The Bible as Literature

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 our religious leader say about X?" One way or another, people eventually find someone who can provide clarity on issue X. Then everybody gives a big sigh of relief until someone comes along with a different opinion about said issue, X. By now, I'm sure our podcast listeners are asking the real question, namely, how does St. Paul solve the question of issue X? Well, he explains, "I think the answer is X, but then again, I think the answer is Y. But then again, it could be X, but, then again, if it's not, or if maybe it is, keep in mind--now, this is just my opinion--but I think Y is also fine, so long as you keep your priorities straight." Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. (Episode 109; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Conflicted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 status, they think, "better" or "worse." If all this makes sense to you, then, according to 1 Corinthians, your priorities are all wrong. Instead of caring about the gospel, you are thinking about you. That may please your life coach, but it won't get you very far with St. Paul. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 7:1-24. (Episode 108; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Aurea Carmina" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 to be right. They love it. It's like a drug. They love it so much that when something goes unavoidably wrong, they devise clever ways to blame other people. Human beings are so committed to defending themselves that in the US alone, we spend $234 billion annually on legal fees. That's enough money to stop world hunger for 8 years. Now, what if I told you about an ancient method of conflict resolution guaranteed to work in every situation, without exception. If only people knew. (Episode 107; 1 Corinthians 6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "TV Melodrama" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 its purity by avoiding association people outside the community. No interpretation of 1 Corinthians could be further from the truth. On the contrary, when Paul speaks of immoral people in chapter 5, he is referring to people within the church. To borrow a line from Mark's gospel, "there is nothing outside a man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." (Mark 7:15) Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of 1 Corinthians. (Episode 106; 1 Corinthians 5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Open Those Bright Eyes" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 teaching of the cross as a way of replacing one kind of power with another. You might be tempted to let yourself off the hook by claiming that he is replacing man's power with God's power. Well, OK, but you are avoiding the tougher question: how is God's power made manifest? In abstraction? Theoretically? Intellectually? In chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians, Paul demonstrates what God's power consists of and how it is to be wielded in the church. Like the embarrassment of confession, it is neither theoretical, invisible nor mystical. You should be so lucky. (Episode 105; 1 Corinthians 4; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Cool Hard Facts" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 agriculture did not develop in the Fertile Crescent until 11,500 years ago. Now, I am not a math expert, but it seems to me that if all this is true, seeds were sown, watered and growing on Earth for millions and millions and millions...and millions of years before human beings began farming. If that's the case, why on Earth would anyone imagine that the human being who plants and the human being who waters amount to anything? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 3. (Episode 104; 1 Corinthians 3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Four Beers Polka" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 from a position of strength? Is Paul contradicting himself? Why would someone proclaiming the crucified Christ claim to do so with power? What part does Roman culture play in the content of the gospel? That’s right. No need to clean the wax out of your ears. I did not say, "how do we separate Roman culture from the true meaning of the gospel?" I said, "what part does Roman culture play in the content of the gospel?" Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 2. (Episode 103; 1 Corinthians 2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "OctoBlues" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 impractical, ruthlessly practical in its transformation of human behavior? Why is the content of the gospel readily dismissed by both religious and secular thinkers? What opportunity does this teaching and the decline of religion in the United States present to Christians? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians. (Episode 102; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Daily Beetle” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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. Paul use praise as a tool of judgment against the church in Roman Corinth? This Christmas Eve, Richard and Fr. Marc celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with the first in a series of episodes covering 1 Corinthians. May it always be pleasant for you to remember upon Christmas Day the one who made lame beggars walk and blind men see; And by your remembering, may the poor always have good news brought to them. A very Merry Christmas to you. (Episode 101; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Silent Night” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 while unpacking the surprising meaning of Genesis 47. An epilogue to their six part series on Galatians, this week's episode also serves as an introduction for Walid Issa, the keynote speaker at Bethlehem 2015, an interfaith event hosted at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Eagan, MN. This week’s show was recorded in front of a live audience. Walid's keynote is included at the end of the program. (Episode 100; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Christmas Rap" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 series on the letter to the Galatians, Richard and Fr. Marc take time to reflect on the tragedy of this unbearable loss in the light of the St. Paul's teaching. This week's episode is offered on behalf of the Price family: John, Lisa and Tom, in memory of their beloved son and brother, "John John" and his dear friend, Jacob. (Episode 99; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Cover photo: "Lined With Angels" John Price; Music: "Winter Chimes" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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 for those who make an effort to hear the text in context, it becomes quickly clear that Paul’s letter is not only reading and explaining -- but applying -- the Torah to the church in Galatia. At the center of this wrangle is Jerusalem’s misreading of the meaning of circumcision in Genesis. In their discussion of Galatians 5, Richard and Fr. Marc compare the abuse of circumcision in Genesis 34 with it’s misuse at the hands of Peter and James. (Episode 98; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Pippin the Hunchback" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ )

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 different languages, Aramaic and Greek, to address the Father of Jesus? How could a barren woman have more children than someone capable of childbirth? Who are the children of Hagar and what is the Jerusalem above? Richard and Fr. Marc tackle Galatians 4. (Episode 97; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

What is the purpose of the Law in Galatians and how does it relate to Abraham’s faith in God’s instruction? What is the connection between the Law of Moses and the Crucifixion of Jesus? How and why does the Torah illustrate Abraham’s wickedness while also insisting on his centrality? Does the Law contradict faith? If the works of the Law cannot attain righteousness before God, what is the point of the Law? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Galatians 3. (Episode 96; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

Why does St. Paul specify that he was away from Jerusalem for an interval of fourteen years? Does the length of time have any significance? Why did he insist on meeting privately with Peter and James during his visit? Why are Peter, James and John referred to as the Pillars? Why is the death of Jesus considered a victory and how do Paul’s opponents jeopardize this victory? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of Galatians with a review of chapter 2. (Episode 95; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)