Bible Feed

Relaunching the podcast, Dan and Laurence celebrate by pondering a lesser known Christmas story. They encounter Simeon, Anna and a community of people in the temple at Jerusalem "waiting for the consolation of Israel". As the baby is held high by Simeon, they realise that the birth of Jesus is not only deeply rooted in a backstory, but is the climax of a centuries old narrative. Complete with mystery deaths and incomplete sentences, this is an invitation to have yourself a lesser known Christmas story!

Paul and Dan continue their exploration of the Divine Council worldview by looking at claims made about verses in Deuteronomy 32, the introduction to the book of Job and Psalm 82.  In summary, they conclude that while it is useful to understand the cultural background to the text of the Bible, it is also important to avoid being distracted by relatively speculative ideas from the main thrust of the Bible message - that Jesus died to reconcile humans to God.  Let us know what you think!

Having explored how the Bible uses the terms 'devil', 'satan' and 'demons', Paul and Dan now turn to the whole subject of whether the Bible talks about fallen angels.  Is the phrase 'sons of God' used to refer to angels?  If so, does that include spiritual beings with independent power to oppose God and his people?  Using the framework of Michael Heiser's book, Unseen Realm, they start to examine what is termed the 'Divine Council' worldview.  This involves grappling with some of the most mystifying parts of the Bible text - but hey, we're just ordinary people trying to understand the Bible better!

Dan and Laurence step into the New Testament for an introduction to the three letters of John.  After exploring the stark contrasts and Torah references in the first letter they then see how the second and third letters apply the theory from the first letter to two opposite situations. And finally, little children, keep yourselves from idols...uh?

Laurence and Paul finish our series on the 5 books of Moses, the Torah by looking at Deuteronomy.  It turns out that this section doesn't conclude with the people of Israel reaching their destination, then the main character dies (sorry for the spoiler...)! Instead they find that this book acts as a stage-setter, defining how leaders of this ancient people will be described for the next 600 years.  Remarkably, they also find Deuteronomy making a surprise appearance at the end of that history, just before Israel were exiled to Babylon. 

In this 3rd episode in the series, Paul and Dan go off on a tangent to think about demons.  They start by looking at where they appear in the Old Testament and find them linked to the idols worshipped by the peoples around the ancient Israelites and presented as having no real existence or power.  When they come to the Gospels they explore why they suddenly appear so often there and why they are linked with certain types of illness.  They conclude with the overriding point that God is the only source of power and so Christians have no need to fear them and can safely ignore them while embracing the love of God expressed through his Son.

Paul and Dan continue their exploration of how these 'characters' appear in the Bible.  In part 1 they reached a preliminary conclusion that they are used as terms to personify our inherent tendency to want to go our own way rather than God's way.  In this episode they look at many more of the biblical passages that refer to the devil and satan and try to categorise them to get a comprehensive view of what they mean.

This episode was recorded just before Easter 2023 and Dan welcomes a guest, John Launchbury, to discuss the vital question: why did Jesus have to die?  They explore the meaning of the word atonement and consider the pros and cons of some, so-called atonement theories that theologians have proposed over history.  As they explore the key scriptural passages involved they find that the impact of the death of Jesus can be just as profound today as it was in the 1st century - and it's all about changing us rather than changing God! 

Josh and Paul continue our series of book introductions, taking on the next of the five books of the Torah - Numbers, which is actually not just about counting things, it's about a journey through the wilderness.  As they work through the sections of the narrative, they find a pattern that has already been repeated several times in previous books and has its roots in Genesis.  They also look at the purpose of the two censuses and conclude that it says more about God's overarching care for his people to protect, preserve and remain true to his promises. Listen in to find out where the journey ends! 

Paul and Dan embark on a multi-part exploration of the terms devil and satan and how they are used through the Bible.  They aim to lay some foundations here by thinking about how our worldview might affect how we read the Bible and the importance of taking notice of how Jesus interpreted his Bible. They do (eventually) start to explore some verses that talk about the devil and satan and draw an initial conclusion that they may not be referring to a supernatural being... but there's so much more still to cover!

