Tales from Sacred Texts

Caleb Howard

Formerly Tales From Sacred Texts. I currently publish Redemption Arc episodes here, but please migrate to the new server. Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/rarc // Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3I7hLZI For too long, people of all sorts have used the Bible to hold up outdated, isolating worldviews: changing the definition of love and using religion as a weapon against people. But these versions of Christianity have no basis in scripture. No matter how badly we screw up, we are still loved and we still belong. This podcast will reframe the Biblical narrative into a beacon of inclusivity and hope. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support read less
Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality
ReligionReligion

Episodes

413 - Abimelech: Rock Me Mama
25-10-2024
413 - Abimelech: Rock Me Mama
A remake of Episode 104, which I first published on this podcast in 2019. Abim campaigns to become the authoritarian leader of his hometown, Shechem. What follows is a reign of terror. Just when things get really bad, a mysterious stranger named Gaal shows up to cause more trouble. Will anyone be able to put a stop to the constant cycle of brutality? We discuss how every single person, no matter their perceived weaknesses, is perfectly capable of landing a blow against evil.  CONTENT WARNINGS:  Violence: 4/5  Sexual Assault: 0/5 Consensual Sexual Content: 0/5  Discriminatory Themes: 3/5  THEME MUSIC CREDITS: "Elektronomia - Elektronomia - Collide" is free to use on YouTube with credits. Watch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/bWGhAfN9PAs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stream: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3nZ4A3y⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/QQXmUEuaVQg⁠⁠⁠⁠. Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS:  "Alexander Nakarada - Hypershanty" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠ "Aries Beats - Escape" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. ⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/ariesbeats⁠⁠ Music powered by BreakingCopyright: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/_NRscDY_Ulc⁠ "Peyruis - Olympic Games" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ ⁠   / peyruismusic  ⁠ Music powered by BreakingCopyright: ⁠   • 🏊 House (Royalty Free Music) - "OLYMP...  ⁠  Find more music: ⁠https://breakingcopyright.com⁠ "Vlad Gluschenko - After a While" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   / @vladgluschenkomusic  ⁠⁠⁠ Terms of Use: ⁠⁠⁠https://vladgluschenkomusi.wixsite.co...⁠⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
412 - Deborah: I Went for the Head
04-10-2024
412 - Deborah: I Went for the Head
Deborah, a chieftain of Israel, is forced to confront Sisera, an invading general who views women as property, but to do so she must first confront the misogyny within her own society. She enlists Barak, a hesitant but well-meaning general, to help accomplish her goals. Meanwhile, a woman has to make a choice between her husband's wishes and what is right. Everyone teams up at the end to sing a really long song that would absolutely be considered punching down if the enemy wasn't just simply awful. We discuss the need for women in leadership and the importance of protecting women's rights, as well as the need for men and women to work together to reach their full potential. CONTENT WARNINGS:  Violence: 3.5/5  Sexual Assault: 4.5/5 Consensual Sexual Content: 0/5  Discriminatory Themes: 4/5  THEME MUSIC CREDITS: "Elektronomia - Elektronomia - Collide" is free to use on YouTube with credits. Watch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/bWGhAfN9PAs⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stream: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3nZ4A3y⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/QQXmUEuaVQg⁠⁠⁠. Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS:  "Hotham - Easy Love" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ Music powered by BreakingCopyright: ⁠   • 🍓 Happy & Uplifting (Royalty Free Mus...  ⁠ 🔎 Find more music: ⁠https://breakingcopyright.com⁠ "Alexander Nakarada - The World's Most Epic Sea Shanty" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠   / serpentsoundstudios  ⁠ Music powered by BreakingCopyright: ⁠   • 🐋 Sea Shanty (Royalty Free Music) - "...   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
411 - Ruth: Feet
20-09-2024
411 - Ruth: Feet
