Christian Podcast Tops US Charts, Beating New York Times, WaPo, NPR
The Bible in a Year podcast popularity skyrockets
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A Bible podcast has become the most popular on Apple's chart almost a week after it launched.
The podcast called The Bible in a Year is hosted by Catholic priest Father Mike Schmitz and has come on the back of its success in Apple's religion and spirituality chart.
After its launch, immediately beat podcasts in every other category to claim the No. 1 spot.
Schmitz said he believes the podcast's popularity comes from people wanting 'to make a change' after almost a year of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
"One of the things the pandemic has done is making it virtually impossible to deny the fact life is uncertain," Schmitz said.
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"We only live under the illusion of certainty."
Schmitz will guide Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes that started on January 1, according to Ascension Press.
Schmitz will read two to three scriptures during each episode.
Listeners will hear Schmitz's reflection as he leads them through the prayer.
Each episode lasts around 20-25 minutes, according to Ascension Press.
Schmitz will have taken listeners through all of the books of the Bible by the end of 2021.
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"Not everything in the Bible is pretty."
"It's not meant to be a children's story," he told Fox.
"It is a true story about a broken people us and how God has worked with a broken people, and I think that is really powerful."
Schmitz said he believes the bible is a 'true story about real-life' that people 'would get a lot out of."
Christian Headlines reported:
Alexandra Desanctis for the National Review, a national news magazine, argued that the reason people began listening to a Bible podcast is because "so many of us are hungry for more than the news, for rest within a world fraught with division.
People long for clarity beyond the sound bites, for a reality that is meaningful and soul-filling, for an answer to the ache we feel for peace and stability amidst suffering and turmoil." Something many can attest to as false information in the news media is at an all-time high.
The Bible in a Year podcast is available for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
