A weekly-ish exploration of language, liberation, literature, and longing through one fellow’s translation of the Christian scriptures, one chapter at a time.
Yeah, there's no such thing as "the literal meaning of the Bible." Every translator and teacher has their own biases, and while we may try to minimize them, it's impossible to get around them completely.
Here are a couple of dozen articles that deal in some way with 1 Timothy 2:12: "I am not allowing a woman to teach, nor to dominate a man ..."
Another one done! Titus is now live on litbible.net
This is one reason why "the Bible is clear" is so problematic...
Yes, exactly. And to remind us, the entire New Testament was written in Greek in the form where all of the letters are capitalized and there is no space between the words and no punctuation marks. There goes any claim that there is a "self evident, obvious, clear reading of scripture." ~ Roger Wolsey Author
Another one done! 2 Timothy is live now on litbible.net
Paul wasn't only making a passionate theological argument this whole time. It shows up in the nitty-gritty of actual cultural difference: power dynamics, deeply-held customs around food and idols and s*x and strangers. And that's how he concludes his letter to the Jesus huddle in Rome.
We take this week as an opportunity to reflect on the entire flow of Romans that leads us to his final arguments, ponder about implications for today, and give this season's parting drop-kick to the ESV to the Apostle Junia.
Paul wasn't only making a passionate theological argument this whole time. It shows up in the nitty-gritty of actual cultural difference: power dynamics, dee...
Romans has been a forceful ethical argument from the outset: arguing for a life beyond supremacism, exclusion, and domination that is made possible by God in Jesus Christ. A life together of peace.
And yet Paul still desires to complete his letter with explicit ethical guidance: how to be a people of this kind of peace.
Looming over it all is Rome. What of those who hope in the Pax Romana? Who control their known world? Here we encounter some of Paul's most widely abused language, Romans 13, concerning the power of the state and those who claim to wield violence for public good. Is he endorsing their exclusive claim to violence? Doesn't this give free rein to authoritarians?
Historic translations have bent Paul's words to suggest as much. We call bu****it. With the help of historians and political scientists, let's listen deeply for why this isn't a moment of Paul losing the plot. It's deeply subversive, and even a wee bit anarchistic.
Romans has been a forceful ethical argument from the outset: arguing for a life beyond supremacism, exclusion, and domination that is made possible by God in...
Translations and interpretations that make entire stretches of Romans incongruous seem to fundamentally be missing something. If your theory can't hold all the data, change the theory, not the data, right?
Can the Liberation & Inclusion Translation help us make better sense of Romans 9 through 11? Will it be part of a seamless letter? We believe it must. It must be heard within Paul's wider insistence that in Christ Jew and Gentile are woven together in one non-hierarchal holy belonging.
Along the way we'll address passages that historically are used to support predestination, God sending people to hell, and other wacky toxic s**t.
Translations and interpretations that make entire stretches of Romans incongruous seem to fundamentally be missing something. If your theory can't hold all t...
We can't handle how excited this conversation got us. So many profound shifts come to bear as Paul brings the bulk of his arguments to a crescendo!
* more time exploring the oppressive legacy of sarx/flesh through a therapeutic lens;
* the full-hearted rebuke of accusation and judgement in those animated by Life-Breath;
* "everything collaborates for the benefit of those who love God" is leagues and miles better than "God works in all things for the good of those who love him;" and
* how this all ties together the letter's deeper community-related pleas.
We can't handle how excited this conversation got us. So many profound shifts come to bear as Paul brings the bulk of his arguments to a crescendo!* more tim...
Reflections on how deviation/sin lives within our bodies, if at all, have been sources of tremendous shame, self-distrust, and s*x-negativity for centuries. Are we unable to trust our bodily desires? How do we learn to live with them? Shouldn't cues from our body be helpful, not harmful? And might there be a word-play afoot here that speaks to how our group identities ("my flesh and blood") may also be places of antagonism and deviation?
Reflections on how deviation/sin lives within our bodies, if at all, have been sources of tremendous shame, self-distrust, and s*x-negativity for centuries. ...
