FAITH LAB PREMIUM

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Faith Lab

Nate Hanson & Shelby Hanson
  • 4.6 (566)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

What if Christianity could handle your toughest questions? Most Christians have never heard the depth of evidence that exists for the faith they already hold. Faith Lab changes that. Every episode, scholars like N.T. Wright and Tim Mackie explain what they've spent their careers studying about Jesus, the Bible, and the origins of Christianity, in conversations you can actually follow. Hosted by Nate and Shelby Hanson. Nate spent years in ministry alongside Francis Chan before a season of deconstruction led him to question everything. What brought him back wasn't blind faith. It was the scholarship.

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    N.T. Wright - Did Jesus rise from the dead? (Part 1)

    The resurrection isn't a theological idea. It's a historical claim. And most people have never heard the actual evidence historians evaluate. NT Wright, one of the world's leading scholars on early Christianity, walks through the case, and explains why the standard skeptical alternatives keep falling apart. Get Surprised by Hope and God's Homecoming 🔓 Members get the full unedited conversation with NT Wright, including his extended breakdown of what the New Testament actually says about the afterlife. faithlabshow.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

    24 min

  2. 2D AGO · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    N.T. Wright: The Complete Uncut Interview

    What if nearly everything you were taught about heaven, the resurrection, and what it means to be "saved" is built on an assumption the Bible never actually makes? In this subscriber-exclusive bonus episode, we're releasing the full, unedited conversation with N.T. Wright, one of the most influential New Testament scholars alive. This is everything from our interview, including material that was cut for time from the published episodes, combined into one extended conversation covering the historical evidence for the resurrection, how we know the gospels give us the real Jesus, why Wright believes the Bible's story isn't about us going up to heaven but about God coming down to us, what Jesus actually believed about himself, what happens after we die (and after that), and why Paul matters more than you might think. Wright also discusses his new book God's Homecoming and explains how a single line from Revelation 21 turns the entire "go to heaven when you die" framework on its head.

    56 min

  3. FEB 25

    The genealogies don't match. That might be the point.

    Matthew and Luke don't give us the same family tree, and the census in Luke has been called a historical invention. So why would anyone still trust the birth narratives? New Testament scholar Caleb Friedeman compared them against 95 other ancient biographies, and what he found about Matthew and Luke's sources changes how you'd evaluate every supposed contradiction. 🔓 Members get the full unedited interview with Caleb, including his breakdown of how ancient Jewish genealogies actually worked. faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    19 min

  4. FEB 18 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Full Interview: Caleb Friedeman on the Gospel Birth Narratives

    Here's the full, unedited conversation with NT scholar Caleb Friedeman. Caleb spent years going back to the ancient sources scholars kept citing as proof the Christmas stories aren't history. What he found flipped the argument... In this conversation we get into: * Were the birth narratives meant to be history, or something else entirely? * What ancient biographers actually did when writing about someone's birth * Why the genealogies differ and what that really tells us * The case that Mary is Luke's source for the whole story * How Matthew's Old Testament quotes point toward real sources, not legend * The census problem and where it actually stands The public episodes cover the highlights in two parts. This is everything, nothing cut. Some of the best moments only live here. Thanks for supporting the show!

    1h 12m

  5. FEB 18

    Were the Christmas stories meant to be history?

    For decades, scholars have claimed that ancient birth narratives were never meant to be taken as history. Then one scholar went and actually read them. New Testament scholar Caleb Friedeman tested that claim against the ancient biographers themselves, and what he found in their own writing doesn't fit the story we've been told. 🔓 Members get the full unedited interview with Caleb, including Shelby's pushback on whether these stories are too beautiful to be real. faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    26 min

  6. FEB 11

    Tim Mackie: The Bible Isn't What You Think (Part 2)