We tell the story of Ruth, a Bible book filled with so many foot references that it gets a little weird. Though the author really can't seem to get his eyes out of the gutter or anywhere past the shins, Ruth tells an inspiring tale of love and loyalty between family. Meanwhile, two people doing their best to be the difference in an uncompassionate society fall for each other, but run up against some uncomfortably foot-themed marriage laws that threaten to derail the wedding plans.  CONTENT WARNINGS:  Violence: 1/5  Sexual Assault: 2/5 Consensual Sexual Content: 3/5  Discriminatory Themes: 1/5  MUSIC CREDITS:  "Vlad Gluschenko - Where No Man Has Set Foot" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Terms of Use: https://vladgluschenkomusi.wixsite.co. Forest by Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9 Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported  — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/forest-vlad-gluschenko Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/OMjF_LLOiC0 Music: Surf - Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/surf-free-download?si=0814611bb2d740d79685d63eefa10a5d&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing  "Stomping Grounds - Silent Partner" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠ Track: 24 Happy Hours a Day — Igor Khainskyi [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: https://youtu.be/mLyP3rqZe3U Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/24-happy-hours-day --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
410 - Jacob: A Deal with God
06-09-2024
410 - Jacob: A Deal with God
Jacob tries his best to make amends, but he's backed up into a corner and ends up getting jumped by a stranger in the middle of the night. As he fights, he realizes that his attacker is not an ordinary man, but God Himself. God gives Jacob a dramatic new name as his family derives a new cultural practice from comparing Jacob's body to a cut of meat. In light of Jacob's fistfight with God, we examine the idea that we need to "wrestle with God" in order for him to answer our requests. CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 3/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: 0/5 Sexual Assault: 0/5 Discrimination: 1/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: "Elektronomia - Elektronomia - Collide" is free to use on YouTube with credits. Watch: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/bWGhAfN9PAs⁠⁠ Stream: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3nZ4A3y⁠⁠. Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/QQXmUEuaVQg⁠. Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
409 - Jacob: Shotgun Wedding
19-07-2024
409 - Jacob: Shotgun Wedding
Jacob finally arrives at his uncle's house, where he discovers that he has a crush--on his cousin. This is a problem, but for all the wrong reasons. Eventually, he gets his uncle's blessing. What follows is family drama that resembles bingeworthy TV. A family member with a disability is repeatedly trashed (TW) and we discuss what it's like to feel invisible, even among friends and family. We learn that those who are forgotten by humans are often given special attention by God. This episode also sets up the final confrontation between Jacob and God that will occur next time in the finale to this three-part series on Jacob. I'm aware that there are noticeable issues with the audio quality both in the last episode and this episode. It's the result of me trying a new method of audio editing. The next episode has been prerecorded and unfortunately will have similar issues, but going forward the problem has been fixed. CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 1/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: 4/5 Sexual Assault: 2/5 Discrimination: 4/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "SilentCrafter - Activation" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/channel/UCuwFIeJU...⁠⁠ "Modern Superheroes" by Evgeny_Bardyuzha. "Stomping Grounds - Silent Partner" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠ "CloudGazing" by Gvidon. Evoke Music. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
408 - Jacob: Don't You Worry, Child
05-07-2024
408 - Jacob: Don't You Worry, Child
We start the saga of the Biblical legendary hero, Jacob, a touted trickster who barely pulls off one deception thanks to incredible incompetence on the part of everyone else. The remainder of the time, he's offering very obviously bad deals and unfortunately people are gullible enough to bite. Nonetheless, he's a shady character, partially of his own volition and partially forced into it by his environment. The deception he does manage to pull off quickly catches up to him, and he finds himself running for his life through the desert, when he comes face to face with God. To be continued. In our discussion of the story, we discuss why God is more upset with Jacob's gullible brother than the deceptive Jacob, and why monasteries completely miss the point. CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 1/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: N/A Sexual Assault: N/A Discrimination: 1/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "EuGenius - Caravan" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ "INOSSI - Infinite" Music by INOSSI Listen: ⁠https://fanlink.tv/b3xg⁠ Watch: ⁠   • INOSSI - Destiny (Official)  ⁠ Evoke Music "Good News - The Piano Says" --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
