Almost Heretical
Are you ready to rethink the Bible and challenge easy answers? Join guests like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Marianne Williamson, Tim Mackie (BibleProject), Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Rainn Wilson (The Office), and Rob Bell as we dive into complex conversations about faith, moving beyond conservative and liberal camps. If you don’t fit neatly into either space, you’ll fit in just fine here. Hosted by Nate Hanson (former Crazy Love pastor) and Shelby Hanson (MA Biblical Studies & Dead Sea Scrolls), Almost Heretical invites you to explore Christianity without subscribing to tribal ideologies. With over 2 million downloads, this is a space for those asking tough questions and seeking honest answers. You’re not alone.
Join 1,000+ others for bonus episodes and our private community: almostheretical.com/subscribe
76
#89 – Shower first, spirit second
Is baptism really just a bath? Does God really only forgive ignorant people? What is the order of operations related to atonement? Nate and Tim respond to a few more listener questions.
53 min
77
#88 – Atonement must be Universal
Nate and Tim respond to a few listener questions, discussing how forgiveness itself is tied to liberation as well as why universal atonement isn’t just a possibility but a necessity.
65 min
78
#87 – What Does Ransom Mean?
What does holiness and chemical atonement have to do with liberation and ransom? Did Jesus pay a ransom price, and if so, to who? And how might we better synthesize these various ways of describing what Jesus accomplished? (We even get into The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and how C.S. Lewis portrays the ransom theory in Narnia.)
61 min
79
#86 – Chemistry and Scapegoats
What do ancient science, the “scapegoat” of Yom Kippur, and holy tree branches have to do with Jesus’ death? And what does resurrection have to do with everything? Nate and Tim continue discussing how the contagious nature of holiness undergirds much of the New Testament theology about Jesus and discover some fascinating ideas along the way.
61 min
80
#85 – Did Jesus have to die?
Did Jesus have to die, or is that not even how we should think about it? And why is blood both a source of holiness and defilement? Also, what do menstruation and “nocturnal emissions” have to do with each other in Leviticus? Nate and Tim discuss a few listener questions as well as some of their own.
63 min
81
#84 – Holiness is the Gospel
Holiness and purity were two of the central concerns of the entire Levitical system. Neither were moral categories, but rather had to do with something like chemical states. In this episode, Nate and Tim discuss the idea of holiness and how the New Testament authors believed the gospel was that Jesus had made the world holy.
62 min
82
#83 – Hillary McBride: Getting healthy
Many of us are rethinking faith and leaving old beliefs behind, but how do we get healthy? Nate and Tim talk with Dr. Hillary McBride about what it actually takes to build new community, how to deal with the trauma our bodies carry, why maintaining relationships with people from our past can be so hard, and much more.
56 min
83
#82 – Why blood?
Why all the blood in the Old Testament? There is actually an important bit of ancient science underlying the whole idea of sacrifice and atonement. Also, what happens if we just can’t believe that science?
64 min
84
#81 – Contagious
Why sacrifice animals? Why send some people outside the camp? Why all the rules? Nate and Tim discuss how the threat of viral contagion is the primary principal underlying the Levitical system, and how that is why the Torah talks so much about separation and mixture. When anything comes into contact with something “unclean”, the defilement spreads. Therefore, prevention, quarantine and cleansing are the name of the game. But is it possible there’s even more going on? Is it possible something could be so holy that it cannot be defiled? And what if that is precisely how the gospels depict Jesus?
66 min
85
#80 – Cosmic campout
What all is required in order to camp out with God? And what is holiness anyway? Nate and Tim discuss all this and more, including why there are so many long lists of detailed instructions in the Torah and how to read them. Also, what do the golden calf, Nadab and Abihu, and the tragedy of Uzzah and the cart all have in common?
72 min
86
#79 – Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg - Forgiveness and ...
On the 1-year anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, we sit down with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. What constitutes a good apology? How do we appreciate both forgiveness and justice at the same time? And what can we learn from the Jewish tradition about how to disagree, change our minds, and embrace both the old and the new? Also, we get into how Jesus might have actually been a Pharisee.
