Tim Mackie
Welcome to Exploring My Strange Bible by Tim Mackie, lead theologian and co-founder of BibleProject.
The Language of Faith E3 — This four-part series looks at some of the most common and important words in the Bible and Christian faith that are often misunderstood and underused in modern culture. In this teaching, Tim explores the word covenant and how it's crucial for understanding the storyline and architecture of the whole biblical story. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on November 20, 2016.
The Language of Faith E2 — In this short series, we’re looking at three foundational words and concepts in the Bible and Christian faith. These words rarely come up in modern culture, and when they do, they’re often used very differently. In this teaching, Tim explores the biblical word of glory, which is commonly used and misunderstood among Christians but crucially important in the biblical story. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on October 30, 2016.
The Language of Faith E1 —- Some of the most important vocabulary words in the Bible and Christian faith are rarely used in modern Western culture, or they’re used in ways totally different from how the Bible uses them. This short series qualifies, resurrects, and gives new meaning to three of these old terms. In this teaching, Tim explores the biblical word and concept of holiness, as it applies to God and people in the story of the Bible. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portlan
Resurrection as a Way of Life E5 — In this final teaching of a five-part series, Tim explores the depiction of new creation in the book of Revelation. These final pages of the Bible talk about this future universe as new because many aspects of our current world will not carry over. At the same time, we will experience some points of continuity. So what do we make of all this and why is it important? Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on August 21, 2016.
Resurrection as a Way of Life E4 — In this fourth teaching of a five-part series, Tim explores 1 Corinthians 15, one of the most important chapters on the resurrection in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul expounds on the importance of resurrection hope, as well as what the resurrection body is (and what’s it’s not). Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on August 7, 2016.
Resurrection as a Way of Life E3 — In this third teaching of a five-part series, Tim dives into one of the most exhilarating and beautiful chapters in all of the Apostle Paul’s writings. In Romans 8, Paul retells the whole story of the Bible with imagery from Exodus, which is all about people groaning in slavery, being liberated by God, and stepping into freedom in the promised land. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on July 24, 2016.
Resurrection as a Way of Life E2 — In this second episode of a five-part series, Tim explores 1 Peter’s opening paragraph and its themes of new birth and living hope, both made possible by Jesus’ resurrection. Tim also reflects on what he learned about human psychology and hope from the Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. He gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Oregon, on July 10, 2016.
Resurrection as a Way of Life E1 — The topics of resurrection and new creation in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles are crucial for how followers of Jesus view the world, the future, and themselves. In this first episode of a five-part series, Tim teaches from Luke 24 on the story of Jesus offering a new vision of the messiah to two disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2016.
Why Church Matters E2 — Why is sharing our stuff so hard? And how does church play a critical role in helping us form this habit? In this second episode of a two-part series, Tim explores the portrait of the first church community in Acts 2, who committed to sharing their resources with each other. This demonstrates a core habit of the Church from the beginning: crossing over boundary lines to freely release our time and resources to other people. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in
Why Church Matters E1 — When people think of Christians, openness to new ideas is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. That's because we've lost a key part of the mindset of a “disciple,” a word that actually means “learner.” In this first episode of a two-part series, Tim explores the earliest depiction of the Church in Acts 2, where a group of people commit to each other and to Jesus so they can learn new ideas and form new habits of living and thinking together, all centered around
Heaven & Hell E4 — Everything we learn in the Bible about heaven and hell comes from a series of complex, ancient images, and it’s easy to misunderstand them. What do images of eternal death and everlasting fire refer to in their original context? And what do images of new creation and resurrection actually mean? In this final episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim brings everything together. He explores Jesus’ teaching on God’s final justice, as well as the apostles’ hopes for a renewed cre
Heaven & Hell E3 — The definitions of human life and death on pages 1-3 of the Bible are based on the idea that humans can live in a state of death. But the goal of God’s rescue mission is to take people out of “living death” and transfer them into a mode of “eternal life” here in the present. In this third episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim moves onto a new part of the story, which is the Old Testament vision of final justice. Why does God bring divine justice into human history, and wh
Heaven & Hell E2 — The biblical authors didn’t see death as something that just happens to you at the end of your physical life. Rather, both life and death are present realities, starting on page three of the Bible. (And believe it or not, zombies are a biblical idea!) In this second episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim tackles the biblical word for “heaven,” exploring what it does and does not mean, and then unpacks the language of life and death throughout the rest of the Bible. Tim gav
Heaven & Hell E1 — Popular culture and the media show us many misconceptions about heaven and hell. For example, it may be surprising to learn that, in the Bible, the opposite of heaven is not hell, but Earth! In this first episode of a four-part lecture series, Tim explores the popular misunderstandings and distortions of the concepts of heaven and hell in Western culture. Starting on page one of the Bible, he looks at the themes of life, death, the grave, eternal life, and eternal death. Tim g
The phrase “Come, Holy Spirit” has deep roots in the Christian Church, across many centuries and traditions. It’s a phrase regularly used both in communal worship and personal prayer, but what does it actually mean? In this message, Tim teaches from a variety of biblical passages to identify what followers of Jesus are actually saying (and not saying) when they pray, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Tim gave this message at the 2025 Holy Spirit Conference in Portland, Ore., on February 8th, 2025.
Practicing Faith E3 — In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus models for us how to daily bring our requests to God. But implied in its words are ways of being and acting that will align with our words. In this final of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Prayer, which has incredible potential to change our lives. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Ore., on August 24, 2014.
Practicing Faith E2 — In the lives of Jesus and the apostles, we discover the twin practices of fasting—-that is, withholding food from yourself for an intentional reason for a period of time—and also feasting and celebration in community. What are these practices and how do they work together? In this second of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the meaning of feasting and fasting and why it’s important to have both. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in Portland, Or
Practicing Faith E1 — In the Gospels, we find moments when Jesus steps away from the crowds for times of solitude to reflect and pray. What value did Jesus find in this practice of solitude, and how has it served his followers over the centuries and across the globe? In this first of three teachings on Christian practices, Tim explores the practice of silence and solitude, considering how to balance it with the equally important practice of community. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church
New Testament Themes E6 — Some people reject Christianity or the Bible because of something they hear about the end of the world, final judgment, or Heaven. But often, they're not actually rejecting Scripture, but rather some distortion of it. In this final message in a six-part series, Tim teaches from Revelation’s final chapters on how the New Testament depicts Heaven and new creation, compared to some deep misunderstandings in popular culture. Tim gave this message at Door of Hope Church in P
New Testament Themes E5 — The New Testament shows us that a church is meant to be a group of disciples calling out the best in one another and embodying a faithful witness in their neighborhood and city. But drama, unhealthy leadership, and even spiritual abuse can make it hard to stay committed to a church community. In this fifth message in a six-part series, Tim teaches from Hebrews 10 on what it means to regularly gather as a community of Jesus’ followers, committed to one another. Tim gave