🐍“If Your Son Asks for Bread…” | How Culture Shapes Bible Reading

🐉“Behold, A Great Red Dragon,…” | How Cultures Interpret the Dragon

What do we see when we read about the great red dragon in Revelation 12? In this episode of Faith Across Borders, Samuel explores one of the Bible’s most vivid and mysterious images: the dragon. Together with Rev. Fulco Timmers and  Rev. Dr. Larry Dorkenoo. Two people from different cultural and theological background. They reflect on how Revelation 12 is understood across contexts — from African experiences of spiritual reality and evil to Dutch and Western approaches that often look for nuance, symbolism and social meaning. Is the dragon a spiritual being, a symbol of evil, or a force that works through political, social and economic systems? And why does a text like Revelation, often seen as difficult or distant, still matter for our lives today? The conversation moves between personal experience, biblical interpretation, spiritual warfare, empire, culture, technology and the hope at the heart of Revelation: evil is real, but it does not have the final word. Believers overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” A rich and honest conversation about fear, faith, symbolism and the power of reading the Bible through different cultural lenses. In this episode: *  Revelation 12 and the image of the dragon  *  How different cultures understand evil and spiritual warfare  *  Why Revelation can feel difficult or distant  *  The dragon as symbol, spiritual reality and social force  *  African and Dutch/Western perspectives on spiritual reality  *  The hope of overcoming through the Lamb  Listen and discover how one biblical image can open up very different worlds — and deepen the way we read Scripture together. Faith Across Borders is a podcast by the Netherlands-Flanders Bible Society. In each episode, we explore how the Bible speaks across cultures, communities and lived experiences. Enjoyed this conversation? Follow the podcast, share this episode, and join us as we discover how Scripture connects people across borders.

🐍“If Your Son Asks for Bread…” | How Culture Shapes Bible Reading

“If your son asks for bread, you will not give him a snake.” For many of us, this sounds obvious. But in some cultures, snake is considered a delicacy. So what does this example really communicate? In this episode of Faith Across Borders, two pastors one from Ghana and one from China explore how cultural background shapes the way we read and understand the Bible. What seems clear in one culture may feel completely different in another. And that changes how we hear Jesus’ words. Discover how reading the Bible across cultures can deepen your understanding of Scripture. Liever in het Nederlands? Lees hier het Nederlandse transcript [https://www.bijbelgenootschap.nl/app/uploads/2026/05/Nederlandse-vertaling-FAB-episode-1.docx]. Faith Across Borders is a podcast by the Netherlands-Flanders Bible Society. In each episode, we explore how the Bible speaks across cultures, communities and lived experiences. Enjoyed this conversation? Follow the podcast, share this episode, and join us as we discover how Scripture connects people across borders.