S7E8 - J.P. Moreland on Deconstruction, “Genocide” Texts, and Why Context Matters

About this episode

In this episode, Ken Fish interviews Dr. J.P. Moreland about faith, reason, and the challenges of interpreting difficult Old Testament passages.

Sign Up Free Mini E-Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Mini Courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign Up for Prayer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Orbis Prayer Ministry Network – Receive prayer for healing, prophecy, inner healing and deliverance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Donate: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give - Orbis Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this episode, Ken Fish welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland —philosopher, theologian, and longtime professor (Biola / Talbot)—for a candid, intellectually grounded conversation about faith, reason, and one of the most common “deconstruction” flashpoints : Old Testament passages where God commands the destruction of certain peoples in the land. J.P. shares his personal story: a chemistry major who came to faith through Campus Crusade door-to-door evangelism , then pursued philosophy to help Christians answer skeptical challenges with humility and clarity. From there, Ken and J.P. tackle why these passages feel uniquely difficult today, how modern culture tends to elevate “soft virtues” (love/mercy) while minimizing “hard virtues” (justice/holiness), and why many people unintentionally rewrite Scripture to match cultural expectations. They focus…

People in this episode

Host: Ken Fish

Guest: J.P. Moreland

Topics covered

• deconstruction
• Old Testament
• faith and reason
• context in scripture
• philosophy
• cultural expectations

Keywords

• deconstruction
• Old Testament
• J.P. Moreland
• faith
• philosophy
• context
• cultural expectations
• justice
• holiness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Campus Crusade, Orbis Prayer Ministry Network, Orbis Ministries

Books & works: Is God a Moral Monster?

More episodes of God Is Not A Theory

• S7E24 - Covenantal Nomism: What is it and why does it matter? With Ken Fish & Joel Taylor · June 11, 2026 · 1h 2m
• S7E23 - How Many Times Has the Bible Been Through You? With Ken Fish, Joel and Kady Taylor · June 4, 2026 · 53 min
• S7E22 - Why Does the Old Testament Still Matter for Christians? With Ken Fish and Joel Taylor · May 28, 2026 · 1h 23m
• S7E21 - How to Prepare Your Local Church for a Fruitful Conference with Ken Fish · May 21, 2026 · 42 min
• S7E20 - Why Do So Many Christian Leaders Fall? With Joel Taylor · May 14, 2026 · 1h 13m
• S7E19 - Could the Real Mount Sinai Actually Be in Saudi Arabia? With Joanna McKay · May 7, 2026 · 1h 7m