Disciple Dojo

In this episode, associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, New York Times contributor, and bestselling author Dr. Esau McCaulley steps into the Dojo! 

 Esau and I were colleagues in seminary and I’ve enjoyed watching his ministry unfold over the years! So I was thrilled when we could finally work it out to have him on to discuss his new book “How Far to the Promised Land”, as well as what he’s been up to lately! 

Esau’s books and resources: * How Far to the Promised Land - https://esaumccaulley.com/books/how-far-to-the-promised-land/ * Reading While Black - https://esaumccaulley.com/books/reading-while-black/ * Esau’s New York Times pieces can be found at - https://www.nytimes.com/by/esau-mccaulley * Find more books, articles, and videos by Esau at - www.esaumccaulley.com Other resources mentioned: * Cry Like a Man by Jason Wilson - https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Like-Man-Emotional-Incarceration/dp/1640911553 * The Cave of Adullam (documentary) - https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/f85747

In this episode we go deep all things Koine with Pastor, Linguist, and New Testament Scholar Dr. T. Michael W.. Halcomb! Michael is the co-founder of GlossaHouse publishers and his specialty is teaching linguistics, particularly Koine Greek. This discussion was fascinating and I'm excited to share it with Dojo viewers! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:03 - A tropical yurt?? 00:03:21 - What is GlossaHouse? 00:16:11 - What’s the difference between Classical, Koine, and Modern Greek (or is there even a difference to begin with)? 00:24:21 - Is Koine Greek is less aesthetic than Classical Greek?00:31:32 - What’s the hardest Greek in the NT for beginning students to translate? 00:34:58 - Should Pastors use the Biblical languages in the pulpit? 00:42:28 - a Muay Thai ministry at Michael’s church! 00:43:49 - Is there a difference between the “Hebrew mind” and the “Greek mind”? 00:57:25 - Are there detectable ‘dialects’ of Koine in Scripture? 01:01:50 - What does “amen” actually mean? 01:05:28 - Why grammar SHOU

In this episode, one of JM's best friends of 25 years, Olatunde Howard, steps into the Dojo to talk about counseling, emotional intelligence, how relationships are destroyed, the Biblical role of therapy, gaslighting, narcissism, and "finding the one"! Olatunde is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Cary, NC. He can be reached at: https://one-eightycounseling.com/olatunde-howard/ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:35 - Who is Olatunde Howard? 00:05:44 - What is “Systems Theory”? 00:07:30 - Why things often get worse before they get better in counseling! 00:12:08 - Why I value Olatunde’s counsel so highly! 00:12:39 - Relationship Red Flag 1: No intentional awareness 00:20:34 - Relationship Red Flag 2: Anxious/Avoidance attachment 00:29:27 - Relationship Red Flag 3: Enmity (and why JM loves the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”!) 00:41:44 - What if you just DON’T share the same interests though? 00:45:27 - The difference between communication and EFFECTIVE communication (in relationships AND theological debate

00:00:00 - Intro and housekeeping 00:02:47 - How Dru made JM’s day at SBL! 00:04:54 - Trained as a theologian; working as a Hebrew Bible scholar? 00:06:44 - Biblical authors’ use of surrounding cultural concepts and Dru’s upcoming book on the Torah & Darwinism 00:12:37 - How Scripture speaks to issues that it doesn’t specifically address 00:13:55 - What is the “Center for Hebraic Thought”? 00:16:31 - the Old Testament, Incarceration, Sex, and Ecology! 00:20:03 - The challenge of assessing Biblical Literacy 00:25:06 - ‘Our Daily Bread’ and the problem with daily devotionals among younger generations 00:28:06 - Biblical Literacy vs. Biblical Fluency 00:36:04 - The problem with “Microdosing” Scripture (BONUS EXCURSUS: Dru’s disagreement with L. Michael Morales and N.T. Wright on Biblical ‘symbolism’!) 00:48:08 - Quiet Time as an “Evangelical Sacrament” and its surprisingly modern origin 00:53:42 - The Scofield Bible’s influence 01:03:26 - The Aurality of Scripture and why it’s important to HEAR and DISCUSS the B

