The Bible For Normal People

In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Chelsea Kim Long about her journey of remaining rooted in Christianity while challenging the patriarchal structures and teachings that have shaped her faith. They explore how motherhood and embodied experience led her to question religious messages about women’s bodies, emotions, and intuition, and how a more expansive understanding of God and the Christian tradition helped her reclaim parts of herself she had been taught to suppress. Together, they consider what it means to be “faithfully dissident,” why Christian community should prioritize how people live ove...

In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Celene Ibrahim about how the Qur’an portrays women, the role of interpretation in understanding Islamic scripture, and the misconceptions that shape public perceptions of Islam. Exploring the Qur’an’s teachings on spiritual equality, women’s financial autonomy, and family rights, Celene examines the gap between religious ideals and social realities, explaining how historical context and interpretive traditions influence the application of scripture today. She also unpacks the meaning of Sharia, challenging the ways it has been politicized and associated with oppression and extremism...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with biblical scholar Archie Wright about the development of the devil and how Jewish and Christian understandings of Satan have evolved over time. They explore why Satan does not appear in the Garden of Eden story as commonly assumed, how ancient Jewish texts like 1 Enoch helped shape ideas about evil spirits, and how later Christian traditions transformed Satan into the figure familiar today. Together, they invite listeners to reconsider familiar assumptions about the Bible, explore the historical development of theological ideas, and approach Scripture with fresh ey...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with biblical scholar Bill Schniedewind about where God is located in the Hebrew Bible and how different understandings of divine presence developed throughout ancient Israelite religion. They explore the archaeological and biblical evidence surrounding temples, sacred spaces, the Ark of the Covenant, and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem, challenging the idea that Israelite religion followed a simple progression toward one centralized system. Together, they consider the Bible’s competing visions of God’s presence, the tensions surrounding political and religious authority, and how those unresolved tensio...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Mark Goodacre about the synoptic problem and what the striking similarities and differences between Matthew, Mark, and Luke reveal about how the Gospels were written. They explore why scholars think Matthew and Luke used Mark, the debate over the hypothetical source Q, and the evidence that Luke may have known Matthew. Together, they consider how Gospel writers intentionally revised and reshaped earlier accounts, what those disagreements reveal about the development of early Christian theology, and how recognizing these differences can change the way re...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Brian Recker and Tamice Spencer-Helms celebrate the podcast’s 10th anniversary by talking with Pete Enns and Jared Byas about how their relationships with the Bible, faith, and certainty have evolved over the past decade. They reflect on the costs of questioning evangelicalism, the ways The Bible for Normal People has helped people hold onto a love for Scripture while letting go of rigid interpretations, and how lived experiences from people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have expanded their understanding of what it means to read the Bible. Toge...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with James about how the Gospels were written, how Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John relate to one another, and what ancient writing practices can teach us about the formation of the New Testament. They explore why the Gospel writers may have intentionally adapted and reshaped earlier accounts, how John builds on the Synoptic Gospels, and how Paul’s theology may have influenced the Gospel writers in surprising ways. Together, they invite listeners to let each Gospel speak in its own distinct voice, reconsider assumptions abou...

In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with writer and scholar Grace Hamman about Julian of Norwich, her mystical visions, and her radically intimate understanding of God’s love. They explore Julian’s depiction of Jesus as a mother, her approach to suffering and hope in the aftermath of the Black Death, and her insistence that “all shall be well” is not a simplistic promise that everything will turn out fine, but a hard-won hope in the midst of suffering. They also consider what Julian’s example can teach those navigating deconstruction, questions of...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete explores the book of Lamentations and what it can teach us about faith in the midst of suffering. He examines the book’s historical setting in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction, its raw and unsettling portrayals of grief, anger, and God’s apparent absence, and the ways its carefully structured poetry gives shape to experiences of trauma and loss. He also considers how Lamentations challenges modern Christian assumptions that faith requires certainty, optimism, or resolution. Together, these themes invite listeners to see lament not as a failure...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Phillip Lasater about how ancient Israelite and Jewish writers understood the self, personal agency, emotion, and human flourishing in ways that can be very different from modern assumptions. They explore how concepts like fear, the heart, and individuality function in the Hebrew Bible, how texts such as Ruth and Genesis 22 invite readers to engage the interior lives of biblical characters, and how ancient Jewish traditions understood human beings as having the capacity for godlikeness and ethical transformation. Together, they invite listeners to recognize th...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Rony Kozman about how the New Testament interprets the Hebrew Bible, and why the apostles’ approach to Scripture often looks very different from the historical-grammatical method many readers have been taught. They explore how Matthew creatively reads the story of Jesus alongside Israel’s story, how Paul rereads Scripture in light of his encounter with Christ, and how New Testament authors draw on the interpretive traditions of their Second Temple Jewish context. Together, they invite listeners to embrace the Bible’s historical complexity, recogniz...

