Enter the Bible

In this episode of the Enter the Bible podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston are joined by Assistant Professor of New Testament at  Luther Seminary, Kristofer Phan Coffman, to explore the question: Does anyone sit at God’s left hand? Together, they examine the biblical and cultural symbolism of the right and left hands, with insights from figures like Martin Luther and the Midrash. Discover how these seating positions convey power and presence in scripture.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/VBqNuAInWWc.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

11-12

18:51

In the latest episode of the Enter the Bible podcast, hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker sit down with Luther Seminary Professor and Olin and Amanda Fjelstad Registad Chair for Systematic Theology, Lois Malcolm to tackle the challenging themes of human and demonic evil. Together, they unpack the crucial distinctions between these two forms of evil, examining how human choices impact our moral compass and how forgiveness plays a vital role in breaking the chains of evil. Through a powerful exploration of the cross and the support of community, the conversation highlights how faith and unity can address the spiritual forces at work in our world today.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/zGcTUVieJ90.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

11-05

23:25

In our 138th episode of the Enter the Bible podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston explore a listener's question regarding the biblical practice of anointing with blood and its potential connection to current events, specifically an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. They delve into the practice's scriptural context, discussing its origins in the ordination of priests and the significance of blood in ancient rituals. The conversation highlights the dangers of misinterpreting scripture to fit contemporary narratives, emphasizing the importance of understanding the Bible in context. The hosts also reflect on the nature of faith in uncertain times and the responsibility of discerning leadership based on the fruits of their actions.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Visit our website at https://enterthebible.org/about, and your question could be addressed in season 8!Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ZFawg2uquj4.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

10-29

30:45

In this episode of Enter the Bible, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston are joined by Professor Lois Malcolm, the Olin and Amanda Fjelstad Reigstad Chair of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary. Together, they dive into the complexities of salvation, forgiveness, and repentance in the Christian faith. They discuss whether salvation can be lost, the unconditional nature of God's grace, and how faith transforms lives. The conversation explores the balance between God's justice and mercy, offering hope for believers while acknowledging the mystery of eternal life and the impact of our choices.Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2eMJxrcNdhA.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

10-22

32:56

In this thought-provoking episode of the Enter the Bible podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston sit down with Professor of Systematic Theology and The Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary Chair of Theology of Luther Seminary, Dr. Alan Padgett, to delve into the theological significance of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.Together, they unpack the symbolism behind the trees, the complex nature of good and evil, and the profound impact of Adam and Eve's choices. The discussion also covers free will, the promise of paradise, and how humanity’s moral understanding has evolved over time. Drawing inspiration from C.S. Lewis’s reimagining of the Eden story, this episode offers deep insights into the biblical narrative and its relevance today.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mkwb6IguP0U.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

10-15

34:54

Welcome to Season 7 of the Enter the Bible podcast! This season, we're diving deep into some of the Bible's most intriguing questions: Was Paul the true founder of Christianity? Is there a distinction between human and satanic evil? And who, if anyone, sits at God's left hand? Join hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston and a lineup of new and returning guests as we tackle these tough topics and explore fresh perspectives on the Bible's most pressing inquiries.We begin with a Lightning Round in which our hosts answer the listener-submitted questions:1. Who wrote the book of Daniel? 2. How do different Bible translations, such as the NIV, NKJV, and RSV, interpret Esther 7:7, and what is the Lutheran understanding of Haman's actions in this passage, particularly regarding the suggestion that he intended to assault the Queen?3. How many kings attack King Jehoshaphat of Judah?4. Were pearls common in Jesus' time, and would Israelites have been familiar with them given their scarcity in the Mediterranean?Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DvnWVM69rcQ.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

