity, and culture 31:05 On Jangkholam's new book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity Show notes by Micah Long

Hitler is evil. Helping an old lady cross the street is good. Simple, right? But there’s an underlying question here: Why? What are good and evil? In this crossover with our partner organization Passages Israel, Dru Johnson (CHT Director) and Mattanah DeWitt kick off Season 2 of Discover Your Roots, which aims to unpack weighty questions about the nature of good and evil. In this episode, Dru gives an overview of the season, walking us through a few common conceptions (and misconceptions!) about good and evil through the lens of psychology, philosophy, culture, and—ultimately—Scripture. The whole season is available here! Discover Your Roots is produced by Passages Israel. Passages sponsors and coordinates journeys to the Holy Land to strengthen the faith of Christian students, connect them to Israel, and prepare them for a life of Christ-centered leadership. Show notes: 0:00 Announcing the upcoming CHT event in NYC 1:23 Introducing Season 2 2:20 How modern culture thinks about evil 7:40 Definitions of evil 9:57 The theological history of evil 13:42 The Hebrew word ra 15:20 Why our words lose their weight 17:07 An overview of the Bible's view 21:59 God using evil for good 23:29 Analyzing the golden calf story 27:29 Turning toward good 29:41 The redemption of the world 32:23 Preview of the rest of the season Show notes by Micah Long

Dru interviews Mariam Wahba, a Coptic Christian born in Egypt who immigrated to the U.S. as a child. They discuss the multiple facets of her identity and experience, including how being a Coptic Christian shaped everything from her interactions with Muslim Egyptians to how she now celebrates holidays in the U.S. She also describes some of the distinctives of Coptic Christianity, in contrast with Western Christianity, and explores the tension between cultural assimilation and retaining one's native identity as an immigrant. Mariam Wahba is the Associate Directory of Advocacy at the Philos Project. A graduate from Fordham University, she works in the areas of Middle Eastern foreign policy, religious freedom, and Israeli-Arab relations. She co-hosts the podcast Americanish. Show notes: 0:00 Moving to the United States 3:11 Egyptian and Coptic identity 7:50 Growing up in Islamic Egypt 11:00 Ethnic and religious identity 12:20 Moving to the west 16:30 Cultural assimilation and retaining identity 18:56 Coptic Christianity 23:47 Confession, intercession, and priesthood 25:51 The Coptic church calendar 30:04 Persecuted Christianity versus cultural Christianity 34:19 The most important part of being Egyptian Show notes by Micah Long

"Why wasn't I trained to read this way as a child?" —Rachel Wilkowski Over the last several decades, the Christian world has eagerly produced a host of children's Bibles—retellings of biblical stories in "kid-friendly" language, complete with cute, colorful illustrations. Many of these children's Bibles, however, come laden with assumptions about the nature of childhood, which parts of Scripture are considered appropriate, and what "lesson" the stories teach. Rachel Wilkowski, a researcher in the area of children's Bibles, joins Dru Johnson to discuss history and pitfalls of these books. They discuss the impacts of "pre-interpreting" the biblical texts for children, including the propensity toward moralism and sanitizing some of the difficult parts of Scripture. They also consider how religious beliefs and the publishing industry combine to shape what is presented in these retellings of Scripture. Rachel Wilkowski is a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin and Family Ministries Director at St. Peter's Fireside in Vancouver. She has particular research interest in how Genesis 1-3 (and other parts of the Hebrew Bible) are interpreted and retold in children's Bibles from different Jewish and Christian traditions. She has 14 non-biological nieces and nephews and one biological nephew. Show notes: 0:00 Rachel's interest in children's Bibles 4:18 The history of children's Bibles 8:38 Religious beliefs and retelling Scripture 12:05 What is considered appropriate for kids? 15:33 Examples of poor retellings 19:57 Sales, illustrations, and entertainment 24:14 A children's Bible that gets it? 26:42 Helping kids read Scripture 29:41 Avoiding pre-interpreting Scripture and moralism Show notes by Micah Long

What do we mean when we say that "Jesus was a Jew?" Scripture uses a lot of labels to refer to God's chosen people, including "Israelite," "Judahite," "Hebrew," and, of course, "Jew." In this episode, Jason Staples helps us sort through the etymologies, histories, ethnicities, and nationalities behind these labels, examining the earliest usage of "Jew" in the Hebrew Bible, its role in the Second Temple Period, and its interpretations in the modern era. He also considers key Bible passages that use these labels and helps debunk a common assumption about "Jew" as a pejorative term. Jason Staples teaches at North Carolina State University in the areas of biblical literature, early Judaism and Christianity, and modern issues in ethics and religion. He is the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity. In addition to his scholarly work, Jason has worked in sports media and voiceover narration. Show notes: 0:00 The history of the word "Jew" 3:54 "Jew" versus "Israelite" in Scripture and beyond 9:12 Jewish nationality and ethnicity after the exile 14:33 What happened to the other tribes? 15:50 Jesus was a Jew 20:23 "King of the Jews" and King of the universe 21:58 "The Israel of God" 26:09 Paul as an Israelite and a Hebrew Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

In this week's episode, Khalil Sayegh shares his experience as a Palestinian Christian. The territory of Palestine contains two regions: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Though they share a people and a history, the two areas are separated by the country of Israel and are ruled by two different governments (the West Bank by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Gaza Strip by Hamas). Khalil discusses the modern political and religious dynamics at play in the Gaza Strip, including the relationships between Israel and Hamas and between Islam and Christianity. He also surveys Christianity in Palestine, from its use of Scripture to its approach to evangelism. Khalil Sayegh is a Fellow at the Philos Project. He grew up in the Gaza Strip and currently lives in the West Bank. His public work focuses on challenging the negative perceptions of Jewish people in Palestinian society and promoting peace among the various religious groups in the region. He has studied at Bethlehem Bible College and American University. Show notes: 0:00 Growing up in Gaza 1:54 War, mobility, and Christianity in Gaza 5:35 Sunni Islam and political parties 7:24 Gaza's Christian churches 9:15 Interactions between Christianity and Islam 11:03 Political power in Gaza 14:36 Christmas, Hamas, and public Christianity 16:27 Conditions for visiting the West Bank 19:30 Views of Christian Scripture in Palestine 26:11 Evangelism and responses to conversion 28:22 Cultural distinctives of the Palestinian church Show notes by Micah Long

"This is a revelation of how things are, not so much how things have been." -Jason Staples Modern Christians reading the Book of Revelation tend to filter it through the lens of popular fiction (such as the Left Behind series) and a very modern concept of its strange language and imagery. From the four horsemen, to the secret thunder in chapter 10, to the mixing of metaphors throughout the text, Revelation presents a challenge for modern readers. In this episode, Dr. Jason Staples (Assistant Teaching Professor at North Carolina State University) helps sort through the symbols in the Book of Revelation. By examining the historical context of late Second Temple Judaism, the genre of apocalypse, and key passages from the Hebrew Bible, the meanings of the symbols begin to emerge. Though many passages remain mysterious, even to trained scholars, the Book of Revelation communicates a message of central importance about the present Kingdom of God and the role of the church in the world. Jason Staples teaches in the areas of biblical literature, early Judaism and Christianity, and modern issues in ethics and religion. He is the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity. In addition to his scholarly work, Jason has worked in sports media and voiceover narration. Show notes: 0:00 Signs and symbols 2:40 Understanding ancient reading norms 6:42 Finding context for Revelation in other literature 8:02 The Jewish experience in the 1st and 2nd centuries 14:16 Defining the apocalypse genre 19:40 Revelation and the Kingdom of God 23:31 Mystery and God's control 26:20 Reading the Hebrew Bible to understand Revelation 32:42 New Heavens and the New Earth Show notes by Micah Long

The Biden Administration's recent student debt forgiveness act in the U.S. has sparked conversations—many of them heated—about the nature of fairness, justice, poverty, and economic well-being. In this episode, Michael Rhodes joins Dru to discuss debt forgiveness in Scripture and the modern world. Rhodes surveys the radical Torah policies of cyclical debt forgiveness and the Year of Jubilee, and how they contrast with the debt forgiveness policies in the rest of the ancient Near East. A world of subsistence farming where predatory loans can create cycles of debt slavery and intergenerational poverty may not immediately seem similar to modern America—but on a closer look, similarities appear. Michael Rhodes is a Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in New Zealand. He has worked on community development programs in Kenya and South Memphis, and has also served as a pastor. His academic research focuses on the nature of justice and mercy in Torah economics and ritual meals in Scripture. He is also co-author of Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give. Show notes: 0:00 Debt entrapment and debt slavery 2:53 Predatory lending in the ancient Near East 4:19 Modern American versus ancient Israelite debt forgiveness 7:44 One-off debt forgiveness in the Bible 9:33 Subsistence farming and for-profit colleges 15:15 Intergenerational poverty 22:06 The issue of fairness 26:24 Righteousness, justice, and equity in Deuteronomy and Proverbs 31:04 The ends and means of debt forgiveness 32:26 Jesus and Jubilee Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

For Christians accustomed to certain ideas of heaven and hell, other views of the afterlife in Scripture may seem strange. But Jewish views of the afterlife have a storied and fascinating tradition of their own. In this episode, Dru is joined by Dr. Jeremiah Unterman, Senior Fellow at the Center for Hebraic thought. They discuss Jewish views of the afterlife from the ancient to modern times, encountering the concepts of sheol, ruach, gehenna, immortality, and judgment. Dr. Unterman offers perspectives on the story of Saul and the Necromancer, the phrase "gathered to their fathers," burial practices of the ancient Near East, and the role that theodicy plays in developing Jewish views of the afterlife. Jerry Unterman is a Resident Scholar at the Herzl Institute, former professor (Yeshiva University, Northwestern University, and others), an author, and Senior Fellow at the Center for Hebraic Thought. In 2017, he released Justice for All: How the Jewish Bible Revolutionized Ethics, a look at the influence of the Hebrew Scriptures on the values and practices of the modern world. Show notes: 0:00 Sheol and polytheism 1:37 Egyptian versus Hebraic views of the afterlife 4:09 Death in the Torah and Psalms 6:07 The Necromancer of Endor 9:18 Burial and "raising up" 13:20 Hellenistic Judaism 17:13 The idea of the soul and the world to come 21:46 Greek versus Hebrew thought in the Apocrypha 24:30 Medieval and Modern Jewish perspectives on the afterlife 29:08 Looking at the New Testament 33:40 The Talmud on Gehenna Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.