In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with theologian and ethicist Ciarra Jones about who gets to decide what the Bible means and how our identities, experiences, and social locations shape the ways we interpret Scripture. Drawing on her own journey from Pentecostal Christianity to Black, queer, womanist, and liberation theology, Ciarra explores how dominant interpretations of the Bible have been used to justify slavery, white supremacy, sexism, and the marginalization of LGBTQ+ people. She also introduces the practices of biblical refusal and biblical reversal, challenging the idea that some interpretations are ob...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Nathan MacDonald about the origins of Israel’s priesthood, the role of the Levites, and why the Bible’s accounts of priests are far more complex than they first appear. They explore how biblical texts often function less as straightforward historical records and more as theological interpretations that seek to explain, shape, and reconcile Israel’s traditions. Together, they invite listeners to reconsider familiar assumptions about the priesthood, the development of the Torah, and how the Bible constructs meaning through its ongoing conversation with its...

In this week’s episode of Pete Ruins Everything, Pete talks with Dale Allison about the strengths and limits of biblical scholarship. They explore what historical research can and cannot tell us about Jesus, the Bible, and the ancient world, while reflecting on the value of expertise, intellectual humility, and the challenges of interpreting the past. Together, they discuss why scholars often disagree, how new evidence and perspectives can change long-held conclusions, and why faith and curiosity can coexist with uncertainty. Throughout the conversation, they invite listeners to embrace the complexity of history and theology with honesty, openness, and hu...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared continues his tour through the history of modern biblical scholarship, exploring five (or six) more “aha moments” that transformed how scholars understand the Bible. From Rudolf Bultmann’s challenge to interpret ancient texts in a modern world and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, to new insights about editorial shaping, literary criticism, and the role of readers themselves, he traces how scholarship increasingly revealed the Bible as a dynamic, evolving tradition. Along the way, Jared highlights the rise of feminist, liberationist, and postmodern approaches, as well as the N...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Bruce Longenecker about Galatians, Paul’s understanding of the Torah, and the kind of community he believed the gospel creates. They explore how Paul reframes identity around participation in Christ rather than ethnic or religious hierarchy, and why Galatians is less about individual salvation and more about transformed relationships in a fractured world. Together, they invite listeners to see Paul’s vision as a radical challenge to systems of power, exclusion, and self-interest. 

Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-330-bruce-longenecker-the-vision-of-galatians

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In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Jared talks with Roberto de la Noval and Jordan Wood about the church fathers, the development of doctrine, and how early Christians approached the Bible. They explore how figures like Augustine and Origen understood Scripture as something meant to transform people rather than simply provide literal answers, and why “problem passages” were often seen as invitations to think more deeply. Together, they invite listeners to see Christian tradition not as static or simplistic, but as a long, creative conversation about how to make sense of God, Scripture, and human experi...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared takes listeners on a tour through the history of modern biblical scholarship, tracing key “aha moments” that changed how scholars understand the Bible. From source criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis to oral tradition and the rise of fundamentalism, he explores how new questions about the Bible’s origins reshaped both academia and the church. Together, these developments invite listeners to see the Bible not as a static text dropped from heaven, but as a deeply human collection of traditions formed over time.

Show Notes → www.thebiblefo...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Vanessa Lovelace about the Deuteronomistic history and why Deuteronomy plays such a central role in shaping Israel’s story. They explore how biblical writers interpreted Israel’s history through the lens of covenant, exile, and identity formation, and how these themes continue to influence modern readings of the Bible. Together, they invite listeners to see ancient texts not as a flat narrative, but as a rich conversation about God, justice, failure, and hope. 

Show Notes → https://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/bible-episode-328-vanessa...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Douglas Campbell about rethinking the “Romans Road” and what Paul is really doing in his letter to the Romans. They explore how common readings have turned Romans into a step-by-step plan of salvation, often missing its original context and ethical focus. Together, they invite listeners to see Romans as a vision of God’s radical love and a call to live transformed, relational lives shaped by that reality. 

