Theology for the Rest of Us: Recent Episodes
Kenneth Ortiz
Theology For The Rest of Us gives quick simple answers to some of the toughest questions about God and the Bible. We answer questions on a variety of topics related to theology in a way that any person can understand, not just theology experts. This podcast is hosted by author and speaker Kenneth Ortiz. This show covers topics such as systematic theology, prayer, new covenants, baptism, tithing, love, sex, gambling, legalism, spiritual gifts, the resurrection of Jesus, church history, relationships, fasting, Calvinism and Arminianism, eschatology, common heresies, the importance of global missions, and even some political topics. Episodes feature experts such as David Mathis, Andy Stanley, Aubrey Sampson, Don Whitney, Shannon Ethridge, Preston Sprinkle, several Gospel Coalition contributors, Acts 29 pastors, ARC pastors, Crossway authors, and many others.
In this episode Kenny tackles one of the most heated debates amongst evangelicals: Calvinism vs. Arminianism.
Kenny gives the history of Calvinism and Reformed theology, and then explains the Dutch Remonstrance movement that came out of the Reformed movement and would give birth to the theological system we now call Arminianism and led to the debates at the Synod of Dort.
Finally, Kenny explains that the “Calvinism vs. Arminianism” debate isn’t the most helpful way to frame the debate and isn’t the ideal question because there are actually other camps to consider; but rather the more helpful framing for the debate is Monergism vs. Synergism.
What is Monergism? Monergism is the theological term used by Christians to explain that salvation is fully the work of God. The prefix “mono” means “one” and it is used to signify that salvation comes from “one” being—in this case referring to God being the one who brings about salvation. If any person is saved by Jesus, the proponents of monergism would argue that the Spirit of God must first grant that person the desire and ability to believer.
What is Synergism? Synergism is the theological term used by Christians to explain that the salvation of humans is a cooperative work between God and man. If any person is saved by Jesus, the proponents of synergism would argue that the Spirit of God works on the heart of the person to woe them to God, but that the decisive action that leads to salvation is ultimately in the hands of the person—they must use their free will to believe, and God cannot override their will.
In this episode Kenny explains the historical origins and evolution of Calvinist soteriology. He then explains that the acronym TULIP is a helpful tool to remember the five main points of Calvinism:
T- Total Depravity
U- Unconditional Election
L- Limited Atonement
I- Irresistible Grace
P-Perseverance of the Saints
In this episode Kenny explains the heart of Protestant theology, which can be summed up in five key theological statements known as “The Five Solas.”
The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation distinguished the 16th century Protestant Reformers from the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. They include: Sola scriptura (Scripture alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), Sola fide (Faith alone), Sola gratia (Grace alone), and Soli Deo gloria (Glory to God alone).
In this episode, Kenny briefly explains and outlines the history and essence of Reformed Theology (also known as Calvinism). This podcast episode is designed to be a foundational episode, laying the foundation for future episodes of the podcast that dive deeper into this topic.
Kenny argues that there were four types of Protestants in the 1500s: Lutherans, Anabaptists, Anglicans, and Reformed/Calvinists. To hold to “Reformed Theology” would be to affirm the theology of that fourth group.
Kenny gives us eight observations of that specific group:
- Unconditional election
- Covenantal theology
- Spiritual reality in participating in the sacraments
- Primary and secondary uses of the Law
- Christ-centered hermeneutic
- Pedobaptism
- Regulative Principle of Worship
- Particular application of theology to the public square
Additional Resources
Introduction: What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul
“What was the Protestant Reformation?”
“If the Reformation Caused Division, Why Was it a Good Thing?”
“Why Are There So Many Denominations?”
“Where’d All These Calvinists Come From?”
“Book Review: ‘The Anabaptist Story’ by William Estep“
After a four year hiatus, Kenny Ortiz is resurrecting the “Theology for the Rest of Us” podcast. He gives an update on his life.
Then, he comes back strong by asking the question, “What is kindness?” He makes it clear that niceness is not the same as kindness. We are called to be kind, but often times many Christians confuse niceness with kindness, which can be quite detrimental.
In this episode, Kenny tackles the reality that there will be various opinions and convictions from different people in our lives and churches as we make attempts to return to some sense of normalcy in the coming weeks and months. This is going to require wisdom and grace.
Instead of demands, expectations, social pressures, harshness, judgmental attitudes, or virtue-signaling, Christians ought to actually lead the way with kindness, grace, and diplomacy in the midst of this unique season that may have the potential to be filled with some awkward moments.
Resources
Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions (By Costi Hinn)
Coronavirus and Christ (By John Piper)
What Courage Might Corona Unleash? (By Marshall Segal)
Let the Lily Have Today (By Marshall Segal)
In this episode, Kenny encourages and challenges listeners to be very careful with what they post on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Christians are posting things that seem to be motivated by fear, politics, or conspiracy theories, and these sorts of posts tend to cause us to lose credibility. This behavior misrepresents Jesus and potentially jeopardizes our ability to share the gospel.
In this moment in history, people are looking for sources of comfort and encouragement. People are often looking for voices they can trust, and voices that can be the source of wisdom. Let's be what they are looking for, so that we can point them to Jesus.
Resources
Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions (By Costi Hinn)
Coronavirus and Christ (By John Piper)
What Courage Might Corona Unleash? (By Marshall Segal)
Let the Lily Have Today (By Marshall Segal)
Currently, the world is facing a global pandemic—the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In the midst of the panic, fear, and frustrations there are many different responses. One common phrase used by many is the statement, "These are 'uncertain' times." However, for the Christian—the genuine believer in Christ—nothing is uncertain.
In this episode, Kenny makes clear that the believer never has anything to worry about. No matter what we face, even if we die due to a virus, we are in the hands of Christ! Kenny closes the episodes with a great quote from Francis J. Grimké who was a pastor during the Spanish Flu of 1918:
"While the plague was raging, what a comfort it was to feel that we were in the hands of a loving Father, whether we were smitten with the epidemic or not, we knew it would be well with us, that there was no reason to be alarmed."
Resources
Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions (By Costi Hinn)
Coronavirus and Christ (By John Piper)
What Courage Might Corona Unleash? (By Marshall Segal)
Let the Lily Have Today (By Marshall Segal)
Each year North American evangelicals spend millions of dollars on short-term missions trips. A recent listener of the podcast asked whether or not this is appropriate? Would it be better for us to simply pool our monies and send it overseas?
In essence, short-term missions can be very effective, if done right. However, most short-term missions are done wrong. They often have the wrong goals and wrong peoples in mind. This makes much of the short-term missions activity feels very wasteful, inefficient, and even harmful. Short-term missions can be very helpful if we partner with local ministries and strategic come along side of them to help expand their pre-existing ministry and their gospel influence.
Kenny also uses this question as the opportunity to discuss his approach to global missions and challenges the audience to engage in global missions. Each Christian has a part to play in global missions. As pastor and author John Piper states, "There are only three kinds of Christians when it comes to world missions: zealous goers, zealous senders, and disobedient. May God deliver us from disobedience!"
However, just because we are all called doesn't mean that every opportunity makes sense. In this episode, Kenny talks about some of the pitfalls of contemporary missions efforts, especially highlighting the fact that most missions activity and giving currently goes towards groups that have already been reached with the Gospel. Kenny demonstrates the distinction between the "unreached" groups and the "unsaved" peoples. This is distinction is valuable as we determine how to spend our money and resources.
Recommended Resources
When Helping Hurts (by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert)
Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry (by Cameron Cole & Jon Nielson)
Let the Nations Be Glad (by John Piper)
Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global (by Andy Johnson)
In this episode, Kenny answers the question: "How Much Money Should I Be Giving?" In essence, Kenny makes it clear that there's no precise set amount that we ought to give, but instead we ought to give generously and seek to invest in the things that lead to effective ministry.
Christians ought to seek to give cheerfully. There is no need to feel obligated or guilty about giving, but instead we ought to seek to be prayerful and missional.
Related Episodes:
41: Why Should Christians Stop Tithing Immediately?
122: Should Christians Give to Charities?
Recommended Resources:
The Treasure Principle (by Randy Alcorn)
In this episode, Kenny tackles the word "saved" and how it's utilized by many contemporary evangelicals.
In addition, Kenny covers the prominent Christian adage that "we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved."
People often ask, "Why did God allow Adam to sin in the first place?" Many have wondered, if God knew that sin would cause such devastation to humanity, and such eternal consequences, then why did God did allow it happen? Couldn't he have stopped it? Couldn't God had created Adam without the ability to sin?
This is the same line of thinking that came from a regular listener by email, and Kenny tackles this topic herein this episode. This is a tough question. It's sobering in a lot of ways. But ultimately, the answer to this type of question reminds us of God's perfect sovereignty.
In this episode Kenny explains how the glory of God and the proclamation of his supremacy are the most important elements of the Christian life. Therefore, if God's glory could have been known to its fullest in a world with no sin, then it is likely that God would have stopped sin. However, the very fact that God has allowed sin, clearly shows us that the glory of God, and the proclamation of Christ's supremacy over all things, is shown most in the midst of a world with sin (otherwise, God would have prevented it altogether).
Honestly, we recognize that this is a hard topic for humans to wrap our minds around, but it's essential for us to grapple with. Other episodes which deal with similar topics are listed below.
Related Episodes
59: Why Didn't God Just Create Us in Heaven?
18: Why Doesn't Just God Kill Satan Today?
16: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
19: If God is Good, Why is There Evil in the World?
Resources
Spectacular Sins (by John Piper)
This episode is a sequel to the previous episode. In episode 283 Kenny responded to an email that had asked about how Christians ought to pray. Here in this episode, Kenny explains how the Lord's Prayer (Mt. 6:9-13; Lk. 11:2-4) is a road map and template for how Christians ought to approach God in prayer.
"Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Resources
Complete Works of EM Bounds on Prayer (by EM Bounds)
The Prayer that Turns the World Upside Down (by R. Albert Mohler)
In this episode, Kenny answers an email from a regular listener about prayer. The email asked if Christians ought to recite specific prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer or other prayers modeled for us in the Bible, or whether it is okay to pray for informal prayers. Kenny makes clear that the prayers that we pray to God are less about reciting specific words, and are more about the sentiments of our hearts whenever we are engaging in prayer.
Some skeptics claim that Christianity stole its fundamental claims from preexisting pagan religions. In this episode, Kenny responds to this claim, making it clear that there is absolutely no scholarly or authentic evidence for any such assertions or conclusions.
Kenny outlines some of the examples that some skeptics bring up, showing clearly how we know that such attacks are false. Kenny even makes the point that there are no major contemporary atheistic scholars making any such claims, because they lack any credibility of any kind. These sorts of attacks do not come from respected scholars, but instead they typically come from the world of pseudo-scholarship or from some person who simply has some sort of personal vendetta again Christianity.
Resources
Do the Gospels Borrow from Pagan Myths? [Article]
Jesus Wasn’t a Pagan God: Debunking Zeitgeist and Religulous [YouTube Video]
Is Jesus Just a Copy of the Pagan Gods [YouTube Video]
Bart Ehrman & Robert Price Debate - Did Jesus Exist? [YouTube Video]
When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences (by Norm Geisler)
Was Jesus a real person? Did he actually exist? Is there evidence that Jesus was a real historical person?
Yes, Jesus was indeed a real person. And, yes, there is plenty of evidence for this. In fact, the evidences for this is overwhelming. Jesus being a real historical person has not ever been in question throughout history until very recently. Even religious skeptics throughout the ages have accepted the reality of a man named Jesus that lived in Palestine in the first-century.
In this episode, Kenny gives the reasons and evidences for the historical Jesus.
Works Cited
What is the historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and died? [article by Dr. Simon Gathercole]
Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths? (Maurice Casey)
Contra Celsum [Wikipedia entry]
Josephus on Jesus [Wikipedia entry]
Pliny the Younger speaks about Christians [Wikipedia entry]
Tacitus mentions Jesus [Wikipedia entry]
Manuscript evidence for superior New Testament reliability [article by Matt Slick]
"Minimal Facts" Approach to the Resurrection [lecture from Gary Habermas]
Additional Recommend Resources
The Evidence for Jesus [article by William Lane Craig]
Is there proof that Jesus existed? [article by Matt Slick]
The Resurrection of the Son of God (NT Wright)
The New Testament in Its World (NT Wright & Michael Bird)
The Case for Christ (Lee Stroebl)
Is There Any Evidence That Jesus Didn’t Exist? [YouTube video from William Lane Craig]
Did Jesus Even Exist? Responding to 5 Objections Raised by @rawstory [article by Michael J. Kruger]
Did Jesus Really Exist? [article by Paul L. Maier]
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona)
Bethany Global University hosted a TEDx event in May 2019 and Kenny Ortiz was one of the communicators for the event. Check out his TEDx talk: "How to be a Great Mentor"
Link: http://bit.ly/OrtizTEDx2019
There have been moments when some well-meaning evangelicals have challenged certain scholars merely on the basis that those scholars just so happen to be scholars, as if scholarship itself is bad. Sometimes certain Christians act as if scholars are all bad, or that scholarship is somehow the enemy of quality spiritual experience.
The reason why some Christians advocate against scholarship is because they sometimes feel frustrated that they may be forced into feeling dependent upon scholars. Others get frustrated that scholarship can twist conservative Christianity. Many evangelicals then ask, "Do we ourselves need to be scholars to truly understand the Bible?" or "Do we now always need scholars to tell us what certain passages mean?" These are valuable questions which Kenny tackles in this episode. Kenny gives insights about how we should think about Christian scholars and he gives a poignant challenge to those that would claim scholarship is unnecessary.
In this episode Kenny answers a question from a listener about the omnipresence of God, and whether or not God is in hell.
Sometimes modern evangelicals frequently use the term "separated" from God to explain the state of those in hell, but herein Kenny explains that God is actually indeed in hell and that the torment of hell is actually originating from a portion of God that unrepentant sinners rightly face, mainly God's wrath.
Scriptures References
Psalm 139:8
Matthew 13:42-50
Matthew 25:41-46
Matthew 7:19
Revelation 19:20
Revelation 20:13-14
Revelation 21:8
Hebrews 10:31
Hebrews 12:29
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia on June 2, 2019 where prominent pastor and author David Platt serves as the primary teaching pastor. Eventually President Trump was invited on to the stage to be prayed for by Pastor David Platt.
Within hours there was plenty of backlash on social media, some of it hurled at Donald Trump, but much of it hurled at Pastor David Platt. Several days after this prayer, and after the social media uproar, Kenny posted an episode about the event (277: Was David Platt Wrong to Pray for President Trump?). Therein Kenny addressed whether or not it was appropriate for Platt to pray for the president as he did. Kenny explains the importance of being sensitive and tactful, however he also encouraged the listeners to remember passages of scripture such as 1 Timothy 2 that tell us to pray for our leaders.
After posting that episode, Kenny had multiple conversations and social media interactions with various people. Many people reacted with the attitude that asserted: "Of course it's fine for Platt to pray for the president" which helped Kenny realized that many people are unaware of the trauma caused to some people by the current political climate.
After posting episode 277, Kenny also realized that many evangelicals (especially many white evangelicals) are not willing to be sensitive to those around them, and many of them make little effort to seek to understand the perspectives of other people (especially people of color). This prompted Kenny to address these concerns herein this episode.
On Sunday June 2, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump made an impromptu visit to McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. President Trump was there to honor the lives of those individuals that were killed in a shooting at the municipal center in Virginia Beach on Friday May 31.
Eventually Trump founds himself on stage being prayed for by Pastor David Platt. In this episode, Kenny addresses whether or not it was appropriate to do what Platt did, that is to pray for a politician (with such a "lightning rod" personality) publicly on stage during a church service.
Kenny explains the importance of being sensitive and tactful, however he also encourages the listeners to remember passages of scripture such as 1 Timothy 2 that tells us to pray for our leaders.
Kenny also reminds listeners that we live in an outrage culture, and that we ought to the more sober-minded than what our culture sometimes expects. He also points out that praying for a politician does not necessarily equal an endorsement. We ought to pray for all of our leaders, even when we disagree.
