Show Notes
In this episode Skyler interviews Dr. Scott Womble on why the Bible is so difficult and hard to understand. Scott is the Vice President of Academics & Professor of Bible & Ministry at Saint Louis Christian College where he has been teaching Bible interpretation for over 20 years. In this episode Scott shares with us why the Bible is not nearly as difficult as we make it and a few tricks of the trade to interpreting the Bible well.LinksScott WombleDouble Slit experience Entanglement How to Read the Bible for all it's Worth (Beginners)Grasping God's Word (Advanced)Notes:Why the Bible important?It is the basis for life and faith in Christ. It shows us the Story of Salvation. It explains what God's will is for your life.Is the Bible hard to understand?It is easier to understand than we think.It is hard when ignore its literary context.Read the Bible like you would a newspaper. Different sections require different rules of interpretations (headlines, comics, advertisements, obituaries, etc.). The Bible is a large book with different literary genres (narrative, law, prophetic, poetic, etc.). The Central Message of the BibleGod created everything.God revealed himself (the Bible).There's a Sin problem (God is holy and humans are sinful).God's love overcame the Sin problem (Jesus came to die for sin and was resurrected).Follow Jesus and live in eternity with God.Dos and Don'ts for Reading the BibleLearn the context of the passage (Context is king): Layers of context:Immediate: the paragraphSurrounding: several chaptersThe book: what is the book about the Bible: what is the message of the bibleChristian: Read bigger portions of Scripture (e.g., read the New Testament in a Month)Non-Christian: Start by reading the Gospel of John.
More from Unpacked with Skyler
In this episode Skyler interview Dr. Tom Wright on his newly published book Into The heart of Romans: A Deep Dive Into Paul’s Greatest Letter. Dr. Wright brings his fresh perspective from over 50 years of studying the letter of Romans in this book. He is the former Bishop of Durham and has taught at various schools such as Oxford, Cambridge, and McGill University. Currently Dr. Wright is the research professor emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at at St Mary’s college and Senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall at Oxford.
In this episode Skyler interview Dr. Sandra Glahn on her newly released book Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament. Dr. Glahn brings her Biblical expertise and person experience to shed light on a misunderstood background and interpretation to what Paul means when he says, "women will be saved through childbearing" (1 Timothy 2:15). Dr. Glahn is professor of media arts and worship at Dallas Theological Seminary where she focuses a lot of her time teaching about first-century backgrounds.
In this episode Skyler interviews Peter Gurry on the ancient Bible manuscripts, common myths, objections, and the science behind the Greek New Testament used in our English Bibles. Peter serves as the Associate Professor of New Testament at Phoenix Seminary and the Director of the Text and Canon Institute. He holds a Ph.d from the University of Cambridge and is leading expert in the field of textual criticism. Notes:Phoenix Seminary Text and Canon Institute * Two Reasons There Are Variants in Our Copies of the Bible (article) Scribes and Scripture: The amazing story of how we got our Bible (book) Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism (book)
In this episode Skyler interviews John Marriott on the Christian deconversion. John serves on the research staff at the Center for Christian Thought at Biola University, and adjunct professor in the department of philosophy. John's dissertation focused on deconversion from Christianity to atheism making him a leading voice in the area of understanding deconversion and a helpful resource to pastors, parents, and churches in today's world. Notes:The Anatomy of Deconversion John Marriott website
In this episode Skyler interviews David L. Rowe on the Latter-Day Saints and how Christians can have better conversations with them. David served as professor and dean of spiritual life at Salt Lake Theological Seminary, before transitioning to the dean of facilitators at The Vine Institute. In this interview David shares his wealth of knowledge and heart for the Latter-Day Saints. Notes:I Love Mormons: A New Way to Share Christ with Latter-Day SaintsThe Vine Institute