Vacation Bible School Podcast artwork

Vacation Bible School Podcast

36 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago -

Jason Kirk, Emily Kirk, and friends are finding the Bible is so much better and weirder than we were taught as church kids.

Story by story, we're having fun learning history, religion, literature, mythology, and the amazingly weird stuff. All are welcome! Perfect five-star rating on Apple Podcasts!

Contact us at [email protected], if you like! (Sure, it's long! Copy and paste like Matthew did the Gospel of Mark!)

Religion & Spirituality Arts Books bible books christianity history judaism mythology religion scripture theology
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

SOLOMON, the fake-deep pharaoh (with Wes Howard-Brook)

March 12, 2024 10:02 - 1 hour - 61.5 MB

We are so freaking back. We're joined by Seattle University professor emeritus Wes Howard-Brook, author of works like Come Out My People: God's Call Out of Empire in the Bible and Beyond, to discuss: King Solomon wasn't actually all that wise ... ... and the cutting-a-baby story isn't about what a great guy he was. In fact, the Bible's authors meant for us to view Solomon as just another Exodus pharaoh! How the David-Solomon story is The Godfather. And a whole bunch of other stuff ab...

DAVID & BATHSHEBA: The discourse (with April Ajoy)

July 13, 2023 15:54 - 1 hour - 80.7 MB

Hello! Let's sprint through a big (but action-packed) portion of the Book of Samuel and then focus on the story of King David and Bathsheba. Almost everything you've ever heard about this story has nothing to do with what's actually in the Bible, but what else is new? Around the 40-minute mark, we're joined by creator April Ajoy (of TikTok, Instagram, the Evangelicalish podcast, and more) to discuss the way this story constantly gets argued about by the internet's angry Christian men. Plu...

DAVID & JONATHAN: Biased toward love (with Mason Mennenga)

April 10, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 88.5 MB

We're back in the Book of Samuel, starting in chapter 18, where giant-killer David meets Israel's other war hero, Prince Jonathan. To quote Taylor Swift, sparks fly. Platonic sparks, your Sunday school teacher assures you. There's a case these two were just extremely affectionate political allies. That case has been made, and we're not very interested in it.  Interpret this story however you want. We're completely convinced this was the Bible's first great romance. Thanks.  We're also jo...

DAVID VS GOLIATH: Are we the baddies? (with Andrew Whitehead)

December 20, 2022 14:27 - 1 hour - 75.8 MB

Samuel chapter 17! We've reached a Bible story everybody PRETTY MUCH knows, though there are still lots of fun details. It wasn't a slingshot, for one thing! Goliath is the Statue of Liberty of Michael Jordans, David is Mr. Have It Both Ways, and King Saul's descent into madness ramps up right now!  Emily is mostly concerned with whether this Philistine-Israelite war is cruelty-free toward animals. We're excited to be joined by Andrew Whitehead, author of numerous works explaining the da...

KING SAUL: Himbo Boss Baby vs. Dungeon Master Dick Cheney

September 12, 2022 19:58 - 56 minutes - 57.3 MB

Samuel 7-16! The Bible contains a LOT of genres. Uh-oh, you're now in the middle of a Machiavellian historical novel about Derek Zoolander!  Time for our regular installment of Which Part Of This Story Will White Christian Americans Try To Contort Into Propaganda For White Christian America?  Does this episode include weird math, exaggerated war stuff, confusing prophet behavior, confusing food rules, weird animal stuff, baffling arguments, the total eradication of tribes clearly not erad...

SAMUEL: "The Messiah" and the golden hemorrhoid rats

May 30, 2022 13:59 - 48 minutes - 48 MB

We're entering a whole new chunk of the Bible, and it might be a surprise chunk! Why we're now in Samuel instead of Ruth, the book that's up next according to Christian Bibles!  Yet another barren womb! As always, when the Bible reuses a story, the variations are everything!  The Bible's first usage of "the messiah" is a fine time to talk about how poorly the average Christian understands the old, complex, ever-evolving concept!  Meet the original Typical Preacher's Kids!  A war catastr...

