Searching the Sacred

Support 40 Orchards & Searching the Sacred

Looking for a way to give as the year comes to a close? We are asking people to consider an end of the year gift to support 40 Orchards. You can learn more about this by going to 40Orchards.org.
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our music is by Scott Holmes Music
____

Advent 2025 | 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel'

Welcome to Advent! Taking a slightly different twist from our normal deep dive into a particular passage, we are going to explore the Advent Hymn 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel'. 
There is rich Biblical history and theology embedded in this beautiful hymn. And when we ask good questions and wrestle with meaning, good conversation can arise. 
____
You will also notice that midway through the episode, we are asking people to consider an end of the year gift to support 40 Orchards. You can learn more about this by going to 40Orchards.org.
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music and Scott Holmes Music
____

Who To Swim With?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 7...
The Reverend Dr. Wil Gafney: https://www.wilgafney.com/
Dr. Walter Brueggemann: https://www.walterbrueggemann.com/
Fr. Richard Rohr: https://cac.org/about/cac-faculty/cac-founder-richard-rohr/
Dr. Tikva Frymer-Kensky: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/frymer-kensky-tikva
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____

What Are You Swimming In?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 6...
The show, Shiny Happy People (Season Two) was referenced. This is a Prime Video documentary. HERE is more info.
TULIP, the acronym often associated with Calvinism was discussed. Learn more HERE. 
We also discussed variations within different denominations. HERE is an article by LOGOS that helps give some history of denominations and some books that dive deeper into the history of each. This is not exhaustive at all...but a helpful starting point.
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____
 

What Translation Should I Use?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 5...
Dr. Wilda Gafney was highlighted in this episode. HERE is more on her work. HERE is her book, Womanist Midrash.
HERE is a helpful article from Bible Gateway that helps contextualize many of the major English translations.
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____
 

Hermeneutics? (Don't get scared away!)

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 4...
 
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____

What Is The Bible For?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 3...
A little info on Midrash: https://40orchards.org/about#midrash
 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____

Is The Bible True?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 2...
"A fact is always the same. Once you learn it, you have it forever. But truth is different. Once you understand it, you are forever changed and "the truth" disappears. And because you are now someone else, you must learn it all over again." - Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Duality/Binary:
https://edeutschz25.medium.com/a-look-into-the-theories-based-on-opposites-in-early-greek-philosophy-5a0c6d204909
https://qz.com/1515889/aristotles-binary-philosophies-created-todays-ai-bias
 
Merism:
https://earthandaltarmag.com/posts/merisms-eunuchs-and-the-8-genders-a-christian-reflection-on-gender-and-identity#:~:text=A%20merism%20is%20a%20literary,%2C%20earth%2C%20and%20everything%20between
 
https://www.christiancentury.org/features/bible-gender-not-binary
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____

Is The Bible Inerrant?

This season of Searching the Sacred (a 40 Orchards podcast) will explore how we read and understand the Bible. For many people, the way we were first exposed to the Bible isn't working anymore. We want to hold it as a sacred text or we don't want to give up on Jesus, but we struggle with reading the Bible. 
Is it without error (inerrant)? Is it true? Can it be trusted? Is it from God? What does sacred text really mean? What do we do with theology? How do the creeds impact our understanding of God? And many more!
Our goal is not to solve these questions, but to enter into the dialogue and provide some helpful wrestling. We also want to leave you with some good questions to ponder between episodes. 
____
Notes from Episode 1...
Inerrant: : free from error. Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is completely free from error in all that it affirms. This includes not only theological and moral teachings, but also historical and scientific claims. The idea of biblical inerrancy, meaning the Bible is without error, gained prominence in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the United States, as a response to modern biblical scholarship and criticism. The most well-known articulation of this doctrine is the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which was drafted in 1978. Biblical inerrancy is not synonymous with biblical literalism, and Christians often focus more on what is intended to be written by a biblical author than the veracity of what is actually written.
Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Fundamentalist churches tend to hold to a doctrine of inerrancy.
The Wesleyan and Methodist Christian tradition affirms that the Bible is authoritative on matters concerning faith and practice but does not use the word "inerrant" to describe the Bible. What is of central importance for the Wesleyan Christian tradition is the Bible as a tool which God uses to promote salvation.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada do not officially hold to biblical inerrancy. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Lutheran Church—Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and many other smaller Lutheran bodies do hold to scriptural inerrancy, though for the most part Lutherans do not consider themselves to be "fundamentalists."
Infallible: 1: incapable of error : unerring 2: not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint : certain 3: incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals. Some authors use "inerrancy" and "infallibility" interchangeably. For others, "inerrancy" refers to complete inerrancy and "infallibility" to the more limited view that the Bible is without error in conveying God's self-revelation to humanity. On this understanding, "infallibility" claims less than "inerrancy".
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____

The Assignment Hasn't Changed | Pt 7 | Romans 12

Season 12 | Episode 7 | Romans 12 | The Assignment Hasn't Changed
It's no secret that we are living in some complex and turbulent times. Many people are asking: What can I do? And though this turbulence, pain, and complexity is unique to our present circumstances, being human is fundamentally a wrestle with complexity and pain. Jesus was dealing with it in first century Palestine, the prophets were dealing with it prior to and in the midst of exile. What can I do?
Holding that question, and the circumstances that necessitate it, with humility and gentleness, here's the response...
The Assignment Hasn't Changed.
Showing up with kindness and humility and non-violence...that's not new. The HOW might be new to our circumstances. But the assignment isn't new. Be light and love. Be the beloved community. 
This season we will explore what the assignment is and how it impacts how we approach our present time. 
____
This is a 40 Orchards podcast.
At 40 Orchards, our mission is to create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
We search through the lens of sacred possibility; assuming there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking. 
You can learn more about 40 Orchards and sign-up for a study by going to 40Orchards.org
 
Our opening music is by LesFM
Our closing music is by NCR Music Vibes
Additional music is by Three Music
____