The Biblical Mind

Listen to an Article: Scott Harrower on Coping with Trauma through Scripture

Heather Cate reads "Living Well and Wisely with God and His People While Coping with Trauma," by Scott Harrower, published July 10, 2020.

Excavating the Biblical World (Cynthia Shafer-Elliott)

A surefire way to make a biblical scholar groan is to use the phrase "back in Bible times." Of course, there is no "Bible times"; the events and writing of the Bible span millennia of concrete, dynamic history. Dr. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, a professor at William Jessup University and an experienced field archeologist, talks with Dru about the households and daily life of ancient people in Iron Age Israel, specifically.
Biblical archeology can reveal everything from ancient Israelites' fingerprints, to their social and family structures, to their acquaintance with daily struggle for survival. Biblical passages that seem opaque to modern Westerners, especially passages in the Old Testament, can suddenly make sense as our understanding is enriched with knowledge of the authors' historical and physical contexts.
Here are some things we can learn from the permanent features, artifacts, and structures of ancient Israelite households.
Show notes:
0:25 How biblical archeology illuminates the biblical world and hence, the text
6:23 The years and significance of the Iron Age
14:23 "Household archeology" and daily life in the Iron Age
24:10 Permanent features of the ancient house, e.g., grinding installations and ovens
28:02 "Spatial analysis" and the placement of artifacts in the house
31:19 Typical household members and the betʾav vs. contemporary individualism
41:23 The dependence of household members on everyone's participation in the household for survival
45:12 The land flowing with milk and honey?
Music credits: hebraicthought.org/credits

Christmas Special: Esau McCaulley on Reading While Black (OnScript)

This episode is reproduced from a November interview on the OnScript podcast, courtesy of OnScript.
Dr. Dru Johnson interviews Dr. Esau McCaulley about his award-winning book Reading While Black: African-American Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. They discuss listening to minority, oppressed, and specifically Black voices as necessary to reading Scripture well. Without critically engaging these various voices, we run the risk of reinforcing cultural biases and blind spots.
Dr. McCaulley also describes the unique gap he is trying to fill in biblical scholarship, as he navigates between both Black and white evangelical and progressive voices. Dr. McCaulley hopes to provide a biblical scholarship that is both faithful to orthodox Christianity and to the veracity of Scripture, while not neglecting justice. Stay tuned at the end for a speed round!
0:00 Introduction to OnScript and Esau McCaulley
2:13 Defining the term "Black"
6:57 Dr. McCaulley's time at the University of St. Andrews
12:42 Introducing Reading While Black
17:48 The problems with the phrase "runaway slave"
19:00 Holding to orthodoxy while calling for justice
24:23 Why we can't read Scripture alone
29:40 How to listen to Black voices
35:14 Dealing with slavery in the Bible
42:14 Speed Round!
56:40 The greatest book in biblical studies in the last fifty years
1:02:16 Failing to discuss oppression in biblical studies
Learn more about Dr. McCaulley and his work.
Also mentioned: Dr. McCaulley's Sharing in the Son's Inheritance (NERDY)
Show notes by Micah Long.

What Is Civility and How Do We Practice It? A Panel Discussion

Note: This special episode is of lower audio quality than usual. It is a live recording of an event.
Those spending the holidays with their families may be apprehensive about conversations that veer into controversy—especially after such a fraught year.
For such a time as this, TBM podcast presents a special episode. This is a panel discussion recorded at The King's College on Friday, November 20th, entitled, "A Loyal Opposition: Civility During an Election Season." Dr. David Tubbs moderated the panel, with thoughts from Dr. Dru Johnson, Professor Alissa Wilkinson, and Dr. Anthony Bradley. They discuss what it means to practice civility in our current political climate, especially for Christians, and especially toward those with whom we disagree.
In a time of political polarization, stoked by partisan news outlets and social media bubbles, Americans need more than ever to learn to charitably discuss our ideas and perspectives with those around us. Pursuing civility requires more than just politeness; it also requires a variety of intellectual habits, including humility, respect, and curiosity. But more than anything, it requires sharing life with people of different viewpoints by welcoming them into our neighborhoods, our shared meals, and our churches. Hopefully, Christians can lead the effort to restore civil discourse.
Show notes:
0:00 Introduction to the panel
2:25 Defining civility
6:30 Historical movements that exhibit civility
11:25 Politics as a model for discourse in college
17:21 "A Loyal Opposition" in the British Parliament
19:55 Sharing meals, sharing life, and arguing well
24:18 Obstacles to civil discussion
30:35 Dealing with incivility
35:16 The connections between emotion and reason
43:29 The problem with politics as a system of meaning
46:26 Learning good civil discourse
50:49 Interacting with news media
52:50 Befriending people you disagree with
Show notes by Micah Long.

