Bible in a Year (The Story) Podcast
Bible in a Year (The Story) podcast features Professor Rachel Bodell, a marketing storyteller who teaches marketing, innovation, and leadership at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA University). She will not only read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation in one year, but she will share all the resources that have helped her to understand the Bible as one unfolding connected story along the way through short commentaries and reflections from biblical scholars, most of which read original biblical languages like Hebrew and Greek (e.g., Dr. Tim Mackie, N.T. Wright, Dr. Carmen Imes, Dr. Jeannine Hanger, Dr. James Petitfils, Kristi Mclelland, Dr. John Walton, Dr. Michael Heiser, and Dr. Lucy, Peppiatt) By 2024, we hope to additionally offer special episodes from the renowned Bible scholars themselves that will help you understand the context of hard-to-understand stories within the meta-narrative of the Bible. We want to help you not only listen but hear what God is saying through the Bible every year and grow in your understanding, practice, and re-telling of the story to others as you learn more about how all the pieces of the Bible fit together to tell the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD with a God that is inviting us to participate in the story as it is unfolding today! Each episode is about 15 minutes and includes two to three scripture readings and a short commentary and reflection with suggested biblical scholar sources (e.g. The Bible Project and Premiere Insights) for this is our prayer ”that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:9-11). Some passages of the Bible and commentary reflections contain adult themes that may not be suitable for younger children - parental discretion is advised. Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
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Episodes
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Today we read Genesis 7 through 9 and Psalms 1. In this story, God washes the Earth clean of humanity's evil that we’ve been hearing the escalation of since Genesis 3, but God commissions Noah and His family to preserve what God ordered and intended for creation. While God repeats the divine blessing and commission to Noah and His family that God gave to Adam and Eve, they fail too. Yet, God continues His relationship with His people. His rescue mission is still moving forward. An important note on interpretation, practitioners and scholars interpret the flood story differently because they use different methods to understand what scripture is saying. The best contrast example I can think of is between Ken Ham’s interpretation of the flood and Dr. Tremper Longman III and Dr. John Walton interpretation of the flood. Ken Ham offers a Christian science perspective and he is the founder and CEO of the Creation Museum, Ark Experience and developed the Ask Genesis Organization. His point of view is quite different from Old Testament theologians Dr. Tremper Longman III and Dr. John Walton who offer a biblical scholarship perspective which can be found in their book The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate. While some of the main things remain the main things between these different point of view, it's interesting to reflect on the differences and the reasons why.
Resource:
Dr. Tremper Longman III and Dr. John Walton who wrote the book The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate. They both have educational lectures on this topic in Seminary Now, https://seminarynow.com/ .
Ken Ham, Ask Genesis, https://answersingenesis.org/
Dr. Tim Mackie, the Bible Project, Genesis
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Today we read Genesis 5-6 and Psalms 136. We tragically learn about the escalation of dislocation from God and the Garden of Eden as violence and vengefulness continue and polygamy is first and officially noted by Lamech who is proud of the fact that he is more violent and vengeful than Cain, who murdered his own brother. We are then introduced to the "Sons of God," which were either evil angels or kings who claim divine descent, these "Sons of God" took as many wives as they wanted and create the Nephilim or warriors of old; whichever view is right, the people are building kingdoms that fill God’s world with more violence and more corruption. In response, God grieves because the people He created and shared His power with for creation care and name bearing are pulling further and further away from Him.
Resources:
Dr. Tim Mackie and The Bible Project, Understanding the Book of Genesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQI72THyO5I
Dr. Michael Heiser and his book The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Today we read Genesis 3-4 and Psalms 104. This part of the story is heart-wrenching for God, for us, and for all of creation. This part of the story is sometimes referred to as "the fall" and sometimes people inadvertently consider this God's new order, when it is the farthest thing from what God ordered. It is the characterization of humans choosing to pull away from God and toward our own way which leads us into chaos and disorder. Yet, God offers hope and a hint of His rescue plan is embedded in Genesis 3:15.
Resources:
Dr. Tim Mackie (co-founder of the Bible Project) and The Satan and Demons (Bible Project video); https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/satan-demons/
Dr. John Walton and his book The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
Today we read Genesis 2 where God created a special place - the Garden of Eden. Here, God appointed Adam and Eve into a special relationship with Him where He walks and talks with them. Adam is "Ish," Hebrew for physical strength and he is called to work and care for creation and to name the animals. Eve is "Isha", Hebrew for physical reflection and less strong yet she is called by God to be Adam's Ezer, Hebrew for rescuer, warrior, or protector. This word was only ever used to describe God or Israel in support of His people. A "helper" was someone with the power to aid the person in need of help. So cool! Men and women have unique patterned gifts to interdependently lead and serve in God's Kingdom. In this special place and special relationship with God, He offers eternal life with the Tree of Life and moral accountability. Here God also gives one rule, do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. In Genesis 2, it is the first time we here Adam speak and he speaks vows to God and Eve, they become "one flesh."
Resources:
Dr. Carmen Imes (2022). Helper: You Keep Using That Word for Women. But it doesn’t mean what you think it means. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/august-web-only/womens-rights-leadership-old-testament-using-word-helper.html
Dr. Tim Mackie and The Bible Project, https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/adam-noah/
Dr. John Walton and his book The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate
Dr. N.T. Wright, The Book of Genesis, The Beginning of the Beginnings
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Saturday Jan 07, 2023
Saturday Jan 07, 2023
In the beginning . . . .Today we read Genesis 1 and Psalms 19. This is the story of how God can create something that we like to refer to as nature out of nothing AND how God can supernaturally call nature to respond to His voice to establish order. It's the story of a God of order, not chaos, and a God that chose to share a portion of His power and authority with humanity to rule, fill and subdue the earth. It's the story of whose we are - we belong to and with God - and the story of our purpose for what Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins describe as work, leisure, and love and God's desire to bless us with provisions and future generations. Note, the purpose is not the pursuit of profit or the blessing but to work, love, and soon we'll learn it is to rest in relationship with God in Genesis 2.
Resources:
Dr. Tim Mackie and The Bible Project, Bible Project Visual Commentary of Genesis 1
Dr. John Walton and his book The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate
Dr. Michael Heiser and his book The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Friday Jan 06, 2023
The Bible can be hard to understand and you may have noticed that different people have different methods of reading the Bible which lead to different interpretations. Let's talk about "why" and some of the clues and keys to empower you to think about how and why you interpret the Bible the way you do and we will share how we will approach reading the Bible and offer short explainers based on secondary sources using the exegetical methods and hermeneutical principles like reading out of the Bible in a connected ordered way to understand it as a unified story about God! As Dr. John Walton and Dr. Tim Mackie write and say, the Bible was written for us, not for us, and that gives us insight into how we are to learn and grow in our understanding of Scripture.
Sources:
Scot McKnight, Blue-Parakeet: Rethinking How to Read the Bible: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Parakeet-2nd-Rethinking-Bible/dp/0310538920
Dr. John Walton Biblical Commentaries: https://bestcommentaries.com/author/john-h-walton/
Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/
Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/
Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com/
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Ever wonder what the Bible is, how it came to be and why it's so special? Here is a great starter episode to briefly explain what the Bible is all about. It is the greatest story ever told and it's a story that is still unfolding today.
Sources:
Dr. Tim Mackie co-founder of the Bible Project https://bibleproject.com/ interview with Austin on Gospel Simplicity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6HmN3RZ8J0
Dr. N.T. Wright interview with J. John (Reverend Canon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnCJRnDFaU0
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926
Dr. Tremper Longman, Old Testament Essentials, Seminary Now: https://seminarynow.com
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.