Brandon and Brandon are guests on this week's episode of The Word in Black and Red about Genesis 43-44. It was a blast to record and--like all their episodes--full of exciting insights. Check it out!
Afficher The Word in Black and Red, ép 1.38 Genesis 43-44: Joseph Tests His Brothers - 22 avr. 2024
Check out 1 Timothy at litbible.net/1-timothy
The newest addition to the Liberation & Inclusion Translation of the Bible is ready and available! Read 1 Timothy in the now!
You won't find "The Law" in the LIT Bible because a timeless, pristine moral law floating above and condemning all humanity has nothing to do with the early Christian mindset. What they were much more concerned with was what to do with Torah, the sacred writings of Jesus' own people. And when you read Romans as talking about the role of Torah in establishing community belonging, not a cosmic Law condemning everyone, it makes all the difference in the world.
You won't find "The Law" in the LIT Bible because a timeless, pristine moral law floating above and condemning all humanity has nothing to do with the early ...
All of this
Paul uses courtroom imagery throughout Romans. We're on trial, and the Life-Breath is our defense attorney. But who is the prosecutor? Is it God, upholding God's perfect law? Is it Torah? Is it... Jesus?
Christ have mercy: too many theologies are built around God being the prosecutor. But... Satan's name is literally The Accuser. And in the wider argument of Romans, who is accusing us but the person fixated on obedience and cultural conformity as the conditions of belonging. It's one another who is the accuser, the prosecutor. It is us in our anger playing the role of the satan.
What a world of difference this makes! It is our own puny fearfulness that is satanic, not the Creator! No wonder in 5:9 we are liberated from our own anger, not saved from God's wrath.
Paul uses courtroom imagery throughout Romans. We're on trial, and the Life-Breath is our defense attorney. But who is the prosecutor? Is it God, upholding G...
If our argument is that Romans is an anti-supremacism pastoral letter, not a manual for how to go to heaven, then what is all this business in other translations about "faith vs works?" Protestantism is built on a mountain of sermons about salvation by faith alone – sermons that point to passages like Romans 4 with glee and anti-Catholic smugness. Their whole thing is about Romans being about "how to go to heaven," right?
As with the whole of Romans, we think this "faith vs works" stuff is actually way more about this life, way more about what determines one's belonging in a local Jesus huddle today than who'll be playing football with Jesus in a big big house in the clouds by and by.
There's so much here – and we haven't even scratched all the warped ways faith is contrasted to doubt, or how its battle with works is used to sidestep justice.
If our argument is that Romans is an anti-supremacism pastoral letter, not a manual for how to go to heaven, then what is all this business in other translat...
Easter celebrates the renewal of life amidst scarcity and anxiety. It signifies overcoming lifelessness with generosity and peace. This is reflected in biblical passages emphasizing unity, inclusio…
Another week in Romans, another set of clobber passages to detangle from authoritarian and shame-based theologies. This time, we explore the wider context of that old "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" business. And wouldn't you know it – it's all about celebrating that we're all on a level playing field of God's love, and therefore particularity of divine encounter must never be grounds for judgement or supremacism.
Another week in Romans, another set of clobber passages to detangle from authoritarian and shame-based theologies. This time, we explore the wider context of...
🎶 “Why do you write like you’re running out of time? Write day and night like you’re running out of time?” 🎶🕺
Announcing the newest addition to the LIT Bible: the Gospel of Mark!
