Found in Translation

Brandon Vélez-Johnson & Brandon Rhodes | Liberation Theology & Biblical Studies
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We're decolonizing the New Testament chapter-by-chapter, through a fresh translation committed to faithfulness to the text, trauma-informed analysis, God always looking like Jesus, avoiding religious technical language, belovedness and belonging, and reading with the oppressed. Hosts: Brandon Rhodes (D.Min) and Brandon Vélez-Johnson (M.Div) Bible: Liberation and Inclusion Translation (www.litbible.net) App: "LIT Bible" free on App Store & Google Play More: www.liberatingscripture.org

  1. 1 Sept

    Stop Using Purity Culture to Hide Abuse – 1 Corinthians 5 & 6 with Anthony Parrott

    Our guest for 1 Corinthians 3 & 4 is Anthony Parrott. Anthony is the co-pastor at the Table Church in Washington, DC, an affirming, multiracial community committed to following Jesus without the baggage of white Christian nationalism. Anthony writes at parrott.ink about the Bible, books, and what it means to be human, with a bias toward love and liberation. He's also doing his own translation work in the Christian and Hebrew scriptures, with commitments that rhymes nicely with the LIT Bible. Follow Anthony on Threads Episode Highlights Why porneia means sexual exploitation, not generic "sexual sin"How vague translations of "sexual immorality" can actually enable exploitationPaul's anger and consequence fall solely on the exploiter, never on the exploited partyReframing sarx as a self-preservation drive out of balance, rather than "the flesh is evil""Handed over to the adversary" as redemptive discipline aimed at restoration, not eternal punishmentJudging behavior without judging a person's worth — and why real community safety still requires firm boundaries and consequencesWhat the lexicons actually say about malakoi and arsenokoitai... Read LIT online: litbible.net/1corinthians-5 and litbible.net/1corinthians-6 LIT Bible apps: Download for iPhone/iPad, and on Android Liberating Scripture Collective: www.liberatingscripture.org Support LIT & FIT: liberatingscripture.org/support/

  2. 22 Aug

    Life After Rivalry, Scarcity, & Power – 1 Corinthians 3 & 4 with Dr. Drew Hart

    Our guest for 1 Corinthians 3 & 4 is Dr. Drew Hart, Associate Professor of Theology at Messiah University, director of Messiah's Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice program, and co-host with Jared McKenna of the amazing Inverse podcast. Dr. Hart is the author of Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, Who Will Be a Witness: Igniting Activism for God's Justice, Love, and Deliverance, and most recently, Making It Plain Why We Need Anabaptism in the Black Church. Follow Dr. Hart on Threads Episode Highlights Why Black Church & Anabaptism have more in common than you might thinkHow rivalry, status, and self-preservation distort church lifePaul's insistence that the church is built on Jesus, not favoritism, flex, or hierarchyGod’s wisdom is cruciform and surprisingHow the light of Christ exposes the “successful” way of ego & empire as foolishnessWhy marginalized communities often see more clearlyThe church should measure itself by liberation, healing, and communal flourishingTrue spiritual authority comes from the scandal of Jesus, not from prestige... Read LIT online: litbible.net/1corinthians-3 LIT Bible apps: Download for iPhone/iPad, and on Android Liberating Scripture Collective: www.liberatingscripture.org Support LIT & FIT: liberatingscripture.org/support/

  3. 14 Aug

    The Wisdom of the Marginalized – 1 Corinthians 1 & 2 with Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre

    Welcome to Season 9, where we'll be exploring Paul's expansive pastoral concerns and pleas to the Jesus huddle in Corinth. The letter has its share of landmines, which we can't wait to explore with you in the months ahead. Our guest for 1 Corinthians 1 & 2 is Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, one of the most influential liberation ethicists and theologians alive today. He is the author of 50 books, including Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, Decolonizing Christianity: Becoming Badass Believers, and Embracing Hopelessness. Dr. De La Torre is Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Episode Highlights 1 Corinthians 1–2 flips the all of the power structure's ideas of wisdomThe cross challenges our ego and empire ideas of power or statusWhat the world rejects comes to reveal divine power.A “spiritual” way of knowing that is different from elite knowledgeWhy the oppressed can read reality with unusual clarityScripture must be read in community, not by gatekeepers aloneQuestions about God matter at least as much as answers about GodFaithfulness of a translation is measured by whether it leads to life... Read LIT online: litbible.net/1corinthians-1 LIT Bible apps: Download for iPhone/iPad, and on Android Liberating Scripture Collective: www.liberatingscripture.org Support LIT & FIT: liberatingscripture.org/support/

  4. 21 Jul ·  Bonus

    The LIT Bible app is here!