In this episode, Kenny answers the question, "Should we value all opinions?" Another way to answer this question is to say, "Are all opinions created equal?" or "Should we give credence to all positions and assessments?"
Kenny seeks to be diplomatic and gracious, but he gives some clear and bold thoughts about why not all opinions ought to be treated equally.
We live in an age where cynicism runs rampant. How are Christians to live in such difficult times? Unique of all people, Christians are called to embrace a hopeful outlook on life.
In this episode Kenny interviews Dr. Jason Duesing about his most recent book Mere Hope which offers the core, Christ-centered perspective that all Christians share, and that Christians alone have to offer a world filled with frustration, pain, and disappointment. For those in darkness, despair, and discouragement, for those in the midst of trials, suffering, and injustice, mere hope lives.
The spirit of the age is cynicism. When our leaders, our families, and our friends let us down at every turn, this isn't surprising. But we need another perspective; we need hope. Rather than reflecting resigned despair or distracted indifference, author Jason Duesing argues, our lives ought to be shaped by the gospel of Jesus—a gospel of hope.
Jason G. Duesing earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. He earned his M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as the provost at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.
Get a copy of Dr. Jason Duesing's most recent book: Mere Hope: Life in an Age of Cynicism
Follow Dr. Jason Duesing on Twitter: @JGDuesing
This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode wherein Kenny talked about how to handle false teachers, even when we have been somehow benefited by those preachers' teachings or writings. There is a lot of controversy in our modern Christian context about how we ought to our approach the topic of heresies and false teachings.
It seems like many people are afraid to discuss this. One reason some people feel uncomfortable with the topic is because they may not know how to determine if someone is a false teacher or not.
In this episode Kenny answers the question “How do we determine whether or not a particular preacher is a false teacher?”
Kenny gives one thing he does not do, that we ought not do, that is we should not label anyone a heretic just because they disagree with our view. There's more to it that that.
The Kenny gives us the six things he uses to help determine which preachers are safe and helpful versus the preachers that are harmful and dangerous. Those six things are:
1- The Bible
2- Early church writings
3- Ancient creeds and statements from the ecumenical councils
4- Confessions and catechisms from Reformation era
5- The opinions of wise pastors I Kenny trusts
6- Determine if the doctrine or ideology being taught is detrimental to the believers
There is a lot of controversy in Evangelical circles about our approach to heresies, false teaching, and erroneous teachers. In this episode Kenny answers the question "Can people still grow in their faith even though they are listening to false teachers or being influenced by some heresies?"
Kenny seeks to be diplomatic and gracious in this episode, but inevitably he makes statements that are sure to be offensive to some listeners. Kenny believes that there certainly Christians that have grown in their faith even though they have consumed content, sermons, and books from false teachers. Some Christians even feel as if they have been helped greatly in some ways by those teachings.
However, Kenny asserts that merely points to the grace and sovereignty of God. Just because a false teacher somehow helps a believer does not justify that false teacher or the content of his sermons or books. Kenny challenges listeners to be watchful, discerning, and cautious.
When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. You want to tie up pain in a pretty little package and hide it under the bed, taking it out only when you feel strong enough to face it. But grief won’t be contained. Grief disobeys. Grief explodes.
In one breath, you may be able to say that God’s got this and all will be well. In the next, you might descend into fatalism. No pretending. Here, you are raw before God, an open wound.
In the midst of some of those darkest times, you will discover that the thing that leads you back to a place of hope is lament. The Bible gives us great examples and models of appropriate lament.
In this episode Kenny interviews author Aubrey Sampson about her new book "The Louder Song" which deals with the value and models of lament. Aubrey serves on the preaching team and as the director of equipping and discipleship at Renewal Church in the Chicagoland area. She and her husband Kevin have three great sons.
Connect with Aubrey Sampson at: aubreysampson.com
Get a copy of her new book "The Louder Song"
Follow Aubrey Sampson on Twitter: @aubsamp
In this episode Kenny discusses the concept of apologetics as being the defense of the Christian faith and the Biblical worldview. We are called to defend and give reasons for why we believe the Gospel and in the Bible and why we embrace the theological implications that come with both.
Then Kenny unpacks the two primary types of apologetics: classical and presuppositional. In classical apologetics we seek to give evidences for existence of God, the resurrection of Christ, and the authencity of the Bible. Often times these evidences comes from the worlds of science, history, philosophy, ethics, textual criticisms, and occasionally even politics.
Presuppositional apologetics is different in that rather than giving evidences, we seek to expose the flawed presuppositions that people have even before they begin a conversation about matters of faith. Both forms of apologetics are valuable if used rightly.
In this episode Kenny discusses the concept of intelligent design, which asserts that the universe was indeed intentionally created and fashioned by some supreme creator or intelligent being.
Kenny also discusses the trends and philosophies which are a part of the intelligent design movement in North America today and how Evangelical Christians ought to respond to the movement.
There are various opinions about how we ought to approach our study of the origins of humanity. And there are various pieces of data coming from different genres of science that impact that studying. The world of genetics gives us more information about our origins than most genres of science and it helps us understand humanity and chunks of the created order around us.
In this episode, Kenny tackles two questions from listeners by diving into his understanding of human genetics and how that informs how we view evolutionary theory.
Kenny unpacks the differences between micro-evolution and macro-evolution, explains why this distinction ought to be embraced, and how the world of genetics bolsters the argument for such a distinction. This episode also includes several elementary metaphors to explain the position being asserted. He also answers the question as to whether we ever ought to embrace something that is not directly taught in the Bible?
In this episode, Kenny explains the Kalam Cosmological Argument and why it is a strong defense for the idea and existence of a supreme Creator.
This apologetic argument asserts that since the universe has a beginning, it must also have something (or someone) that caused it to begin in the first place.
Additional Resources:
The Kalam Cosmological Argument [YouTube Video]
11 Common Objections to the Kalam Cosmological Argument (article By Randy Everist)
In this episode, Kenny responds to a reviewer comment that accuses Kenny of denying creation. Kenny responds by making clear what he believers and why. Kenny also explains his motivations for the recent episodes about creation (and related topics).
More importantly, Kenny uses this correspondence to reflect on how Evangelicals approach certain theological topics and he also explains why he believes that overly fundamentalistic ideologies can be harmful to the unity of the body of Christ.
In this episode Kenny interviews world-renowned philosopher and best-selling author J.P. Moreland about his new book "Scientism and Secularism." The book is about some of the worldviews that have now become mainstream and dominant in the worlds of philosophies and science, that Dr. Moreland says are incoherent and detrimental.
In the interview Dr. Moreland unpacks the concept of scientism as being the philosophy that all data and information must directly come from a genre of science in order for it to be considered viable or trustworthy in an apologetics dialogue. Dr. Moreland explains why this philosophy ought to be rejected and how to respond to this way of thinking.
Dr. Moreland asserts that data from many other sources ought to be considered in this conversations, including data from the worlds of politics, ethics, morality, psychology, and religion. He's taught there for more than 35 years. He has earned four earned degrees; an undergraduate degree in chemistry, two graduate degrees in philosophy and theology, and then earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.
He's been a church planter and has been involved in the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) for many years. Before serving as a college professor he served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Moreland has made numerous media contributions including to PBS, Christianity Today, and WORLD magazine. He has authored more than 30 books and more than 70 articles in scholarly journals across North America.
Resources
Check out J.P. Moreland's website: www.jpmoreland.com
Get a copy of his newest book: Scientism and Secularism
There are many arguments for the existence of a Creator. One of the arguments is the fine tuning Argument.
The fine-tuning argument is a philosophical and scientific argument that asserts that the universe is perfectly fine-tuned and specifically designed for life as we know it. Therefore, the likelihood of the universe coming about by accidence is extremely low. It is much more likely that the universe was intentionally created by some intelligent powerful being and specifically crafted for life.
There are older variations of this argument but the contemporary variation of the fine tuning argument developed in response to many of the remarkable discoveries made throughout the twentieth century in the fields of astronomy, physics, and Big Bang cosmology.
In this episode, Kenny explains this argument and shares various pieces of data that demonstrate why the fine-tuning argument is so compelling.
Kenny helps us see that when we rationally and objectively observe the universe, we see that the universe has been perfectly crafted and intentional designed in a manner that is literally the most ideal environment for human life to exist and flourish. This is especially seen through the newest developments and discoveries from the genres of cosmology and physics.
According to many physicists, the fact that the universe is able to support life depends delicately on various forces and fundamental characteristics, that if they were altered by even a small amount life as we know it simply could not exist. Even religious scientists and philosophers must concede that this could have all happened by accident.
However, all honest observers, religious or non-religious, must admit that the statistical probability that this happened all by itself by accident is simply minuscule, and that it actually defies logic that it came about by random chance.
Bibliography, Sources, and Additional Resources
Christopher Hitchens Fine Tuning (Conversation with Doug Wilson) [YouTube Video]
PragerU: Does Science Argue for or Against God? [YouTubeVideo]
COLLISION: Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson [DVD]
Leonard Susskind - Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life and Mind? [YouTube Video]
The anthropic significance of the existence of an excited state of 12C (article by M. Livio, D. Hollowell, A. Weiss, and J.W. Truran)
An anthropic myth: Fred Hoyle’s carbon-12 resonance level (article by Helge Kragh)
Is the Universe Merely a Statistical Accident? (article by Larry Dossey, MD)
Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity's Home (book by Hugh Ross)
The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries Reveal God (book by Hugh Ross)
In this episode, Kenny interviews world-renowned astronomer and best-selling author Hugh Ross about various topics related to Old-Earth creationism and Old Testament hermeneutics. Dr. Ross is well-known for his defense of the "day-age" creationist position.
In this interview Dr. Ross dialogues with Kenny about variations of Old-Earth Creationism, the literary framework hypothesis of Genesis 1, the creation accounts in the book of Job, the Garden of Eden, the extent of Noah's flood, and the most appropriate way to navigate the book of Genesis. The interview ends by touching on the Neanderthals, proto-humans, and Dr. Ross' opinion of the Leviathan and the Behemoth.
Dr. Ross is the founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization that creates and provides various resources that show that science and faith are not enemies. Dr. Ross and his team have lectured at more than 300 universities across North America.
Dr. Hugh Ross has an undergraduate degree in physics and later earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto. For several years he continued his research on quasars and galaxies as a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Ross has made countless media appearances, including The Dennis Prager Show, FOX News, The 700 Club, The Eric Metaxas Show, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and numerous podcasts. He has also appeared in numerous magazines and news articles such as Christianity Today, Charisma magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.
Outside of Reasons to Believe, Dr. Ross teaches as an adjunct professor at both A.W. Tozer Seminary and Southern Evangelical Seminary. He also serves as a minister of apologetics at Sierra Madre Congregational Church where he conducts a weekly apologetics class. He and his wife live in Southern California.
Resources
Check out "Reasons to Believe"
Check out Kenny's favorite book by Dr. Ross: Navigating Genesis and The Creator and the Cosmos
When it comes to the origins of the Earth, the most prominent perspective held by many contemporary American Evangelicals is the concept of Young-Earth Creationism. This is the idea that God created the universe and everything in this universe in six literal calendar days (six consecutive 24-hour periods).
The Young-Earth position asserts that God created everything approximately 6,000 years ago (although some Young Earth Creationists say that it may have happened as far back as 10,000 to 15,000 years ago) and most Young-Earth creationists argue that the science and date that seem to point to an Old-Earth (billions of years old) is science that is being done with flawed presuppositions therefore always leads to flawed conclusions.
In this episode, Kenny interviews podcaster and apologist Steve Schramm. They discuss the Biblical reasons why someone might embrace the Young-Earth position as well as discussing various related topics such as the global flood, the Garden of Eden, and the various hermeneutical approaches to Genesis. Steve is an avid proponent of the Young-Earth position. He seeks to train Christians to become confident and passionate about wholeheartedly serving Jesus as well as defending the Christian faith.
Additional Reading
Check out Steve Schramm's website: Steveschramm.com
Tyler Vela's response to Steve Schramm: "Rejoinders to a YEC Response" (Part 1)
Tyler Vela's response to Steve Schramm: "Rejoinders to a YEC Response" (Part 2)
Steve Schramm's Response to Tyler Vela: "Defending a Young Earth" (Part 1)
Steve Schramm's Response to Tyler Vela: "Defending a Young Earth" (Part 2)
Many people in our contemporary society claim to be focused on the "evidence" only, therefore they refuse to embrace anything that seems non-scientific, which would cause them to potentially reject the existence of the supernatural realm or would refuse to ever appeal to the supernatural realm for explanations.
This approach often demands that people only use natural or physical explanations when explaining trends or phenomenons in our natural world. This is the philosophy of naturalism, which typically goes hand-in-hand with the common evolutionary theories being promoted today.
However, if someone actually embraces the common Darwinian evolutionary theories, then there are actually very good reasons to not trust human mental faculties and to therefore question every closely held belief, including naturalism itself.
In this episode, Kenny explains why and how evolutionary theory can actually be used as an argument against naturalism.
Additional Resources
Quick Video: The Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism (Center for Philosophy of Religion) [YouTube Video]
Lecture: "An Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism - Alvin Plantinga at USC" [YouTube Video]
In this episode, Kenny interviews Ben Stanhope about the topic of the Leviathan and the Behemoth, as mentioned in the Old Testament. In this interview Ben discusses the Ancient Near Eastern manuscripts that have been recently discovered that give us greater insights into these Old Testament references.
Ben Stanhope studied apologetics at Biola University and he then studied apologetics and theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also served as a Garrett Fellow. He is now studying manuscript archaeology and textual criticism at the Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures at Hamburg University in Germany.
Check out Ben Stanhope's YouTube channel: Pixels and Papyrus
In this episode Kenny answers the question, "Are Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?"
The primary Bible passages that Kenny examines are Job 40 & 41.
The questions about the historicity and legitimacy of Adam and Eve are important ones, with serious theological ramifications directly impacting how we view sin, sin nature, and the Gospel.
In this episode, Kenny interviews the world-renowned author and Bible scholar Dr. Jack Collins, wherein he tackles the question, "Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?"
C. John “Jack” Collins is Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, and was a Senior Research Fellow for The Creation Project. He served as the Old Testament Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of the Bible, he worked on the ESV's Old Testament translation team helping to translate the Scriptures from Hebrew to English, and he has authored (or co-authored) several books on a variety of Bible topics.
Recommended:
Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care (by Dr. C. John Collins)
Creation Debate: Dr. Albert Mohler and Dr. Jack Collins [Video]
Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11 (by Dr. C. John Collins)
Four Views on the Historical Adam (multiple contributors, including Dr. C. John Collins)
Dr. Collins' Contributions at "Sapientia" [Blog Articles]
Whenever discussing creationism, the topic of dinosaurs will always inevitability always come up as a part of the conversation.
In this episode Kenny answers the question, "What happened to the dinosaurs?" He gives three potential responses to this question that are held by evangelicals. Afterwards, Kenny then dovetails into a brief conversation about dragons and whether or not the legends and myths that speak of dragons are actually exaggerated narratives and tales about the dinosaurs and dinosaur-like creatures that were living in pre-modern history, co-existing with humans.
Many people claim to be committed to “science” or claim to be focused on "the evidence” and they demand that every argument and every theory within our natural realm and world solely be argued for (or against) with only secular, natural, and/or physical arguments. This philosophy, called naturalism, is embraced by many people in the Western world today.
Many secular progressives (and their contemporary ideological allies) assert things such as "We are committed to evidence" and they make comments like "Christians are only focused on faith, not evidence." However, while this philosophy is prevalent, is this philosophy really sound? And are the naturalists actually being honest in their evaluation of the known evidence?
In this episode, Kenny explains why this philosophy of naturalism is flawed and presents quotes from well known naturalists that show the flaws in this philosophy. Kenny presents information from the worlds of physics, biology, cosmology, and philosophy. He quotes from known philosophers, scientists, and writers such as Antony Flew, Richard Lewontin, Thomas Nagel, Edward Hobble, and Stephen Hawking, and David Brooks, demonstrating that naturalism is an irrational and inconsistent worldview.
