A common refrain in many Christian spaces today is the call to pursue a “biblical marriage.” But what if that phrase tells us more about modern culture wars than it does about the ancient world? In this class, Dr. Jennifer Bird draws on her extensive research to reframe four passages most often used to define “biblical marriage.” This class invites a more historically grounded, theologically responsible conversation about marriage and human flourishing—helping us reframe how we approach the Bible for guidance today.

David is the hero of the Hebrew Bible: the great warrior, the great poet, the king against whom all others are measured, the “man after God’s own heart.”

From Goliath to the Psalms, David’s name and story have inspired generations, and continue to be deeply embedded in modern culture. Even his failings are held up as proof of his humanity: after all, what is a hero without a tragic flaw (or two)?

But how much of this story is true? What can we know about David, and how, at a distance of three thousand years, can we know it?

Questions about why God does what God does have baffled readers of the Bible since forever, especially when it comes to the book of Genesis. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong questions? What if Genesis isn’t giving us unchanging information about what God is actually doing or thinking, but instead doing something completely different?

In this class, Pete Enns will guide us through why Genesis was actually written—and how understanding the “why” will help us to ask better questions of the text.

For many Christians, the Bible has long been treated as a moral instruction manual—offering clear, timeless, universal rules for right and wrong. But what happens when the text doesn’t behave like a rule book? When it contradicts itself, feels outdated, or refuses to give us the clarity we crave?

Shaped by Suffering: How Trauma Impacts the Bible and Its Readers with Alexiana Fry explores how trauma-informed interpretation reshapes our understanding of Scripture, from the wounds of war and exile to the grief we carry as modern readers. This class offers tools for reading the Bible with greater empathy, honesty, and awareness.

The Bible has too often been used as a weapon to subjugate women, justify racism, harm LGBTQ+ people, and cover up abuse. In Anti-Apologetics 101: Better Ways to Read the Bible, Zach W. Lambert offers a more Christlike, justice-centered approach to Scripture that leads to healing and liberation instead of harm.

Why is Christianity in the United States so deeply entangled with white Christian nationalism, political extremism, and racism today? Led by Dr. Jemar Tisby, this class will confront hard truths about how race and power shaped Christianity in the United States and how we can come together to imagine a better path forward.

Curious about who really wrote the Bible? This class with Dr. Aaron Higashi probably won’t give a final answer—but it will give you the tools to understand how scholars approach the question. If you want to think more deeply and critically about biblical authorship, this is the class for you.

In this class, historical critical Bible scholars Dan McClellan and Pete Enns invite you into a different kind of conversation about the Bible—one that’s honest, curious, and unafraid to wrestle with tough questions. They’ll share key realizations—their aha! moments—that shifted their entire perspective, not just on how to read the Bible, but on what the Bible even is.

How do stories told by and about Jesus help us ask the right questions about the issues fracturing society today? Are the Gospels even valuable to people who don’t believe in G-d, miracles, or final judgement? AJ Levine explains how Jesus’ parables, healings, instructions, and debates help readers navigate both community responsibility and personal ethics on topics such as health care, economics, ethnicity, slavery’s legacy, and family values.

Digging Up Dirt on Joshua: Historical Conquest or Fan Fiction?. Is the book of Joshua an accurate historical rundown, a tall theological tale, or something in between? Join archaeologist and Hebrew Bible scholar Dr. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott as she digs into how Joshua fits into the big-picture Bible narrative and tackle big ethical and theological questions about divine warfare, land possession, and how these texts have been used—and misused—in modern times.

Blood and Belief: Exploring the Biblical Texts of Terror. The Bible features both explicit and subtle depictions of violence, join scholars Caroline Blyth and Emily Colgan as they examine how these “texts of terror” reveal enduring lessons that help us understand and confront contemporary violence in its various forms.

Where do our views on authority, tradition, ethics, and identity even come from—and how do these views influence the way we interpret the Bible? Together we’ll explore how these cultural shifts continue to impact our understanding of ancient texts and examine how the forces of our time shape the faith we practice today.

A Manger Misunderstanding: Exploring Luke’s Narrative of Jesus’s Birth. Pete Enns dives into the 1st-century Jewish world of Jesus’s birth, unraveling the surprising depth and meaning often lost in popular depictions of the nativity story.

Get a Grip on the New Testament: Three classes taught by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw exploring the context of the New Testament, the Gospels, and the Epistles.

In this one-night class, Dr. Brandon W. Hawk will define what “apocrypha” are and why they matter for understanding the Bible as well as the histories of Judaism and Christianity.

Go To Hell?: Alternatives to Eternal Damnation. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles teaches on the history, language, and “meaning” of hell, what the Bible says about hell, the implications of hell on God’s character and morality, and how the concept of hell intertwines with the desire for justice.

Restoring All Things: Biblical Roots of Christian Universalism. Bradley Jersak teaches on the theology of “ultimate redemption” keeping in mind the biblical text and ancient context while remaining accessible to everyday people.

For some readers, the idea that the Bible is composed of varied, distinct, and even contradictory voices is not only controversial but incompatible with taking the Bible seriously. However, in this class Dr. Pete Enns argues that multivocality is a central component of the Biblical text. The multiplicity of voices, even those that are in direct opposition to one another, is by design. This multivocality is at the heart of the Bible. Join Dr. Enns as he examines why the Bible has multiple voices as well as how these voices shape how we understand and view the text.

For some readers, the idea that the Bible is composed of varied, distinct, and even contradictory voices is not only controversial but incompatible with taking the Bible seriously. However, in this class Dr. Pete Enns argues that multivocality is a central component of the Biblical text. The multiplicity of voices, even those that are in direct opposition to one another, is by design. This multivocality is at the heart of the Bible. Join Dr. Enns as he examines why the Bible has multiple voices as well as how these voices shape how we understand and view the text.