Introductory Episode

In this introductory episode, I explain the idea behind my secular humanist Bible commentaries: reading the Bible not as God’s word, but as humanity’s word. As a humanist and atheist, I see these texts as works of literature, history, and ethics—written by people, shaped by their times, and revealing their struggles, hopes, and blind spots. Some books, like Jonah, Amos, and Ecclesiastes, speak with surprising honesty about conscience, justice, and mortality. Others, like Joshua and Romans, show us the dangers of violence and dogma that cannot be reinterpreted but only explained away. The goal isn’t to rescue the Bible or to worship it—it’s to read it honestly, as a mirror of ourselves, and ask what it still has to teach us today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thesacredhumanist.substack.com