Found in Translation

Brandon Johnson & Brandon Rhodes
  • 4.9 (10)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly-ish exploration of language, liberation, literature, and longing through one fellow’s translation of the Christian scriptures, one chapter at a time.

  1. What is the Great Commission? – Matthew 28 & Recap with Kalie May Hargrove

    08/12/2025

    What is the Great Commission? – Matthew 28 & Recap with Kalie May Hargrove

    Episode Highlights Anti-Caesar coding throughout the story;how much better the gospel is apart from Christian supremacism;how to understand the great commission through a liberation & inclusion hermeneutic;identifying the inclusive center in the literary structure of Matthew;empathy and compassion are central to the gospel.... Our returning guest co-host today is Kalie Hargrove (she/her). Kalie is a writer, theologian, and activist who lives in the greater-Atlanta area with her partner and two kids. She is currently writing a commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew using the LIT Bible. Kalie has been part of LGBTQ+ activism bringing awareness of the legalized discrimination queer and trans students face at religious universities. She received her Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities.  Kalie is Director of Digital Outreach at the Center for Prophetic Imagination, which seeks to connect the intersection of socio-spiritual discernment and radical justice in our world. ... Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-28 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

    1 hr
  2. What Was Jesus' Atonement Theory? – Matthew 27 with Mae Forrest Barnes

    08/08/2025

    What Was Jesus' Atonement Theory? – Matthew 27 with Mae Forrest Barnes

    Episode Highlights for Matthew 27 Pilate and the banality of evil;The enduring temptation of revering the violent;Disability injustice in the church and the Bible;Solidarity is central to salvation;Manipulating crowds into bloodlust is as old as time;Scapegoating vibes on Good Friday;Jesus' crucifixion was (like) a lynching;The varying reasons for Jesus' crucifixion;The meaning Jesus seemed to ascribe to his state murder;Resisting antisemitism as a core hermeneutical commitment. Our returning guest co-host today is Mae Forrest Barnes! She is completing her PhD on disability justice in the church, cohosts The Anarchodox Podcast, and can be found on Bluesky @dr-maeforrest.bsky.social . Her Substack is at https://maeforrestbarnes.substack.com/. Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-27 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

    1h 12m
  3. How Does Jesus' Arrest & Trial Expose State Violence? – Matthew 26 with Brian Murphy

    08/01/2025

    How Does Jesus' Arrest & Trial Expose State Violence? – Matthew 26 with Brian Murphy

    Episode Highlights for Matthew 26 The Eucharist is about an ever-widening belonging in God, and Matthew structured his entire gospel around it.The challenge of soothing nerves when confronting state violence.The cyclical nature of domination and liberation in the Bible and history.Resisting the antisemitic lure of seeing the Pharisees as the baddies, not just one set of antagonists.Jesus behavior amid a sham trial and a frothed-up lynch mob.The synergy between various kinds of domination power. Our guest co-host today is Brian G. Murphy (he/him). Brian is the co-host of the Queer Theology Podcast and is the co-creator of Legalize Trans, an artistic and educational movement to advance gender justice. He has been doing LGBTQ activism and education for over a decade with organizations. Brian is also a certified relationship coach, working with folks to open up their relationship and navigate the issues that come with open relationships and polyamory. His upcoming book is Love Beyond Monogamy. He's on all the socials with the handle @thisisbgm. Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-25 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1h 22m
  4. Who Are the Least of These? – Matthew 24 & 25 with Trey Ferguson

    07/18/2025

    Who Are the Least of These? – Matthew 24 & 25 with Trey Ferguson

    Episode Highlights for Matthew 24 and 25 "I understand that reference" – How Jesus used loads of metacultural nods to embellish his alarm toward his neighbors' self-destructive nationalism;the intersection of the Black church and Anabaptism;the Bible is holy because it is a library of testimonies of the losers;Jesus' advice for getting through apocalyptic times;immigrant-love as a defining mark of Christian witness;exasperation with revolutionary violence; andwhere to see Jesus every day. Our guest co-host today is Pastor Trey Ferguson (he/him). Trey is a minister and public theologian who serves as the pastor of The Intention Church, an intentionally online church community built on the historic Black Church and the Anabaptist/Mennonite traditions. Trey also serves as the Executive Pastor at the Refuge Church in Homestead, Florida where he lives.  You can check out Trey's wordplay on his Substack (The Son Do Move) and his podcasts, the New Living Treyslation and Three Black Men. He's on all the socials with the handle @pastortrey05. Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-24 and https://www.litbible.net/matthew-25 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1h 10m
  5. What Got Jesus Angry? – Matthew 23 with Jenna DeWitt

