Data Over Dogma

65:04

Episode 83: The God-Forsaken Psalm

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/11/04

Psalm 22 [according to the Deer of Dawn (don't worry- you'll get that joke later)] is not a happy ditty. It is the song of a hopeless singer, crying out to a God who doesn't seem to be there. Which seems like kind of a weird thing to include in a book of scripture about that God, but there you go. But this psalm is particularly famous, as it was quoted by a pretty famous guy, at a pretty famous moment. This week on Data Over Dogma, we're looking at the words Jesus chose to say just before he died

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63:12

Episode 82: Deconstruction Zone with Rev Karla Kamstra

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/10/28

It's the boogeyman that haunts churches across the land: religious deconstruction. This is the process of genuinely questioning your religious faith, pulling apart what you've been taught (probably your whole life), sifting through it all, and deciding for yourself what actually works for you, without regard for what anyone else has to say about the matter. It can be a deeply disorienting--even terrifying--process, but more and more people are choosing this road.Well, we've got social media darling

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65:55

Episode 81: You're Speaking My Language!

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/10/21

As origin stories go, the Bible's explanation for why humanity has multiple languages is... let's call it creative. Alas, it doesn't hold up particularly well in a modern, scientifically informed era. That said, there's more to the story of the so-called "tower of Babel" than immediately meets the eye. We'll discuss what other ancient questions this chapter of Genesis is attempting to answer, and how it all fit into the context of its time. Then the linguistic adventure continues, as we delve into a

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57:43

Episode 80: Omni Everything?

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/10/14

The modern concept of God (at least in the Christian context) is of an all-knowing, all-powerful, being. One who is everywhere all at once. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake... all that stuff. But does that view of the almighty comport with what is represented in the Bible, or are those ideas more recent innovations? Where did these ideas come from? Then, we're talking Bible quotations. Or more accurately mis-quotations. Plenty of people misquote the Bible, it happens all

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69:02

Episode 79: Who is a True Christian w/ David Congdon

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/10/07

Go to any comment section where someone has made a controversial claim about the Bible and you'll see it: someone gatekeeping the idea of who qualifies as a "true Christian". Real Christians believe in the trinity, or else decidedly DON'T believe in the trinity. Real Christians believe we're saved through works. Or through faith alone. Or neither. Or both... On this week's episode, Dr. David Congdon joins us to discuss his book Who is a True Christian. If you think that question is settled or

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67:28

Episode 78: The Biblical View of Immigrants

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/09/30

This week Craig Mousin and Cecil Cicirello of the Lawful Assembly podcast join us to talk about one of the major hot-button issues in current world politics: immigration. Craig is not only a lawyer who specializes in immigration law, he's also an ordained minister, so we asked him on to bring his unique perspective to bear on the issue. We discuss the current state of things in the U.S., and ask what a Biblical approach might be.You can find Lawful Assembly wherever you get your podcasts, or at

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69:57

Episode 77: What is an Atheist?

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/09/23

Regular listeners will know that Dr. Dan is not of fan of definitions. Dictionaries aren't rulebooks, he'll say, they're attempts to describe how words are being used. So when the Data Over Dogma show is all about what two words mean, you know it ain't going to be simple. The first word we're looking at is "religion". We'll cover the origin of the word, and really try to get a handle on what that conceptual category is trying to get at. Will we succeed? That's for you to decide. The next word, as

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62:05

Episode 76: Pay Your Tithing!

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/09/16

Modern parishioners are often asked to pay one tenth of their money to their church. This practice, they are told, is biblical in nature. But is it really? Well, this episode we're talking tithing, and like so many ideas in the Bible it's way more complicated than you might think! Then, we're keeping the theme monetary and telling the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This New Testament couple decided that they didn't want to give ALL their money to the commune. Unfortunately, apostle Peter had set up

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65:20

Episode 75: Shrouded in Mystery

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/09/09

Oooh! We're going to poke the gauzy fabric-covered bear with this one! Well first we're going to have a delightful chat about plagues. No, not Covid 19 or the black death, we're talking frogs! If you thought the Spanish Flu was bad, wait until you hear about the great Egyptian livestock massacre. But did the great plagues visited upon Egypt by Moses and his very powerful tetragrammatonically-named accomplice really happen? Is it even logically possible that they could have happened? Then we're going

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56:47

Episode 74: The Fabric Conspiracies

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/09/02

Do you know anything at all about physics? It's fine if you don't, but hold on to your linen shirt if you do, because the sheer volume of gobbledygook that's coming is... impressive. We're going to talk about the fascinating claims of one Heidi Yellen.Yellen's famous papers revolve around Leviticus 19, and the prohibition against wearing two kinds of fabric together. She claims that she has discovered a very important reason why the Bible would warn us against this fiber mix-and-match, and it is a

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63:12

Episode 73: Bible Magic!

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/08/26

Abracadabra! Today, we're diving into the strange world of spell-casting, charms, and defense against the dark arts. No, this isn't about a school for young witches and wizards, it's the magic practiced in the Bible! And oooh, does that make some people uncomfortable!First, we're going to look at the famous priestly divining implements, the Urim and Thummim. What were they? How did they work? Did they glow? Were they more or less accurate than a Magic 8 Ball? Then we're traveling to the caves of

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66:33

Episode 72: The Truth About Ruth

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/08/19

The biblical story of Ruth can be a confusing one for modern readers. Is Ruth a hero? Is she a schemer? She goes from gleaning in her dead husband's kinsman's field to marrying the guy in a matter of days. What are we to glean from that? And what, exactly, happened on the threshing room floor? If only we had a Bible expert on the show to help us understand it all. Oh wait--we do! That's lucky.Then, we turn to history. One of the trickiest things about reading the Bible can be how to tell what's

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66:28

Episode 71: The Rapture is not Coming!

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/08/12

It is a source of joy for some, schadenfreude for others, and for many it is the source of deep, soul-crushing anxiety. It's the Rapture! That theoretical moment when all of God's good kiddos on Earth get to fly up to heaven, while all the naughty boys and girls get stuck here on Earth. It's a theology believed by millions around the world, but there might be a problem: is it possible that the rapture isn't actually in the Bible? On this week's show we're discussing the origins of the rapture idea

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61:22

Episode 70: Out of Nothing

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/08/05

Look around you. Do you see it? It's everything. All the stuff. The earth, the sun, the stars, that sofa that you love but your partner kind of hates, the oceans, the trees, the new Taylor Swift album that they pressed into a vinyl album for some reason, even though everybody just streams... It's all here. But why? Was it always here? The stuff? Or was it created?This week, we're discussing creatio ex nihilo. It's the idea that God created everything from nothing, and if you're saying to yourself

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66:35

Episode 69: Gospel Authorship with Michael Kok

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/07/29

When you look at the New Testament and you see "The Gospel According to Matthew" or "The Gospel According to John", you could be forgiven for assuming that what you're getting is a book written by the apostle Matthew or John. But many scholars are convinced that this is not the case. Why don't they believe that these disciples of Jesus actually wrote the books that bear their name?This week, we're joined by bible scholar and gospel authorship expert Michael Kok. Dr. Kok will walk us through many of

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67:33

Episode 68: Take My Wife... Please!

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/07/22

It's Biblical misogyny day here at the Data Over Dogma show [well, it's one of them- this is the Bible we're talking about after all], and we've got some real doozies for you. First, we're looking at the strange, sad tale of Tamar. Things start fine(ish) for her--she finds herself married into a prominent family--but then all heaven breaks loose. Which is to say that God kills her husband. This launches her on one of the most insane paths in the whole Bible. BUT, that insane path gives us a chance

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64:49

Episode 67: Prophets, Kings, and Terrible Men with...

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/07/15

Dr. Aaron Higashi is one of our favorites, and we're not alone! The folks over at The Bible for Normal People are fans, as well, and have enlisted Aaron to write a "for normal people" book about First and Second Samuel. These two books include some of the Bible's most famous and most infamous characters and moments.If you've ever read about the exploits of biblical David, and wondered if he is, in fact, a good guy... well, Dr. Higashi is right there with you. We'll ask him about his take on David

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64:06

Episode 66: Thou Shalt Not

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/07/08

Christian nationalism marches onward in the United States, and our hot take is: that's bad. Louisiana has now passed a law mandating putting a poster of The Ten Commandments™ in every classroom in the state. Lawmakers claim that they're providing historical context for the laws of the land. Historians say that's bunk.So what's really going on here? Are the Exodus 20 top-ten really the foundation that undergirds all law and order in modern society? Does it matter what version/translation is used? Is

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62:08

Episode 65: I Got Soul, and I'm Super Bad

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/07/01

People talk all the time about souls. "He's my soulmate." "It was so scary, my soul left my body." "I'm going to destroy that piano if you don't stop playing Heart and Soul." But what are we actually talking about? Is there really a non-corporeal entity, an animating force inside each of us? Or are we just crude matter? And what does the Bible have to say about it?This week on Data Over Dogma, we're getting soulful. We'll discuss the development of the concept of the soul, and some very surprising

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62:38

Episode 64: The Historicity of David

Data Over Dogma ·

2024/06/24

It's a judge and a king this week, and both are fascinating! First we're looking at Deborah, a prophet, a judge, and a really interesting figure whose story gets told twice in the Bible: back-to-back! Women often get short-shrift in the Bible, but Deborah's story is pretty satisfying. She's tough and her army wins the battle, and even more awesome-- she's not the only badass woman in the story! Stay tuned for the exciting (and gratuitously gorey) conclusion!Speaking of staying tuned, you're

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