“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!” Revelation is loaded with descriptions of Rome’s oppressive systems, exploitative wealth, and coming downfall. Nick and Matt discuss the vivid imagery used to embolden the early Christian communities against their surrounding corruptions. They consider how Revelation encourages Christians to stand against Babylon in our own day as we look forward to the future restoration of all things.

Resources: In the Shadow of Empire, Revelation chapter by Greg Carey, Edited by Richard Horsley, Exiles: the Church in the Shadow of Empire by Preston Sprinkle, Reading Revelation Responsibly by Michael Goreman, Revelation for the Rest of Us by Scot McKnight, “Towards an Ethical Reading of the Apocalypse: Reflections on John’s Use of Power, Violence, and Misogyny,” by David L. Barr, Revelation (Word Biblical Commentary) by David Aune, Revelation (The New International Greek New Testament Commentary) by G.K. Beale, The problem of violence: discipleship and non-violence in the Book of Revelation by Rob Nicholls, The Lion and the Lamb in Revelation 5 by Sergio H Monteiro.

Interlude Music: Heavy Handed by Ballpoint

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Revelation is often read as a predictive prophecy for the Western Church, full of obscure symbolism and veiled oracles awaiting future fulfillment. However, if we take seriously the context of the letter, and seek to understand the purpose of apocalyptic literature - we’ll find the letter becomes less cryptic and far more practical to its original audience. Nick explores how this letter would have served as both a challenge and a form of encouragement to Jesus communities seeking faithful allegiance to Jesus in a world that demanded allegiance to the Emperor.

Resources Referenced: In the Shadow of Empire, Revelation chapter by Greg Carey, Edited by Richard Horsley, Exiles: the Church in the Shadow of Empire by Preston Sprinkle, Reading Revelation Responsibly by Michael Goreman, Revelation for the Rest of Us by Scot McKnight, Tim LaHaye, Revelation Unveiled, “Towards an Ethical Reading of the Apocalypse: Reflections on John’s Use of Power, Violence, and Misogyny,” by David L. Barr, Revelation (Word Biblical Commentary), Revelation (The New International Greek New Testament Commentary) by G.K. Beale

Interlude Music: Radioactive Cover by Joel Ansett

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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Is human violence ever right? Rev. Dr. Helen Paynter’s work Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence dives into the difficulties of finding a consistent Biblical theology among the variety of voices and perspectives offered in Scripture. Dr. Paynter joins Reparadigmed to discuss how Christians can find ethical guidance in Scriptures for navigating a fallen world. She addresses some common pitfalls and problematic assumptions that can skew our understanding of what Scripture has to say about human violence. She also discusses how a community of faith can work to hold the eschatological goals of justice, peace, and holiness in a tempered tension on this side of restoration.

Resource Referenced: The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So: Why you don't have to submit to domestic abuse and coercive control, The Church, the Far Right, and the Claim to Christianity,  Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Violence by Helen Paynter

Have you ever wondered why early Jesus-followers called each other siblings, holy ones, or beloved? Norman Hubbard sits down with Matt and Nick to discuss the early church’s use of normal language in surprising ways to express and shape their unique relationships. He describes how these unique relationships were an expression of the gospel of Jesus, and considers ways our church tradition has been teaching an incomplete gospel when it prioritizes justification at the expense of reconciliation and redemption. Check out this conversation about Norm’s book, “More than Christians: Practicing Gospel-Shaped Community with the Language of the Early Church”.

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures helped prepare the way for the message of Jesus and the spread of Christianity. These translations (the Septuagint) were the Scriptures used by the earliest churches, and help us understand connections between our Old and New Testaments. Nick and Matt take a look at some of the interesting and significant differences between the Septuagint and the Masoretic text like the inclusion of Apocryphal writings. They consider the disagreement between Augustine and Jerome around which version to use when developing the Vulgate, Finally they discuss the multiple text forms present in the Dead Sea Scrolls which raise important questions for Bible translators considering the importance of the Septuagint.

