Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Restitutio
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
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| 580 An Honest Evaluation of the Evidence for the Deity of Christ (Sean Finnegan) | 27 Dec 2024 | 00:58:03 | |
Does the New Testament refer to Jesus as God? Though this is an important question, it’s only a starting point for wrestling with who Jesus is. In what follows we’ll consider the evidence from five scholars on what texts they say attribute deity to Christ. Then we’ll examine the biblical evidence that pulls in the opposite direction, suggesting that Jesus was not God. Lastly, we’ll examine five major possibilities for interpreting this data, including trinitarianism, modalism, Arianism, Greco-Roman polytheism, and biblical unitarianism. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 579 Christologies in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries (Dale Tuggy) | 20 Dec 2024 | 01:01:20 | |
Have you heard of Hippolytus’s Refutation of All Heresies? Written not long after 222 A.D. this book works through dozens of heresies–beliefs that the author disagreed with. Some scholars have argued against Hippolytus as the author, preferring to call him pseudo-Hippolytus. But regardless of who wrote the tome, the fact is that this huge book was the mature result of nearly seventy years of Christians cataloging heresies. In each case the next generation typically included much of what had come before and this book is no exception. It’s a massive tome, totaling more than 400 pages long in the most recent translation by David Litwa. In this talk, delivered at the 2024 UCA conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dr. Dale Tuggy draws on the Refutation of All Heresies to catalog the major christological options that were known to the author in the third century. Excluding all the gnostic groups, Tuggy identifies three broad groups of Christians who held very different ideas about Christ: the Dynamic Monarchians, the Modalistic Monarchians, and the Logos Incarnationists. Or to use the parlance of today, biblical unitarians, oneness believers, and Arians. But, what about the Trinity? Where was it? Why didn’t pseudo-Hippolytus mention three persons in one being? Surely hundreds of millions of Christians who say the Church has always believed in the Trinity from the beginning can’t be wrong, can they? Listen in to this talk to find out. Dale Tuggy is an analytic philosopher specializing in Trinity theories. He’s the author of the Trinity article in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as well as the book What Is the Trinity, which gives a brief introduction to the various Trinity models and their problems. A month ago, a new book came out that he contributed to called One God, Three Persons, Four Views, in which he debated various Trinitarian scholars, putting forward his own non-trinitarian view as an alternative. Find out more about Tuggy and his work at his blog: Trinities.org. In what follows he lays out the various christologies in the period before Nicea as well as explains quotations by Athenagoras and Mileto that modern trinitarian defenders use to prove that the Trinity was there in the second century. Lastly, he provides evidence for which view he thinks was the majority in the second and third centuries. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 570 My Journey into Healing Ministry (Bob Carden) | 16 Oct 2024 | 00:56:51 | |
People need the touch of God in their lives. People are broken, wounded, and sick. Jesus Christ has already come and made available deliverance from sin and its consequences. He did this throughout his ministry and continues to bring healing through his church today. Bob Carden shares about his own journey of faith from Catholicism to the Way Ministry to pastoring a non-denominational church in Naperville, IL. Now retired, he relates his decades-long pursuit of the miraculous, especially deliverance and healing. Now I realize this can be a controversial subject, which is why I'm so thankful for how Carden's kind and compassionate tone comes through in this conversation. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 479 Scripture & Science 16: Science in the Bible (Will Barlow) | 20 Jan 2023 | 00:36:02 | |
What do we do when the science in the bible seems wrong by today's standards, but typical for their world? For example, those who believe in a flat earth often point to scripture as evidence for their belief. Indeed the bible arguably does contain some texts that imply a flat earth. But, if the Hebrew people believed in a flat earth, does that mean we should today? Should we posit an elaborate conspiracy that Google, SpaceX, and NASA are trying to hide the truth of a flat earth? In addition to tackling scientific inaccuracies, Will Barlow will also cover many scientific accuracies that point to divine inspiration in scripture. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBPmdNyROgQ&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV1Etu1jXO3jbUQ6CFI-2k6W&index=16 See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Science in the Bible • Cases when the science is “wrong”• Cases when the science is “right”• Overview and concluding thoughts Cases when the science is “wrong” • Flat Earth• Dome over the Earth• Unmovable Earth• Foundations of the Earth• Thinking with your intestines Flat Earth Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; Daniel 4:10-11 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Dome over the Earth Job 37:18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror? This question by Elihu assumes a hard dome ove | |||
| 478 Unitarian Anabaptist (Tom Huszti) | 13 Jan 2023 | 00:58:54 | |
When COVID first broke out many endeavored to put their extra time to good use. Tom Huszti began listening to podcasts. He was intensely curious about theology. Huszti came to question several key beliefs he had imbibed as a lifelong Anabaptist, living in rural Ohio. Eventually he saw that the church's God and the bible's God were at odds with each other. Huszti embraced unitarianism and faced significant troubles because of this change. He is now launching a new ministry on YouTube called "The Unitarian Anabaptist" in which he intends to share his insights about Christ's identity with others. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vKDRJOklzU —— Links ——
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| 477 Questioning the Trinity (Steven Nemes) | 05 Jan 2023 | 01:03:27 | |
Dr. Steven Nemes is an analytic philosopher and theologian who uses a phenomenological approach to reading scripture and constructing theology. In this interview I ask him about his unique approach to evaluating doctrine, especially the Trinity, from a phenomenological perspective. We also discuss restorationism as a common ground and delve into Church history extensively. In the end Nemes argues for freedom rather than dogma when evaluating various doctrines related to the Trinity. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
—— Questions for Interview —— 1. Most people know what systematic theology is–simply the categorizing of doctrines or beliefs–but most don’t know what phenomenology is. Can you offer a brief explanation? 2. A lot of your work focuses on reading scripture. Why did you decide to focus on the phenomenology of reading the bible? 3. Let’s talk about the Trinity. When I listened to your interview with Dale Tuggy in September you listed off a whole series of problems with the Trinity. Then he asked you, “Well, why do you still believe in it?” You replied because it’s hard to disprove one ousia in 3 subsistences. Now, however, you no longer identify as a trinitarian. What changed? 4. You mentioned Mark Edwards’ book, Catholicity and Heresy that what the Gnostics did–hypostatizing attributes of God like wisdom, spirit, mind, etc.–influenced Nicene reasoning. Could you talk more about that? 5. You’ve recently been making a public case for unitarian theology and christology, what has prompted that? 6. It seems like you’re a fan of the Polish Brethren and specifically, their book The Racovian Catechism. What drew you to this work? Would you identify as a Socinian? 7. Tell me about your book, Orthodoxy and Heresy. What’s the main idea. 8. As you probably know unitarians have been excluded, deplatformed, persecuted, and even martyred for centuries. Have you faced any opposition? 9. What advice would you give to unitarian Christians to help us grow as a movement? | |||