Show Notes → http://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode/episodes/bible-episode-327-douglas-campbell-ripping-up-the-romans-road

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In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Chris Keith about the historical Jesus, and how scholars approach the gap between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of the Gospels. They explore why the Gospels themselves raise questions about modern ideas of history, how different methods have tried to reconstruct Jesus, and why certainty can be elusive. Together, they invite listeners to approach both the Bible and their faith with greater humility, recognizing that asking honest questions doesn’t have to diminish meaning, and can actually deepen it.

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In this week’s episode of Pete Ruins Everything, Pete talks with Amy-Jill Levine about supersessionism and its impact on how Christians understand Judaism and the New Testament. They explore how ideas like “replacement theology” show up in biblical texts, why these interpretations have caused harm, and how readers can engage the Bible more honestly and responsibly. Together, they invite listeners to wrestle with difficult passages and approach both traditions with greater humility and care. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-325-pete-ruins-everything-with-amy-jill-levine
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Uxp50C8Ji-s

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In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared reflect on ten years and over 400 episodes of the podcast, revisiting what they thought they were doing and what they now see more clearly in hindsight. They explore themes that have emerged along the way, including the shift from certainty to wisdom in reading the Bible and the move from information to personal and communal formation. They also discuss how these conversations have been shaped by a wider range of voices and why engaging the Bible calls for ongoing discernment rather than fixed answers, inviting li...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Andrew Tobolowsky about what scholars mean by “myth” and how that idea applies to the Bible. They explore the origins of the 12 tribes of Israel, examining the historical and textual evidence and why this tradition may be less straightforward than it seems. Together, they discuss how these stories developed over time and how they helped shape Israel’s identity, inviting listeners to think more critically about how the Bible tells its story of the past.

Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-323-andrew-to...

On this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with archaeologist Cynthia Shafer-Elliott about what archaeology can—and can’t—tell us about the Bible. Cynthia explains how archaeologists excavate ancient sites, highlights key discoveries like the Tel Dan Stele and the Lachish reliefs, and explores what everyday artifacts reveal about life in ancient Israel and Judah. Together they discuss how material culture complicates simple claims that archaeology either proves or disproves the Bible, offering instead a richer picture of the ancient world behind the text.

Show Notes → https://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/bible-epis...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Chris Hoklotubbe and Danny Zacharias about biblical interpretation through an Indigenous American perspective. They explore how cultural identity, history, and social location shape the way people read Scripture, and why Indigenous perspectives challenge assumptions many Christians take for granted. Together, they invite listeners to read the Bible more thoughtfully, remaining aware of their own context and open to voices that have too often been overlooked.

Show Notes → http://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/bible-episode-321-h-daniel-zacharias-t-christopher-hoklotubbe-native-american-biblical-interpretation

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu...

In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete has another go at ruining something. This week, he’s unpacking the book of Jeremiah and its interlocking themes of anguish, confusion, and hope. Along the way, Pete picks out some of the iconic Jeremiah verses commonly quoted in churches and Facebook posts and puts them back in the context of the text. It might make those verses less applicable to a high school graduation card, but it also helps readers participate in the ongoing journey to search for God’s promises in the face of crisis.

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In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared welcome back Season 1 favorite Matthew Vines to discuss how conversations about the Bible and same-sex relationships have shifted over the past decade. Matthew revisits common biblical arguments against same-sex marriage and offers thoughtful counterpoints grounded in Scripture and church history. The conversation explores how a deeper understanding of the Bible’s context can invite Christians to think more expansively about faith, love, and partnership.

Show Notes → https://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/bible-episode-319-matthew-vines-the-bible-isnt-against-gay-marriage

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/2x5BQNrD9...

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Mark S. Smith, a leading scholar of ancient Israelite religion, to explore the polytheistic background of Israel and the gradual emergence of monotheism in the Hebrew Bible. Drawing on biblical texts, ancient Near Eastern inscriptions, and comparative studies, Mark explains how early Israelites likely understood Yahweh as one deity among many before later theological developments came to affirm him as the sole god of Israel.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-318-mark-s-smith-the-many-gods-of-israel/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.b...

This is a teaser of our February 2026 bonus episode! In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by longtime friends of the podcast Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi for a lively conversation about, of all things, interpreting the Bible. Together, they explore metaphors that celebrate the diversity of biblical interpretation, wrestle with the complexities of relativism, and invite listeners to move beyond inerrancy toward a more expansive, life-giving view of Scripture. 