Many people claim to be "scientific" or focused on "evidence" when all the while ignoring one important potential genre or stream of evidence, and that is any evidence which may cause people to conclude that there is indeed a God and a supernatural realm. Those people often demand natural or physical explanations for all things in the natural realm. This expectation, which is now prevalent in our society today, is founded upon the ideology of naturalism.
In this episode, Kenny explains the history and foundation of naturalism, its re-emergence during the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment, and its impact upon modern philosophy and science.
In this episode, tackles the question about animal death before the fall of mankind. Some Evangelical Christians assert that all death entered the world through the fall of Adam, therefore there could be no animal death before Adam's sin. However, does the Bible actually teach this concept? If this were true, Old Earth creationism would be counter-Bible because this view ordinarily affirms the typical understanding of the fossil records that show animals living and dying long before the appearance of humans. If death entered with Adam, this view would be unorthodox and inconsistent. But is this view actually asserted in the Scriptures? Or is there a totally different way to look at animal death?
In this episode, Kenny interviews author, apologist, podcaster, and philosopher Tyler Vela to talk about the literary framework hypothesis of Genesis 1 as well as Tyler's thoughts about pieces of Genesis 1 being motifs and metaphors that would lead us to believe that Genesis 1 is in large part a polemic argument written by Moses on behalf of Yahweh the creator.
Tyler Vela studied Philosophy and English at California State University, Sonoma. He also earned a Bachelors degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Moody Bible Institute. Currently, Tyler is working towards a Masters of Biblical Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte).
Tyler is the host of The Freed Thinker Podcast and blog and is a frequent guest on many Christian and skeptical podcasts and forums.
To check out Tyler Vela's paper: A Historical-Grammatical and Polemical Reading of Genesis 1
Recommended Reading:
The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation (multiple contributors, Foreword by Norm Geisler, Edited by David Hagopian)
This episode is very unique because Kenny uses the life of Steve Jobs as an illustration for this point. This episode is a sequel to the previous episode (Understanding Genesis One: Part 1) wherein Kenny gave the audience some history about how Christians have viewed Genesis 1 and where he also challenged the false narrative of uniformity that often is asserted by many modern Evangelical Christians.
In that previous episode, Kenny then outlined the two primary ways of understanding and interpreting Genesis 1 (and similar styles of Biblical literature): the concordist view and the non-concordist view.
In this episode, Kenny tells about the life and achievements of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. Kenny tells his story in two separate ways, to illustrate the two approaches to Genesis 1.
There are many different ways to interpret and understand the book of Genesis, especially chapter one. In this episode, Kenny gives some history about how Christians have viewed Genesis 1 and he also challenges the false narrative of uniformity that often is asserted by many modern Evangelical Christians.
Kenny outlines the two primary ways of understanding and interpreting Genesis 1 (and similar styles of Biblical literature): the concordist view and the non-concordist view.
The concordist interpretations assert that God made the Earth and everything in the natural world using the sequence of events described in Genesis 1. Some proponents of the concordist views take the pieces of Genesis 1 as being literal and others take the pieces of Genesis 1 as being metaphoric, but in either form of concordism, the proponents claim that Genesis 1 is a historical narrative of the sequence of events of all created things.
With the non-concordist interpretations of Genesis 1, the proponents assert that Genesis 1 is teaching us about God's sovereignty over creation and His preeminence over the created things, but that Genesis 1 was not written as a precise historical narrative therefore it ought not be interpreted in that manner. Concordism states that the point wasn't to teach us how God did created everything or when He created everything, but instead the point of Genesis 1 was simply to point to the fact that God Himself did it, demonstrating His superiority over the creation and dismisses the notion that created things deserve any worship whatsoever, therefore God ought to be glorified for His wonderful works.
In recent times there has been a new debate about the historicity of Adam. Was he a real man or is the Biblical figure just a metaphoric figure? Was he uniquely created or did he evolve? Does this even matter to modern Christians?
In this episode, Kenny gives us several clear reasons why we should believe in a historical Adam and he teaches us why this matters to the Gospel.
Recommended Reading
10 Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam [Blog Post]
Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care (C. John Collins)
Four Views on the Historical Adam (multiple contributors, edited by Matthew Barrett and Ardel Caneday)
This episode is unique from most episodes of the podcast because this episode covers content and material from a previous episode, but simply does so in a shorter time (episode 248 is similar, that particular episode was the shorter version of content from episode 247). This episode covers the same content that is covered in episode 249 however this episode aims to cover the same material is much less time (this episode is less than 18 minutes while episode 249 is nearly 47 minutes long).
Questions and topics related to the origins of humanity, the age of the universe, and the age of the Earth often come up in debates and conversations whenever Christians are seeking to reconcile the words of Scripture with the ideologies from the world of science.
In this episode, Kenny tackles the question, "Should Christians Believe in Evolution?" First, Kenny asserts the importance of clarifying what type of evolution we're actually talking about. There are many different types of evolution, and making sure that we have clear understanding of our verbiage is essential.
The two prominent types of evolution that are being alluded to when we're discussing the topic of the origin of species are macro-evolution and micro-evolution. Macro-evolution is the concept that species evolve into other species, a concept for which there is no scientific evidence, just theory. Micro-evolution is the concept that species change and evolve over time within their own kind, a concept for which there is scientific evidence.
Secondly, Kenny explains the two types of macro-evolution being asserted by people today: secular (naturalistic) macro-evolution and theistic evolution.
The secular (naturalistic) form of macro-evolution is the concept that all living creatures today all evolved from a single cell organism over the course of millions of years, without the help or guidance of any supreme being. The secular or naturalistic viewpoint (also sometimes referred to as the Darwinian perspective) generally disregards the existence of God altogether. This view is rightly rejected by most professing Christians.
Another form of evolution that Kenny discusses is the concept of theistic evolution. This form of evolution is the belief that God guided and shepherded the process of evolution to help the process achieve the result that He desired. There is no Scriptural evidence for this view, and this view is logically insufficient in many regards, so Kenny encourages his listeners to reject this view as well.
Recommended Reading:
Genesis Unbound (by John Sailhamer)
Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (multiple contributors, edited by JB Stump)
Three Views on Creation and Evolution (multiple contributors, edited by James Porter Moreland)
Old Earth or Evolutionary Creation? (multiple contributors, edited by Kenneth Keathley & J. B. Stump,)
Ultimate Proof of Creation (Jason Lisle)
Old Earth Creationism on Trial (Tim Chaffey & Jason Lisle)
Navigating Genesis (Hugh Ross)
The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation (multiple contributors, edited by David Hagopian)
In this episode, Kenny tackles the question, "Should Christians Believe in Evolution?" First, Kenny asserts the importance of clarifying what type of evolution we're actually talking about. There are many different types of evolution, and making sure that we have clear understanding of our verbiage is essential.
The two prominent types of evolution that are being alluded to when we're discussing the topic of the origin of species are macro-evolution and micro-evolution. Macro-evolution is the concept that species evolve into other species, a concept for which there is no scientific evidence, just theory. Micro-evolution is the concept that species change and evolve over time within their own kind, a concept for which there is scientific evidence.
Secondly, Kenny then explains the two types of macro-evolution being asserted by people today: secular (naturalistic) macro-evolution and theistic evolution.
The secular (naturalistic) form of macro-evolution is the concept that all living creatures today all evolved from a single cell organism over the course of millions of years, without the help or guidance of any supreme being. The secular or naturalistic viewpoint (also sometimes referred to as the Darwinian perspective) generally disregards the existence of God altogether. This view is rightly rejected by most professing Christians.
There have been some prominent secular evolutionist that readily admit the lack of evidence and logical arguments for this naturalistic view, however they still embrace it because the only alternative is creation, and they would rather not embrace that view. Here are some quotes supporting this...
"Evolution itself is accepted by zoologists not because it has been observed to occur or is supported by logically coherent arguments, but because it does fit all the facts of taxonomy, of paleontology, and of geographical distribution, and because no alternative explanation is credible... The theory of evolution is a theory universally accepted by zoologists, not because it has been observed to occur... or can be proved by logical coherent evidence, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible." ~D.M.S. Watson, "Adaptation," in Nature, Vol. 123, p. 233 (1929) [sometimes misquoted and often wrongly attributed to Sir Arthur Keith by many young-Earth creationists]
"I suppose the reason why we leapt at the Origin of Species was that the idea of God interfered with our sexual mores.” ~Sir Julian Huxley
"I'm an evolutionist because I cannot take the alternative." ~Thomas Nagel
"I speak from experience, being strongly subject to this fear myself: I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that. My guess is that this cosmic authority problem is not a rare condition and that it is responsible for much of the scientism and reductionism of our time. One of the tendencies it supports is the ludicrous overuse of evolutionary biology to explain everything about human life, including everything about the human mind... This is a somewhat ridiculous situation... It is just as irrational to be influenced in one’s beliefs by the hope that God does not exist as by the hope that God does exist." ~Thomas Nagel
"We should be open to order in nature. Nature is uniquely suitable for life." ~Michael Denton
The second form of evolution that Kenny discusses is the concept of theistic evolution. This form of evolution is the belief that God guided and shepherded the process of evolution to help the process achieve the result that He desired. There is no Scriptural evidence for this view, and this view is logically insufficient in many regards,
This episode is somewhat unique in that it covers material from a previous episode, but in a shorter time. This episode covers the same content that is covered in episode 247 however this episode aims to cover the material is much less time (this episode is less than 17 minutes while episode 247 is nearly 45 minutes long).
Questions and topics related to the origins of humanity, the age of the universe, and the age of the Earth often come up in debates and conversations whenever Christians are seeking to reconcile the words of Scripture with the ideologies from the world of science.
The five views that Kenny talks about:
1- Secular Evolution
2- Young Earth and Literal Six-Day Creation
3- Old Earth with "Days" of creation being metaphoric
4- Old Earth with Gap Theory
5- Old Earth with Historical Creationism
In this episode Kenny also foreshadows the content of episode 249 wherein Kenny will tackle a sixth view known as theistic evolution, the concept that God guided and shepherded the process of evolution to the result that He wanted.
How old is the universe? How old is the Earth? These are questions often asked by Christians throughout the world, seeking to understand the origins of humanity while also seeking to reconcile the words of Scripture with the news updates coming from the world of science.
In this episode, Kenny challenges listeners to be charitable and diplomatic when tackling this topic. Kenny gives various historical insights that are helpful, and then Kenny gives us five perspectives that are often embraced when people are answering this question and when tackling the sub-topics that often arise.
The five views that Kenny talks about:
1- Secular Evolution
2- Young Earth and Literal Six-Day Creation
3- Day-Age Creationist with Era-Long "Days"
4- Old Earth with Gap Theory
5- Old Earth with Historical Creationism
Recommended Reading:
Genesis Unbound (by John Sailhamer)
Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (multiple contributors, edited by JB Stump)
Three Views on Creation and Evolution (multiple contributors, edited by James Porter Moreland)
Old Earth or Evolutionary Creation? (multiple contributors, edited by Kenneth Keathley & J. B. Stump,)
Ultimate Proof of Creation (Jason Lisle)
Old Earth Creationism on Trial (Tim Chaffey & Jason Lisle)
Navigating Genesis (Hugh Ross)
The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation (multiple contributors, edited by David Hagopian)
Many people in our world are lacking true joy and satisfaction, longing for "something more" but so many of them end up settling for a sub-par life and sub-par spirituality, simply because they do not know the true source of joy and satisfaction.
Furthermore, there are many genuine Christians that do not understand or value certain key doctrines and philosophies simply because they haven't been taught those truths and ideas in a manner that is accessible. In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and author Jonathan Parnell about these issues and they discuss how Jonathan tackles these trends in his newest book "Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness."
Jonathan is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Minneapolis–St. Paul, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their seven children. His book "Never Settle for Normal" is not a self-help book, neither is it just another run-of-mill "enrichment book, but instead it is a Gospel-filled book, packed with transcendent Biblical truths, but written in a manner that can be easily digested by just about any person, regardless of where they are in their faith journey.
Jonathan Parnell is also the co-editor of Designed for Joy: How the Gospel Impacts Men and Women, Identity and Practice (2015), and the co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary (2014). He has also published a collection of devotional essays under the title, Reading to Walk: Meditations for the Life of Faith (2014).
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathanparnell
A frequent (and tragic) trend in modern American Evangelicalism is the devaluing of the importance of quality doctrine and theology. This is evident in many ways in contemporary American Christendom, but fewer moments make this more obvious than when church leaders (and lay people) refuse to objectively (or critically) assess the theology, ideology, and preaching content of many prominent preachers. Many American Christians simply refuse to "pass judgement" on preachers. Is this right or wrong?
After several months off from podcasting, Kenny returns to tackle this important (and apparently controversial) topic. How important is theology? How much does doctrine matter? Is it appropriate to judge preachers' based on their theology? Or should we only pass judgement on those whom we know well? And is it possible that theology or doctrine can somehow actually get in the way of ministry?
Kenny tackles these questions in this episode, with his ultimate conclusion and statement being a strong, but simple, challenge to all listeners to always objectively exam every church leader's and every preacher's doctrine and preaching content, and to seek to make a rational and fair determination as to whether or not the content and doctrine is accurate or erroneous, and allow those determinations to govern how you interact with or talk about that preacher. Kenny also encourages us to be cautious that we never inappropriately or unfairly assault someone's character.
In this episode, Kenny answers the question: Will people from all Christian denominations go to heaven, or will only certain ones, with the right doctrine, be saved in the end? This can be a controversial subject indeed, but Kenny seeks to make it simple by making the point that faith in Christ is what actually saves us, not right doctrines.
Studying theology and doctrine is very important, and there are indeed certain types of doctrines and certain theological beliefs that may very well impede a person's faith in Christ, or may demonstrate that their faith in Christ is actually fraudulent, but the act of embracing certain doctrine, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily save or condemn human beings. Kenny believes that there will be people from all sorts of Christian denominations represented in heaven.
Last year, our host Kenny did a mini-series on the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Kenny tackled multiple topics related to the Holy Spirit. One of those topics was the topic of prophecy. You can listen to that episode here: "87: What is Prophecy?"
Kenny made the case that the gift (or function) of New Testament prophecy has been grossly misunderstood by many contemporary Christians, and that the spiritual gift of prophecy often gets maligned or abused. In response to that previous episode, Kenny received an email from a regular listener asking for clarification about the topic of prophecy.
In this episode, Kenny seeks to bring clarity by again explaining that the Old Testament office of “prophet” was restricted to only one person, meaning that only one person had access to the fullness and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, but that ever since the day of Pentecost, all New Testament Christians now have full access to the fullness and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. And as such, anytime a believer is empowered by the Spirit of God to speak boldly to the people of God on behalf of God, then in essence, that person is prophesying.
The spiritual gift of prophecy does not mean that someone is foretelling the future, but rather that they are being empowered by the Spirit to speak boldly to God's people for a specific person of cause. Occasionally this may indeed involve elements of "words of knowledge" or unique spiritual discernment, but in most cases it ought to be more focused on admonishment, rebuke, correction, teaching, calls to worship, and calls for repentance.
Romantic relationships can be complicated, even under the best of circumstances, but they get even more complicated when flawed philosophies and bad theology are thrown into the mix. One of the flawed philosophies that often gets embraced, in terms of romance, is the ideal concept of a soulmate. While this concept has lost popularity over the past two decades within contemporary Christian circles, there are still many that believe and embrace it.
In this episode, Kenny clearly tackles the question: Does God have only one specific person you’re meant to marry or is it more a matter of personal choice? Kenny's answer in this podcast is clear: There is no such thing as "the one." This concept of "the one" or the idea of a soulmate is totally a result of modern media, movies, and pop culture. The idea of "the one" is not at all a result of any Biblical insights.
