All Episodes
Jesus Has Left the Building
Human institutions operate under the assumption that they are justified. I was going to say human communities, but let’s be honest, we no longer have communities. We h...
Against Bethel
This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that the scriptural God is a judge who decides to behave as a loving father, but is not essentially “father”. (Episode 213)
The Liberation of the Gospel
When we approach Scripture with human presuppositions, we inevitably and systematically mishear the topic of a given book, dislocating God’s agency in the story and si...
A Mark of Weakness
In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 32, noting the Bible’s tendency to belittle the main protagonist to the glory of God. (Episode 212)
Cathedrals and Bombs
When someone does something terrible, and you step in to clean up their mess, and then you explain what went wrong, and then you show them how to avoid making the same...
The Terror and the Glory
This week Fr. Paul explains what theology cannot accept: that terror and glory function in the same way in scripture.
A Tower and a Rock, At a Distance
“Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have be...
A Small Stone and a Big Pyramid
This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 31 noting the significance of the Hebrew word teraphim. (Episode 210)
The Cowardly Centurian
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;” “How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who gre...
The Return of the Remnant
In the book of Genesis, the sons of Cain seek divine status and an artificial life forged in everlasting stone. In Matthew, Jesus, like the sons of Adam in Genesis 5, ...
The Missing Link
This week, Fr. Paul explains that when something is mentioned only once in Scripture it’s a good indication that we should pay attention. (Episode 208)
Please Don’t Find Yourself
We modern folk like to think we invented confusion, but human beings have always been easily confused. We hear and see whatever we want, ignoring everything only to ma...
No Confusion
Self-appointed apologists are quick to explain that God may allow “bad things” to happen, but he in no way causes them. So the apologist assesses God’s will from a hum...
With the Lord
This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 29, touching on the significance of Rachel’s barrenness. (Episode 206)
Sticking it to the Man
Everybody loves to quote Scripture—I’m not sure why—because no matter the text, the minute you open your mouth to pronounce what it says, it condemns you. Sometimes in...
Not Your Connections
In today’s program Fr. Paul stresses that it is the text itself, not the person hearing it, that makes connections within the story. (Episode 205)
Thou Shalt Not Speak for Jesus
There is no such thing as an oral tradition. By its very definition, “the rule” of the Gospel is written down. It’s called a rule because God issued and inscribed a ru...
Against the Temple
This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 28 with an excerpt from Acts 7. (Episode 204)
A King Like Stalin?
We like to pretend that giving people a choice is essential. Mostly, we use the American ideology of choice to extract profit, to distract from what’s really going on,...
Matstsebah
This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that we cannot understand the meaning of a word until we hear how that word is used throughout the entire story. (Episode 203)
The Lost Sheep
When we hear the teaching of Matthew, “judge not that you may not be judged,” it’s easy to overlook the obvious: when you teach the words of Elohim, you personally are...
You’re Making Up Your Own Story
This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 28. (Episode 202)
The Rejection of Yahweh
“A mob,” James Baldwin wrote, “is not autonomous: it executes the real will of the people who rule the state. The slaughter in Birmingham, Alabama, for example, was no...
Anti-Civilization
This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 28, drawing attention to our commonly held anti-scriptural premise that perceives civilization and anything “ci...
Which Son, Pilate?
The rise of Scripture against the classical and Hellenistic world pit the voice of the Shepherd—spoken in his idiosyncratic language—against the language of human inst...
The Children of Abraham
In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that it is God who makes his own house and his own children, noting the absurdity of religious debates about legitimacy and pedig...