| 476 Scripture & Science 15: What Happened in the Exodus? (Will Barlow) | 29 Dec 2022 | 00:35:03 | |
What happened in Egypt during the ten plagues? Approaching the matter from a scientific perspective, our teacher, Will Barlow, brings to light some interesting connections. Probably most of us think God's miracles are akin to magical interventions where he breaks the laws of nature to perform a supernatural feat. As we saw last time, the bible doesn't require that view nor does it shy away from offering details occasionally about how God achieved the miraculous. Drawing on the work of Colin Humphreys, Barlow takes a close look at the events surrounding Israel's exit from Egypt, including the timing of the event, the number of people involved, the ten plagues, and the location of Mount Sinai. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7QRFotwkkw See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— The Miracles of Exodus • Background• The Ten Plagues of Egypt• A Possible Route Background Colin Humphreys received a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University. He is also an expert in chemistry, astronomy, and geology. He has spent a great deal of time and effort researching ways to reconcile Scripture and science. Dating the Exodus • If we take the evidence from Exodus 1:11, the Hebrews built the city of Rameses (1300 BC)• But 1 Kings 6:1 seems to indicate that the Exodus occurred 480 years before the Temple (1446 BC) Humphreys prefers the later date because it is easier to reconcile historically. How then can we understand the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1? The Septuagint says 440 years, and this is a great clue. Really, 480 years could be an approximation based on the numbers of generations since the prior events. Humphreys actually goes much further than this. He demonstrates that there are 14 high priests starting from Aaron and ending at Azariah, the high priest at the time of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. But Aaron is 2 generations old (age | |||
| 475 Scripture & Science 14: What Are Miracles? (Will Barlow) | 24 Dec 2022 | 00:44:50 | |
What is a miracle? Does it mean God breaks the laws of physics or merely that he intervenes within the system? After considering several definitions of miracles from Christian thinkers, Will Barlow interacts with a number of biblical incidents to explain what a miracle is and is not. He examines the parting of the Red Sea, Moses getting water from the rock, the collapse of Jericho’s walls, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, and Daniel in the lions’ den. For each Barlow looks at how God performed the miracle, shedding light on how science and scripture interact. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Miracles • Defining a Miracle • Archetypal Example • Other Examples What is the big deal with miracles? Why are miracles important? • Thomas Jefferson famously refused to believe in miracles – his edited version of the NT had all of the miracles removed • In modern times, miracles are still controversial Richard Swinburne on miracles: “What the theist claims about God is that he does have a power to create, conserve, or annihilate anything, big or small. And he can also make objects move or do anything else…He can make the planets move in the way that Kepler discovered that they move, or make gunpowder explode when we set a match to it…” “or he can make planets move in quite different ways, and chemical substances explode or not explode under quite different conditions from those which now govern their behavior. God is not limited by the laws of nature; he makes them and he can change or suspend them – if he chooses.” Francis Collins on miracles: A miracle is “an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.” —The Language of God, page 48. William Lane Craig on miracles: “You see, natural laws have implicit ceteris paribus conditions—that’s Latin meaning, ‘all other | |||
| 474 Scripture & Science 13: Noah’s Flood (Will Barlow) | 16 Dec 2022 | 00:42:41 | |
Having looked at the basics of earth science last time, we are now ready to consider Noah's Flood. As always you'll learn the major options for interpreting this biblical event. Some Christians understand the flood to have been a local event, largely limited to the region of Mesopotamia. Others hold to the notion that this flood covered the entire planet, rising above even the highest mountains. No matter which position you take, you'll have to answer key biblical and scientific questions. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0xPsa6WrPE&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV1Etu1jXO3jbUQ6CFI-2k6W&index=13&t=4s See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Noah’s Flood • Considerations• Global or local?• Evidence for Noah’s Flood• Implications of Noah’s Flood Considerations • Rain before the flood?• Plate tectonics and evolution• Scope and evolution• How big was the ark? Rain before Noah’s flood? Many have taught that, before Noah’s flood, there was no rain: Genesis 2:5-6 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- Scholar Mark Futato suggests that “mist” should be translated as “rain.” • In the context, there are two “problems” • No rain• No man to till the ground • Thus, “mist” could equal “rain” Reasons why “mist” could be better: • If you hold late tectonic shift, mist would be required (“land” singular in Genesis 1:10)• The sign of the rainbow — the rainbow is only physically possible with rain• Possibly rain kicked off the modern water cycle - this answers the objection “where did the water go?” Plate Tectonics and evolution What we believe about plate tectonics impacts our view on | |||
| 473 Scripture & Science 12: What Is Earth Science? (Will Barlow) | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:49:38 | |
So far we've considered physics and biology in our exploration of scripture and science. Today we begin to consider how earth science and the bible fit together. This becomes particularly significant when considering interpretations for Noah's flood. We'll get to that next time. But, for today, our teacher will lay out the basics of geology and earth science to give us a good overview. He'll also cover radiometric dating, which has a bearing on how scientists determine the age of the earth. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VzgrLAFXfg&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Flhim.org%2F&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Geology, Earth Science, and Atmospheric Science • Geology• Important cycles• Plate tectonics Geology • Types of rocks/rock cycle• Geological principles• Dating methods• Structure of the Earth What is Geology? Geology is the study of the Earth and the processes related to the Earth. • Geologists study rocks (and the rock cycle)• Subfields include atmospheric studies (meteorology), volcanology (studying volcanos), and mineralogy (study of minerals) Types of Rocks There are three major categories of rocks: • Sedimentary - formed by pressure acting on sediment• Igneous - formed by lava• Metamorphic - formed by extreme pressure and heat The Rock Cycle Since wind and water are constantly affecting change, there is a rock cycle. Geological Principles There are several main principles of geology: • Superposition• Cross-cutting relationships• Uniformitarianism Dating Methods There are major types of dating: • Absolute dating• Relative dating Absolute Dating Absolute dating is based on radioactive decay. What is radioactive decay? • Some forms of certain elements are (by nature) unstable• Over time, these elements change on the atomic lev | |||
| 472 Why I (Still) Don’t Believe in Evolution (Sean Finnegan) | 02 Dec 2022 | 00:37:17 | |
I’d like to take an opportunity to interrupt this Scripture and Science class. We’ve just done three episodes on evolution. The first one covered the basics of what evolution is. Our second teaching evolution covered biblical problems and the third surveyed some scientific problems. Then Will interviewed Sam about his beliefs in both Christianity and evolution. I figured we’d just leave it there and move on to hear what Will had to say about geology. But after seeing various comments coming in, I decided it would be good to interject some of my own thoughts both defending my reasons for honestly engaging with evolution as well as my reasons for still not believing in it. My reasons:
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 471 Scripture & Science 11: Scientific Objections to Evolution (Will Barlow) | 23 Nov 2022 | 00:37:22 | |