Jordan and Dan continue working through the 'books' within the Psalms. This time they look at books three, four and five and find that they can be seen to follow a spiritual journey.  They find that some Psalms express doubts and uncertainties and deeply question what God is doing. But by remembering what God has done in the past the Psalmist is led back to peace of mind and trust in God, ending with a call for "everything that has breath to praise the LORD"!

For the next of our Bible book introductions, Jordan Walton and Dan Weatherall tackle the Psalms.  As there are 150 of them we thought they deserved two episodes! So here is part 1, with part 2 to follow in a couple of weeks.  Dan and Jordan consider whether the Psalter is just a random collection of prayers and songs or whether there is some structure to it.  Having identified a five book structure, they start to delve into the focus of books one and two. 

For the next of our Bible book introductions, Paul and Laurence take a look at the smallest of Paul's letters, his letter to Philemon.  After clearing up the centuries old debate about how to pronounce his name, they proceed to explore why a personal letter about fixing a very personal relationship should be included in the scriptures.  They find that it is, in fact, an incredibly revealing case study into how being a Christian should change the way we view society and people around us.

The Bible Feed core team of Paul, Dan, Josh and Laurence get together to reflect on some serious, and some less serious, themes from 2022 and look forward to our plans for 2023.  We thank all our listeners for their support in 2022 and wish you all the best for 2023, may it see the full realisation of the kingdom of God in the earth.

In keeping with the season, Paul and Dan consider the concept of "the Son of God".  They consider examples of that phrase throughout the Bible, but concentrate on what it means for Jesus to be the only son of the Father. How can Jesus uniquely be called the Son of God?  Does calling him the Son of God make him Deity in any sense?  What is Jesus claiming when he says he is the Son of God?  All these questions and more are considered - including which are Paul and Dan's favourite carols!

We continue our introductions to the books of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, with Paul and Laurence covering the book of Leviticus.  This is maybe not the most appealing read, after all, what does how long you remain unclean if you touch a dead body, have to do with a Christian today?  But as Paul and Laurence scratch the surface they find that the careful structure of this book points to something, or rather someone, who is so much greater than the law (no prizes for guessing who!)

Dan introduces a new guest to the podcast, James Andrews, to consider the whole question of how we read the Old Testament in the light of Jesus.  Do we even need to pay it any attention now that Jesus has come?  They consider what it means for Jesus to fulfil the Old Testament and find that, when Jesus reads and applies the different parts of the Hebrew Bible, he shows us how to bring it to life in our lives as Christians today. 

Josh and Paul tackle the far-reaching concept of inspiration.  What does it mean for something to be the inspired word of God?  Is it possible to explain how that happens, and if we can't, what certainty can we have about divine authority behind the text of the Bible?  As they consider these questions it becomes clear how important it is to treat the text with respect and be responsible and humble in how we draw out our interpretations.   

Paul and Laurence pick up from where the previous episode left off with a look at the book of Exodus. They find it's a book that starts with a great story about how the Israelites escaped from Egypt. There's high action, drama, goodies and baddies... and then intricate detail about how to construct a large tent. Why is that included?  How does that fit into the overall narrative?  Listen in to hear Paul and Laurence's ideas on that!

We're hoping this new series turbocharges your Bible reading!  We're doing little introductions to different books of the Bible to give you a head start on how they are structured and what the main themes are to look out for.  And where better to start than Genesis?!  Dan and Laurence discuss the first book in the Bible and think about where it all began, but they also find some pointers on where it all might be heading!

We've invited Becky Lewis back for this discussion.  In past centuries, going to church was a deeply embedded part of how western society worked.  But today, with so much emphasis on personal faith and opportunity to do community activities outside church, is there any point in being part of a religious group and meeting with people?  Becky talks about three key reasons: Support, Diversity and Magnifying.  Listen in to see what she means by each of those! 

