The Biblical Mind

• Cultural Rivers, Order, and Covenant: Tools For Reading Scripture Well (John Walton) Ep. #222

  In this thought-provoking episode, Walton explains his “cultural rivers” metaphor—how each culture swims in its own current of values, assumptions, and logic. We can’t read the Bible through modern, Western eyes without missing what mattered most to ancient audiences. Genesis, for example, isn’t about material origins but about God bringing order to a disordered world. From Genesis 1–11, which Walton calls a unified pursuit-of-order narrative, to covenant as God’s chosen method of establishing order in Israel, this episode reshapes how we think about law, sin, impurity, and even concepts like raʿ (evil). Walton shows how words like shalom, menucha, and tov are all part of a spectrum of order—not morality. He also addresses how Jesus and Paul recontextualize the Torah, why Exodus opens with a surprising parade of female heroes, and how poetry preserves communal memory in songs like Exodus 15. Whether you’re new to Walton’s “Lost World” series or a longtime reader, this episode offers fresh insight into how Scripture’s deepest themes emerge from its ancient context. 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 Methodological Approaches to Texts 02:02 Cultural Rivers: Understanding Context in Ancient Texts 05:19 Genesis 1-11: The Pursuit of Order 08:04 The Role of Women in Exodus: A Unique Perspective 11:04 Intertextuality: Connections Between Genesis and Judges 14:12 The Concept of Order in the Torah 17:10 Jesus and Paul: Recontextualizing the Torah 20:16 The Significance of Women in the Exodus Narrative 23:20 Joseph and Daniel: Conceptual Connections 26:07 Final Thoughts and Future Discussions 32:50 Poetry And Prose Intermixed

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• Unlocking The Deep Structures of Scripture: The Bible's Unified Message (Joshua Berman) Ep. #221

  What if the Bible was written with deep structural patterns designed to echo across generations—economically and theologically? In this riveting episode, Dr. Joshua Berman joins Dru Johnson to reveal how literary design, verbal repetition, and cultural continuity make the Bible not a patchwork, but a carefully composed unity. Through examples ranging from Genesis and Judges to Exodus and Samuel, Berman shows how the same words, images, and narrative arcs—like “sword and bow” or reversal of blessing—carry deliberate echoes and layered meanings across the text. They also explore gendered storytelling in Exodus 2, the function of poetry in biblical prose, and why embedded songs like Exodus 15 don’t contradict the narrative—they expand it. Berman explains how ancient readers trained in repetition and orality would have caught these cues instantly, and why modern readers miss them. This episode is also a personal one, as Berman shares how leading Jewish tours in Egypt deepened his faith in the biblical text—and even led to unexpected moments of hope across religious and national divides. This is a masterclass in reading Scripture deeply—linguistically, literarily, and spiritually. 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 Methodology in Biblical Texts 04:06 Understanding Deep Structures in Scripture 09:15 The Role of Language and Translation 14:21 Genesis: Unity and Structure 19:02 Theological Implications of Interwoven Narratives 21:56 Exploring Sodom and Gomorrah's Legacy 27:11 The Role of Women in Exodus 33:09 Contradictions in Moses' Life 39:23 Archeological Work In Egypt

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• Attachment Theory, God’s Presence, & The Image of God: How God Heals Us (Geoff Holsclaw) Ep. #220

  What does attachment theory have to do with discipleship, theology, or the church? According to Dr. Geoff Holsclaw, more than we realize. In this episode, Holsclaw—a pastor, theologian, and co-author of Landscapes of the Soul—joins Dru Johnson to explore how neuroscience and interpersonal attachment can illuminate both human development and the biblical story. From early childhood bonds to the way we experience God’s presence, he explains how secure and insecure attachments shape how we relate to others, ourselves, and the divine. The conversation dives into the four “attachment landscapes” (Jungle, Desert, War Zone, and Secure), and how trauma or neglect in childhood can subtly shape a lifetime of relational patterns—unless there is healing. But the episode offers real hope: not only is repair possible, but Scripture itself shows us the way. Holsclaw connects attachment theory to key biblical moments—from God’s face in the Psalms to Jesus’ sending of the disciples. This is not a self-help take on neuroscience. It’s a theologically rich exploration of embodied faith, community healing, and how God repairs the ruptures in our lives. To get your copy of Landscapes Of The Soul: https://www.tyndale.com/p/landscapes-of-the-soul/9798400505546 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 Neuroscience in Counseling and Theology 06:19 Understanding Attachment Theory 14:04 The Impact of Attachment Styles 20:13 Scriptural Foundations of Attachment 26:26 Jesus and Attachment Dynamics 33:50 Healing and Growth in Attachment 40:57 Community and Relationships in Healing

