In this reissue of The Bible for Normal People episode 56, Pete gets to the heart of the somber book of Ecclesiastes. He cautions against an optimistic reading as the author intends to question everything, even God; and explains why Ecclesiastes is his favorite book of the Bible. This episode originally aired in June of 2018.

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with lawyer, lecturer, and author James Kimmel, Jr. about our primal desire for revenge against the people we feel have wronged us. James shares the science behind the belief that revenge is an addiction tied to gratification, and offers alternative strategies to break the revenge cycle and move towards a forgiveness-oriented approach to living.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Elizabeth Shively show some love to the shortest gospel and tell us why it shouldn’t be underestimated when it comes to understanding the Messiah. Walking through the book’s literary framing of apocalypse, suffering, and discipleship, Elizabeth presents Mark’s gospel as an invitation to get to know the human Jesus.

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Drew G. I. Hart and Jarrod McKenna to talk about rethinking power and nonviolence. Through practices inspired by Anabaptism, the Black church, and the teachings of Jesus, Drew and Jarrod explore how Christians can contribute to social change through their own nonviolent resistance as individuals and communities.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Nerd-in-Residence Cynthia are joined by Bill Schniedewind to discuss who really wrote the Bible. Bill explains how different scribal communities each left their own mark on the texts they were writing, and how the diversity of the Bible’s human authors reflects the beauty and richness of the text itself.

In this reissue of The Bible for Normal People episode 36, Pete works through some big-picture issues that help us see what Proverbs is all about, such as the complexities of wisdom, the nature of folly, and how this ancient text is supposed to help us navigate life in the present day. This episode originally aired as “7 Things You Need to Know about How the Book of Proverbs Works” in February 2018.

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Jared and Jennifer Garcia Bashaw sit down with Mariko Clark to explore how adults can help kids encounter the Bible in ways that move beyond rigid rules and binaries. Together they discuss practices that cultivate curiosity, imagination, and a more expansive vision of God and faith.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete is joined by our Nerds-in-Residence to tackle some of your biggest questions about the Old Testament. They discuss contradictions in Ecclesiastes, the influence of ancient Near Eastern literature, the meaning and function of sacrifice, and the formation of the Hebrew Bible.

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Zach Lambert to talk about the journey from biblical literalism to a more liberative approach to scripture. They explore four harmful interpretive lenses—literalism, apocalypse, hierarchy, and moralism—and offer four healthier alternatives focused on Jesus, context, flourishing, and fruitfulness.

The book of Revelation is just plain weird. In this reissue of episode 180 of The Bible for Normal People, Rev. Dr. Brian K. Blount joins Pete and Jared to discuss how to read and understand the book of Revelation.

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete takes a deep dive into the Psalms—who really wrote them, how they were edited, and why they’ve endured for thousands of years. He explores how these ancient prayers reflect the full range of human experience with God—raw lament, joyful praise, and everything in between.

In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with David P. Gushee about what it means to take seriously the moral teachings of Jesus. They dig into how Jesus’s teachings are anchored in cultural context, yet still speak to real-life questions about freedom, forgiveness, status, and what it looks like to live well and love others.