Since it's inception, evolutionary theory has remained controversial for many. Although one might think only uneducated laypeople find the idea unpalatable, quite a sizeable minority of scientists too struggle to come to terms with Darwinism. In today's episode, Will Barlow explores a number of major scientific objections to evolution, including the Cambrian explosion, mutations as an insufficient mechanism, irreducible complexity, and the fossil record itself. Additionally, he briefly explores the issue of abiogenesis--the presumed starting point for any evolutionary development. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdx6kuhRqQY&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Scientific Objections to Evolution • Evidence problems (open scientific questions)• Methodological problems• Evolution or design? Evidence Problems The theory of evolution has several major open problems that are yet to be solved: • The Cambrian Explosion• Mutations The Cambrian Explosion Much of the fossil record could be viewed in a light to support evolution, but the Cambrian Explosion poses a big problem: • The theory of evolution requires slow changes over a long time• Cambrian explosion was a big change in a short period of time Simply put, what is the Cambrian explosion? • Evolution would predict species would diverge and lead to new genera, families, orders, classes, and then phyla• Most animal phyla (and many major classes within them) appear fully formed in the Cambrian period “According to modern paleontologists James Valentine, Stanley Awramik, Philip Signor, and Peter Sadler, the appearance of the major animal phyla near the beginning of the Cambrian is ‘the single most spectacular phenomenon evident in the fossil record.’”— Jonathan Wells, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, page 1 | |||
| 470 Scripture & Science 10: Biblical Objections to Evolution (Will Barlow) | 18 Nov 2022 | 00:39:11 | |
Having looked at what the theory of evolution teaches last time, today we're going to think through how well evolution fits with the bible. Will Barlow covers two main scriptural objections that young earth creationists bring against evolution before exploring three more issues that arise from the perspective of old earth creationism. How does Genesis 1 fit with evolution? Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZysp0JF3CA&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Genesis 1 and Evolution • Review of evolution• YEC and evolution• OEC and evolution• Non-literal views and evolution Review of evolution Misconception #1: “It’s just a theory!”Misconception #2: It means to explain how life beganMisconception #3: Evolution says that humans evolved from apesMisconception #4: Evolution is a progression from simpler organisms to more complex organisms YEC and Evolution How does YEC view evolution? • In short, YEC reject the theory of evolution• YEC make both Scriptural and scientific arguments to defend their position - we will focus on the Scriptural arguments for now Scriptural Objection #1 “Adam and Eve are no longer the first humans, and original sin goes out the window. This does irreparable damage to the biblical redemption narrative. The Bible says that death came into the world because of man’s sin (Romans 5:12) and that all of creation labors under a curse because of sin (Romans 8:22). Scripture also says that Christ is the last Adam, come to redeem us from the sin brought into the world through the first man, Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45).” “If Adam were a mythical figure, which is what evolution demands, even in a Christianized form, the entire parallel between the two Adams and the kinsman redeemer concept is destroyed. By advocating evolution, theistic evolutionists are undermining the very tenets of Christiani | |||
| 569 The Cost of Truth (Seneca Harbin) | 11 Oct 2024 | 01:16:26 | |
Seneca Harbin became a Christian later in life through reading the Bible. However, when he was attending a megachurch in Indianapolis, he starting hearing the pastor preach about Christ in a way that seemed bizarre and unbiblical. To his surprise Seneca discovered that the vast majority of Christians held to these extra-biblical speculations about multiple persons in the godhead and dual natures of Christ. This set him on a quest to find others who, like him, preferred to stop where scripture stops and understand Jesus as the Messiah not a God man. After relating his own spiritual journey, he talks about his recent book, The Cost of Truth, which adds in the testimonies of several others, including Bill Schlegel, Will Barlow, Johnny Barnes, Seth Ross, Susanne Lakin, Candise Tuggy, and Ryan Russell. I believe this book will fire you up. It's easy to get complacent, but this little book of testimonies shows us that God is not done yet. He's reaching people in our time, calling them out of darkness and confusion into his marvelous light. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 469 Scripture & Science 9: What Is Evolution? (Will Barlow) | 11 Nov 2022 | 00:35:42 | |
Having taken a short break from our Scripture & Science series, we are back. Today begins a series of three episodes exploring evolution. Whether you believe in evolution or not, it's important to understand what the theory claims and how evolutionists reason. In this episode, Will Barlow briefly explains how evolutionists explain the gradual change from one species to another. He dispels four common misconceptions and delves into the genetic insights popularized by Francis Collins who is both an evolutionist and a Christian. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDi6QRlyfSE&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Biochemistry and Evolution • Common misconceptions with evolution• General framework of evolution• Modern evolutionary theory Common misconceptions with evolution Misconception #1: “It’s just a theory!” • Often, opponents of evolution will state that it is a theory (and use that term pejoratively)• However, evolution does account for much of the scientific evidence and has made many successful predictions Definition of “theory”“A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed.”-Richard Dawkins, The Greatest Show of Earth, pg. 9 Common misconceptions with evolution Misconception #2: It means to explain how life began • Often, opponents of evolution attack the beginning of life problem• However, evolution does not attempt to account for the beginning of life; this is the theory of abiogenesis Misconception #3: Evolution | |||
| 468 Touching the Supernatural (Dale Allison) | 03 Nov 2022 | 01:00:34 | |
Renowned Historical Jesus Scholar and Princeton Theological Seminary Professor, Dale Allison's life changed forever when he was just sixteen years old. In fact, he has chronicled nine profound spiritual experiences throughout his life. These extraordinary moments of transcendence led him to a comparative study to learn more about what is happening to people all around the world in our time. The result? A book that catalogues and describes weird encounters with angels in white, sudden terminal lucidity, near death experiences, and even encounters with evil spiritual entities. This is not the typical sort of book written by someone who has made a career of scholarship within a guild that generally prefers naturalism and reductionism to the miraculous or inexplicable. Nonetheless, now tenured and sitting atop a mountain of published successes--and without concern about his career--Professor Allison feels free to explore his own numinal episodes as well as those of a staggering number of others--most of whom keep such experiences to themselves. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/H4_ZSJH6SRs —— Links ——
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| 467 Parenting Wayward Adult Children (Mary DeMuth) | 28 Oct 2022 | 00:43:48 | |
Today we’re taking a little break from our Scripture and Science class for an author interview. I’m talking with Mary DeMuth who wrote, Love, Pray, Listen, which is about parenting wayward adult kids with joy. Because faith is not genetic, our children get to decide for themselves whether or not they will follow Jesus. Some believe in the home and then stand strong a lifetime. Others, have to go over fool’s hill and after a period of rebellion, come back to the faith with a powerful testimony. Still others, leave and never come back. What’s more, you have no idea what’s going to be the case with your kids. We parent, we teach, we pray, we love, but God has not given us the right to force our adult kids to believe. How do we deal with this? Well, Mary DeMuth has some answers to encourage you and help you maximize the possibility of them coming back to the faith. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
