God’s Experiment on Human Beings

Hope and Disappointment in Life

Bible Bard podcast BB-163 Hope and Disappointment in the Bible. Hope is a something Elon Musk views as a future-oriented vision that motivates present action to preserve the human species by making it capable of surviving and flourishing beyond Earth. Musk's hope is actually despair because he says, "“[If] we could not be a multi-planet species, then I would find it incredibly depressing..." Bible hope is different because it goes beyond humanity’s circumstances to God’s promises, which rise above human circumstance. Go to www.BibleBard.org to download a transcript or click the Donate tab and support the podcast. Send the Bible Bard any questions or remarks you care to offer to BibleBardUS@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!

How to Live According to Animal Sacrifice

Bible Bard podcast episode BB-162 How to Live According to Animal Sacrifice. The Bible is literature; therefore, sometimes it does not directly tell readers what God wants, it shows them! God outlines to Moses three (3) animal sacrifices that are to be made in sequence by a priestly class for the benefit of themselves and the people. Modern readers often find the idea of animal sacrifice repugnant. Today we look at these three sacrifices as literature to see what the text is teaching about approaching God. Go to www.BibleBard.org to download a transcript, listen to another episode from the Archive, or get links to other materials and information. Click the website Donate tab to make a contribution. Send the Bible Bard any questions or remarks you care to offer to BibleBardUS@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!

Spiritual Guidance in the Bible

Bible Bard podcast episode BB-161_Spiritual Guidance in the Bible. As a human being, how do you decide what you are going to do not only today, but for the rest of your life? You make choices, but modern psychologists suggest that emotional responses help guide decision-making, so feelings are one source of information people access by thinking. Biblical writers recognize six (6) sources for human decision making. This episode discusses this text. Go to www.BibleBard.org to download a transcript, listen to another episode from the Archive, or get links to other materials and information. Click the website Donate tab to make a contribution. Send the Bible Bard any questions or remarks you care to offer to BibleBardUS@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!

Slaves No Matter What

The Bible does more than discuss slavery as an ancient social practice, the Bible also uses servitude, bondage, and slavery as metaphors for the human spiritual condition. In today’s episode we want to look at that metaphor. Jesus presents humanity as a servant standing between two possible masters. Service is not a neutral transactional activity. It is allegiance. if one master is loved the other is hated. If one master receives devotion, the other is despised. Go to www.BibleBard.org to download a transcript, listen to another episode from the Archive, or get links to other materials and information. To support the Bible Bard podcast, click the Donate tab and make a contribution.

Bible's View of a Wicked Culture

The Bible describes the components of a failed, human culture in 2 Kings 23. The contrast in the text is between what was present in the local culture of that day and what was written in the Law of Moses that it should be. The expression usually attributed to Marshall McLuhan, states: “One thing about which fish know exactly nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive the element they live in.” When Josiah became king, he was six years old and the culture of Judah had degenerated in comparison to the law of Moses. Early in the story, Josiah gains a copy when the priest of the Temple of God, Hilkiah, said to Josiah, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.” 2 Kings 22:8 (NIV) When Josiah heard the content of this book, he tore his clothes with grief. Support the Bible Bard podcast at the website www.BibleBard.org/Donate. Send the Bible Bard any questions or remarks you care to offer to BibleBardUS@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!