14. Pastor Zach Lambert (Post-Evangelical) – Better Ways to Read the Bible

🎙 14: Better Ways to Read the Bible — with Pastor Zach LambertThis week, Alexis Rice welcomes Pastor Zach W. Lambert (@zachwlambert), founding pastor of Restore Austin and author of Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing.Zach’s work calls us to examine the lenses we bring to Scripture. He argues that the Bible itself isn’t the problem—it’s the harmful interpretations that have been weaponized to silence women, justify racism, and marginalize LGBTQ+ people. Instead, he invites us to reclaim Scripture through the lens of flourishing, grounded in Jesus’ mission statement from John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”Together, Alexis and Zach explore:Why flourishing, not fear, should guide biblical interpretation (Luke 4, Matthew 25, John 10:10)How to walk through deconstruction and reconstruction faithfully—like Jesus with the disciples on the road to EmmausRaising kids in faith with curiosity and honesty, rather than dogmaThe urgent need for progressive Christians to reclaim Scripture and faith language from those who distort itZach also shares his personal journey from college athlete to pastor, the founding of Restore Austin, and why he believes pastors must speak out against the weaponization of faith while building spaces of love, joy, and hope.💡 Key TakeawaysThe Bible is not inherently harmful—our interpretive lenses matterDeconstruction is not abandonment of faith but a biblical, ongoing processProgressive Christians must reclaim Scripture, faith, and even patriotism from harmful ideologiesHealthy discipleship nurtures curiosity in both adults and childrenOur role as Christians is to create communities of flourishing that naturally critique cruelty and injustice⛪ About Our Guest Pastor Zach W. Lambert (@zachwlambert) is the founding pastor of Restore Austin, co-founder of the Post-Evangelical Collective, and a doctoral student at Duke Divinity School. A graduate of Fuller Seminary, Zach has been a faithful pastoral voice for those deconstructing harmful versions of Christianity. His writing appears on Substack, and his sermons and resources can be found at restoreaustin.org.📚 Resources MentionedBetter Ways to Read the Bible by Zach W. Lambert — @zachwlambertInspired and Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans — @rachelheldevans (legacy account)The Bible for Normal People podcast by Pete Enns & Jared Byas — @thebiblefornormalpeople, @peteenns, @jaredbyasGo in peace, friendsSupport the showAbout The Sacred SlopeWhere the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.🎧 WATCH: YouTube / Spotify     LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere     FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky)🔗 Connect🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope 🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice 🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence 📬 Nominate a guest: [email protected]🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿Fruit of the Spirit:  ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control