Shows / The Biblical Mind
The Biblical Mind
The Biblical Mind is dedicated to helping its audience understand how the biblical authors thought, promoting Bible fluency through curious, careful reading of Scripture. It is hosted by Dr. Dru Johnson and published by the Center for Hebraic Thought, a hub for research and resources on the intellectual world of the Bible.
Episodes
The Biblical MindTechnology Isn’t a Neutral Tool (Jason Thacker)
From social media, to the printing press, to artificial intelligence, to the pencil, technologies have often been regarded as things that can't be good or bad…
The Biblical MindICYMI: How ’Christianese’ Is Like Corporate Jargon (Valerie Hobbs)
This episode was originally published in May of 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. A new episode is coming next week. Why do we…
The Biblical MindICYMI: Jesus Shows That God and Humans Are a Good Match (Lucy Peppiatt)
This episode was originally published on May 5, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. "It was most fitting for God to come save the…
The Biblical MindWhat the Image of God Is and Is Not (Carmen Imes)
You might have heard that being made in the image of God refers to human rationality, relationality, moral agency, or some combination of these qualities. Dr…
The Biblical MindUnderstanding the Slaughter of the Canaanites in the Book of Joshua (Paul Hinlicky)
Herem warfare is the commandment to exterminate all survivors. The law of herem warfare appears in the Book of Joshua and contravenes the usual motivations for…
The Biblical MindIs It Time to Quit ’Quiet Time’? Discussing Our View (Dru Johnson & Celina Durgin)
Instead of interviewing a guest, TBM host Dru Johnson and editor Celina Durgin discussed an article they co-wrote for Christianity Today: "Is It Time to Quit…
The Biblical MindWomen in the Early Church (Nijay Gupta)
This episode was originally published by OnScript podcast. Thanks to the OnScript team for letting us share this episode with our listeners. Here are the…
The Biblical MindTrying to Master the Bible? Try Savoring It Instead (Andrew Abernethy)
Literature students who can analyze a passage from East of Eden with ease often flounder when trying to analyze a Bible passage. Why? Dr. Andrew Abernethy…
The Biblical MindJazz, Justice, and the Gospel (William Edgar)
The rich and sad story of jazz has shaped both its sorrowful sounds and its joyful hope. William Edgar, the author of A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the…
The Biblical MindTrusting Reality: ’Longing to Know’ Turns 20 (Esther Meek)
"Knowing is an activity that all of us are involved in, all of the time," writes Dr. Esther Meek in her book Longing to Know, which turns 20 this year…
The Biblical MindOld—and New—Testament Violence and the Shalom of God (Matthew J. Lynch)
Readers of the Book of Joshua (and many other parts of the Bible) are inevitably confronted with the poblem of violence in Scripture. Texts referring to the…
The Biblical MindICYMI: Don’t Skip the Poems (Michelle Knight)
This episode was originally published on October, 2020. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. The poetry in Scripture can be hard to…
The Biblical MindThe State of Jewish–Christian Relations (Pesach Wolicki)
Despite their shared foundations and concern for the Word of God, Christians and Jews rarely interact on the basis of faith in the modern world. Many Jewish…
The Biblical MindThe Unwritten Word: Learning from High Orality-Reliant Cultures (Charles Madinger)
Western culture relies extensively on written text to communicate. But the majority of people across the world rely far less on reading than they do on speech…
The Biblical MindThe First Christian Nation? Keeping Up with the Armenians (Heather Ohaneson)
Despite the rich history of Armenia as an ancient Christian community, many Christians know very little about the Armenian ethnicity, culture, nation, and…
The Biblical MindJewish Identity, Deconstruction, and Misusing the Bible (Marty Solomon)
How do we approach the Bible? Do we see it merely as a "perfect rulebook"? A piece of literature to be picked apart? Or do we see it as something that…
The Biblical MindReading the Bible Like an Adult (Avital Hazony Levi)
How do we read the Bible like adults? For many people who grew up in communities of faith, the Bible stories have been a part of their lives for as long as…
The Biblical MindRaising Chickens, Reading Scripture, and Running Governments, Reformed-Style (Jessica Joustra)
What does it mean for Christ to reign over every sphere of life? Many Christians relegate faith to "spiritual" activities, such as reading the Bible, going to…
The Biblical MindMost Popular Episode of 2022: ’Going to Heaven’ vs. Resurrection, the New Heavens, and the New Earth (J. Richard Middleton)
In case you missed it, this was our most popular episode of 2022. We hope this conversation encourages Christians with the biblical hope of the resurrection…
The Biblical MindPaying Attention to the People, Places, and Things in the Bible (Kat Armstrong)
Christians know that we should read the Bible. But often, the "should" eclipses the "why"—the fact that Scripture presents a unified, powerful, mysterious…
