1st Friday: Recent Episodes
Tom Ward
1st Friday is a monthly vodcast from Tom Ward and Stuart Reynolds where they discuss all aspects of life through the lens of the Bible. Each month they will focus on a specific topic as well as having a Christian book and worship song recommendation. Let us know what you think by emailing info@gnba.net
This advent Tom and Stuart discuss preaching, fireworks, mental health, entertainment and people hurt by church. This will be the final episode of 1st Friday - thanks for listening! Find more of our programmes at gnba.net
In light of the Queen's recent death Tom and Stuart talk about the church’s response to various times of national crisis.
In light of the Queen's recent death Tom and Stuart talk about the church’s response to various times of national crisis.
Tom and Stuart discuss whether the recent photos from the James Webb telescope challenge the 6 day creation account in Genesis.
Tom and Stuart discuss an article about why people shouldn’t have children and also the recent court decision in the US around abortion.
Tom and Stuart are joined by special guest Heather Reynolds to discuss the CCLI top 100 worship songs.
https://songselect.ccli.com/search/results?List=top100
https://www.sermonaudio.com/saplayer/playpopup.asp?SID=6201713982
Tom and Stuart talk about a recent Barna poll around pastors and their world view.
https://opentheword.org/2022/05/16/poll-how-many-pastors-have-a-biblical-worldview/
Some statistics suggest that as many as 50% of pastors want to leave the ministry. Tom and Stuart discuss why this is the case and what can be done about it.
Tom and Stuart discuss three separate questions around theological differences, western Christianity and conspiracy theories.
00.00 Intro
01.00 Theological Differences
40:20 Western Christian culture
58:20 Conspiracy theories
With ongoing scandals involving the Conservative party and the royal family we ask whether integrity is even important anymore.
Stuart and Tom discuss whether modern technology like smartphones have become acceptable idols for Christians today.
Questions Tom and Stuart answer in this episode:
Why does God insist we worship him? How should we engage young people in worship? Do you like red sauce or brown sauce? Should women wear head-coverings in church? Is Bible college essential for ministry? Should we use gender neutral pronouns?
More on the transgender question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5j6PXFhNfI&t=472s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0uxk91G-zs
For more about Good News Broadcasting Association visit www.gnba.net or email info@gnba.net to submit a question for future programmes.
Tom and Stuart answer some listener questions in this episode. Remarriage, Matthew 18, Brian Houston and whether you can lose your salvation.
Parenting is hard but thankfully the bible has plenty to say about it! Join Tom and Stuart for a very important discussion.
The Bible has much to say about the foundations of marriage and what Christian marriages should look like.
Tom and Stuart discuss the recent ‘One Britain One Nation‘ campaign and the state of our country right now.
The word ‘gospel’ is thrown around a lot in Christian circles but do we really know what it means?
In this first episode of 1st Friday Tom and Stuart discuss why our view of the Holy Scriptures is vitally important for life and ministry.
Tom and Stuart talk about what passes for entertainment today and discuss how Christians should approach films and tv.
7 Real Examples That Prove Hollywood Hates God | Living Waters
Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families
Worldly Amusements: Restoring the Lordship of Christ to Our Entertainment Choices: Amazon.co.uk: Wilson, Wayne: 9781579212131: Books
Tom and Stuart lock horns over whether the recently released prophetic standards statement is any good.
Figures suggest there are over 30,000 Christian denominations and the number is still growing. But what role do denominations actually play in 2021? Tom and Stuart tackle this important question.
It wouldn’t have even been a question 25 years ago but, with the abundance of weed in society and the legalisation of the drug discussed regularly in politics, the question is starting to be asked by believers. Tom and Stuart wade into the debate with their Bibles open.
We talk about why Christianity magazine recently ‘cancelled’ David Robertson and the implication of this. Why are Christians cancelling Christians?
It's an issue that has divided Christians and even whole denominations for hundreds of years… but should it? What does the Bible actually say about alcohol and how should we apply the relevant verses today?
Recently a heavy metal musician claimed he went too far in his faith after becoming a Christian and it became a new drug for him. Stuart and Tom discuss this and consider if anyone can actually go too far with Christianity.
The practice of trying to change an individual's sexual orientation has already been outlawed in Australia, Canada and the United States. Boris Johnson has said recently that the government will soon ban it in Britain as well. What should Christians make of this? Tom and Stuart discuss.
Stuart and Tom talk about the origins of Too Hot For Radio and also answer an important question about whether Christians should be buried or cremated after they die.
To celebrate Mothering Sunday we talk about our own mums and whether Motherhood will soon be a thing of the past. Then we discuss whether God is a mother and whether the Catholics have the right view of Mary.
With the roadmap now revealed for how we will come out of lockdown we ask what the UK church could look like after June 2021.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/holy-relic-what-will-be-left-of-the-church-of-england-after-the-pandemic
https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/church-of-england-urged-to-use-its-own-land-to-deliver-affordable-homes-and-help-solve-housing-crisis?_psrc=personyzePopularArticles
Tom and Stuart share their thoughts on the devastating revelations about the disgraced American apologist.
Links below to articles mentioned in this episode.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/rzim.uk.parts.ways.with.global.organisation.after.ravi.zacharias.abuse.report/136371.htm
https://www.google.com/amp/s/loriannethompson.com/2021/02/08/lori-anne-thompson-victim-impact-statement/amp/
https://www.rzim.org/read/rzim-updates/board-statement?fbclid=IwAR0RPmC0YqYWsYk7SinJEYWfvHilHfX5dui55VDpjjIImh7JEPHsxJAMgNU
Valentines special: what kind of men would you want to marry your daughters? Tom and Stuart are joined by Stuart's daughter, Heather, to answer a question around marriage. They will also talk about singleness, why Tom knows Song of Solomon so well and whether Stuart holds his wife's hand anymore. Enjoy!!