In this Dojo Discussion we welcome Dr. Kenneth Berding, New Testament scholar from Talbot School of Theology in Los Angeles who has just written the first ever academic book devoted to the topic of Paul’s mysterious “thorn in the flesh” comment in 2Corinthians 12. Is it possible to know what Paul’s “thorn” may actually have been? For the past 100+ years scholars have largely given up even trying to solve this millennia-old mystery. But Dr. Berding is trying to change that with this landmark in-depth examination of this ‘thorny’ exegetical issue! 
Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:09 - Who is Kenneth Berding?? 00:06:27 - Why devote a whole book on Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”?? 00:11:49 - Why is there so much prejudice on this subject among interpreters? 00:19:58 - Thorns and face-punching! (A closer look at the Greek text of 2Cor 12:7) 00:32:52 - Ken’s 20 criteria that every proposed solution must take into account 00:38:52 - Paul’s ministry, Black magic, and Greco-Roman “voodoo dolls”?? 00:50:17 - Buildi

In this episode I sit down with Dr. Nijay Gupta to discuss how he changed his mind on Women in ministry and what he wants Christians to know about women leaders in the Hebrew Bible and early Church. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:28 - Nijay’s academic journey since he and JM’s Gordon-Conwell days 00:10:31 - The Bible Project 00:12:29 - The 2nd most-Bible-nerdy dissertation title of any Dojo guest so far! 00:16:30 - How to read Ph.D dissertations for FREE! 00:17:44 - ‘Religion’ is not a negative! 00:18:53 - John Piper, Wayne Grudem, and how Nijay came to change his view on women in ministry 00:25:37 - Nijay’s journey to Wesleyan theology 00:30:43 - Misconceptions about people who change their theological views and cultural pressures 00:37:27 - ‘Hidden Figures’, the ‘prohibition passages’, and why our Biblical starting point matters! 00:39:50 - John McArthur and Beth Moore 00:42:16 - Why Deborah matters as a starting point 00:47:23 - ‘confidence’ as opposed to ‘certainty’ 00:51:24 - Is egalitarianism really just a ’s

When it comes to new technology, there is always as much trepidation as there is excitement…particularly when the technology is potentially world-changing. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is just such a technology! From Chat GPT to Midjourney to deepfake videos…there are as many opinions and predictions as there are people, it seems! So I wanted to bring in someone who has decades of experience in the world of tech security and who is also familiar with current A.I. technology AND who is also as big of a Bible nerd as me! There’s only one person I know who fits all of those criteria…my BibleHacking friend, Gregory Richardson! 

We had a fantastic discussion and I hope it helps all of us better discern (rather than merely react to!) what all is happening in this technological revolution in which we are currently living! Enjoy the discussion and be sure to leave your questions for Greg in the comments section below! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:34 - Who is Gregory and what is an 'Ethical Hacker'?? 00:15:22 - Thought

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:58 - What’s going on in Dr. DeSilva’s world since SBL 00:06:01 - SBL, ETS, and IBR…what’s the difference? 00:10:51 - How do you actually write a commentary? 00:19:16 - A REALLY good point about studying the Bible! 00:2201 - How Dr. DeSilva transitioned from Hebrews to Paul as a focus of study 00:25:26 - the Apocrypha and ancient Greco-Roman societal pressure 00:30:52 - Tobit 00:33:17 - Judith 00:35:48 - Greek Esther?? 00:40:19 - Wisdom of Solomon and Romans & Wisdom of Ben Sirah (aka. Sirach) and Jesus 00:56:17 - Letter of Jeremiah & Baruch (and why they SHOULDN’T be grouped together!) 01:01:48 - Additions to Daniel (Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, etc.) 01:03:56 - The Prayer of Manasseh 01:08:08 - a quick word on Psalms of Solomon, 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the apocryphal ‘canon’ 01:13:48 - Esdras, Maccabees, and why there are SO MANY of each! 01:27:55 - the Catholic apocrypha vs. other apocrypha canons 01:31:37 - How you can study with David on a MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE SHIP!! David’s book