—— Questions —— 1. Your book is for the parents of adult wayward children. What made you want to write about this? 2. Share a little about your own story. 3. A lot of Christ-followers with wayward adult children probably blame themselves. What would you say to them? 4. You talk about joy throughout the struggle. How can parents possibly have joy while their children are rejecting God and embracing our culture’s hostile attitude toward the bible and biblical Christianity? 5. Let’s talk about love. Tell us some ways we can love wayward adult children biblically and effectively. 6. What else. Anything else on this? Politics? other secondary issues that parents get fixated on 7. What about prayer? How can we pray for our adult children biblically and effectively? 8. What about listening? How can we listen to our adult children biblically and effectively? 9. <if time> Let’s talk about LGBT issues. How can parents both express love and retain their biblical ethics when their child says, “I’m gay” or “I’m trans”? 10. For those of us who still have our children in the home (like me). What would you say we can do to avoid losing them once they move out? 11. How can people learn more about you? | |||
| 466 Scripture & Science 8: Fine-Tuning (Will Barlow) | 21 Oct 2022 | 00:43:51 | |
This episode rounds out three sessions focused on physics. Today we're learning about the incredibly precise conditions required for life to exist in our universe. From the strength of gravity to the properties of carbon or water to the beauty of math and the stars, Pastor Will Barlow enumerates several key ways in which the cosmos is finely-tuned to support life. Next he covers several of the common responses atheists put forward to explain this incredible precision. Barlow briefly responds to each before concluding that the God hypothesis fits the best. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQYtxleTue0 See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— What is fine-tuning? Fine-tuning is the idea that the existence of life on Earth is due to remarkably precise “settings” in the natural world. • Example: baking a cake vs. baking a “fine-tuned” cake• Example: Finding a watch in a forest Fine-tuning in Scripture Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Categories of fine-tuning • Cosmological• Properties of carbon and water• Beauty in math, physics, and nature Cosmological fine-tuning Example One: The Balance between forces • A 1% change in the strong nuclear force would have a 30-1,000 fold impact on oxygen and carbon production in stars• Small changes to gravity would make large life impossible• The balance between gravity and electromagnetism allows for gentler yellow stars like our Sun “The expansion speed, the material content of the universe, and the strengths of the basic forces, seem to have been a prerequisite for the emergence of the hospitable cosmic habitat in which we live.”-Martin Rees, physicist and skeptic Example Two: The Balance bet | |||
| 465 Scripture & Science 7: Genesis and the Big Bang | 13 Oct 2022 | 00:37:32 | |
Building on last week, Will Barlow continues to describe and analyze issues with the Big Bang Theory. He considers standard biblical and scientific objections brought forward by young earth creationists. After responding to these objections, he shows how each of the main Christian views of origins deals with the Big Bang. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yonfcv5mf6I&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— The Big Bang In basic terms, what does the Big Bang theory say? • The Universe began approximately 13.7 billion years ago• Space and matter have been expanding and cooling since then What is the current state of the Big Bang? • We will never be able to travel back in time to observe the beginning• Physicists used high-energy collisions to test hypotheses related to the Big Bang• There is a physical restriction on understanding the first moment of the Big Bang Are there viable alternatives to the Big Bang? • Oscillating universe — Universes expand and contract until the right one pops out• Multiple Universes — Infinite number of Universes exist beyond our ability to observe them• Inflationary models• Hawking’s theory YEC and the Big Bang How does YEC view the Big Bang? • In short, YEC reject several aspects of the Big Bang• YEC make both Scriptural and scientific arguments to defend their positionScriptural Objections What objections do YEC make about the Big Bang from Scripture?“The Bible tells us that God created heaven, earth, and everything within them in the span of six days (Exodus 20:11) and rested on the seventh day. This is the basis for our work week (Exodus 20:8). In contrast, the big bang model claims that the universe and earth formed over billions of years.” “Genesis tells us that God created the stars on the fourth day—three days after the earth was created. In contrast, the big bang | |||
| 464 Scripture & Science 6: Physics and Astronomy (Will Barlow) | 07 Oct 2022 | 00:36:01 | |
Now that we've considered a bunch of the options for interpreting creation in Genesis, we are moving to look at astronomy. In today's episode Will Barlow moves into his home territory--physics. You'll learn about the weird nature of light, how particles do strange things at the quantum scale, and how the big bang model actually leads to belief in God. If you've ever been curious how to talk to science-minded friends and relatives about belief in God, today's episode should help! Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiRc2q_RFX4&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV1Etu1jXO3jbUQ6CFI-2k6W&index=6 See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Overview of Modern Physics • Light• General Relativity• Quantum Mechanics• The Big Bang Light • Perhaps the most interesting and necessary to support life• Comes in many forms• Can act as a wave or a particle (unique!)• Light can act like a wave (ex: sound or water)• Light can act like a particle (ex: basketball)• Light seems to know the fastest path through a material• The speed of light is a well-known quantity and is considered the “speed limit of the Universe” General Relativity • Has been verified enough to use in everyday items like GPS• Gravity can bend light and make “impressions” in space-time Quantum Mechanics • Useful when talking about microscopic things• Shows that electrons do not orbit a nucleus like a planet around the Sun• Gives probabilities for direction and location at any given time Imagine that you reach your hand out to touch a table: • On a microscopic level, what you feel as “solid” is actually the electrons in your hand repelling the electrons in the table• Theoretically, your hand could pass through the table if you could line up the electrons in your hand with the electrons in the table (quantum tunneling) The Big Bang • Some ancient pagans (like Aristotle) believed that the | |||
| 463 Scripture & Science 5: Reading Genesis One, Part 3 (Will Barlow) | 30 Sep 2022 | 00:39:07 | |
Today we are going to cover gap theories and John Walton’s temple idea. Will Barlow explains how gap theories work, including the classic idea that there’s a gap of billions of years between Genesis 1.1 and 1.2 as well as the modified version. After explaining the pros and cons for these views, he briefly explains John Walton’s theory that Genesis 1 solely focuses on function not physical creation. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— Gap Theory There are various versions of Gap Theory: • Standard – multiple options here • Modified (“Preparing the Garden”) Pros of Standard Gap Theory Here are some pros with the standard formulation of Gap Theory: • It takes the word “day” literally as a 24-hour period • It fits directly with scientific evidence for an old Earth • It looks to the text (both in Genesis 1 and remote texts) to reach conclusions Internal Evidence Genesis 1:2 The earth was [or became] without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. “Was” or “became”? • Generally, in Hebrew, the verb “was” is unnecessary when talking about simple existence Genesis 23:17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over “Was” or “became”? • Some scholars suggest that the verb is needed for | |||
