Faith Lab

In honor of #InternationalWomensDay, we’re highlighting 16 notable and forgotten women of the Bible, uncovering their stories from both canonical scripture and lesser-known texts like the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Second Temple writings. Many of these women named in the Bible have been overlooked or erased, yet they played significant roles in shaping biblical narratives. Their voices, though often marginalized, offer a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical context of scripture.

We explore the stories of Mary Magdalene, Miriam, Vashti, Judith, Susanna, Huldah, Anna, and the Woman at the Well, as well as lesser-known figures like Batanoosh, Aseneth, Emzara, and the women connected to the Nephilim. These women were prophets, warriors, leaders, and visionaries whose impact extends far beyond their brief mentions in scripture. By rediscovering their stories, we reclaim their significance and challenge traditional narratives that have long ignored their contributions.

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

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What if I still want to pass on faith to my children, but I'm not sure what I believe? What do kids need to be learning about Christianity at different stages? What do kids have to teach us about holding uncertainty. We talk with Sarah Swartzendruber, a pastor passionate about empowering parents in deconstruction to create spiritual practices for their kids.

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Parenting & Deconstruction Part 1: Do formerly fundamentalist parents project their own trauma on their children? What kind of “stability” do kids of deconstructing parents actually need? Is it okay to not ever get community back? Nate and Shelby discuss this all and more with Cindy Wang Brandt, the author of Parenting Forward and You Are Revolutionary.

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

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In this episode, we hear from listener Katherine about her disillusionment with Christianity due to Trump, hell, and bad biblical interpretations on women. What was your breaking point? Join us as we discuss the cracks in our experience of Christianity and explore how to move forward.

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

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What kinds of texts were rejected from the New Testament canon? Are extra-canonical texts as dangerous and bad as we used to think? How does history and archaeology affect how we read the Bible today? We wrap up the Canon series diving into these questions and more as we seek to discover better ways to approach biblical and non-biblical texts and use them today.

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How did the early church determine which texts would go into the canon and which would not? Are all texts outside the New Testament heretical or dangerous? Does the truth of the canon formation process change how we think about the Bible we have? Nate & Shelby look at how we got the books we have in our bibles and debunk some myths about the process.

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Is the Bible the inspired words of God? What does it mean for the Bible to be infallible? If the Bible isn't inerrant, is it worthless? Nate & Shelby continue to explore the canonization of the New Testament Bible. How did we get the Bible that we have? In this episode, we answer listener questions and dive into what the "word of God" means.

Notes:

Do the scriptures claim to be inspired?

What do we mean by inspired?

• Psalm 19

What did the ancient authors in the early church mean by inspired?

• Book: A High View of Scripture by Craig D. Allert

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

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When were the documents of the New Testament written? Does it matter that details of the Gospels changed over time? What did “Bible,” “scripture,” or “canon” even mean in the first century? In this new series, Nate and Shelby dive into the formation of the New Testament canon. This episode examines the order in which the gospels were written and how we see changes and developments over time.

Notes:

Pilot's Guilt in Crucifixion of Jesus:

Where does Jesus' divinity begin in each gospel?:

More stories to watch progress over time through Mark, Matthew, Luke, then John:

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Do you feel alone and crazy as you reimagine your faith? There are so many people on this journey or reexamining Christian faith and doctor, and we provide resources to help you see the Bible in its true ancient and history context.

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In the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection on January 6, a prayer was said by the perpetrators in the Senate chamber. The shocking words of that prayer left us stunned. Join us as we dissect the implications and response to this prayer in our latest episode.

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

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1. Bonus episodes of Utterly Heretical (our private podcast) every month

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