No Experts Allowed

Exodus 23:10-13

Jonathan and Seth welcome their longtime friend, Jared Lorraine, to the podcast. We discuss how the Sabbath disconnects what people produce from their value and how rest relates to equity and justice.

Our discussion briefly comments on the book Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann, which is available from an independent bookseller here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780664263294

Numbers 27:12-14

Just after this short section, Joshua is appointed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land instead of Moses. Jonathan and Seth talk about preparing for one's successors and having bifocal-like vision that sees both immediate and long-term goals.

Matthew 19:23-30

When we hear Jesus say, "it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom," we may be stunned like his disciples. Many interpreters try to make this message more palatable, but it is clear that the disciples have given up everything to follow him. Jonathan and Seth discuss what it looks like to take Jesus' admonition to heart today and how difficult that is.

Matthew 6:7-15

The Lord's Prayer comprises one of the most well-known portions of scripture but is often recited verbatim rather than functioning as a model prayer. Jonathan and Seth explore how prayer reorients us from ourselves back to God and how reading various translations helps us see familiar passages in new ways.

Exodus 11:1-10

We discuss God's command to Moses to warn Pharoah about the final plague. But only Pharoah wants the Israelites to stay; even Pharoah's servants respect Moses. This leads us to a discussion about confronting injustice when those in power are unwilling to act.

Jeremiah 15:10-14

Jeremiah pleads for the widows, orphans, and aliens that have been trampled on by Israelite society. In our first episode with guests, our wives, Abby and Patty, talk about how they've seen people in already precarious positions held down and held back.

Ezekiel 36:33-38

Ezekiel proclaims a vision of renewed gardens and rebuilt cities. God does not throw away what seems desolate and forlorn but will transform it. That theme leads to a discussion about the prison industrial complex, recidivism, and the need for a system that takes seriously the reforming capacity of people.

Isaiah 56:1–6

Isaiah proclaims that all will be part of God's people; foreigners are invited to join in praise. Jonathan and Seth discuss how churches both intentionally and accidentally exclude others. We also discuss chicken sandwiches.

Matthew 16:1-4

Jesus chides the religious leaders' ability to predict the weather, but not understand the miracles happening in front of them. He continues by pointing to a rather cryptic "sign of Jonah." Seth and Jonathan discuss how churches can interpret the signs of the times.

Genesis 31:1-21

Tired of his father-in-law's treatment, Jacob flees Laban. But in the story, Rachel and Leah are relatively quiet, passive characters. Jonathan and Seth discuss how the Bible (and all texts) reinforce one perspective to the exclusion of others and how we can elevate those who whisper in the text.