Trauma-Informed Church Kid

Season 2 Episode 24 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast CONTENT WARNING: discussion of sexuality and purity culture This is part 2 of an episode on purity and impurity. We know now that purity is (not) a dirty word, and that it is not necessarily about morality or being "good". Why then is there such a misunderstanding about purity and morality? What would a culture focused around purity look like? This week, we take a look at "purity culture" -- both ancient and modern. We will look at the case studies we find in Leviticus and examine whether this means that female bodies are gross/disgusting or somehow "wrong". We will ponder how the more precious a thing is, the more impurity it causes. We will explore the artifacts and effects of evangelical "purity culture", and repent of both its failures and its faults. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider changing our relationship to "purity", toward one that encompasses every area of our lives and not just our exposed skin I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES: https://www.restorativefaith.org/post/a-history-of-purity-culture https://baremarriage.com/2026/03/podcast-did-purity-culture-cause-developmental-trauma/ https://firstthings.com/a-new-purity-culture/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13558358.2024.2332976 https://www.puritycultureresearchcollective.com/ https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/purity-ball-photos_n_5255904 https://www.academia.edu/67682166/Are_You_a_Trashable_Styrofoam_Cup_Harm_and_Damage_Rhetoric_in_the_Contemporary_American_Sexual_Purity_Movement https://www.academia.edu/145667818/Book_Review_Rape_Culture_Purity_Culture_and_Coercive_Control_in_Teen_Girl_Bibles?rhid=38599354247&swp=rr-rw-wc-67682166&nav_from=9e341fba-e657-48f0-bd93-79aa2889a5e3 https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article/22/Supplement_1/qdaf068.049/8119612 https://a.co/d/06zzH8hQ https://a.co/d/0h47SFGR https://a.co/d/0ajExROy   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim?si=07515a488206497d Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trauma-informed-church-kid/id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1TjLVa8ur6/  

Season 2 Episode 23 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   Having chosen the harder path -- the divine Presence in their midst -- the family of Abraham must now navigate that holy path safely. What does it mean for them to be "pure" or "clean", and is that what God requires of all humans? Is being "pure" about being moral? This week, we unpack what purity (and impurity) means. We will look at the distinction between "pure" and "impure" and examine what either (or both) have to do with morality. We will explore what it means for created things to be "out of place", and what relation this has to the "forces of death". We will ponder the connection between purity and Eden, and if it is a bad thing to be "impure". We will examine the two kinds or "species" of impurity, and discover what it takes to remove both kinds from the person, the sacred space, and the land. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to repent by "turning away" from the life subject to death and decay, and to "comfort" ourselves with the hope of a life freed from that slavery. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://cojs.org/cult_and_sacrifice-_purity_and_holiness_in_leviticus_and_numbers-_christine_hayes-_open_yale_courses_-transcription-_2006/ https://monoskop.org/images/7/7d/Douglas_Mary_Purity_and_Danger_An_Analysis_of_Concepts_of_Pollution_and_Taboo_2001.pdf SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim?si=07515a488206497d Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trauma-informed-church-kid/id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1TjLVa8ur6/  

Season 2 Episode 22 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Phil Bray to discuss a wide variety of topics. We take a look at holiness and "wholeness"; we explore what "contagious holiness" means; we discuss clean and unclean (and pure and impure), and if this is a moral issue or not. We also examine sacrifices, trying to understand the role that death and blood play in the sacrificial system -- are sacrifices acts of appeasement, or something else? In the end, we dive deep into what the meaning of the Tabernacle is, how the Presence of Adonai in the midst of Israel was an image of the Garden of Eden, and how we can both get back to that now and look forward to it for the end of the ages. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES www.ubiquitouslevitcus.com  @Leviticus_is_fun  https://a.co/d/04JyFESB SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim?si=437f412486214efc Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trauma-informed-church-kid/id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Dzy8HxXke/ 

Season 2 Episode 21 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast Having chosen the harder path -- the divine Presence in their midst -- the family of Abraham must now navigate that path safely. What does it mean for them to "be holy", and what does it mean for God himself to "be holy"? Is that even possible for humans? This week, we unpack what holiness means. We will look at the distinction between "holy" and "common" and examine what either (or both) have to do with morality. We will explore what it means for a created thing (object, person, time) to be filled with the life of God, and what effects this consecration has on creation. We will ponder the claims of "ownership" that God places on his creation (objects, persons, times), and what it means to "serve" this "master". We will examine the notion of created things being "not-whole" or "incomplete", and if it is "bad" for them to be in this "common" condition. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to see the sacred and the holy all around us -- in nature, in places, in things, and in people -- even (perhaps especially) when they seem nothing but "common". I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://cojs.org/cult_and_sacrifice-_purity_and_holiness_in_leviticus_and_numbers-_christine_hayes-_open_yale_courses_-transcription-_2006/ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/holiness-is-life/ Thumbnail image credit (left-hand side): https://www.wolfbanebooks.com/products/the-story-of-god-with-us, illustration by Aeden Peterson SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1TjLVa8ur6/  

Season 2 Episode 20 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham have committed a grave sin. Moses, as the mediator, is up in the divine Presence, activating the heart of Adonai to be merciful and gracious to these people. Then, he asks with boldness for something shocking: show me your glory. Will Adonai grant this request? Is that even possible, or wise? This week, we unpack what it means to see the face of God. We will look at the distinction between his “face” and his “back,” and examine how this has played out in the history of interpretation of this passage. We will explore the offer that Adonai gives to Moses to take the easier path – without His Presence in their midst – and why Moses refuses this. We will ponder the enigmatic figure of the Angel of the Presence, and how this relates to God the Son revealed in Christ. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to shift our understanding of the hiddenness of God: perhaps, this can be seen as a mercy and not him withholding something good from us. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://prri.org/spotlight/unveiling-the-exodus-americans-reasons-for-leaving-religious-traditions/ https://youtu.be/R4Y0JBZtrRM?si=5kbhY7aunMnsA8dZ https://ischristtrue.com/ancient-views/essence-energies/ https://ia600409.us.archive.org/3/items/TwoPowersInHeavenEarlyRabSegal/Two%20Powers%20in%20Heaven_%20Early%20Rab%20-%20Segal.pdf Image Credit: https://asking-him.com/did-moses-really-see-god-the-only-human-to-glimpse-his-glory-explained/ SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1TjLVa8ur6/  