Kenny explains that the Bible talks extensively about marriage and relationships, but it never says anything that would cause us to embrace this concept of only one specific person that you're supposed to marry. Furthermore, Kenny explains that this concept is overly idealistic and severely impractical.
Civil disobedience has long been an effective manner of protest, both in antiquity as well as in contemporary societies. The protests led by Gandhi in India, the American civil rights movement of the 20th century, and the Boston Tea Party (as a part of the events leading up to the American Revolution) have all been some of the most famous and most effective forms of civil disobedience in world history.
Was it sinful for the founders of the USA to disobey the king of England in this manner? Should they not have rendered unto King George what seemingly was King George's right?
Was it sinful for globally-known civil rights leaders like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King to encourage people to disobey the law? When should we submit and obey our leaders, and when should we intentionally disobey? Is it always sinful to disobey leaders, or are there moments when it is okay to disobey the law
In this episode, Kenny clearly answers these questions by reminding us about the purpose of governments in the first place. Humans are sinful, therefore too much freedom isn't good, because it would lead to sinful anarchy. Government structures and restraints are good because they bring law and order.
But when a leader or the government is no longer fulfilling its God-ordained purpose, for which is was established in the first place, then it is time for the people to disobey that structure as a form of protest, or in some extreme cases, it may indeed be time to get rid of that particular leader or government.
In response to an email from a regular listener which included a question about the mixture of Christian theology and American nationalism.
Some Christians claim that the USA is a "Christian nation" and that we ought to structure our government with this ideal in mind. Is this true? Are we a Christian nation? If not, should we seek to make it an officially "Christian" country?
In this episode, Kenny explains the concepts of natural rights and natural law. Kenny compares and contrasts natural rights, that originate from a source that transcends governments, with legal rights that originate from a national government or from the leadership of some jurisdiction.
Kenny explains that the Biblical purpose for national governments is to bring law and order for the people, to acknowledge the natural rights of humans that have been given to us by God, and to build and cultivate the appropriate systems which will honor and protect natural rights.
Whenever a government violates natural law, or fails to acknowledge and protect the natural rights of the people, then that specific government, and its leaders, has lost its right to survive and exist. Whenever a government has violated this idea, and hence therefore has forfeited its own right to even exist, then it would be appropriate for the people of that nation (or the leadership of other nations) to remove the existing government from power, whether diplomatically or by force, in order to establish a new or reformed government that will indeed acknowledge and protect the natural rights of the people.
The concept of natural rights greatly influenced the founders of the United States. The philosophy of natural rights was asserted and taught by many philosophers throughout the centuries, but the greatest proponent of the modern understanding of natural rights was the 17th century British philosopher and physician John Locke.
Throughout the pages of the Old Testament, many of the kings were sinful and wicked. In other cases they may not have lived a totally wicked lifestyle, but they made some very sinful choices. Why did God permit this?
In response to an email from a regular listener, Kenny dives into this topic in this episode by asking Why did God allow the kings of the nation of Israel to sin in so many different ways? More importantly, does this mean that certain sins are okay for certain leaders or people?
In this episode, Kenny covers the topic of "replacement" theology, which is the term that Dispensationalists use when they are referring to concept that the Jews are no longer God's chosen people. That the church has "replaced" Israel.
Dispensationalist typically embrace the idea that the Jews are still God's chosen people, that they still have a special covenant with God (which is separate and distinct with God's covenant with the church), and that the Jews still have special blessings and rights that other nations do not have access to, including the rights to the "promise land" (the property which makes up the contemporary nation of Israel).
Orthodox Christianity has traditionally held to the idea that any person who places faith in God is declared righteous and therefore is invited into the group of people that are in covenant with God; and there is only one group of people that are in covenant with God (known as God's "covenant people").
The Jews were the group that God was in covenant with, but that has been expanded in the New Testament to include Jews and Gentiles. The New Testament also makes the point that not all of the Jews were ever actually in covenant anyway (see Romans 9:6-7).
Ethnic Jews should not be viewed as God's covenant people, but instead anyone with genuine faith in God ought to be considered a part of God's covenant people; and this has not replaced the "old way" of viewing God's covenant people because this is ho we ought to have always viewed God's chosen people.
Recently, a regular listener sent Kenny an email asking about Yoga, and whether or not it is okay for Christians to practice it.
Yoga is the traditionally Hindu theistic philosophy and ascetic discipline, that involves the suppression of activity, and is aimed at connecting with the spiritual realm in hopes of attaining a higher sense of self-awareness and also aimed at the absolute liberation from all desire and natural human inclination. Yoga traditionally has included mantras, unique breathing control, meditations, and the adoption of specific bodily postures.
In this episode, Kenny makes clear that engaging in Yoga, in its traditional sense, does indeed potentially invite unwanted spiritual beings and evil principalities to enter your life and potentially have influence over your life in ways that would wreak havoc on your faith, soul, and overall well-being.
But Kenny also recognizes that many people in Western societies practice the physical disciplines and elements of Yoga, but are doing so in a way that is divorced from any spiritual connections. In this context, there is probably not issue for Christians to participate in the physical elements of Yoga.
Kenny finishes the episode by giving pastoral wisdom about how we ought to approach any such topic, where something may seem spiritual or taboo to some extent, in the minds of some. Christians, overall, ought to never be flippant in these matters, but always be prayerful, cautious, and diligent before engaging with anything that may have influence over your life or soul (ie: media, books, music, holiday celebrations, relationships, food, spiritual things, etc.).
Also, Christians ought to never mock or be judgmental towards another believer that may have different convictions, or Christians that choose to refrain from something that you feel is "no big deal."
Lastly, Christians ought to never go against their own conscious when making determinations about what to engage with and what not to engage with. If you feel uneasy about doing Yoga (or any other comparable thing), then you ought to refrain from it, regardless of what others may say or do.
In this episode, Kenny responds to an email from a regular listener asking about the word "glory" and its definition in relation to how Jesus refers to it in John 17:22.
In the passage in question, Jesus says these words: "I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one." (HCSB). Kenny explains that the word "glory" refers to fame, praise, exaltation, and honor. Typically, humans ought to make God famous as well as seek to praise and honor Him for who He is, and in doing so our innermost souls are fully satisfied.
Jesus is making the point that Jesus will then present humans as fully redeemed, not to praise or exalt our character, but so that the work of God in us can be made known, praised, honored, and exalted. And in doing so, God Himself will take joy, delight, and sanctification in us because of the amazing redemption that has been completed in us.
At face value, prayer seems to be one of the simplest and most powerful disciplines that any Christian can engage in. Prayer is an incredible privilege! We have the opportunity to talk with and potentially request things from the Supreme Creator of the universe who has the power to grant whatever we ask. This is an amazing truth!
However, it seems to many believers that prayer can simultaneously be one of the more complex elements of the Christian life. When should we pray? How should we pray? What things impact our prayers?
In a few verses, it even seems that Jesus is saying that we can pray for whatever we want and as long as we have faith, we're guaranteed to get it. Is that true?
In this episode, Kenny responds to an email from a regular listener about the verses that seem to allude to the fact that we can pray for "whatever we want" as long as we have faith. Kenny explains these verses in context, and the importance to allow God's Word to transfer our desires so that our prayers will be in line with that which God already wants.
Some preachers and churches have taken many of these verses out of context and began to promote the "name it, claim it" theology; claiming that we can have whatever we want and God is obligated to grant our requests, even if they are sinful or selfish in any manner. This is clearly a false teaching that has permeated the church, and in this episode Kenny exposes "name it, claim it" theology as being nonsense that maligns the actual power and beauty of prayer.
Highlighted Scriptures
1 John 5:14-15
John 15:7-8
John 15:16-17
John 16:23-24
Mark 11:20-24
Matthew 6:9–13
Matthew 21:21-22
James 1:6
James 4:1-3
In this episode, Kenny dives into the terms "conservative" and "liberal" explaining what they literally mean, and more importantly, explaining how those terms are utilized within our modern Western culture in the realm of politics and in the realm of theology.
Within Christian theology, heterodoxy has typically been explained as any Biblical interpretations or Christian doctrines that are different from the official or orthodox positions of the church at-large.
In this episode, Kenny explains the concept of heterodoxy, and expounds upon the differences between orthodoxy, heresy, and heterodoxy. Kenny also makes clear that heterodox doctrines might be different from orthodox doctrines, but heterodox doctrines are not opposite or contrary to any traditionally embraced Christian orthodoxy, neither is heterodoxy opposite or contrary to any clear Biblical mandates.
Kenny then gives some pastoral advice on how to view heterodoxy, and challenges the listeners to be cautious to not assume that other Christians are not orthodox simply because those believers may have some theological disagreements. Kenny finishes the episode with this great quote from Charles Spurgeon:
"Again, you shall find spiritual life in every church. I know it is the notion of the bigot, that all the truly godly people belong to the denomination which he adorns. Orthodoxy is my doxy; heterodoxy is anybody else’s doxy who does not agree with me." (August 13th, 1871)
Traditionally, heresy has been said to be any belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious dogma and is profoundly at odds with what has generally been accepted.
In this episode, Kenny defines heresy as any doctrine or teaching that is...
Outside of the bounds of traditional Christian orthodoxy Opposite of the foundational or essential doctrines embraced by orthodox Christians Clearly contrary to the Scriptures, potentially harmful or destructive to the persons who might embrace those false teachings
Kenny then gives some pastoral advice and insights on how to rebuke and address a heretic, if a heretic should appear in your church or your community.
Scriptures Referenced
2 Peter 2:1
Galatians 1:8-9
1 Corinthians 16:22
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
1 Timothy 1:18-20
Titus 3:10
With the popularity of non-orthodox Christian theology and modern liberal ideology growing within contemporary Christian circles, there has been a need to label or identify those specific Christian groups and churches which hold closely to the doctrine and ideals of traditional orthodox Christianity. That group has been labeled "Evangelical Christians."
The Evangelical movement is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Christianity (specifically Protestant Christianity) which seeks to maintain fundamental Christian beliefs and conserve the traditionally embraced elements of the Gospel. Typically, Evangelicals affirm these truths and ideals:
Inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture Jesus' virgin birth, physical death on a cross, and physical resurrection Deity of Christ Every human's need for faith in Christ alone for salvation Importance of our Christian faith actually governing our daily lives and choices Importance of evangelism (spreading the Gospel to others)
Many people in modern Western society use the terms "Protestant" and "Evangelical" interchangeably, but these two words do not mean the same thing. There are many people whom identify as Protestant but do not embrace the truths and ideals typically embraced by Evangelicals.
It has been estimated by some media outlets that the population of the USA is 38-60% Evangelical, but upon further review we discover that the actual number is probably significantly less than that.
Resources
What is an evangelical?
http://What Is an Evangelical? Four Questions Offer New Definition
Since the middle of the 1800's theological liberalism has become an influential movement and a part of mainstream thought within many churches, seminaries, and denominations throughout Europe and the United States.
The rise of a counter-movement to "battle for the fundamentals" of Christian orthodoxy began in the later portions of the 1800's and really came to prominence in the United States and Great Britain during the 1920's. This movement is now known as Christian fundamentalism.
In this episode, Kenny explains the ideology of fundamentalism (generically speaking) within politics, religion, and general ideology. Then Kenny dives into the history of the modern Christian fundamentalist movement and its good elements, as well as its more modern and detrimental elements.
There are multiple occurrences in the Scriptures of people being possessed by demons or influenced by evil spirits and principalities.
Recently, Kenny received an email from a regular listener saying that the listener's pastor had made the claim that those Biblical narratives (the passages that speak of demon possessions) that the persons where not actually demon possessed, but rather they were actually mentally ill.
In this episode, Kenny responds to this claim by examining a relatively well-known Biblical narrative where Jesus casts a demon out of a man (see Luke 8). Kenny also examines a few other passages, and he makes it clear that demon possession was real in the New Testament and still is real today. Kenny points to several pieces of evidence (both from the Bible as well as from his own personal life) that should lead us to conclude that demon possession does still happen today.
Demon possession is real, but we ought not fear because the Spirit of God that lives inside of us is far more powerful than the evil spirits in the world (see 1 John 4:4). Demon possession is a rare occurrence, but even so, we still ought not "mess with" things related to demonic forces, principalities, or elements of the occult. The only Spirit we ought to be engaging with is the Spirit of God; we ought to continually trust in the power of God's Holy Spirit and cultivate intimacy with the Lord.
The most frequent questions that Kenny gets (both from podcast listeners as well as from some of the young people that he has mentored) are typically related to the topic of sex. One frequently asked question is about oral sex. Is it wrong?
In this episode, Kenny clearly explains that oral sex can often be viewed as even more intimate than intercourse in the minds of some people. There are even some stats that show that young people are more likely to engage with intercourse before they engage with oral sex, because they view oral sex as being even more sensitive than intercourse.
Kenny makes clear that all sexual relations ought to be kept between a man and his wife, between the bounds of covenant marriage. If you are not married, then oral sex is sinful. But within the bounds of marriage, between a man and his wife, the Bible never prohibits oral sex. In fact, there are moments in the the Bible where oral sex seems to be celebrated. Lastly, Kenny then outlines several thoughts and elements of this topic that every married couple ought to consider before indulging in the act of oral sex.
Multiple times throughout his ministry career and throughout his correspondence with regular listeners of the podcast, Kenny has been asked about nudity in media, in the arts, and in our society overall. How should Christians engage with nudity?
In addition, Kenny was recently asked by a photographer if it would be sinful or inappropriate for him to take nude photos of people if they have requested to hire him to take nude pics of them or their spouse. In response to this question, and other similar questions, Kenny reluctantly answers by seeking to give Biblical wisdom and cautionary advice. Kenny makes clear that nudity, in-and-of itself, isn't necessarily sinful. But the motivation behind the nudity and the context of the nudity make all the difference, and will govern how we approach the topic of nudity and elements of nudity that may appear in pop culture.
Throughout the New Testament the apostles made reference to the Old Testament law and its connection to the Gospel. The law was the set of rules, regulations, and expectations that God had set down for the people of Israel in the Old Testament. God gave this law after the Exodus from Egypt but before they entered in the promised land. The law was given to them through their spiritual leader Moses.
In this episode, Kenny answers a question from a regular listened about the nature of the law. Kenny explains its purpose and its connection to the New Covenant outlined in the New Testament. Kenny also explains the different types of laws that God gave and their purposes for the people of Israel. Kenny finishes by pointing out the ultimate purpose of the law: to expose our need for a savior and to point us to Jesus.
In this episode, Kenny interviews a personal friend about a recent non-profit organization she launched called "Closely Held." Several years ago, Amber Matyi and her husband had a child with significant medical issues. They quickly realized that the families going through the difficultly of having a child with unique medical challenges are often lonely or lack resources and support. Amber and her husband launched Closely Held as a way to serve those families in need.
Throughout and after the interview, Kenny challenges listeners to allow Amber's story to be an inspiration. Each of us ought to use our own personal obstacles and difficulties as the means to look for opportunities to tangibly serve the people all around us that are in need.
Facebook Page: facebook.com/CloselyHeld
Email: closelyheld7@gmail.com
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koiné Greek. Some observers have pondered the question: As the Scriptures have been translated from its original languages into modern English, has any truth been lost in translation?
In this episode, Kenny responds to an email from a regular listener about this topic and several related questions. Kenny clearly explains why we can trust modern English translations.
The traditional role of mothers throughout human history has been to have their primary focus to be on child rearing and home making. However, modern feminism has changed that throughout Western cultures and societies.
So, this begs the question: Should women be more focused on child rearing more than anything else? Or is that traditional expectation merely nothing more than oppression that is an artifact of old-fashioned patriarchal societies?
In this episode, Kenny gives some clear Biblical mandates about what is expected from mothers and then he seeks to give some pastoral wisdom on how to fulfill those mandates as best as possible in our modern cultural context. Kenny challenges mothers to ask these questions:
1) What will bring the most amount of glory to God?
2) What decision will allow you to best fulfill the Biblical mandates upon mothers?
3) What is best for your children and their development?
In this episode, Kenny answers a question based upon recent correspondence with a regular listener about discipleship.
