Faith Lab

Nate Hanson & Shelby Hanson
  • 4.6 (564)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Faith Lab takes serious biblical scholarship out of academic conferences and dense books and makes it accessible to everyday listeners. Hosted by Nate and Shelby Hanson, the show features conversations with historians, biblical scholars, and experts who study the origins of Christianity, the New Testament, and the world of the Bible. Nate and Shelby serve as curious guides, asking honest questions and pressing guests to explain their research clearly. After 10 years of deconstruction, Nate’s journey through pastoral ministry and work alongside Francis Chan led him back to Christian faith through serious engagement with biblical scholarship.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    Tim Mackie: The Bible Isn't What You Think

    Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at faithlabshow.com/support This is Part 2 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to Part 1. Tim walks through one of the most disturbing stories in Genesis (what actually happened between Noah and Ham) and uses it to reveal how biblical authors embedded narrative riddles that only unlock as you read further. He explains why the Bible isn't a rulebook but an epic narrative pointing to a person, how Jesus himself engaged Scripture when asked about hot-button issues, why head-on theological debates almost never change anyone's mind, and what he means when he says "faithfulness" is a better word than "inerrancy." If Part 1 introduced design patterns, Part 2 shows what happens when you let them reshape how you read everything. In this episode: The Noah and Ham story, what actually happened and why the Bible leaves it ambiguous on purpose. How narrative riddles work across Genesis, Leviticus, and Samuel. Tim's Yoda analogy for how we misread the Bible. Why the Bible is a narrative pointing to Jesus, not a rulebook. How Jesus handled marriage and divorce by going back to Genesis 1–2. Why head-on theological debates almost never work. Inerrancy vs. faithfulness and why Tim prefers the Bible's own vocabulary. Bible translations as a bag of golf clubs. Tim's personal experience of encounter through Scripture. Thoughts, questions, stories? faithlabshow.com/contact⁠ Become a member and get: 1. Full, unedited ad-free interviews 2. Early release episodes 3. Access to the private Faith Lab community Become a member: ⁠faithlabshow.com/support⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    25 min

  2. FEB 4

    Tim Mackie: How to Read the Bible

    Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at ⁠faithlabshow.com/support⁠ This is Part 1 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to ⁠Part 2⁠. Most people read the Bible like a modern instruction manual. Tim Mackie says that's exactly the problem. In this episode, Tim breaks down how the Bible was actually designed to communicate through repetition, pattern, and intentional structure. We look at why the early chapters of Genesis aren't just origin stories but training ground for how to read the rest of Scripture. Once you see the design patterns, you can't unsee them. Part 1 lays the foundation. Part 2 shows what happens when you let it reshape how you read everything. Thoughts, questions, stories? ⁠faithlabshow.com/contact⁠ Become a member and get: 1. Full, unedited ad-free interviews 2. Early release episodes 3. Access to the private Faith Lab community Become a member: ⁠faithlabshow.com/support⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  3. JAN 21

    Rebecca McLaughlin: Confronting Christianity in 2026

    Rebecca McLaughlin joins Faith Lab to confront Christianity’s hardest objections and ask whether Christian faith can actually stand up to serious scrutiny. In this conversation, Nate and Shelby talk with Rebecca about the historical reliability of the Gospels, eyewitness testimony, women in the early Christian movement, moral critiques of Christianity, and the problem of suffering. Rather than treating faith as a blind leap, Rebecca explains why Christianity has always made public and testable claims about reality, claims that invite investigation rather than shut it down. They explore why Jesus continues to provoke resistance, how modern skepticism often relies on values Christianity helped introduce, and why deconstruction so often happens when questions are postponed rather than engaged. From the resurrection accounts and the presence of embarrassing details in the Gospels to the role of women as primary witnesses, this episode walks through why the Christian story may be far more historically and intellectually resilient than many assume. This episode is for skeptics, deconstructing Christians, and anyone wondering whether Christianity can survive honest doubt in a pluralistic world by facing hard questions directly rather than avoiding them. Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email hi@faithlabshow.com Become a member and get: 1. Bonus episodes 2. Ad-free episodes 3. Early release episodes 4. Access to the private Faith Lab Facebook Group (350+ listeners) Become a member: faithlabshow.com/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min

  4. JAN 7

    Faith Isn't Supposed to be Blind with Shane Rosenthal

    For most people, faith means believing without evidence. A leap. A feeling. Something you are told to accept rather than question. But what if that is not what faith meant at all? In this conversation, Nate and Shelby sit down with Shane Rosenthal to explore why the New Testament idea of faith was rooted in trust, eyewitness testimony, and public events rather than blind belief. They unpack how faith slowly became detached from evidence, why that shift matters, and how it helps explain why so many people deconstruct today. This is not about winning arguments or turning Christianity into an academic exercise. It is about recovering a version of faith that expects questions, invites investigation, and gives real reasons to believe. You can find Shane’s work at humbleskeptic.com, and be sure to check out this recent video he released on whether archaeologists have discovered biblical Bethsaida⁠. If you have ever wondered why doubt feels inevitable, or why you were never taught this side of the story, this conversation is for you. Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email hi@faithlabshow.com Become a member and get: 1. Bonus episodes 2. All full-length, ad-free episodes 3. Access to our private community of 350+ listeners Become a member: faithlabshow.com/premium Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 15m

  5. 12/30/2025

    Deconstruction Led Me Back to Christianity

    Nate Hanson reflects on his journey with the podcast Almost Heretical, discussing the process of deconstruction and how it led him to a deeper understanding of Christianity. He shares his experiences of doubt, the search for evidence, and the transition to a new show called Faith Lab, which aims to explore the historical and philosophical foundations of the Christian faith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    19 min
  • 5 Episodes

4.6
out of 5
564 Ratings

About

Faith Lab takes serious biblical scholarship out of academic conferences and dense books and makes it accessible to everyday listeners. Hosted by Nate and Shelby Hanson, the show features conversations with historians, biblical scholars, and experts who study the origins of Christianity, the New Testament, and the world of the Bible. Nate and Shelby serve as curious guides, asking honest questions and pressing guests to explain their research clearly. After 10 years of deconstruction, Nate’s journey through pastoral ministry and work alongside Francis Chan led him back to Christian faith through serious engagement with biblical scholarship.

Information

  • Creator
    Nate Hanson & Shelby Hanson
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Faith Lab
  • Show Website
    Faith Lab

You Might Also Like