Faith Across Borders

🗣️“Shout it aloud, do not hold back” | Worship in Many Colors

What does it mean to shout aloud and sing for joy — especially when joy looks and sounds different across cultures? In this episode of Faith Across Borders, Samuel explores Isaiah 12:6 together with pastor Shirene Augustine Straker and pastor Paulus Schellevis. From Curaçao and Surinamese church contexts to Dutch Reformed traditions and intercultural communities in the Netherlands, they reflect on how worship can be both deeply personal and beautifully diverse. Together, they discuss the difference between joy and happiness, the tension between structure and spontaneity, and how churches can create space for expressive worship without losing order or focus. Is joyful worship about volume, movement and emotion? Or is it about something deeper? At the heart of the conversation is one shared conviction: Jesus remains at the center. Whether worship is expressed through silence, organ music, raised hands, gospel songs, dancing, or singing in different languages — the joy begins with knowing who God is and experiencing his salvation. A rich conversation about culture, faith, freedom, and learning from one another in the worldwide body of Christ. In this episode: *  Isaiah 12:6 and the call to shout for joy  *  Worship in Dutch and migrant church contexts  *  Joy as more than a feeling  *  Creating space for different cultural expressions  *  Balancing freedom, order and mission  *  Why authentic worship can become a powerful witness  Buy our new devotionals Living the Word [https://shop.bijbelgenootschap.nl/bijbels/weggeefbijbels/living-the-word/] Hope for Every Season [https://shop.bijbelgenootschap.nl/bijbels/weggeefbijbels/hope-for-every-season/] Faith and Culture [https://shop.bijbelgenootschap.nl/bijbels/weggeefbijbels/faith-and-culture/] 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.

🐉“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.