The Biblical Mind

• Feasting on Hope: Sacraments, Trauma, and Formation in the Church (Hannah King) Ep. #217

  Is communion just a symbolic snack—or a mysterious, formative act of grace? In this episode, Rev. Hannah King, an Anglican priest and author of the upcoming Feasting on a Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness, joins Dru Johnson to explore why the Lord’s Supper is essential for the Christian life. Hannah shares her journey from evangelical church spaces into Anglicanism, unpacking how the Eucharist re-centered her understanding of salvation as bodily, communal, and ongoing. She shares deeply personal stories—of trauma, grief, and healing—that reveal how the sacrament offers more than information: it offers union with Christ. Together, they tackle difficult questions: Will weekly communion become rote? Why is the Eucharist so often sidelined in modern worship? What do we gain when we treat the Table as the center, not the add-on? And how does this sacrament speak to survivors, children, skeptics, and the spiritually weary? Hannah reminds us that even when we feel nothing, the Table is still doing its work. Like Sabbath and marriage, it shapes us slowly—but surely. For more on Hannah's work: https://www.hannahmillerking.com/ We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Barriers to Worship 03:06 The Role of Liturgy in Worship 06:14 The Nature of Worship Experience 08:58 Structure of Anglican Worship 12:11 The Importance of the Eucharist 15:07 Embodied Faith and Redemption 22:21 Exploring the Nature of the Soul and Body 24:40 The Familial Nature of Faith and Community 26:20 The Dynamics of Church and Class 28:12 Rituals, Liturgy, and Their Impact on Worship 30:31 The Eucharist: A Meal of Fellowship and Equality 35:18 Embracing Mystery in the Lord's Supper 39:25 The Centrality of the Eucharist in Christian Worship

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• Theology in the Mother Tongue: Oral Bible Translation and Embodied Faith (Fausto Liriano) Ep. #216

  What if the Bible isn’t something you read—but something you hear, memorize, and perform? In this groundbreaking episode, Dr. Fausto Liriano shares his work translating the Bible into indigenous languages without writing it down. Through oral Bible translation projects in Guatemala, Mexico, and the Philippines, Dr. Liriano helps communities internalize Scripture in their own languages—through performance, storytelling, and memorization. He explains how this work challenges not only Western assumptions about literacy and theology, but also confronts colonial patterns in missionary work, translation philosophy, and even what counts as “canonical” Scripture. The episode explores how indigenous languages often mirror Hebrew’s poetic ambiguity more than Spanish or English do, why repetition and redundancy are theological tools, and how people with no formal education are memorizing and performing hours of biblical material with precision and reverence. Dr. Liriano also reflects on the need for contextual theology in Latin America—one that isn’t imported from the North, but developed by the people, for the people. He calls for a theology of corruption, of wholeness, and of embodied participation in God’s word. For more on Fausto's work: https://translation.bible/staff-profile/fausto-liriano/ We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Latin American Theology 01:59 Misunderstandings of Latin American Theology 04:47 The Need for Contextual Theology 07:41 Corruption and Its Impact on Theology 10:43 The Role of Indigenous Voices in Theology 13:52 Oral Bible Translation in Guatemala 16:47 The Value of Orality in Cultural Contexts 25:08 Translating for Indigenous Cultures 27:57 Exploring Orality in Biblical Texts 30:13 The Process of Oral Bible Translation 34:57 Community Engagement and Performance 37:41 The Importance of Oral Tradition 42:14 Navigating Colonialism and Canonization 44:29 The Heart of Translation: Language and Connection

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• The Illusion of Intelligence: Why AI Can’t Replace Embodied Life (Noreen Herzfeld) Ep. #215