JUDGES: Righteous invasion of Ehud (with Jon Bois)

March 01, 2022 18:28 - 2 hours - 110 MB

It's time to bring on the internet's beloved Jon Bois to discuss: The Bible's best story book so far, if you have the non-exploding stomach for it: Judges. Meet Ehud, the left-handed sphincter-bursting assassin! Homeschool middle school during the end of the world! Christian culture stuff like Carman, MxPx, Five Iron Frenzy, James Dobson, Amy Grant, Creed, DC Talk, and comic Bibles! Plus Samson, Delilah, Gideon, Deborah, and more Judges stories that get mangled in Sunday school! Intro ...

JOSHUA: Jericho was an inside job

February 03, 2022 13:32 - 57 minutes - 59 MB

WAR DADS AND LADY WAR DADS ASSEMBLE. It's a new Bible section!  Joshua is the dude version of LIVE LAUGH LOVE, but also somehow the most feminist book yet.  Rahab, the Bible character whose job is most ignored by church, and also a military mastermind.  THE WALLS OF JERICHO: pretty cool, but mostly for reasons besides those made up by Sunday school, Carman, and Joel Osteen.  How can believers explain this awful book of murder being in the Bible? There's actually a pretty simple way!  Wh...

DEUUUTERONOMY: Actually super important and mostly really good??

November 30, 2021 15:25 - 1 hour - 82.1 MB

The final book of the Torah, the one we NEVER talked about in church, actually ... kinda rules at times?  In the story, at the edge of Canaan, Moses reframes everything that's happened to this point, retconning the horrors of Numbers and synthesizing the Bible's competing God ideas into one coherent theology that more or less works for everyone on earth (except the despicable Jebusites).  Upgraded lore, now including IRON GHOST GIANTS (and way less murder).  Talmud rabbis vs. Oprah's col...

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS: Shrek is Wet Moses

September 13, 2021 16:28 - 1 hour - 56.7 MB

The fourth book of the Bible! As always, remember the Bible has been written, edited, and interpreted by LOTS of people, and we're under no obligation to treat its angriest voices as definitive of the entire thing.  The actual story resumes! Things are finally happening!  Numbers gives us phrases like "wandering in the wilderness," "land of milk and honey," and "eww girls have cooties!"  There's a reason Sunday school teachers steer WAY clear of all Numbers content besides Talking Donkey ...

NUMBERS: Maybe the Bible's worst book!

September 13, 2021 16:28 - 1 hour - 56.7 MB

The fourth book of the Bible! As always, remember the Bible has been written, edited, and interpreted by LOTS of people, and we're under no obligation to treat its angriest voices as definitive of the entire thing.  The actual story resumes! Things are finally happening!  Numbers gives us phrases like "wandering in the wilderness," "land of milk and honey," and "eww girls have cooties!"  There's a reason Sunday school teachers steer WAY clear of all Numbers content besides Talking Donkey ...

Q&A: Heresy reviews, salvation fear, and animal souls

July 12, 2021 14:05 - 1 hour - 75.5 MB

Hi pals! Taking a break from the main Bible storyline to hit some listener questions, such as: What's the Protestant holiday calendar like?  Which Bible verse most contradicts its own book?  There's a Toad the Wet Sprocket song about the apostles being sick of Paul lol.  What are the Bible's best name meanings?  Every Catholic heresy, given a thumbs up or thumbs down!  Do animals have souls?  Do Christians, um, like, kinda, you know, wish for death, um, so they can go to Heaven, welp?...

Q&A: Every heresy, given thumbs up or thumbs down

July 12, 2021 14:05 - 1 hour - 77.5 MB

Hi pals! Taking a break from the main Bible storyline to hit some listener questions, such as: What's the Protestant holiday calendar like?  Which Bible verse most contradicts its own book?  There's a Toad the Wet Sprocket song about the apostles being sick of Paul lol.  What are the Bible's best name meanings?  Do animals have souls?  Do Christians, um, like, kinda, you know, wish for death, um, so they can go to Heaven, welp?  What's the Bible's scariest verse?  A light round of Ca...

LEVITICUS: Fight fundie with fundie

May 17, 2021 17:55 - 59 minutes - 56.3 MB

Our first attempt at doing an entire book in one episode, and it  happens to be one of the weirdest, grossest, narrative-lightest books. Yay! Spending as little time as possible on the chapters about bodily discharges, we promise. Leviticus has Bad Verses! Drown the Bad Verses in dorky red tape ... ... and/or insist we simply become eco-socialists every seven years, as Leviticus clearly commands. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, if you please!  Show notes and other stuff available a...