Want to hear the rest of the episode? Join our online community the Society of Normal People and you'll g...

In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with theologian and ethicist Jared Stacy about the rise of conspiracy thinking, especially within American evangelicalism. Drawing on his research, Jared Stacy explains how conspiracy theories tap into fears of cultural decline, offer a sense of control, and become spiritually charged narratives about good and evil. He also explores opportunities for people to recognize these patterns and consider more grounded, truth-seeking ways of engaging faith and public life.

Show Notes →https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-71-jared-stacy-the-evangelical-to-conspiracy-theory-pipeline/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.b...

Pete and Jared are back! They kick off Season 10 of The Bible for Normal People with N.T. Wright, diving into the big, sweeping vision of Ephesians. Wright unpacks Ephesians as an invitation to embody unity across deep divisions and to reflect God’s plan to bring heaven and earth together in Christ. They also explore the meaning of the “powers and principalities” and what it looks like for the church today to live out that cosmic, countercultural calling.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-317-n-t-wright-the-book-of-ephesians/

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/b0kmqfYD0hg<...

Season's greetings from Team B4NP! Podcast producer Brittany and audio engineer Joel have joined forces to bring you the third annual installment of our holiday roast, otherwise known as bloopers from this past season of the podcasts. Enjoy some silly behind-the-scenes content from your favorite episodes of Season 9 of The Bible for Normal People and Season 3 of Faith for Normal People. From all of us here at The Bible for Normal People, we wish you happy holidays and a wonderful new year. See you in 2026!

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-70-a-holiday-roast/ 

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At the close of Season 9 of The Bible for Normal People, Pete & Jared set out on their annual holiday quest: taking questions that people have been asking for centuries and attempting to answer them in an hour-long podcast episode.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-316-pete-enns-jared-byas-is-the-bible-the-word-of-god-other-easy-questions/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/X3aLlmohjQY

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In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete and Jared sit down with Diana Butler Bass to talk about the Christian calendar. Diana walks through the history of how the Christian calendar came to be, what levels of importance different traditions give it, and how the Christian calendar can serve as a symbol of resistance against other timelines that might be dominated by capitalism and imperialism. 

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-69-diana-butler-bass-resisting-christmas-and-why-the-christian-calendar-still-matters/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/NhfpmBjSpG0

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On this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Kent Sparks to unpack the early religious history of ancient Israel. Kent explores how ancient Israelites first gave God the name Yahweh, how Israelites understood Yahweh in relation to other ancient Near Eastern deities, and how the roots of monotheism emerge from a far more diverse and evolving set of beliefs than many assume.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-315-kent-sparks-the-beginnings-of-israelite-religion/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/JsRPR59pX54

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In this episode of Faith For Normal People, Pete and Jared revisit a conversation with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the bestselling book Jesus and John Wayne. The conversation explores the history of “toxic” masculinity in both the church and American pop culture, and how Christians in 2025 can be part of the resistance efforts against harmful cultural structures. This is a reissue of The Bible for Normal People Episode 170 from June 2021.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-68-kristin-kobes-du-mez-a-church-history-of-toxic-masculinity-reissue/

Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/OAjNnqgLkeA

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In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete Enns and Anna Sieges Beal sit down with Shayna Sheinfeld to talk about the Second Temple period, spanning from 586 BCE to 70 CE. Shayna presents texts from that time that illuminate events glossed over by most Bibles, and explores the often-overlooked roles played by women wielding power in those communities.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-314-shayna-sheinfeld-the-complicated-world-of-second-temple-judaism/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/92i5Pc9CRI4

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In the final Pete Ruins episode of 2025, Pete Enns speaks to everyone who has ever read Song of Songs and wondered “why the heck is this in the Bible?”

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-313-pete-ruins-song-of-songs/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/FmFfQL2ahqc

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In this week’s episode of Faith for Normal People, Pete is joined by Liz Charlotte Grant to talk about using the Bible as a springboard for curiosity, inquiry, conversation, and community. This episode explores how art, imagination, and the practice of midrash can open up new ways of engaging scripture when literal readings don’t speak to what we see in the world today.

Show Notes → https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-67-liz-charlotte-grant-the-gift-of-an-unclear-text/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/BK3xfTiHDRg

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This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Greenlight is a debit car...