Wild Olive

14/03/2024

I get to chat with Dr. Katy Valentine today on my livestream, 3pm eastern. I'm really looking forward to this one, as she and I have worked together but never had a conversation!

Dr Katy Valentine has oodles of interesting experiences related to what people are doing with biblical texts being applied to any part of their lives. She is...

10/03/2024

Irish playwright Oscar Wilde read the Gospels every day toward the end of his sentence at Reading prison. Sentenced to two years of hard labor for what Jesus as artist

28/02/2024

I've been asked to write about "marriage in the Bible" for Bible and Interpretation. Very kind invite. I turned it into a 3-part piece.

Part 1 of 3 went live today:

When people today talk about wanting to take biblical content on the subject of marriage seriously, including questions about marriage equality, however well intended this orientation is, the typical application of it overlooks passages related to key figures in the Christian Bible, and applies a hi...

23/02/2024

I got to have a conversation with two scholars in the sciences recently and the YouTube and Spotify versions of it went live yesterday. It was such a delightful exchange!

Get your DEMYSTICON 2024 tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/demysticon-2024-tickets-727054969987Today we are setting sail on a captivating journey th...

22/02/2024

Have I mentioned that I'm going back on MythVision this coming weekend? I'll be telling much of my story as it relates to why I do what I do. I'd be honored if you felt like joining us for it live. Noon PST/3p EST. (Ha! The title is "Biblical Scholar Left Fundamentalist Xity." What are you going to do?)

Bible Scholar Dr. Jennifer Bird tells her story of being a Christian and leaving Christianity.Grab Dr. Birds new book, "Marriage in the Bible: What Do the Te...

22/02/2024

Here's a clip from our latest episode on Martin Scorsese's film "Killers of the Flower Moon". Hear Jeanne talk about her own connection to the Ojibwe people.

Finish the conversation wherever you stream podcasts!

18/02/2024

Thank you to everyone who started connecting with us here! We're grateful for your support. This past week, we dropped an episode about Killers of the Flower Moon. We hope you'll tune in! We also talk about Linda Hogan's novel Mean Spirit (1991), which dramatizes the Osage murders from a Native perspective.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/MEAN-SPIRIT/Linda-Hogan/9781501112454

05/02/2024

I had a delightful conversation with Daniel and Dan a couple weeks ago, on talking about . Check it out!

One man, one woman. That's what many pastors, priests, and politicians claim the Bible prescribes for marriage. Are they right? Can it be actually be boiled ...

09/01/2024

I'm going live on Skeptic Haven this eve, 7pm eastern:

Secular Soapbox | Apostacie and David McDonald interview and book review with Dr. Jennifer Bird. ✔️ Dr. Jenn...

06/01/2024

Have you heard it yet? This week's conversation takes us all the way to Barbie-Land and beyond! Below, Hear Jennifer Bird's take on the film and continue the conversation wherever you listen to podcasts.

Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/wild-olive

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wild-olive/id1656980001

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4PKoAr71naPYAtvCdquexG

03/01/2024

Wild Olive listeners vary widely theologically and in terms of their approach to the Bible. In posting lines from this Psalm, I aim not to enforce a particular theology or bit of biblical instruction, but to appreciate the wide variety of literary uses to which Hebrew poetry puts the olive tree. Spiritually speaking, I wish us all the abundance and freshness of an olive tree in fruit!

See the one who would not take
refuge in God
but trusted in abundant riches
and sought refuge in wealth!

But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.

Psalm 52: 7-8

07/12/2023

New Patheos post, Folx. I hope you'll check it out. Especially you Blues lovers.

  Courtesy of Mr_Dan_Stubbs via Shutterstock The Book of Daniel showcases the power of prophets to stand against the power of tyrants. The story’s

05/12/2023

As we get prepared for this week's episode, make sure you're all caught up! Here's a clip from S2E4 "Wrestling With Angels". New episode this Friday!

24/11/2023

Jeanne met author Colm Toibin at The Irish American Heritage Center's IBAM gala. He agreed to be interviewed on Wild Olive! Jeanne and Jennifer look forward to talking with him.

10/11/2023

New episode available now! This week, Jeanne is joined by author and professor Deborah Holdstein to continue the conversation on Angels In America. Listen wherever you stream podcasts!

Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/wild-olive.

20/10/2023

And they found it written in the law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the Israelites should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written. Nehemiah 8:14-15

Photo by Zaruba Ondrej, courtesy of Shutterstock

06/10/2023

Jeanne and Jennifer are back and kicking off a new season of Wild Olive! This episode, we're discussing "Angels In America", a play by Tony Kushner as part of this season's theme of "Queering The Bible". Listen wherever you stream podcasts!

Jeanne and Jennifer kick off the new season with an in-depth discussion and analyzation of Tony Kushner's stage play "Angels In America" (1991) as they move into this season's theme of "Queering The Bible".

15/08/2023

I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.
Israel will blossom like the lily;
it will send deep roots into the soil
like the cedars in Lebanon.
Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5

Photo by Don Fontijn on Unsplash

11/08/2023

Wild Olive is now on Patheos:

Whether or not you hold the Bible sacred, the Bible impacts your life because its stories shape American literature and culture profoundly. That’s why I Greta Gerwig's Barbie makes use of Bible stories from Genesis and Book of Ruth.

22/06/2023

Join us for this weekend focused on healing, restoration and spiritual freedom from toxic faith. Featuring: Dr. Jennifer Bird, Jim Palmer, Keith Giles, Heather Hamilton, Karen Shock, Laci Bean, Eve_Was_Framed, Desimber Rose, Dan Henderson, Nat Turney, David Moses Perez and musical guest: JENNIFER...

07/06/2023

How is it possible to be a virgin mother? Find out on a new episode of Wild Olive! This week, Jeanne and Jennifer talk on conception, divine intervention, purity and so much more. Listen in on Apple, Spotify or wherever you stream podcasts!