Season 2 Episode 19 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham have committed a grave sin. They have been grotesquely unfaithful to their betrothed, Adonai, and chased after other lovers. Moses, as the mediator, is prepared to offer his own life to make atonement. But is this what Adonai wants? Does he need death to deal with sins? This week, we take a deep dive into the central and paradigmatic self-revelation of Adonai, in Exodus 34. We will look at what it means that Adonai is merciful, and how that relates to his compassion. We will explore his grace, and ask if he needs to “repay” or if he deals in “wages” for sin. We will ponder the connection between his longsuffering character and his wrath. We will unpack what it means that he not just “has” chesed, but that he IS chesed. We will ask ourselves what it means to see Adonai as trustworthy, given all the ways in which we have experienced hurt and harm. We will clarify that he never punishes sons for the sins of the fathers, and instead restrains his wrath with his other qualities. In the end, we will meditate on what it means for Adonai to “forgive” sins: to lift them up, to carry them with us, to bear our burdens in yoked solidarity with sinful humans. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://bibleproject.com/videos/collections/character-of-god/ https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/series/character-of-god/ https://bibleproject.com/videos/collections/bad-words/   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1TjLVa8ur6/  

Season 2 Episode 18 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast Having agreed to the "house rules", the family of Abraham are on the eve of their wedding night to Adonai. Moses, as the mediator, is up on the mountain making things ready. But how long will he be gone? And will the people wait for him -- and Adonai -- or take matters into their own hands? This week, we encounter the infamous the incident of the Golden Calf. We will look at what a "mediator/intercessor" is, and how this role brings two parties together instead of keeping them apart. We will explore the parallels of this narrative to the narrative of the First Fall, and contemplate what that means about the life that was promised to the family of Abraham. We will ponder the connection between idolatry and sexual immorality, and consider how this connects to the wrath that follows from it. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to reject all forms of idolatry -- even (or especially) the kinds which claim the Name while worshipping someone else. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.thetorah.com/article/attaining-and-forfeiting-adams-immortality-at-sinai https://theopolisinstitute.com/the-falls-of-man/ https://hal.science/hal-04447049v1/file/beretta_the-anasyrma-fertility-ritual-in-ancient-egypt-from-hathor-to-hermaphrodius.pdf https://www.facebook.com/spencer.owen.543/posts/pfbid02czHQdTx2Arbdu4TFEADPzL6q4k3unCWDRfqnAbAD7SorCQgDWWyWU8mBGw3cST3gl SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP / 17atr1fasd  

Season 2 Episode 17 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our third "How of Hurt" episode of the season! In this episode, we seek to examine what healing from trauma looks like -- focusing on the body and the brain. We will discuss how to create a "brave space", find out what it means to "suffer well", learn about resourcing vs coping, examine what mindfulness is (and what it is not), and discover several ways to help ourselves heal from trauma. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/LINKS 988 Lifeline -- https://988lifeline.org/ Find a Therapist near you -- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6125057/#bibr8-1559827614550279 https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Humor&title=Experimental%20comparison%20of%20the%20psychological%20benefits%20of%20aerobic%20exercise,%20humor,%20and%20music&author=A%20Szabo&author=SE%20Ainsworth&author=PK%20Danks&volume=18&publication_year=2005&pages=235-246& https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202208/what-are-grounding-techniques https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-mental-health/202405/anchoring-a-strategy-for-weathering-life https://mainlinecounselingpartners.com/progressive-muscle-relaxation/#:~:text=Gently%20shift%20your%20attention%20to%20your%20hands.,by%20a%20feeling%20of%20calm%2C%20peaceful%20relaxation. https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/rain-mindfulness-technique SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CJpgo2Q9W/  

Season 2 Episode 16 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Mako Nagasawa to discuss a wide variety of topics. We take a look at shame and how it affects our relationship to God; we explore the true nature of justice in the Scriptures (retributive or restorative?); we discuss how empathy has been belittled and derided in our culture, and what this does to the Church. In the end, we dive deep into where our own emotions come from, if we can trust them (or not), and what they tell us about both our own nature and the nature of the Father -- who also has emotions, and who has entered into our own emotions to be able to heal those expressions of his image in us. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod Mako Nagasawa is the executive director of The Anástasis Center for Christian Education and Ministry, teaching, training, and writing on Early and Eastern Christian restorative justice. He and his wife Ming, along with their children, have lived among friends in a Christian intentional community house in their neighborhood in Dorchester. They worship at Neighborhood Church of Dorchester where Mako serves on the Elder Team. Mako did campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship from 2001 – 2014, and earned a Master of Theological Studies from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in May 2019. He is the author of Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics in the U.S. (2021), Christmas with Irenaeus: How Jesus Honors Creation, the Human Body, and the Human Story (2022), and Lent with Irenaeus: Journeying with Jesus Towards Becoming Truly Human (2024). ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES www.anastasiscenter.org (It's a Man's World: the Genesis 3:16 Effect) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/mansw... (The Emotions of God) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/emoti... (Shame and Glory) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/shame...   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma... Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP   / 1a2s3h3lee  

Season 2 Episode 15 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast. The family of Abraham are given the "house rules" of God's family, and are invited to partner with him in showing his heart to all the nations of the world. But has God gone far enough? Did he give them a perfect law, and if he did not -- maybe he should have? Join us as we finish our last episode on the Sinai covenant and the so-called "Law". In this episode, we will look at the comparisons and contrasts of Adonai's torah to the ANE codes. We will explore how Adonai's torah accommodates the sinfulness and hard-heartedness of the people, using specific examples. We will ponder how we are to follow/keep Adonai's torah today, or if it no longer applies. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to follow in the footsteps of Israel: to "not do as they do" in our modern society. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES (Comparison of Torah and ANE laws) https://alhatorah.org/Ancient_Near_Eastern_Index_%E2%80%93_Parashat_Mishpatim/0?useskin=vector (Nathan Jacobs podcast on slavery) https://open.spotify.com/episode/2j9Az1fyj23uO6XuL8A974?si=Hh-Xu13dROOSYN3jxjLosA (Spencer's sermon on John 8) https://youtu.be/rDAvzFpE5Bc?si=BlSloJrdH3jaEOwZ SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/  

