All Episodes
Who is Testing Whom?
It is common for students to judge their teachers. Worse, students today are encouraged to do so, being routinely asked to fill out teacher evaluation forms. Some have...
Wax On Wax Off
According to human standards of leadership, when Paul changes course midstream, it appears to his disciples that he is vascillating between "yes" and "no," like a man ...
The Blessing and the Curse
When Paul talks about comfort in 2 Corinthians, it is easy to receive his words as much needed nurturing, as though we have suffered unjustly and are in need of God's ...
Whistling to the Flock
Without realizing it, when people hear the word “church,” they usually imagine a meta institution with clear organizational or ideological boundaries, akin to a govern...
Baptism for the Dead
Isaiah 22:12 Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. 13 Instead, there is gaiety a...
According to the Scriptures
Psalm 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Agains...
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
When reading an ancient text in translation—especially one laden with nuance—there is a high risk of misunderstanding. On the one hand, there are expressions, cultural...
Five Words
Better to “speak five words” that give instruction, Paul explains, “than ten thousand words” that mean something to you but are useless for everyone else. Richard and ...
A More Excellent Way
After spending the better part of 12 chapters putting the church’s household in order, in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, St. Paul crowns the power structure he establish...
Hell Was Created Just for Me
The key to understanding any idea, statement or position is to examine its premise. What underlying assumptions must be made for an idea to make sense? What motivation...
Paul's Kung Fu
According to our friend Google, a contradiction is, “a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.” According to St. ...
A Tribe of One?
What if you know something is OK, but someone else does not? What if you know something is not OK, but others think it is fine? What if someone offers you something th...
First Among Average
What does it mean to be chosen in the Bible? What is the purpose of having a chosen people? How does God honor his chosen? What is expected of those who hope to join t...
Trickle Up Economics
Can you make yourself the least of all by insisting on your title and station? Can you sacrifice everything for the sake of others without them liking it? Are you able...
Not So Smart After All
According to Wikipedia, “Illusory superiority is a cognitive bias whereby individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities relative to others. This is eviden...
How To Play Both Sides Without Waffling
For as long as religion has been around, people have come forward with a single, destructive question: "O religious leader, what does our religion say," or, "What does...
Not Your Ordinary Life Coach
When couples want marriage or divorce, they think "fairness." When people are dissatisfied with their place in life, they think "change." When people look at their own...
Égoïsme à deux
People love to defend themselves. They defend their choices. They defend their group. They defend their rights; their property; their beliefs. Oh, yes, and people love...
The Problem Within
At first glance, St. Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 5, that the faithful are not to associate with immoral people, seems to imply that the church should safeguard ...
The Art of Biblical Shame
When reading 1 Corinthians, it is easy to mistake Paul's discussion of weakness and strength as a universal condemnation of power. On the contrary, Paul presents the t...
Neither is Anything
Scientists believe that plant life first formed on the Earth 700 million years ago and that the first fungi appeared on land 1300 million years ago. In contrast, human...
Spiritual Authority
How can St. Paul emphasize the importance of weakness while boasting that his own preaching is a "demonstration of the Spirit and of power?" How can he preach weakness...
A Practical Impracticality
What does it mean to hope in the Kingdom of God and how does this hope differ from the false promises of idealism? How is the biblical teaching, which seems impractica...
An Appeal to Fellowship
What is the answer to every human conflict and how is this answer sabotaged by human wisdom? What does it mean, in biblical terms, to be called by God? How does St. Pa...
Epilogue: Freeing the Dove
In a special anniversary edition marking the 100th episode of the podcast, Richard and Fr. Marc take the opportunity to draw on themes from the show's first two years ...
Unearned Suffering: In Memory of John Price
On December 4, 2015, John Ashton Price IV, age 18, and Jacob Flynn, age 17, were killed in an automobile accident in Lakeville, Minnesota. In concluding their six part...
The Sons of Jacob
Hearing Galatians in translation and out of context, it’s tempting to conclude that St. Paul is arguing for some new alternative to the teaching of Old Testament; but ...
The Children of Hagar
What is the difference between a child and an heir in Roman society and what role does the Roman household play in the content of Paul’s gospel? Why does Paul use two ...