Biblical Artist Series: Sandra Bowden Literally Makes the Bible into Art

Sandra Bowden is a mixed-media artist with pieces displayed everywhere from small rural churches to the Vatican. A self-described "visual theologian," Sandra incorporates architecture, Scripture, Hebrew lettering, and Christian artifacts into her biblical art pieces to express the mystery of God's relationship with his creation.
Dru Johnson and Ned Bustard ask Sandra about her story as an artist, from her love of the Bible, to her seminal exhibition at a small Baptist church, to her creation of the Bowden Collections. She discusses the reasons that she includes the biblical texts in her artwork, and how she believes that the visual arts can bring the themes and stories of Scripture to life. For Sandra, God communicates with us through various means. Creation attests to His glory, His Word reveals his character, and His Son displays His love to the world. She hopes her biblical art will be another means of communicating God's truth.
Show notes:
0:00 Following the next question in art
2:58 Sandra's experience studying Hebrew
6:58 Using the biblical text in painting
12:38 The Bowden Collections
14:45 Drawing connections between biblical passages in art
18:34 Sandra's piece in the Vatican
20:25 Reflecting on the reception to Sandra's work
25:47 Incarnation, word, and art
Show notes by Micah Long.
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

How Brazilians Understand the Bible Differently (Caio Peres)

How does our social location affect the way we read the Bible and worship? For the ancient Israelites, who lived in a subsistence-level agrarian society, the Torah, worship in the temple, daily work, and social justice were intimately intertwined. Scripture resists our urge to separate the sacred from the secular, our worship of God from our treatment of those around us.
For Caio Peres, an independent researcher and missionary, the daily realities of trauma and poverty in Brazil provide a lens through which to view Scripture's concern for social flourishing. Caio holds an MA in Theology and Religious Studies from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and strives not just to work for or with the impoverished in his community, but to share life with them. In this episode, he discusses the culture of ancient Israel, the motifs of sacrifice in the Torah and New Testaments, and the connection the biblical authors draw between worship in the Tabernacle and the structure of the cosmos. He concludes with thoughts on addressing trauma through living alongside people, understanding their experiences, and sharing their embodied reality via Christian rituals.
Show notes:
0:00 Ordinary life and worshipping God
3:20 The Torah's lack of a sacred/secular divide
8:18 Sacrificial motifs in the New Testament
14:00 Practicing biblical theology in Brazil
19:20 Living with people in extreme poverty in Brazil
22:47 How Christians should address trauma
26:41 Our social location and how we read the Bible
Articles Caio has written for The Biblical Mind:
Family Conflicts and the Restoration of the Cosmos, Part I: Morality amid Oppression and Humility (available in Portuguese)
Family Conflicts and the Restoration of the Cosmos, Part II: Kingship and Servanthood within the Elected Family (available in Portuguese)
Show notes by Micah Long.
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Biblical Artist Series: Why John Hendrix Draws in Church

Could drawing in church actually be a good thing? John Hendrix thinks so. John is a New York Times bestselling author, widely published illustrator, and Professor of Art at the Sam Fox School of Art and Design at Washington University in St. Louis. For John, drawing is far from a distraction in church; it's a way of sharpening his concentration, enlivening new concepts, and worshiping his Creator.
In this episode, John draws from his experience as a committed Christian and an illustrator. Interviewed by Dr. Dru Johnson and Ned Bustard, a previous guest in the Biblical Artist podcast series, John explores his sketchbook of church sermons, differentiates between font and typeface, and introduces us to the idea of gestalt. Along the way, he shares why he eschews the title of "artist" and why he prefers to be called an illustrator or designer. He gives advice to budding professional or nonprofessional artists. As we delve into biblical thinking, we can discover how art and its powerful tools of imagery and metaphor can shape our minds to understand new truths.
Show notes:
0:00 Getting to know John Hendrix
2:03 Reading culture and creating typefaces
9:05 Discussing John's "Cain" piece (the featured image of this post)
14:02 Sketching in church
18:40 Illustration, metaphor, and Scripture
25:15 What's wrong with the title of "artist"
29:19 Advice for artists
Learn more about John Hendrix and his work.
View John's sketchbook.
Some of John's recent books:
Go and Do Likewise (forthcoming)
Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler
Show notes by Micah Long
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Wandering in the Wilderness: COVID-19 and the Book of Numbers (Dave Beldman)