    07/11/2025

    What Got Jesus Angry? – Matthew 23 with Jenna DeWitt

    Episode Highlights What Jesus knew would get him killed;Why he was fiercest to those – the Pharisees – with whom he was most theologically aligned;The similar anger we find in ourselves toward evangelicalism going after Christian nationalism;The importance of rebuking the temptation to read these passages antisemitically;Why religious fakers pissed Jesus off so much;How truthfulness and no-b******t vibes became central to Jesus' social vision;Why Jesus would be so irate at Christians antagonizing LGBTQ folk in his name;and more! Our guest co-host today is Jenna DeWitt (she/her pronouns). Jenna is a writer, editor, and resource curator, working primarily in queer Christian spaces and centering aromanticism and asexuality. You can find her work at InvisibleCakeSociety.com or on Substack, Threads, or BlueSky. Substack: https://invisiblecakesociety.substack.com/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@jennadewittBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:tkb2vbmnqo5wqtmnwnrsz6rm... Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-23 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1h 16m

  6. 07/05/2025

    Why Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple? – Matthew 21 & 22 with Naphtali Renshaw

    Episode Highlights The queer theology anthem that happened to be Jesus' favorite song lyricJesus' street pageantry entering Jerusalem parodying the imperial occupation;Merch tables in the part of the temple dedicated to hosting outsiders;Jesus' mounting sense of his looming lynching;Jesus' GTFO clapbacks;and much more Our guest co-host is Naphtali Renshaw (she/they). Naphtali is the director of the BeLonging Space, a United Methodist ministry which resources faith communities to support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-led liberation groups as acts of solidarity and reparations, including as de-escalators at Pride events. They are also the on-site support for the Maxwell Community Hub, a UMC building reimagined for neighborliness and queer liberation. https://www.facebook.com/naphtali.renshawhttps://thebelongingspace.org/... Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-21 and https://www.litbible.net/matthew-22 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1 hr

  7. 06/27/2025

    Did Jesus Oppose Patriarchy? – Matthew 19 & 20 with Kalie May Hargrove

    Why did Jesus' thoughts on divorce and marriage cause his disciples to question whether anyone can get married?Why did Jesus respond with this thing about three kinds of eunuchs?Does being a not-dickish partner render someone a kind of eunuch in the eyes of patriarchy?Does Jesus reinforce patriarchal ideas of marriage or deconstruct them?How sexually engaged were eunuchs in Jesus' day?How do our inherited gender binaries get in the way of interpreting these stories?Who is the more prominent antagonist in the Bible: the devil or the rich? Our guest co-host is Kalie Hargrove (she/her). Kalie is a writer, theologian, and activist who lives in the greater-Atlanta area with her partner and two kids. She has been part of LGBTQ+ activism bringing awareness of the legalized discrimination queer and trans students face at religious universities. She received her Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities.  Kalie is Director of Digital Outreach at the Center for Prophetic Imagination, which seeks to connect the intersection of socio-spiritual discernment and radical justice in our world. https://www.kaliehargrove.com/https://bsky.app/profile/kaliehargrove.comPodcast & Substac - https://propheticimagination.substack.com/s/the-lies-that-bind-us... Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-19 and https://www.litbible.net/matthew-20 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1h 16m

  8. 06/20/2025

    Why is Peter Called Satan by Jesus? – Matthew 16-18 with Avery Arden

    Why is Jesus so reactive to his students' difficulty with understanding his vocation? He seems grumpy at times.How does Jesus plan to escalate his confrontation with the Roman Empire and their local enablers?How is Jesus' strong words against harming children a fierce rebuke to queerphobic parents?and more! Our guest cohost is Avery Arden (they/zir). Avery is a genderqueer autistic minister in Atlanta whose work proclaims the holiness and agency of trans and disabled people. Drawing from both Catholic and Reform traditions, their theology is incarnational, Trinitarian, and rooted in breaking binaries. And of course, you've heard Avery many times on The Word in Black and Red. Avery's Linktree - https://linktr.ee/queerlychristianAvery's Website – https://queerlychristian.wixsite.com/websiteBlessed are the Binary Breakers Podcast – Apple... Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/matthew-14 and https://www.litbible.net/matthew-15 More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    1h 16m
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4.9
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About

A weekly-ish exploration of language, liberation, literature, and longing through one fellow’s translation of the Christian scriptures, one chapter at a time.

Information

  • Creator
    Brandon Johnson & Brandon Rhodes
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Found in Translation