The Bible For Normal People

Peter Enns and Jared Byas
  • 4.7 (3.3K)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Biweekly

A weekly podcast talk show having serious talks about the sacred book. Hosted by Peter Enns and Jared Byas.

  1. 2d ago

    [Bible] Episode 341: Archie Wright - Who The Devil Is Satan?

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with biblical scholar Archie Wright about the development of the devil and how Jewish and Christian understandings of Satan have evolved over time. They explore why Satan does not appear in the Garden of Eden story as commonly assumed, how ancient Jewish texts like 1 Enoch helped shape ideas about evil spirits, and how later Christian traditions transformed Satan into the figure familiar today. Together, they invite listeners to reconsider familiar assumptions about the Bible, explore the historical development of theological ideas, and approach Scripture with fresh eyes by tracing traditions back to their earliest sources. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-341-archie-wright-who-the-devil-is-satan Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/gkWUkdNunUA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  2. Oct 12

    [Bible] Episode 340: Pete Ruins Everything with Bill Schniedewind

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with biblical scholar Bill Schniedewind about where God is located in the Hebrew Bible and how different understandings of divine presence developed throughout ancient Israelite religion. They explore the archaeological and biblical evidence surrounding temples, sacred spaces, the Ark of the Covenant, and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem, challenging the idea that Israelite religion followed a simple progression toward one centralized system. Together, they consider the Bible’s competing visions of God’s presence, the tensions surrounding political and religious authority, and how those unresolved tensions reflect the complexity of both Scripture and the human search for God. Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-340-pete-ruins-everything-with-bill-schniedewind Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/Qb1pkjRH42Q Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  3. Oct 5

    [Bible] Episode 339: Mark Goodacre - Did The Gospels Copy Each Other?

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Mark Goodacre about the synoptic problem and what the striking similarities and differences between Matthew, Mark, and Luke reveal about how the Gospels were written. They explore why scholars think Matthew and Luke used Mark, the debate over the hypothetical source Q, and the evidence that Luke may have known Matthew. Together, they consider how Gospel writers intentionally revised and reshaped earlier accounts, what those disagreements reveal about the development of early Christian theology, and how recognizing these differences can change the way readers understand Scripture as a whole. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-339-mark-goodacre-did-the-gospels-copy-each-other Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/kNpVD6o32Vk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  4. Sep 28

    [Bible] Episode 338: The Brian Recker and Tamice Spencer-Helms Takeover

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Brian Recker and Tamice Spencer-Helms celebrate the podcast’s 10th anniversary by talking with Pete Enns and Jared Byas about how their relationships with the Bible, faith, and certainty have evolved over the past decade. They reflect on the costs of questioning evangelicalism, the ways The Bible for Normal People has helped people hold onto a love for Scripture while letting go of rigid interpretations, and how lived experiences from people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have expanded their understanding of what it means to read the Bible. Together, they explore Scripture as a “means of grace,” the freedom of admitting what they don’t know, and the possibility of having conviction without certainty.  Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-338-the-brian-recker-and-tamice-spencer-helms-takeover Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/gaZtio1Ue2I Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  5. Sep 21

    [Bible] Episode 337: James Barker - Writing and Rewriting the Gospels

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with James about how the Gospels were written, how Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John relate to one another, and what ancient writing practices can teach us about the formation of the New Testament. They explore why the Gospel writers may have intentionally adapted and reshaped earlier accounts, how John builds on the Synoptic Gospels, and how Paul’s theology may have influenced the Gospel writers in surprising ways. Together, they invite listeners to let each Gospel speak in its own distinct voice, reconsider assumptions about how the Bible was written, and appreciate the deeply human process through which these texts took shape. Show Notes → ⁠thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-337-james-barker-writing-and-rewriting-the-gospels⁠ Watch this episode on YouTube → ⁠https://youtu.be/zyw59hapKHA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  6. Sep 14

    [Faith] Episode 74: Grace Hamman - A Medieval Mystic’s Vision of God’s Love

    In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with writer and scholar Grace Hamman about Julian of Norwich, her mystical visions, and her radically intimate understanding of God’s love. They explore Julian’s depiction of Jesus as a mother, her approach to suffering and hope in the aftermath of the Black Death, and her insistence that “all shall be well” is not a simplistic promise that everything will turn out fine, but a hard-won hope in the midst of suffering. They also consider what Julian’s example can teach those navigating deconstruction, questions of authority, and the tension between personal spiritual experience and institutional tradition, inviting listeners to embrace a more nuanced way of engaging faith, Scripture, and the wisdom of the past. Show Notes →https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-74-grace-hamman-a-medieval-mystics-vision-of-gods-love Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/hM_gyj-r-UM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  7. Sep 7

    [Bible] Episode 336: Pete Enns - Pete Ruins Everything on Lamentations

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete explores the book of Lamentations and what it can teach us about faith in the midst of suffering. He examines the book’s historical setting in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction, its raw and unsettling portrayals of grief, anger, and God’s apparent absence, and the ways its carefully structured poetry gives shape to experiences of trauma and loss. He also considers how Lamentations challenges modern Christian assumptions that faith requires certainty, optimism, or resolution. Together, these themes invite listeners to see lament not as a failure of faith, but as a deeply faithful way of remaining in relationship with God when life falls apart. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-336-pete-ruins-everything-on-lamentations-with-pete-enns  Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/LC-OVkFKdLM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  8. Aug 24

    [Bible] Episode 335: Phillip Lasater - The Self & Personal Agency in the Hebrew Bible

    In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Phillip Lasater about how ancient Israelite and Jewish writers understood the self, personal agency, emotion, and human flourishing in ways that can be very different from modern assumptions. They explore how concepts like fear, the heart, and individuality function in the Hebrew Bible, how texts such as Ruth and Genesis 22 invite readers to engage the interior lives of biblical characters, and how ancient Jewish traditions understood human beings as having the capacity for godlikeness and ethical transformation. Together, they invite listeners to recognize the distance between modern ideas of the autonomous self and ancient biblical conceptions of identity, challenge assumptions readers unconsciously bring to Scripture, and consider how the Bible’s diverse perspectives on human agency and flourishing might reshape the way people understand themselves. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-335-phillip-lasater-the-self-phillip-and-personal-agency-in-the-hebrew-bible Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/wn2wKoJ_L5Q Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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4.7
out of 5
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About

A weekly podcast talk show having serious talks about the sacred book. Hosted by Peter Enns and Jared Byas.

Information

  • Creator
    Peter Enns and Jared Byas
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    429
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2017 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Bible For Normal People

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