Bespectacled and Curious

Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, joins me to talk about God, restorative justice, Christian universalism, and his forthcoming book Return to the Shack.Young reflects on what has changed—and what hasn't—since The Shack, including the pressures of writing, the temptation toward anxiety and control, and why he sees his vocation as a kind of translation. We talk about his understanding of God as fundamentally nonviolent and loving, his rejection of retributive justice, and his conviction that “vengeance doesn't heal anything.”We also get into some of his most controversial theological convictions. Why does Young reject eternal conscious torment? What does he mean by Christian universalism and the redemption of all things? Why does he reject the idea of original sin or a fixed “sin nature”? And how does he understand human agency if ultimately no one can be separated from God?Young also explains why he believes you cannot be genuinely pro-life while supporting the death penalty, and connects his thinking about capital punishment with his broader understanding of God, justice, and healing.Along the way, we discuss The Shack, Cross Roads, Eve, Lies We Believe About God, the criticism he has received, the influence of the Church Fathers, his experience of recovering from childhood sexual abuse, and why he believes we don't come to healing in isolation.

Struggling to read the Bible? Or maybe you’ve started a Bible reading plan three times this year and somehow keep falling off the wagon? You’re not alone.Sometimes we just need to approach the Bible from a different angle. So in this video, I’m sharing some of my favourite multimedia resources for engaging Scripture, things you can watch, listen to, and readwhen your usual Bible routine starts feeling a little stale.Some of these are well-known, others are seriously underrated. The goal isn’t to replace actually reading the Bible, but to help us encounter these ancient texts in ways that might make us want to come back to them.📖 Resources Covered:-Lumo Project: Word-for-word Gospel films that bring the biblical text to life, available in more than 1,540 languages.-The Chosen: The hugely popular crowdfunded series depicting the ministry of Jesus.-“Can I Trust the Bible?” Series: A three-part documentary from Apologetics Canada looking at where the Bible came from and why Christians should—or shouldn’t—trust it.-The Visual Commentary on Scripture: A fantastic British project that combines high-resolution artwork with scholarly commentary on individual biblical passages.-EveryPsalm by Poor Bishop Hooper: A collection of songs working through the Psalms and capturing their surprisingly wide emotional range.-Creative Audio Bibles: From the NIV Dramatized Bible to Streetlights’ hip-hop-infused reading of the NLT and Rhythm and Bible’s musical retelling of the New Testament, there are some really creative ways to listen to Scripture.-Bible-Based Fiction: Novels and immersive retellings written by New Testament scholars including Bruce Longenecker, Holly Beers, David deSilva, Ben Witherington III, and Paula Gooder. ‪-Accessible Bible Commentaries: If you want something more substantial than a devotional but less intimidating than a massive academic commentary, check out resources like the Bible for Everyone series by John Goldingay and N. T. Wright ‪Scot McKnight’s New Testament Everyday Bible Studies ‪and William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible. ‪‬ 🔗 Read the original article:I originally wrote about these resources in the July/August 2026 issue of Faith Today. You can read the full article here.

How much did the Roman Empire shape the life, ministry, and death of Jesus? And what happens when we stop treating Rome as the background of the New Testament and instead recognize it as the foreground?In this episode, I sit down with New Testament scholar Warren Carter, one of the leading voices in New Testament empire studies, to explore how the Roman Empire transforms the way we read Jesus, Paul, and the early Christian movement.We discuss why Jesus was crucified historically, what it meant to confess that "Jesus is Lord" in the first century, and whether Jesus and Paul can rightly be understood as confronting the Roman imperial order.Along the way we explore:Why the Roman Empire is the foreground—not merely the background—of the New Testament.Why Jesus had "a death sentence written all over him."Different ways the early Christians navigated empire, from accommodation to nonviolent resistance.Pontius Pilate and common historical misunderstandings.Herod, taxation, emperor worship, food systems, and everyday life in the first century.Whether Paul's collection for Jerusalem functioned as an anti-imperial act.Carter's response to critics of empire studies.How the Christmas story challenges powerful rulers.How an empire-centered reading reshapes our understanding of salvation.The importance of historical work alongside theological reflection.What contemporary Christians can learn about power, empire, and faithful witness today.Whether you're a pastor, student, scholar, or simply curious about the historical world of Jesus, this conversation offers a rich introduction to one of the most influential approaches to reading the New Testament.

In this mini solo episode I simply discuss why I created this show, some of its distinctives and what I hope will come out of it. Thanks for listening!

For decades Beverly Roberts Gaventa has been one of the world's leading Pauline scholars. In this conversation we explore one of the Bible's most influential—and most misunderstood—letters.We discuss:• Why Romans is not a "Romans Road"• What an apocalyptic reading of Paul actually means• Why Sin and Death are more than bad habits• Paul's use of the Old Testament• Phoebe's crucial role in delivering and interpreting Romans• Women in church leadership• Douglas Campbell's reading of Romans• Israel in Romans 9–11 and contemporary questions• Gaventa's nearly twenty years of writing her Romans commentary• Criticisms of her interpretation• How scholarship has shaped her own faith• The mentors who influenced her• What she has changed her mind about over her career• What keeps her curious after decades of studying Paul• What gives her hope—and concern—for today's churchWhether you're a pastor, student, scholar, or simply someone who has always wanted to understand Romans better, this conversation offers a rich introduction to one of the New Testament's greatest letters.