The Bible for Normal People podcast is set to launch March 20.

“A podcast? Really? Way to go, Einstein. Way to get in on the ground floor of a new trend.” <sarcasm>

But really, why a podcast?

For 30 years, answering 2 questions (if only provisionally) have been central for me for how I come to terms with my Christian faith:

What is the Bible and what do I do with it?

Those questions do not yield soft and easy answers, and they lurk behind virtually everything I write and speak on.

My team of therapists assures me that these questions are not just my private problem. Simplistic and erroneous approaches to the Bible affect faith in emotionally damaging ways. Too many have corrupt notions about the nature of Christian faith because of what they were taught about what the Bible is and how it works. The Bible, ironically, hinders faith if handled poorly. 

We want a podcast to have “serious conversations about the sacred book for a life of faith.”

My co-host Jared Byas and I will be dialoguing with our guests to see how they approach those big questions about the Bible, letting them riff on specific topics that they’ve thought about deeply and at great length.

As I write this we have already recorded 13 episodes. We’ve had some great conversations with scarey-smart (but warm and cuddly) scholars and on-the-ground practitioners, nerds and normal people, women, men, theologically edgy, theologically less edgy, Jews, Roman Catholics, Protestants. We intend to feature a spectrum of perspectives from those genuinely exploring their faith and who have things to share with us from their journey.

The topics we’re hitting almost roll off the tongue, because they keep coming up and they’re not going anywhere.

• Did what the Bible say happened actually happen, and what difference does it make?
• What about the Bible and evolution?
• Why are there contradictions in the Bible and what do we do with them?
• When was the Bible written and who cares anyway?
• What’s with all the violence in the Bible?
• What do we do with the diversity of the Bible, especially between the Old and New Testaments?
• What can Christians learn from Jews about what the Bible is and how to read it?
• What do we teach our children that supports them but without lying to them?

A new episode will be available for download from iTunes by Monday morning every two weeks beginning March 20.

I hope you join us!