We're back!  After a break for a couple of months we're back with a new season of podcasts on the Bible and faith in the modern world.  To kick off a new series on Biblical themes, Dan and Paul look at 8 different ideas about the Kingdom of God.  They find that both Jesus' statements about it and the expectations of his audience were deeply rooted in the Old Testament, Hebrew scriptures.  This brings to life a tangible picture of what is involved but also something far greater and more universal than even the Jews expected!

Dan welcomes a new guest and author, Martha Sales, to talk about her zany novel, "The Enormous Tiny Experiment". In the story, aimed at 8 to 12 year olds, a somewhat idealistic professor creates a perfect mini world free from suffering - or so he thought. What could possibly go wrong when 21 tiny people are placed together in a wonderful environment without rules or regulations?! The conversation ranges from the New Atheists and questions about suffering to plate tectonics, go-karts and the universal existence of morality. Listen in to discover more about the book and Martha's approach to stimulating discussion on the important issues of life.

Laurence and Stephen conclude this 3 part series looking into aspects of early church history.  This time they explore how people became members of a church and the significance of sharing the bread and cup of wine to remember Jesus.  As in previous episodes, there are some similarities with churches today, but also some differences that are worth reflecting upon.

Paul and Dan investigate the many and varied Biblical images for the judgement.  They discuss whether we should think that any of those word-pictures and metaphors describe what will actually happen - or are they designed to teach us something else?  If you've ever experienced that moment of fear at the thought of trying to explain what you've done, listen in, as there are some encouraging messages of comfort hidden away in this topic!

Paul chats to Mark Vincent, the author of a small book with big ambitions, entitled Life's Biggest Questions.  They talk about how the book came about and step through some thoughts on those major questions - Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed?  The book is a highly accessible read (at only 140 pages), so enjoy the conversation with Mark and we hope you'll enjoy reading the book as well!

Laurence and Stephen continue this mini-series on themes from early church history. This time they look at Jesus' prediction that Christians might be persecuted for believing in him and how that unfolded over the first few centuries of the church.  Stephen explains what led to two periods of persection - under Emperor Nero and the Great Persecution of Diocletian - and how the church emerged from them as a changed institution. Was that a good thing?  Listen in to find out!

Dan and Phil finish their conversation about the work of textual critics and what that can tell us about the New Testament that we read today.  They dive into some examples of accidental copying mistakes as well as more deliberate changes that a scribe might make when copying texts.  This is just a brief overview of a vast field of study and so Phil gives some really useful resources at the end that you can use if you want to explore further!

In this two-part episode Dan talks to Phil Evans about what the discipline of Textual Criticism can tell us about the New Testament that we read today.  Is it reliable? How strong is the evidence behind it?  Can we ever know how close it is to the original?  In this first part, Dan and Phil compare the manuscript evidence for the New Testament with the writings of other ancient, classical Greek and Latin authors.

Laurence introduces Stephen Blake for a new 3 part series on aspects of church history.  For this episode they look at the Christian practice of baptism from the early church, through the Middle Ages and beyond.  How and why does it change over time, and does it matter?  Listen in and tell us what you think!

Ever wondered what it was like to be part of one of the earliest Christian communities in the 1st century?  Follow along with Laurence and Paul's thought experiment as they attempt to place a 21st century consciousness into the body of a 1st century Christian!  They explore the where, when, what and how of a Christian gathering around 65AD and think about what we might recognise and what would feel different.  This starts to reveal which aspects of Christianity should be protected from change, and where we should be flexible, all in preparation for our forthcoming series on aspects of church history.

Dan and Paul discuss the biggest of big questions!  While some song lyrics spring to mind in the discussion, they find something more authoritative in the Bible, specifically in the little book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament.  At first reading the author of this book seems to be concluding that life is meaningless, but by exploring the key Hebrew word 'hevel' which is repeated over and over again, Paul and Dan find links into the broader Biblical narrative which lead (surprise!) to Jesus and his resurrection.  Enjoy! 