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• Pharisees, Torah, and Sacrifice: What We Miss When We Misread the Law (Paul Sloan) Ep. #219

  Did Jesus come to cancel the Law of Moses—or fulfill it? In this compelling episode, Dr. Paul Sloan joins Dru Johnson to challenge one of the most persistent misunderstandings in modern Christianity: the idea that Jesus and Paul opposed the Torah. Drawing from his book Jesus and the Law of Moses, Sloan explains how legalism, misunderstanding of impurity, and modern Christian readings of Paul have distorted our view of the biblical law. Instead of a rigid checklist of 613 rules, the Torah was a wisdom-guided, relational framework that assumed the realities of sin, forgiveness, and impurity—and offered ways to address them. They explore how Jesus engaged in sophisticated legal reasoning, why Paul continued to participate in the temple sacrificial system even after his conversion, and why the “burden” of the law has been misunderstood. Sloan also critiques how Pharisees are caricatured as villains, with damaging theological consequences—especially for how Christians view modern Jews and Judaism. This episode brings clarity to what Jesus and Paul were really doing with the law—and why recovering this perspective is crucial for theology, biblical interpretation, and interfaith understanding today. To get your copy of Jesus And The Law Of Moses: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781540966384_jesus-and-the-law-of-moses 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 the Law and Jesus' Perspective 02:22 Hurdles in Understanding the Law 05:13 Legalism and Its Misinterpretations 08:20 The Case for Jesus and Paul Abolishing the Torah 11:35 Exploring Dietary Laws and Their Implications 14:33 The Nature of Law and Forgiveness 17:31 Ritual Purity and Its Misconceptions 20:24 Pharisees: Villains or Misunderstood Figures? 23:25 Modern Implications of Ancient Interpretations 24:43 Paul's Observance of the Torah 25:33 The Role of Sacrifices in Early Christianity 31:40 Jesus and the Sacrificial System 34:04 Cultural Critique: Rabbinics and Jesus' Teachings

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• Is "Eye For An Eye" Christian? Jesus, Justice, and The Limits of Vengeance (Dru Johnson) Ep. #218

  “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” We’ve all heard the phrase—but what does it actually mean in the Bible? In this episode, Mike Tolliver and Dr. Dru Johnson unpack the principle of Talion—Lex Talionis—and show why it’s one of the most misunderstood elements of biblical justice. They trace the concept across Leviticus, Exodus, and Deuteronomy, exploring how this principle wasn’t about vengeance or equal retaliation, but a wisdom-guided restraint on power and a warning to those in authority: “Don’t abuse the vulnerable.” Far from being a hard legal code, eye-for-eye was a principle, surrounded by interpretive examples—not a statute for rigid enforcement. The conversation moves from the Torah to Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5, where Jesus isn’t rejecting the Old Testament, but interpreting it through its own inner logic. Jesus deepens the Torah’s call: instead of demanding retaliation, he teaches mercy and vulnerability—mirroring the Torah’s own ethic of protecting the powerless. From ancient village courts to modern Twitter mobs, this episode challenges us to rethink how justice, mercy, and retaliation intersect in biblical ethics—and in our own lives. 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 Biblical Justice: The Principle of Talion 02:13 Exploring the Context of Eye for an Eye 05:15 The Role of Retributive and Restorative Justice 08:26 Examining the Instances of Lex Talionis 11:20 The Implications of Class in Biblical Law 13:45 The Shift in Perspective: Power Dynamics in Justice 16:36 Witnesses and the Nature of Justice 19:39 God's Role in Justice and Retribution 22:22 Connecting Lex Talionis to the Imago Dei 25:41 Jesus and the Fulfillment of the Law 28:32 The Kingdom of Heaven: A New Perspective on Justice 31:28 The Floor and Ceiling of Biblical Law 34:43 Practical Applications of Biblical Justice Today

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