Season 2 Episode 14 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham are being made a part of the family of God, through a marriage ceremony at Sinai. As part of these "house rules", they are given the Torah: the instructions or teaching of Adonai to his sons and daughters. Will they follow this "torah" and become like God? Or will they become just like the nations? Join us as we unpack more of the Sinai covenant and the Mosaic Law, tracking with Exodus 20 through 23. In this episode, we will look at the Mosaic Law as wisdom -- as "common law", not statutory law. We will explore what this means for the admonition to "be holy, as I am holy", and how this relates to making Israel like God. We will ponder the ways in which this instruction/teaching was given in order to help them deprogram from a slavery mindset and to take on a sonship mindset. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider what this means in our own lives: to leave the "Egypt" of trauma behind us, and to step into the divine inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2018/04/the-church-of-james-dobson/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2017/11/25/james-dobson-always-sided-patriarchal-oppression-cause-political-power/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnewsroundup/2025/08/from-focus-to-fallout-the-life-and-legacy-of-james-dobson/ https://www.ancientjewreview.com/read/2018/11/29/book-note-inconsistency-in-the-torah https://www.anastasiscenterblog.org/atonement-emotional-development/atonement-theories-and-anger-part5 https://www.dneoca.org/articles/matushka1197.html https://youtu.be/pJpHDb-41VM?si=IS1XW71OWbo5xlNX Thumbnail image credit: https://www.deviantart.com/russianart23/art/God-gives-me-a-white-robe-Dream-628419009   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2 Episode 13 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham are led by Adonai in the wilderness toward his home: the mountain of God. They are given a choice – do they want to partner with him as “one flesh”? Or do they want to join themselves to the gods of the nations? Which one will the betrothed of Adonai choose for herself, and for all creation?   Join us as we follow the Israel-assembly (plus the Mixed Multitude) at the foot of Sinai, tracking with Exodus 19 and 24. In this episode, we will look at the Sinai covenant as a wedding ceremony, patterned after ANE covenant marriages. We will explore the nature of the “law” that is given as “house rules”, and will discuss how they are meant to be freeing (not constricting). We will ponder what it means to seal a covenant with blood, and to bind the two together as “one flesh” in a sacrificial meal. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider the beauty of being married to YHWH: the specially chosen and redeemed one(s) who are being transfigured from a slave-mindset to a bride-mindset, in order to undo the First Fall and bring healing to all creation.   I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3676643/jewish/Meditation-on-an-Embrace.htm https://onscript.study/ancient-marriage-contracts-and-the-sinai-covenant-oliver-hersey/ https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/marriage-of-god-and-israel https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/two-takes-test-mount-sinai/ https://drmsh.com/the-cosmic-mountain-and-trees-in-old-testament-theology/ https://www.youtube.com/live/RXGdaJFIB8M ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2 Episode 12 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham has endured the waters of wrath, and are now in the wilderness -- a place of scarcity, hunger, and thirst. Are they just wandering, or being led? Where are they headed, and why is this the path that was chosen for them? Join us as we follow the Israel-assembly (plus the Mixed Multitude) on their journey to Sinai, from Exodus 15-17. In this episode, we will look at their grumblings against Adonai and Moses. We will explore what Adonai's response to this is -- grace, or wrath? We will ponder what it means to be in the wilderness in the first place, and what the purpose of being there is. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to remember that even in our wanderings we need not be lost. We can always follow the cloud of the Presence and be followed by the Rock of Christ to find our way home: the place where Adonai dwells in our midst. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/why-does-god-lead-israel-into-the-wilderness/ https://bibleproject.com/articles/israels-rebellion-wilderness/ https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/water-from-a-walking-rock/   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2 Episode 11 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our second How of Hurt episode of the season! In this episode, we take a close look at the impact of trauma. We will do a brief crash course on neurobiology, find out the effects of trauma on various brain structures, learn about the brain-body connection, examine cognitive distortions downstream of the effects on our nervous system, and discover how nothing -- in all creation -- can separate us from the love of Adonai who longs to see his children "made right". I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! ----more---- SHOW NOTES/LINKS 988 Lifeline -- https://988lifeline.org/ Find a Therapist near you -- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://youtu.be/BNdq6_Lfs2k https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39993388/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2023.1185752/full https://www.simplypsychology.org/forebrain-midbrain-hindbrain.html https://www.mentalhealthctr.com/how-trauma-affects-the-brain-a-clinical-overview/ https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-a-schema.html https://kaplantherapy.org/the-neurobiology-of-trauma/ https://youtu.be/QAeBKRaNri0 https://verybigbrain.com/brain-anatomy/the-insula-deciphering-the-role-of-the-brains-hidden-island/ https://practicalpie.com/prefrontal-cortex-function/

Season 2 Episode 10 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast On the journey out of Egypt, the family of Abraham has left a path of destruction and devastation in their wake. And there is about to be one more moment of decreation: the parting of the Sea of Reeds, where Pharaoh and his army are swallowed up by the death-waters. Is this just an angry God, wreaking his vengeance on those he hates? What will it take to satisfy his wrath? Join us as we go on a journey that is framed around Exodus 14-15, but where we spend time in both Romans 9 and Ezekiel 16 as well. In this episode, we will look at what it means for God to have wrath. We will explore the mode of that wrath ("handing over") and how this can be viewed as a "severe mercy". We will ponder the purpose of wrath, and if there is hope to be found on the other side of it. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to desire the judgment of God -- first in the household of God, and then in a world broken by sin. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/hell-fire.htm  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/gods-hot-nose/  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/a-cup-of-wrath/  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/saved-from-gods-wrath/ SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/ 

Season 2 Episode 9 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham has been finally freed from slavery! The redemption has been obtained by the blood of the Passover lamb as the cost it took to end the oppression of the gods of Egypt. But there remains an ambiguity: who actually is the "family of Abraham"? Is it just racial Hebrews, or do Egyptians "count" as well? The Passover event has created a new nation called "Israel"; so who are "Israelites"?   Join us as we look at Exodus 12:33-42, examining the "mixed multitude" who left Egypt. We will look at who are the "stranger" (gar) and "resident alien" (toshab), and their relationship to the "native". We will explore the issue of circumcision and the Passover, and how that relates to ongoing identification with "Israel". We will ponder the "congregation" (edah) and/or the "assembly" (qahal) of Israel, and its relationship to the New Testament Church (ekklesia). In the end, we will sharply challenge any notion that Israel has been "replaced" and we will unreservedly celebrate the diversity of the family of God -- from its inception with Abraham, to its renewal here in Exodus, through its continuation in the Body of the Messiah, and on into the eschatalogical picture of Revelation. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES Biblical Israel and Modern Israel -- Continuities and Distinctions (Jason Staples) Erev Rav: A Mixed Multitude of Meanings - TheTorah.com Does the Church Supersede Israel? Stranger – Ger - St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology Replacement Theology (quotes)   SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/  

Season 2 Episode 8 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this episode, I sit down for "tea" with Chris Pompu, a rural church pastor and host of The Sanctuary YouTube channel ( @PastorChris87 ). We take a close look at the "wrath of God" in the biblical text, trying to see how it functions and where it is present... as well as when it is not. We explore the impact of teachings such as penal substitutionary atonement, and examine how they affect our view of God. In the end, we try to reconstruct a more beautiful and faithful picture of the wrath of God. I hope you will join us on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! ----more---- SHOW NOTES/RESOURCES The Sanctuary: https://www.youtube.com/@pastorchris87 Leviticus is Fun: https://www.youtube.com/@Leviticus_is_fun The Day the Revolution Began (NT Wright): https://a.co/d/dPIrFqC Learning Laborers podcast -- Spencer's two-part episode on Isa 53: Part One (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JEBfKKi6vCxupOYIDkBii?si=HbUwc5FkTXi910p22Hb8Kw), Part Two (https://open.spotify.com/episode/39Uk9oGyeUktmK6ivNUjyN?si=mZIj9V9oSF6qIbyt5ox4Ag) A list of quotes from prominent theologians about PSA: https://catholicnick.blogspot.com/2009/04/was-jesus-damned-in-your-place.html  

Season 2 Episode 7 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.   Nine plagues have struck the gods of Egypt, providing both Pharaoh and the people chance after chance to repent. Now, the final plague is about to fall: the death of the firstborn. Not desiring the death of anyone, God makes a way for any who pledge allegiance to Him to be spared from the Destroyer: the angel of the bottomless pit. The blood of the Passover lamb will be the means by which the Destroyer will be kept at bay, the life of the blood marking and protecting all who live in that house. In order to make a separation between those who belong to God and those who belong to the gods, this is the cost it takes: the ransom for the lives of the firstborn. Join us as we look at Exodus 11-13, examining the narrative of the plague of the firstborn and the Passover. We will look at what "firstborn" means, and why (or if) they are the target of the plague. We will explore the shadowy figure of the Destroyer, and consider who is responsible for the deaths of the firstborn. We will ponder what it means for God to "pass over" and "pass through", and what relationship this has to being "redeemed". Finally, we will sharply challenge if the Passover lamb dies as a substitute. In the end, we take a serious and careful look at what it means to be "marked by the blood of the lamb", and how we can be marked by the blood of the Lamb today. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES Bible Project series on redemption ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X/YouTube: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2 Episode 6 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   Abraham's family continues to find themselves under the thumb -- and strengthened heart -- of Pharaoh, who thinks he is a god and the source of all order and life. First, Adonai shows him a wizard duel that should dispel this belief, but he persists. What follows is a decreation and deconstruction of all Egypt, from top to bottom. The gods of the nations are shown that order and life does not come from them, and it is made crystal clear to Pharaoh as well. What will it take for Pharaoh to listen? Will he ever acknowledge Adonai as the Most High God, or will he drag the people down with him (and the elohim) in his rebellion?   Join us as we look at Exodus 7-10, examining the narrative of the plagues as a judgment against the gods of Egypt. We will look at what "decreation" means, and why this is the best frame for the plages. We will explore who is the real target of the judgments which fall on Egypt, and the extent to which there are "innocent bystanders" to the plagues. We will ponder what it means to be "the people of God" -- is this about ethnicity, or faithfulness? And we will listen to the desperate pleading of Adonai to all of Egypt, whom He also loves deeply: repent, and you will be saved. In the end, we take a serious and careful look at the "Pharaoh"s in our lives, and how to face up to them and speak with the voice of God: "Let my people go!!" I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: Send a voice message to churchkidpod   SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES Exodus 7:14-8:32 | Ancient Faith Ministries Battle Wizards: Mauling at the Euphrates | Ancient Faith Ministries The plagues of Egypt – Walking With Giants Jannes and Jambres - Wikipedia Yamm - World History Encyclopedia  

Season 2 Episode 5 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our first How of Hurt episode of the season! In this episode, we seek to understand trauma better. We will define trauma, find out what separates it from unpleasant or difficult events, learn about the signs and symptoms of trauma, examine the feedback loops and neuroplasticity that either reinforce or repair trauma, and discover the multiple types of trauma -- including all kinds of church hurt. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! ----more---- SHOW NOTES/LINKS 988 Lifeline -- https://988lifeline.org/ Find a Therapist near you -- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us   Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys - PMC The Relationship Between PTSD and Suicide - PTSD: National Center for PTSD About Adverse Childhood Experiences | Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | CDC Trauma is Trauma: How a limited definition of trauma may be stifling your therapeutic growth — Psychotherapy Practice - Intuitive Healing | NYC 2025_Trauma_and_Addiction.pdf Self-Harm and Trauma - PTSD: National Center for PTSD The amygdala and trauma: understanding what your brain is doing leading to roots for your recovery. Violence Leaves Its Mark on Our Genes For Generations, Study Finds : ScienceAlert Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms - PMC ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/  

Season 2 Episode 4 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The deliverer of Abraham's family returns to his people, but the job is not yet done. Pharaoh likes his power, he likes having his slaves, and he isn't about to let them leave. In fact, he makes it much worse for them: forcing them to work with fewer materials and then blaming them when they can't do what they used to. The appearance of Adonai in his throne room has strengthened his resolve: like clay in the sun, he hardens and cracks. Will Abraham's family do the same? Can they endure the suffering and come out on the other side? Join us as we look at Exodus 4-6, examining the response of Pharaoh and the Hebrews to the appearance of God in their midst. We will look at what "hardening" means, and see if this is something God is to blame for. We will explore how abusive systems never welcome deliverance, and how that deliverance can often be slow and painful. We will ponder the features of abusive systems, and identify them in the narrative: collusion/complicity, victim-blaming, pointing fingers, and the like. We will listen to the complaints of the people to Moses, and Moses to God, that He simply isn't doing enough to make things right. In the end, we take a long and hard look at the role of suffering in the process of healing, and attempt to understand how to be both strengthened (in a good way) and softened by suffering. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! ----more---- SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/abs/divinity-of-the-pharaoh-in-greek-sources/10B843BD8305A47AFB789F70AF0E7D11 https://www.historyandmyths.com/2025/02/egyptian-creation-myths-legends-gods.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/get-out-of-your-mind/200901/a-human-life-is-not-a-problem-to-be-solved ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/  