For our first episode in 2022, Paul and Dan close out our series on Revelation.  They discuss the final sequence of seven bowls and tie them in to the previous groups of seven seals and trumpets.  They then tackle the question of how God will intervene in human history - will it really be as warlike as the language sounds in Revelation?  Finally they close the series by exploring the wonderful imagery of the New Jerusalem and think about what that could mean in reality!

Laurence and Dan focus in on just one phrase: Jesus' statement that "I and the Father are one" in John 10v30.  They explore the context and the debate that Jesus was having with the people of his day. From this it becomes clear that the phrase shouldn't be a theological battleground but is part of an intensely profound and practical theme for the lives of believers in Jesus which weaves through all parts of the New Testament. We hope you enjoy our last episode for this year, thanks for listening, stay safe and we'll be back next year, God willing.

This episode continues our exploration of the book of Revelation. Paul and Dan consider the middle section - chapters 12-14 - the section with the weird and wonderful beasts!  By focusing on the characteristics of 3 symbolic creatures; the dragon, the beast of the sea and the beast of the earth, they uncover a subversive message for Christians in the 1st century but also relevant for any age of history.  And yes, they discuss the mark of the beast and the number 666 - finally!  

Laurence welcomes a new guest, Jeremy Pearce, for this episode to talk about practical ways of getting to know Jesus. Using the apostle Paul's experience as a template they discuss how to see Jesus as a real person even though we only have written accounts in the Gospels to work with.  But, just as we change when we know and love someone really well, knowing Jesus should change us too. Enjoy this conversation on a deeply personal and profound aspect of being a Christian in the modern world.

Paul and Dan get back to looking at the book of Revelation.  This is the fourth in the series now and they dive into the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets to unpick the pattern and try to imagine what messages the early Christians would have taken from it.  They find that the way the sequences of images are communicated continue to confound the expectations of the hearer.  But as they unfold, two powerful lessons for Christians of any age emerge - listen in, see if you can hear what a 1st century Christian might have heard!  

We're always encouraging people to read their Bibles and we often suggest starting with the Gospels.  Josh and Paul discuss what you're likely to come across if you're a new reader of the Bible, coming to the Gospels for the first time. What's the historical basis behind it all? How do you deal with all the miracles?  They consider ways to think about both what Jesus said and what he did, and what to look out for as unique and special in Jesus that is 'proclaiming the kingdom of God'. They finish up by thinking about how faith might develop from reading the Gospels.

Paul and Dan spend some time in this episode talking about hell. No doubt all sorts of terrifying images come to mind with that word!  By building it up gradually from the Biblical words Sheol, Hades and Gehenna they arrive at what seems to be a coherent picture. But it's also a hopeful picture which makes sense in the light of a moral God who has shown himself in the face of Jesus as full of grace and truth.  Listen in and tell us what you think!

This episode is something of a concept study - what or where is heaven?  From the musings of a small boy on a football pitch, through Genesis to Revelation with a couple of stops in between, Laurence and Paul explore what "heaven" meant to the Biblical writers.  The ideas that emerge seem much less about a physical location and much more about the presence of God and a relationship that ordinary people (on earth) can have with him through Jesus.  Enjoy listening, and we'd love you to get in touch to tell us how you'd explain the concept of heaven!

There's no denying that most of us are affected by stress and anxiety at some point. In this episode Dan chats with Professor Anna Whittaker who studies the interaction between psychological factors, stress, and physical health in her research. They talk about the times Jesus touched on anxiety in his teaching and how he invites everyone to come to him to find rest and peace of mind. He knows from experience of course, because, as Anna and Dan explore, he endured acute times of stress himself. Listen in to find out more.