| 462 Scripture & Science 4: Reading Genesis One, Part 2 (Will Barlow) | 23 Sep 2022 | 00:44:39 | |
We've been considering the various options for interpreting the creation account in Genesis. Last time we looked at two young earth theories and today we'll survey three old earth perspectives, including the day age theory, modified day-age theory, and a non-literal approach. For each Will Barlow explains the basics and offers a gentle critique. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2y2H1PrJ34&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV1Etu1jXO3jbUQ6CFI-2k6W&index=4&t=180s See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— What have we seen so far? • Genesis was written to a group of ancient people coming out of slavery• The questions that they were asking of the text are different than the questions that we ask Many views of Genesis 1Perhaps the easiest way to divide them is: • Young-earth views• Old-earth views• Views compatible with either Old-Earth Views • “Day-Age” and modified “Day-Age”— Hugh Ross, Gerald Schroeder• “Theistic Evolution” — Francis Collins• Gap and modified gap — Scofield Bible• “Day-Age” and modified “Day-Age”— Hugh Ross, Gerald Schroeder• “Theistic Evolution” — Francis Collins• Gap and modified gap — Scofield Bible Day-AgeThere are various versions of Day-Age: • Standard• Earth-bound perspective (Hugh Ross) Pros of Standard Day-AgeHere are some pros with the standard formulation of Day-Age: • Generally, the sequence of events seems like it could be a plausible representation from an ancient person’s perspective of the scientific order of events• In the Bible, “day” can mean more than one 24-hour period Examples of Lo | |||
| 461 The Gospel and the Gospels (Simon Gathercole) | 16 Sep 2022 | 00:50:13 | |
Have you heard of the Gospel of Thomas? What about the Gospel of Philip or Judas? Although most Christians are only familiar with the four Gospels contained in the Bible, ancient Christians wrote quite a few other Gospels as well. How do we know which Gospels are to be trusted? My guest today is Dr. Simon Gathercole, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Cambridge. His new book, The Gospel and the Gospels, puts forward a commonsense historical methodology to determine which Gospels are most reliable. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsGhQVsPdvs —— Links ——
—— Interview Questions —— Dr. Gathercole is professor of NT and early Christianity at the University of Cambridge. He's got degrees from Cambridge and Durham university, where he studied under James Dunn. Before we jump into the book, what was that like studying under Dunn?Well, today, we're talking about your book The Gospel in the Gospels. Writing this book must have been a monumental task. It's 576 pages, hundreds of footnotes, published by Eerdmans, how long were you working on this project? Share a little about the process.Many don't know there were other Gospels that didn't make it into the New Testament. Outside of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, what other Gospels are there? What are they like?How can someone access these other Gospels? Would you recommend the Lost Scriptures by Bart Ehrman or The Complete Gospels by Robert Miller? or your own volume?You've done a lot of work on non-canonical Gospels over the years. What drew you to them? What about them makes them worth studying?Some say the four canonical Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are not special or authoritative, but merely the ones favored by one group of Christians who managed to seize power and suppress all others. How common is this belief in the a | |||
| 460 Scripture & Science 3: Reading Genesis One, Part 1 (Will Barlow) | 09 Sep 2022 | 00:34:42 | |
Today we'll begin to consider interpretive options for the first chapter of Genesis. We'll see three main groupings of theories, including those that propose a young earth of only thousands of years, those that see the earth as old (billions of years), and those that are compatible with either. After introducing the main options, Will Barlow goes on to explore young-earth creationism. He presents the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. Lastly, he shows why the "appearance of age" hypothesis fails to convince him. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9xyFXqh5xw&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— What have we seen so far? Genesis was written to a group of ancient people coming out of slavery The questions that they were asking of the text are different than the questions that we ask How can we read Genesis 1? Does Genesis 1 begin with a continuous narrative or is there an initial creation in verse 1 followed by a “re-creation” or “reconstitution”?
How can we read Genesis 1? How do we read the word day? Is a day a literal 24-hour period of time? Or is it something else?
How can we read Genesis 1? Is Genesis 1 meant to be a description of creation itself? Or is it meant to describe how God ascribed function to already existing systems?
How can we read Genesis 1? How importantly should we weigh the | |||
| 568 The Witch of Endor and the Rich Man and Lazarus Parable (Dustin Smith, Sam Tideman) | 03 Oct 2024 | 01:02:14 | |
Last week Dustin Smith and Sam Tideman discussed the intermediate state--what happens after death but before resurrection on the last day. Although most Christians affirm the folk idea of going immediately to heaven or hell at death, Smith and Tideman argue that the Bible teaches the dead are in Sheol or Hades. However they disagree on what's happening there. Smith holds to soul-sleep while Tideman believes the dead are conscious. We went through many scriptures last time, but today we'll discuss two critical texts on this subject: the witch of Endor and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/B42ZendSYJU —— Links ——
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| 459 Scripture & Science 2: Background on Genesis 1 (Will Barlow) | 03 Sep 2022 | 00:31:22 | |
Who was the original audience for the book of Genesis? Although we might be tempted to think we are, Genesis was written a long time ago in a different language and culture. Thinking through who the audience was, will help us approach the first chapter of Genesis on its own terms. In this episode, Will Barlow labors to put Genesis in its own context. He reminds us of what Israel had just been through in Egypt as well as other creation accounts from the ancient Near East. His goal is simply to contextualize Genesis within it's own time and place in order to help us avoid anachronism. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6BJBuavTnE&feature=emb_imp_woyt See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— What is our assumption about the Bible? Background to Genesis
How does this affect our reading of Genesis? What was going on: Exodus 1:8-10 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Exodus 3:1-2 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. Exodus 3:3-4 And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When th | |||
| 458 Scripture & Science 1: What Is a Belief System? (Will Barlow) | 26 Aug 2022 | 00:34:04 | |
Today we're starting a new class called Scripture & Science. As a college student, studying engineering, I remember a particular day at the school library when I had the thought: "Well, I guess I'm going to have to look into scientific objections to the bible." I had been raised a Christian and believed the bible was God-inspired and infallible. However, I was now taking lots of science and engineering courses and it seemed like all my professors were atheists. (I learned later that the smartest physics professor was actually a devout Christian.) I was faced with a dilemma. Do I go with scripture or science? I began an investigation, purchasing and devouring several apologetics books designed to undercut evolution and the old age of the earth. I found the arguments convincing and moved on. That worked out fine for me, but plenty of others came to the opposite conclusion, choosing science over scripture. This is a crisis young college students face over and over in the West. They ask themselves, "Do I go with God and the bible or science and reason?" If this is your situation or if you know someone who is wrestling with questions like these, this class is for you! Our teacher is Will Barlow who double majored in Physics and Math at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN before going on to do graduate work. Later he pursued biblical studies and is now going into ministry full-time. His aim in this class is to survey the most common ways Christians have worked scripture and science together. His non-dogmatic approach will inform you so you can make up your own mind about what is best. In today's episode, Barlow explains the goals for this class and introduces a few belief systems and his general approach. Instead of seeing scripture and science as enemies locked in a battle, he thinks we should learn from both the book of the bible and the book of nature. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WwypAP39Hw&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV1Etu1jXO3jbUQ6CFI-2k6W&index=1&t=369s See below for notes. —— Links ——
—— Notes —— About Will Barlow:Interested in faith/science discourse since childhoodBachelor’s degree in Physics/MathematicsMaster’s degree in Secondary Education (STEM focus)Published God &am | |||
| 457 From Oneness to One (J. Dan Gill) | 21 Aug 2022 | 00:45:56 | |
Have you heard of oneness theology? Also called "Jesus only," this is the idea that Jesus is all there is. Jesus is the Father; Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Jesus has manifested himself in many ways over the years, but there is only one individual or self who is God. Although not exclusive to the Pentecostal movement, most oneness believers belong to charismatic (or apostolic) groups today. This is a classic message given by Pastor J. Dan Gill in the early 2000s. I remember sitting there in the audience listening to him share about his community's journey of faith and thinking to myself, "Wow, he's my people!" Whether you currently hold oneness theology or not, take a listen to Brother Gill's testimony and see you what you think. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
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| 456 Why Christianity Is Awesome (Sean Finnegan) | 12 Aug 2022 | 00:43:57 | |
Why is Christianity awesome? Answering this question is a good exercise for us. So often we hear about why Christianity is terrible, especially in the eyes of the world. Many of these critiques are important and we should be humble enough to listen to problems, both real and perceived. However, my goal today is to focus on the positive. I'd like to spend some time just thinking about the goodness of our faith. I hope you will find it encouraging. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Notes —— Christianity makes sense of reality1. explains why anything exists2. explains why there is a beginning3. explains why creation is so good and beautiful4. explains why our world is so bad and ugly5. explains why laws of nature exist6. explains our desire for inclusiveness and fairness Christianity makes you a better person1. salvation from sin2. durable value3. ethical boundaries, duties, motives4. living hope Christianity makes society better1. salvation from sin2. durable value3. ethical boundaries, duties, motives4. living hope5. robust identity —— Links ——
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| 455 Is God on the Throne in Your Heart? (Sean Finnegan) | 04 Aug 2022 | 00:28:33 | |
A couple of weeks ago I got to speak at the Church of God's annual youth camp at Manchester University in rural Indiana. The week focused on all the different passions that we too easily allow to take God's spot in our hearts. Timypaul Lupe gave the message before mine in which he urged the listeners to smash their idols, demonstrating this by taking out a sledge hammer and breaking a jar on stage. My goal for this sermon was to encourage the audience to put God on the throne in their hearts. This is not something done once, but each and every day. Although my message was brief, especially by Restitutio standards, I figured I'd share it here. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 454 Amazing Grace (Sean Finnegan) | 28 Jul 2022 | 00:47:01 | |
Last Sunday, I shared this message about God's amazing grace. Instead of focusing on how gracious, merciful, and forgiving God is, I labored to explain why we don't deserve God's grace. I've observed this not only in my own journey, but also with many others who grow up in the church. We hear a thousand times how much God loves us and forgives us, but we easily overlook his wrath and holiness. God's grace is not amazing at all but an entitlement if you don't know in your bones that you deserve his wrath. In what follows I draw upon the first chapter of Isaiah to see God's heart towards his people, especially when we are enmeshed in sinful behaviors. Although difficult to preach, I believe this message is an important wake up call. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 453 Dale Tuggy Comments on Debate with William Lane Craig | 21 Jul 2022 | 00:40:10 | |
Last week Dale Tuggy discussed William Lane Craig's theory about the Trinity for an hour. In one sense this was a momentous occasion when two heavy-hitting philosophers got into the ring to duke it out. In another sense, the limited constraint of one hour barely gave either much time to warm up or process the other's position, much less land any serious blows. Still, it was a worthwhile exchange and it has already received over 5,000 views in its first week on YouTube. In this followup interview, I ask Dr. Tuggy about his impression of the exchange, his further thoughts on Craig's somewhat controversial Trinity theory, and how he would reply if given more time to engage with the "deity of Christ" texts. If you haven't yet listened to the debate, you can get it on YouTube or if you prefer audio, listen to Tuggy's Trinities podcast, episode 349. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj_WLXoL90I —— Links ——
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| 452 What Is the Gospel We Preach? (Victor Gluckin) | 15 Jul 2022 | 00:46:15 | |
What is the gospel? No, I’m not talking about the biographies of Jesus or catchy music. I mean, what is the message of salvation that Jesus commissioned us to preach? Pastor Victor Gluckin of Living Faith Christian Church in Rhode Island masterfully explains what the gospel is and does. The gospel is not good advice but good news that something has changed, is changing, and will change. The gospel is that Christ died, Christ rose, and Christ is coming again. Although most gospel presentations today only focus on the first component, Gluckin is careful to present a full gospel with all three critical elements: the cross, resurrection, and kingdom. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts As Christians we need to spend the rest of our lives mastering this message. -Victor Gluckin —— Links ——
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| 451 Wisdom Christology in Hebrews 1.10-12 (Jerry Wierwille) | 08 Jul 2022 | 00:54:48 | |
Whereas last time we examined 6 interpretations people hold for Hebrews 1.10-12, today we look at just one--the 7th. Jerry Wierwille is my guest again and in this episode he explains his take on Hebrews 1.10-12. He delves into wisdom christology to show how these verses speak of Jesus protologically as wisdom that created the heavens and the earth. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Recommended Reading ——
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| 450 Seven Interpretive Options for Hebrews 1.10-12 (Jerry Wierwille) | 30 Jun 2022 | 00:46:32 | |
In our last episode, Dr. Jerry Wierwille led us through a contextual overview of Hebrews 1 and 2 in order to situate Hebrews 1.10-12. Today, we’ll consider seven interpretations of Hebrews 1.10-12, including:
This survey should help shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of these views. We won’t get into the seventh position much in this episode, but we will cover it in detail in the next one. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 567 Are the Dead Conscious? (Dustin Smith, Sam Tideman) | 26 Sep 2024 | 01:03:04 | |
