The Biblical Mind

Reading the Bible While Black: The Crucial Perspective of the Black Church (Esau McCaulley)

"Blackness is a part of American culture." Too often American Christianity is equated with white Christianity, while expressions of Black Christianity are overlooked. Continuing our series "By the Oppressed, to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads Scripture," Esau McCaulley, author of Reading While Black, explains how American Black history has given Black Christians an important lens through which to understand Scripture, and how power can actually be a distorting lens. When people hear biblical interpretations they might have missed because of their own experiences, the narrative can change. 
Show notes:
0:27 When we misunderstand what we see and hear
3:08 Black Bible reading
6:33 Expressions of Black Christianity
11:36 Distorting the influence of power
16:03 The "Slave Bible" 
23:48 Suffering and biblical interpretation
27:14 The use of the Bible in the Civil War
28:24 We need a fuller range of interpretations 
34:33 Reevaluating your theological perspective
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
 

Understanding Supersessionism and the Controversy over a TBM Article (Ari Lamm)

A couple of weeks ago, The Biblical Mind published an article by Michael LeFebvre titled Jesus Restored the Original Purpose of the Law in the New Testament. Some readers expressed concern that the article endorsed supersessionist views. Not intending to suggest supersessionism, Michael revised some language in the article to address the concerns. It was retitled Jesus' Concept of the Law in the New Testament. Some Christians readers said they didn't fully understand the reaction.
In response, Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm joined the podcast to explain supersessionism, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, and the reaction to some language in Michael's original article.
Show notes:
0:26 What the original title possibly conveyed
4:30 The relationship between Judaism and Christianity
8:01 Integration of "new" and "old"
9:40 Marcion's argument
14:34 Supersessionism
18:58 Intention with words
23:00 Response to comments 
30:50 Ari's stance on the article
48:20 Why is "legalism" a bad word?
55:06 The Pharisees are too lenient 
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Prosperity, Responsibility, and Economics in the Torah (Michael Eisenberg)

Does the Torah mention wealth redistribution? What is the purpose of leaving the corners of your field unharvested? What economic system does the Torah advocate, and how would one live in accordance with it? Join us this week as Michael Eisenberg discusses these questions and more, covered his latest book, The Tree of Life and Prosperity. 
Show notes:
0:26 Is the Torah capitalist or socialist? Or . . . ?
4:00 Abraham and empowerment
5:40 Genesis: prescriptive vs. descriptive
8:33 Is "wealth" a bad word?
10:37 Modern example: CEO of Salesforce 
11:39 Charity (tzedakah)
14:11 Difference between Adam Smith and Torah
17:49 Fruitfulness
22:40 "Justice with no incarceration"
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
 

How the Marginalized Church Reads the Bible, Part 1: Vince Bantu

New CHT fellow Dr. Vince Bantu of Fuller Theological Seminary is back on the podcast, this time to discuss the how historically marginalized and oppressed parts of the church understand Scripture better than the dominant church does—from the early church to the African church to the Black church in the U.S. today. Dr. Bantu and Dru explore the interpretive advantages that the lack of political and social power can confer on readers of the Bible—a book written largely by people who suffered oppression and exile.
Show notes:
0:00 The dominant church vs. the marginalized church
6:10 Imperial Christendom and the temptation of political power
13:08 Dualisms of the white church that the Black church doesn't have
20:03 The Black church's grasp on biblical righteousness and justice
29:27 God's providence and the West African slave trade
36:35 The white church's incomplete gospel
Show notes by Celina Durgin
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Two Upcoming Series, Feat. Esau McCaulley, Rachael Denhollander, Others

Starting 10/22:
"By the Oppressed to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads the Bible," featuring Vince Bantu, Esau McCaulley, Lisa Bowens, and Anthony Bradley
Upcoming
Series on repentance and reconciliation, featuring Rachael and Jacob Denhollander, and others TBD

Making Leaders Who Can Make Disciples (The Pillar Seminary)

The Pillar Seminary was founded to address persistent problems in churches and their leadership. Its students not only receive a Scripture-first education—as opposed to theology-first—but also quickly begin practicing what they're taught.
The purpose of studying the biblical texts is to be transformed by them. True "head knowledge" of Scripture involves "heart knowledge"; by practicing biblical principles, we can understand the text better.
Join us this week as Scott Booth, Dan Lowery, and Donnell J. Moore discuss how Pillar's approach to seminary and studying Scripture ultimately transforms students, equipping them to lead in their local churches, make disciples, and meet needs effectively within their ministries.
Show Notes:
0:26 Purpose of the program
2:08 Common core for Bible and leadership
3:23 Leadership training
10:39 Bible classes for the purpose of transformation 
11:52 Head knowledge and heart knowledge
14:28 Spiritual autobiography
18:17 Equipped by God
21:37 What is the mission?
22:33 Journeying through the text
28:41 What's the meal, where's the deal?
31:37 Reading the Bible three times through
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Why Jesus‘ Judaism Matters (Jen Rosner)

