God Doesn't Say Follow Your Bliss

About this episode

Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker discusses finding identity in Christ through the Old Testament's vision for community.

What does it mean to find your identity in Christ, and what does the Old Testament have to say about it? In this episode of the Pivot Podcast, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, walks hosts Dwight Zscheile and Alicia Granholm through the Bible's vision for human community, from the boundaries woven into creation in Genesis, to the covenant at Sinai, to the prophets calling Israel back to account. Along the way, she challenges the modern assumption that identity is something we construct from within, offering instead a picture of people called into being by God and sent into the world to be a blessing. From the call of Abraham to the Sabbath commandment to the words of Amos, Kathryn shows how scripture consistently orients us away from self-fulfillment and toward the flourishing of others, especially the most vulnerable. This is the first of a two-part series on biblical community at Pivot Podcast, and it offers church leaders a grounding and hopeful framework for navigating a culture that has largely forgotten what community is for.

People in this episode

Hosts: Dwight Zscheile, Alicia Granholm

Guest: Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker

Topics covered

• identity in Christ
• Old Testament
• human community
• biblical community
• self-fulfillment
• flourishing of others
• vulnerability

Keywords

• identity
• Old Testament
• community
• self-fulfillment
• vulnerability
• scripture
• blessing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Luther Seminary

Books & works: Genesis, Sinai, Amos

More episodes of Pivot Podcast

• Why Is Cultivating Community in Church So Hard Right Now? · June 11, 2026 · 45 min
• Amen Means I Trust You · June 4, 2026 · 28 min
• Half of Christians Say Faith Is Private. Here's What We're Losing · May 28, 2026 · 32 min
• You Don't Own the Spirit: The Meaning of Pentecost · May 21, 2026 · 8 min
• The False Choice That's Been Costing the Church for a Hundred Years · May 14, 2026 · 38 min
• The Early Church Was Figuring It Out Too · May 7, 2026 · 24 min