What's the difference between a convert and a disciple? We are all called to be disciples of Jesus and to make disciples. Kenny explains that conversion is one of the early steps in the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Many segments of our contemporary society do not value work within the home. Other segments even look down on mothers that choose to stay at-home with the kids instead of "contributing" to society.
But the contributions you make at home, for fathers and mothers, matter significantly to God.
In this episode, Kenny interviews author, speaker, and blogger Courtney Reissig about her newest book Glory in the Ordinary about the meaning and value of mundane tasks in our homes.
When the work of the home fills our days, it is easy to get disillusioned and miss God’s great and grand purpose for our work. As image bearers of God, we were created to work. We contribute to society, and bring order out of chaos in every moment; no matter how small the tasks may seem.
Recommended
Get a copy of Courtney's Newest Book: Glory in the Ordinary
Get a copy of Courtney's First Book: The Accidental Feminist
Check out Courtney's Website: www.courtneyreissig.com
There are many people who claim that they are Christians, but is it possible to determine if they truly are Christians? Can you know if they are genuine followers of Jesus? Have they truly been born again?
In this episode, Kenny gives us four clear ways to determine if someone truly has been born again and determine if their faith in Christ in real or fraudulent.
1- Do they claim to have put their faith in Jesus? Do they believe that Jesus is God and that He raised from the dead? (John 3:16-17; Romans 10:9-10)
2- Do they really love God? (Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:37)
3- Are they truly committed to following the commandments of Jesus and living for Him? (John 14)
4- Is it obvious that they are engaging with the Spirit of God and growing in the fruit of the Spirit as a result of their engagement with the Spirit of God? (Galatians 5:22-23)
Dealing with heresies and dealing with those individuals whom espouse heresies is something that the church has been dealing with since the church's inception. In this episode, Kenny explains how we should deal with modern heresies, and more specifically, how we ought to approach or deal with those people asserting or promoting the heresy.
As a part of an on going mini-series on issues related to homosexuality, Kenny addresses the questions around Christian business owners being forced to serve same-sex weddings, as well as other events, that may violate their own Biblical or ideological convictions.
Kenny believes that business owners, of any religious or political conviction, should be allowed to do business with whomever they please, for whatever reason they see fit, in whatever manner they see fit, and that the federal government ought not be involved in such matters unless it is a matter of life and death. Kenny outlines how his notions are rooted in paleoconservationism ideology, libertarian ideals, and John Locke's assertions about natural rights. Kenny makes the case that all of the American founding documents are rooted in these same ideologies.
Kenny points out several cases where Christian business owners have been sued or put out of business for refusing to serve a same-sex wedding, and compares it to a recent dress designer who refused to make a dress for Melania Trump for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. The most famous case to date is the case of Arlene's Flowers wherein the florist refused to sell flowers to a gay couple for their same-sex wedding.
Kenny points out the hypocrisy evident in many modern secular progressive groups and the inconsistency in their ideology. Kenny also makes the legal case as to why it is not illegal (and neither is it a form of discrimination) for any business owner to refuse to do business with any person engaged in an action that violates the religious or ideological convictions of that business owner, regardless if the action is sexual or otherwise.
Mainstream views on homosexuality have shifted significantly in contemporary society over the past decade. Being homosexual is viewed as being perfectly normal, and even celebrated, by many people. Now, with the legalization of same-sex marriage, many Christians have asked: Should a Christian ever attend a same-sex marriage ceremony?
This could be a tough question because there are a lot of emotions involved and wrapped up in the situation, and there possibly could be the risk that certain relationships could be fractured.
Some people say that we should not ever attend because it endorses sin and causes people to believe that we affirm homosexual behavior. Others might say that we ought to attend same-sex weddings as an act of evangelism and charity. And other people might attend without ever really considering whether it is right or wrong. How should we respond? Should we attend?
In this episode, Kenny gives a clear answer with careful focus on the importance of having a Biblical worldview and with sensitivity towards Christians who are friends with gay people that are getting married.
Lots of gay people claim that their inclinations and affections for the same gender are feelings that they have experienced since they were very young. Most would claim: "I was born this way!"
In this episode, Kenny responds to this thought process by answering some common question that have come from a variety of people and sources in reference to homosexuality and those individuals who profess to be gay. The questions that are often asked: Are gay people born gay? Or do they "turn" gay through life experiences? Or is it just a choice?
For much of the history of modern Western civilization, homosexuality has been considered sinful or immoral, or at minimum there has been a cultural stigma attached to homosexuality. This has begun to shift significantly over the last few decades. Many gay people claim that, since they are born this way, all of us must consider homosexuality natural and embrace it as normative.
The response by many Evangelical Christians has been to claim that being gay is simply a choice or merely the manifestation of some abuse. In doing this, Evangelicals have taken the spotlight off of the proper angle of this issue. Kenny makes clear that the question about whether gay people are born gay is simply the wrong question to ask because, from an orthodox Christian worldview, it ought to be irrelevant. We are all born with some sin patterns and propensities for sin. The question ought not be: "Are we born this way" but rather "What does the Bible say about this issue?"
Contemporary western society is becoming increasingly more hostile towards the Gospel and increasingly more accepting of alternative lifestyles. People who stand for traditional Biblical morality and orthodox Biblical convictions are going to be called all sorts of derogatory names. There is no genre or topic in which this will be more applicable than in the arena of sexuality, especially any topics related to the LGBTQ community. How should Biblical Christians respond?
Many people may ask, "Why do you hate gay and lesbian people?" The truth is not that we hate, but rather that we stand for Biblical truth, and God's ideal for marriage and the family. We orthodox Biblical Christians are going to labeled bigots, homophobic, hateful, old-fashioned, oppressive, etc. because we are seen as hating gay men and women. In this episode, Kenny clearly outlines how we ought to respond in those moments, when we are labeled as being bigots. Should we get angry? What should we do?
The cultural stigma around homosexuality has lessened significantly over the past few years in Western society, but certainly still remains. And the cultural stigma that is around homosexuality and same-sex relationships seems to be different than the stigma around any other sins or other sexual behaviors.
There are many sexual choices that conservative Evangelical Christians would typically label as being outside of God's ideal design, but homosexuality seems to be viewed differently (or even sometimes viewed as being worse). But is this a Biblical idea? Is homosexual activity different than other sins? Is it worse? Is being gay or lesbian worse than other things outside of God's ideal design?
In this episode, Kenny explains that all sins have some level of equality in their eternal consequences, but not all sins are necessarily completely equal in terms of the ramifications they have on our lives. Kenny then explains:
1- Sexual sin is unique from other sins, which includes homosexuality and gay lifestyles, but sexual sin also includes all forms of lust, objectifying any human being, adultery, pornography, bestiality, pedophilia, and certain forms masturbation (or the inappropriate thoughts that typically the accompany masturbation).
2- Homosexuality is unique from many other sins because the view about it has changed rapidly in our culture and being gay or lesbian is now being celebrated by large portions of the population in Western culture.
There has been a moral revolution in America over the last few years, changing how people view homosexuality and other related topics. One recent expectation is the idea of complete "tolerance" of all sexual perspectives. But doesn't the Bible tell us that certain sins are an "abomination" to the Lord? If so, how should we feel about the culture shift? And how should we feel towards sexual sin such as homosexuality?
In this episode, Kenny launches a mini-series about homosexuality, answering several questions brought up by regular listeners. The first question Kenny tackles is the idea of hating homosexuality. Is it Biblical to hate homosexuality? Should we hate it more or less than other sins? Kenny answers this by giving us four insights:
1- We should want people to experience God's best for them, and our passion for God's design in sexuality should supersede our passion to be against homosexuality
2- We should hate all sin and should find all sin disgusting
3- We should ask God for his grace and power to see a person separate from their sin; we ought to seek to separate a person's sinful choices from that person's identity
4- We ought to hate our own sin more than another person's sin
Recommended Resources:
What's the Meaning of Sex (Denny Burk)
Transforming Homosexuality (Denny Burk & Heath Lambert)
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (by Kevin DeYoung)
Is Gay the New Black? (Voddie Baucham) (Video)
How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn't Harm Anyone? (Video)
Parenting is one of the greatest privileges, and one of the greatest responsibilities, that God has given to human beings. If you are a parent you know how hard parenting can be, and how tough it is to feel like you're being a good spiritual leader to your kids as well. But even the little mundane tasks can be used by God for His glory and for the good of your kids.
In this episode, our host Kenny interviews author and blogger Catherine McNiel about viewing parenthood (more specifically, motherhood) as a spiritual discipline. The busyness of parenting feels like it encroaches on our ability to practice spiritual disciplines, but the tasks of being a good parent themselves can be spiritual and sacred if we choose to view them that way.
As a mother of three, Catherine knows how it feels to miss out on your "quiet time" with the Lord. She even confesses to occasionally escaping to the bathroom, just to get a few minutes of alone time. But what if we viewed the mundane tasks of parenting and motherhood as being spiritual? How would that change our lives and our families?
Check out Catherine McNiel's website: CatherineMcNiel.com
Typically, American Evangelicals are conservative in their theology and conservative in their politics as well. That means that most American Evangelicals support the typical conservative position which endorses capital punishment (aka: the death penalty).
In this episode, Kenny explains that he is overall very conservative in both his politics and theology, but herein he outlines why he differs from his conservative friends in this one arena of politics.
In this episode, Kenny answers an email from a regular listener about the desire for death. Kenny first responds with some pastoral wisdom for anyone feeling this way. Then Kenny reminds us of the importance of remembering the fact that we are made in the image of God and the importance of promoting a culture of life.
In this episode, Kenny explains the concept of being "orthodox" and why we ought to evaluate the beliefs that were embraced by previous generations of Christians.
Often, critics of Christianity challenge the idea that "God is good" because it seems that God does things that He has told us not to do.
Some people even claim that God is a moral monster because He chooses to do things that may seem wicked to us (from our human vantage point). Why is it that God seems to be allowed to break His own rules?
This episode is inspired by two recent correspondences that Kenny has had; one was with a fellow air passenger and the other was with a listener of the podcast. In this episode, Kenny dives into the idea of God's goodness and justice and morality.
In addition, Kenny also tackles the idea that we ought to refrain from judging God by the same set of rules that we judge humans, and with that in mind, Kenny answers this question: "By what standard should we judge God at all?" Kenny responds to this question by challenging listeners to understand that, if we ever determine that God is wicked, then our "measuring stick" is broken and needs a Biblical course correction.
In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and author Tim Carson about the concept of liminality, its importance to our faith journeys, and its transformational power in our lives when appropriately embraced.
Check out Tim's book: Liminal Reality and Transformational Power
Is there ever a set of circumstances where it is appropriate for a Christian to file a lawsuit against the government, a corporation, or a non-believing individual? In our previous episode (#204) Kenny covered the concept of Christians abstaining from suing other believers, but what about non-Christians or non-religious entities?
In response to an email from a regular listener, Kenny answers this questions by addressing the problem with our contemporary societies becoming overly litigious, but Kenny also explains that God loves justice, and that there might indeed be scenarios where a lawsuit might be the best option to bring forth justice.
Should a follower of Christ ever file a lawsuit against another follower of Christ? Does the Bible address this? Is there ever a scenario wherein it would make sense or be appropriate for one believer to sue another believer? In the minds of many, this is a tough question, with many potential "grey" areas to consider.
In response to a very sensitive email from a regular listener, Kenny answers this questions by giving pastoral advice and then by highlighting the words of the Apostle Paul from 1 Corinthians 6.
Curiosity is such a childish word, right? Well, not so fast. Just because we grow up doesn’t mean we should lose our inclination towards curiosity.
In this episode, Kenny interviews Barnabas Piper about his recent book "The Curious Christian" wherein Piper challenges Christians to keep their wonder of the world and the people around us. Barnabas Piper is an author, blogger, marketing guru, podcaster, father, and fan of Minnesota sports teams.
Get a copy of Piper's new book: The Curious Christian
Check out the "Happy Rant" Podcast
The Holy Spirit is often discussed and disputed by many Evangelical Christians. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, and He plays a vital role in our lives.
As we evaluate the Scriptures, it appears that the Holy Spirit functioned differently in the Old Testament than He functioned in the New Testament. Is there truly a difference between how the Holy Spirit operated before Jesus came to planet Earth versus how he now operates after Jesus. Kenny dives into this vital topic here in the episode.
Many people claim to experience the grace and presence of God, even those who do not necessarily profess faith in Christ. Is this possible?
In response to an email from a regular listener, Kenny addresses the idea that all people experience God, and he specifically highlights the doctrine often referred to as "common grace" which is available to all people.
In response to several recent personal conversations, Kenny addresses the idea of having a "dry" season, wherein we feel far or distant from God.
What should we do when our passions or affections for God have faded? Kenny boldly answered this question, challenging listeners to be proactive in their faith.
Many people pray, not just Christians. But to whom are they praying? And are their prayers effective?
In response to a recent email that Kenny received from a regular listener, that does not profess to be a follower of Christ, Kenny tackles a sensitive but important topic about the prayers offered up from those whom do not believe. Does God answer (or even listen to) the prayers of those people who are not Christians? If not, to whom are those non-Christian people praying? Is there anyone listening?
The Bible says that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Does that mean He is stuck only in one place? And if so, does that mean Jesus is not omnipresent? Can Jesus be every where at one time? Or is He limited to one location?
In this episode, Kenny answers these questions by highlighting the fact that Jesus has two unique and distinct natures. The human nature of Jesus is not omnipresent, but His divine nature certainly is fully omnipresent.
Jesus claimed to not know the day or hour of His return to Earth, but yet historical Christianity claims that Jesus is God. How can Jesus be God if He doesn't know everything? Is Jesus Christ omniscient? In this episode, Kenny responds to a regular listener that brought up these questions.
In response to a recent email, Kenny makes clear what the first century Jews believed about reincarnation, specifically in regards to a prophecy given by the prophet Malachi about the idea of "Elijah" being sent back to Earth "before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes."
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are growing in popularity throughout Western cultures.
In this episode, Kenny address the ideology behind euthanasia and the "culture of death" that is promoted when euthanasia is allowed. Humans are created in the image of God, therefore any killing of human beings, no matter the scenario, is an assault on God himself.
One of the more unique events of the life of Jesus takes place on a mountainside and is often referred to as the "Transfiguration of Jesus."
In response to two recent emails from regular listeners, Kenny talks about the importance of this event and why were Moses and Elijah the two Old Testament prophets selected to be there that day to be witnesses to this event.
Kenny also addresses how Moses and Elijah were able to be transported from their eternal state to that spot for this event.
The idea of sending people, money, and resources to other nations in hopes of proclaiming the Gospel is known as "missions" and it has been a big part of the Church since its inception. Why should Christians today care about missions?
The Christmas season has many traditions. One of the most famous traditions in the United States is the Santa Claus myth. This is begs the question: Should Christian parents raise their own kids to believe in the myth of Santa? Why or why not? And if not, how do we handle this with our kids?
In this episode, Kenny tackles the importance of being prayerful and intentional whenever we make decisions as to what elements of our culture we engage with and which elements we choose to abstain from. Kenny gives two compelling reasons as to why parents ought to seriously consider abstaining from the practice of raising kids to believe in Santa. And gives us some thoughts on how to handle this character with our children.
In this episode, Kenny answers a question from a regular listener about talking to friends who may be a part of a church that is preaching heresy or being unfaithful to Biblical texts.
In essence, how do we talk to a friend about their church's bad theology? How do we tell a friend or family member that their church is not Biblical? Kenny tackles this topic by reminding us that we must be gracious and kind, but we must not be afraid to be bold to stand up for Biblical convictions.
Some Christians claim it is sinful to make any statue or image of Christ because it is a violation of the second commandment. Some might even say that this applies to movies that depict Christ.
Recently, a regular listener asked Kenny about this topic. In this episode, Kenny answers why he believes such statues are not necessarily a violation of the second commandment, but it depends on the motivation behind why the statues were created in the first place.
