Character Study: The Bible for Real
Join pastor David Tieche and journalist Jon Fortt, friends since college, as they explore scripture with deep devotion and just the right amount of irreverence. They dive into the stories of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot, and more, bringing the wild characters of the Bible to life.
Episodes
Laban: The Trickster Who Finally Met His Match
Jon Fortt and David Tieche stay in the Jacob cycle with Laban — Jacob's uncle and father-in-law, the con man of Haran, and the rare Genesis villain who beats the hero at his own game.The first villain in Genesis isn't a dragon or a Goliath but the snake — not strong, just the craftiest animal in the garden, its weapon the lie. Laban is that craftiness loose inside Abraham's own family,
Leah: Unloved, Unchosen, and the God Who Saw Her
Jon Fortt and David Tieche continue Season 2 with Leah — Jacob's first wife, the older sister nobody chose, whose story runs from a wedding-night deception to a blessing spoken over brides for generations.They start where the text starts, with one loaded, untranslatable description: Leah had "weak eyes," while her sister Rachel "had a lovely figure and was beautiful." Nobod
Rachel: Beauty, Barrenness, and the God Who Remembered Her
Jon Fortt and David Tieche continue Season 2 with Rachel — Jacob's beloved wife, the beautiful younger sister whose story runs from a well in Haran to a grave outside Bethlehem.They start with the detail the Bible refuses to skip: Rachel was "lovely in form and beautiful." Like Sarah and Rebekah before her, her beauty is placed front and center — while her older sister Leah is rememb
Why Would God Bless a Con Man? Jacob's Journey
His name basically means "trickster." He cons his brother out of a birthright, deceives his blind father for a blessing, and runs for his life. So why does God meet Jacob on the road and hand him the same covenant He gave Abraham?Jon Fortt and David Tieche open the Jacob cycle with two very different reactions to the man — David can't stand him; Jon quietly relates — and work through Genesis 27 an
Is it Ever OK to be Tricky? Rebekah's Initiative and Deception
Season 2 of Character Study opens with Jon Fortt and Dave Tieche launching the Jacob saga by starting with his mother, Rebekah – the decisive counterweight to a passive Isaac. In Genesis 24, Abraham sends an unnamed servant to his homeland to find Isaac a wife (no Canaanite intermarriage). At a well the servant prays an oddly specific prayer ("prop bets," Jon jokes): let the woman who waters my ca
The Bible and The Odyssey: How Odysseus is Like Jacob
Jon Fortt and David Tieche open Season 2 of Character Study, their Scripture-through-people podcast and companion to their dozen-plus YouVersion Bible plans. Season 1 covered the Abraham cycle; Season 2 turns to Jacob. The launch timing coincides with a cultural moment: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is nearing $1 billion at the box office, and its trickster hero Odysseus becomes the hook for
Judas and Peter: Betrayal, Denial and the Way Back
The Character Study podcast episode on Judas, hosted by Jon Fortt and David Tieche, examines the infamous betrayer not as a monster beyond humanity but as a cautionary mirror — someone whose trajectory any of us could follow in smaller ways.The episode opens by situating Judas among history's great betrayers — Benedict Arnold, Shakespeare's Iago — before drawing a critical distinction bet
The Good Samaritan: Minnesota, Mercy, and Being a Neighbor
bible.fortt.comIn this episode of Character Study, Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche take up one of Jesus’ most famous—and most misunderstood—parables: the Good Samaritan. Jon frames the conversation around the word neighbor and why it has such sharp relevance today, especially amid modern debates about law, borders, responsibility, and who deserves care. He’s clear that the goal isn’t political p
What Abraham and His Family Teach Us About Faith
In the Season 1 finale of Character Study, Jon Fortt and David Tieche step back from individual episodes to reflect on what the Genesis story of Abraham and his extended family ultimately reveals about character, faith and human responsibility. Rather than offer tidy moral lessons, the conversation emphasizes complexity: character is revealed not only by personal choices, but by proximity, influen
Isaac on the Altar: Faith and the God Who Provides
In this episode of Character Study, Jon Fortt and David Tieche turn to one of the most unsettling passages in the Bible: Genesis 22 and the binding of Isaac. While Isaac is often treated as a secondary figure in Abraham’s story, the conversation insists he cannot be ignored. This is a narrative that provokes fear, moral revulsion and deep questions about the character of God – and the hosts resist