Tom and Stuart respond to a listener's question about whether some divorced people can face 'subtle discrimination in churches.
It’s a sad reality that many churches have an unspoken hierarchy and an ‘in crowd’. What does the bible say about this?
Tom springs an impromptu nativity quiz on Stuart and then they discuss the Christmas we deserve.
Looking cool and dressing to impress was a big part of Carl Lentz’s appeal. He certainly wasn’t the first and won’t be the last, so Stuart and Tom address the question of whether it’s even important what we wear in church.
Are you ready for the most explosive THFR episode to date? Tom and Stuart go head to head over how the Church should respond to the silence of so called ‘prophets’ regarding Covid-19 and their false predictions around the US election.
Mentoring is most often associated with coaching in the work place. But does it have a place in church? If so, who should do it and what should it look like?
Good children’s ministry? Lively worship? Music? Engaging preaches? Liturgy? Friendly people? Excellent coffee? Are these the things which determine a ‘good’ church? In this podcast Tom and Stuart will talk through what they think are the essential components that make a church an option to join.
Tom and Stuart are joined in the studio with Stuart's daughter, Heather, to answer a question about PK’s.
www.lettersfromapastorskid.com
www.facebook.com/lettersfromapastorskid
Another important question, sent in by a listener, for Tom and Stuart to try and answer.
Tom and Stuart are joined by thirty or so lovely people from the Torch Fellowship who listen in to their conversation about fellowship.
What is the relationship between the law of Moses and the law of Christ? That’s the question the boys will get stuck into on this mini episode of the podcast.
Tom and Stuart discuss the lasting impact of J I Packer, Ravi Zacharias and David Pawson who have all gone to glory in 2020. They also ask who will fill their shoes and whether we should even try?
Criticism of the Holy Scriptures is nothing new but has generally been from outside of the Church. With the recent release of a number of popular level books from Christian authors this is clearly no longer the case. In this episode Stuart and Tom talk about their approach the Bible.
Tom and Stuart discuss whether there could be any positive outcomes from the lockdown when physical church services resume. They also talk about the incredibly popular song ‘The Blessing UK’ that has been doing the rounds during the pandemic. Should we be encouraged by it or concerned?
Tom and Stuart discuss why Covid19 is happening from a spiritual perspective. Is it judgement from God, an attack of Satan or simply the results of a fallen world?
With church buildings closed across the country, are online ‘church’ services adequate? How are Tom and Stuart dealing with the lockdown? And is God bringing any good out of the devastating effects of COVID-19?
Whether it's Tyson Fury and Stormzy or just ordinary people sitting in the pews - many claim the name of Christ. So, is it enough to simply say 'Jesus is Lord'?
At the end of last year a business director posted a video on LinkedIn about how he had no real friends. Millions watched the video. Tom and Stuart discuss why friendship is so important but also why is can be so hard, particularly for blokes.
Please follow this link to the blog 'Letters from a Pastor's kid' as referred to by Stuart in this podcast: https://lettersfromapastorskid.com/
80% of all religious persecution in the world is against Christians! Tom talks to Andrew Boyd, a spokesman for Release International, about some of the most dangerous places Christians can live.
Stuart and Tom talk about the lessons that can be learned from the recent scandal concerning the CEO of the Acts 29 church planting network.
Although it's really yesterday’s news this was the first chance Tom and Stuart got to talk in the studio about the recent controversy around Franklin Graham's 2020 tour in the UK. The response from non-Christians has not been surprising, but the opposition from Christians to the planned gospel events is deeply troubling.
New figures released have shown that the leading cause of death in the world right now is abortion. Tom and Stuart take time to talk about this very important and sensitive topic.
Tom and Stuart have left it too late to make a new year’s resolution so instead they discuss a male revolution - a call to Christian men to step up and live the way God has called them to.
In this special advent edition of the podcast Tom and Stuart discuss the age old question… how much should Father Christmas be involved in Christmas?
Are you struggling to know who to vote for tomorrow? Tom is, and so he called John Stevens from the FIEC to talk about it. John recently wrote a blog about the issue which can be found here: http://www.john-stevens.com/2019/12/general-election-none-of-above-why-has.html
We return to arguably the hottest topic of our day - the transgender movement - with special guest Sharon James.
Sharon is the author of a new book on this subject - Gender Ideology: What do Christians need to know?
Tom talks with International Presbyterian Church minster Paul Levy about celebrity congregations, the necessity of faithful preaching and why church and service structure is so important.
What do the authority of scripture, Wikipedia, Alice Cooper, Sunday evening services, Donald Trump and Ernest Shackleton all have in common? Yes, they all feature in this podcast… enjoy!
Even the secular media have noticed the increase in celebrities attending hip young churches, particularly in the US. So why aren’t Tom and Stuart more excited about it?
In this episode Tom and Stuart address one of the most controversial topics of the day by exploring what the Bible says about our gender and how churches should respond to this issue. Sorry for the poor audio quality on this episode.
Tom and Stuart discuss the recent spate of evangelical ministers who have been accused of physically assaulting children or members from their churches. They also talk about whether pastors who fall morally can ever return to leadership in the church.
Here's the link for the sermon by Charles R Swindoll referenced in this episode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb2ADrbPsjQ
Stuart and Tom discuss the proliferation of prosperity teaching around the world and why it is so dangerous to Christians and the church.
Find the full interview with Kenneth Copeland here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9LtF34MrsfI