Real Bible Rob: Affirming Christianity Podcast Real Bible Rob - Inclusive Christianity Discussions Real Bible Rob | PCUSA Ministry Insights
Exploring Bible interpretation and modern Christian faith, I am a Presbyterian USA minister who interprets the Bible in all of its messy and varied voices. I teach and preach spiritual growth to people who want an open and affirming Christianity. My social media tagline is "People say lots of things about the Bible that aren't really there."
My full-length sermons and live stream are available on YouTube: @robchrist8999 and @edmondspresbyterian132
Contact me at: epc-pcusa.org, pastorepc@frontier.com
Episodes
118 episodes
Race, Religion, and Women with Charmella Williams - No Reform without Reckoning
I am so happy to speak with Charmella Williams again! She is a big thinker and a clear speaker about history and about what it means to be a successful black woman in our confusing time. Last time she spoke about the racial reckoning in America...
The Last Seder of James, Episcopal Church and Contemplative Christianity with Rev. Ryan Wiksell
I'm delighted to welcome The Rev. Ryan Wiksell today. Ryan is an Episcopal Priest in Kansas City, Missouri. He is also my friend and I am his Anamchara, or Celtic soul friend. We both belong to the Community of Aidan and Hilda, a dispersed Celt...
Are you “Born Again?” Cult code signaling is not what John 3 is about.
I am very interested how evangelical Christians use language to signal conformity. A major goal of my online ministry is to point out these code words, often based on the misuse of scripture, and to debunk their common usage. "Born Again" is ce...
How Purity Policing harms the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the mission of Christianity
Life is complicated & faithfulness to God happens in unexpected ways. I spoke with the Redeemed Zoomer, Richard Ackerman, a few episodes ago about his General Assembly overture requiring ordained elders to affirm monogamy. Faithfulness to m...
The Dispensations are not biblical and has its roots in antisemitic racism.
Dispensationalism is the 19th century theology that says you can neatly divide all of history in to 7 or 8 periods. It is the rationale for the Rapture. Even though it is widely believed and preached especially in America, it is not biblical an...
Redeemed Zoomer on the Future of Mainline Churches
I'm pleased to welcome Richard Ackerman, also known as the Redeemed Zoomer on YouTube, to the podcast. Richard is currently a seminary student at Dubuque Theological Seminary. But he is mostly known for his big presence on social media, especia...
Replacement theology. Why Supersession is so wrong with author Gabe Gordon
I'm so happy to welcome my Jewish Christian friend Gabe Gordon back to the podcast. Last year he spoke to my congregation about his book The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalist and we did a podcast episode. Supersessionism and the misus...
Fundamentalist Off Ramps. Absolute certainty until it doesn't work.
Correction: Recent studies show that 38% of Americans believe in some form of Young Earth Creationism.A core tenet of Fundamentalism is biblical inerrancy. This is also its Achilles heel, because there is always a departure point for eve...
What Ezra & Nehemiah tell us about Inclusion. Hebrew Bible scholar Dr. Roger Nam
I am delighted to welcome Dr. Roger Nam to the podcast! Dr. Nam is a Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. He was the Dean of Portland Seminary while I was getting my MDiv there. While Dean ...
Murder in the Church. Ananias and Sapphira and Communism. Acts 5:1-11
Christians idealize many passages in the Bible. For good and for bad. The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a classic example. It is so out of character for Peter and the principles of grace. It doesn't fit unless you also look at the...
New Approach to Romans with Distinguished Professor Beverly Roberts Gaventa
I am delighted to welcome Dr. Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Retired Distinguished Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Baylor University. She is also Professor Emerita at Princeton Theological Seminary. Many of my PCUSA colleagues took class...
Historical Jesus answers the wrong question: How Narrative Criticism led to Modern Christianity
The Jesus Seminar and its work to elucidate a historical Jesus ran out of steam. Robert Funk, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan and others did done a lot of great work to put the gospels in historical context. They famously voted on the histori...
Decolonizing Christianity: Another look at Romans 3 and the meaning of Yom Kippur
We really must decolonize Christianity if we are ever going to free ourselves from Christian Nationalism and help people grow spiritually. Romans 3 is the heart of the doctrine of Total Depravity and the Penal Substitutionary theory of Atonemen...
Wagging the Dog: Why Israel plays an outsized role in the world - a modern Christian perspective
Israel is constantly in the news. Some people are very annoyed by this, others are dismissive, and others are hyperpartisan about it. While it feels like current events, Israel has actually had an outsized role for thousands. Israel has vexed s...
What is Sin? Instinct and Intention - Modern Christianity and Science
Romans 6 begins the heart of Paul's letter. Paul speaks in an imaginary dialogue in his arguments to the Romans. He asks a rhetorical question like "Should we continue in Sin in order that grace may abound?" and then says "By no means!" again a...
Where is Home? Ezra and the Returning Exiles. The Bible is more Persian than you think.
The conquering of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was the worst thing that ever happened to the ancient Israelite people. Some of the people were dragged off to Babylon and many of them were left behind. For 50 long years, they were separated. The...
Humor of Paul’s Diatribes in Romans 1:18-32 and 3:9-18
People take the Bible way too seriously. By reading it out loud and you can see the humor and irony. Paul was a master at using hyperbole to shake up his audience. He often uses "vice lists" where he throws the kitchen sink in obliterate a con&...
Word-for-Word vs. Meaning-for-Meaning Bibles - What it means & how Theology is injected in the text
Bible publishing is big business. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on marketing both in advertising and promotion and giving away free copies every year. One way to build confidence in a Bible version is to say that it is the most word...
It's Greek to Me: Why knowing the languages of the Bible helps understanding it
One of the strangest things you will hear when speaking about the Bible online is "I don't need to learn Hebrew or Greek to understand the Bible." I agree that you can do great work with good solid English translations, but there is always more...
Phoebe: The woman who carried and read Paul’s letter to Romans
In this episode, I tell about one of the most important people in the whole New Testament. There are only two verses about her, but her story is much deeper. She was a prominent Christian leader because she was a deacon and a benefactor. Mostly...
Blasphemy! The Unforgivable Sin Myth | Modern Bible Interpretation for Healing
Young Christians live in fear of committing the "unforgivable sin"—a false doctrine rooted in harmful theology that keeps people trapped in shame. In this healing episode, Real Bible Rob explores how affirming Christianity and modern Bible inte...
Daniel is the Last Book of the Old Testament
Daniel is such a fun book. It has the men with funny names thrown into the fiery furnace. They are saved without even the slightest burn and with an angel appearing in the fire with them. It has Daniel thrown into the Lion's Den by King Belshaz...
Depravity Porn: Psychological warfare of evangelists using Proverbs 3:5 and Jeremiah 17:9
Does your pastor tell you “the heart is deceitful” and “lean not on your own understanding” to get you to not trust yourself or your intuition? This is pure gaslighting and you should run away from them. It’s often a trick played by dominant me...
No Doubting About Thomas: How John showed his importance
Thomas was one of the most impressive apostles for a number of reasons. He is the instigator of change and perception in the Gospel of John. He is unfairly called Doubting Thomas to highlight his saying he wouldn't believe in the risen Christ u...
Exodus Trauma Shapes Levitical Law with @literallythebible: Biblical Interpretation, Modern Faith
How does trauma shape sacred law? In this episode, Rob explores trauma responses woven through Exodus and Leviticus with Elle @literallythebible, examining how the Israelites' PTSD from slavery informed the Levitical legal codes. Discover how c...