E136: How to Teach Complicated Scripture Characters Without Excusing Sin
About this episode
The episode discusses how to teach complicated scripture characters while acknowledging their flaws and the importance of understanding redemption through Jesus Christ.
We love a clean hero. But when we flatten Saul, David, or Solomon into a simple good guy or bad guy, we miss the whole point — and we set our own faith up for a fall. In this episode, Kevin and Julie are joined by guest Kyle Smith to talk about "simplicity on the other side of complexity": the idea that real, lasting understanding only comes after we climb the mountain of complexity instead of sliding back down and resenting it. They apply that framework to the scriptures, where the heroes turn out to be faithful but broken, courageous but flawed, repentant and inconsistent — in other words, a lot like us. Together they walk through the complicated lives of the Old Testament kings, why God preserved the failures of His prophets ("God's not creating propaganda — He's teaching redemption"), and the danger of either hero-worship on one side or "you are enough" moral relativism on the other. Most of all, it's a practical conversation for teachers and parents: how to develop a scripture character honestly, ask the questions that let students see themselves in the story, and point every messy, human life back to the one choice that changes everything — Jesus Christ…
People in this episode
Hosts: Kevin Jones, Julie
Guest: Kyle Smith
Topics covered
- teaching scripture
- complexity in faith
- Old Testament characters
- redemption
- moral relativism
- faith and flaws
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Old Testament
More episodes of Teaching Restored
- E135: Why Ammon Sat in Silence for an Hour (And What It Teaches Every Teacher)
- E134: Teenager Church: What 25 Years With Youth Taught Dan Bikman About Real Teaching
- E133: How to Respond to Hard Questions Without Contention: Teaching like Christ
- E132: Practical Ways to Teach Principles, Not Just Stories! With Kyle Smith
- E131: How Glib Gospel Phrases Hurt Our Teaching
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Teaching Restored podcast page.