Loving the Bible: A deep dive into scripture through a modern platform
It goes without saying that COVID changed the way our world operates. The way we dress, the way we interact, and the way we receive our news and entertainment today looks vastly different than it did on March 15, 2020. Churches were especially pressed to find a way to continue to minister to their flocks, doing quick implementation of at-home options for parishioners in lock down. Luckily for EDUSC, this movement brought life to Bible Love: A Scripture Podcast.
Bible Love is the brainchild of the Rev. Mary Balfour Dunlap who is Rector at Church of the Resurrection, Greenwood and the Rev. Alan Bentrup who is Rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, Texas. At the time, Bentrup was Canon for Communications for EDUSC.
Dunlap explained the genesis for the podcast idea. “I couldn’t figure out how to get Bible study to my parishioners. I thought that a podcast would be a great way to do that since we couldn’t be in person. I asked Alan to join me because he had the technical expertise and an understanding of the podcast construct. Luckily, he was as excited about the idea as I was.”
The Bible, of course, is the main topic. Dunlap elaborated further saying, “We have committed to go through the entire Bible. In our format, it’s taken us 3 years to go through the Old Testament. Now [September 2024] we have moved into the New Testament. During the summer, we have a special series featuring Christian writers & Christian influencers.”
“One topic I absolutely loved was our Women in Ministry series. We interviewed spouses of ministers, women who have been ordained for 40 years, and women who are newly ordained. They each brought their own perspective, and it was full of God’s love.”
Dunlap and Bentrup still podcast together today. The podcast has been live for over four years and Dunlap says it’s an easy thing to capture through modern technology. “Zoom has made everything so easy. It’s such a gift to ministry. I love the idea of explaining to my grandmother that I’m hosting a Bible study/commentary live with a friend and fellow priest who is five states away. It’d blow her mind!”
Bible Love now has over 700 subscribers and is an affiliated podcast with Forward Movement. Dunlap expresses her gratitude for this unexpected opportunity to expand her ministry.
“I have never felt that I was a Biblical scholar, but what I have learned through this process is that the Bible is for all of us. We can find ourselves in its stories, but most importantly, God’s amazing love for us!”
Bible Love: A Scripture Podcast is released weekly on all major podcasting platforms or can be found at https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FDMV5348973155?se.... The Rev. Mary Balfour Dunlap can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