In episode 183, Kenny answered the question: Were There Any Writings From God that Are Not in the Bible? In that episode, Kenny mentioned the Letter to the Laodiceans that is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 4:16. In response to some of those comments, Kenny received a critique by email from a regular listener.
In this episode, Kenny responds to the critique from the regular listener about the Letter to the Laodiceans. Kenny expounds upon his thoughts about the letter and why he believes it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Suicide is a sensitive and sobering topic. Many people know someone who has committed suicide. Many Christians have asked, if someone commits suicide, will they go directly to hell? Or is there a chance they are in heaven?
In this episode, Kenny points out that there are two different manners to answer this question, depending on the motivation of the person answering the question. Kenny tries to answer both motivations in the most sensitive and most Christ-honoring way possible.
Related Episodes
43: Is Judas in Heaven or Hell?
71: Is Mental Illness Caused by Demons?
Two of the most well-known non-orthodox faiths in American today are the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Most evangelical Christians would label these faiths as "cults" and would deny their orthodoxy. Is this a fair assessment?
In this episode, Kenny explains the definition of a cult and why he treats these two faith groups differently than other cult-like groups.
Many people are fascinated with the concept of talking to angels or corresponding with other spiritual beings beyond our dimension. This is nothing new. And many of the celebrity psychics in our world take advantage of this fact. Some of these supposed psychics even claim to be able to correspond with angels. Is this true? Can certain psychics or spiritual mediums talk to angels? If not, who are they corresponding with?
In this episode, Kenny answers this question by giving us a clear understanding of the Biblical purpose for angels.
Quite frequently, younger Christians ask whether or not it is wrong or sinful to listen to secular music. In this episode, Kenny makes it clear that no, it is not necessarily sinful, but that music can influence us in a grand fashion and therefore we ought to be cautious with our music selection.
Kenny highlights the power and impact music has on our lives, minds, emotions and souls. With that in mind, we ought to be strategic in utilizing music to cultivate our intimacy with Christ.
Recommended
"Secular vs. Sacred" Chapel Lecture by LeCrae at Liberty University
There are many people who believe, and publicly assert, that Christians are "obligated" to vote in order to influence the direction of our government.
In this episode, Kenny makes clear his profound appreciation for his right to vote as an American, but highlights the logical flaw in claiming that any person is ever obligated to vote.
Some people have asked, "Are there any books, letters, or writings that were inspired by God that about to be in the Bible but, for some reason or another, was left out of the Bible by the early Christians?
In this episode, Kenny gives an answer that will be somewhat surprising to some listeners, pointing out that there is some evidence that at least one divinely inspired letter written by the Apostle Paul wasn't included in the New Testament.
In this episode, Kenny addresses a point brought to him by a regular listener about the completion of the New Testament, the authenticity of the Biblical narratives, and the completeness (or wholeness) of the essence of the Gospel message, as well as the related theological elements and doctrinal components.
Basically, how do we know that the message of the Gospel that we preach today is actually indeed the whole Gospel message that Jesus preached? How do we know that the early church didn't leave anything out (whether intentionally or maliciously)?
Recommended Resources
The Historical Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas)
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas & MIchael Licona)
Christian Origins and the Question of God (4-Book Series) (by NT Wright)
Many people have faced the choice: Which church should my family and I attend? When we are faced with this question, there are many elements that impact and influence our decision.
In this episode, Kenny explains how doctrine should be one of those elements that greatly impact our decision as to which church we choose to attend and worship at, however more importantly, Kenny asserts and explains how the faithful preaching of the Word of God ought to be the highest priority when selecting a church.
Resources
Relevant Magazine Article About What People Are Looking For in Church
In this episode, Kenny answers the question: Is it wrong to want to be God's favorite person?
Kenny answers this question by examining the words of Jesus in Mark 10 when James and John asked Jesus to allow them to sit next to Him at God's table in heaven.
Halloween has been a popular, and overly commercialized, pseudo-holiday in the United States for more than a century. But many Christians have protested the tradition, claiming the pseudo-demonic nature of Halloween, as well as its pagan roots, makes it something Christians ought to abstain from participating in. Is abstinence the best approach? Should Christians participate in any Halloween festivities or not?
In this episode, Kenny answers this question directly by pointing out that there are many different viable approaches to cultural traditions such as Halloween. Kenny also makes clear that his own approach is to use these sorts of events and traditions as an opportunity to prayerfully and intentionally penetrate the culture with Gospel-centered and redemptive purposes.
Recommended
Thoughts on Halloween from John Piper
Open the Door to Halloween (article by Jonathan Parnell)
Occasionally, in life, we experience something that is simply so good, and so profoundly in our favor, that we feel like the thing might be too good! Or, when we sense that something is too good, we may begin to suspect that it isn't actually true. That's where the old adage comes in: "If it's simply too good to be true, it probably isn't." Well, is this the case with the Gospel?
In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and author Ricky Jones about his new book, wherein Ricky talks extensively about this idea of the Gospel being too good to be true. The book is rightly entitled, Too Good to Be True.
Check Out the "Too Good to Be True" Facebook Page
Get a Copy of the Book on Amazon
Follow Ricky Jones on Twitter: @revrickydean
Connect with Ricky Jones on Facebook
Check out Ricky Jones' Sermons on www.sermonaudio.com
Traditionally speaking, the role of elder/pastor has been filled by men. But over the last 100-150 years, there has been a movement to allow women to fill the role of elder/pastor within Evangelical churches. With that comes the question as to what type of speaking and preaching women should be allowed to do within the church.
That begs the question: Should women be allowed to preach? If not, why not? If yes, how should that play out in our contemporary church context?
In 1 Timothy 2, the Apostle Paul clearly outlines a form of preaching that ought not be made available for women, however in 1 Corinthians 11 there is a form of public speaking and "prophecy" that women are invited to do, and it seems that women are even expected to speak and lead the congregation in prayer at times.
In this episode, Kenny dives into this topic, highlighting the important elements of 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 2, and also giving some modern examples as to how this ought to be executed well by church leaders within our modern church context.
Recommended
The Accidental Feminist (by Courtney Reissig)
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different (by Alexander Strauch)
The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller)
Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper)
What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (by John Piper)
Quite often whenever the topic of women in ministry comes up, defenders of the egalitarian position mention the Old Testament judge Deborah. Some people believe that God's allowance of a female judge in the Old Testament means that women should be invited into ministry leadership positions with no restrictions whatsoever. Is this true?
In this episode, Kenny elaborates upon the story from the Book of Judges and highlights the lessons we can learn from the life of Deborah.
It has been a typical practice in North America for women to change their last name when they get married. Is this a Biblical practice? If not, would it be wrong if a woman doesn't change her name?
In this episode, Kenny dives into answering this question by pointing out the opportunity women have to demonstrate their own loyalties to their husband and their marriage covenant.
There has been a relatively recent phenomenon within modern church movements to open the office of elder/pastor to women. While this was not the historical norm of churches, it has become acceptable in many churches over the past century.
So, is this Biblical? Is God okay with women being pastors? Or should churches embrace the traditional view of the office of elder and role of pastor where the role was reserved for men only?
In this episode, Kenny dives into this potentially controversial topic. Kenny reviews the last several episodes of the podcast, reiterating the complementarian perspective, and then dives into answering this question by highlighting verses from the letter written by the Apostle Paul to his protege Timothy.
Highlighted Verses
1 Timothy 2:11-14
Genesis 1 & 2
Recommended
The Accidental Feminist: Restoring Our Delight in God's Good Design (by Courtney Reissig)
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different (by Alexander Strauch)
Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper)
What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (by John Piper)
Egalitarianism is a thought within the world of philosophy that promotes precise equality among all people. But in Christian theology, the term egalitarianism typically refers to the concept that both males and females ought to be treated precisely the same and viewed the same, that men and women should not be assigned roles based upon their gender (but only upon their individual skill sets), and that all positions of church leadership within the local church should be open to both men and women.
In this episode, Kenny explains the modern "Christian egalitarian" perspective, specifically contrasting it with the traditional complementarian perspective. Kenny articulates why he disagrees with the egalitarian position that has become popular amongst many modern Evangelicals.
Additional Reading
Is Galatians 3:28 An Egalitarian Text?
Recommended Books
The Accidental Feminist: Restoring Our Delight in God's Good Design (by Courtney Reissig)
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different (by Alexander Strauch)
The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller)
Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper)
What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (by John Piper)
Many Evangelical Christians have allowed modern movements to influence their ways of thinking, and even compromise their ability to stick to Biblical values. One such modern movement that has influenced Christians is the modern feminist movement.
In this episode, Kenny interviews author Courtney Reissig about God's perfect design of the genders and the roles each gender ought to serve in terms of how the genders ought to interact and work together.
Courtney talks about how so many believers have allowed the feminist movement to influence their thinking when it comes to the topic of gender roles, instead of allowing the Scriptures to govern and inform their thinking in this arena. This has resulted in many Christians accidentally becoming feminists.
In the interview, Courtney clearly defines Biblical complementarianism and elaborates upon how that plays out in the church and in the home. Courtney also talks about what forms of female leadership and speaking are appropriate, and which forms are not appropriate. Ultimately, Courtney encourages us to delight in God's good design.
Recommended
Get a copy of Courtney's Book: The Accidental Feminist
Check out Courtney's Website: www.courtneyreissig.com
Follow Courtney on Twitter: @courtneyreissig
Other Resources
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different (by Alexander Strauch)
The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller)
Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper)
What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (by John Piper)
Complementarianism is the idea that men and women have different complementary roles within marriage and church leadership. In this episode, Kenny explains the concept and how it ought to play out.
Recommended
The Accidental Feminist: Restoring Our Delight in God's Good Design (by Courtney Reissig)
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different (by Alexander Strauch)
The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller)
Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper)
What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (by John Piper)
The Apostle Matthew records some interesting words for us, words that came from the mouth of Jesus praising his cousin and fellow rabbi John the Baptist.
"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Matthew 11:11).
In response to these words, Kenny received an email question from a listeners asking why Jesus gave such high praise to John the Baptist. In this episode, Kenny answers this question, explaining John the Baptist's role in the ministry of Jesus, and giving us insight into how this applies to believers today.
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah declared that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and that He would be called "Immanuel" (see Isaiah 7:14). So with that in mind, why did Mary name her son "Jesus" instead of giving Him the name "Immanuel"?
In this episode, Kenny answers this question, and makes clear the meaning of the name Immanuel and its overall significance.
In this episode, Kenny interviews web developer, writer, blogger, and podcaster Josh Armstrong about being intentionally and purposefully culturally relevant and the importance of avoiding just being "casually religious" in our modern contexts. Josh and Kenny also talk about the importance of every Christian seeing themselves as "missionaries" in their own cultural context, no matter where in the world they live.
Recommended
Check out Project Faith Journey
Follow Josh on Twitter: @pfaithjourney
Church Leaders Podcast
Tony Morgan Live
Radical (by David Platt)
In Genesis, there is a group called the Nephilim. There has been much speculation as to who this group was. Many evangelicals believe that this group were the offspring of fallen angels whom had sexual relations with human women. But is this what the Scripture says?
In this episode, Kenny interviews author, apologist, podcaster, and philosopher Tyler Vela to talk about the Nephilim and what the Holy Spirit is actually teaching us when we read through a passage like Genesis.
Tyler Vela studied Philosophy and English at California State University, Sonoma. He also earned a Bachelors degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Moody Bible Institute. Currently, Tyler is working towards a Masters of Biblical Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte).
Tyler is the host of The Freed Thinker Podcast and blog and is a frequent guest on many Christian and skeptical podcasts and forums.
Recommended
Subscribe to The Freed Thinker Podcast: www.thefreedthinker.podbean.com
Check out Dr. Preston Sprinkle's Contrasting View on the Nephilim
In this episode, our host Kenny interviews theologian and leadership expert Kenneth Freire about the primary differences between spiritual gifts and natural talents. We all have strengths and abilities, but Freire says that understanding which category your strengths fall into will be key in helping you figure out your life's callings.
Kenneth Freire has a Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and an M.Div. from Regent University. He has more than eight years of experience with leadership development, having trained over 500 men and women in leadership and theology. Kenneth Freire currently serves as a part of the ministry leadership team at Bethany Global University in Minneapolis, MN where he serves as a professor as well as serving as one of the Directors of their Lead Internship gap-year program.
Read Kenneth Friere's Blog: www.kenfreire.com
Follow Kenneth on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenneth.freire
Check out the Lead Internship: www.leadintern.com
In this episode, Kenny interviews author and broadcaster Erik Guzman about his new book "The Seed" and they dive into a great discussion about a variety of matters related to "messy spirituality" and the Gospel. This interview is one of the most unique interviews that our podcast has produced. Erik is super funny, transparent, raw, and encouraging.
Erik Guzman has worked with the well-known author and broadcaster Steve Brown for over 18 years. Erik is VP of Communications & Executive Producer at Key Life Network. Erik is co-host of the nationally syndicated talk show Steve Brown, Etc. and Erick is also the announcer for Key Life. Erik has a Bachelors in Mass Communication and an MBA. Erik is also perpetually working toward a Masters in Theological Studies.
Get a Copy of Erik's book: "The Seed: A True Myth"
On every major issue, doctrine, or point of theology, there are a variety of views and perspectives. Even within Protestantism there are many differing opinions and conclusions.
In episode 101, Kenny discussed whether or not every area of theology and doctrine were of equal importance; making the point that some genres of theology are more important than others. In that particular episode, Kenny explains that he holds to a concept of "open-hand" issues versus "closed-hand" issues; in essence, we embrace the simple idea that some Christian doctrines are essential and extremely important, while some others are not as important and there can be room for disagreement among faithful believers in those areas.
In response to that episode, Kenny received an e-mail from a regular listener asking how we determine what are the closed-hand issues and what are the open-hand issues? Basically, how do we determine the importance of a topic? In this episode, Kenny tackles that topic, explaining the history of how Evangelicals have come to the consensus of what are the closed-hand issues.
The Jews in the first century were meticulous record keepers, in particular with genealogies. The primary reason this was important was because they were awaiting their Messiah, whom they believed would be a descendant of King David. When we look through the Gospels of the New Testament, we see two different genealogies for Jesus.
In this episode, Kenny explains why there are two different genealogies. The first is recorded in Matthew's Gospel. He wrote to the Jewish people to highlight Jesus' legal and judicial claim to the throne of David, so they would have been concerned with Jesus being the legal heir. The second genealogy we see in the New Testament was written by Luke, recorded in his Gospel, but written to show Jesus' biological relation to King David, as he wrote to a Roman Gentile audience that would not have cared about the Jewish throne nearly as much.
Addiction is a very sensitive topic that impacts the lives of many people. People can find themselves being addicted to drugs, sex, alcohol, tobacco, food, gambling, compulsive spending, approval, attention, adrenaline, and many more.
In this episode, Kenny talks about addictions, and whether or not God can heal them. Kenny makes clear that addiction has strong power of how we make decisions, addictions are always rooted in some idol or some form of sin in our lives, but God's grace and power can deliver us from any addiction.
Recommended
Redemption (by Mike Wilkerson)
Recovering Redemption (by Matt Chandler)
Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction (by Mark Laaser)
Addictions (by Edward Welch)
How People Change (by Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp)
Life Together (by Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Each person who puts their faith in Christ will spend eternity with Him; basking in the love, joy, and peace of God forever. For all of eternity we shall sing His praises and delight in His glory.
But each person who has trusted Christ surely has at least one person they love (likely many than just one), whom have not trusted in Christ and therefore shall be thrown into the "lake of fire" often called hell.
How is it possible that we will be so happy and so joyful in heaven while we know that some of our loved ones would have been thrown into hell? This is a great question and a very sobering topic.
In this episode, Kenny answers this question by reminding us that when we get to heaven the joy and glory that we experience will be far greater than anything we can even comprehend. The problem with these types of questions is that we view our future in heaven in the same way we view our lives here on planet Earth, and that is flaw. Kenny ends this episode with a reminder of the urgency that we ought to have when we consider the fact that our loved ones who do not know Christ are potentially facing eternity in hell.
