Podcast
The Bible Feed podcast is a place for conversations about the Bible and faith in the modern world, where ordinary people come together to help each other understand the Bible better.
Latest episodes
In this episode, we finish our series on the 5 books of Moses, the Torah, by looking at Deuteronomy. We find that this book acts as a stage-setter, defining how leaders of this ancient people will be described for the next 600 years. Remarkably, Deuteronomy also makes a surprise appearance at the end of that history, just before Israel were exiled to Babylon.
Where do demons fit into a Biblical theology? We look at the few places they appear in the Old Testament and find them linked to the idols worshipped by the peoples around the ancient Israelites. It turns out they are presented as having no real existence or power. So why do demons suddenly make a large appearance in the Gospels?
We continue their exploration of how these 'characters' appear in the Bible. In part 1 we reached a preliminary conclusion that they are used as terms to personify our inherent tendency to want to go our own way rather than God's way. We now look at many more of the relevant biblical passages to get to know the devil and satan better.
Dan welcomes guest, John Launchbury, to discuss the vital question: why did Jesus have to die? They explore the meaning of the word atonement and consider the pros and cons of some of the main atonement theories. As they explore the key scriptural passages involved they find that the impact of the death of Jesus can be just as profound today as it was in the 1st century - and it's all about changing us rather than changing God!
We continue our introduction episodes by looking at the book of Numbers. It's actually not just about counting things, but instead it's about a journey through the wilderness and it says much about God's overarching care for his people to protect, preserve and remain true to his promises.
Paul and Dan embark on a multi-part exploration of the terms Devil and Satan and how they are used through the Bible. They aim to lay some foundations by thinking about how our worldview might affect how we read the Bible and (eventually) start to explore some key verses. The initial conclusion is that they may not be referring to a supernatural being, as is commonly supposed.
Continuing the conversation from Part 1, Jordan and Dan find that some Psalms express doubts and uncertainties and deeply question what God is doing. But by remembering what God has done in the past the Psalmist is led back to peace of mind and trust in God, ending with a call for "everything that has breath to praise the LORD"!
In the first part of our introduction to the Psalms, Dan talks to Jordan Walton about whether the Psalter is just a random collection of prayers and songs or whether there is some structure to it. Having identified a five book structure, they start to delve into the focus of books one and two.
For the next of our Bible book introductions we take a look at the smallest of Paul's letters, his letter to Philemon. Why should a personal letter about fixing a very personal relationship be included in the scriptures? We find that it is, in fact, an incredibly revealing case study into how being a Christian should change the way we view society and people around us.
The Bible Feed core team of Paul, Dan, Josh and Laurence get together to reflect on some serious, and some less serious, themes from 2022 and look forward to our plans for 2023.
How can Jesus uniquely be called the Son of God? Does calling him the Son of God make him Deity in any sense? What is Jesus claiming when he says he is the Son of God? All these questions and more are considered in this episode.
Leviticus may not be the most appealing read, after all, what does how long you remain unclean if you touch a dead body, have to do with a Christian today? But by scratching the surface we find that the careful structure of this book points to something, or rather someone, who is so much greater than the law.
How should we read the Old Testament in the light of Jesus? Do we even need to pay it any attention now that Jesus has come? We consider what it means for Jesus to fulfil the Old Testament and find that, when Jesus reads and applies the different parts of the Hebrew Bible, he shows us how to bring it to life in our lives as Christians today.
What does it mean for something to be the inspired word of God? Is it possible to explain how that happens, and if we can't, what certainty can we have about divine authority behind the text of the Bible? Considering these questions leads us to realise how important it is to treat the text with respect and be responsible and humble in how we draw out our interpretations of God's word.
The book of Exodus starts with a great story about how the Israelites escaped from Egypt. There's high action, drama, goodies and baddies… and then intricate detail about how to construct a large tent. Why is that included and how does it fit into the overall narrative?
A new series to turbocharge your Bible reading! We're starting a series of introductions to books of the Bible to give you a head start on how they are structured and what the main themes are to look out for. We start right at the beginning, with the book of Genesis.
In past centuries, going to church was a deeply embedded part of how western society worked. But today, with so much emphasis on personal faith and opportunity to do community activities outside church, is there any point in being part of a religious group and meeting with people? We discover three key reasons: Support, Diversity and Magnifying.
To kick off a new series on Biblical themes, we look at 8 different ideas about the Kingdom of God. We find that both Jesus' statements about it and the expectations of his audience were deeply rooted in the Old Testament, Hebrew scriptures. This brings to life a tangible picture of what is involved but also something far greater and more universal than even the Jews expected!
We chat to author, Martha Sales, about her zany novel, The Enormous Tiny Experiment, and how a perfect world free from suffering is all but impossible. The conversation ranges from the New Atheists and questions about suffering to plate tectonics, go-karts and the universal existence of morality.
Exploring how churches were organised, we find ourselves discussing the significance of sharing the bread and cup of wine to remember Jesus. As in previous episodes, there are some similarities with churches today, but also some differences that are worth reflecting upon.