The Biblical MindThere Is No West without the Near East (Robert Nicholson)
The Near East carries a strange set of connotations in the modern West. On the one hand, it is the origin of our most significant ethical traditions. On the…
The Biblical MindWhat 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…
The Biblical MindThe Knowledge Crisis and Misinformation in Biblical Perspective (Bonnie Kristian)
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…
The Biblical MindWisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity (Jangkholam Haokip)
Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual…
The Biblical MindOur Complicated History with Evil (Discover Your Roots Season 2 Premiere)
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…
The Biblical MindMoving from Egypt to the U.S. as a Coptic Christian (Mariam Wahba)
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…
The Biblical MindThe Pitfalls of Children’s Bibles (Rachel Wilkowski)
"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…
The Biblical MindIsraelites vs. Hebrews vs. Jews . . . ? (Jason Staples)
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,"…
The Biblical MindGrowing Up Christian in the Gaza Strip (Khalil Sayegh)
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…
The Biblical MindRevelation 101: Leaving Behind Left Behind (Jason Staples)
"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…
The Biblical MindWould Moses Forgive Student Debt? (Michael Rhodes)
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…
The Biblical MindA Jewish View of the Afterlife in the Hebrew Bible (Jeremiah Unterman)
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…
The Biblical MindThinking Biblically about Institutions (Ari Lamm)
The Bible tells stories about individuals, families, and nations. But it also tells stories about institutions—the chosen and unchosen social structures that…
The Biblical MindThe Bonhoeffer of Ethiopia (Abeneazer Urga)
Amid persecution from the Marxist state and a fragmented Ethiopian church, Gudina Tumsa became a figure who advocated a holistic theology of justice, church…
The Biblical MindICYMI: What Is the Point of Prayer? Does It Change God’s Mind? (John C. Peckham)
This episode was originally published in July, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. If God is sovereign, what is the point of…
The Biblical MindThe Dangers of Celebrity in the Church (Katelyn Beaty)
We live in a fame-saturated culture. Celebrity figures run our largest corporations, media entities, and megachurches. But the characteristics of…
The Biblical MindForming Trauma-Safe Churches (Scott Harrower and Joshua Cockayne)
We hear the word "trauma" a lot today—but what does it really mean? For Christians who have experienced horrific, overwhelming, life-threatening events events…
The Biblical MindRepentance in Deed and Word (Shalom Carmy)
We all desire repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But these concepts are complicated, and seeing them from a Jewish perspective on biblical law can…
The Biblical MindQ&A Series: Is There Marriage in Heaven? (Dru Johnson)
From Genesis, marriage looks like it is one of the most important parts of creation. So, does Jesus really say in Luke 20 that there will be no "marrying and…
The Biblical MindDiscussing the New CHT Book on Gender in the Bible (Feat. 3 of the Contributors)
This episode previews the CHT's new book The Biblical World of Gender: The Daily Lives of Ancient Women and Men. Three of the authors from the book (Carmen…
The Biblical MindICYMI: How the Translation of ’Faith’ in the Bible Falls Short (Matt Bates)
This episode was originally published in March, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Many of us have learned definitions of faith…
The Biblical MindHow the Early Church Engaged with Scripture (Brian J. Wright)
When we think of the early church, some of us might imagine groups of illiterate believers guided by one or two trained readers or teachers. In fact, the…
The Biblical MindEntering the Hell and Heartbreak of the Grotesque Book of Judges (Daniel Stulac)
Is the Book of Judges a morality play? A celebration of violence? An injunction against moral relativism? Could it be . . . good news? In this week's episode…
The Biblical MindTrue Sabbath Isn’t Narcissism Disguised as Self-Care (Kelsey Osgood)
In a world of distractions, hyperactivity, and burnout, many of us yearn for rest from our work and our devices. To find this rest, many have turned to the…
The Biblical MindAfrican Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Economic Justice (Gift Mtukwa)
The church should not only perform charity work, but also pursue economic justice. Dr. Gift Mtukwa joins Dru Johnson to discuss the Kenyan church and Gift's…
The Biblical MindReissue: What Does Reconciliation Mean for Sexual Abuse Survivors? (Rachael and Jacob Denhollander)
This episode was originally published on February 4, 2022. In light of the Southern Baptist Convention's release of a report on sexual abuse within the…
The Biblical MindWho Is the ’Foreigner’ We’re Supposed to Love? (M. Daniel Carroll R.)
