As you’ve probably heard, we’re moving to our bi-weekly podcast schedule for the summer. Just in case you’ll miss us, here are the super-scientific, very official results for our top ten episodes of all time. These were compiled from community responses on a recent Facebook poll and along with total downloads. With no further adieu, we present to you your top ten B4NP episodes.
Might we add, you have great taste.
1. Episode 90: Richard Rohr – The (Biblical) Universal Christ
Pete and Jared talk with Richard Rohr about the (biblical) universal Christ and how this concept of Christ can expand our understanding of ourselves, the world, and God.
2. Episode 50: Rob Bell – What is the Bible?
Jared & Pete talk with Rob Bell about his book, “What is the Bible” and his own evolution in his thinking about the Bible.
3. Episode 55: Rachel Held Evans – Unraveling and Re-Raveling the Bible
Jared and Pete talk to Rachel Held Evans on wrestling with doubt, how women are portrayed in the Bible and loving the scriptures even through personal doubt and deconstruction.
4. Episode 134: Ilia Delio – Grounding God in Evolution
Pete and Jared discuss the intersection of faith and science with scientist and theologian Ilia Delio. They get into why these two subjects have historically been at odds and why it holds us back to continue believing they actually are.
5. Episode 78: Pete Ruins Exodus
There’s a lot more going on in the book of Exodus than what you’ve seen on the big screen or heard in church. More than a story of deliverance, Exodus is a subtle literary creation that contains many surprises when we read it closely. Join Pete here for Part 1 of this series where he looks at some big picture issues (like “did it happen?”) before walking us through the themes of chapters 1 and 2.
6. Episode 71: Brad Jersak – The Bible and Orthodox Faith
Jared & Pete talk to Brad Jersak about how Orthodoxy views the Bible, and some other things, and how those differ from Evangelicalism.
7. Episode 8: Kent Sparks – Where Did the Israelites Come From?
Pete & Jared discuss the mystery of Israel’s origins with Kent Sparks, Professor of Biblical Studies and Provost at Eastern University. The exodus and conquest of Canaan (Exodus through Joshua) are central to Israel’s identity, and are certainly informed by old traditions and authentic historical memory—but they not historical accounts in the modern sense.
8. Episode 87: Robert Alter – The Art of Translating the Bible
Robert Alter, Ph.D. has spent most of his life committed to studying the Bible and the last two decades creating an entirely new translation of the Old Testament. Pete and Jared talk about some of the insights he has gained from seeing the Bible as a literary masterpiece.
9. Episode 19: Megan DeFranza – The Bible and Intersex Believers
Pete and Jared talk with theologian Megan DeFranza (actually, Megan educates Pete and Jared) on a topic that affects deeply the lives of many, but that few Christians even know is a topic. And Megan might surprise you about what the Bible and church history have to say about it.
10. Episode 137: James Kugel – Challenging Our Assumptions About the Bible
Ancient interpreters made all sort of assumptions about the Bible much like we do today. What do their assumptions tell us about how to interpret the Bible today? James Kugel breaks down the function of the Bible throughout history and how it has changed from antiquity to today.