Professors and pastors alike often hear groans when they begin to teach the book of Numbers—and who can blame them? The title makes it sound like the records of the Ancient Israelite Census Bureau. Even biblical scholars often refer to it as the "the junk room of the Pentateuch." However, upon closer study, this book reveals itself to be profound and relevant for our modern world—including our current wandering in the wilderness during the COVID-19 pandemic and a time of political frustration.
In this episode, Dr. David Beldman, Associate Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University, talks with Dr. Dru Johnson about the book of Numbers and its motif of wandering in the wilderness. They discuss the book's original Hebrew name, literary elements, and tripartite structure. From there, they identify how wilderness-wandering applies to the stories and teachings of the New Testament. As we examine the ancient people of God in the wilderness, perhaps we can find guidance for navigating the challenges and tests for the world in 2020.
Show notes:
0:00 Exodus, Numbers, trauma, and distorted views of the past
3:42 COVID-19 and the book of Numbers
8:24 "Wandering in the wilderness"
11:12 The literary structure of the book of Numbers
17:33 The wilderness motif in the New Testament
22:36 Balak, Balaam, and Revelation
27:04 The people of God in the Bible and now
Learn more about Dr. Beldman and his work.
His most recent book: Deserting the King: The Book of Judges
An article he wrote for The Biblical Mind: "Biblical Culture-Making: How Sacred Order Shapes Social Order"
Show notes by Micah Long.
Credits for the music used on TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Not a "White Man's Religion": Church History and Biblical Thought (Vince Bantu)

Western Christians tend to emphasize Western church history and culture at the expense of the global church. Many have cursory understanding of the Greek Orthodox tradition, but know little about early Christianity in Asia and Africa. This ignorance of church history leads to more than just historical inaccuracy; it can alienate those of other nationalities and ethnicities with a false portrayal of Christianity as a European- or white-only religion.
In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson interviews Dr. Vince Bantu of Fuller Seminary about global church history. They give special attention to the origins and spread of Christianity in Egypt, Nubia, and the broader African continent. Along the way, they highlight Western misunderstandings of non-Western Christology and the issue of racism in the ancient world. By expanding our perspective beyond our own historical and cultural tradition, Western Christians can improve our ability to truly preach the gospel to all nations.
Show notes:
0:00 Contextualization and interpretation of Scripture
2:10 The global nature of Christianity
4:07 The origins of African Christianity
12:32 The spread of Christianity in Nubia
15:03 The schism between the Roman and Ethiopian churches
19:06 Racism in the ancient world
22:22 Athanasius, Arianism, and the Egyptian church
25:50 The importance of the non-Western church
33:00 The "cultural elasticity" of the gospel
Learn more about Dr. Bantu and his work.
Show notes by Micah Long.
 

Biblical Artist Series: Jon Collins from BibleProject

Dr. Dru Johnson and Celina Durgin talk with Jon Collins, Co-Founder of BibleProject, about using animated videos to teach viewers how to read the Bible. BibleProject is a nonprofit animation studio with the goal of helping people become students of biblical literature through short explainer-style videos. In this episode, Jon provides a window into their creative process, from background research, to designing the images, to creating soundscapes.
Along the way, they discuss the broader role of art in helping us understand Scripture. Jon describes the difficulties of presenting a complex and difficult idea in a fun and interesting way, and how to solve these difficulties with certain artistic choices, such as a dialogue script and accurate representation of biblical characters. They also explore the "Prince of Egypt problem," how BibleProject seeks to unify the church, and even Gilmore Girls.
Show notes:
0:00 Understanding biblical themes
3:43 Researching a BibleProject video
7:09 How art can help us understand Scripture
10:47 Stylistic inspirations for BibleProject
15:18 Avoiding the "Prince of Egypt problem"
21:52 Using dialogue in explainer videos
24:57 Sound editing
27:08 The greatest contributions of BibleProject
29:38 Creating students of biblical literature
Videos mentioned in the episode:
The Wisdom Series (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job)
The Test
Biblical Themes Series
Show notes by Micah Long.
Credits for the music used in this episode can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.