The history of humanity is the history of migration. People have always been on the move, in Scripture and in the modern day. Understanding the migrants near…
The Biblical MindKnowing God through Welcoming the Stranger (Mark Glanville)
The Old Testament, especially Deuteronomy, repeatedly entreats the Israelites to welcome the stranger. The Israelites were required to love the stranger…
The Biblical MindReissue: Violence in the Bible Isn’t What You Think It Is (Matt Lynch)
This episode was originally published on October 16, 2020. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Many readers of Scripture are jarred when…
The Biblical MindRituals Teach: Why We Can’t Ignore Leviticus (Mark Scarlata)
If God teaches us through rituals, then we have a responsibility to examine these rituals. By studying them, asking questions, and engaging with them, we can…
The Biblical MindUpdate: Now Accepting Questions for Upcoming Q&A Episodes!
We at the CHT and TBM are curious about your thoughts and questions regarding the intellectual world of the Bible! We’re now inviting listeners to send us…
The Biblical MindWhat Can Non-Jewish Clergy Learn from Jewish Studies? (Jeff Jacoby)
This week, Jeff Jacoby, op-ed columnist for The Boston Globe since February 1994, joined Dru to discuss his essay in Sapir, "Jewish Study for Non-Jewish…
The Biblical MindThe Sexual Reformation: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Gender? (Aimee Byrd)
Certain modern stereotypes and gender roles influence how women and men in the church understand their humanity and sexuality. When people fall short of these…
The Biblical MindA Look Back at Rethinking ’Quiet Time’ (Jen Wilkin)
This episode was originally published on January 1, 2021. We thought it was worth a reissue for our newer listeners. Why do many Christians elevate the…
The Biblical MindBeyond Bible Study: From Consumers to Participants (Caroline Smiley and Kyle Worley)
To find your place in the story of Scripture, you have to understand the story and then how the story continues into our world today. Many Christians haven't…
The Biblical MindWhat Do Rituals ’Do,’ and What Makes a Ritual Sacred? (Ben Noonan)
Rituals aren't mechanistic activities that may or may not produce a direct, isolated result. Rather, rituals shape a person over time. What distinguishes…
The Biblical MindThe True Causes and Purposes of Religious Doubt (Matthew LaPine)
For many people, the stress of the pandemic has amplified what would otherwise be small tensions and concerns. This tensions can eventually cause or manifest…
The Biblical MindLove Enemies Better through Knowing the Biblical Land (Danielle Parish)
The Jewish and Christian faiths exist because of the events that happened in a particular place and time. To understand biblical texts—including issues of…
The Biblical MindStill Trying to Find Yourself? Try Losing It First (Alan Noble)
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…
The Biblical MindThe Church Needs African Hermeneutics (Liz Mburu)
Where you are situated in time and space affects how you interpret the world. This cultural, geographical, and historical consciousness likewise forms a…