Season 2 Episode 3 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham has been enslaved and oppressed by the head of the superpower of the day. One man who grew up within that empire discovered that he identified with the "stranger" and is forced to leave -- to become a "stranger in a strange land". Those who remain behind groan with a deep, soul-level pain to their Father. He "remembers and knows" them, like a mama bear hearing her cub's cries of pain. Adonai is coming near to bring comfort and judgment: to cause to be the things that currently are not.   Join us as we look at Exodus 3-4, examining the incident at the burning bush and understanding God's Name better. We will look at what the "mountain of God" is, and begin to understand sacred space. We will explore the figure of the "Angel of the Lord" and his relationship to the Second Person of the Trinity. We will ponder if there is a fundamental difference between the Jesus of the New Testament, and the God of the Old. We will listen to Moses' protests about his calling, and see the true role of divine anger or wrath. In the end, we center our understanding of God's response to trauma as "He Who Causes to Be" -- as Creator, as Father, as Redeemer, and as Husband. I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment!   SHOW NOTE REFERENCES Dr Michael Heiser -- YHWH Dr Michael Heiser -- The Two Powers in heaven Kenites The Angel of the Lord   ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X: @churchkidpod   FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2, Episode 2 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.   At the beginning of Exodus, the family of Abraham is in trouble. They have settled in the land of a foreign empire, but they are treated with fear and suspicion as strangers. What will become of the ones who will be the light to the nations? We're not sure how or when exactly this came about, but in time the empire of Egypt does what all empires do: they treat humans as disposable. In service of building monuments to their own name and out of fear of those who are different, a series of Pharaohs enslave and oppress the family of Abraham. Does Adonai hear them; does he even care?   Join us as we look at Exodus 1-2, examining the difficult and uncomfortable issue of slavery in the Bible. We will look at the nature of "the stranger", and why Adonai cares so much about them. We will explore what the Scriptures say about the generational vortex of sin, reflect on the history of slavery in America and the West, wrestle with the complexities of a God who works with humans as they are, confess the bad which is in the Bible and the evil and wicked ways in which it has been used, and uncover the good that might be hard to see in the Scriptures. In the end, we center our understanding of slavery on the one who "took the form of a slave" (Phil 2:7) and opened the way to perfection for all the images of God -- oppressor and oppressed alike. ----more---- I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X: @churchkidpod   FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Season 2, Episode 1 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast! At the end of Genesis 11, humanity is in trouble. A series of three "falls" have left them at enmity with Adonai and with each other. They are subjected to death, they have succumbed to depravity, and now they find themselves enslaved by demons. What is solution to this problem? Can there be "good news" to come out of this? Enter Abraham: the man who is called by Adonai from among the nations to be the father of all who are faithful. He is promised that his family will be "like the stars" and will be the healing and blessing for all the nations. But how will this promise come about: just by "believing", or by obeying? Or both? And what is this reconstituted and resurrected family of God supposed to look like: diversity, or unity? Or both? Join us as we take a speed-run through Genesis, centering around Abraham. This will be a review of Season 1, and a teaser for Season 2 (which will focus on Exodus and Leviticus). We will examine the nature of the promise the faithful are given as "sons of Abraham", explore the strengths and weaknesses of both unity and diversity, look at what it means for God to show himself to us (and if we really want that), mourn the experience of being shepherded by religious wolves, try to understand what assurance of salvation is (and isn't), and wrestle with the uncomfortable realities of so-called "heroes" of the faith. In the end, we seek to learn what it means to follow the father of faith(fulness) and do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our Father. May we all hear the words: "well done; good and faithful servant." I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! ----more---- SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@churchkidpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma.../id1760390486 Podbean: https://churchkidpod.podbean.com/ X: @churchkidpod FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/

Is the House of David TV series, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, any good? Is it closer to "The Ten Commandments" or "Prince of Egypt" or "Exodus: Gods and Kings"? Or is it just like all the other examples -- and there are far too many -- of cringey, cheap, contrived, and cloying faith-based media? What about its use of extra-biblical traditions? Can we trust the filmmakers to finally give us art that is beautiful, accurate, and moving?   This is the penultimate episode in Season 1, in another bonus review. This is mostly spoiler-free, although it does get into details which are also in the biblical narrative. I turn my somewhat-jaded eye (and heart) onto this adaptation of the story of David and Goliath, and find myself pleasantly surprised and cautiously hopeful for the future of Christian media. I hope this is one more waypoint on your journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!

What is the center of a person? Why does our heart need to be pure? How does God heal the broken-hearted? If our heart is sick, do we have free will? How can we be more free -- by choosing what we want, or choosing well? How do we "see" with the "eyes of the soul" what to choose? Is this even possible when that "eye" is darkened? What is the difference between soul and spirit? Is the soul created at the same time as the body, and how can it exist apart from the body? What does that mean, and how does that relate to the Resurrection body? What about final judgment? How can we have a secure soul-attachment to our bodies?   This is the (finally) final episode of our Anthropology of Adam series, looking at the Greek words for heart, will, mind/spirit, and soul. We will take a close look at how the nous (mind/spirit) is central the health of the soul, and what it means to love Adonai with our whole being. I hope you will join me for a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   The Mind and the Heart in the Christian East and West Nous - OrthodoxWiki Nathan Jacobs Podcast -- apokatastasis Saint Origen - First Things What in Tarnation? | Ancient Faith Ministries Soul, Heart, and Mind: Orthodox video Powers of the Soul: Orthodox video  

What is "nature"? Did the first Christians change this because of Greek philosophy? What is a "person"? Whom am I, underneath all the "masks"? What does it mean to be Self-led, or self-controlled? What does it mean to partake of the divine nature, and how do we do that? What are passions, and how did we get them? How do we overcome them? Do we have a sin(ful) nature? Is it even possible for flesh to seek after God? And what purpose did the Law of God serve in this goal? What does it mean for our nature -- and person -- to find its rest in God?   This is the third of four in our Anthropology of Adam series. This one covers the Greek words for body, flesh, nature, being/essence, person, and individual/subject. This covers a ton of philosophical ground, but I hope it doesn't hurt your head too much. I always pray it doesn't hurt your heart. I hope that you can join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   Orthodox Apologetics: Prosopon and Hypostases St Gregory of Nyssa: Differentiating Ousia and Hypostasis | Eclectic Orthodoxy The Christian Transformation of Greek Philosophical Concepts ---- The Distinction of ousia and hypostasis in the Formation of the Trinitarian Formula “One ousia and three hypostaseis”. Basil ousia and hypostasis Greek Trinitarian Terms in the Early Church (Part 1) – Krisis & Praxis Anthropological background: The human composite and spiritual healing Substance, Nature, and Human Personhood The "Sinful Nature" Translation Dilemma and the Upcoming NIV Revision - Jason Staples Our Heart is Restless Until It Rests in You - Augustine -

What is the human heart, according to the Bible? Is it the seat of thoughts, or emotions? How is it related to our desires and our wills? Is it "desperately wicked"? Can we trust our feelings? What does it mean to have our "bowels moved" for someone else, and is it really as gross as it sounds? Does God feel toward us like a Father, or like a Mother? Or does he just demand blood to satisfy his anger?   This is the second of three four "Anthropology of Adam" episodes, where we will look at the words in the Hebrew Bible which represent who adam is. Along the way, we learn that our hearts are deep, murky waters with thoughts and intentions that can either incline toward or away from Adonai. We also discover that Adonai himself is inclined toward us, with a gut-level compassion that comes out of his "womb". I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction. Podcast episode from BibleProject about the "Womb of God"

What is "the flesh"? What is the best way to think of and treat our bodies? What is the relationship between the spirit and the body? Is our spirit the essence of who we really are? Or is that our soul? Is that something other than our body? Do we have souls or not? And will our bodies be part of the new heavens and new earth? This is the first of three four "Anthropology of Adam" episodes, where we will look at the words in the Hebrew Bible which represent who adam is. Along the way, we learn that we are souls, composed of body and spirit, who are created good and despite the falls of humanity are still able to desire and seek out Adonai. I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction.

