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Browsing Category " wisdom "
Home » wisdom

A New Time: How To Be A Bible Believer In A Changing World (Episode #100)

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The four cubits podcast has always been about taking seriously both our ancient Bible and our modern lives, even when doing so leads us away from easy, neat answers. Often, that approach will lead us towards personal and communal change - and despite what you might have heard from some Christians, theres nothing more biblical than change!

This episode explores some of the ways in which the people of God in scripture not only navigated changes in themselves, their communities, and their world, but how their experiences of God often drove those changes.

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binding (2020/01/12)

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Well, this week's episode started out as a short look at Genesis 22 and the Binding of Isaac, known in Jewish tradition as the "Akedah" ("binding", from Genesis 22:9). It kind of grew legs, though, and it turns out to be an incredible passage to talk about some really important stuff when it comes to biblical narrative and interpretation.

Transcript coming soon!

wisdom (2020/01/05)

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Happy new year from myself and Becky Lewis, my first co-host on four cubits in 2020! The Genesis segment comes to you in a slightly different format this week: Genesis 9 is Becky's jumping-off point for an overview of the themes in the whole book. It works really well as a reader's guide to the book, which will be very helpful as we read through it this month. I already have more co-hosts lined up to tackle some other books in a similar way this year, so get ready to hear new and familiar voices on the podcast soon!

Transcript coming soon!

Christian Ethics and Social Justice: The Gospel of the Human Jesus

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In December 2019, I took part in the Living Faith day, in Dorridge in the UK Midlands. This is my paper from that day, on the subject of "Christian Ethics and Social Justice". It went really well, and I shared my script and slides here while we were waiting for the videos to be produced. You can now see the full talk on YouTube


seasons (2019/10/13)

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four cubits and a span is back! Jo Kitchen returns to co-host this episode, and we take a look at three passages that make us ask all of the most interesting questions that the Bible invites us to consider. (Spoiler alert: they all start with "Why...?")

This new season of the podcast kicks off with the bloodless, U-rated version of Solomon's accession to the throne; the 15-rated, blood-soaked gore-fest that is the epic, eschatalogical, apocalyptic final battle of Ezekiel 39; and, in a passage chosen by my co-host, Qoheleth tries to bring some kind of balance and perspective to the question of life's purpose and meaning. Together, Jo and I reflect on these scriptures, and on our responses to them.

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appropriation and manifestation (2019/04/21)

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What happened at Sinai? This question faces us throughout the Deuteronomy narrative, and this week is our introduction to the Deuteronomist's retelling of the Exodus tradition. In John's gospel we're facing another perspective on John's Christology and theology - what are we to make of the Comforter passage?

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identity and inter-relationship: out-takes

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In the Proverbs segment this week, we considered several sayings that seemed to contradict each other. Wisdom is contextual, so that makes sense: one size does not necessarily fit all. Well, in this out-take, we're going to look at a single saying with at least two different possible readings!

identity and inter-relationship (2019/04/07)

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So what happens when the reality of the biblical text crashes against our expectations of biblical reality? We're taking that head-on in the Numbers passage this week, as we consider the choice: explain away the biblical text, or change our perspecive on it. Perhaps Proverbs can help us properly frame our search for wisdom in the Bible.

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talking and telling (2019/03/31)

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Challenging texts this week, and three important conversations to hold. In Numbers, God is planning genocide again - and we have to ask ourselves whether or not God changes his mind, and how we read scriptures describing God's words and actions. The tables are turned on the reader in the New Testament, as we are forced to turn those same questions of ourselves, at the trial of Jesus.

In the Proverbs text, we take some time to consider ways to read - and not to read - the sayings in that book, and we take some examples. For texts from ancient times and places, all three this week are still sharp and extremely relevant. They speak directly to present-day moral, philosophical, and political issues.

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literature and renewal (2018/12/02)

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An extended segment on Job dives into the curious framing narrative that opens the book. With a heightened sense of reality and a gathering of divine beings, what's really going on here - and what part does it really play in the drama of Job? A similar, literary look at the middle of the Jonah narrative gives way to a consideration of what modern people do with ancient prophecy - and Hebrews picks up that question and runs with it!

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emotion and hierarchy (2018/09/02)

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It's our one-year anniversary! We're looking at the significance of the generic 'Elisha and the king of Israel' stories early in 2 Kings, and really getting stuck into the emotional struggle in Lamentations. In 1 Corinthians, our spirit is tested again - this time by the non-hierarchical organisation of the early Pauline churches.

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pilgrimage and belonging (2018/04/29)

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We're back! Our first weekly show in four months brings us back just in time to do Deuteronomy and catch the end of the wisdom literature in Ecclesiastes. In the New Testament slot we're trying a new feature to avoid repeating a segment from last October: looking behind the story in the text to consider the story of the text. In this extended show, we'll examine three text critical issues in Acts 7.
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