In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Beau Underwood and Brian Kaylor join Pete and Jared to explore the history of how mainline Protestants have contributed to Christian nationalism in the United States. They explain how patriotic worship practices, uncritical support for the state, and assumptions about the nation’s “Christian” identity have shaped the movement—and how churches today can begin to untangle faith from nationalism.

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In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Dr. Julie Faith Parker joins Pete and Jared to reexamine the story of Eve through a feminist lens, challenging the long-held belief that Eve is the source of original sin. She unpacks how patriarchal interpretations have shaped cultural attitudes toward women for centuries—often in ways the biblical text doesn’t actually support. 

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-302-julie-faith-parker-how-interpretation-made-eve-a-villain/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/s-k3JXZl3JM

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In this reissue episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with the late Walter Brueggemann to reflect on how the Bible can be reclaimed in the mainline church after generations of historical criticism. He challenges both liberal and evangelical tendencies to reduce Scripture to rigid certainties, instead offering a vision of the Bible as a dynamic, imaginative script meant to be performed. With insights on authority, contradiction, justice, and the role of the church, Brueggemann invites us to take the Bible seriously—without taking it literally. This is a reissue of The Bible for Normal People Episode 4 from April 2017 in loving memory of our dear friend Walter (1933-2025). 

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-301-walter-brueggemann-resurrecting-the-bible-in-the-mainline-church-reissue/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/nKt3oqEnwwk

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In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Malcolm Foley to explore the connection between racism and greed in American history, and the calling of Christians to live differently. Drawing from his book The Anti-Greed Gospel, they discuss how economic self-interest has fueled racial injustice, how the church has been both complicit and resistant, and what it means to practice economic solidarity rooted in the life of Jesus.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-59-malcolm-foley-the-connection-between-racism-and-greed/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/5SJuPmry2_g

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In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Caroline Blyth and Emily Colgan to dive into the many forms of violence in the Bible, including violence attributed to God. They discuss how ancient context, gender dynamics, and structural power inform these texts, why confronting them matters, and how faith communities can engage these difficult passages with honesty and care.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-300-caroline-blyth-emily-colgan-what-to-do-about-violence-in-the-bible/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/sD43EBvkAGM

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In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Adis Duderija to discuss the rich diversity of belief within Islam. Adis outlines various expressions of the faith, challenges the idea of Islam as monolithic, and explores some of the history behind how these iterations came to be. 

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-58-adis-duderija-the-diversity-of-islam/

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/jYinHLAHSHc

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This episode is brought to you by Skylight. The Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family organized! This beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments, and reminders in one easy-to-see place. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to SkylightCal.com/BIBLE.

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In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Garrick Allen about the concept of paratexts—elements like chapter numbers, footnotes, titles, and formatting that surround the biblical text—and how these often-overlooked features significantly shape how we interpret Scripture. Together they explore how the Bible is a dynamic, evolving tradition influenced by centuries of human interaction and editorial choices.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-299-garrick-allen-somethings-hiding-in-the-margins-of-your-bible/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/VB3xThCuCEU

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In this reissue of The Bible for Normal People Episode 133: The Book of Job, Pete takes us on a provocative journey through Job, challenging traditional interpretations of suffering, divine justice, and the nature of God. Rather than seeing Job as a lesson in patient endurance, Pete explores the book as a complex, layered critique of transactional theology—and even a possible parable of Israel’s exile.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-298-pete-enns-pete-ruins-job-reissue/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/fnssF8y2vk0

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In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete Enns and Anna Sieges Beal talk with theologian Janet Williams about apophatic theology, a tradition that emphasizes the mystery of God by acknowledging the limits of human language and understanding. Janet explores how describing God by what God is not—rather than what God is—can open up a deeper, more expansive experience of the divine.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-57-janet-williams-what-we-can-and-cant-say-about-god/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/i4BPhsMg41k

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This episode is brought to you by Skylight. The Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family organized! This beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments, and reminders in one easy-to-see place. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to SkylightCal.com/BIBLE.

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Please note: this interview does include mention of assault and sexual abuse in the context of the Hebrew Bible. In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and co-host Cynthia Shafer-Elliott talk with Alexiana Fry about reading the Hebrew Bible through the lens of trauma, gender, and migration. Reflecting on texts like Hosea and Judges 19, Alexiana challenges traditional interpretations and highlights the importance of reckoning with the pain and complexity woven into the text.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-297-alexiana-fry-trauma-in-the-hebrew-bible/

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This episode is brought to you by Skylight. The Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family organized! This beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments, and reminders in one easy-to-see place. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to SkylightCal.com/BIBLE.

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