Dumb Christian
Dumb Christian
Jonathan Burian
The Dumb Christian is an effort to dive into the depths of the Bible in colorful ways using modern sensibilities and language to understand stories, cultures, laws, and actions that often leave us confused or even disturbed. We explore both the Old and New Testaments while tying in details from historical contexts that helps lay the groundwork for what's really going on. Dumb Christian is not meant to be any kind of final revelation but simply a place to explore scripture in ways we've not been able to before.
Building A Covenant (Exodus 34-40) | Season 2 Finale
We're about to see a repeat of something we've already read and yet despite the fact that it might be a nuisance to a modern reader, it meant something very specific to the original ancient reader. We're about to see some unique features of the ancient Israel culture and what they mean when they talk about God visiting the sins of the fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation.
May 1, 2023
29 min
The Failure of Good Intentions (Exodus 32-33) | Do we get worship God however we want to?
In this episode we are interrupted from a conversation between Moses and God due to the people of Israel coming up with their own system of worship that actually flies directly in the face of what YHWH has clearly expressed he wants from his people. God gets mad, Moses gets mad, there's some shouting and some crying and God ultimately threatens to abandon Israel. Is God playing reverse psychology or did he really mean it?
Apr 26, 2023
37 min
Recreating Eden... well kind of (Exodus 26-31) | How God can dwell with His people again.
God is creating a whole method for dwelling with his people among His creation. In constructing a tabernacle his is also setting the stage for how it can be possible for him to reside among people who continually sin, rebel against him, and reject his laws. Although this place of worship resembles some other pagan worship sites again God's purpose is taking things they are familiar with and reorienting the way they interact with, and understand what it means to enter Holy places.
Apr 24, 2023
37 min
A Break and a Sneak Peek | Catch a glimpse into the gospel project "The Long Table"
We're taking a break from Exodus this week to wrap up some final details on the gospel project we've been working on called "The Long Table". Here's a sneak peek into what's coming. We will drop a proper trailer later this week. This would be a great time to catch up on any of the Exodus episodes you've missed and get ready for the next few chapters because even though they seem boring there's actually a lot going on beneath the surface.
Apr 17, 2023
4 min
Similar yet Wholly Other (Exodus 25) | Is the Ark just a rip off of Egyptian worship rituals?
What did the Ark of the covenant, the table of bread, and the candlestick in the sanctuary of YHWH mean to those who were originally using them? We might discover that although they share some physical similarities with Egyptians religious artifacts their use and purpose were wholly other. God is using something familiar to create something brand new.
Apr 14, 2023
26 min
The Old New Covenant (Exodus 21-24) | Did Israel just copy other cultures?
There's a weird interruption when we come to Exodus chapters 21-23 which is a series of case laws dealing with specific incidents in light of the 10 words (10 commandments) right before God has Moses and Aaron perform the blood elements of the New Covenant He is going to inaugurate with Israel as a declaration of His faithfulness to them and their fidelity to worship only YHWH and follow Him alone.
Apr 10, 2023
37 min
Resurrection and Instructions (Easter 2023) | Featuring Stephanie Streenz (Mrs. Dad Jokes)
Wrapping up our conversation on the upcoming Easter holiday and the events following Jesus' death and burial. What does it mean that Jesus rose from the dead and gave new instructions on how people were to interact with God?
Apr 5, 2023
20 min
Passover & Jesus' Death (Easter 2023 pt. 1) | Featuring Stephanie Streenz (Mrs. Dad Jokes)
As Easter approaches we want to take some special time to focus on the most meaningful aspect of Easter and the celebration of a resurrected Christ. Stephanie and Jonathan talk through the events leading up to Jesus' death and share their thoughts. This conversation is broken up into two parts.
Apr 3, 2023
48 min
The Ten Words (Exodus 20) | What did these commands mean to their original audience?
The 10 commandments are understood to be a set of rules and a moral guideline for people to follow, but to the original Israelite they were a seal that identified who this people group belonged to. They followed a God wholly unique from all other gods and this was how they demonstrated their allegiance to the one who had already shown His love and favor to them.
Mar 29, 2023
38 min
A Sacred Space (Exodus 18-19) | God is preparing this new people to be a Kingdom of Priests
Chapter 18 gives us some insight into what the ancient society of Israel thought of their leadership structure leaving Egypt but chapter 19 sets the stage for them to understand what it means that God is establishing a whole new way mode of leadership as He prepares them to be a Kingdom of Priests, a beacon of light to the rest of the world who is following after spiritual being in rebellion against YHWH.
Mar 27, 2023
30 min
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