  Is AI intelligent—or just artificial? In this provocative episode, Dr. Noreen Herzfeld, a rare scholar of both computer science and theology, joins Dru Johnson to expose what most people overlook about artificial intelligence. Drawing from her recent book The Artifice of Intelligence, she challenges the mythology of AGI (artificial general intelligence) and critiques the environmental, social, and theological costs of current AI use. Herzfeld argues that large language models are plateauing and that the real danger isn’t a superintelligence—it’s our uncritical, energy-intensive use of biased software masquerading as neutral tools. She warns of AI’s water and fossil fuel demands, its disembodied affirmation loops, and the illusion that chatbots are viable substitutes for therapists, pastors, or friends. Rooting her critique in Christian theology, Herzfeld defends the value of embodiment, human uniqueness, and community. She sees modern AI and transhumanist dreams as a return to ancient Gnostic heresies—disembodied, elitist, and ultimately dehumanizing. This episode is essential for anyone navigating the ethical, spiritual, and ecological implications of AI. You’ll come away more equipped to use AI critically—and to resist the false promises of digital utopia. For Noreen's Book "The Artifice of Intelligence": https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506486901/The-Artifice-of-Intelligence We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 The Current State of AI Technology 02:21 Environmental Impact of AI 07:55 Understanding AI and AGI 16:36 The Dangers of Chatbots 19:42 Embodiment and AI 30:47 Future of AI and Its Societal Role

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• Becoming God’s Family: Against Church Hurt, Isolation, and Autonomy (Carmen Imes) Ep. #214

  Can you be a Christian without the church? In this timely episode, Dr. Carmen Imes argues forcefully—and pastorally—that Christianity without community is a contradiction. Drawing from her new book Becoming God’s Family, she and Dru Johnson explore why so many people are walking away from church and what it would take to draw them back. From church hurt to spiritual abuse to toxic celebrity culture, Carmen doesn’t shy away from the reasons people leave. But she also offers theological and pastoral wisdom on why we can’t give up on the church. They explore biblical stories of failed community, why Hagar’s story matters, and what healthy faithfulness looks like in a flawed body. They also discuss when it’s time to leave a church, how American and global cultures can distort biblical community, and why true belonging means discomfort, difference, and even lament. Drawing on stories from her life and ministry, Carmen makes the case that church isn’t about getting what we want—it’s about becoming who we’re meant to be. For Carmen Imes' substack: https://substack.com/@carmenjoyimes We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more resources: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Community in Faith 01:37 Addressing Church Disconnection Post-Pandemic 04:22 The Role of Scripture in Community Dynamics 07:17 Navigating Church Hurt and Abuse 10:36 Finding Hope in Faithful Communities 13:46 The Broader Picture of Church Life 16:38 Understanding God's Family Beyond the Church 18:39 The Power of Community and Discipleship 20:03 Cultural Blind Spots and Family Loyalty 21:42 The Radical Nature of Church Family 25:24 The Ananias and Sapphira Lesson 27:59 The Role of Green Rooms in Church 31:10 Lamenting Together as a Family 32:45 The Messiness of Community 35:34 The Quest for Like-Mindedness 37:32 Diversity in Church and Community 41:58 Creative Solutions for Multicultural Worship  

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• Literature and Idealism: Or, How The Bible Is A "Thick" Story (Karen Swallow Prior) Ep. #213

  What do Tolkien, vocation, and gritty literature have in common? In this conversation, Dru Johnson talks with literary scholar Dr. Karen Swallow Prior about why Christians often gravitate toward fantasy and romantic ideals—and why that can be a problem. Karen critiques the elevation of genre fiction like The Lord of the Rings as literary canon and urges Christians to engage “thick texts” that challenge us and train us to read Scripture more deeply. They discuss how modern reading habits—dominated by email, social media, and skimmable articles—undermine our ability to understand both literature and biblical texts. Karen argues that literature forms our posture toward the world, and that our spiritual and moral imagination needs the grounding realism found in great novels and gritty stories. The conversation pivots to Karen’s new book on vocation, exploring how distorted expectations around passion, work, and calling are leaving young people disillusioned. Instead, she calls for a deeper, more historically grounded view of labor, meaning, and responsibility. This episode is a must-listen for those interested in education, theology, literature, and the subtle ways imagination shapes our lives of faith. For more of Karen's literature: https://karenswallowprior.com/ We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 Exploring Literature and Vocation 02:37 The Role of Literary Criticism in Cultural Contexts 05:44 Tolkien, Lewis, and the Literary Canon 08:46 Understanding Thick Texts: Literature and the Bible 12:04 The Importance of Reading Skills in Biblical Studies 14:55 Interpreting the Bible: Layers of Meaning in Texts 19:49 The Importance of Humility in Understanding Literature 24:00 Navigating Vocation and Career Expectations 29:54 The Reality of Menial Jobs and Their Value 33:37 Balancing Idealism and Grit in Literature 38:47 Finding Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful

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