TABERNACLE: I feel God in this Minecraft tailgate (with Rev. Chris Lee)

March 10, 2021 12:00 - 51 minutes - 42.8 MB

Pretty much the whole last half of Exodus, except for the Ten Commandments-adjacent rules and the Golden Calf chapter Why yes, we DID have fun talking about quite arguably the most boring stretch of the whole Bible! Why yes, you CAN recreate a very accurate Tabernacle in Minecraft Let's talk high church "versus" low church Featuring special guest pastor Reverend Chris Lee of St John's With St Mary's Mansfield And! Let's! Finally! Wrap! Up! Exodus, a dude book also about ladies Support...

THE TABERNACLE: Minecraft tailgate church (with Rev. Chris Lee)

March 10, 2021 12:00 - 53 minutes - 38.4 MB

Pretty much the whole last half of Exodus, except for the Ten Commandments-adjacent rules and the Golden Calf chapter Why yes, we DID have fun talking about quite arguably the most boring stretch of the whole Bible! Why yes, you CAN recreate a very accurate Tabernacle in Minecraft Let's talk high church "versus" low church Featuring special guest pastor Reverend Chris Lee of St John's With St Mary's Mansfield And! Let's! Finally! Wrap! Up! Exodus, a dude book also about ladies Support...

THE GOLDEN CALF: God's marshmallow test (with Jane Coaston)

January 25, 2021 04:57 - 1 hour - 52.4 MB

Exodus 24, Exodus 32, and so forth (there's a whole lot of laws and blueprints mixed within the storyline) ... Think the Bible itself is weird? Wait'll you get a load of church history!  Unchallenged faith: is that really even faith?  Aaron at Mount Sinai: total idiot, good cop, willing scapegoat, nepotism hire, anarcho-pacifist, retcon reclamation, or all the above?  By now, Moses and God are an old married couple ... Oh no, the big dweebs who wrote Leviticus just did a murder spree (...

GOLDEN CALF: God's marshmallow test (with Jane Coaston)

January 25, 2021 04:57 - 1 hour - 52.4 MB

Exodus 24, Exodus 32, and so forth (there's a whole lot of laws and blueprints mixed within the storyline) ... Think the Bible itself is weird? Wait'll you get a load of church history!  Unchallenged faith: is that really even faith?  Aaron at Mount Sinai: total idiot, good cop, willing scapegoat, nepotism hire, anarcho-pacifist, retcon reclamation, or all the above?  By now, Moses and God are an old married couple ... Oh no, the big dweebs who wrote Leviticus just did a murder spree (...

CHRISTMAS FELLOWSHIP: Jacksonville Jesus & Militant Mary

December 17, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 68.2 MB

Taking a break from storyline order for some holiday spirit: Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, plus some Mark! Welcome aboard Richard Johnson, Matt Brown, Sara Cannon, and some of our Associate Pastors for an interdenominational exchange: what Christmas stuff did we set on fire as kids? Lots of talk about rent-a-camels, prophecy-checklist donkeys, Christmastime sports, the pageants and musicals we've ruined, and that time New York City invented Santa (no, for real) Reviews of three great Christm...

TEN COMMANDMENTS: Wife Guy Moses and God's TOS page

November 25, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 49.6 MB

Exodus 20! How many of these Ten do we agree to keep today? They all seem pretty simple, obvious, or outdated, right? Well!!  Tried something new: recorded a Zoom with a few of our Patreon Associate Pastors, plus Interfaith Council guests: Michael Elkon (@BravesAndBirds) and Hasan Masood (@hasmas)!  Let's hear it for idols!  Now Lord, when you say "murder," what do you mean by that?  Youth pastors turn every commandment into a rule against making out!   The 10th commandment sees what y...

MOUNT SINAI: Loud and clear (with Richard Elliott Friedman)

November 02, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MB

Exodus 19-20ish, the part about Moses leading the Israelites to meet Huge Loud Scary Firestorm God Greatest pyro entrance of all time Is monotheism having a moment? We're joined by Dr. Friedman (author of Who Wrote the Bible and many other books) to talk Prince of Egypt (he did some work on it), the Bible's overall storyline (it has at least one!), "Old Testament God vs. New Testament God" (not really a thing), the origin of the Golden Rule (maybe the story that revolves around Sinai), a...