What are spiritual beings? Are they some kind of ethereal substance, or just in our minds? Are things in our minds real? Where do our thoughts come from? What about ideas? Can spiritual beings influence us, and in what ways do they do so?  Is that the same as being "possessed"? What does it mean to conform our wills to theirs? And what does it mean to actually have "free" wills?   In this episode, we take a look at what it means to be human, and what it means to be a spiritual being, and explore the overlap of the two. Along the way, we discover that humans are permeable creatures: designed to have our wills interact with the wills of the spiritual realm. In the end, we try to understand how all this relates to everyday life and becoming better "spiritual beings" ourselves. I hope you will join me on the journey of finding resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   But We Have the Mind of Christ | Ancient Faith Ministries The Most Important Question -- Nathan Jacobs Podcast What's a Spirit When It's at Home? | Ancient Faith Ministries Bible Project video on spiritual beings Stimulus - Reaction - Response graphic  

What is the third "fall" of humanity? Why is it so bad for people to build a tower? Does it actually reach to the heavens? Why does God confuse their language and scatter the people? And who are the gods of the nations? Do they exist at all? What is their purpose? Is there anything we can learn from the Babel narrative about what God wants for his human family?   In today's episode, we take a closer look at the Genesis 11 Babel event and its connection to the redemptive plan of God: to lovingly shepherd his children back to him, in order to unite them in their diversity, so that the unique glory each possesses can participate in his life once more. I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   The Gods of the Nations | Ancient Faith Ministries Pentecost and the Ziggurat — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick The Human Desire to Be Godlike - TheTorah.com Language Is Baffling – The Story of the Tower of Babel - TheTorah.com What-is-spiritual-warfare-from-Heiser-DEMONS-MS-unedited.pdf The Angels Who Left Their Former Estate - The Whole Counsel Blog The Unseen Realm Collection (10 book series) Paperback Edition

What the heck is happening in Noah's tent after the Flood? Why is Canaan cursed, and not Ham? What is the meaning of Ham's genealogical line? Does it mean that biological descent curses people? How much does God actually care about ethnicity, anyway? Isn't that what Israel being his chosen people is all about? What is the "table of nations", and why do the nations matter?   In this episode, we take a closer look at the relationship of the chosen seed and the sons of promise to the rest of the family of God -- the nations of the earth. We challenge the idea that ethnicity plays a major role in salvation history, and examine what the vocation of the "firstborn son" was supposed to be. Namely: to be a light to the nations. I hope you will join us on a journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   Naked Bible 159: Noah’s Nakedness, the Sin of Ham, and the Curse of Canaan | The Naked Bible Podcast   Sukkot's Seventy Bulls - TheTorah.com   israels-early-inhabitants1_2021-12-01-174244_jgmx.jpg (700×993)

What does it mean to find "rest" in the Flood narrative? What does it mean for God to "remember" Noah? What about "remembering" our sins, or forgiving our sins? Does forgiveness like God forgives mean "forgive and forget"? Does Adonai need death or blood in order to forgive? What was the function of the sacrifice Noah offered after the Flood waters receded, and what is the deal with the "covenant" God makes with all flesh? Does the rainbow have a different meaning than just a pretty sign of that covenant?   Today we take a good long look at the consequences of the Flood, and what it means to search for rest in the midst of a world drowned in sin and needing purification. We explore the symbolism of the ark as a mini-cosmos and examine how the God we see in the Flood is a God whom we can trust to always bring justice -- just perhaps not in the way we think, or demand he should. I hope it is helpful for you in your process of finding resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!   Noah and God’s Rest in Hebrews 4 – Citizens & Sons Why did God flood the world? (Bible Project) A Cup of Wrath? (Bible Project) Are We Really Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God? - N.T. Wright Online Zakar: REMEMBER… and pass it on. – Hebrew Word Lessons What Is the Rainbow Really Teaching Us? - Jewish Theological Seminary  

Is Noah's Ark and the Flood a children's story? Was it a local flood, or a global one? What is the emotional response we see God give to human wickedness? Why was the Flood necessary, and how can that possibly be justice? Was there any chance for repentance or salvation? What does God require in order to offer forgiveness and purification? And what does it mean to be "saved through the waters" (1 Pet 3:20)?   This is a meditative episode, focused on the nature of God's judgment and his mercy. In it, we find a God who always deals with sin... but not always in the way we think. We also find a God who always provides a way out... but not always in the way we want. And through it all, we discover that we all must go through the waters of purification.   The Deluge as a Biblical Symbol - EARLY CHURCH HISTORY   Noah’s Ark: Josephus, Earlier Historians, & Church Fathers | Dave Armstrong   Coming to Grips with the Early Church Fathers’ Perspective on Genesis, Part 1 (of 5) - Reasons to Believe (the whole series is worth a look)

Who are the Nephilim? What is the story in the Bible about how they came to be? What is the "second Fall"? What does it mean to be a spirit in "conjugation" with the material realm? How does metallurgy, mercantilism, and music connect to the Nephilim? How does this connect to demonosis? Are there really giants as tall as the Pyramids in the Bible? And what is the connection of all of this to trauma -- spiritual or otherwise? This is an episode where we get mystical, taking a look at ancient near east mythology and its connection to our lives today. Along the way, we survey a lot of disputed scholarship, understand more about where human depravity comes from, and learn about what "shrinking the giants down to size" looks like in recovery from trauma. I hope you enjoy it!   Here There Be Giants - The Whole Counsel Blog   The Five(ish) Falls of Angels | Ancient Faith Ministries   Herodotus' narrative of the Nephilim ritual   Etemenanki - Wikipedia   Daijosai ritual   Story of Gilgamesh (YouTube video)   Genesis Marks the Spot (episode 1 of the series on reception history of Genesis 6)   Article about Og, the Rephaiim and other giants   The Ancient Near Eastern Context for Genesis 6:1-4 - Dr. Michael Heiser   Cross-referenced posts from Dr. Michael Heiser (Nephilim)