Lot’s Wife and the Horror of Looking Back
In this episode of Character Study, Jon Fortt and David Tieche explore Genesis 19—the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—by focusing less on spectacle and more on character, moral drift, and spiritual consequence. Jon frames the chapter as a biblical horror story: temptation, warning signs ignored, catastrophic judgment, and the unsettling truth that escape alone does not guarantee safety. The cent
Lot and the Angels in Sodom
In this episode, Jon and David continue their examination of Lot by contrasting his character with Abraham’s and focusing on Genesis 18–19, the events leading to the destruction of Sodom. Lot is presented not as a clear villain, but as a deeply compromised figure—someone who recognizes God and practices religious gestures, yet is shaped far more by the culture he chose than by the God he claims to
Simeon and Anna: Prophesying Over the Baby Jesus
In this special Advent edition of Character Study, Jon Fortt and David Tieche pause their Abraham series to reflect on Luke 2 and two often-overlooked figures surrounding Jesus’ infancy: Simeon and Anna. Coming after a discussion of Herod, the episode intentionally contrasts worldly power with quiet faithfulness.The conversation centers on how Simeon and Anna are, by all conventional measures, “no
Carlos Campo, CEO of Museum of the Bible, on Making the Bible Accessible to All
This special episode of Character Study marks a first for the podcast, as Jon Fortt and David Tieche welcome their inaugural guest: Dr. Carlos Campo, CEO of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Campo, who has led the museum for about a year and a half after previously serving on its board, describes his role not as a career move but as a calling. After decades as a university president and
Herod: The Bad Guy in the Christmas Story
Jon and Dave continue their Advent conversation in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. In Episode 7 of Character Study, journalist Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche unpack the historical facts and Biblical details about Herod, his interactions with the magi, relationship with the Roman Empire, and significance as a political figure.
Gabriel and Zacharias: How Will I Know?
Jon and Dave continue their Advent conversation in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. For Episode 6 of Character Study, journalist Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche explore the story of Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, and how he responded to the miraculous news that a baby was on the way.
Wise Men and Shepherds: Anticipating Jesus
Dave and Jon take a break from the Abraham cycle in the podcast to begin reflecting on the Christmas moment in scripture. In Episode 5 of Character Study, journalist Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche look at how different audiences react to the news of the savior's arrival, and what we can learn from them.
Lot's Ambition and Compromise
Your money or your life? Lot follows his uncle Abraham on an epic journey, but along the way their economic interests collide. As a result, Lot makes a fateful decision to pitch his tent near a city notorious for values that are out of alignment with the God he and Abraham serve. In Episode 4 of Character Study, journalist Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche look at Lot's choices and Abrahams,
Hagar's Resilience and Trust
This is a tough story. Hagar shows up in Genesis 16, but it's in a context where, as we talked about in the last couple episodes, Abraham and Sarah have been promised a child, an offspring, but they're old. Then there's a delay. And that's the problem. Sarah had an Egyptian slave named Hagar. So she said to Abraham, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my
Sarah's Disappointment With God
Sarah wants children but can't get pregnant. God promises to fix the situation – but isn't in a rush. Her husband has big dreams and a bigger calling, and she sometimes feels like an afterthought. In Episode 2 of Character Study, journalist Jon Fortt and pastor David Tieche explore the story of a woman dealing with extraordinary circumstances and massive disappointment – and what we can le
Abraham's Leap of Faith
Pastor David Tieche and journalist Jon Fortt kick off the Character Study series by breaking down one of the biggest moments in the Bible, and one of the most important people, Abraham. Does Abraham have amazing faith, or is he really gullible? How is God's encounter here different from anything that's happened before? And do you stop for food on a road trip of this magnitude? Beginning in
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