10-08

29:35

In episode 134, the final episode of season 6 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss a series of audience-submitted questions in a lightning-round episode with guest Dr. Rolf Jacobson.Rolf Jacobson is Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and Dean of the Faculty. He has served as co-host of Working Preacher's Sermon Brainwave and Narrative Lectionary podcasts. Questions addressed in this Lightning Round:Who was Cyrus?What is the significance of the cords in Ezekiel 4:8?In Luke 4:14-30, did Jesus read in the synagogue from the Septuagint in Greek or from a Hebrew scroll?Why did Jesus' miracles happen on the sabbath day?Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YZ_bmhZksU0.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

07-16

19:42

In episode 133 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss a series of audience-submitted questions in a lightning round episode with guest Dr. Rolf Jacobson.Rolf Jacobson is Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and Dean of the Faculty. He has served as co-host of Working Preacher's Sermon Brainwave and Narrative Lectionary podcasts. Questions addressed in this Lightning Round:Where did Cain get his wife? What is the background of her ancestry?Can you put some perspective to the old, old age of the humans referenced in Genesis ... 900+ yrs?!?Who wrote the book of Joshua? Who wrote First Chronicles?Why weren't the children of Israel born in the wilderness circumcised during the wilderness experience? Why wait until after getting to Gilgal?Additionally, the following links are referenced in the podcast:ETB episode 4.90 "Which version of 2 Chronicles is correct?" https://enterthebible.org/audio/4-07-which-version-of-2-chronicles-is-correctTorah.com answer referenced: https://www.thetorah.com/article/why-didnt-the-israelites-circumcise-in-the-wildernessDo you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7r1VOmcY_ZA.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

07-09

22:27

In episode 132 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the audience-submitted question, "Were there female leaders in the early church?" with guest Dr. Matt Skinner.Matthew L. Skinner is Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary. His books include Acts: Catching up with the Spirit (Abingdon Press, 2020), A Companion to the New Testament (3 volumes; Baylor University Press, 2017-18), Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel: Encountering the Divine in the Book of Acts (Brazos Press, 2015) and The Trial Narratives: Conflict, Power, and Identity in the New Testament (WJK Press, 2010).Motivated by an interest in helping people explore the Bible’s connections to faith and life, he has contributed to several commentaries, encyclopedias, and other resources to assist pastors, teachers, and students in their study of Christian scripture. Every week, he co-hosts the Sermon Brainwave podcast on Working Preacher.Ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he serves as the Scholar for Adult Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. His work can be found online at www.matthewskinner.org.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sc-W7mCI_ukMentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

07-02

35:06

In episode 131 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the audience-submitted question, "Can you interpret "flesh and spirit" (Apostle Paul) from a pro-body perspective?" with guest Dr. Matt Skinner.Matthew L. Skinner is Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary. His books include Acts: Catching up with the Spirit (Abingdon Press, 2020), A Companion to the New Testament (3 volumes; Baylor University Press, 2017-18), Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel: Encountering the Divine in the Book of Acts (Brazos Press, 2015) and The Trial Narratives: Conflict, Power, and Identity in the New Testament (WJK Press, 2010).Motivated by an interest in helping people explore the Bible’s connections to faith and life, he has contributed to several commentaries, encyclopedias, and other resources to assist pastors, teachers, and students in their study of Christian scripture. Every week, he co-hosts the Sermon Brainwave podcast on Working Preacher.Ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he serves as the Scholar for Adult Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. His work can be found online at www.matthewskinner.org.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bCbJQZSWVAs.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

06-25

30:41

In episode 130 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the audience-submitted question, "What about Bible verses used to justify slavery, corporal punishment, domestic violence??" with guest Dr. Jennifer Kaalund.Jennifer T. Kaalund is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. She received her Ph.D. from The Theological School at Drew University in New Testament and Early Christianity. Her dissertation, “Dislocating Diaspora: Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter with the African American Great Migration,” explores the constructed and contested Christian/Jewish identities in Hebrews and 1 Peter through the lens of the “New Negro,” a similarly vulnerable identity formed during the Great Migration in the early twentieth century. Her research interests include Christian Scriptures, African American history and culture, the Bible in popular culture, and the study of early Christianity in its Roman imperial context with a focus on womanist hermeneutics and postcolonial and cultural studies.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y5HMbkCcqV8.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