Dustin Smith and Sam Tideman discuss whether people are conscious in the intermediate state (between death and resurrection). Interestingly, neither of them think the deceased are currently in heaven or hell. Smith affirms the sleep of the dead, seeing all the dead, whether good or bad, as unconscious and unaware of the passage of time. Tideman puts forward the idea that the souls of the dead are in a semi-conscious dreamlike state in a chamber called Sheol or Hades. Today is part one of their discussion in which both lay out their positions and then discuss Ecclesiastes 9.10 and Isaiah 14.9-11. This is part one of their conversation. Stay tuned for part two next week. Dr. Dustin Smith currently serves as a New Testament scholar at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina. Smith has authored or edited six books, including the 2024 monograph, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John. He is also the weekly host of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast. Sam Tideman is a Harvard educated data scientist at Google who has keen interests in biblical studies, theology, and especially church history. He hosts the YouTube channel, "Transfigured," which has a total of nearly 250k views with interesting guests like Tim Mackie, Alister McGrath, and John Vervaeke. https://youtu.be/v6IBqLHlzQ4 Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 449 Intertextuality and Interpretation of Hebrews 1 (Jerry Wierwille) | 23 Jun 2022 | 00:43:20 | |
Hebrews 1.10-12 is a confusing passage for many of us. It seems to say that Jesus created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. Today we are beginning a three part series in which Dr. Jerry Wierwille will address this important passage in context. Our first part is Wierwille's presentation from last year's UCA conference. In this overview, he reviews the context, extending from chapter 1 all the way to 2.8. Next he presents lexical connections between Hebrews 1 and wisdom literature. He concludes that Hebrews 1.10-12 is a wisdom christology text, attributing to Jesus what wisdom had accomplished prior to his birth. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_F_T2o3WWo Here is the paper that accompanies this talk. —— Links ——
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| 448 What’s Wrong with Progressive Christianity? (Mike Winger) | 17 Jun 2022 | 01:00:52 | |
Today we are addressing Progressive Christianity. To be clear, we are not talking about politics, though they often go hand in hand. Progressive Christianity is an outgrowth of liberal Christianity, which accepted the modernist ethos of the Enlightenment and merged it with Christianity. Likewise Progressive Christianity brings the assumptions and moral commitments of postmodernism to Christianity. Thus, individual experiences and stories, especially from minorities, victims, and the disenfranchised have higher authority than scripture, history, or logic. As a result, Progressive Christians feel free to disagree with scripture if it seems to cause distress or difficulty for people. Our inner sense of goodness and personal purpose are the spiritual authorities that should guide us, not what Jesus said, not what the church says, not what the bible says. Today I'm playing out a teaching by Mike Winger of Bible Thinker. He had served as a youth pastor and worship leader at a Calvary Chapel church in California before YouTube ministry became his full time focus. His YouTube channel currently has nearly half a million subscribers and his focus is on thinking biblically about life. I thought he made some great points in this presentation that will sensitize you to the cultural creep that is slowly adjusting all of our moral compasses. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYuWlxnqa4o "Progressive Christianity is not a sustainable community, but it's a door out of Christianity" -Mike Winger"Can God tell you that your heart is mistaken? Even about your deepest longings and morality?" -Mike Winger —— Links ——
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| 447 God Is Compassionate (Sean Finnegan) | 10 Jun 2022 | 01:04:06 | |
Power and kindness rarely go together. I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful the most powerful being in the universe is also exceedingly compassionate! In fact, when he revealed himself to Moses, compassion was the first attribute he declared about himself. We see the outworking of God's compassion in the laws he provided Israel in the Torah, especially the provisions he made for those who were vulnerable or suffering. These serve as examples for how we should think about those in difficult life circumstances. Scripture calls us to imitate our Father as dear children. Let's be a compassionate people who genuinely feel for those in dire straits and who seek to do our part to alleviate their suffering. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/iMOptuZptDI —— Notes —— Exodus 34:6-7 Compassion/mercy is the first of God’s attributes that He listed out when He revealed His glory to Moses. Exodus 22:21-27 God cares about the sojourners, widows, and orphans. He hears their prayers and takes up their cause because He is compassionate. Deuteronomy 24:10-22 God wanted His people never to forget that they were once slaves in Egypt. The benefit of that corporate memory was that they would have compassion on others in need like the poor, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 God installed an automatic system to ensure that widows would have the chance to get remarried quickly. Deuteronomy 26:12-13 The people’s tithes went to provide for the Levites, sojourners, orphans, and widows. It was important to God that His people not forget these categories of people. Psalm 68:4-5 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Zechariah 7:9-14 Sadly, God’s people did not act in compassion to the vulnerable members of their society. They took advantage of the weak and closed their ears to hear their cry. Other than idolatry, their lack of compassion was the chief reason God exiled them from their land. Luke 6:30-36 Our Lord taught us that we too should be merciful just as God is. We too should be generous to the poor and kind to the undeserving. —— Links ——
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| 446 Resurrection Objection 3: Supernatural Inaccessible? (Aaron Shelenberger) | 03 Jun 2022 | 01:04:22 | |
Have you heard of historiography? Your historiography is the method you employ in doing history. This is especially relevant when the scholars who make the rules for doing history decide to exclude any supernatural events from their historiography. Today, my guest, Aaron Shelenberger, continues his rebuttal to Ehrman’s three main objections to the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. We discuss Ehrman’s contentions that supernatural events are inaccessible to historians and the prevalence of methodological naturalism. Also, Shelenberger briefly reviews the recent debate between Mike Licona and Bart Ehrman. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 445 Resurrection Objection 2: Improbable Miracles? (Aaron Shelenberger) | 29 May 2022 | 00:57:30 | |
Today my guest, Aaron Shelenberger, and I are tackling a second scholarly objection of Bart Ehrman against the resurrection of Jesus. We're taking a deep dive into the historian's use of probability to establish whether a particular event happened. Are miracles by definition improbable? Does the rarity of miracles preclude the historian from talking about them? Like last week, Shelenberger will guide us through his master's thesis to deal with this issue. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/swvCj4uVeJU —— Links ——
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| 444 Resurrection Objection 1: Unreliable Gospels? (Aaron Shelenberger) | 20 May 2022 | 00:52:26 | |
Aaron Shelenberger who studied under Mike Licona at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares about his research on the historicity of the resurrection. In particular, his thesis tackled three main objections brought forth by popular author and anti-Christian Bart Ehrman. Now, I realize this episode and the next two that follow are a tad technical, so if that's not your jam, then you may want to skip them. However, what I've noticed in the past is that our most technical episodes tend to get lots of downloads. In our conversation today we discuss the importance of resurrection and how Ehrman's attack on the reliability of the Gospels fails to undermine the case for the resurrection. Also, I bring up Licona's somewhat controversial book, Why Are There Differences in the Gospels and get Shelenberger's take on it. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9xpP2c89E Here is Shelenberger's thesis for your consideration. —— Links ——
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| 443 Generational Differences 2 (Daniel Calcagno) | 13 May 2022 | 01:15:59 | |
Last time Pastor Daniel Calcagno spoke to us about the older generations. Today we'll get into discussing Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. We explore pivotal events in each of these younger generations as well as how Christianity uniquely appeals to them. Hopefully this conversation will spur some thoughts for you, regardless of your age, and how you can reach people for Christ in your own world. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHTrMvzYyY —— Links ——