Check it out now at litbible.net
Portland, OR
https://open.spotify.com/show/6S2wWaM5oqknwncPfOEyZ6, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/found-in-translation/id15867
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Priscilla begins the letter by arguing Christ is the tuning fork for how to be liberated and liberating creatures, and so goes deeper to the core of the cosmos than Messengers (angels). Leveraging Brandon Johnson's translation, we argue this stretch of the letter means all our systems of meaning and belonging and authority are penultimate, that all these things are bound up with the faithfulness of Jesus. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-PDF Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 #bible #Christian #theology #hebrews #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
Season Five is here! We're thrilled to begin this discussion of Brandon Johnson's translation of Hebrews. It's an esoteric, confusing, and mysterious text – and a bit of a minefield. We'll be cartwheeling through those mines with you, and we're wildly excited to explore its radical nature. For all that atonement language, who would have guessed it has some of the most explicitly anti-scapegoating passages in the entire canon? Yep, that's where this is going. Tune in, join us for some caffeinated musings, and welcome to the fifth season of Found in Translation! ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-PDF Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Hebrews-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #hebrews #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
As we wrap up season four on the fourth gospel, it's time to reflect on how these larger themes come together. And it begs the question: what kind of story is Lazarus/Eleazer telling? Is it one of punishment-avoidance, gnostic escape, antisemitic screed, or embodied cosmic liberation? ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF-revised Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
Some translators treat language like objects, as mere hallowed jargon on a leash than a living exchange in the wild. These sacred texts should be a zesty enterprise, but unfortunately there are some who engage in logjamming the Bible with jargon compulsively, seemingly without joy. Their preferred nomenclature make these subversive texts stupefyin', shrouding their liberating power in classist esoterica. The text feels disrupted by these words, like a child who wanders in in the middle of a movie; there's no frame of reference. And I'm talking about the word meno, here, from koine Gr– aw shush, look at me: I'm ramblin' again. Well, thisahere episode you're about to play is pretty darn innerestin', and in English, too.* ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF-revised Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation *yes, that was all a sagging mass of The Big Lebowski references, taped together with the overconfident bluster of Walter Sobchak.
Yeah, there's a lot in that episode title. But then again, there's a lot of weirdness with the divine Spirit in the Fourth Gospel. + How might Spirit language draw us away from our bodies, when it's meant to be about God coming home to them? + What does Jesus' lines in John 20 about receiving the Life Breath and then forgiving and retaining sins have to do with our capacity to violently blame and shame minority groups? + Why is it more faithful to the sacred text to ascribe she/her pronouns to the Life-Breath when they're he/him in the Greek? + If most persons called sinners in the gospels are the exiled and shamed, not the Cosmically Terminally Naughty that Augustine was so snagged up on, what does forgiving sins mean for churches? Cut to around minute 26 onward for the real fire. :) ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF-revised Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
The identity of the Beloved Disciple, and therefore the author of John, has been a topic of low-consequence speculation for centuries. But recent scholarly insights give this mystery a profound gravity: a woman upheld as a pillar in the early church and apostle to the apostles was also the sister of the author of the New Testament's most mystical and intimate stories about Jesus Christ. The Fourth Gospel may be the closest we get to the spirituality and legacy of Mary Magdalene. And not at all in a DaVinci Code way at all. Further Reading: "Mary the Tower" by Diana Butler Bass - https://bit.ly/MarytheTower ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF-revised Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation #marymagdalene
We need to talk about all the little footholds in the text that popular translations give to antisemitism. Sometimes it's de-judaizing early Christianity ("the law" instead of "Torah," etc.). Other times it's hyper-"othering" Jewish folk. This legacy of most translations enabling antisemitism must be faced, condemned, and repented of. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
We've all seen John 3:16 in weird places – billboards, sporting events, bumper stickers, bracelets – even tattoos! In a tradition like evangelicalism that is so committed to sales and "closing the deal" through religious conversion, it kinda makes sense. Conventional translations of the verse have mixed with evangelical heaven-hell fetishes to leave many of us thinking "going to heaven when you die" is the point of all this. It's right there in that verse, right? Well, not right. It's way cooler and more interesting than that. Today we bring together many translation commitments across Brandon Johnson's work into this one verse, and see what kind of synthesis emerges. TL;DR – the story is way more interesting than we've been told. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
We've been pretty dogged about the point of the Jesus stories is not to go to heaven, and it sure as hell isn't about not going to hell. Jesus stories point to something far better than that. But what to do about all that eternal life language? That sure seems to direct us toward a living-forever-one-way-or-another fate. Turns out, the greek there is a window into a much more faithful way of telling the Jesus stories: one that's good news for soil and salmon and supernovae and even us human critters! ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-John-PDF Mobile-Friendly with endnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-John-MobilePDF Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
"Glory" to some people means one very specific thing – and at times one suspects how the use "glory" paints a picture of an insecure-but-big God needing lots of accolades. It's become a religious technical term with serious downsides. To others, "glory" is a blurry religious word that carries little meaning – it's a word that's become a sound. This week the Brandons try to make sense of this sound without ceding it to interpretive traditions that bow to an insecure authoritarian.
