There is a deep division between work and worship in the West. However, the worship of the ancient Israelites integrated the sanctuary into the streets. What are ways that our work today (even sending emails) can be celebrated and offered to God as a form of worship?

With reference to his book Work and Worship, Matthew Kaemingk explains how the tasks we do every single day can be integrated into our worship and daily liturgy.

Show notes:

• 0:26 Wandering minds during worship

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Pleas for justice in the book of Psalms—the imprecatory psalms—can make some Christians uncomfortable. They're often passed over in the psalter during worship. How do petitions for justice map onto the mission of Jesus? How are imprecatory prayers compatible with commands to love our neighbors?

Though the Psalms contain many cries for vengeance, they also continually call readers back to a standard of holiness. Trevor Laurence discusses imprecatory prayers, the power of words to express profound pain to God, and how we can instinctively discern God and the world as we struggle through life.

Show notes:

• 0:26 How should Christians reconcile imprecatory prayers?

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

"Blackness is a part of American culture." Too often American Christianity is equated with white Christianity, while expressions of Black Christianity are overlooked. Continuing our series "By the Oppressed, to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads Scripture," Esau McCaulley, author of Reading While Black, explains how American Black history has given Black Christians an important lens through which to understand Scripture, and how power can actually be a distorting lens. When people hear biblical interpretations they might have missed because of their own experiences, the narrative can change. 

Show notes:

• 0:27 When we misunderstand what we see and hear

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

A couple of weeks ago, The Biblical Mind published an article by Michael LeFebvre titled Jesus Restored the Original Purpose of the Law in the New Testament. Some readers expressed concern that the article endorsed supersessionist views. Not intending to suggest supersessionism, Michael revised some language in the article to address the concerns. It was retitled Jesus' Concept of the Law in the New Testament. Some Christians readers said they didn't fully understand the reaction.

In response, Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm joined the podcast to explain supersessionism, the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, and the reaction to some language in Michael's original article.

Show notes:

• 0:26 What the original title possibly conveyed

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

Does the Torah mention wealth redistribution? What is the purpose of leaving the corners of your field unharvested? What economic system does the Torah advocate, and how would one live in accordance with it? Join us this week as Michael Eisenberg discusses these questions and more, covered his latest book, The Tree of Life and Prosperity. 

Show notes:

• 0:26 Is the Torah capitalist or socialist? Or . . . ?

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.

New CHT fellow Dr. Vince Bantu of Fuller Theological Seminary is back on the podcast, this time to discuss the how historically marginalized and oppressed parts of the church understand Scripture better than the dominant church does—from the early church to the African church to the Black church in the U.S. today. Dr. Bantu and Dru explore the interpretive advantages that the lack of political and social power can confer on readers of the Bible—a book written largely by people who suffered oppression and exile.

Show notes:

• 0:00 The dominant church vs. the marginalized church

Show notes by Celina Durgin

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Starting 10/22:

"By the Oppressed to the Oppressed: How the Marginalized Church Reads the Bible," featuring Vince Bantu, Esau McCaulley, Lisa Bowens, and Anthony Bradley

Upcoming

Series on repentance and reconciliation, featuring Rachael and Jacob Denhollander, and others TBD

The Pillar Seminary was founded to address persistent problems in churches and their leadership. Its students not only receive a Scripture-first education—as opposed to theology-first—but also quickly begin practicing what they're taught.

The purpose of studying the biblical texts is to be transformed by them. True "head knowledge" of Scripture involves "heart knowledge"; by practicing biblical principles, we can understand the text better.

Join us this week as Scott Booth, Dan Lowery, and Donnell J. Moore discuss how Pillar's approach to seminary and studying Scripture ultimately transforms students, equipping them to lead in their local churches, make disciples, and meet needs effectively within their ministries.

Show Notes:

• 0:26 Purpose of the program

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Many Christians know that Jesus was a Jew, but they don't necessarily think much about this fact or grasp its significance. In this episode, Jen Rosner discusses the importance of recognizing that Jesus embraced his Jewish identity in his lifetime, and the implications of his Judaism for the church and for our understanding of the New Testament today. 

Show notes:

• 0:27 Encountering the New Testament as a Jew

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.

Left Behind. This Present Darkness. Love Come Softly. The culture of faith in the West has been greatly shaped by Christian fiction. Many books that are popular in Christian circles plant flags of doctrines within their pages, providing something for Christians to buy into. 

Join us this week as Daniel Silliman (author of Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith and news editor for Christianity Today) discusses how books such as Left Behind have influenced evangelicalism, and how the book market more broadly has influenced Western Christianity. 

Show notes:

• 0:27 Fictional vs. non-fictional arguments

Show notes by Dominique LaCroix 

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast.