Introducing: Kat Armstrong and “Holy Curiosity” Podcast

My friend (and doctoral student) Kat Armstrong has a brand new podcast with Christianity Today, called Holy Curiosity. This podcast highlights the genius storytelling of God in Scripture. If you like the kind of stuff the Bible Project does, you’ll want to listen to Holy Curiosity too! And—cross-over bonus—Tim Mackie is one of Kat’s guests. I (metaphorically) sat down with Kat to ask her some questions about herself and this exciting new resource. Check it out.

Kat, tell us about yourself. Who are you? How are you currently processing your calling and ministry?

I’m a Jesus girl through and through. The more I know the man, the more I love him. He’s my everything. And I think the Bible is a literary masterpiece, and women are mission-critical to Great Commission work. If you know those three things about me, you know me well.

I don’t love the word ‘calling.’ It feels so loaded. ‘Calling’ sounds like finding that one-in-a-million, super unique thing that only you can do the very best, being in the ‘center’ of God’s will and changing the world while you do it. Instead, I reframe my workload and project list as assignments from the Lord.

Currently, I’m on assignment as the Marketing Director of Integrus Leadership, where we equip Christian leaders to lead well. And I’m on assignment as an author, speaker, Bible teacher, and host of Holy Curiosity, a new podcast from Christianity Today.

Oh, and I’m a student at Northern Seminary pursuing a DMin in NT Context with none other than you, Dr. Gupta.

If you boiled down my multi-passion life, I’m on a mission to encourage curious Christians to explore Bible stories.

I’m excited to listen to Holy Curiosity. But it seems like nowadays, everyone has a podcast! In the endless sea of new podcasts, what inspired you to launch this one? 

You’re right! I’m processing my own insecurity about entering such a crowded space on the internet. It’s not as if I have a PhD, a big platform, or a great radiovoice. What I lack, I make up for in passion.

I think most Christians are bored with Bible study. A lot of us, self-included, read our Bibles because we know we should and hope it makes a difference in our lives. But we’re bored.

One of the first skills we learn in Bible study is dissecting a passage or verse, breaking it apart to formulate interpretations and applications. There’s so much value in these Bible study methods (hermeneutics). But many Christians are wondering why their faith feels fragmented.

Here’s one of the reasons: Disconnected Bible study leads to a disconnected faith.

Listen, I’m not telling anyone to stop proven, helpful Bible study methods. Keep on underlining and studying chapter by chapter. I know I will. What I’m recommending is that we ALSO start reading the Bible as a literary masterpiece, as a cohesive, unified story about Jesus’s love for you and me.

Holy Curiosity will approach the Scriptures with a new lens: to appreciate God’s artistic brilliance and enjoy the Bible as a literary masterpiece. Because once you see the literary connections, you can’t unsee them.

You’ve recorded a bunch of episodes by now. As you step back and look at the themes and discussions you’ve had so far, what impact has it had on your understanding of God and the Bible? Of faith? Church?

We’ve recorded two Storylines, or mini-series, and I’ve been reminded of the beauty of communal Bible study, the necessity of processing what we are learning with others, and inviting new viewpoints.

Pastor Cheryl Luke is the guest on Episode 5, and it might be the most powerful, life-changing conversation I’ve ever had with a friend. Reading Genesis 34 and John 4 will never be the same again because Cheryl helped me read with a new lens.

We need each other. If we keep doing Bible study in silos, we will miss the beauty of the Body of Christ.

What do you hope listeners say about your podcast as they recommend it to others or review it?

I hope they say Holy Curiosity made them want to read the Bible again.

Feedback is pouring in, and, by God’s grace, our prayers are being answered. Listeners are tearfully expressing that something sparked in them—a holy curiosity to revisit a familiar text, recommit their lives to Christ, and revive a weary faith.

What are some of YOUR favorite podcasts? 

The Bible Project. It’s the only podcast I really listen to on the regular.

Brings me so much joy to say, Dr. Tim Mackie is our guest on episode 3 and he is straight fire.

If you could wave a magic wand and get the guest of your dreams, who would it be?

Don’t make me narrow it down to one, please.

I hope the show has enough storylines to feature Drs. Ellen Davis, Richard Bauckham, Richard B. Hays, Leland Ryken, L. Michael Morales, Jeannine K. Brown, Marianne Meye Thompson, Carmen Imes, and Scot McKnight.

Your name is not on the list, Dr. Gupta, because you’re on episode 6, and Dr. Lynn Cohick is on episode 4.

The way the show works, I don’t formulate the line-up of guests based on someone’s availability, book launches, or popularity, but based on which scholars or pastors have done research on the storylines I’m highlighting in each mini-series. I’ve got to start working on new mini-series for the show to get all these folks on.

You know who I think would have really loved the show? Sailhamer. I don’t know his views on women in ministry, or if he would even say yes to being on the show, but I think he’d dig it.

You also have a book series (Storylines); how is the series and the podcast thematically related? How do they reflect your unique passions and interests?

Yes. I’m the lady who wrote Bible studies on mountains, valleys, trees and stones in the Bible. The 6-book Bible study series is called the Storyline Project.

In each 5-week Bible study, I trace a person, place or thing from the Old Testament to the New. Can I just say, writing Bible studies with NavPress has been a dream come true. Dave Zimmerman and Caitlyn Carlson believed in this project and I’m so grateful that they let me nerd out on things like mountains in the Bible. The series is going to continue and I’m excited to announce the new titles in a few months.

Who is your favorite seminary professor? (Just kidding! You don’t have to answer that!)

Ha! This question is one of the reasons I really enjoy your classes, Dr. Gupta! I have too many favorites; it is hard to narrow it down.

As you know, I did my master’s at Dallas Seminary, and I had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Glenn Kreider’s teaching for most of my theology classes. No one has had more influence on the way I read the Bible than Glenn. He was the first to introduce me to the metanarrative of Scripture and the first to show me some literary elements in the text that unify the whole.

Dr. Kreider joined the board of a non-profit I co-founded 15 years ago, The Polished Network, and has been an unyielding ally to women like me for decades before it was popular. He’s also the only prof I’ve ever had that played U2 in class, and I’m really here for that. (Aaron and I just saw U2 at the Sphere in Vegas, and it was epic.)

You want to know what else is “epic”? Kat’s podcast – listen and subscribe now and stay tuned for more episodes!