Metaphors, Wittgenstein said, have a way of dragging us along. And theologian Leonard Sweet speaks of divine authority in the Bible being found in its stories and metaphors, not merely word-for-word. But what happens when the pattern of a particular metaphor is stripped out of sacred literature? What happens when you bring it back? Pull a camping chair out into the field with us and let the fresh dawn of light, reveal, sleep, and rise up warm your spiritual imagination to new life.
We're back for season four! As we explore the Gospel According to John (sus name btw), we will be offering shorter episodes that explore the literature thematically rather than sequentially. In this episode we'll be going over some of the distinctives of the fourth gospel, as well as the legacy it has in each of our own faith journey. #bible #Christian #theology #gospelofjohn #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #liberation
In the second chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson, we explore: + how to describe a mensch, + deviators from other ethnicities vs Gentile sinners, + why cultural conformity mandates and confusing supremacism for particularity are in Paul's sights, and considered just vs justification vs holy belonging. ... Translation (Google Doc):https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-PDF Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #galatians #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #ethics #liberation
Welcome to the third season of Found in Translation! In this episode we begin the first chapter in Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson. We discuss: + desire vs will, + designated for destruction vs accursed, + presuppositions of the precepts passed down vs traditions, + how to talk about your relatives, + and more! ... Translation (Google Doc):https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-PDF Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #galatians #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #ethics #liberation
Welcome to the third season of Found in Translation! We're excited to dive into Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as rendered by the Translator himself, Brandon Johnson. Today we'll be giving an overview of Galatians, contrasting typical (super-Protestant) interpretations with how each of us make sense of one of Paul's more perplexing letters. ... Translation (Google Doc):https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-PDF Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Galatians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #theology #galatians #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #ethics #liberation
Brandon & Brandon tip their hand about season 3, which begins Friday, July 29 on Facebook Live and YouTube, and August 1 wherever fine podcasts are served. ... Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 6:1-9. It extends last week's squirm-inducing language, this time about kids and enslaved people. + anger in the family; + "father, and do not sin;" + enslaved people vs slaves; + discrimination vs favoritism; + and more! ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-PDF. Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #marriage #theology #ephesians #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #misogyny #ethics #liberation
We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 5:18-33. It has some of the most alarming passages in all of the Christian Bible - namely, the whole "wives submit to your husbands" stuff. If you listen carefully, you can actually hear us squirming. neglect vs debauchery, is salvation about cooperation or submission, why wives don't owe respect to their husbands by default, and much more! ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-PDF. Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #marriage #theology
We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 5:1-17. There's quite a list of concerning behaviors, many of which arrived through concerning translation decisions. Here's a few... sexual exploitation, obscenity 👀 harassment, and the ESV (worth including on a list of vices). ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-PDF. Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #stpaul #theology #language #ephesians #religion #spirituality #justice #bibletranslation #misogyny #ethics #liberation #bible #christian #stpaul #theology #ephesians #religion #spirituality #justice
We talk through some of the important translation decisions in Brandon Johnson's at-home translation of Ephesians 4:17-32. + compassionate language for inner obstacles, + God's generosity, + how to talk about concerning behaviors, and + assembly instructions for generosity. ... Translation (Google Doc): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-GDoc Translation (PDF): https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-PDF. Mobile-Friendly without footnotes: https://bit.ly/FIT-Ephesians-Mobile Join the community: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1 ... Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ... #bible #Christian #stpaul #theology #language #ephesians #religion #spirituality #justice #onestreamlive