In this episode, Kenny interviews author and international speaker Ajith Fernando about the importance of Christian leaders having a healthy family life.
Anyone involved in Christian ministry knows how challenging it is to balance ministry and family responsibilities, but it is essential that we master this balance. Mr. Fernando provides us with a healthy and God-centered understanding of family that can help us cultivate to a flourishing home.
Mr. Fernando was the National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka for more than 35 years; today serves as their Teaching Director. He has also traveled extensively worldwide training and counseling leaders within the Youth for Christ movement. Mr. Fernando has written 16 books and many more booklets and articles, published in 20 different languages worldwide.
Get a Copy of Ajith Fernando's Newest Book: The Family Life of a Christian Leader
Follow Ajith Fernando and Check out his Resources: www.ajithfernando.com
The Sabbath was an essential part of the life, culture, and worship for the Hebrew people throughout the pages of the Old Testament; and still remains an essential part of the culture of Israel today.
God mandated that the Hebrew people observe this "once a week" day of rest and reflection; it started Friday evening at sunset and would last for approximately 24 hours, until sunset Saturday evening. Does this mandate still apply to Christians today? Should Christians observe this? And if so, on what day should we observe this?
In this episode, Kenny explains what the Sabbath was in the Old Testament and why God instituted it in the first place. When we understand the purposes for this institution, then it makes more sense how to apply it to our lives today.
The mandate of observing the Sabbath does not apply to Christians today, but the purposes and disciplines related to and associated with the Sabbath are helpful to our lives, our spiritual health, and our relationships, therefore we ought to practice Sabbath rhythms on a regular basis in our lives, especially in light of our busy stressed out culture.
In this episode, Kenny talks about the spiritual discipline of fasting. Kenny specifically talks about ways to fast and the power fasting has to usher you into deeper intimacy with the Lord.
Recommended Resources
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough (Elmer Towns)
Many atheists and secular progressives have sought to attack Christianity and undermine the integrity of the New Testament's message by pointing out things that God has done things throughout Biblical history that they judge as supposedly being "evil."
In their way of thinking, God is somehow a "moral monster" because He has done some things that He Himself outlaws humans from doing. But this claim is absurd for many reasons.
In this episode, Kenny interviews author, apologist, podcaster, and philosopher Tyler Vela to answer this question and give clear logical reasons as to why it is simply inconsistent to claim that God is a "moral monster."
Tyler Vela studied Philosophy and English at California State University, Sonoma. He also earned a Bachelors degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Moody Bible Institute. Currently, Tyler is working towards a Masters of Biblical Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte).
Tyler is the host of The Freed Thinker Podcast and blog and is a frequent guest on many Christian and skeptical podcasts and forums.
Subscribe to The Freed Thinker Podcast: www.thefreedthinker.podbean.com
The concept of "soul sleep" is the idea that humans are completely unconscious or unaware of their surroundings between their physical death and the end of this age when the dead are resurrected for the final judgment.
This concept has been embraced by many different religious groups over the centuries, including the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists.
In this episode, Kenny explains this concept in depth and points out the clear Biblical reasons why this doctrine is not supported by Scripture.
Highlighted Verses
2 Corinthians 5:8
Matthew 17
The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most unique books of the entire Bible. It has some great wisdom and unique perspective from the wisest man to ever live King Solomon; but this book also possesses some odd words that may cause some people to raise an eyebrow because it can be easily misunderstood.
The Book of Ecclesiastes also has some interesting language that, if taken out of its context, is highly likely to lead readers to embrace weird or bad theology. In fact, several religious groups have asserted some strange and false doctrines because of their misunderstandings of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
In this episode, Kenny clearly explains why this book was written and explains King Solomon's circumstances when he wrote it. Kenny highlights what we can learn from reading this book, and points out how this book reminds us of the importance of always cultivating genuine vibrant intimacy with the Almighty.
There are many questions in the arenas of faith and spirituality. Many people wrestle with a variety of faith-related ideas, and there is no shortage of sources and outlets in the world giving answers to those questions. But are the answers that are being given always Biblical? Of course not.
It is essential for all Christians to study apologetics and be immersed in truth, so that we can all develop a genuine Christian worldview, and so that we can recognize quality Biblical truth in our world.
In this episode, Kenny interviews author and apologist Jason B. Ladd about his own story of coming to faith in Christ and how apologetics played a major role in that process. They also talk about several ideas related to logic, philosophy, spirituality, worldview, and theology.
Jason B. Ladd is an award-winning author, US Marine, and Iraq War veteran. Ladd served on active duty with the Marines for fourteen years and has flown as an instructor pilot in both the F/A-18 and the F-16 fighter jets.
Jason is the founder of Boone Shepherd, LLC and the creator of IndieListers.com, the largest live online database of book promotions results built by authors. His newest book was an award finalist in the 2016 "Next Generation Indie Book Awards" and it has been endorsed by some of the world's preeminent apologists such as Michael Licona, Frank Turek, and John Njoroge. Jason lives in Alaska with his wife, Karry, and their five children.
Check out Jason's Book: One of the Few
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jasonbladd
Check out Jason's Website: www.jasonbladd.com
Additional Resources
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler)
Why Jesus? (by Ravi Zacharias)
Tactics (by Greg Koukl)
The Case for Christ (by Lee Strobel)
Many world religions embrace the concept of reincarnation; but it is a Biblical concept? Does the Bible teach that we will be reborn after we die?
In this episode, Kenny makes clear what the Bible says about the topic of reincarnation.
Highlighted Passages
Hebrews 9:27
2 Corinthians 5:8
Was Jesus ever married? Did He have any biological children? Was He married to Mary Magdalene? Or was she His concubine? And has there been a massive cover up by the Catholic Church to hide these facts, like we read in Dan Brown's best-selling fiction novel "The Da Vinci Code?"
In this episode, Kenny answers these questions and talks at length about Dan Brown's famous novel.
Kenny starts by making it clear that Jesus was not married, and Kenny highlights the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that ought to lead us to assume that Jesus was ever married or that He ever fathered any biological children.
Secondly, Kenny goes through the supposed evidences used by some critics; evidences that supposedly point to the idea that Jesus fathered children. Kenny demonstrates that all of these evidences are fraudulent, hoaxes, or simply absurd. These supposed evidences include:
1) The absurd claims by the early Mormon leaders' asserting that the ancient Greek philosopher Celsus made a statement about Jesus being a polygamous;
2) The Coptic fragment found in 2012 which is known as "the Gospel of Jesus' wife" that eventually was proven to be a forgery;
3) The 2008 documentary "Bloodline" by Bruce Burgess that was based on faulty claims by archaeologist Ben Hammott; eventually Hammott issued an apology for his faulty claims. [NOTE: Click here to see a screenshot of his apology statement];
4) A 13th century French monk mentioning that there were some people in his region who hypothesized that Mary Magdalene was Jesus' concubine, but doing so with no real evidence to support any such hypothesis;
5) The "Jesus Scroll" made famous by an Australian radio producer after his travel to Israel in 1970's to examine the Masada evacuations, but he produced no authentic evidence that the scroll ever even existed.
Third, after going through those five false evidences, Kenny highlights the logical fallacies that critics often argument from in order to make claims that Jesus was married or that He had kids. Kenny finishes the episode by making the point that there is as much evidences for "Abraham Lincoln being a three-eyed Martian" as there is evidence for any supposed biological bloodline of Jesus.
In this episode, Kenny explains and defines the concepts of Theonomy and Christian Restructionism.
Theonomy is the idea that Old Testament law should be considered morally binding. Theonomists reject the traditional Reformed belief that the civil laws of the Mosaic Law are no longer applicable to us today. Most Theonomists are also proponents of Christian Restructionism, which is the idea that the Old Testament law should be considering binding on societies and modern governments.
Additional Links for Research:
Westminster Confession on Old Testament Law
Ligonier Article on Theonomy and Christian Reconstructionism
Ken Gentry's Christian Reconstructionist Blog
Recommended Books:
The Institutes of Biblical Law (by Rousas John Rushdoony with Gary North)
God and Government (by Gary DeMar)
Sometimes we feel remorse or guilt for our sinful actions. Is this good or bad?
Well, it depends on the source of those feelings and impressions. Sometimes those feelings are coming from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and other times its emotions of condemnation. How can we tell the difference?
Conviction is from God, and it causes us to feel sorry for our sin and ought to inspire us to repent. Condemnation is from the enemy of our soul, and it causes us to feel shame and run from from God.
In this episode, Kenny discusses the difference in these two impressions, their sources, and their eventual outcomes. Kenny then gives us pastoral advice on how we ought to respond to conviction versus how we ought to respond to condemnation.
Highlighted Passages
John 3:17
2 Corinthians 5:21
Romans 8:1-2
Theologically speaking, the Book of Hebrews is one of the most important books of the entire Bible. It eloquently defines Jesus Christ as our High Priest, supreme over all of creation, and highlights Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and Prophets. But both the authorship and audience of this letter are in question.
Church tradition had long embraced the Apostle Paul as the author of this letter, but the consensus among most scholars today is that we simply do not know precisely which early church leader wrote the Book of Hebrews.
However, scholars today are certain that Hebrews was written by someone who was well educated and intimately acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures. We also know that it certainly written by an apostle or someone directly mentored by an apostle, which is why it was allowed into the Canon, but by which apostle, we're not 100% sure.
In this episode, Kenny dives into all of the authorship questions around Hebrews. Kenny dives into the evidence for and against Paul as the author of Hebrews as well as giving us evidences for other potential writers such as Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Priscilla, and Clement of Rome.
The desire of church leaders to reach irreligious or unchurched people is certainly not a new desire, and there have been many movements throughout church history influenced by that simple desire. One of those movements influenced by that desire is a modern movement within North American Evangelical circles now known as the "seeker sensitive" movement.
This modern movement has its roots in the philosophies of mega-church Willow Creek Community Church (pastored by Bill Hybels) in the Chicagoland region.
In this episode, Kenny starts off by giving us the multiple definitions and understandings of the term "seeker sensitive" and some of the ramifications of this modern movement. He also highlights the core values of this modern movement, as well as its pros and cons.
Kenny makes it clear that he believes church leaders ought to be cognizant and aware of the fact that there might be people in the church service that do not understand the Gospel, the Bible, modern Christian lingo, or modern Evangelical sub-culture, therefore we ought to be cautious about how we articulate certain things from the pulpit, being sensitive to their lack of knowledge.
In his typical simply style, Kenny gives us illustrations and key points as to how we ought to view "seekers" in the church and how church leadership ought to approach unbelievers in the midst of the worship gathering.
Kenny believes that the Gospel itself is offensive to the natural human mind, so when the Gospel is proclaimed, it will offend some people (and it should). So, with that in mind, Kenny believes preachers and church leaders ought to be cautious not to offend unbelievers with any non-Gospel-related topics.
The other important element Kenny highlights in this episode is the primary purpose for church services. Kenny tells us that New Testament themes point to the fact that church services ought to be the place where Christians gather together for worship and to hear the Word preached. While we certainly ought to be sensitive to the fact that there might be "seekers" in the room, we must always remain faithful to this primary purpose.
Kenny says that this is where many churches get it wrong; being too seeker sensitive, sometimes even catering to the seekers or seeking to entertain unbelievers to ensure that those unbelievers come back to church. This is where many churches end up compromising the quality of the worship service or they neglect rightly preaching the Word of God.
Highlighted Passages
Romans 1:16
Romans 10
Hebrews 4:12
Psalm 119
1 Corinthians 1:18
There is a common saying in modern Evangelical circles that whenever someone repents and comes to faith in Christ (often called "getting saved"), the angels in heaven "throw a party." Is this true? Do the angels indeed celebrate?
In this episode, Kenny explains the passage of Scripture that this idea comes from (Luke 15:7-10) and he highlights what those verses are actually saying. The Bible does indeed tell us about a form of rejoicing and abundance of joy that is in heaven whenever humans repent, but when we examine the passage closely, it becomes obvious to us that the source of the joy and rejoicing isn't the angels.
In 1947, an incredible archaeological discovery was made in some desert caves located near the Dead Sea. Several hundred scrolls from ancient times were found; more than 200 hundred of them were manuscripts of Biblical text.
Since the discovery, the region around the caves have been excavated and examined. The Dead Sea scrolls have been called the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times.
In this episode, Kenny explains these scrolls and why every Christian ought to be familiar with this incredible discovery. The Dead Sea Scrolls have had an incredible impact on how many scholars view our modern Bible.
Recommended
Second Thoughts on the Dead Sea Scrolls (FF Bruce)
A common question asked by new believers and those inquiring about the Christian faith, "How do we know the Bible hasn't been changed over the course of centuries since the early Church? How can we be confident that the words have not been edited, rewritten, or altered in any way?"
This is also a topic often brought up by critics that would seek to undermine the authority and credibility of the Scriptures.
One of the primary tenants of the Christian faith is the authority of the Scriptures, but if we cannot prove that the writings are authentic, then how can we know that they are authoritative? The answer has to do with the manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts discovered by archaeologists.
In this episode, Kenny uses a fun animated narrative to teach how textual critics reconstruct writings from the ancient world. Then, Kenny examines the number of manuscripts we have today for many popular works from antiquity and compares those numbers with the numbers of manuscripts we have today for the Bible. The evidence we have for the authenticity of Bible is overwhelming!
Recommend Resources
How We Got the Bible (Timothy Paul Jones)
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (FF Bruce)
The Books and the Parchments (FF Bruce)
The Canon of Scripture (FF Bruce)
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Norm Giesler)
The Text of the New Testament (Bruce Metzger)
One of the primary tenants of the Christian faith is the authority of the Scriptures. The Bible is heavily relied upon by many people for the development of theology and doctrine as well as personal guidance and advice. But where did the Bible come from? How was this book compiled?
In this episode, Kenny makes the point that we cannot understand the Bible, and its authority, unless we understand the history surrounding the Bible. Once we understand the first century context of how these letters were written, then we can understand how and why it was compiled.
Kenny highlights the overall history of the Bible by using a fun animated narrative. Then, Kenny talks through the important moments and ecumenical councils throughout church history that solidified the ultimate compilation of Scriptures into the singular book we now call The Holy Bible.
Recommend Resources
How We Got the Bible (Timothy Paul Jones)
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Norm Giesler)
The Canon of Scripture (FF Bruce)
The name "Josephus" is a name that is "thrown around" in many Jewish and Christians circles on a regular basis; but who was this man? And why does he matter to our lives today?
In a previous episode, Kenny interviewed Dr. John Morris about extra-Biblical evidences for the resurrection of Jesus, and the primary source mentioned in that episode was the works of Flavius Josephus. In this episode, Kenny gives us a glimpse into the life of this influential man.
Josephus was a Jewish religious leader who later became a military commander for the Jewish people in the "Jewish Wars" of the first century and then eventually became the state-sponsored historian for the Roman Empire. He wrote extensively about the Jewish people and their way of life. PBS ran an article about Josephus wherein he was referred to as "our primary source" for understanding the first century context of the Judean region and reconstructing first century history.
Recommended Resources
Josephus: The Complete Works edited by J.I. Packer
Resurrected! by Dr. John Morris
There is a common belief among many Christians that "all sins are equal"... but is idea this true? In this episode, Kenny dives into the history of this common belief and what passages of Scriptures, if any, that this idea is rooted in. Then Kenny gives us a more holistic Biblical approach to properly comparing sin.
Yes, it is true that all sins have the same eternal consequences for your soul if you do not repent, so in that sense all sins are equal. But overall, all different types of sins have a variance of their impact on our own souls and upon others. Some sins cause more damage than others, therefore, in that sense, they are not equal.
In this episode, our host Kenny interviews theologian Kenneth Freire about preachers publicly "calling out" other preachers with whom they disagree. Freire says that there is indeed a time and place for preachers to call out other preachers, but he warns against doing so too fast or too flippantly because of the repercussions such actions can have on that preacher's reputation.
