A claim has circulated in scholarship for decades: ancient birth narratives were never meant to be taken as history. If true, the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke would be beautiful legends, nothing more.

New Testament scholar Caleb Friedeman didn't just accept that claim. He went back to the actual ancient biographers -- Plutarch, Suetonius, Philo, Cornelius Nepos -- and tested it. What he found changes the way we should evaluate the opening chapters of the Gospels. Caleb walks us through what ancient authors were actually doing when they wrote birth stories, and why Luke's birth narrative may have stronger historical markers than almost any other section of his Gospel.

Want the full, unedited conversation? Members get the complete interview with Caleb Friedeman, usually 15-20 extra minutes of material that didn't make the final cut. faithlabshow.com/support

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Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at faithlabshow.com/support

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to Part 1.

Tim walks through one of the most disturbing stories in Genesis (what actually happened between Noah and Ham) and uses it to reveal how biblical authors embedded narrative riddles that only unlock as you read further. He explains why the Bible isn't a rulebook but an epic narrative pointing to a person, how Jesus himself engaged Scripture when asked about hot-button issues, why head-on theological debates almost never change anyone's mind, and what he means when he says "faithfulness" is a better word than "inerrancy."

If Part 1 introduced design patterns, Part 2 shows what happens when you let them reshape how you read everything.

In this episode:

The Noah and Ham story, what actually happened and why the Bible leaves it ambiguous on purpose. How narrative riddles work across Genesis, Leviticus, and Samuel. Tim's Yoda analogy for how we misread the Bible. Why the Bible is a narrative pointing to Jesus, not a rulebook. How Jesus handled marriage and divorce by going back to Genesis 1–2. Why head-on theological debates almost never work. Inerrancy vs. faithfulness and why Tim prefers the Bible's own vocabulary. Bible translations as a bag of golf clubs. Tim's personal experience of encounter through Scripture.

Thoughts, questions, stories? faithlabshow.com/contact⁠

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Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at ⁠faithlabshow.com/support⁠

This is Part 1 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to ⁠Part 2⁠.

Most people read the Bible like a modern instruction manual. Tim Mackie says that's exactly the problem. In this episode, Tim breaks down how the Bible was actually designed to communicate through repetition, pattern, and intentional structure. We look at why the early chapters of Genesis aren't just origin stories but training ground for how to read the rest of Scripture. Once you see the design patterns, you can't unsee them.

Part 1 lays the foundation. Part 2 shows what happens when you let it reshape how you read everything.

Thoughts, questions, stories? ⁠faithlabshow.com/contact⁠

1. Full, unedited ad-free interviews

2. Early release episodes

3. Access to the private Faith Lab community

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Rebecca McLaughlin joins Faith Lab to confront Christianity’s hardest objections and ask whether Christian faith can actually stand up to serious scrutiny.

In this conversation, Nate and Shelby talk with Rebecca about the historical reliability of the Gospels, eyewitness testimony, women in the early Christian movement, moral critiques of Christianity, and the problem of suffering. Rather than treating faith as a blind leap, Rebecca explains why Christianity has always made public and testable claims about reality, claims that invite investigation rather than shut it down.

They explore why Jesus continues to provoke resistance, how modern skepticism often relies on values Christianity helped introduce, and why deconstruction so often happens when questions are postponed rather than engaged. From the resurrection accounts and the presence of embarrassing details in the Gospels to the role of women as primary witnesses, this episode walks through why the Christian story may be far more historically and intellectually resilient than many assume.

This episode is for skeptics, deconstructing Christians, and anyone wondering whether Christianity can survive honest doubt in a pluralistic world by facing hard questions directly rather than avoiding them.

Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email [email protected]

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This is a preview, listen to the full bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/148177291

Faith usually doesn’t disappear all at once. It tends to erode slowly when questions feel unsafe or when certainty is treated as a requirement.

In this bonus episode, Nate reflects on the first two episodes of Faith Lab:

Deconstruction Led Me Back to Christianity.

Faith Isn't Supposed to be Blind with Shane Rosenthal

Nate responds to an idea from Shane Rosenthal that reshaped how he thinks about faith as trust rather than certainty. He shares how that shift helped him make sense of deconstruction, answers a couple listener questions about the direction of the show, and reads a listener story that captures what it feels like to find faith again through honesty and time.

This episode is a quiet reflection on rebuilding trust without pretending and following questions without fear.

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For most people, faith means believing without evidence. A leap. A feeling. Something you are told to accept rather than question.

But what if that is not what faith meant at all?

In this conversation, Nate and Shelby sit down with Shane Rosenthal to explore why the New Testament idea of faith was rooted in trust, eyewitness testimony, and public events rather than blind belief. They unpack how faith slowly became detached from evidence, why that shift matters, and how it helps explain why so many people deconstruct today.

This is not about winning arguments or turning Christianity into an academic exercise. It is about recovering a version of faith that expects questions, invites investigation, and gives real reasons to believe.

You can find Shane’s work at humbleskeptic.com, and be sure to check out this recent video he released on whether archaeologists have discovered biblical Bethsaida⁠.

If you have ever wondered why doubt feels inevitable, or why you were never taught this side of the story, this conversation is for you.

Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email [email protected]

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2. All full-length, ad-free episodes

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Nate Hanson reflects on his journey with the podcast Almost Heretical, discussing the process of deconstruction and how it led him to a deeper understanding of Christianity. He shares his experiences of doubt, the search for evidence, and the transition to a new show called Faith Lab, which aims to explore the historical and philosophical foundations of the Christian faith.

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Could one ancient cloth change how we see the resurrection? Dr. Jeremiah Johnston joins us to unpack the Shroud of Turin, its baffling science, strange history, and the image that no one can explain.

Does this relic prove Jesus physically rose from the dead, or is it just a misunderstood artifact? We explore what happens when modern science collides with first-century faith.

Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email  [email protected]

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1. Bonus episodes and aftershows

2. All full-length, ad-free episodes

3. Access to Heretical Together (our private community of 350+ listeners)

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To listen to the full episode, become a premium member here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-did-jesus-133702952

Shelby and Nate tackle your biggest questions about hell, Paul, and the authority of Scripture. Did Jesus really teach eternal torment? What do we do with parts of the Bible that no longer reflect our values? And are we all just picking and choosing?

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Shelby and Nate explore the intriguing question of why Jesus did not write anything down during his lifetime. They discuss the implications of this question on our understanding of faith and scripture, emphasizing the oral tradition of the time and the significance of Jesus' teachings in a present-tense context. The conversation also touches on the historical perspective of Jesus as a local rabbi and the lack of immediate written records from his followers, suggesting that the movement was seen as urgent and relevant to their time rather than a long-term religious institution.

Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email  [email protected]

Become a member and get:

1. Bonus episodes and aftershows

2. All full-length, ad-free episodes

3. Access to Heretical Together (our private community of 350+ listeners)

Become a member: almostheretical.com/premium

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