Resources Referenced: Invitation to the Septuagint by Karen Jobes and Moises Silva, The Septuagint, What is is and Why it Matters by Gregory Lanier and William Ross, When God Spoke Greek: the Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael Law, Koine Greek Reader, Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers by Rodney Decker, A Plea for the Septuagint by Mogens Muller, Was There only ONE Version of the Old Testament In Ancient Times? by Michael Heiser

Interlude Music: Between Moments by Amber Glow, After the Fight by Cherry the Penguin

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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When astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo challenged conventional beliefs, Christians held to their understanding of Scripture’s plain teachings against the dangerous new ideas. Today we look back at those who stuck to their Biblical convictions and we celebrate … the astronomers. In this episode Nick and Matt reflect on the church’s response to heliocentrism and compare modern approaches to reading the Bible’s cosmology, and how understanding strange (to us) ancient cosmology can help us read the Bible better.

Resources Referenced: The Firmament and the Water Above by Paul Seely, The Hebrew Conception of the World: A Philological and Literary Study by Stadelmann, Luis, Ancient Near Eastern thought and the Old Testament by John Walton, John Calvin on Nicolaus Copernicus and Heliocentrism by Wyatt Houtz, Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture After Genetic Science by Scot McKnight and Dennis Venema, Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli, The Faith and Reason of Father George Lemaître by Joseph R. Laracy, Geocentrism: History and Background by Danny R. Faulkner, NET Bible Translation Notes

Interlude Music: On a Stroller by Harry Edvino, Space Waves by Ben Elson

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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The Bible doesn’t sound very Christian when it talks about the soul… Wait that didn’t sound right. Could it be that Christians don’t sound very Biblical when they  talk about it? In this episode, Matt and Nick do a thorough lexical study of the most common Hebrew and Greek words translated into English Bible’s as soul. What they find is surprising, and it makes them think that maybe (just maybe), Christians are yet again more influenced by Greek and Enlightenment-era philosophers than they are by the Bible itself.

Resources Referenced: The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by William Arndt et al., Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible by Joel B. Green, The Case for the Reality of the Traditional Christian Soul by Peter Gordziejko.

Interlude Music: Turning Over a New Leaf by Auxjack, In Foam by Lama House

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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Heaven and Earth - Resurrection Ep 3

Do humans have souls? What is the difference between spirit and flesh? Will the earth be turned into a giant zoo free from humans? Where do the dead go until the resurrection? What is heaven? Matt and Nick discuss the importance of creation in the Biblical story, the mixing of platonism with Christianity, and some of the strange readings of the Bible that occur when we lose sight of God’s plans for restoration.

Resources Referenced: Four Views on Heaven Edited by Michael Eugene Wittmer and Stanley, From Plato to Christ by Louis Markos, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Interlude Music: Somewhat Elegant by Dye O, A Tiny Spark by Edgar Hopp

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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The resurrection of the Messiah before the end of the age was a surprising event. What does it mean to be living between the start and the end of the resurrection? Death is defeated but our bodies are still mortal. New creation is here but we’re still so sinful! The New Testament puts Jesus' resurrection at the center of Christian identity, hope, and ethics. Nick and Matt discuss the importance of resurrection within the Biblical story of redemption for humanity and for the cosmos.

Resources Referenced: Paul and Time by Ann L Jervis, Jesus and the Forces of Death by Matthew Thiessen, A New Heaven and a New Earth by Richard Middleton

Interlude Music: Dreaming at Night by Heyson

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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Many Christians hope to leave earth and spend eternity in a disembodied bliss, but the Hebrew Bible describes God’s good creation and his purpose for image bearing humanity within that creation. Has God abandoned his plans for creation? Did death win? Nick and Matt discuss death’s invasion into the Biblical story, God’s work to limit the effects of death, and Hebrew Bible hope that one day, the creator God will swallow up death.

Resources Referenced: A New Heaven and a New Earth by Richard Middleton, The Rationale of the Laws of Clean and Unclean in the Old Testament by Joe M. Sprinkle, Jesus and the Forces of Death by Matthew Thiessen, The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright.

Interlude Music: Hopeful by Nebulae, Mountain Top by Marc Torch

Theme Song: Believe by Posthumorous

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