Unbinding the Bible

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:17-21 - the closing verses of the book! We've come such a long way and in these verses we'll hear John's (and Jesus') final plea for the Bride to embody the posture of the kingdom. Drawing on one OT passage and one from the NT, we'll hear God's heart of compassion and how it, quite literally, far exceeds our own. This will be the final episode of Unbinding the Bible for several months. I'm in need of a Sabbath rest from the podcast and want to refresh myself so I can bring more episodes to you in the future. Ending the book of Revelation seemed like a fitting time to insert a break. But I encourage you to reach out; I'm not taking a break from those of you who listen in! Email me and share with me how Jesus has used this podcast to begin his work of transformation in you: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com. And share this video with others who might be intrigued by what Unbinding the Bible has to offer: https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094.

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 22:12-16. We'll address several themes already covered on the podcast and then focus in on Jesus' words that this testimony (the ENTIRE book of Revelation, by the way) is "for the churches." The church today desperately needs to understand this, as the all-too-common assumption is that our job is to tell those in the wider world how to live. Not so! Our calling, as followers of Jesus, is to put into practice what Jesus said in our own communities and individual lives. We'll look at Psalm 51 to help us understand how we might consider going about this for our own blessing as well as the blessing of the world. Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094. Email comments/questions to: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com.

In this week's episode, I have a conversation with Kaitlyn Schiess about her book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor. Kaitlyn brings together spiritual formation with political concerns in a way that faithfully expresses the reality of the kingdom of God and invites the church to live out its common life with others in a way that is faithful to that kingdom. Kaitlyn is someone whose voice the church will greatly benefit from for years to come. Get Kaitlyn's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Liturgy-Politics-Spiritual-Formation-Neighbor/dp/0830848304/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+liturgy+of+politics&qid=1620742970&sr=8-1 You can follow Kaitlyn on Twitter and Instagram: @KaitlynSchiess; or through her website and blog: https://www.kaitlynschiess.com/

This week's episode is a sermon I preached at our church two weeks ago - where Jesus meets with his disciples in Luke 24 and shows them his hands and his feet. I'm inserting it here on the podcast for its connections between Jesus' resurrection and the eventual resurrection of all things, which John describes in Revelation 21-22, paying particular attention to the fact that even in the resurrection, Jesus still bears the marks of his humiliation and suffering - and why that ought to serve as an encouragement to us. Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094. Email comments/questions to: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com

This episode is a By the Book conversation with Sandra Richter about her book, Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters. As an Old Testament scholar, Sandra looks closely at God's expectations for his image-bearers and what that means about the way we, as 21st century Americans, think about and treat the world God has entrusted to our care. Toward the end of our conversation, Sandra referenced some of her scholarly work, particularly a look at the treatment of women from the Deuteronomic Law. You can read her work here: https://hebraicthought.org/deuteronomic-law-women-marry-rapists/.

In this episode, I'll read Revelation 21-22 aloud so that we can fully experience John's final vision: a vision of the presence of God dwelling with his people. A fitting end not only to the book of Revelation but also the entire Bible, these final two chapters of Revelation root our hopes firmly in the God who has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094. Email comments/questions to: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com.

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 21:1-4, paying particular attention to God dwelling with his people. We'll see that the holy city, new Jerusalem (which represents the people of God) comes "down" out of heaven from God, not, as is often imagined, people going "up" to heaven. This insight, coupled with Jesus' teachings about his Father's house from John 14, can reorient us to see the hope of Jesus as truly good news. Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094 Email comments/questions to: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 20:1-6. We'll focus in on the "meaning" of the millennium and the function it serves for the book as a whole, particularly the hope it gives those who've lost their lives at the hand of the beast.