    Introducing the LIT Bible appNow you can read, highlight, and annotate the Liberation & Inclusion Translation from your iPhone or Android. Download on iPhone and iPadDownload on AndroidIt's a Bible app that we actually want to use. They're free, no ads, and no tracking. Your LIT Bible updates as Brandon adds chapters and books to litbible.net, and each week's lectionary readings are available in its own tab. In this episode Brandon and Brandon talk about the work behind this app, and what to poke around for once you've got it on your device. A special thank you to all of our beta testers who helped make each app shine. Your enthusiasm for the LIT and for quality apps was invaluable. One more thing: Brandon Rhodes paused editing this show for a few months to focus on these apps, so expect our next season, 1 Corinthians, to debut later this summer. .... Found in Translation is a production of the Liberating Scripture Collective.

    The LIT Bible app is here!

  5. 27 Apr

    Exposing Wealth & Social Control (James 5)

    Episode Highlights Perseverance amidst systemic injustice and economic exploitation;Importance of communal care and addressing chronic illness with dignity;Wealth as a chronic illness in spiritual and social realms;Church discipline and communal accountability for the wealthy;False security of hoarding wealth and exploitative systems.Allegiance to people and justice over economic stability.Reimagining economic security rooted in community care.Jesus' ethic—breaking powers that exploit and marginalize.Loving kindness, womb love, and compassionate care.... Read LIT online: litbible.net/james-5 Liberating Scripture Collective: www.liberatingscripture.org More about the LIT Bible: litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

  6. 25 Mar

    Desire, Defection, and Detainees - James 4

    Episode Highlights The "desire for pleasures" James condemns isn't about sex — it's about golden toilets, rent-gouging, and union-busting.Your 401(k) might be morally complicated."The world" James warns against isn't a vague spiritual fog — it's redlining, ICE raids, and every system where one human decides they matter more than another.Public prayer was never meant to be a private hotline to God — it's how a community surfaces each other's needs and volunteers to meet them.There's a reason the jet-ski buyer doesn't ask permission from the congregation first."If you support ICE, you are an enemy of God. That's according to James."Judging someone's worth as a human is forbidden. Judging whether their actions cause harm is not only allowed — it's required."If God wills it" is not a verbal get-out-of-jail-free card you can staple to a business plan.James asks you to let other people's suffering actually land on you — and the hosts connect that to people laughing about Alligator Alcatraz.... Read LIT online: litbible.net/james-4 More about the LIT Bible: litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

  7. 15 Feb ·  Bonus

    No More Sacrifice! (LIVE from QCF Conference 2026)

    We had an absolute blast recording this episode at the Queer Christian Fellowship Conference in Portland, Oregon. Rather than talk about the clobber passages used against queer folk, we wanted to explore how the LIT Bible opens up new insights into moral courage and resisting scapegoating in Hebrews 6. ... Follow the slide deck: https://tinyurl.com/NoMoreSacrifice Read LIT online: https://litbible.net/hebrews-6 More about the LIT Bible: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

    No More Sacrifice! (LIVE from QCF Conference 2026)

  8. 6 Feb

    The One Where We Curse a Lot – James 3

    Episode Highlights Dehumanizing words vs taboo words;What kind of speech disqualifies someone from church leadership;"you piece of 💩" vs "look at that 💩"Competitive self-promotion in tension with maturity;Open-mindedness, not certainty, as a mark of Christian maturity;The role of power and hierarchy in how we speak.... Read LIT online: https://litbible.net/james-3 More about the LIT Bible: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitments Support LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1

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About

We're decolonizing the New Testament chapter-by-chapter, through a fresh translation committed to faithfulness to the text, trauma-informed analysis, God always looking like Jesus, avoiding religious technical language, belovedness and belonging, and reading with the oppressed. Hosts: Brandon Rhodes (D.Min) and Brandon Vélez-Johnson (M.Div) Bible: Liberation and Inclusion Translation (www.litbible.net) App: "LIT Bible" free on App Store & Google Play More: www.liberatingscripture.org

Information

  • Creator
    Brandon Vélez-Johnson & Brandon Rhodes | Liberation Theology & Biblical Studies
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    113
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Found in Translation

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