• Paul Penley: Jesus Versus the Temple
    Mar 24 2026

    We’re continuing our mini-series with Dr. Paul Penley about his book, What Jesus Meant: How Ancient Conversations Redefine Jesus’ Message. In this series, we talk about how we often misunderstand what Jesus meant because we don’t realize that he was participating in and responding to ancient conversations we don’t have immediate access to. Today’s topic: Jesus versus the temple.

    Dr. Paul Penley is a New Testament scholar and former Bible professor at the college and seminary level. Paul writes books to share academic research insights which redefine our understanding of the Bible, but normally get lost in technical journals at graduate libraries. He loves seeing readers freed from the misdirection and disillusionment caused by bad Bible interpretation. Dr. Penley studied Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic on his journey to better understanding Scripture in undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. He studied biblical history on site in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece and then picked up German and French while completing a Ph.D. from Trinity’s Divinity School. He has presented his original biblical and historical research in college courses and national scholars’ meetings, at Shabbat school and church retreats, at Bible conference centers and small groups.

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    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we’ll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


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    41 mins
  • Liturgical Calendar: How to Celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick (During Lent!)
    Mar 17 2026

    Ben and Christy talk about St. Patrick's Day and how to celebrate it.

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we’ll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.




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    21 mins
  • Paul Penley: Jesus Versus the Revolutionaries
    Mar 10 2026

    This week on the podcast, we continue our mini-series with Dr. Paul Penley about his book, What Jesus Meant: How Ancient Conversations Redefine Jesus’ Message. In this series, we talk about how we often misunderstand what Jesus meant because we don’t realize that he was participating in and responding to ancient conversations we don’t have immediate access to. Today’s topic: Jesus versus the revolutionaries.

    Dr. Paul Penley is a New Testament scholar and former Bible professor at the college and seminary level. Paul writes books to share academic research insights which redefine our understanding of the Bible, but normally get lost in technical journals at graduate libraries. He loves seeing readers freed from the misdirection and disillusionment caused by bad Bible interpretation. Dr. Penley studied Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic on his journey to better understanding Scripture in undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. He studied biblical history on site in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece and then picked up German and French while completing a Ph.D. from Trinity’s Divinity School. He has presented his original biblical and historical research in college courses and national scholars’ meetings, at Shabbat school and church retreats, at Bible conference centers and small groups.

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    40 mins
  • Paul Penley: Jesus Versus the Separatists
    Mar 3 2026

    We’re continuing our mini-series with Dr. Paul Penley about his book, What Jesus Meant: How Ancient Conversations Redefine Jesus’ Message. In this series, we talk about how we often misunderstand what Jesus meant because we don’t realize that he was participating in and responding to ancient conversations we don’t have immediate access to. Today’s topic: Jesus versus the separatists.

    Dr. Paul Penley is a New Testament scholar and former Bible professor at the college and seminary level. Paul writes books to share academic research insights which redefine our understanding of the Bible, but normally get lost in technical journals at graduate libraries. He loves seeing readers freed from the misdirection and disillusionment caused by bad Bible interpretation. Dr. Penley studied Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic on his journey to better understanding Scripture in undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. He studied biblical history on site in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece and then picked up German and French while completing a Ph.D. from Trinity’s Divinity School. He has presented his original biblical and historical research in college courses and national scholars’ meetings, at Shabbat school and church retreats, at Bible conference centers and small groups.

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we’ll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    39 mins
  • Paul Penley: Jesus Versus the Wealthy
    Feb 24 2026

    We’re continuing our mini-series with Dr. Paul Penley about his book, What Jesus Meant: How Ancient Conversations Redefine Jesus’ Message, where we talk about how we often misunderstand what Jesus meant because we don’t realize that he was participating in and responding to ancient conversations we don’t have immediate access to. Today’s topic: Jesus versus the wealthy.

    Dr. Paul Penley is a New Testament scholar and former Bible professor at the college and seminary level. Paul writes books to share academic research insights which redefine our understanding of the Bible, but normally get lost in technical journals at graduate libraries. He loves seeing readers freed from the misdirection and disillusionment caused by bad Bible interpretation. Dr. Penley studied Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic on his journey to better understanding Scripture in undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. He studied biblical history on site in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece and then picked up German and French while completing a Ph.D. from Trinity’s Divinity School. He has presented his original biblical and historical research in college courses and national scholars’ meetings, at Shabbat school and church retreats, at Bible conference centers and small groups.

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we’ll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.




    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    44 mins
  • Liturgical Calendar: What Lent is All About and How to Observe It
    Feb 17 2026

    Ben and Christy talk about Lent: what Lent is, what fasting is for, and how to create more space for Grace to meet us.

    SHOW NOTES:

    The article Ben referenced about Lent and fasting: gravitycommons.com/how-to-fast-for-lent/

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


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    39 mins
  • Timothy McCain: Jesus Can't Fix Racism
    Feb 10 2026

    Timothy McCain is back on the podcast to talk about his new book Jesus Can't Fix Racism, where he argues that racism has survived in the Church not because Christians failed to pray, but because they refuse to change.

    Timothy McCain is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in leading and developing initiatives across various sectors. He is the founder and CEO of TMM Publishing, which focuses on helping professionals and through leaders turn ideas into books and scalable platforms, emphasizing ownership and sustainability. McCain's work includes consulting, coaching, and public speaking, guiding individuals and organizations from vision to implementation.

    SHOW NOTES:

    Good Lord Rose Kickstarter campaign: http://kck.st/4qavaUB

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


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    51 mins
  • Paul Penley: Jesus Versus the Rabbis
    Feb 4 2026

    We're starting a new mini-series with Dr. Paul Penley (yes, Christy's husband!) about his book, What Jesus Meant: How Ancient Conversations Redefine Jesus’ Message. In this episode, we talk about how we often misunderstand what Jesus meant because we don't realize that he was participating in and responding to ancient conversations we don't have immediate access to. Today's topic: Jesus Vs. the Rabbis.

    Dr. Paul Penley is a New Testament scholar and former Bible professor at the college and seminary level. Paul writes books to share academic research insights which redefine our understanding of the Bible, but normally get lost in technical journals at graduate libraries. He loves seeing readers freed from the misdirection and disillusionment caused by bad Bible interpretation. Dr. Penley studied Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic on his journey to better understanding Scripture in undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. He studied biblical history on site in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece and then picked up German and French while completing a Ph.D. from Trinity’s Divinity School. He has presented his original biblical and historical research in college courses and national scholars’ meetings, at Shabbat school and church retreats, at Bible conference centers and small groups.

    Connect with Gravity Commons:

    • Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.
    • Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show more Show less
    40 mins