The Biblical Mind

One of the most countercultural sentences comes from the Heidelberg Catechism: our only comfort in life and death is that "I am not my own, but but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." The loudest voices in the contemporary West seem to tell us that we belong to ourselves, that we author our own destinies and create our own identities. This is not the way of Scripture. It's also an exhausting, depressing, and disappointing way to live. Indeed, belonging to yourself is literally impossible. Counterculturally and even counterintiutively, we need to practice dying to ourselves and living for others, because we belong to God and to our communities. Though the burden of belonging to others is difficult to bear, with practice and the Holy Spirit’s help it is possible. Dr. Alan Noble joins us to discuss his book You Are Not Your Own, and how to practice belonging to God in a world that is self-seeking. Show Notes: 0:26 Comfort or solution? 3:42 Practice knowing that you are not your own 7:54 Counting the cost 10:07 Ways God belongs to us 13:55 Dirtlings 15:20 Being = belonging 17:34 Jacques Ellul 19:14 Weaving threads, and the middle-way between resignation and affirmation 27:01 What we’ve lost in renunciation 28:26 Dysfunctional legalism and the singular will 34:40 Stay-at-home parents 38:18 Non-techniques to solve the problem 40:20 Stumbling around, grace, and forgiveness Other resources mentioned: The Meaning of the City, by Jacques Ellul  Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Where you are situated in time and space affects how you interpret the world. This cultural, geographical, and historical consciousness likewise forms a hermeneutical lens whereby we read and understand Scripture. Professor Liz Mburu, a Kenyan theologian and author of African Hermeneutics, joins us this week on the podcast to discuss how she views Scripture through an African hermeneutical lens. One African way of seeing the Bible is as a text of power, with a strong focus on the role of the Holy Spirit. As members of the body of Christ, Christians around the globe need each other's perspective to develop a full understanding of Christianity and how to practice it. Show notes: 0:27 Biblical hermeneutics 5:06 Looking at Scripture through the Kenyan lens 10:40 Is there an African hermeneutic? 14:45 Scripture as a text of power 19:06 The native religion informing the hermeneutic 23:17 Pastors visiting witch doctors/syncretism 28:06 The Global church needs all its members  Show Notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.  

In the latter half of 20th century, the evangelical community's developing attitudes toward crime and punishment overlapped with the increasingly punitive approach of the American criminal justice system. Faith leaders such as Billy Graham and James Dobson cast crime as an issue of the criminal's heart, deemphasizing its enmeshment with broader social structures and ills. On this episode, Aaron Griffith discusses his book God’s Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America and how thinking about criminality can help people deepen their understanding of sin and redemption. Show notes: 0:25 20th-century Christianity and justice 6:31 Crime: A matter of the heart? 15:45 Cities  21:37 How neighborhoods function 26:45 Biblical principles to guide policing 33:00 Equal treatment for all: a biblical perspective 39:00 Is there room for an inclusive, restorative justice model? Books/articles mentioned:  The Collapse of American Criminal Justice "5 Things to Consider When Reading Biblical Law" The Little Book of Restorative Justice Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been afflicted by war and violence. The people are not always ready for reconciliation, because they are busy seeking justice. Dr. Jacob Onyumbe Wenyi, a professor and a Roman Catholic priest of the diocese of Tshumbe (D.R. Congo), discusses his book on Nahum, "Piles of Slain, Heaps of Corpses." The violence in the book of Nahum connects directly to the experiences of people in the Congo. Dr. Onyumbe Wenyi explains how Nahum's portrayal of a vengeful God and abhorrent war scenes can speak to severely traumatized communities. Show notes: 0:27 Wars in the Congo 3:41 How the war affected the culture 6:29 How people live in a context marked by tragedy 10:35 Not ready for reconciliation 11:36 Dr. Onyumbe Wenyi's perspective on forgiveness 15:40 The Book of Nahum 18:36 Piles of Slain, Heaps of Corpses Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Reconciliation in practice involves local communities acknowledging the wrongs of their particular pasts and figuring out how to move forward— what the responsibilities are and how to live together in peace. In the area of racial reconciliation, we focus a lot on justice and the responsibilities of the offenders. But biblical reconciliation also requires the injured party to show mercy and eventually let go of the wrongs, which is profoundly humbling to those receiving the mercy. Dr. Anthony Bradley joins us this week to discuss what has informed current racial tensions and how churches and communities can move forward. Show notes: 0:26 Examining the racial tensions within a community 1:50 Racial reconciliation and ignoring history 4:19 What informs current racial tensions 7:05 The 80s  10:39 Reconciliation in Scripture and the local past 17:32 Truth required for reconciliation 20:43 Disconnection from history 28:20 Racial solidarity Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