    There's a story in Genesis where Noah gets drunk and something terrible happens with his son Ham, and the Bible never actually tells you what it was. That's not a mistake. It's a design choice. In part two of our conversation, Bible Project co-founder Tim Mackie walks through how the biblical authors crafted narratives with intentional gaps, layered patterns, and riddles that unfold across entire books. We get into why "inerrancy" might be the wrong word, what Jesus actually did when asked about marriage and divorce, and why Tim says the Bible isn't a rule book but an epic narrative pointing to a person. Want the full, unedited conversation? Members get the complete interview with Tim Mackie, including his thoughts on the LGBTQ conversation, church, and more that we trimmed for time: faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    22 min

  7. FEB 11 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Tim Mackie: The Full Conversation (Parts 1 & 2, Uncut)

    The full, uncut conversation with Tim Mackie, founder of BibleProject, released exclusively for Faith Lab premium members. This is the complete two-part interview covering how the Hebrew Bible was actually composed, how its ancient authors communicated through literary design patterns, and why understanding their methods changes everything about how we read Scripture today. Tim walks through how the biblical authors used repetition, hyperlinking, and narrative riddles to build one of the most sophisticated literary works in human history, and why most modern readers miss it entirely. What's covered: * How the Dead Sea Scrolls reshaped our understanding of how biblical texts were composed * The aspen forest metaphor and why the Old Testament is a single interconnected root system rather than a collection of separate books * How Genesis 1 through 3 teaches you to read the rest of the Bible through patterns of repetition and the keyword "good" * Why narrative patterning is normal human communication, illustrated through Star Wars * How later stories intentionally echo and reframe earlier ones, including Abraham in Gerar as a replay of Genesis 3 * What "literal" actually means and why the modern debate misses the point * How biblical authors represented history through literary conventions rather than video-camera accuracy * The Noah and Ham story as a narrative riddle and how intentional ambiguity works across the biblical storyline * Why our expectations about the Bible blind us to what it actually is * How Jesus understood the Hebrew Bible as a narrative pointing to himself * Why "inerrancy" is the wrong word and "faithfulness" is more biblical * Tim's approach to controversial topics and why head-on theological confrontation almost always fails * How Tim personally encounters God through Scripture and the outdoors * Why reading multiple Bible translations is better than trying to find the best one

    1h 20m

  8. FEB 4

    Tim Mackie: How to Read the Bible (Part 1)

    Most people were taught to believe the Bible, but almost no one was taught how it actually works. Why does Genesis repeat the same words over and over? Why do later stories echo earlier ones in ways that seem too precise to be accidental? Bible Project co-founder Tim Mackie walks through how the biblical authors used design patterns, repeated keywords, and narrative "hyperlinking" to build meaning across the entire Hebrew Bible. From the word "good" threading through Genesis to the way Abraham's story mirrors the Garden of Eden, Tim shows why treating the Bible like a rule book or a textbook misses what these ancient literary artists were actually doing. Want the full, unedited conversation? Members get the complete interview with Tim Mackie, including his thoughts on the LGBTQ conversation, church, and more that we trimmed for time: faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    32 min

  9. JAN 21

    Christianity's hardest objections have surprising answers

    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. Become a premium member: faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    54 min

  10. JAN 7

    Is Faith 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. Become a premium member: faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 12m

  11. 12/30/2025

    Deconstruction led me to Jesus

    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. Become a premium member: faithlab.supercast.com ★ Support this podcast ★

    17 min
  • 11 Episodes

4.6
out of 5
566 Ratings

About

What if Christianity could handle your toughest questions? Most Christians have never heard the depth of evidence that exists for the faith they already hold. Faith Lab changes that. Every episode, scholars like N.T. Wright and Tim Mackie explain what they've spent their careers studying about Jesus, the Bible, and the origins of Christianity, in conversations you can actually follow. Hosted by Nate and Shelby Hanson. Nate spent years in ministry alongside Francis Chan before a season of deconstruction led him to question everything. What brought him back wasn't blind faith. It was the scholarship.

Information

  • Creator
    Nate Hanson & Shelby Hanson
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Faith Lab
  • Show Website
    Faith Lab
  • Provider
    Nate Hanson

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