Data Over Dogma Podcast By Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher cover art

Data Over Dogma

Data Over Dogma

By: Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher
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 This ain't your pastor's Bible podcast. This is a deep interrogation of the book, and we're bringing receipts. Bible scholar Dr. Dan McClellan and atheist podcaster Dan Beecher team up to discover what the Bible actually says, what it decidedly doesn't say (even if everyone thinks it does), and explore the history of the most popular book of all time.2023 Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Is Allie Beth Stuckey a Sheep or a Goat?

    Is Allie Beth Stuckey a Sheep or a Goat?
    Jun 30 2025
    Ooooh! Dan McClellan has a bee in his bonnet, and her name is Allie Beth Stuckey! This week we're looking at the parable of the sheep and the goats. In it, sheep are good, and goats are bad, and the Lord has some sorting to do. How do you get to be a sheep? Feed, house, clothe, and generally take care of your brothers and sisters. But that presents a problem for Allie Beth: who are her brothers and sisters? Well, let's just say that Ms Stuckey and Dr McClellan do not agree on the best way to interpret Jesus in Matthew 25. It's a showdown! And Allie Beth doesn't come out looking like a sheep. It's the goat vs the G.O.A.T! Then, we're getting positively archaeological up in here, as we explore some fascinating ancient papyri from a little island in the Nile river in southern Egypt. Elephantine island is a thousand miles from Israel, but the tiny community of ancient Hebrew people that lived there shed some incredible light on what Judaism might have looked like back then... and it might surprise you! ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DataOverDogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on the various social media places: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/data_over_dogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Have you ordered Dan McClellan's hit book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Says So⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ yet??? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ethnicity and the Bible

    Ethnicity and the Bible
    Jun 23 2025
    What's your ethnicity? Who else is included in that group, and why do you draw those boundaries where you do? Well, this week we're bringing in hired-gun Bible expert Dr Aaron Higashi to walk us through the rich and sometimes confusing concept of ethnicity, and some of the surprising ways ethnic heritage plays out in the Bible (the Israelites ARE Canaanites? Whaaaaa???!) . Then, we're going to delve into Biblical law. There's a lot of debate about which laws of the Bible apply to modern believers, and which don't. How should one decide? Well, we're going to look at two different domains: laws about food, and laws about sex. What can we learn about one set of laws by looking at the other? Thanks so much to Aaron Higashi for filling in while McClellan continues to bounce all over the country. Find Dr Higashi's books and classes at the Bible for Normal People: https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/books-for-normal-people/1-and-2-samuel-for-normal-people-book/ ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DataOverDogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on the various social media places: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/data_over_dogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Have you ordered Dan McClellan's hit book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Says So⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ yet??? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Did the Bible Steal its Stories?

    Did the Bible Steal its Stories?
    Jun 16 2025
    Were the authors of the Bible just writing firsthand accounts of events that actually happened? That's a pretty tough case to make. As a matter of fact, we have very good reason to believe that many of the stories of the bible have shared roots with many other stories/myths of ancient southwest Asia and northern Africa. This week, we'll look at many of those stories, and discuss their parallels and origins from around the region. We'll discuss what evidence scholars use to come to these conclusions, and have some fun trying to figure out who came up with what first. Then in our second segment, we'll look at Haggai. It's a book of only two chapters, and those chapters frankly don't seem like much on first blush. Is there more to Haggai than meets the eye? ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DataOverDogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on the various social media places: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/data_over_dogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Have you ordered Dan McClellan's hit book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Says So⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ yet??? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
All stars
Most relevant  
Love that ideology was kept out of the discussion. The discussion was somewhat comprehensive and enlightening. Looking forward to future podcasts.

insight without ideology - perfect

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I really enjoy learning about the scholarship.
Thank you for sharing. I'm looking forward to more content.

Great conversation

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The audio levels are a little off at the beginning, and Dan M makes a gestures without a descriptive vocalization towards the end, but those are my only complaints. If you've ever listened to a sermon or a political argument based on the Bible, you'll be interested in what the Dans have to say here. Informative, fascinating, but not polemical.

An excellent start to a vital podcast

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As a deconstructing Christian, I’ve found Dan McClennan to be very helpful as a guide through the whole experience. I appreciate his humor as well as his compassion for those who have been left behind by modern day Bible. I especially appreciate the voices he gives to the women of the Bible, such as Mary Magdalene and Ashera. If you’re looking for the truth, the honest truth and not the half assed KJV truth, Dan can guide you to the sources you need to come to your own conclusions about scripture.

I look forward to this podcast every week

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I learn a lot and laugh a lot. The Daniels are well educated on their subject and present their facts and opinions in an engaging way. I look forward to each new episode.

Enjoyable!

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Great podcast by a biblical scholar without the haze of ideology. Clear and literal interpretations of the mythologies in the bible.

Very informative

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This is a great resource for those interested in really understanding the Bible without the reading being colored by any particular religious tradition.

Excellent and Entertaining

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rings true, you two, who do what you do....
that's that, is where it's at...

yo...

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The presentation was so flippant and disrespectful that I found it distracted and detracted from the information presented.

Disappointing

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