Found in Translation
Brandon Vélez-Johnson & Brandon Rhodes | Liberation Theology & Biblical Studies
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About This Podcast
We're decolonizing the New Testament chapter-by-chapter, through an original translation committed to faithfulness to the text, trauma-informed analysis, God always looking like Jesus, avoiding religious technical language, belovedness and belonging, and reading with the oppressed.
Hosts: Brandon Rhodes (D.Min) and Brandon Vélez-Johnson
Bible: Liberation and Inclusion Translation (www.litbible.net)
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Recent Episodes
S8E5 Desire, Defection, and Detainees - James 4
Episode HighlightsThe "desire for pleasures" James condemns isn't about sex — it's about golden toilets, rent-gouging, and union-busting.Your 401(k) might be morally complicated."The world" James…
No More Sacrifice! (LIVE from QCF Conference 2026)
We had an absolute blast recording this episode at the Queer Christian Fellowship Conference in Portland, Oregon. Rather than talk about the clobber passages used against queer folk, we wanted to…
S8E4 The One Where We Curse a Lot – James 3
Episode HighlightsDehumanizing words vs taboo words;What kind of speech disqualifies someone from church leadership;"you piece of 💩" vs "look at that 💩"Competitive self-promotion in tension with…
S8E3 What if "Faith vs Works" isn't about heaven? – James 2
Episode HighlightsThe importance of avoiding the word faith in translation;What James probably meant by faith;Comparing what James and Paul each meant by works;Classism and power's role in James'…
S8E2 Cutting the Oppressor-Brain Vibes – James 1
Episode HighlightsThe Letter of James is best understood through the lens of 1:27.Doubt in James is not about uncertainty in belief.Caring for orphans and widows is a central call of the…
S8E1 The Subversive Religion of Jesus' Little Brother – Introducing James
Episode HighlightsIs there a unifying theme behind James' meandering letter?Why did this letter piss off so many church leaders over the millennia?What can we learn about early Christianity from…
Three Seasons and a Live Show! Previewing 2026
We've been recording three seasons at once! James is coming soon, then 1 Corinthians and some bonus episodes on the translation commitments. We're so, so stoked.Most exciting: we're recording our…
S7E17 What is the Great Commission? – Matthew 28 & Recap with Kalie May Hargrove
Episode HighlightsAnti-Caesar coding throughout the story;how much better the gospel is apart from Christian supremacism;how to understand the great commission through a liberation & inclusion…
S7E16 What Was Jesus' Atonement Theory? – Matthew 27 with Mae Forrest Barnes
Episode Highlights for Matthew 27Pilate and the banality of evil;The enduring temptation of revering the violent;Disability injustice in the church and the Bible;Solidarity is central to…
S7E15 How Does Jesus' Arrest & Trial Expose State Violence? – Matthew 26 with Brian Murphy
Episode Highlights for Matthew 26The Eucharist is about an ever-widening belonging in God, and Matthew structured his entire gospel around it.The challenge of soothing nerves when confronting state…
S7E14 Who Are the Least of These? – Matthew 24 & 25 with Trey Ferguson
Episode Highlights for Matthew 24 and 25"I understand that reference" – How Jesus used loads of metacultural nods to embellish his alarm toward his neighbors' self-destructive nationalism;the…
S7E13 What Got Jesus Angry? – Matthew 23 with Jenna DeWitt
Episode HighlightsWhat Jesus knew would get him killed;Why he was fiercest to those – the Pharisees – with whom he was most theologically aligned;The similar anger we find in ourselves toward…
S7E12 Why Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple? – Matthew 21 & 22 with Naphtali Renshaw
Episode HighlightsThe queer theology anthem that happened to be Jesus' favorite song lyricJesus' street pageantry entering Jerusalem parodying the imperial occupation;Merch tables in the part of the…
S7E11 Did Jesus Oppose Patriarchy? – Matthew 19 & 20 with Kalie May Hargrove
Why did Jesus' thoughts on divorce and marriage cause his disciples to question whether anyone can get married?Why did Jesus respond with this thing about three kinds of eunuchs?Does being a…
S7E10 Why is Peter Called Satan by Jesus? – Matthew 16-18 with Avery Arden
Why is Jesus so reactive to his students' difficulty with understanding his vocation? He seems grumpy at times.How does Jesus plan to escalate his confrontation with the Roman Empire and their local…
S7E9 What Did Jesus Learn From the Canaanite Woman? – Matthew 14 & 15 with Elle Dowd
Jesus' cousin gets impulsively murdered in jail by a tyrant for calling out his BS – just what you'd expect from an authoritarian.Later, Jesus surfaces an abundance of food, feeding thousands – what…
S7E8 Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables? - Matthew 12 & 13 with Ell of TWIBAR
Jesus continues spreading compassion, care, and joy among his most vulnerable neighbors – but the religious professionals won't have any of it! They're using the Bible as a weapon rather than a…
What is the Best Bible Translation:
Need to know the best Bible translation if you care about LBTQ inclusion, liberation vibes, basic Greek fidelity, and low-cringe? We present our Bible Translation Tier List!We're vibe-ranking them…
S7E7 Was Jesus an Anarchist? – Matthew 10 & 11 with Rev. Terry Stokes
Jesus is bringing together his crew and sending them to get in good trouble. Familiar tales, sure. But is there something about how Jesus organizes, how Jesus relates, and how Jesus teaches that is…
S7E7 Did the Roman Centurion Have a Boyfriend? – Matthew 8 & 9 with Micah Belong
Bounary-transgressing love and overcoming ableism are at the heart of the very first stories Matthew tells about Jesus after his big Sermon on the Mount. There's oodles of anti-authoritarian mischief…
Frequently Asked Questions
Found in Translation has published 108 episodes since September 2021, covering topics in Christianity, Philosophy.
Found in Translation is currently active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 52m.
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