Many Christians know that Jesus was a Jew, but they don't necessarily think much about this fact or grasp its significance. In this episode, Jen Rosner discusses the importance of recognizing that Jesus embraced his Jewish identity in his lifetime, and the implications of his Judaism for the church and for our understanding of the New Testament today. 
Show notes:
0:27 Encountering the New Testament as a Jew
3:07 Shelving Judaism (for a time)
7:54 Keeping Second-Temple Judaism alive
11:03 Straying from our roots
15:05 Paul's Torah observance
20:08 Jesus, Torah-observant Jew
21:32 Healed by the tzitzit on his garments 
23:39 Ritual purity and adding layers to the text
25:11 Jesus did not come to abolish the law
26:29 Jen's recommended reads
31:50 Pertaining to the land and Zionism
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Reading Evangelicals: Doctrine, Culture, and Popular Christian Fiction (Daniel Silliman)

Left Behind. This Present Darkness. Love Come Softly. The culture of faith in the West has been greatly shaped by Christian fiction. Many books that are popular in Christian circles plant flags of doctrines within their pages, providing something for Christians to buy into. 
Join us this week as Daniel Silliman (author of Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith and news editor for Christianity Today) discusses how books such as Left Behind have influenced evangelicalism, and how the book market more broadly has influenced Western Christianity. 
Show notes:
0:27 Fictional vs. non-fictional arguments
2:44 Christian fiction and the effect on culture
4:44 Novel belief and worldviews
8:17 How to think about evangelicals
9:54 Advocating vs. reflecting
10:47 The book market shapes evangelical culture
13:54 Creating narratives literature
16:48 Mental spaces and formative belief
21:26 Supposing
24:26 Fighting the imagination
30:18 Assume the importance of the four gospels
31:59 How Scripture teaches through narrative
32:09 Objection to mass Christian literature
34:24 Book recommendations
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Overcoming Common ‘Mistruths‘ We‘ve Heard in Church (Brent Strawn)

Somewhere along the line, we have inherited many "mistruths" about Scripture, as Dr. Brent Strawn calls them. These are conceptions that aren't completely false, but are misleading—and sometimes pose a greater threat to truth than complete falsehoods do. He discusses his latest book, Lies My Preacher Told Me, and how misconceptions have seeped their way into the church, affecting their views of Scripture, God, and their faith. 
Brent doesn't mean to pick on pastors per se, but his book explores various ways in which mistruths have taken hold. He identifies key mistruths—such as excessive christocentrism and neglect of or aversion to the Old Testament—in the church and suggests how we might overcome them.
Show notes:
0:26 Lies My Preacher Told Me
2:44 Dru Johnson, children's pastor
4:21 The formative years
6:05 Examples of the lies
7:55 The Jesus question 
12:20 Preaching is not King of the Hill
15:21 The conceptual world of the biblical authors
19:20 Constructing views of canon
20:50 Openness to different views
22:49 Stories
23:57 Poetic qualities
27:42 Dispositions toward God's means of revelation
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Narrative of Place: Why Historical and Geographical Context Matters (Cyndi Parker)

In seminary, Dr. Cyndi Parker of Narrative of Place became frustrated with the lack of focus on understanding the lived experience of ancient people in the Bible. She decided to go to Israel for a full year to understand the physical context of the biblical world—to experience the seasons, to see when the grass grows, to feel the hot Middle Eastern sun, to set foot on the soil.
Sitting and reading is so different from putting your feet on the ground in Israel. Join us this week as Cyndi shares about maps, the Middle East, and the importance of place for the student of Scripture.
Show notes:
0:00 Cyndi shares about desiring deeper, tangible, real-world experiences
3:55 Archeological digs
5:21 Seminary, self-diagnosis, and the desire for Scripture
8:34 Entering an Asian context
12:07 The power of places
16:51 "Israel-Overwhelming Symptom"
19:52 Narrative at the forefront of Scripture
24:21 Engaging with the land from wherever you are
29:38 What pushed Cyndi into the theology of place
Show notes by Dominique LaCroix
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.