Today, I will give you a bonus holiday episode where I will be reviewing a book I have read recently: Anthony Delgado's The Gospel Is Bigger Than You Think. In this book, Delgado examines the "gospel of Middle America" that is focused on a moment of decision and conversion, often at the expense of discipleship and spiritual transformation. He presents a (biblical) alternative to this "cultural folk religion" that is deeper, broader, more enchanting, and "bigger" than we might have thought. Hope you like it!   (disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the Audible book for review purposes)   Amazon link to buy the book  

Today we sit down for "tea" with Dr Timothy Patitsas, who quite literally wrote the book on a beauty-first approach to healing from trauma. In our discussion today, we embark on a bit of a mystical journey: attempting to grasp with words the ineffable power of beauty to heal the soul. What is beauty? How does it impact the soul? How can it undo the intra/interpersonal excommunication, schism, and heresy caused by trauma? Why is beauty the foremost of the three transcendentals (beauty, goodness, and truth)? How does the modern psychoanalytic approach to counseling fail trauma sufferers? And how can we recapture a beauty-first approach to healing?   This is an interview I have been looking forward to having for a long time, and I am delighted to share it with you now! Please forgive the audio quality issues; I hope it will not detract too much from the important information we explore here. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this content to get the word out!   The Ethics of Beauty — St Nicholas Press Home | beauty first films   Some emerging research on how beauty, wonder, awe, and other ventral vagal states are being recognized as essential factors in the healing process Research Reveals the Healing Power of Beauty and Awe | Psychology Today Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health - Maria Monroy, Dacher Keltner, 2023 Awe: A Systematic Review within a Cognitive Behavioural Framework and Proposed Cognitive Behavioural Model of Awe | International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Awe_FINAL.pdf  

What does it mean to be sons of the promise, or sons of perdition? Does this mean that generational curses are real? What does it mean to be "elect"? Are they always the "good guys" in the story? Why does Cain build a city, and what is the relationship of a city to "empire"? What role do divine beings (elohim) play in the descent of humanity into depravity? How does that relate to the mythos of the surrounding ANE cultures? Are things like music and dancing and makeup bad in and of themselves? And what does it mean to be a "father" to someone, in the biblical text? Is there any hope for rebellious sons? Here, we spend an entire episode on genealogies! (don't leave!) We take a look at the parallel yet inverse lines of Seth and of Cain, and dive deep into both the physical and spiritual dimensions of that "sonship" and "fatherhood". Along the way, we discover that we are all in one way or another prodigal sons of God, and that Adonai our Father is longing for our return to receive the inheritance he has promised us. Join us on the journey of searching for resurrection on the other side of deconstruction.   Two Themes, Two Days, Two Goats; with Caleb Lewis - Episode 083 (Genesis Marks the Spot podcast)   Through the Waters: A biblical theology of the book of Genesis (Caleb Lewis)   Naked Bible Podcast transcript: Episode 262, Exodus 3, Part 2b (Dr Michael Heiser) Article about the book of Enoch and the Watchers   Dr. Michael Heiser's graphic on the parallel genealogies of Seth and Cain   Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple? | Smithsonian   A YouTube video about the Apkallu (Seven Sages), using AI   The Five(ish) Falls of Angels | Ancient Faith Ministries   Technology and the Story of Redemption: Being the People of God in a Mechanized World - The Symbolic World

Why was Cain's sacrifice not accepted? What even is a sacrifice, and what makes it acceptable? What does it mean to master temptation? What does it mean to be mastered by temptation? What does it mean to be cursed by God? Who needs to repent: only the oppressors, or all of us? And what does repentance look like, for both? Does God actually hear the cries of the victims, and how does he bring justice?   In this return to the text of Genesis and our walkthrough of the Scriptures, we see that each of us can at any time become either Cain or Abel. We look at the ways in which some portions of this narrative have been used to cause hurt, and we examine what it means for God to call both the innocent and the guilty to master the crouching sin-beast in at the doorway of their own hearts.   A Demon at the Door? | memoirandremains   Genesis 4 – What History’s First Criminal Report Can Teach Us - Cerebral Faith   Cain, the Sinner - The Whole Counsel Blog

What is gehenna? Is it the same as hell? What is the Age to Come? Is it only something for the far-off future, or is it something for here and now as well What is the second death? Is that the Lake of Fire? What does it mean for a human being to experience the second death? Will all be saved, or only some? Is this something we should be afraid of, and to whom are these warnings directed? Can we really trust that Adonai is merciful and gracious, when all this threat of punishment is hanging over us?   Today, we explore one of the thorniest, most shadowy, and least certain topics we've encountered so far. It is also the source of much of the pain, hurt, and loss of trust that has caused deconstruction. In this episode, I try to take a slow walk (almost double-length!) through the biblical language surrounding final judgment and the Age to Come. My hope is that you are able to hear within these stumbling words a picture of a Father who desires that none should perish, and that all should be brought to repentance.   Was “Gehenna” a Smoldering Garbage Dump? – The Baker Deep End Blog   NB 441 Transcript   What Is It Like to Be a Bat?   Hades is Embittered — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (ancientfaith.com)

As we've been walking through Genesis 1-3, a few "plot holes" have emerged. What is life? What does it mean to be "alive" or a "living being" (nefesh)? What then is death? Did Adam and Eve actually die the day they ate of the Tree of Knowing? And what happens after death? What is Sheol? Abaddon? Abraham's Bosom?  What is the Old Testament idea of what happens when we die? Are we talking about heaven and hell here? In this episode, I give some trauma-informed and biblically/traditionally grounded responses to these questions. Along the way, we discover a God who is himself the source of life, who laments over the death of his children, and who will enter as deep as possible into enemy territory to rescue and redeem his children. Naked Bible 440: The Afterlife Part 1 | The Naked Bible Podcast An image of the Old Testament cosmology, including the Underworld Azazel and the “Scapegoat” (Leviticus 16) | Zondervan Academic 1 Enoch (earlyjewishwritings.com) Naked Bible 347: Jonah and the Chaos Dragon | The Naked Bible Podcast Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud | The Poetry Foundation Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates - Psalm 24 and the Harrowing of Hades - The Whole Counsel Blog (ancientfaith.com)

In this episode, I tell my story of how I grew up without a clear sense that God liked me. I discuss my encounter with God up in the mountains, using contemplative prayer as a vehicle for that experience, and what that taught me about the heart of my Heavenly Father toward me. I dig a little bit into attachment science, discussing how it works in our relationship with both people and with God, and explore how experiencing "vertical" attachment repair affects our ability to also experience (and give) "horizontal" attachment repair. This episode is meant as a follow-up to the previous one: the Expert-Teas episode with Nicholas Soellner on contemplative prayer. Attachment patterns infographic Anatomy of the Soul (Curt Thompson)   There is an excerpt of a contemplative prayer exercise from that book HERE Attached to God (Krispin Mayfield)