407 - Job: My Goals Are Beyond Your Understanding
21-06-2024
407 - Job: My Goals Are Beyond Your Understanding
We follow Job, who suffers a series of increasingly unfortunate events. When he turns to his religious friends for support, they tell him that he deserves to suffer. In desperation, Job begs God to show up in person and give him answers. A teenager named Elihu shows up and helps explain the problem of suffering--and then God makes an appearance to set everything right. We look for answers to the question of why, if God is so good, there is so much suffering. We also discuss how, as Christians, how seriously God takes using our faith to dismiss people's pain. CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 2/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: N/A Sexual Assault: N/A Discrimination: 3.5/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "Aftertune - Colors" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQKf...⁠⁠ Evoke Music "Vlad Gluschenko - After a While" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠   / @vladgluschenkomusic  ⁠ Terms of Use: ⁠https://vladgluschenkomusi.wixsite.co...⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
406 - Lucifer: The Devil's in the Details
29-03-2024
406 - Lucifer: The Devil's in the Details
PLEASE MIGRATE TO @REDEMPTION ARC: bit.ly/rarc We start the story of why evil exists in the world at its source, Lucifer, an influential angel gone bad. The struggle for power and domination progresses through Lucifer's heart and then moves on to infect others, as he uses deceit to turn even divine beings against God. Sin migrates to our planet, and we set the stage for next week's episode, Job, where we will confront God with the age-old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  We also discuss why Eve being the first to sin does not mean that male headship makes sense.  CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 0/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: N/A Sexual Assault: N/A Discrimination: 1/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: Evoke Music Ross Bugden, "Something Wicked," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuw_O5MU5CE. "yenss - Forever" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..⁠ "MegaEnx - Recovery" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/megaenx⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
405 - Good Samaritan: Is a Problematic Phrase
15-03-2024
405 - Good Samaritan: Is a Problematic Phrase
PLEASE MIGRATE TO @REDEMPTION ARC: bit.ly/rarc We discuss one of Jesus's most famous parables about opposing prejudice, and discuss how even the language used to describe the story misses the point. A self-righteous lawyer attempts to finagle an exception to "love thy neighbor." In response, Jesus tells a story of a Jewish traveler that leads even the lawyer to conclude that "love thy neighbor" is a command without exception. The lawyer is forced to confront the fact that the groups of people that disgust him the most don't quite live up to stereotypes. We discuss what that means for us today.  CONTENT WARNING: Violence: 4/5 Consensual Sexual Contact: N/A Sexual Assault: N/A Discrimination: 4/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "Alex Productions - Soul" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠⁠   @alexproductionsnocopyright  ⁠ Whitesand - Melodic Dreams Vlad Gluschenko - Travelling - Folk Saxophone Beat - Instrumental [ FREE NO COPYRIGHT MUSIC ] License: ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
403 - Hezekiah: Wibbly Wobbly
23-02-2024
403 - Hezekiah: Wibbly Wobbly
PLEASE MIGRATE TO @REDEMPTION ARC: https://bit.ly/rarc High off the victory over Sennacherib, Hezekiah gets a crushing diagnosis from the prophet Isaiah. Yet all is not lost, and God plays with the laws of space and time to show the king that there's still hope for him. But when Hezekiah meets mysterious foreigners, he loses himself in a desperate attempt to impress them, and God is displeased. In a sudden turn of events, the king becomes surprisingly callous, and we discuss what it means to be insensitive to the plight of future generations. We also question whether we're really putting our best foot forward on our LinkedIn profiles.  CONTENT WARNING: Violence: N/A Consensual Sexual Contact: N/A Sexual Assault: N/A Discrimination: 1/5 THEME MUSIC CREDITS: Intro Theme Music is "Carnival" by Roa. "Roa - Carnival" is is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic⁠⁠. Closing Theme Music is "Joy of Travel" by Zakhar Valaha. OTHER MUSIC CREDITS: "Synthwave Piano" by Aries Beats. "Alexander Nakarada - Hypershanty" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ "Alexander Nakarada - Detective Goofarian" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/c/SerpentSoundStudios] "Hotham - Morning Thoughts" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ Stream: ⁠https://linktr.ee/hothammusic⁠ Free download: ⁠https://hypeddit.com/hotham/morningth.. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support