Athens State University Religious Studies Program

NEW EPISODE | Everything Is Interpreted
Taking the Bible Seriously

Does taking the Bible seriously mean we must take everything in it literally?

That’s the question Dr. Tony Moyers and I explore in our latest episode of Everything Is Interpreted.

We begin with the Genesis creation stories and Adam and Eve, then explore the remarkable language of Scripture—from the poetry of Psalm 23 to Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones and the metaphors Jesus used in his teaching.

How do we talk about an infinite God using finite human language? Can stories and metaphors communicate truths that literal descriptions cannot?

Perhaps the choice isn’t between taking the Bible literally and taking it seriously. Perhaps taking Scripture seriously means learning to recognize the different ways it communicates truth.

Sometimes the image isn’t a lesser version of the truth. Sometimes the image is how the truth is best expressed.

We invite you to join the conversation!

🎥 Watch our latest episode of Everything Is Interpreted: Taking the Bible Seriously.

In this episode of *Convergence*, I sit down with Dr. Claudette Owens, a clergy practitioner and scientist, for a conversation on **leading through storms**. Drawing from the intersection of faith, science, and leadership, Dr. Owens offers fascinating insights into storms and disturbances in the atmosphere—and what these phenomena might teach us about navigating seasons of disruption, uncertainty, and change. Join us for a conversation where scientific insight and the practice of leadership converge.

Who Decides What the Bible Says? | Everything Is Interpreted

Who decides what the Bible means—and how do we faithfully apply an ancient text to the world in which we live today?

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Tony Moyers and Dr. Robert White explore the challenge and responsibility of biblical interpretation. Taking the Bible seriously means paying careful attention to the text itself—its history, language, literary form, and original setting. But interpretation cannot stop there. We must also take seriously the context in which we are reading today and ask what faithful application looks like in circumstances the biblical writers could never have imagined.

The conversation explores questions such as:

* Is there really such a thing as simply reading “what the Bible says”?
* How do we move from an ancient text to contemporary life?
* What can the Jewish tradition of binding and loosing teach us about interpretation?
* How did Jesus interpret Scripture?
* Who has the authority to decide what a biblical passage means?
* How can we hold the authority of Scripture together with humility about our own interpretations?

Ultimately, the question is not whether we interpret the Bible—we all do. The challenge is learning to interpret it carefully, responsibly, and faithfully, taking both the ancient text and our present context seriously.

Join us for another conversation about why how we read matters—because everything is interpreted.

How much of what we “see” in the Bible actually comes from our own culture?

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Robert White, Dr. Tony Moyers, and Dr. Eric Betts have an engaging conversation about reading the Bible through a cultural lens. Together, they explore how our traditions, experiences, and assumptions influence the way we interpret Scripture—and why understanding the historical and cultural world of the Bible can deepen both our faith and our understanding.

If you’ve ever wondered why sincere Christians sometimes read the same passage differently, this conversation is for you.

Join us as we learn how reading the Bible with greater historical and cultural awareness can help us become more thoughtful, faithful, and compassionate interpreters of the Bible.

Watch the conversation and join us in discovering why… Everything Is Interpreted.

What happens when we stop asking, “What is the lesson?” and start asking, “How does the story work?”

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Tony Moyers explore one of Jesus’ most familiar—and most challenging—parables: The Good Samaritan.

Using a literary approach to interpretation, we look beyond the surface of the story to examine its setting, characters, surprises, and reversals. Why does Jesus choose a Samaritan as the hero? Why does he answer a question with a story? And how does the structure of the parable itself challenge the way we see neighbors, strangers, and ourselves?

Join us as we demonstrate how reading the Bible as literature can deepen our understanding of Scripture and reveal meanings we might otherwise miss.

Everything is Interpreted-Jeremiah's Temple Sermon

Convergence Podcast
A Time to Break Silence: Prophetic Leadership in a Divided World

In this episode of Convergence — Where Faith, Leadership, and Culture Merge, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Eric Betts reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful Riverside Church sermon, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” and the continuing importance of prophetic courage in dangerous and divided times.

Drawing on the work of Vincent Harding, the teachings of Jesus, and the challenge of speaking truth to power, this conversation explores the difference between unity and uniformity, the temptation of silence, and the call to practice courageous, compassionate leadership in the face of injustice.

What happens when calls for “unity” become demands for silence?
What does prophetic leadership require of us today?

Join us for a thoughtful conversation on faith, conscience, justice, and the enduring power of love and truth.