00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:49 - Dr. McDonough’s legacy in the Dojo! 00:07:30 - What it’s like teaching at Gordon-Conwell 00:11:30 - Scholars who bridge the gap between Biblical scholarship, theological/philosophical reflection, the greatest commentary ever written, and thoughts on Richard Bauckham! 00:13:57 - Teaching in Fiji 00:22:22 - 3 Years of Ph.D work on ONE BIBLE VERSE?!? 00:30:26 - Tolkien, Myth, and Apocalyptic imagination 00:36:34 - Thoughts on LOTR, Hobbit, and Rings of Power film adaptations 00:44:15 - Breaking Bad and modern Greek tragedy 00:46:33 - Andy Goldsworthy and the art of Apocalyptic 00:56:19 - The error in seeing the created order as antithetical to God (and the profound beauty of “Spirited Away”!) 01:02:45 - Finding theological connections in non-Christian cultural contexts 01:07:36 - Revelation’s legacy in the Church 01:11:02 - What is 666 all about? 01:16:04 - Who are the 144,000? 0:1:19:08 - Jesus: LION or LAMB? 01:24:21 - The Trinity in Revelation 01:27:03 - Revelation’s use of the Heb

Our final Dojo Dialogue of 2022 is an epic one! I wanted to talk to someone who’s an even bigger Hebrew Bible nerd than I am—so I brought in an ACTUAL text-critic and Hebrew expert, Dr. Christopher Dost! 

Chris has multiple post-graduate degrees from Jewish Theological Seminary and has taught text criticism, Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Palestinian Arabic, and Spanish. He is the author of “Jesus’ Bible: A Concise History of the Hebrew Scriptures” and has worked on the Biblica Hebraica Quinta (BHQ). Chris’ book, “Jesus’ Bible: A Concise History of the Hebrew Scriptures”, is available at: https://tinyurl.com/4bspwdfv For more info on Sabra’s online educational courses, visit www.sabraedu.com Be sure to subscribe to Chris’ YouTube channel (with TONS of Biblical languages videos!) at: https://www.youtube.com/biblicallanguagesliteratur5079 ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely on

Biblical Poetry is….well…pretty hard to understand sometimes! And when you compare translations, they don’t always say the same thing! What is going on?? 

I invited my good friend J. Richard Middleton back into the Dojo for a discussion of Hebrew poetry, and the hauntingly beautiful Psalm 77 in particular. Sit back and enjoy the discussion, friends! 
 Dr. Middleton's Books and Resources can be found at: Articles and blog - https://www.jrichardmiddleton.com Abraham's Silence - https://tinyurl.com/3x94apv6 A New Heaven and New Earth - https://tinyurl.com/zjn74thh The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 - https://tinyurl.com/249zfsm6 Seminary Now - https://seminarynow.com/ Related Dojo resources: “To Know and Be Known: Forming a Thoughtful Christian Sexual Ethic” - https://www.discipledojo.org/to-know 

“Bible for the Rest of us” - https://www.discipledojo.org/bible 

Ancient Near East Bible Backgrounds playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bbdsVUgfc5TnFfdyxI0ZELx0JVjLgbA 00

