Podcast Review: BEMA Discipleship with Marty Solomon
Podcast Review: BEMA Discipleship with Marty Solomon
2 November 2021
Teacher Marty Solomon (right, in white) started the BEMA Discipleship Podcast when he became President of Impact Campus Ministries. Utilising his time as a minister, teacher and scholar, the podcast is just one expression of the BEMA Discipleship program.
Given all 66 books of the Bible were written for a Middle Eastern audience, it’s ironic that we often read them through a Western lens. Enter the BEMA Discipleship Podcast, the mammoth effort of preacher and teacher Marty Solomon and his student Brent Billings, who take us meticulously through each book, theme, and Bible story in light of its original context.
Modelled after the traditional teaching method of Jewish culture, where a Rabbi teaches students through discussion and invites questions, Solomon is our guide. His fountain of knowledge is unyielding, ranging from the authorship of the Bible to cultural, religious and societal norms of the day. In this, Billings represent us – the eager, inquisitive, and ready to learn student. He doesn’t always have the answer to Solomon’s questions. But his thoughts and ideas are intuitive to the listeners, kindly guiding us to become fully immersed in the experience of the text.
The fact this each episode coincides with a group study also celebrates the original context of Scripture, and a presentation is available for most episodes. It is worth noting that Solomon and Billings are both white, American males. And through his study, Solomon has been drawn to reclaim his Jewish heritage. They rely heavily on their years of research and experience to give us rich and thoughtful perspectives about the scriptures. They also regularly differ from other sources and happily note when they are not experts in a topic.
As I review this, there are more than 244 episodes in the BEMA podcast, and they recommend you start from the first episode and listen the whole way through. This takes us through six parts – Torah, Prophets and Writings, the Gospels, the Early Church, Church History, and Post Scripts. While the early sessions focus nearly entirely on Biblical texts, later seasons expand into historical writings and tradition.
It is possible to jump between episodes depending on your interests. After immersing myself in the first 10 episodes of BEMA, I leapt from the story of Abraham to the Gospel writers, learned about the betrayal of Jesus, better understood a letter in Revelation, and then had a quick history of the Church from AD100-300. It’s fair to say I still have a lot to learn. But that’s the beauty of BEMA and the culture in which the Bible was written. We never stop learning – we just grow closer to God as we immerse ourselves in his Word.
The BEMA Discipleship podcast is available on Apple Podcasts. Visit the official website here.
Comments
What does “it is worth noting that these are white males” have to do with anything? Are you insinuating that God made a mistake with His handiwork?
This podcast has truly changed my life Thankyou Marty and Brent for a great different perspective of the bible I’m a born again Christian and struggled to understand the bible and feel closer to god. Until someone mentioned BEMA to me while we were in fellowship. I can’t Thankyou both enough the way you teach is just phenomenal I feel like I’m having a coffee chatting to my uncle about the bible it’s really a refreshing teaching in my opinion. God Bless
Marty & Brent - This will never get to you but needed to try. After 300 episodes and much time invested, I've got to roll. Loved you at the beginning and now, too many voices. I don't disagree with adding staff. However I can't find one episode where you and Brent, solely own the podcast and I hear from you. Blessings to you as I've truly enjoyed so much of your prior podcasts. I'm out.
Listened a few times. Knew something was off in how many times Marty said that a specific verse sounded ridiculous - and then never gave the but…..or however….as we look deeper….. No, it was just it sounds ridiculous so it must mean something else. Sorry Marty, that’s a level of arrogance that reveals a lot. A willingness to take that kind of liberty with such important text and subject. Then, find out he loves The Chosen. Another example of people taking great liberty with something so sacred and profound. That to me demonstrates something is off.