Nate Hanson
Hi, I’m Nate. I live in the Pacific Northwest with my family, surrounded by Mt. Hood and the rivers that shape our corner of Oregon. For years I served as a pastor, worship leader, and church planter with Francis Chan, helping build communities centered on Jesus and serving people on the margins.
Along the way, I started asking deeper questions about the foundations of my faith. Those questions eventually led me through a long period of doubt, reconstruction, and years of hosting Almost Heretical where I explored those topics openly with tens of thousands of listeners. That journey mattered because it pushed me to look harder at the evidence behind Christianity, and I found far more substance and historical grounding than I expected. It helped rebuild my confidence in the Christian story and convinced me that faith does not need to be blind to be real.
Now my passion is helping others who want a faith they can trust with both heart and mind. If you have questions, if you want clarity, or if you simply want to know that Christianity stands on something solid, I’m really glad you’re here.
Shelby Hanson
Hi, I’m Shelby. I hold an MA in Biblical Studies and have spent years studying the languages, history, and world behind the Bible. I originally planned to become a Bible translator, but the more I learned in college and graduate school, the more I realized how much complexity and nuance exists in Scripture that many people never get to encounter.
That experience reshaped my relationship with faith and made me passionate about helping others understand the Bible in a grounded and historically informed way. Today, I focus on authorship, canon formation, and the lives of women in the biblical world. I care about bringing scholarly insight to everyday people in a way that is clear, honest, and approachable.
If you want to understand the Bible better or see how its story fits together in a thoughtful, evidence based way, I’m excited to learn alongside you.
The Show
Faith Lab is built on the belief that Christian faith can be thoughtful, grounded, and deeply compelling. Each episode features conversations with leading scholars, scientists, historians, and philosophers who help us understand the historical, intellectual, and evidential foundations of the Christian story. We ask honest questions, explore arguments carefully, and invite listeners to think along with us.
Faith Lab grew out of years of work that began with our previous show, Almost Heretical. Nate launched that podcast with Tim Ritter in 2018 and co-hosted it with Shelby starting in 2021. Those conversations created space for people wrestling with difficult questions about God, the Bible, and faith, and the show reached more than two million downloads. You can still find those past episodes at almostheretical.com.
Over time, our work led us toward a new direction. Instead of focusing primarily on the problems people encounter in faith, we wanted to highlight the growing body of evidence, scholarship, and historical research that shows why Christianity is built on something solid. We wanted to help people see that faith is not about shutting off your brain but engaging it more deeply.
Faith Lab is the next step in that journey. It is a place where careful thinking, historical investigation, and a genuine desire for truth come together. If you want a faith you can trust with both heart and mind, we are glad you are here.
Welcome to Faith Lab. Truth can handle the microscope. We would love for you to reach out to us with any questions or comments!