Dr. Carmen Joy Imes returns to the Dojo!! Pre-order Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters at https://www.amazon.com/Being-Gods-Image-Creation-Matters-ebook/dp/B0BLD43TVC/ Follow Carmen on Twitter: @carmenjoyimes Carmen's blog: http://www.carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com https://www.ivpress.com/carmen-joy-imes Carmen's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Joy-Imes/e/B07BNPY56Q Carmen's books can be found at: * Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters - https://tinyurl.com/v39syn5v * Carmen's published dissertation - https://tinyurl.com/48ab2uad * Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends - https://tinyurl.com/2xwtb4f4 Other Resources on Women in ministry from both Complementarian and Egalitarian perspectives: Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (edited by Wayne Grudem & John Piper) - https://tinyurl.com/mr4cc539 Women and Men in Ministry: A Complementary Perspective (Robert Saucy and Judy Tenelshof) - https://tinyurl.com/m78fc77e Discovering Biblical Equality (edi

I live my life in two worlds—the world of a Brazilian Jiujitsu instructor and the world of Christian Discipleship ministry. Over the years I have seen so much overlap between these two passions of mine. So I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on lessons I’ve learned through Jiujitsu that I believe Christians (particularly those in local church ministry) could benefit from as well. 00:00 - Intro 02:18 - Lesson 1 06:14 - Lesson 2 08:11 - Lesson 3 10:46 - Lesson 4 14:35 - Lesson 5 17:03 - Followup resources If you would like to learn more about our #RefugeeJitsu program and how you can help support us, please visit https://www.discipledojo.org/refugee Check out our Disciple Dojo shirts and gifts over in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 “Bible For the Rest of Us” course and materials are freely available at: https://www.discipledojo.org/bible Contact JM via the form at https://www.discipledojo.org/contact ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org   Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonpro

Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Silencing the phone! 00:00:54 - A ‘Biblical Dojo’? 00:02:28 - Carlos’ story about losing his eyesight due to Congenital Glaucoma 00:14:17 - Training at Renzo Gracie Charlotte …and the misunderstood Ezequiel Choke! 00:20:42 - Closed guard and how Carlos fell in love with armbars 00:30:23 - Jiujitsu learning styles: Seeing, Hearing, Feeling (and JM’s white belt level understanding of Lasso guard) 00:37:41 - Carlos’ Blind Warriors organization and the challenges of teaching Jiujitsu to the visually impaired 00:41:21 - How can sighted people make life easier for blind people in general? 00:45:20 - Since becoming blind, what techniques has Carlos gravitated toward? (And a discussion of leglocks, striking, and self-defense vs. sport BJJ) 00:55:01 - How can a Christian do something violent like train martial arts?? 00:59:03 - The problem of violence in the Old Testament 01:04:41 - How Jiujitsu creates bonds of friendship across cultural, religious, racial, and ideological boundaries 01:10:

Reading the Bible can be a really daunting challenge…kind of like becoming a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Fortunately, these are two of the subjects that we are most acquainted with here at Disciple Dojo! Here are 7 tips from JM on how to read the book of Exodus! 00:00 - Intro 02:26 - Tip 1 03:37 - Tip 2 06:34 - Tip 3 10:37 - Tip 4 13:10 - Tip 5 15:58 - Tip 6 21:14 - Tip 7 For more on our #RefugeeJitsu outreach head over to www.discipledojo.org/refugee and see what we’re doing here in Charlotte and how you can help! Check out our Disciple Dojo shirts and gifts (including rash guard JM is wearing in this video!) over in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 Recommended resources mentioned in this video: * Bible for the Rest of Us course: https://www.discipledojo.org/bible * Exodus: God IS King podcast series can be found at: https://www.discipledojo.org/podcast and the video version is here on the channel at: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bbdsVUgfc6XK58ZDlADBCYjN-LQvfYb *

Reading the Bible can be a really daunting challenge…kind of like becoming a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Fortunately, these are two of the subjects that we are most acquainted with here at Disciple Dojo! Here are 7 tips from JM on how to read the book of Genesis! 00:00 - Intro 01:46 - Tip 1 05:12 - Tip 2 09:17 - Tip 3 12:22 - Tip 4 14:28 - Tip 5 17:33 - Tip 6 21:00 - Tip 7 For more on our #RefugeeJitsu outreach head over to www.discipledojo.org/refugee and see what we’re doing here in Charlotte and how you can help! Check out our Disciple Dojo shirts and gifts (including rash guard JM is wearing in this video!) over in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 Recommended resources mentioned in this video: * Genesis 1-11: The Primordial Preface podcast series can be found at: https://www.discipledojo.org/podcast * The four study Bibles mentioned in this video have all been reviewed over on our DiscipleDojo Study Bible Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bbdsVUgfc7