63 min
87
#78 – Priests are holy bouncers
Did you know that Adam and Eve worked as security guards in the Garden of Eden? And what does it mean to be a priest? And once again, why is there a snake in the garden? Nate and Tim discuss the role of priests and how Genesis 2 depicts Adam as a priest representing Israel.
57 min
88
#77 – God might kill us
Are we supposed to be afraid of God? Why did the ancient Israelites fear the Lord? What was it that scared them exactly? Nate and Tim discuss how we may have gotten this all very wrong for a long time and maybe we shouldn’t be so scared after all.
60 min
89
#76 – Distance and Separation
The New Testament claims Jesus is helping reconcile humanity and God, but why were they ever separated in the first place? Does God want to separate from us because we’re awful, or is there something entirely different going on? Nate and Tim discuss the biblical authors’ surprising assumptions about why God is so distant and what is actually required to bridge the gap.
67 min
90
#75 – Blood and Guilt
What were the sacrifices for? What did blood do? What is the main problem which the tabernacle and temple and then Jesus were trying to solve? Nate and Tim introduce a new series on Leviticus, atonement, and the crazy idea of blood as a kind of cosmic insulation. In this first part, they highlight some of the big ideas soon to be discussed and reflect on why it matters.
79 min
91
#74 – Should you go to church? (Bonus Episode)
This is an episode of Utterly Heretical, Nate and Tim’s second podcast for Patreon supporters. They have a candid conversation about the emotionally complicated topic of going to church.
74 min
92
#73 – Did Jesus just call her a dog?
Did Jesus really call a Canaanite woman a dog? Was this as heartless and mean as it sounds, or is something else going on? Nate and Tim discuss this startling passage in Matthew 15 and more.
61 min
93
#72 – The clearly unclear Bible
If the Bible is clearly sufficient for all our needs and sufficiently clear so that we can understand it, why doesn’t it feel that way? Nate and Tim discuss the history of these ideas, the role they’ve played, and whether or not they’re still helpful today. Once again it all seems to come down to power - who has it? Or, as they ask in this episode, “Who is the pope?”
76 min
94
#71 – Who is the Bible?
When we say, “The Bible says,” what do we really mean? Who exactly are we talking about? Nate and Tim try to answer that question and more as they discuss the relationship between the people who wrote the Bible and our own modern ethics.
77 min
95
#70 – Choose your own adventure Bible
What if many of the texts are written in order to place us at a crossroads between two valid interpretations? And how does understanding the Bible as a mosaic of texts help us deal with troubling passages in the OT? Nate and Tim reflect on why reading the Bible is more complicated than taking it “literally” or not.
73 min
96
#69 – Does the Bible Permit Exploitation? (Part 2)
Does the Bible allow or justify sexual violence? Some passages explicitly condemn it, while others seem to suggest troubling cultural norms. Nate and Tim continue their deep dive into Bible stories about power, consent, and justice, examining the David and Bathsheba story, ancient laws, and how we interpret these texts today.
80 min
97
#68 – Bathsheba and David: A Story of Power and...
Is there any evidence that David raped Bathsheba? Let's look a bit closer. This is the first part of a conversation about rape in the Bible. Nate and Tim discuss the role of rape stories in the Hebrew Bible, the issue of power, reading in context, and more.
55 min
98
#67 – Christena Cleveland: Toxic Christianity
At some point we have to ask ourselves do I really want to be free? Freedom is no longer caring whether we’re crossing the lines that other people are creating for us.Nate and Tim sit down with renowned scholar Dr. Christena Cleveland. They discuss getting free from toxic Christianity, finding sustenance for a life of activism, what the gospel really is and much more. Dr. Cleveland also shares what she believes the gospel is for black trans women. It’s brilliant and beautiful!
66 min
99
#66 – LGBTQ: Why do people marry?
Did God really define marriage? Or is it just something people have often done? And what did Jesus really say about men and women? Nate and Tim continue the conversation about whether the Bible ever asserts a divine ideal for marriage.
66 min
100
#65 – LGBTQ: The so-called Divine Ideal
Is the Bible even about a return to original ideals? Or is the idea that of a forward march through history where humans partner with God to usher in new and unknown territory? Nate and Tim begin a discussion on sexuality and gender, asking whether the so-called divine ideal for marriage is really a good argument in defense of traditional views.
59 min