Today we sit down for "tea" with Nicholas Soellner! He is a friend of mine online who I collaborate with frequently on the Cosmic Corner, hosted by the Faith Unaltered YouTube channel. Find the playlist for that segment here: Cosmic Corner (FAU, hosted by Joshua Davidson)   In this episode, we look at the practice of contemplative prayer. This connects back to what we have been discussing with the human experience "in Adam": slavery to death, through sin. What does it mean to invite the presence and light and love of God into ALL the spaces of our lives, with one foot in the "already" and one foot in the "not yet" of redemption from that slavery? How can we build up a relational connection with Adonai through contemplative prayer? How does contemplative prayer purify and illuminate our minds (nous)? How can it bring healing to our memories -- not just our cognitive memories, but our somatic and emotional memories as well? What shaping effect does that have on our embodied identity? What is the hope of the resurrection and full redemption of our bodies? And what does it mean to be "possessed" by that hope?   This is an episode that had deep resonances for me in my life; I hope you enjoy it! Below are some resources to look into for contemplative prayer. As always with resources like this, these are suggestions for your own exploration: not a burden to tie up and place on your shoulders. Do what you can, when you can, in whatever way you can... and always seek to give yourself as much mercy and grace as Adonai does. What is Contemplative Prayer and How to Do a Contemplative Prayer Practice (guidedchristianmeditation.com)   Centering Prayer - The Contemplative Society   An example of contemplative prayer   A good video that explores the uncertainty and mystery of contemplative prayer  

This is the edited audio from our very first live Q&R episode taking questions from the live audience as well as the Facebook discussion group. In this episode, we dive very deep into a challenge from one of the listeners who sees "hierarchical headship" in Genesis 1-2 before the Gen 3 fall. We also look closely at the incarnational nature of the Scriptures as a joint divine-human revelation and work, and explore the extent to which we should adopt or privilege the cultural norms of the biblical authors. The audio is somewhat warbly due to the live recording; please forgive the quality. Hope you enjoy!

What does it mean to be slaves of sin and/or death? Who is paying "wages of death"? What, or who, exactly is the serpent-stomper promised to be? Do we possess a "sinful human nature" now, and what does that mean? What does it mean to have our natures "justified"? And who gets this gift? What does it mean to be "saved"? Who gets that reward, and how? We've been looking at the Genesis 3 fall narrative and its consequences for the sons of Adam. Now, we step away from Genesis 3 and look at how this passage of Scripture is interpreted by Paul in Romans 5-6. Along the way, we survey the apostolic witness (in the rest of the New Testament) as well as the Patristic witness (in the early centuries after the apostles) to uncover a way to respond to all of those questions above. In order that we might reconstruct religion for the hurting, with theology that doesn’t hurt. Instead of original sin and inherited guilt, we find ancestral consequences and personal guilt. Instead of a master demanding obedience upon pain of death, we see a Father who freely gives to all the gift of his own life, if only they will trust him enough to shema his voice. Instead of an implacable Judge demanding death, we see a gracious Son entering into death on our behalf: to turn the prison of Hades from a tomb into a womb. Jesus and John Wayne (Kristen DuMez) Romans 5-6 (NKJV)   Verses discussing the scope of justification (NKJV)   Library of Church Fathers (search to find referenced quotes)

What happens after the humans eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowing? Who is to blame for eating the fruit? Are they cursed by God? Is he nothing more than a wrathful deity, punishing them for a tiny infraction? What does it mean to have "garments of skin", or to be mortal? And why block the way back to the Tree of Life?   In this episode, we unpack the Genesis 3 fall narrative and its consequences. Along the way, we look deeply and closely at all the ways this passage has been used to cause hurt. Through it all, we aim to reconstruct a different picture of Adonai which emphasizes his kindness and mercy -- severe though it may be -- as well as his unfailing commitment to restore his defaced images.   Women, Eve, and Deception - Marg Mowczko   The Tree of Knowing Good & Bad (bibleproject.com)   Against Heresies, III.23 (St. Irenaeus)   Tractate Sotah (sefaria.org)   On the Incarnation (St. Athanasius)   The Day the Revolution Began (NT Wright)

Humanity is firmly planted in the Garden, but why is there a serpent there? Is this a divine setup? Who or what is this serpent figure, anyway? Why would God put a tree there that they couldn't eat from? And what is the deal with the Tree of Life? Is humanity created to be mortal, immortal, or something else? Today, I take a closer look at all these questions out of the first portion of Genesis 3, and attempt to give some responses that don't hurt either your head or your heart.  Article about elohim/the gods (Fr. Stephen DeYoung) Article about s/Satan and the serpent (Dr. Michael Heiser) Against Heresies (Irenaeus) Against Autolycus (Theophilus of Antioch) Tree of Life video (Bible Project)

Today, I sit down for tea with biblical scholar Dr. Carmen Imes to discuss the image of God, male and female, the importance of our bodies and embodiedness to our identity and resurrection, diverse embodiment and disability, the ways in which trauma is felt (and healed) in our bodies, and how to approach the Old Testament in a trauma-informed way. See Dr. Imes' bio HERE See Dr. Imes' author page on Amazon HERE See an article she wrote about creating a trauma-informed classroom HERE

How has the Church treated LGBTQ+ folks? What should our responsibilities and duties be to the vulnerable and the hurting? What does it look like to love others, even when we disagree with them? How can we "become the gospel" to a world that sorely needs to hear good news?    In this bonus mini-episode, I speak only to my Christian brothers and sisters. I take a look at how "male and female he created them" in Genesis 1-2 has been used to cause harm, and what we might be able to do to begin a long repentance.    Spencer's Sermon on John 8

How should we think about the fact that there are two creation accounts? What does it mean to be the image of God? Are humans to be servants of Adonai, or something else? Are men and women images in the same way? And what do we do with the fact that women are created second, and "from man"? Does the Bible teach that bodies are bad, and naked bodies are particularly bad?   In this episode, we take a closer look at Genesis 2, and walk through how the Hebrew narrative subverts some problematic views of humanity, gender, rulership, and nakedness. This Genesis 2 narrative gives us a glimpse of theology that doesn't hurt -- one that affirms the value of women, that pictures a different kind of ruling over creation, and that views bodies as good. Come join us on the journey of reconstructing religion. Resources for Further Study: Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (Carmen Imes) The Lost World of Adam and Eve (John Walton) Dr. Imes' article on <ezer> (Christianity Today) Bible Project Classroom series (Adam to Noah)