Deconstructing the Bible

Deconstructing the Bible

By Jason SteffenhagenReligion & Spirituality
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Deconstructing the Bible episodes

  • Ripple Effects In Creation | Reimagining Noah's Ark

    The story of Noah and the Ark is a classic children's story from the Bible. We love the animals and the bravery of Noah and his family. We love the dove being sent out from the ark and coming back with an olive branch. And the story ends with a rainbow! Who doesn't love a rainbow?!

    But what happens when we also notice that there is an incredible loss of human life? What happens when all of creation - plants and animals - are also destroyed because of the darkness within humanity.

    What does this story teach us about God? What does this story teach us about what it means to be human? How can we reimagine this story?

    This week I'm joined by Christine Ford, associate pastor in White Bear Lake UMC. You can connect to her work at their website: http://wblumc.org/.

    Enjoy!

    29 min
  • It's Crouching At Your Door | Reimagining Cain and Abel

    The story of Cain and Abel is one of the oldest stories in the Bible. What happens if we dive into the names of each character...how can their names teach us about what it means to be human?

    Let's move towards becoming more like Abel, while also holding some empathy for Cain.

    In this episode I'm joined by Tyler Sit, pastor of New City Church in Minneapolis. You can find Tyler and his work at the following spaces...

    Instagram: @tylersit
    Website: tylersit.com
    Book: Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers (https://www.tylersit.com/stayingawake and Amazon)

    30 min
  • More Than A Rib | Reimagining Eve's Story

    Welcome to a new season of Deconstructing the Bible!

    In this season we are reconstructing children's stories. You know...those popular Bible stories about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, and more.

    So often our earliest conceptions of these stories have impacted what we know about God and how we understand the Bible. But maybe these stories need a reimagining. Maybe these stories could be deconstructed and then reconstructed in a way that helps us see God in a dynamic way and learn more about what it means to be human.

    Also in this season, we will often be joined by a guest to help engage these all too familiar stories.

    To get this season started, I invited my friend Lisa Adams from 40 Orchards to help me talk about Eve.

    You can get connected to the work of 40 Orchards and join Lisa in a scripture circle HERE!

    You can also find Lisa on the podcast Searching the Sacred. This podcast can be found anywhere you get your podcasts. 

    36 min
  • 70 x 7 | What if forgiveness is about power?

    It's so easy to be resentful and bitter, to want payback. People give us reasons to be this way almost every day. And it's enticing to enjoy the power and the position that being unforgiving holds. 


    But Jesus expects something different. What does it look like for forgiveness to be a way of life...to be a flow? 

    What if forgiveness not only releases someone from the debt they owe us, but releases us as well?

    29 min
  • The Scapegoat | How Jesus upends the scapegoat mechanism, moving us towards a ’we’

    In Leviticus 16, the people of Israel are taught to use a scapegoat as a symbolic act of relinquishing their sins and receiving forgiveness. As beautiful as this mechanism was, it was only a step towards true spiritual maturity of loving one's enemies and being transformed by the power of God's Spirit.


    Jesus becomes the scapegoat to end all scapegoats. But too often humanity has created in-groups and out-groups, us vs. them, which require scapegoats...because we want to be perceived as innocent and unburdened by our sins and inadequacies.

    How can we move past the scapegoat mechanism? How can we continue to move towards a 'we'?

    This episode is indebted to the work of Richard Rohr, from whom I was introduced to this idea. Here is a short article that exemplifies his work: https://cac.org/jesus-reveals-lie-scapegoating-2016-10-13/

    24 min
  • Polarization and Proximity | What would it look like if we moved towards one another with empathy?

    It's obvious that the political climate is polarized. It's cliche to even mention it or use that word. But how do we move towards wholeness? 


    The story of Israel can help us recognize how we have more in common with one another than we think. And when we can see ourselves in one another we develop empathy. And empathy is the road to wholeness. 

    BUT - the only way towards empathy is to get proximate to one another. We must learn to get close, embrace relationship. 

    Is that what Jesus did on the cross? Did Jesus embrace the fullness of human frailty and disconnection on the cross? Did this movement of Jesus create room for empathy and the road to wholeness?

    25 min
  • It’s All Sacred | What if Genesis 3 is the final act of creation?

    It goes without saying that the past 18 months have been hard. Whether you are a parent, someone who lost a job or a loved one, or someone who experienced an immense amount of loneliness in 2020, this has been a tough season. A racial reckoning and call for reconciliation and justice has been at the forefront of our lives. And politics has seemingly never been more polarized and tense. 


    How does a season of such hardship impact how we read the Bible...especially when many of us have been taught that perfection, holiness, purity (a Genesis 1 and 2) world are the standard? 

    How does the story of Genesis 3 impact how we read the Bible? Is this is a chapter of brokenness? Is this a chapter of relationship? Could it be a bit of both. 

    What if Genesis 3 is not the aberration or the exception to a perfect creation, but is the final act of creation? What if Genesis 3 helps us understand the nature of God, who is always moving humanity towards relational wholeness?

    Enjoy episode 12!

    22 min
  • Knowledge vs. Participation

    What does it mean to believe? What would it look like if we saw belief and salvation a little differently?


    In this episode we talk about how the acquisition of knowledge is important, but can sometimes be a crutch for a transformed spirituality. BUT, when done well, knowledge can propel our faith forward because we combine our best thinking with our active participation.

    28 min
  • Halakah, Hata, T’Shuva (Law, Sin, Repent) | Seeing important words as trajectories

    Halakah, Hata, T'Shuva (Law, Sin, Repent) are Hebrew words found throughout the Bible that shape how we believe and the way in which we believe. In this episode, we take a deeper dive into how these terms could be translated and how that translation can impact how we navigate relationship with God, others, ourselves, and all of creation.


    As a bonus, we also talk about two Greek words for sin and repent as well!

    In this episode, we reference the work of Bryan Stevenson. The work of Brene Brown is not specifically mentioned, but her work on identity is highly influential. Below are Ted Talks that  explore their ideas more fully.

    Bryan Stevenson: "We need to talk about injustice"
    Brene Brown: "Listening to shame"

    17 min

About Deconstructing the Bible

From the publisher's feed

The B.I.B.L.E. Have you been reading all your life, been teaching or preaching from its passages, or is it new and you are curious? This podcast will seek to reimagine how we approach this sacred text and how it applies to our shared life.