Bible Feed

This episode was recorded just before Easter 2023 and Dan welcomes a guest, John Launchbury, to discuss the vital question: why did Jesus have to die?  They explore the meaning of the word atonement and consider the pros and cons of some, so-called atonement theories that theologians have proposed over history.  As they explore the key scriptural passages involved they find that the impact of the death of Jesus can be just as profound today as it was in the 1st century - and it's all about changing us rather than changing God! 

Josh and Paul continue our series of book introductions, taking on the next of the five books of the Torah - Numbers, which is actually not just about counting things, it's about a journey through the wilderness.  As they work through the sections of the narrative, they find a pattern that has already been repeated several times in previous books and has its roots in Genesis.  They also look at the purpose of the two censuses and conclude that it says more about God's overarching care for his people to protect, preserve and remain true to his promises. Listen in to find out where the journey ends! 

Paul and Dan embark on a multi-part exploration of the terms devil and satan and how they are used through the Bible.  They aim to lay some foundations here by thinking about how our worldview might affect how we read the Bible and the importance of taking notice of how Jesus interpreted his Bible. They do (eventually) start to explore some verses that talk about the devil and satan and draw an initial conclusion that they may not be referring to a supernatural being... but there's so much more still to cover!

Jordan and Dan continue working through the 'books' within the Psalms. This time they look at books three, four and five and find that they can be seen to follow a spiritual journey.  They find that some Psalms express doubts and uncertainties and deeply question what God is doing. But by remembering what God has done in the past the Psalmist is led back to peace of mind and trust in God, ending with a call for "everything that has breath to praise the LORD"!

For the next of our Bible book introductions, Jordan Walton and Dan Weatherall tackle the Psalms.  As there are 150 of them we thought they deserved two episodes! So here is part 1, with part 2 to follow in a couple of weeks.  Dan and Jordan consider whether the Psalter is just a random collection of prayers and songs or whether there is some structure to it.  Having identified a five book structure, they start to delve into the focus of books one and two. 

For the next of our Bible book introductions, Paul and Laurence take a look at the smallest of Paul's letters, his letter to Philemon.  After clearing up the centuries old debate about how to pronounce his name, they proceed to explore why a personal letter about fixing a very personal relationship should be included in the scriptures.  They find that it is, in fact, an incredibly revealing case study into how being a Christian should change the way we view society and people around us.

The Bible Feed core team of Paul, Dan, Josh and Laurence get together to reflect on some serious, and some less serious, themes from 2022 and look forward to our plans for 2023.  We thank all our listeners for their support in 2022 and wish you all the best for 2023, may it see the full realisation of the kingdom of God in the earth.

In keeping with the season, Paul and Dan consider the concept of "the Son of God".  They consider examples of that phrase throughout the Bible, but concentrate on what it means for Jesus to be the only son of the Father. How can Jesus uniquely be called the Son of God?  Does calling him the Son of God make him Deity in any sense?  What is Jesus claiming when he says he is the Son of God?  All these questions and more are considered - including which are Paul and Dan's favourite carols!

We continue our introductions to the books of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, with Paul and Laurence covering the book of Leviticus.  This is maybe not the most appealing read, after all, what does how long you remain unclean if you touch a dead body, have to do with a Christian today?  But as Paul and Laurence scratch the surface they find that the careful structure of this book points to something, or rather someone, who is so much greater than the law (no prizes for guessing who!)

Dan introduces a new guest to the podcast, James Andrews, to consider the whole question of how we read the Old Testament in the light of Jesus.  Do we even need to pay it any attention now that Jesus has come?  They consider what it means for Jesus to fulfil the Old Testament and find that, when Jesus reads and applies the different parts of the Hebrew Bible, he shows us how to bring it to life in our lives as Christians today.