Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham

DESCRIPTION: Continuing on the theme of “abandoned trails”, Jack opens many cans of worms that it’s difficult to get Christians to discuss today. He talks about changes that have occurred in the experience of believers from the First Century to now–and most of these are changes that most Christians would agree have happened (though some are controversial). The point, then, is that these facts have not been examined to their natural ends and to the discovery of their natural, logical consequences. In other words, even though many know that these things have changed,

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses the ideas that “God loves everybody” and how they stack up with the actual words in scripture. Much is made of the “gold and silver” passages, as well as passages about worthiness, usefulness, and so forth.

SHOW NOTES

Jack’s Novel

Introduction to Reality-Based Thinking:  https://youtu.be/v3qkk2jA1Jw This is Jack’s video podcast, which only has three episodes, which together comprise a thorough introduction to the concept of Reality-Based Thinking.

The Extraordinary Visit of Benjamin True: The State of the Union as No One Else Would Tell It. This is Jack’s novel that introduces the basics of Reality-Based Thinking as it explores what an angel might say (from his heavenly perspective) about the American government and the political thinking of the American citizen.

TEXTS USED IN THIS EPISODE

John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Psalm 11:5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.

DESCRIPTION: Jack continues with the discussion of the text of Hebrews 11, pointing out that these people “embraced the promises” of God regarding the afterlife for the faithful/righteous, and thus, lived a different life from those in the world around them who did not embrace those promises. He also discusses the concept of “when faith was rational”. All this is set against the backdrop of current political events in the USA.

SHOW NOTES

Jack’s Novel

Introduction to Reality-Based Thinking: 

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses the text of Hebrews 11, pointing out that these people “embraced the promises” of God regarding the afterlife for the faithful/righteous, and thus, lived a different life from those in the world around them who did not embrace those promises. He also discusses the concept of “when faith was rational”. All this is set against the backdrop of current political events in the USA.

SHOW NOTES

Introduction to Reality-Based Thinking:  https://youtu.

DESCRIPTION: Jack talks about “Blessed are the meek…” from Matthew 5:5, demonstrating that the original idea behind the Greek here is a virtue that is sadly rare among Christians today.

Patreon IssueOur apologies, but after setting up a Patreon account and announcing it in this episode, it came to our attention that Patreon has been unfairly deplatforming some of their clients. So we’ve put that on hold, and are currently looking for an alternative monthly-funding platform. In the mean time, please consider making a one-time donation through the PayPal link just below.

Scriptures Used In This Episode

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 21:5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold, your king is coming to you,    humble, and mounted on a donkey,    on a colt,

DESCRIPTION: Jack continues this 2-part discussion by explaining more of the cognitive science and how it fits in with the way we tend to manage our Bible learning. It ends with a discussion of the “core doctrine” concept, and how that so frequently is used as a “thought stopper” for discussions Christians should naturally be having.

SHOW NOTES

Introduction to Reality-Based Thinking:  https://youtu.be/v3qkk2jA1Jw This is Jack’s video podcast, which only has three episodes, which together comprise a thorough introduction to the concept of Reality-Based Thinking.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.  https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555 If you’d like to do some extended thinking on how the human mind works, this book is a great place to start. It’s written for a general audience, but even so, you might have to put on your academic “thinking cap” and read it just a bit at a time. Note that Kahneman give’s a 2-part model of the mind, where Stanovich (below) offers a 3-part model.

What Intelligence Tests Miss, by Keith Stanovich. https://www.amazon.

DESCRIPTION: Jack explores what human emotions are and how they work–as well as why not knowing how to manage our emotions well can cause us to “shut down” in conversations about the Bible. He gives a basic description of the standard 2-part theory of the mind, as well as the newer 3-part version, and explains how the human “spirit” mentioned in the Bible may just be that 3rd part that some cognitive scientists have recognized. This is the first of a 2-part discussion.

SHOW NOTES

Links mentioned in this episode:

Introduction to Reality-Based Thinking:  https://youtu.be/v3qkk2jA1Jw This is Jack’s video podcast, which only has three episodes, which together comprise a thorough introduction to the concept of Reality-Based Thinking.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.  https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555 If you’d like to do some extended thinking on how the human mind works, this book is a great place to start. It’s written for a general audience, but even so, you might have to put on your academic “thinking cap” and read it just a bit at a time. Note that Kahneman give’s a 2-part model of the mind, where Stanovich (below) offers a 3-part model.

DESCRIPTION: In this episode, Jack completes the discussion of the Proverbs passages about fools and foolishness.

SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS EPISODEFor your convenience, I have listed all the scriptures used in this episode below. You may find it helpful to have this page open while you listen.

RELATIONSHIPS

NASB Proverbs 10:1b A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.NIV  Proverbs 11:29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

NIV Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.  (Talk about how fools avoid the wise, and don’t want to get to know them.)

NIV Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

NIV Proverbs 10:18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.

ANGER

ESV Proverbs 14:17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly,...

DESCRIPTION: In this “experimental” episode, Jack is off the script with a list of proverbs about fools and foolishness. It’s a frank and down-to-earth discussion comparing our intended role as people created in God’s image and likeness to the schemes that the fool would rather play out instead. NOTE: All the Bible passages used in the episode appear below for your convenience.

SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS EPISODEFor your convenience, I have listed all the scriptures used in this episode below. You may find it helpful to have this page open while you listen.

Proverbs 7:9 This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

KNOWLEDGE/WISDOM

ESV Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

ESV Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?NIV Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is t...

DESCRIPTION: After we “finished” the three COVID-19 episodes, Jack kept thinking, and thought of some more very important related issues that Christians need to think about. This family discussion episode brings in Kay and James to consider some of the often-unrealized implications and consequences of conventional Christian wisdom on this issue. So if any of our episodes call for deep thinking, this one certainly qualifies!