Bible Study: Parody and Subversion in Matthew's Gospel

Send us Fan Mail This episode is simply to direct my viewers to two YouTube videos where C.J. Cornthwaite explains that the words that get translated into English Bibles as "faith" and "church" really don't mean what we think they mean. And that makes a HUGE difference. The video on faith/pistis, “Did early Christians have 'belief'? This evidence says no.” by C.J. Cornthwaite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8rSjPC11Gs The video on ekklesia/church, "The first churches make ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I review the work that I did in episodes 59-61 on chapters 24-25 of Matthew, often referred to as "The Little Apocalypse." I reflect on this sermon by Jesus in these chapters during a time when the world as we know it may be coming to an end, i.e. the world in which the U.S. is the dominant hegemon. What is the message for us from these chapters? What was the message for its original audience in the late first century when Israel had been almost completely de...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, I interview Ched Myers about his new book, Healing Affluenza and Resisting Plutocracy; Luke's Jesus and Sabbath Economics. To order the book, go to Bookshop.org and search for Ched Myers. Through the end of July 2025, the promo code SOJO20 will reduce the price by 20%. You can also use this link: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Ched+Myers Description from Bookshop.org: Myers brings a well-honed interpretive eye to a thematic study of Luke's ...

Send us Fan Mail This is a sermon that I preached with a friend who is from Gaza. The text that was read before the sermon is Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?..."

Send us Fan Mail This is a replay of Episode 31 with a brief new intro. Jesus tells a parable about a demon exorcism which results in a situation worse than the original demon possession. Those who read the Bible at surface level (and somehow don't seem to notice all the problems that presents) tend to read this passage literally, but Jesus is clearly speaking parabolically. This parable can be applied to any situation in which a problem has been dealt with in a way that does not ...