The Bible for
Normal People is what it sounds like—a podcast about Biblical topics
created for the average Christian.
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| https://thebiblefornormalpeople.podbean.com/ |
An episode published October 8, 2018, was
titled “A Gentle Reminder that the Old Testament Is Part of Our Bible and You
Can’t Avoid It.” In the episode, Pete Enns and
Jared Byas interviewed the Rev. Dr. Brent Strawn,
who is an Old Testament professor at Emory University. They covered the topics
of people favoring the Old Testament above the New Testament and some possible
reasons for this favoritism, including the violent nature of the Old Testament
and the seemingly irrelevancy of the Old Testament passages when compared to
the New Testament. Their goal was to persuade their audience members to read
the Old Testament more often. The Bible
for Normal People podcast utilized effective research and incorporated a
limited narrative structure while failing to successfully use sound effects
based on its target audience of lay people interested in religious matters.
Research
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| http://www.icr.org/article/understanding-effective-biblical-apologetics/ |
The research in the podcast was its strongest aspect as
the speakers were well-educated, they quoted from reliable sources, and they
directed viewers toward trustworthy sources. Pete has a Ph.D. from Harvard
University in addition to an M.Div., an M.A., and two B.A.s. Jared was taught
by Pete, and he also served as a teacher and a pastor. The guest speaker, Brent
Strawn has a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to being
credible due to their backgrounds, the speakers utilized numerous sources
throughout the podcast, including discussing St. Augustine, mentioning Miroslav Volf
(from the Yale Center for Faith and Culture), and quoting from Ellen Davis
(from Duke Divinity School). In addition, Pete and Jared provided links to extra
resources, including The Old Testament is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment (Brent's book), Pete Enns's website, and the Evolving Faith Conference. The podcast speakers were not
lacking in providing resources for “normal people.”
Narrative Structure
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| https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-podcast-microphone/ |
In addition to the superb research, the podcast possessed an acceptable narrative structure with Pete and Jared introducing and concluding the episode and with the interview being depicted as a natural conversation but remaining unnecessarily unresolved. Pete and Jared 's introduction and conclusion kept their listeners connected to them from episode to episode, which builds connections that they need in order to maintain their base of more than 1.8 million listeners. Additionally, the narrative during the actual interview was somewhat organized, but it lacked superior organization. For instance, toward the end of the podcast, Jared asked Brent “How do you do this?”, referring to how to teach the Old Testament without it being a simplistic moralistic approach only. Then, Jared called it a “rhetorical question.” Why did he ask the question, then? That is also a rhetorical question. If he did not think he was going to answer the question and, in fact, did not want to solve the question, then the question seems somewhat pointless. While Jared may have been wishing to persuade his audience to view the Old Testament differently, the unresolved question could have made the non-Bible scholars in the audience (the “normal people”) more unable to alter their views of the Old Testament, which is Jared’s and Pete’s goal. While Brent attempted to answer the question, most of the last half of the podcast included Pete’s and Jared’s attempts to leave the podcast somewhat unresolved. The conversational style of the speakers made them relatable, but filler words, such as “uh” and “um,” and the rephrasing of questions detracted from the message. With more planning and with more resolution, the podcast could have stood out as having a stellar structure.
Sound Effects
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| http://www.kios.org/post/jazz-piano-christmas-xxxii |
In addition to the structure needing improvement, the
sound effects needed improvement by having introduction music, using some background
sounds during the interview, and having different music at the end of the
podcast. At the beginning, the introduction to the podcast had simply words and
no music, which was more forceful than inviting to the audience. After the
introduction, peppy, jazzy music began, which was followed by a
fictional-world, playful (a Christmas elf-like music), but during the interview, the background was completely quiet, which
did not maintain the audience’s attention or contribute to the message. A fictional-world,
playful (almost Christmas elf-like music) was played again at the end of the
podcast when it should have been changed to reflect a more serious and
contemplative tone that clearly the three Bible scholars wished the audience to
possess. The speakers did not want their listeners to continue to live in their
make-believe world where they think that they do not need to have Old Testament
Bible knowledge, which was represented at the beginning with the elf-like
music. Overall, the sound effects were severely lacking when compared to the
other two rhetorical strategies used by the creators of the podcast.
Conclusion
Overall, the podcast episode possessed excellent research
but was lacking in the narrative structure and the sound effects. The target
audience of lay people who want to learn more about the Bible would be
interested in the thorough research during the podcast and the resources that
accompany the podcast, and the audience also could feel a strong connection to
Pete and Jared at the beginning and end of the podcast episode. While it could
have been improved in organization and in preparation, overall, the target
audience’s needs were met through the narrative structure. The sound effects
were severely lacking and could have been utilized to help the audience remain
interested in the podcast as well as take it seriously and implement the suggestions
about reading the Old Testament. The podcast could be beneficial for people who want to learn more about the Bible from top scholars in the field, but it is not as effective as it could have been.
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