The Bible (Unmuted)

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#156: On Brains, Feelings, & the Christian Faith Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

What does it mean to seek God, and what does it mean to desire God? What role do our emotions play in seeking and desiring God? Can we still desire God even if we feel nothing? In this episode, Matt addresses these and other questions. In the Western Christian world, there’s a tendency to center one’s relationship with God around emotion and feelings. Some Christians turn Christianity into nothing but brainy intellectualism. How can we leave room for both emotions and the life of the mind without reducing everything down to one or the other? Listen to find out!

Mentioned in this episode: “Teach me to seek you, and as I seek you, show yourself to me; for I cannot seek you unless you show me how, and I will never find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you by desiring you, and desire you by seeking you; let me find you by loving you, and love you in finding you. Amen." (Anselm of Canterbury / BCP 2019)

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Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

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#155: An Interview with Thorsten Moritz Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

Matt welcomes to the show his Doktorvater, Thorsten Moritz, to talk about all things hermeneutics. This million-dollar word “hermeneutics” is often associated with interpreting the Bible, but it can’t be reduced down to just that. Hermeneutics actually has to do with the broader human experience itself. This insight serves as the basis for Matt and Thorsten’s discussion, which delves into a range of topics: from the interdisciplinary nature of hermeneutics to the necessity of prejudgments to a metanarrative approach to Scripture.

About Thorsten: https://agicate.mykajabi.com/

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Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

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#154: Musings on Prayer, Part 3 Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

Matt takes listeners through the text of Jeremiah 20, which records the prophet's prayer of dismay and discouragement. In his turmoil, Jeremiah questions God's character as he comes to term with his calling and his trials. Arguably, this text offers important insights about how prayer can become an avenue for experiencing God in the hard times, especially through seasons of doubt.

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Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

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#153: Musings on Prayer, Part 2 Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

Why are answers to prayers sometimes delayed? Matt considers several possible reasons. But there's one possibility that, perhaps, many Christians may not have ever considered: What if answers to our prayers are delayed because angels are fighting?

Mentioned in this episode: Frank Viola's, Where's God?

Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

Don't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Unmuted)!

#152: Musings on Prayer, Part 1 Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

In Part 1 of this series on prayer, Matthew addresses an important question: Why does God tell us to pray when he already knows what we need before we pray?

#151: An Interview with Carmen Imes Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Matthew chats with Dr. Carmen Imes about her new book, Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters. In this discussion, Carmen shares how the church can embody its mission effectively and faithfully in the world. As an Old Testament scholar, she offers an important perspective on this subject. Drawing from insights taken from the Hebrew Bible, Carmen outlines a vision of the church that is rooted in the story of God’s people Israel, and she shares with listeners how that vision can be fleshed out in light of the pressing questions of the 21st century.

Dr. Imes’s faculty page: https://www.biola.edu/directory/people/carmen-imes

Order her book: https://a.co/d/4ftnL9Y

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Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

Don't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Unmuted)!

#150: Jesus, Faith, and the Rejects (Musings on Luke 16-19) Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

There's something interesting going on in Luke 16-19. It's a large swath off Scripture, full of seemingly distinct and self-contained events and parables. And yet, they are not completely distinct. A careful reading, actually, shows how every segment fits together in a beautiful whole. And within this narrative are important truths about how God treasures the very people who earthly society considers insignificant. In fact, God's kingdom is comprised of society's rejects, all of whom illustrate what it means to have true faith and what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ.

Matthew's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

Don't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Unmuted)!

#149: Revelation, Part 43 (Rev. 22:6-21) Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

On this final episode in the Revelation series, Matt shows listeners how the Apocalypse comes to a close and, at the same time,summon its readers back to its pages. Matt also highlights how John's personal experience with the angel in vv. 8-9 captures the entire message of Revelation as a whole. Other questions are addressed, such as: what is meant by "soon" in the phrase "the things that must soon take place" (NIV) in v. 6? What's the significance of the reappearance of the Tree of Life in v. 14?

#148: Revelation, Part 42 (Rev. 22:1-5) Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

The opening verses of Revelation 22 are jam-packed with allusions back to important Old Testament imagery -- from Genesis's garden of Eden to Ezekiel's vision of the temple to Zechariah's vision of the eschaton. There are also important elements embedded within Rev. 22 that describe, in remarkable ways, the restoration of all things and the sovereignty of Jesus the messiah.

#147: Revelation, Part 41 (Rev. 21:9-27) Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

In the last part of chapter 21, John sees a vision of a city -- the New Jerusalem -- coming out of heaven. The city is called the Lamb's wife, and it is presented as a symbolic portrait of the church. The city's architecture is described carefully, the details of which point back to key texts from the Old Testament. How do these scriptural allusions and echoes advance hope for the first-century churches and, for that matter, 21st century believers? Listen to find out!

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