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Welcome to “Strange New World,” a show about understanding the Bible, the world’s most influential, misunderstood book - a podcast tailor-made for skeptics, believers, and everybody in between.
Hosted by SALT’s own Matthew Myer Boulton, who’s spent twenty years teaching the Bible and theology to students at Harvard Divinity School and seminaries in New England and the Midwest, “Strange New World” will take a fresh look at the world’s bestselling book of all time, the ancient community library we call “the Bible.”
The show’s title, “Strange New World,” is borrowed from an essay written by a Swiss theologian a hundred years ago, in which he wrote of “the strange new world within the Bible,” a world so ancient, so different, so familiar, so strange that it presses us to think new thoughts from new points of view, “to dare and to reach,” and ultimately “to grow out beyond ourselves.”
60 Episodes
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An exploration of how, for Jesus, humility is the key to the mission of the church, the essential stance without which mercy, faith, praise, and justice can become distorted and dangerous.
In this episode, we take on one of the most controversial and perplexing questions when it comes to “justice”: should the church be mixed up in politics? Jesus’ answer might surprise you.
In this episode, we explore how the power of “praise” can both divide and connect, and discover Jesus' vision for how the Christian church should relate to people of other religions (and no religion at all).
In this episode, we explore what Jesus really meant by “faith” - and how for him, the church is actually a community of “little faith” (or no faith at all).
What is the church? What is it for? In this opening episode of a five-part miniseries, we first clarify what the church is not - and then turn to Jesus' provocative parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Is Easter an end, or a beginning? And what difference can it make to our world today, so torn by conflicts over immigration, justice, and injustice?
“Wheatfields with Crows” is Vincent’s last major painting, and as it turns out, it’s a brilliant portrait of the tensions at the heart of Easter morning: sadness and loneliness, restoration and grace. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
Should the church wade in to political controversies? And if so, when, and how? The stories of Holy Week can help - and in turn, thinking about this thorny question can help us deepen our understanding of Holy Week.
The story of Van Gogh's beloved "Starry Night," and how it can help us see the story of Palm Sunday - and the Bible generally - with new eyes. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
1After the first three months of the new presidential administration and Congress, and in the midst of division, confusion, and controversy - what wisdom, what light can the Bible provide? A story from the Gospel of John gives us a clue…
In this episode, we dive into one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, a still life of an ordinary, worn-out pair of shoes. And the link between that painting and Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet gets to the heart of what life is all about: in a word, tenderness. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
In this episode, we turn to Vincent’s version of “The Sower” he painted in November of 1888, a springboard for exploring two of Jesus’ most famous (and misunderstood) teachings: “The Parable of the Sower,” and “The Prodigal Son.”
In this episode, we explore Vincent’s “Almond Blossom” painting, setting his vision of an almond tree alongside Jesus’ parable of a fig tree. Two trees, two parables, each shedding light on the other… Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
In this episode, we dive into Vincent's famous "Sunflowers" paintings, and discover connections to Icelandic fisherman, a woman at a cradle, and Jesus' image of himself as a mother hen. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
The son of a Christian pastor, Van Gogh trained for ministry before becoming a painter - and both his letters and his canvases are full of theological ideas. Can Van Gogh help us understand the Bible? Can the Bible help us understand Van Gogh's work? The answer to both questions, as it turns out, is a resounding Yes.
As we approach one of the most polarized, divisive elections in American history, what wisdom, what light can the Bible provide?
Culminating this six-part series, we explore the true meaning of the cross in Mark's Gospel, and what Jesus really had in mind by "a ransom for many." Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
It's one of the most controversial, radioactive, personal, pressing topics around: money and wealth, how much we should have and how much we should give away. Turns out Jesus had a lot to say about it, and in this episode, we take a deep dive. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
In this episode, we tackle the specific question of Jesus' teaching about divorce (it’s not what you think!), and the general question of how Jesus reads Scripture. Drop us a line at community@saltproject.org.
"Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus said - and as it turns out, peacemaking is a key to understanding what it means to follow him. Along the way, we explore a famous story about A. J. Muste, the Christian peacemaker sometimes called, "The American Gandhi."
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