SINAI: What's the Bible about? (with Richard Elliott Friedman)

November 02, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MB

Exodus 19-20ish, the part about Moses leading the Israelites to meet Huge Loud Scary Firestorm God Greatest pyro entrance of all time Is monotheism having a moment? We're joined by Dr. Friedman (author of Who Wrote the Bible and many other books) to talk Prince of Egypt (he did some work on it), the Bible's overall storyline (it has at least one!), "Old Testament God vs. New Testament God" (not really a thing), the origin of the Golden Rule (maybe the story that revolves around Sinai), a...

Q&A: Our stories, Christian punk rock, and Baptist spaceships

October 01, 2020 12:38 - 1 hour - 59.5 MB

Support for this program occurs at patreon.com/vbspodcast, where we have stickers, mugs, a Discord, hats (for now), early episode access, and so forth! - Taking a break from the main storyline, where we're making hilariously little progress (but having fun anyway), to talk whatever y'all wanted. - Oh family, it's testimony time!  - Christian punk rock bands, ranked!  - Why were Cain's veggies bad, if most of the dietary laws were about regulating dangerous meat? - Sunday school teachers...

FELLOWSHIP: Our first Q&A episode

October 01, 2020 12:38 - 1 hour - 59.4 MB

Support for this program occurs at patreon.com/vbspodcast, where we have stickers, mugs, a Discord, hats (for now), early episode access, and so forth! - Taking a break from the main storyline, where we're making hilariously little progress (but having fun anyway), to talk whatever y'all wanted. - Oh family, it's testimony time!  - Christian punk rock bands, ranked!  - Why were Cain's veggies bad, if most of the dietary laws were about regulating dangerous meat? - Sunday school teachers...

THE RED SEA: First of all, it wasn't the Red Sea

September 07, 2020 03:00 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MB

Exodus 13-18, one of the most Google Maps portions Something similar to the story could've happened!  But there's no way to know! And that's ok!  Let's discuss the Indiana Jones of Bible scammers, Jurassic Jesus Park in Kentucky, and ladies being prophets Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com. Gonna send VBS stickers to monthly donors, for starters Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram  Bonus newsletter at jasonkirk.substack.com Review on your podcast app, and may waters part marshily before...

PASSOVER: From Destroyer to Matzo Hunt (with Charlotte Wilder, Bobby Big Wheel, & Alex Kirshner)

August 10, 2020 03:30 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

Exodus 12! God's bug-out bag & Mean Tooth Fairy! From mythology to religion, from polytheism to ... ? Jewish friends explain one of their favorite holidays! Follow @TheWilderThings, @BobbyBigWheel, & @Alex_Kirshner Thanks to Mike Altman, Brad Haggard, Scott Alan Johnson, & Ben McCloskey 8-bit "Awesome God" by TECHNO FUN Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram  Bonus newsletter inbound at jasonkirk.substack.com

MOSES: Secret battles of the Mega Man gods

July 24, 2020 20:27 - 1 hour - 62.9 MB

Exodus 1-11! The Bible's Luke/Obi-Wan duo! Made it to Book 2! REALLY important book! Moses rises, falls, rises into one of the world's biggest heroes Plagues are more metal than you've ever realized! Weird circumcision stuff? Yes always Let's talk the movie Prince of Egypt  Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram!  Bonus newsletter on the Torah's defiant women at jasonkirk.subst...

JOSEPH: The Bible's first story!

June 21, 2020 23:56 - 1 hour - 105 MB

A Bible story that doesn't feel like every third verse is missing and/or pasted in from some other story? What?  (The coat is a lie!)  A big pile of cousin children join us to discuss Veggie Tales!  Beware, a musical was watched!  Finally finished Genesis, which is like 50 different stories happening for like 50 different reasons!  Subscribe at @VBSPodcast on twitter, vacationbibleschool.biz on substack, and sinfulseven.com on ebook readers or what have you

JOSEPH: The Bible's first actual story! (featuring five children)

June 21, 2020 23:56 - 1 hour - 69.8 MB

A Bible story that doesn't feel like every third verse is missing and/or pasted in from some other story? What?  You can do ANYTHING with this story, as Veggie Tales and Technicolor Dreamcoat prove!  (The coat is a lie!) Finally finished Genesis, which is like 50 different stories happening for like 50 different reasons!  Genesis is all about lady spies and Babylon allegory, and like a billion other things!  Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonus...

JOSEPH: Coat is a lie! Genesis recap! Children like Veggie Tales!

June 21, 2020 23:56 - 1 hour - 70.1 MB

Genesis 37-50! It doesn't feel like every third verse is missing!  You can do ANYTHING with Joseph. See: Veggie Tales & Technicolor Dreamcoat  Finished Genesis! It's about lady spies, Babylon allegory, and everything else!  Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram!  Bonus newsletter on ... well, this one ended up being about football. It's at jasonkirk.substack.c

ABRAHAM, ISAAC, & JACOB: Daddy issues (with Rodger Sherman and Shaker Samman)

May 31, 2020 23:04 - 1 hour - 90.1 MB

Genesis 12-35! God's putting together a crew! Faaatherrr Aaabraham, Mother of Dragons  Growing up Jewish! Growing up Muslim!  Quran is pretty cool, btw  So much weird sex stuff???  "The Nature Boy" Jacob "The Snake-ob"  #TeamEsau Follow guests @rodger & @shakersamman Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram!  Bonus newsletter on WRESTLING GOD at jasonkirk.substack.com

ABRAHAM: Daddy issues (with Rodger Sherman and Shaker Samman)

May 31, 2020 23:04 - 1 hour - 90.1 MB

Genesis 12-35! God's putting together a crew! Faaatherrr Aaabraham, Mother of Dragons  Growing up Jewish! Growing up Muslim!  Quran is pretty cool, btw  So much weird sex stuff???  "The Nature Boy" Jacob "The Snake-ob"  #TeamEsau Follow guests @rodger & @shakersamman Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram!  Bonus newsletter on WRESTLING GOD at jasonkirk.substack.com

ABRAHAM & SONS: Daddy issues

May 31, 2020 23:04 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Genesis 12-35 Faaatherrr Aaabraham, Mother of Dragons!  Interfaith council: growing up Jewish! Growing up Muslim!  So much weird sex stuff??? "The Nature Boy" Jacob "The Snake-ob!"  As for me and my house, we will serve the Big Red Hug Machine, Esau!  Follow our guests @rodger and @ShakerSamman!  In June 2020, each Apple Podcasts review will = at least $1 tithed to Know Your Rights Camp

NOAH: Ecoterrorist Russell Crowe (with Ryan Nanni and Michael Felder)

May 15, 2020 23:40 - 1 hour - 77.6 MB

Genesis 6-11! Happy animals with Cap'n Noah (while 99.9% of life drowns)! Catholic-Protestant multiverses NES bootlegs for the Lord Aronofsky's most biblical horror movie, reviewed Please be patient, God ain't finished with God yet! Follow guests @celebrityhottub & @inthebleachers Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow @VBSpodcast on Twitter & Instagram! Newsletter on ACTUAL best flood myth at jasonkirk.substack...

NOAH: Ecoterrorist Russell Crowe

May 15, 2020 23:40 - 1 hour - 134 MB

Episode two of VBS, with @celebrityhottub and @inthebleachers! Happy happy animals go sailin' with Cap'n Noah (while 99.999% of everything on earth drowns to death) Our God is wetter than your God Growing up in the Catholic-Protestant multiverses Bootlegging the Nintendo Entertainment System to spread the Gospel Darren Aronofsky's most biblical horror movie, reviewed Please be patient, God is still not finished with God yet Follow along at @VBSpodcast and on the newsletter! ...

CREATION: Dirtbag Adam vs. Rookie God

May 04, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 66.7 MB

Genesis 1-5! Release the Sea Monster Cut! Please bear with God, it's His first day on the job!  Wait, how many Gods are here?  Someone please put Eve in charge  Please stop pooping on Cain's rutabagas  Snake might not be Satan btw  Extended Universe lore from John Milton Tips appreciated at supportvbs.com! (Plus maybe merch and/or donor bonuses at that link by the time you see this) Follow at @VBSpodcast on Twitter and Instagram  Bonus newsletter on Cain at jasonkirk.substack.com!

Twitter Mentions

@vbspodcast 25 Episodes
@janecoaston 2 Episodes
@ndrewwhitehead 1 Episode
@shakersamman 1 Episode
@rodger 1 Episode
@masonmennenga 1 Episode
@celebrityhottub 1 Episode
@jon_bois 1 Episode
@inthebleachers 1 Episode