We invited Tom Gaston back onto the show to answer your questions on Unitarianism and the Trinity.  The writer and editor of ‘One God, the Father, a defence of Biblical Monotheism' gives us his thoughts on the opening of John 1, the influence of Justin Martyr, the virgin birth and why any of this should matter to Christians.  Listen and enjoy!

Paul and Dan move on from scribbling diagrams of the structure of the whole book and get into some of the detail of the first few chapters.  They find that, right from the start, the word-pictures that John presents come straight from the Old Testament.  As they move into chapters 2 and 3 they discover the difficulties facing some of the early church communities and it all seems quite familiar and down to earth. But suddenly with chapter 4 the perspective changes with a view of a throne in heaven.  The rest of the episode is Paul and Dan reflecting on how the church's down-to-earth experience and the view from heaven might come together.

Laurence and Dan wrap up our series on the Gospel of Matthew.  There's so much that could be said about the record of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, but they focus the discussion on just one phrase that Jesus said on the cross: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"  It's a heart wrenching moment, but what we think he meant is guided by who we think Jesus is.  Join Dan and Laurence on their exploration of these words, from the Psalms, to the reflections of the Apostle Paul, through to the conclusion of Matthew's Gospel with the glory of the resurrection.  

For this second episode on the book of Revelation, Paul and Dan get their paper and pencils out and attempt to draw a diagram on a single sheet of paper that represents the whole book!  They pick out the markers in the text that open and close the main sections, the sort of audio cues that an original audience might have picked up on.  They then start to explore how the structure could be drawing out some of the key points the book is communicating.  Check out our show notes to see our drawings and a short explainer video which explains the structure in a little more detail. 

Dan and Laurence get to the heart of the matter in episode 5 of our series on Matthew's Gospel.  They set out to answer the question: "Who is Jesus?" by focusing on Matthew 16, where the disciple Peter declares what he thinks.  In the space of just a few verses, four different phrases to describe Jesus emerge and they explore the meaning of each of them in turn.  Join Dan and Laurence as they put the pieces together to arrive at a full answer to "Who is Jesus?" 

Our first anniversary seems like a good time to start a new series!  Paul and Dan are tackling the Book of Revelation together.  It's mysterious and confusing, but Paul and Dan start by putting it in its place in the Biblical story - right at the transition from the Apostles to the next generation who are taking the early churches forward into ... whatever comes next!  They lay the foundations by establishing what kind of book it is and defining an approach which aims to hear the text as it would have been heard by the churches of Asia to whom it was first read.  Join us in listening to the message of this amazing piece of literature!

A bit of a change of focus for this episode as Josh talks to Kat about an aspect of faith in the modern world, faith in real life situations, in the here and now. They reflect on what it means to be a believer as part of a community, and specifically, their experience of how believing communities adapted to the pandemic and what they may have learned as we head into a 'new normal'.   

Laurence and Dan pick up where they left off in Matthew's Gospel by exploring why Matthew uses the phrase: "the Kingdom of Heaven" so often.  When Jesus says "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"  what kind of kingdom is he talking about? Is heaven a location or something else?  Dan and Laurence discover that the kingdom concept is deeply rooted in the message of Israel's ancient prophets while also carrying a timeless call to action.  Intrigued?  Listen on... a slightly longer episode than usual, but hey... it's about the Kingdom of Heaven!!

What is a soul?  Can it be destroyed?  Where does it come from and where does it go?  In this episode Laurence and Paul get underneath the biblical meaning of 'soul' and they find that the Hebrew and Greek words for soul reveal something quite unexpected.  Oh and there may be a few musical references...

Paul and Dan take another look into how the Bible narrative and the prophets intersect with history, this time focusing on the city of Tyre.  Starting with a historical source that every Bible student should be familiar with, Asterix the Gaul, they take a deeper look at a short passage about the island fortress from the prophet Ezekiel.  By exploring what actually happened to Tyre, Dan and Paul tease out how the language of the prophets can be read and understood.  They close by thinking about the role that Tyre plays in the narrative and highlight how that is relevant to faithful Christians today.