Episode Details
Back to Episodes13. Jared Byas (The Bible for Normal People) – Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally
Description
13. Jared Byas (The Bible for Normal People) – Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally
Alexis sits down with Jared Byas - co-host of The Bible for Normal People (along with Pete Enns) and author of Love Matters More — to explore what it really means to take Scripture seriously. For many of us raised in evangelical spaces, we were taught that taking the Bible seriously meant taking it literally. But what happens when reading closely actually raises more questions? When you see the “wrinkles” and the humanity in the text? When certainty starts to crack?
💬 In This Episode
• “Taking the Bible seriously will inevitably lead you to not take it literally”
• The “wrinkles” in Scripture - and choosing intimacy over perfection
• Why “speaking the truth in love” often becomes a power move
• Paul’s black swan moment and theological transformation
• Fear vs. love in Christian formation
• Rebuilding trust in the Bible after church harm
• Parenting with curiosity instead of control
• For the spiritually tender: you’re not backsliding - you’re paying attention
👥 People/Resources Mentioned
Jared Byas: @jaredbyas
The Bible for Normal People: @biblefornormalpeople
Pete Enns: @peteenns
Curious Faith Media: @curiousfaithmedia
Rachel Held Evans: @rachelheldevans
Love Matters More by Jared Byas: https://www.jaredbyas.com
God's Stories as told by God's Children: https://a.co/d/087F8ZFN
God's Stories as told by God's Children for Adults: https://a.co/d/0fteC7QR
#Christianity #deconstruction #reconstruction #Christian
About The Sacred Slope
Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.
Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.
🎧 WATCH: YouTube / Spotify
LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere
FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky)
🔗 Connect
🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope
🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice
🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence
📬 Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com
🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿
Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control