Reading the Bible can be a really daunting challenge…kind of like becoming a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Fortunately, these are two of the subjects that we are most acquainted with here at Disciple Dojo! Here are 7 tips from JM on how to begin your Bible reading journey—which, like Jiu-Jitsu, is a lifelong journey that you can never truly master! For more on our #RefugeeJitsu outreach head over to www.discipledojo.org/refugee and see what we’re doing here in Charlotte and how you can help! Check out our Disciple Dojo shirts and gifts (including the OT Timeline mug!) over in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 Recommended resources mentioned in this video: * Disciple Dojo video courses (including Bible for the Rest of Us): https://www.discipledojo.org/video * DiscipleDojo Study Bible Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bbdsVUgfc7nIxU9OhCD1-krAb9aDoza * The Old Testament in Under and Hour: https://youtu.be/Q1_YDszB9Yo * Write in Your Bible: https://youtu.be/3y3

Years ago I read the book "The Gospel of Ruth" and was blown away by how good of a study it was on an often-misread or overlooked book tucked away in the Hebrew Bible. So when Carolyn agreed to step into the Dojo for a discussion, I was thrilled to have her! For those who are meeting her for the first time, Carolyn Custis James is an author, speaker, and adjunct faculty member at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia. She is a consulting editor for Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament and in 2013, Christianity Today named her one of the 50 evangelical women to watch. She can be reached via her website at https://carolyncustisjames.com or on Twitter at @carolynezer Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:56 - Carolyn & Wonder Woman 00:03:29 - The best book on Ruth I've ever read 00:05:38 - Put some respect on Boaz's name 00:09:06 - Ruth and female initiative in leadership 00:12:37 - Patriarchy in the Biblical world 00:18:29 - How Christians misread the book of Ruth 00:33:04 - The Law as an

The latest guest to step into the Dojo is Philologist, author, and fellow Bible nerd, Dr. Mark Ward! Mark is someone whose YouTube content I have admired since I came across it a couple of years ago and while we have connected on social media over the past year or so, this was our first time getting to sit down and talk shop!

Mark is the editor of Bible Study Magazine by Faithlife and the author of “Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible” and is an expert on the “King James Only” error that many Christians ascribe to. He is also one of the most gracious people you will ever meet and it is impossible not to like him! He has recently created a podcast series on New Testament text criticism and translation called “The Textual Confidence Collective” with a number of text-criticism experts that is available over on his channel (and which I HIGHLY recommend if you are interested in questions of the textual reliability of the New Testament). Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:55 - Who is Mark War

Let’s be honest…the Old Testament (aka. The Hebrew Bible) is really intimidating! Most Christians don’t read or study it nearly as much as they do their New Testament. But for Jesus and His Apostles, the Hebrew Scriptures were their storyline and the foundation of their identity. So why would we want to neglect our identity-forming story if we are Jesus’ followers? In this message given at Open Arms church (www.openarmsclt.org) in Charlotte, NC on July 10th, 2022 we take a look at the entire Old Testament storyline…in less than an hour…and discover what it has to tell us about God, our identity as His people, and His mission for all the world! DiscipleDojo YouTube videos mentioned:
 The most important concept in all of Biblical theology - https://youtu.be/OQ2X8wOUZZ4 Interrogating and Urban Apologist - https://youtu.be/MWyHC4OXVCk *** NEW: DISCIPLE DOJO SHIRTS & GIFTS NOW AVAILABLE*** https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org   Subscribe to the Disciple Dojo podcast for