[Hebrews, James, 1 Peter] Paul wasn’t the only letter writer in the New Testament. Join Professor Koester for a discussion of the books of Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter, which sought to comfort and inspire early Christian outsiders through keeping the faith, focusing on integrity, and questioning what it means to "belong.”

What was it that caused Jesus's followers to believe he had been raised from the dead? Investigate the disciples' visions of Jesus, alive again after his death, as reflected in Paul and the Gospels. Learn also about the tradition of doubt in the resurrection, and the meaning to early Christians of being resurrected.

This lecture explores what Jesus said about himself, as well as what he specifically preached. Grasp the nature and purpose of Jesus's ethical teachings, and his view of himself as a prophet of the coming kingdom. Study the Jewish conception of the Messiah as a warrior-king who would overthrow the enemies of Israel.

[John 13–21] If Jesus is the giver of life, how does his crucifixion fit into the New Testament’s larger spiritual narrative? To consider this question, you’ll have to find new ways to think about events like the Last Supper, the Farewell Discourses, the crucifixion itself, and the story of doubting Thomas.

It is one thing for God to grant humans the freedom to do evil, but it’s harder to understand the existence of natural evils such as earthquakes and plagues. Evaluate different approaches to this problem, including the suggestion that God exists but didn’t create our universe.

Death serves as the horizon against which our lives unfold and shapes the choices we make about how to live. In fact, the knowledge of mortality has inspired much of human activity—religion, philosophy, music and visual arts, even scientific endeavors and monumental architecture have all been driven by our understanding of death. Whether viewed as a transition to paradise or punishment, an ultimate separation or ecstatic joining, the end of existence...

Because the nature of many miraculous healings are inexplicable, they seem to come out of nowhere. This episode investigates unexplained healings and their possible connections to spirituality..

[John 1–12] In the first of two lectures on the gospel of John, probe the first 12 chapters of this book’s poetic prose, which takes readers back to the dawn of time. What does it mean for Jesus to embody the word of God in the flesh? Consider possible answers in this most distinctive account of Jesus’s life.

[1 and 2 Kings] Continue on to 1 and 2 Kings and follow the story of the prophet Elijah. You’ll examine his challenges to the god Baal, his flair for street theater, his tendency toward self-absorption, his earthly departure in a whirlwind, and, most important, his story’s promise of a new beginning.

Do real life witches ride broomsticks and cast magic spells? Host Tevya talks to plants, tries a love potion and befriends some teenage witches in the magical world of Wicca. But, when the high priestess, Greymoon, directs Tevya to take a ritualistic bath as part of a welcoming rite, our spiritual explorer finds himself a little outside his comfort zone..