Almost Heretical

A claim has circulated in scholarship for decades: ancient birth narratives were never meant to be taken as history. If true, the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke would be beautiful legends, nothing more. New Testament scholar Caleb Friedeman didn't just accept that claim. He went back to the actual ancient biographers -- Plutarch, Suetonius, Philo, Cornelius Nepos -- and tested it. What he found changes the way we should evaluate the opening chapters of the Gospels. Caleb walks us through what ancient authors were actually doing when they wrote birth stories, and why Luke's birth narrative may have stronger historical markers than almost any other section of his Gospel. Want the full, unedited conversation? Members get the complete interview with Caleb Friedeman, usually 15-20 extra minutes of material that didn't make the final cut. faithlabshow.com/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at faithlabshow.com/support This is Part 2 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to Part 1. Tim walks through one of the most disturbing stories in Genesis (what actually happened between Noah and Ham) and uses it to reveal how biblical authors embedded narrative riddles that only unlock as you read further. He explains why the Bible isn't a rulebook but an epic narrative pointing to a person, how Jesus himself engaged Scripture when asked about hot-button issues, why head-on theological debates almost never change anyone's mind, and what he means when he says "faithfulness" is a better word than "inerrancy." If Part 1 introduced design patterns, Part 2 shows what happens when you let them reshape how you read everything. In this episode: The Noah and Ham story, what actually happened and why the Bible leaves

Want the full, unedited conversation? Parts 1 and 2 combined with some bonus parts, over 80 minutes with Tim Mackie. Available exclusively for premium members at ⁠faithlabshow.com/support⁠ This is Part 1 of our conversation with Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project. Listen to ⁠Part 2⁠. Most people read the Bible like a modern instruction manual. Tim Mackie says that's exactly the problem. In this episode, Tim breaks down how the Bible was actually designed to communicate through repetition, pattern, and intentional structure. We look at why the early chapters of Genesis aren't just origin stories but training ground for how to read the rest of Scripture. Once you see the design patterns, you can't unsee them. Part 1 lays the foundation. Part 2 shows what happens when you let it reshape how you read everything. Thoughts, questions, stories? ⁠faithlabshow.com/contact⁠ Become a member and get: 1. Full, unedited ad-free interviews 2. Early release episodes 3. Access to the private Faith Lab comm

Rebecca McLaughlin joins Faith Lab to confront Christianity’s hardest objections and ask whether Christian faith can actually stand up to serious scrutiny. In this conversation, Nate and Shelby talk with Rebecca about the historical reliability of the Gospels, eyewitness testimony, women in the early Christian movement, moral critiques of Christianity, and the problem of suffering. Rather than treating faith as a blind leap, Rebecca explains why Christianity has always made public and testable claims about reality, claims that invite investigation rather than shut it down. They explore why Jesus continues to provoke resistance, how modern skepticism often relies on values Christianity helped introduce, and why deconstruction so often happens when questions are postponed rather than engaged. From the resurrection accounts and the presence of embarrassing details in the Gospels to the role of women as primary witnesses, this episode walks through why the Christian story may be far more historically and intell

For most people, faith means believing without evidence. A leap. A feeling. Something you are told to accept rather than question. But what if that is not what faith meant at all? In this conversation, Nate and Shelby sit down with Shane Rosenthal to explore why the New Testament idea of faith was rooted in trust, eyewitness testimony, and public events rather than blind belief. They unpack how faith slowly became detached from evidence, why that shift matters, and how it helps explain why so many people deconstruct today. This is not about winning arguments or turning Christianity into an academic exercise. It is about recovering a version of faith that expects questions, invites investigation, and gives real reasons to believe. You can find Shane’s work at humbleskeptic.com, and be sure to check out this recent video he released on whether archaeologists have discovered biblical Bethsaida⁠. If you have ever wondered why doubt feels inevitable, or why you were never taught this side of the story, this c

Nate Hanson reflects on his journey with the podcast Almost Heretical, discussing the process of deconstruction and how it led him to a deeper understanding of Christianity. He shares his experiences of doubt, the search for evidence, and the transition to a new show called Faith Lab, which aims to explore the historical and philosophical foundations of the Christian faith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices