In this episode of Prodigal Pastor, Jonny sits down with New Testament scholar Jennifer Garcia Bashaw to explore how we read the Bible—and how it reads us. Drawing from her books Serving Up Scripture and Scapegoats, Jennifer shares her journey from growing up in a Southern Baptist context to pursuing biblical scholarship after confronting limiting interpretations of Scripture around women in ministry. Together, they unpack her powerful cooking metaphor for biblical interpretation—showing how reading Scripture is both an art and a process shaped by our stories, cultures, and assumptions—and discuss how Jesus’ life consistently centers those pushed to the margins. Along the way, they explore scapegoat theory, the role of overlooked voices in interpretation, and why returning to Jesus is essential for making sense of Scripture’s many perspectives.
