[Faith] Episode 34: Grace Semler Baldridge - Faith Is a Moving Target

[Faith] Episode 34: Grace Semler Baldridge - Faith Is a Moving Target

Author: Peter Enns and Jared Byas March 4, 2024 Duration: 53:10
In this episode of Faith for Normal People, Grace Baldridge (known by the artist name Semler) joins Pete and Jared to talk about the moving target of faith, whether leaving church is leaving God, and Grace’s journey as a queer person in Christian music. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve probably heard the Bible quoted, preached, and argued about, but how often do you get to explore it with curiosity instead of certainty? That’s the space The Bible For Normal People creates each week. Hosts Peter Enns and Jared Byas-scholars who understand both the academic weight and the everyday weight of scripture-guide conversations that are genuinely engaging and refreshingly human. They aren’t here to provide simple answers. Instead, they sit down with a diverse range of thinkers, from theologians and historians to artists and activists, to ask the complicated questions regular people actually have. In this podcast, you’ll hear discussions that acknowledge the ancient, messy, and profound nature of these texts, all while dismantling the idea that you need a special degree or piety to engage with them. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt on the outside of traditional religious dialogue but remains intrigued by the Bible’s stories, poetry, and enduring influence on culture and personal faith. The tone is conversational and often lighthearted, even when tackling heavy subjects, making deep scholarship accessible and relevant. If you’re looking for a place where doubt is welcome, history matters, and the sacred book is examined with both respect and honest inquiry, you’ve found it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Bible For Normal People
Podcast Episodes
Episode 222: Pamela Eisenbaum - Paul & Salvation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:26
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared are joined by Jewish New Testament scholar Pamela Eisenbaum to talk about the many misunderstandings surrounding Paul, one of the most complicated figures of…
Episode 220: Joel Baden - The Historical David [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:31
Are the stories written about the biblical character David fact or fiction? Find out in this episode of The Bible for Normal People as Jared, Pete, and professor Joel Baden pull back the curtain to reveal how stories abo…
Episode 219: Jemar Tisby - Acknowledging Racism in the Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:21
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jemar Tisby joins Jared and Pete to talk about the legacy of systemic racism in the white American evangelical church, and how white Christians can practice anti-racism in…
Episode 218: Pete Enns - Pete Ruins Deuteronomy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:29
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete ruins Deuteronomy by explaining the influence of ancient Near Eastern culture on the laws and the historical narrative of the time, while also exploring the authorship…
Episode 217: Jonathan Jong - How Scientists Study Religion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:23
Hold onto your thinking cap, because this episode of The Bible for Normal People is going to get really, really nerdy. Pete and Jared are joined by psychologist, professor, and priest Jonathan Jong to talk about the psyc…
Episode 215: Pete Enns & Jared Byas - The Center of the Hebrew Bible [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:37
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared unpack the centrality of the monarchy in the Hebrew Bible, the function of monarchy within the biblical narrative arc, and how not every story or book of the…
Episode 214: Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg - On Repentance and Repair [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:03
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Jared and Pete talk with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg about the practice of repentance and the pursuit of repair in Judaism based on five steps from the medieval philosopher Maim…
Episode 213: Amanda Held Opelt - The Honesty of Grief [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:53
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Amanda Held Opelt joins Pete and Jared to talk about how her faith was impacted by her own experience with grief, and how rituals of mourning practiced by other cultures th…