06-18

27:44

In episode 129 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the audience-submitted question, "As a Christian, am I supporting a book (the Bible) and an organization (the church) that hurts people?" with guest, Dr. Jennifer Kaalund.Jennifer T. Kaalund is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. She received her Ph.D. from The Theological School at Drew University in New Testament and Early Christianity. Her dissertation, “Dislocating Diaspora: Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter with the African American Great Migration,” explores the constructed and contested Christian/Jewish identities in Hebrews and 1 Peter through the lens of the “New Negro,” a similarly vulnerable identity formed during the Great Migration in the early twentieth century. Her research interests include Christian Scriptures, African American history and culture, the Bible in popular culture, and the study of early Christianity in its Roman imperial context with a focus on womanist hermeneutics and postcolonial and cultural studies.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L8b-z65yymY.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

06-11

29:56

In episode 128 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the question of capital punishment in the time of the Old Testament with guest, Professor Jonathan Paradise.Dr. Jonathan Paradise received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania where he specialized in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Biblical Studies. His doctoral research dealt with family law documents, written on clay tablets in the cuneiform script.Jonathan established the program in Hebrew studies at the University of Minnesota where he taught courses on the Bible in the context of the Ancient Near East, Hebrew language and literature, and occasionally courses on Judaism. He retired from the University of Minnesota in 2003.From 1989 to 2014 Jonathan travelled once a week to the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire to serve as the L.E. Phillips visiting professor of Jewish Studies in the Philosophy & Religion Department, teaching courses on the Holocaust, the Bible, and Judaism.During his retirement he spends his time doing voluntary teaching, translating Hebrew poetry, and writing software to support his Hebrew textbook, The Key to Modern Hebrew.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZRyAqPNxa_I.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

06-04

26:29

In episode 127 of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the question of lending money with interest in the time of the Old Testament with guest, Professor Jonathan Paradise.Dr. Jonathan Paradise received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania where he specialized in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Biblical Studies. His doctoral research dealt with family law documents, written on clay tablets in the cuneiform script.Jonathan established the program in Hebrew studies at the University of Minnesota where he taught courses on the Bible in the context of the Ancient Near East, Hebrew language and literature, and occasionally courses on Judaism. He retired from the University of Minnesota in 2003.From 1989 to 2014 Jonathan travelled once a week to the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire to serve as the L.E. Phillips visiting professor of Jewish Studies in the Philosophy & Religion Department, teaching courses on the Holocaust, the Bible, and Judaism.During his retirement he spends his time doing voluntary teaching, translating Hebrew poetry, and writing software to support his Hebrew textbook, The Key to Modern Hebrew.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ShDjrZs9NxQ.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort

05-28

21:55

In episode 126 of the sixth season of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the question of how to interpret the Bible figuratively or metaphorically while still believing in the literal resurrection of Jesus with guest Nicholas Schaser. Together, they explore the different genres of biblical literature and the importance of understanding the intentions of the authors. Schaser explains that while Jonah may not be taken 100% literally, the resurrection of Jesus is presented as a physical, historical event in the Gospels.Guest Nicholas Schaser teaches courses in biblical and Jewish studies at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. He received a Masters of Theological Studies in Old Testament from Luther Seminary (2010) and a Masters of Arts in Jewish Studies from Vanderbilt University (2013). He also completed his Ph.D. in Jewish Studies and New Testament at Vanderbilt in 2017.Do you have Bible questions you would like answered? Go to our website at https://enterthebible.org/about to get started.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3pbhhLtEuSI.Mentioned in this episode:Join the May 2025 cohort of Faith+Lead's School for Lay MinistryLearn more and register today at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.2025 May School for Lay Ministry Cohort