What does it mean for the Bible to be authoritative? In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Cameron B. R. Howard joins Pete and Jared to discuss how tradition has impacted the idea of authority of the biblical text, and how reading the Bible as a collection of multi-vocal testimonies can inspire a new outlook on its authority.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Josh James to embark on an adventure through the Book of Psalms, unpacking the biblical scholarship surrounding this beloved, strange, ancient collection of poetry we so often take at face value—missing the true diversity in authorship and message.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Sam Boyd joins Pete and Jared to uncover the misconceptions which are often read into the Tower of Babel story and get to the heart of the political and cultural implications of the narrative.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared consider how elevating the Bible to a special status can cheapen our experience of reading it as a multi-vocal anthology of literature.

Aaron Koller joins Pete and Jared in this episode of The Bible for Normal People to explore the book of Esther, discussing scholarly opinions of its historical accuracy, major themes within the narrative, challenges to current Jewish beliefs, and how the story interacts with Purim.

Hold onto your communion wafers, folks! In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Meredith J. C. Warren guides Pete and Jared through eight weird verses in John 6:51-58, exploring whether or not the passage refers to the Eucharist, and how Hellenistic hero literature could have influenced John’s storytelling arc.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, our beloved book ruiner Pete brings the gavel down on Judges, examining the historical and literary context of the book and revealing the driving force of the narrative: Israel needs a king.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with David Lambert about how scholars define “scripture,” how communities throughout history have changed the meaning and nature of biblical texts, and whether or not the Bible can ever be universally understood as scripture.

We’re back for the seventh season of The Bible for Normal People and we’re kicking things off with Beth Allison Barr! In this episode, Beth joins Pete and Jared to talk about the historical and cultural development of biblical womanhood in white American evangelicalism and how she has navigated the backlash against her bestselling book The Making of Biblical Womanhood.

We’re bringing a little bah and a little humbug to the Christmas pageant in this episode of The Bible for Normal People as Pete and Jared do their very best to ruin Christmas! Find out what Christmas means to them, whether Jesus really is the reason for the season, and how your Nativity set is probably lying to you.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Joel Marcus breaks down the history and intricacies of how, when, and why the Christian religion broke away from Judaism, and how that turn toward independence shaped the New Testament.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People Podcast, Pete and Jared talk with Emilie Townes about womanist ethics, interpreting the Bible, and hope.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete ruins the book of Joshua and evangelical home décor in one fell swoop by examining the historicity of the conquest narrative and the theological consequences of a warrior God who condones violence.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Meredith Riedel gives an overview of Byzantine Christianity—what it is, when it happened, how it evolved, and why Western Christians should care about it.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Daniel Kirk joins Pete and Jared to explain the major themes in the book of Romans, why the Romans Road view of salvation is insufficient, and how a focus on God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ shaped Paul's vision of harmony between Jews and Gentiles.

Happy Halloween! Pete and Jared embrace spooky season in this episode of The Bible for Normal People as Gregory Mobley discusses the biblical roots, origin stories, and cultural myths surrounding the Satan figure.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared explains the philosophical concept of deconstruction, where it came from, and three misconceptions about deconstruction as related to the Bible.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Jewish New Testament scholar Pamela Eisenbaum to talk about the many misunderstandings surrounding Paul, one of the most complicated figures of the New Testament, and the lens through which he viewed the concept of salvation.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared reflect on all the ruining they’ve been doing, what it means for how we read and connect with the Bible going forward, and how they’ve been personally affected by an evolving view of Scripture.

Are the stories written about the biblical character David fact or fiction? Find out in this episode of The Bible for Normal People as Jared, Pete, and professor Joel Baden pull back the curtain to reveal how stories about the infamous King David were spun to make him out as a hero.