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

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

christian life, epistemology, ethics, exhortation, gospel, hermeneutics, podcast, priesthood, rabbinic judaism, reception history, sacrifice, second temple judaism, social justice, temple, wisdom

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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SWALK (2020/02/23)

SWALK (2020/02/23)

christian life, Jo Kitchen, podcast, poetry, sexuality, slavery, social justice, temple, wisdom

So many of our reading skills depend on our cultural background: the memes, metaphors, and idioms that make up our literary vernacular. This week, Jo Kitchen and I take on 1 Corinthians 6, which turns out to be particularly densely packed and full of rhetorical flair.

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binding (2020/01/12)

binding (2020/01/12)

ethics, form criticism, hermeneutics, podcast, reading, socio-rhetorical interpretation, wisdom

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)

wisdom (2020/01/05)

Becky Lewis, christian life, creation, form criticism, gospel, podcast, poetry, politics, wisdom

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

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

blog, christian life, Christology, gospel, history, law, second temple judaism, social justice, wisdom

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)

seasons (2019/10/13)

eschatology, history, Jo Kitchen, podcast, prophecy, wisdom

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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rhetoric (2019/04/28)

rhetoric (2019/04/28)

divine violence, early church, eschatology, form criticism, law, podcast, wisdom

This week on the podcast we're returning to the seventh-year remission laws from last month, and the fascinating character (and book) of Koheleth from last year. We're also facing up to one of the rare "texts of terror" in the New Testament: the execution of Ananias and Sapphira.

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appropriation and manifestation (2019/04/21)

appropriation and manifestation (2019/04/21)

Christology, ecclesiology, gospel, history, podcast, poetry, redaction, source criticism, wisdom

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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