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| 442 Generational Differences 1 (Daniel Calcagno) | 06 May 2022 | 00:55:31 | |
Daniel Calcagno serves as the pastor of Glad Tidings Church of God in Fonthill, Ontario (just west of Niagara Falls). He is the owner of MessianicNiagra.com along with the associated YouTube channel, which has several thousand subscribers and a video with over 400,000 views. Today he’s talking to me about generations based on a sermon series he preached at his home church. This week we’ll cover the older living generations include the greatest generation, silent generation, and baby boomers. Not only will Calcagno sketch out some of the key experiences and attitudes of each, but he’ll also talk about how they relate to Christianity.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
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| 441 Tribalism in Times Like These | 29 Apr 2022 | 00:50:19 | |
Tribalism is a major problem in our society today. If we're honest, tribalism is a major problem in Christianity today. If I'm really honest, I have to admit that tribalism is a major problem in me today. Do you feel it too? Are you tempted to blow your ideological, theological, or political enemies out of the water when they say something ignorant or obviously wrong? Are you tempted to lump people into a group, label them, and stereotype them? As our society has increasingly become polarized on issues from the environment to immigrants to sexuality to wearing masks we must resist the temptation to get sucked into tribal thinking. In the end, we are the Church with a commission to reach outsiders with God's love. How can we do that if we circle the wagons, or worse, cast stones? Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYlCo9SEMfg —— Links ——
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| 440 Non-Trinitarian History in the Stone-Campbell Movement (Eric Miller) | 21 Apr 2022 | 00:31:32 | |
Eric Miller begins by covering Alexander and Thomas Campbell's beliefs about the Trinity. Then he talks about his own experience as a non-Trinitarian in the Independent Christian Churches community. He explains how the Christian Churches have become stricter on this issue in recent years. We discuss the possibility of reforming his church to be more in line with the tolerance expressed by Campbell and Stone in the early years. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 566 Kingdom Seminar 5: Kingdom Ambassadors | 20 Sep 2024 | 01:03:51 | |
This is part 5 of the Kingdom Seminar, based on the book Kingdom Journey. This episode begins by delving into the history of how the theologians of the third and fourth centuries rejected the kingdom since they thought it was too crude, too hedonic, and too Jewish. Next I briefly cover three rediscovery movements, including the Anabaptists of the 16th century, the Adventists of the 19th century, and the New Testament scholars of the 20th century. Still, the majority of Christendom lies in the shadow of heaven-at-death mythology, hidden from the light of God's grand vision for our world. You and I have work to do. The kingdom of God is not a side doctrine--a footnote in eschatology. It's extremely important. We are kingdom ambassadors. And we have a winning message to tell the world. https://youtu.be/QduueQxY-jo Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 439 The Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement (Eric Miller) | 15 Apr 2022 | 00:35:44 | |
Have you heard of the Restoration Movement? In today’s interview Eric Miller recounts the history of Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell as they initiated the movement to get back to the Bible over against denominational divisions. He explains the differences between the Disciples of Christ, the A Capella Churches of Christ, and the Independent Christian Churches. He also explores why the Independent Christian Churches is growing today. Eric Miller is a Bible college student with the Independent Christian Churches in Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s passionate about evangelism and Spanish ministry. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links ——
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| 438 Is God a Trinity of Persons? (Sean Finnegan) | 08 Apr 2022 | 01:08:26 | |
The Trinity remains a massively popular theory to understand God in Christianity today as it has since the fourth century. Some go so far as to condemn any attempt to understand the concept while others are content to allow their faith to seek understanding (fides quarens intelectum). Nevertheless, most Christians have never honestly assessed this doctrine in light of scripture, reason, and history. In what follows, we'll begin by taking systematic theologian Wayne Grudem's definition of the Trinity to build an understanding of this model of God (social Trinity). Next we'll take a brief survey of the history of the idea from it's antecedents in the second and third centuries to the full-blown understanding in the sixth century. Lastly, we'll evaluate the concept based on scripture and reason. Whether you believe in a Trinity theory or not, I hope this presentation will help you understand it better and see why an increasing number of people are questioning the idea. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDGNGWf2buM —— Notes —— Definition
History
Bible God is one person (Deuteronomy 4.35, 39; 6.4-5; Mark 12.28-34; John 17.3; 2 Kings 19.19), routinely referred to as “he” rather than “they.” Since every time people in Scripture speak to or about God, they always use singular pronouns, we should be suspicious of affirming plural persons within God. The Holy Spirit is not a different person from the Father or Son since it lacks a name, never sends greetings (Romans 1.7), is left out of fellowship (1 John 1.3), is intrinsic to the Father’s mind (1 Corinthians 2.11), is never prayed to, is left out of key Christian creedal statements (1 Corinthians 8.6; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; 2 Timothy 2.11-13), is left out of end times knowledge (Mark 13.32), and is never given a throne like the Father and Son (Revelation 3.21). Jesus is not fully God because he is not the same substance (1 Timothy 2.5), not eternal (Matthew 1.18; Hebrews 1.5), not a se (John 6.57; Mark 10.18), not omnipotent (John 5.19, 30), not equal to God (John 14.28; 1 Corinthians 15.28), not omniscient (Mark 13.32), not immortal (1 Corinthians 15.3), not invisible (1 Timothy 1.17; 6.16), and temptable (Hebrews 4.15) unlike God (James 1.13). Not only do the words “Trinity,” “same substance,” “eternal generation,” “three persons,” etc., fail to occur in the Bible, but Scripture likewise lacks any explanation of the concept of the Trinity. Furthermore, if the apostles were teaching about the Trinity, why is it missing from their recorded sermons in Acts? If the Apostle Paul taught the Trinity, why didn’t any of his opponents bring up that issue either during his missionary journeys or among the many issues he dealt with in his letters? Furthermore, if Jesus were merely playing the role of a lowly human in his “incarnation,” why does the resurrected, ascended, and exalted Christ still refer to the Father as “my God” (Revelation 3.12) and remain in subjection to God for all of eternity (1 Corinthians 15.28)? —— Links —— | |||
| 437 High Control Groups and Judging Other Christians (Lori Jane) | 01 Apr 2022 | 01:13:24 | |
Are you in a high control group? How would you even know? Lori Jane shares her story of waking up after attending Kingdom Halls for thirty years as a Jehovah's Witness (JW). Although the Watch Tower organization claimed they were the one true church, Lori discovered in Pioneer School the many "corrections" that had been handed down, which indicated they didn't have a monopoly on truth. In today's conversation, we talk about how to recognize if you are in a high control group. Still, even if you aren't in a high control group, you might have their exclusive mentality that looks at all outsiders as beyond salvation. Lori explains why humility is important as an antidote to the arrogance that can accompany doctrinal pride, leading to sweeping statements about who is saved or not in other Christian groups. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swvBx8_A6S8 —— Links ——
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