The podcast discusses the unique nature of the Torah as a treaty rather than a law book, exploring its combination of narrative, law, and ritual. It compares the Torah to other ancient Near East law codes, highlighting the direct address form and divine origin of the Torah. The podcast also explores the limited access to ancient laws and the distinct characteristics of the legal code in the Torah, emphasizing its elevation of morality and purpose in encouraging faithfulness to God.

People don't ask for or grant forgiveness in the Bible—at least, not in the way modern people are familiar with. Scripture is less focused on whether someone feels sorry or magnanimous than on practical reconciliation and restoration. Repeatedly in biblical narratives, characters demonstrate this reconciliation with a kiss. Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman discusses how forgiveness as we understand it is a modern notion and how the relevant biblical notion differs. Show Notes: 0:26 The Hebrew Bible doesn't portray apology-and-forgiveness 4:38 Defining relationships 5:52 Forgiveness in Hebrew 7:48 The modern notion of forgiveness 10:35 Kissing  15:34 Torah and incarceration  19:40 We need to "get along" 21:05 The biblical authors on forgiveness  23:55 Reconciliation should be embraced 28:13 What does God think of us? 29:25 Postscript: The Prodigal Son  Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Discussing her book African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation, Dr. Lisa Bowens identifies how people twisted the Scriptures written by the Apostle Paul to promote slavery and justify it as a Christian practice. But at the same time, Dr. Bowens explains, Black Americans were interpreting Paul's writings for themselves, and throughout history, they still appealed to Pauline texts extensively to protest and resist their oppression, and ultimately to build a strong foundation for the American church. Show notes: 0:26 Hidden voices in Black Christian thought 4:25 What does sScripture actually say? 6:15 Nancy Ambrose and how Paul was preached to the enslaved 10:18 1774 Slave Petition 16:37 The slavery project and the broadening of the canon 19:40 John Jea and the miracle of literacy 25:40 Why we need to hear different voices 29:50 Salvation is spiritual and physical 34:37 For economic gain Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

When it comes to preaching, less is more. If you really understand a complex issue, you should be able to write it down on a postcard. In light of this, how does one avoid dumbing down their preaching while still clearly communicating a complex message? Dru and CHT fellow Dr. Jonathan Pennington discuss his book Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Make You a Better Preacher, how to convey rich meaning in a sermon while keeping it simple, and the significance of preaching within a worship service.  Show notes: 0:26 Sermon prep 1:27 How can a preacher avoid common pitfalls? 3:22 Two schools: lofty and simple 7:55 Confidence 9:00 The ideal preacher's life/snack writing 12:48 Should you write your sermon? 17:16 The significance of preaching in the worship service 23:49 Teaching vs. preaching 31:06 "Celebrification" of preaching 33:23 Is preaching performance art? Show notes by Dominique LaCroix Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Diving into the complexities of merging Christmas with Jesus's advent, exploring the lack of biblical instructions, alternative winter festival traditions, the significance of Advent practices in the Aokan church, and the historical depth of Advent prayers connecting to Christ's titles.