Pete Enns: Changing Our Minds Around Certainty

Welcome to The Pivot—relaunched! Joining us this week is Pete Enns, author, Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, and cohost of The Bible For Normal People podcast. Pete emphasizes that his response to the question "What have you changed your mind about and why?" is constantly evolving, mirroring his own personal growth. He explores how embracing change respects both our human experience and individual journeys. The discussion also reveals how God, and faith broadly, accommodates questions rather than offering definitive answers.

Thought-Provoking Quotes:

“I’ve changed my mind on a lot of things, and sometimes it’s still like, I used to know, but I don’t think I know that anymore. I used to think this, but now I think something differently. And that’s why I’m open to change about pretty much anything, even some of the most fundamental questions.” - Pete Enns

“We live in a universe that is filled with mystery. The more we see things, the more we see what we don’t, and things that were certain become less certain, not because science is stupid, but because science is skeptical and it moves forward and it sees things and has to make measurements and tests.” - Pete Enns

“I think primarily my goal is to let [people] know that the Christian world allows discussions and even encourages them, which is not what they hear on TV, like it’s one thing or nothing. God can handle it. Maybe God even likes the questions.” - Pete Enns

“Evolving faith is redundant. Faith always evolves or changes. It never stays the same, because human beings, we’re growing, we’re developing.” - Pete Enns

“I do not think about God the same way now that I did when I was 24, 25. How could you? You live, you breathe, you experience things.” - Pete Enns

“God is always affected by our experiences and our intuitions. You’ve probably heard, ‘Don’t trust your intuitions, don’t trust your feelings. Those things are irrelevant.’ But that’s what makes us human. Our emotions, our experiences, our intuitions, are always involved in how we think about God. To accept that, I think, is just simply to honor our humanity.” - Pete Enns

“The Bible is more of an invitation to communion than it is the divine answer book that answers all the questions we might have.” - Pete Enns

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tony Stark

Eastern University

ChatGPT

The book of Job

Ilya Delio

Villanova University

Aristotle

Westminster Theological Seminary

Reformation

John Calvin

The Sin Of Certainty by Pete Enns

Rachel Held Evans

Evolving Faith

Iain McGilchrist

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

*Watch this interview on the YouTube channel!

*All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.

Guest’s Links:

Pete Enns’ Facebook

Pete Enns’ Instagram

Pete Enns’ Substack

The Bible for Normal People Website

The Bible for Normal People TikTok

The Bible for Normal People Facebook

The Bible for Normal People Instagram

The Bible for Normal People YouTube

Connect with Andrew:

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YouTube

Substack

Spotify

Facebook

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How to Remember by Andrew Osenga

Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga

*The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.