For our Finale, your hosts through the year, Mat, Nikki, and Monica come together for a year in review. Listen for a personal take on the project from your hosts.Thank you for journeying with us for the Bible Project 2020! #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and Nikki Taylor interview Nikki’s former teacher, Joseph Trafton.Dr. Trafton has retired from teaching at Western Kentucky University. He has UMC roots, but now lives and attends church in Nashville, TN. He has many scholarly writings, including a commentary on the book of Revelation.  In the episode, they talk about Revelation in light of the prophets from the Hebrew Bible. As well as what may have prompted John to write Revelation. They lay out some approaches for a modern reader that I found very helpful.#HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020.Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and the Rev. Dr. Sally Campbell-Evans sit down with the Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis to cover 1, 2, 3 John. The Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis teaches at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has written numerous books. She studied at Emory University and Luther Seminary for her graduate degrees. Dr. Lewis leads conferences, workshops, and retreats internationally on the Gospel of John, the New Testament, interpreting the Bible, preaching, leadership, and women in ministry. This week the podcast covers the ideas that make the community writing and reading John distinct. The episode defines and refines their ideas of sin and love.  #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020.Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and Steve Crawford interview Dr. Jennifer Grace Bird for our episode on 1st & 2nd Peter and Jude. Dr. Bird spent much of her time on the East Coast but is now working in the Portland, OR area. She has a Master’s in Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity from Vanderbilt University. Much of her research is on marriage, gender, and sexuality. She has written Abuse Power and Fearful Obedience and Permission Granted: Take the Bible into Your Own Hands, which like this project, is about experiencing the Bible in a new way. So that we can learn to understand and apply the Bible for what it really is. You can find those books and a video series about what the bible says and doesn't say about marriage on her website, jennifergracebird.com. Today, they cover 1 & 2, Peter and Jude, covering the idea of household codes. As people started to recognize themselves and each other as following Jesus, they needed to sort out what that meant for behavior and how to live within their culture and their relationships as Christians. These three books try to work some of that out. Dr. Bird also talks about how these books have been used to hurt people and different ways to understand those texts.  #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

From Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, FL, this is the Bible Project 2020, a journey to reading the Bible without fear or frustration. On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and Magrey DeVega interview for our episode on Hebrews and James. They interview The Rev. Dr. A.K.M. Adam who is a Tutor in New Testament and Greek at the St. Stephen’s House in the University of Oxford in England. He has published numerous books on biblical interpretation and has a particular affinity for Hebrews and James, for which he has written commentaries and essays. Back in the 1990s, he was Magrey’s college professor in Religious Studies and biblical Greek at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. You’ll note that Magrey refers to him as AKMA, an acronym of the four initials in his name, which is how he has become known by his many students, colleagues, and readers. You can read his blog at akma.disseminary.org. They start as many of our podcasts do, with background and context building. First for Hebrews. Then, using Hebrews as a launching point, they talk about how we can see the people of the New Testament working out how Jesus and believing in Jesus relates to the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament. That is followed up with more context given to the book of James, They cover what is the most well-known idea in James, an argument about faith and works.   #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho  and Celia Ferman interview the scholar Luke Timothy Johnson. Dr. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of New Testament scholar at Emory University. This discussion covers pastoral epistles which are a group of three in the New Testament: the First Epistle to Timothy (1 Timothy) the Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy), and the Epistle to Titus. They are presented as letters from Paul the Apostle to Timothy and to Titus. Dr. Johnson lays out how he has learned to understand the authority of the letters and how they are important to the life of the church. Their talk about how to gain wisdom from things that scandalize our minds is very helpful.  #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020.Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and Monica Largess virtually met up with the Colorado native the Rev. Dr. Chris Holmes. Chris has a Ph.D. from Candler School of Theology. Now, he is the Scholar in Residence at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Also, he partners with Brennen Breed (you may remember from Episode 32 on Daniel) in the project called “Office Hours” which is a pop-up virtual Bible study with experts in the field. They have a Facebook page or you could find them at firstpresatl.org/office-hours. This discussion covers four books in the New Testament: Colossians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians. We talk about the purpose of the letters, as well as the audience, and the changes over time in Paul’s messages to the different urban centers.  #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat and Magrey talk about both Galatians &  Ephesians with Rev Dr. John Christianson.The Rev. Dr. John Christianson is the lead pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Williamsburg, Iowa, and adjunct professor of the Upper Midwest Course of Study program through Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. from Brite Divinity School in New Testament Studies and is a keen interest in the first-century Greco-Roman world. He was also a seminary classmate of Magrey’s at United Theological Seminary, where they received their Masters of Divinity degrees. Their talk today helps shed light on the differences between these letters and the people to whom they were written. We have an opportunity to learn more about the ministry and person of Paul. They have a helpful conversation on how a modern audience can read and apply ancient biblical texts. It ends with Dr. Christianson’s favorite imagery in the Ephesians.   #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Steve Crawford and Mat Hotho sit down with Dr. Jill Marshall to discuss Paul’s letters found in 1 & 2 Corinthians.Jill has a PhD in New Testament Studies from Emory University and works for the American Academy of Religion. She not only teaches and writes, but also excavates having participated in archaeological digs in a number of ancient sites.The conversation gives context to the church in Corinth and Paul’s relationship with them. They discuss the nature of Paul’s authority and how the Corinthians would have approached unlawfulness in their church. The end focuses on texts modern readers may struggle with the most. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Chris Hockman and Mat Hotho sit down with Dr. Bo Adams to discuss the letter to the Romans.Bo is Director of Pitts Theology Library and Margaret A. Pitts Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theological Bibliography at Emory University. Bo joined us early in our journey through the Bible, all the way back in Episode 5 when we discussed the end of Exodus. Bo has a PhD in New Testament from Emory, a Masters in Library Science from the University of Alabama, and is a software developer. Our conversation moves us through the letter to the Romans with an exploration of our own interpretative baggage, Paul’s rhetorical style, and then close readings of Romans 8:28 and Romans 13:1–7. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Monica Largess and Mat Hotho have a conversation with Dr. Erin Heim about Paul the Apostle.Erin Heim earned a PhD from the University of Otago in New Zealand, a Masters in New Testament from Denver Seminary, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Minnesota. She has written many essays on Pauline theology, Theological Interpretation of Scripture, and metaphor in the Bible. Erin is also a cohost of the popular biblical studies and theology podcast: OnScript. She is also a tutor in Biblical Studies at Oxford University.Our conversation helps reconstruct Paul’s life through the New Testament starting with Paul’s religious upbringing. Erin explains how Paul’s theology develops over the timeline of the New Testament. We look at Paul as a bridge between Gentile and Jewish cultures.  #HydeParkUMCLearn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Jill Krantz and our senior pastor, the Rev. Magrey deVega sit down with Bishop Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. to discuss the book of Acts.Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. is resident bishop of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He came to the Florida Conference in 2012. Bishop Carter oversees almost 800 congregations, fresh expressions, campus ministries, and other parts of the United Methodist Church in Florida. Bishop Carter came to Florida from North Carolina where he was a local pastor for 29 years. He and his wife Pam have become beloved members of the Florida Methodist connection and we are grateful that he could join us in the Bible Project 2020. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho and Monica Largess sit down with Dr. Susan Hylen to discuss John 13–21. Susan is the author of two books on the history of women in the New Testament and in the early church. She is Associate Professor of New Testament at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.Our conversation takes us through the complex literary treasures found in John. We talk about the importance of ambiguous characters and symbolism in John. Susan explains the relationship of Jesus to other Jewish thinkers of his time. Also, we look at John’s version of Jesus’ last days. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Mat Hotho sits down with Rev. Dr. Amanda Brobst-Renaud to discuss John 1–12Mandy is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is Assistant Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN. Her area of research is the parables of Luke and ancient rhetoric. She also preaches regularly in local Lutheran churches.Mandy brings us into the Gospel of John with an exploration of John 1, a close reading of John 3–4, and a timely reflection on the oft-repeated phrase in John of “come and see.” #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Chris Hockman and Mat Hotho sit down with Rev. Dr. Jennifer Wyant to discuss Luke 17–24.Jennifer is the associate pastor of Birmingham United Methodist Church in Milton, GA. Jennifer received a Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology and a PhD in New Testament from Emory University. She is married to her husband, Guy, and they have two sons.Our conversation covers a gamut of topics in Luke—the parables distinct to Luke, the kingdom of God, Luke’s impression of wealth and possessions, the encounter with Jesus at Emmaeus, and how to closely read the stories of the Marys in Luke #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Celia Ferman and Mat Hotho sit down with Rev. Elizabeth Arnold to discuss Luke 1–16.Elizabeth is ordained in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. She received a Masters of Divinity from Garden-Webb University's School of Divinity in North Carolina and is currently a PhD candidate in New Testament at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Her research focuses on the theme of wilderness in Luke-Acts as well as humor in the Bible.Elizabeth has already published an article and book reviews, as well as serving as a Doctoral Fellow in the Candler Foundry, an initiative of Candler School of Theology to bring the best of the academy to local churches in Atlanta and beyond. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Jill Krantz and Mat Hotho sit down with Dr. Sara Fletcher-Harding to discuss Mark 12:35–16.Sara is the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Religion at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. Sara earned her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University with concentration in New Testament. She has published in the field of religion and science, co-editing “Religion and Science: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies” - a collection of essays and articles on issues of science, religion, and biblical interpretation.We walk through the final three days of Jesus’ life in Mark, discussing his interactions with religious groups, his death, and the abrupt ending of Mark. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account require

On this week’s episode, Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho sit down with The Rev. Dr. Tom Boomershine to discuss Mark 1–12:3Tom served as a professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, for over twenty years, and was Magrey’s mentor in seminary. He has been a leader in the area of biblical storytelling as a way of both communicating and interpreting the scriptures. He is the founder of the Network of Biblical Storytellers as well as GoTell Communications, which provides resources for discovering and telling biblical stories by heart. You can learn more about this ministry at GoTell.org. Tom has a particular interest in the gospel of Mark, which he believes was first circulated as oral storytelling in early Christian community.We discuss the history behind Mark, and then we spend the majority of the episode exploring how Mark used storytelling and performance to animate Jesus throughout the Gospel The end of the episode features Tom doing a storytelling of Mark 14:1–9 when Jesus is anointed by a woman in Bethany. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

On this week’s episode, Celia Ferman sits down with the Rev. Canon Dr. Christopher Corbin to discuss Matthew 14–28. Christopher is an Episcopal priest, a graduate of Florida Southern College, with a Masters of Divinity from Yale and a PhD from Vanderbilt. Chris takes us through some aspects of Matthew that make it unique among the gospel—Fulfillment Statements, Doubling, and emphasis on ordering the church. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required.

This week, Steve Crawford sits down with the Rev. Jim Harnish to usher us into the New Testament with a discussion of the genre of gospel, and Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 5–7. #HydeParkUMC Learn more about The Bible Project 2020. Join our Facebook discussion group. *Facebook account required