Kenneth Freire has a Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and an M.Div. from Regent University. He has more than eight years of experience with leadership development, having trained over 500 men and women in leadership and theology. Kenneth Freire currently serves as a part of the ministry leadership team at Bethany Global University in Minneapolis, MN where he serves as a professor as well as serving as one of the Directors of their Lead Internship gap-year program.
Read Kenneth Friere's Blog: www.kenfreire.com
Follow Kenneth on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenneth.freire
Check out the Lead Internship: www.leadintern.com
The system and framework of theology which asserts that the covenants are essential to overall hermeneutics (Biblical interpretation) is known as Covenant Theology, and it is typically contrasted against Dispensationalism.
Within the system of Covenant Theology, there are typically two overarching covenants that govern how we interpret the Bible. However some people within Protestantism assert that there is actually a third covenant, known as the Covenant of Redemption.
In this episode, Kenny explains the Covenant of Redemption and the divide among Protestants over this doctrine. The Covenant of Redemption is an eternal agreement (or pact) amongst the members of the Trinity in which the Father appointed the Son to become a human, to suffer, and to die as the federal head of mankind in order to make an atonement for the sins of the elect. In return, the Father promised to raise Christ from the dead, glorify Him, and give Him a people (the elect).
This episode is a follow-up to our previous episode about Covenant Theology. As stated in the previous episode, there are two primary frameworks used by most Protestants today to interpret Scripture: Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism.
Dispensationalism considers Biblical history as divided deliberately by God into specific time periods (dispensations). In each dispensation, God governs and relates to his people in different ways. According to dispensationalists, each time period is thus administered in a certain way, and humanity is held responsible as a steward during that time.
In this episode, Kenny highlights the key differences between the two theological systems. Then Kenny explains a few examples of how dispensationalism would interpret certain passages of Scripture versus how most theologians would interpret those same passages by taking a covenantal approach.
There are two primary frameworks used by most Protestants today to interpret Scripture: Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism.
In this episode, Kenny talks about both frameworks of theology, giving us a brief overview of their histories and the key contrasting points between the two systems. Then Kenny dives into the nuts and bolts of Covenant Theology, highlighting that this system is founded upon using the theological concept of a "covenant" as an organizing principle for Christian theology.
Kenny specifically explains the primary covenants that God uses to relate to people: the Covenant of Works, which was established with Adam in the Garden of Eden and applies to humanity by default, and the Covenant of Grace, which is the covenant God uses to interact with and govern His people, the people of faith. (Note: There is a third covenant that Kenny mentions in this episode, but plans to elaborate upon that covenant in a future separate episode.)
Covenant theologians assert that covenants in the Old Testament are an extension or manifestation of one of the overarching covenants, either the Covenant of Works or the Covenant of Grace.
We know that the Jewish people were God's chosen people, the nation that God chose to use as His instrument to bring forth the Messiah. This is a big deal that cannot be overstated. But many Jewish people in the first century rejected Jesus, and many more contemporary Jews reject Jesus as well.
In this episode, Kenny answers the question: What should we, as Christians, think of the Jewish people, and how should we feel towards them, in light of the fact that they rejected Jesus?
In this episode, Kenny answers the question, "What does it mean to be confessional?" In essence, Kenny explains how subscribing to, or fully affirming, an historical confession can be helpful in our faith and church governance.
Many people have asked their pastors and church leaders about the topic of the "unpardonable sin" that Jesus talks about in Matthew 12:31-32. In that passage Jesus makes it clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin.
In this episode, Kenny dives into the context of Matthew 12 in order to give us insight into this question. There are several views of this passage but the view that seems most consistent with the rest of the New Testament is the idea that the only sin that God will not forgive is unbelief. The very nature of unbelief indicates that God cannot forgive it. The unpardonable sin is simply the complete and final rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
What is the prosperity gospel movement? Why is it so popular? Why is it so dangerous? With the rise of this so-called " gospel" movement, it is very important to answer these questions.
In this episode, Kenny clearly defines the prosperity gospel movement and its most extreme form, wherein preachers claim that God wants all Christians to always experience good things, mainly to be financially wealth. Many contemporary preachers would lead you to believe that your enjoyment and your financial resources are God's #1 priority... but His #1 priority is not you!
God is consumed with His own glory and His own fame... that should also be our #1 priority. Misunderstanding this truth can lead people to continually cultivate a desire for something(s) that may or may not be what God wants for you.
The prosperity gospel is consumed with material blessings, which cultivates desires in us that will ultimately lead to "ruin and destruction" but right Gospel preaching leads people to being willing to sacrifice all for the glory and fame of God.
Highlighted Passages
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Proverbs 30:7-9
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1 Timothy 6:6-10
What does it mean to have a seared conscience? And, maybe more importantly, is this condition irreversible? Or once you have a seared conscience, is that the final condition of your soul?
In this episode, Kenny addresses a listener question about our consciences and how sin impacts our souls. Kenny uses simple illustrations from his recent experiences with both his air conditioning repairmen and his dentist to explain how sin numbs our souls and impacts our spiritual health.
Highlighted Passages
1 Timothy 4:1-2
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Romans 2:15-16
In this episode, our host Kenny interviews his personal friend Kenneth Freire about the trustworthiness of the Bible and the importance of shaping our lives around the core values we see in Scripture. They also talk about the importance of allowing the Bible to be our ultimate authority when determining our beliefs.
Kenneth Freire has proven to be an expert in the arenas of theology, apologetics, Christian worldview, and leadership development. He gives us three primary reasons why the Bible ought to be trusted:
1- Jesus substantiated the Scriptures.
2- The reliability of the New Testament manuscripts.
3- The living and active nature of the Bible.
Kenneth Freire has a Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and an M.Div. from Regent University. He has more than eight years of experience with leadership development, having trained over 500 men and women in leadership and theology. Kenneth Freire currently serves as a part of the staff team at Bethany Global University in Minneapolis, MN and he is one of the Directors of their Lead Internship gap-year program.
Read Kenneth Friere's Blog: www.kenfreire.com
Follow Kenneth on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenneth.freire
Check out the Lead Internship: www.leadintern.com
Déjà vu is a French term that literally means "already seen" and refers to a phenomenon that many people have claimed to experience wherein they experience having a strong sensation that an event, that is currently being experienced, has already been experienced at some point in the past.
So this begs the question: Is this phenomenon a spiritual experience? Is this experience, in some way, God speaking to us or guiding us?
In this episode, Kenny highlights both the scientific and metaphysical explanations for this phenomenon. Kenny also addresses the wrong assumption and false belief that this phenomenon could somehow be evidence for reincarnation (see Hebrews 9:27-28). Kenny also gives us a great reminder that the only spiritual experience that we ought to be seeking is the cultivation of personal friendship and intimate communion with the Holy Spirit.
Suicide is a controversial topic, as well as a sensitive one for many people, therefore we ought to not be flippant as we dialogue about the subject. With that stated, we know that suicidal thoughts and tendencies are very real in the minds and emotions of many people.
As we examine the Bible, we sometimes see Biblical characters venting or lamenting, and sometimes they even seem suicidal. In this episode, Kenny dives into one specific Bible character that some people say seems suicidal; that is the Old Testament man named Job, whom suffered greatly after God gave Satan permission to attack Job.
After facing much pain and suffering, Job certainly seemed to be "done with life" but to say that he was suicidal doesn't quite seem fair. Many times Job vented his frustrations to God, he lamented, and he even wrongly cursed the day of his birth, but many times Job would later acknowledge God's sovereign hand and God's right to determine when Job would die. Job often acknowledged the power and the majesty of God, which demonstrates that he still trusted God, even in the face of his incredible pain and his feelings of despair.
Some people claim that the Bible supports slavery; or that it does not say enough in condemning the institution of slavery. Are those people right? In addition, many of those same people claim that the Bible's stance on slavery proves that it is an antiquated irrelevant book. Are they right?
In this episode, Kenny dives into the topic of slavery, starting off with the clear Biblical condemnation of any act of selling a human and/or treating any person like property (see Exodus 21:16), so to say that the Bible does not condemn slavery is simply inaccurate.
Then Kenny specifically contrasts and highlights the distinction between the ancient Roman practice of slavery that would have surrounded the writers of the New Testament and the modern forms of slavery that we today are much more familiar with, such as the African slave trade of the 17th and 18th centuries. Understanding the historical context gives you better insight into the passages of the New Testament that relate to slavery.
Kenny finishes the episode with a quick examination of the Apostle Paul's most intimate letter, his letter to his friend Philemon, which gives us deeper understanding into the Apostle Paul's expectations of slave-owners in the first century.
Many people are proud of their nation, but some people wonder whether or not it is wrong to have any love of country. Others have wondered if they can find a way to take any pride in a nation that has done bad or evil things around the world. Others have even grappled with the idea as to whether or not any national allegiance is helpful at all.
In this episode, Kenny tackles to topic of patriotism and how we as Christians ought to approach love of country. For modern American Christians in particular, there might not be an issue more complicated or wrapped-up in history and politics than patriotism. Even saying the word patriotism in any gathering of Christians is likely to garner as many responses as there are people. A love for one's country is looked upon with both reverence and revulsion, depending on who you talk to about it... and Kenny believes that both sides seem to have good reasons for their positions.
So how ought Christians think about patriotism?
Kenny dives into the idea of having patriotism versus having nationalism. Kenny makes it clear that patriotism can be very good, but nationalism is nothing more than a form of arrogance.
It is good to appreciate the things your nation has offered the world, but good patriotism also includes the ability to judge your own nation in both its successes and its shortcomings. It is good to have a love of your fellow countrymen, but arrogant to believe that your fellow countrymen are somehow inherently more valuable than people born in other nations.
They major theme Kenny addresses is the idea of primary allegiances. Those of us that love God must never forget that our primary allegiance is to Jesus and the kingdom of God and the things that Jesus cares about most. Kenny challenges us to make sure that we are more passionate about defending the Gospel than we are about defending our nationalism or our brand of politics.
In this episode, Kenny answers the questions whether or not it is okay for Christians to be cremated; or is it sinful. As with many topics, Kenny tells us that asking about whether or not it is "okay" is not the right question, but rather we ought to be asking whether or not it is ideal for us.
We know that when we die we will either end up in heaven or hell, our soul leaves our body. But it is important to remember that whatever happens to our body after we are dead has no impact on our eternal destination.
We also know that one Jesus will return to Earth and give new bodies to all those who were united with Him. Our souls will be reunited with our bodies, therefore no matter which we choose, burial or cremation, our new bodies will be perfect.
With all this stated, Kenny recommends we choose burials whenever possible because it follows the biblical pattern followed by the Old Testament saints and the pattern observed by the early Christians.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Several centuries before Jesus showed up on the scence, the propher Jeremiah was preaching to the Jewish people as they faced the judgment and discipline of God, meted out at the hands of the Babylonians.
Jeremiah said many things, but there is one verse from his writings that is most commonly quoted within certain modern Christian circles. That verse that is famously quoted is Jeremiah 29:11, often used as a proof-text to demonstrate that God always wants us to prosper.
In this episode, Kenny tackles the question head on: Does Jeremiah 29:11 apply to Christian believers today? If so, how does it apply?
Kenny makes the point that the verse does indeed point to the fact that, overall, God wants good things for His people... He loves His people... He favors his people... just like any good daddy, God loves showering His children with goodness. He's the greatest daddy there is.
However, most people quoting this verse ignore the context of Jeremiah's writing; the fact that the Jewish people were facing a fate that did not seem "good" by their standards.
God declares to have good plans for us, but sometimes His plans do not seem good; but that is mostly because our definition of "good" is often skewed.
God's greatest desire for His own people is to mold us to be more Godly and to shine His own glory through us. God's good plans for you may include some short-term forms of suffering because that may very well be the thing that enables you to receive the ultimate good plans that God has for you in the long-term and in eternity.
It is widely believed by most Evangelical Christians that once we get into heaven and with Jesus, that we will not ever be able to sin or ever choose to walk away from God. This begs the question: How did Lucifer sin in heaven?
Lucifer did indeed sin while he was in heaven (Note: Today Lucifer is often called "Satan" or "the devil" or "the enemy"). So, what confidence do we have that we will not ever sin when we are in heaven?
In this episode, Kenny answers this question by making sure that we understand that it is not the place that keeps us from sinning, but rather the state we find ourselves in once we are in eternity. Once we are in heaven we will be fully transformed, given new bodies, and enter into a state of holy perfection. This will protect us from sin and this shall only be made possible by the power of Christ at work within us.
Highlighted Passages:
Philippians 3:21
Jude 1:24
Revelation 21:27
1 Timothy 5:21
Gambling, card games, sports betting, games of luck or chance, poker tournaments, and even raffles. These are all forms of contests that have been labeled as "gambling" by many people. And with the label of "gambling" comes a taboo within North American evangelicalism. So that begs these questions: Is gambling a sin? Should Christians participate in any such events or contests? Why or Why not?
In this episode, Kenny gives a thorough response to the topic of gambling. The Bible does not directly label these contests or games as sinful, but as with many things in life, we need to examine the topic more closely before indulging.
Kenny opens the episode giving us an important warning about gambling addictions. Just like addictions to drugs or porn, addictions to gambling have destroyed families, therefore we must be extremely cautious and careful before participating. Kenny encourages anyone dealing with a gambling addiction to immediately seek help from a church elder or visit www.gamblersanonymous.org.
The Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, so Kenny makes the point that he does not have any specific issues with people participating in contests where money is on the line such as a sports pool or a poker tournament (and Kenny makes the admission that he himself has participated in some such activities), but there are several important elements to remember before choosing to gamble in anyway whatsoever:
1- The Bible warns us about the dangers of loving money (see 1 Timothy 6:10 and Hebrews 13:5).
2- The Bible encourages us to stay away from attempts to “get rich quick” (see Proverbs 13:11 and Ecclesiastes 5:10)
3- Gambling is often a waste of money, but so are many other things we indulge in or purchase (ie: going out to eat, cable television, owning a more expensive car than what we actually need, many forms of entertainment, etc.). Seek to be consistent in your convictions.
4- The Bible tells us that all things are "permissible" but not all things are "beneficial" (see 1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). This should always be our guide when these topics arise.
After highlighting these important reminders, Kenny then closes the episode by reminding each person to also consider their own personal evangelism opportunities and Christian witness. We must always ask the question: "Will this hurt or help my chances to preach the Gospel?"
There is a strong argument to be made for either position. Some people say that some forms of gambling could harm your credibility, and therefore harm your opportunities for evangelism. However, other people might state that participating in such activities could lead you to building relationships that help bring the Gospel to unsaved people that otherwise might not have heard it.
Kenny feels that each person ought to prayerfully seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit as to what he/she ought to do, but none of us ought to be flippant or careless when making this sort of decision.
Did Jesus have physical siblings? If so, wouldn't that prove that Mary was not a virgin for her entire life? And, if that is the case, why do Catholics still refer to her as the "Virgin Mary" even though she conceived and gave birth to several children after Jesus? These questions and thoughts came to Kenny by email from a listener.
In this episode, Kenny makes the point that Jesus did indeed have physical siblings, children of Mary and her husband Joseph.
Catholics have been known to have a deep reverence for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was very deserving of honor for her role in God's redemptive story, however some of the beliefs embraced by Catholics (and some other Christians) about her "perpetual virginity" may not be a Biblically-founded doctrine.
Some other Christians may not embrace the doctrine of her perpetual virginity, however they may still refer to her as the "Virgin Mary" simply a sign of respect, although she clearly was not a virgin for her entire life.
The Biblical evidences for Jesus having biological siblings:
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Matthew 13:55: A group of people questioning Jesus' authority, referring to His Earthly parents and siblings.
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Matthew 12 and Mark 3: Mary and the brothers of Jesus sought to talk with Jesus.
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John 7:5: Makes mention that even some of Jesus' siblings didn't believe He was the Messiah.
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Galatians 1:19: Paul mentions meeting James, the younger brother of Jesus.
In this episode, Kenny responds to a regular listener asking about giving to charities. Kenny opens the episode by making it clear that Christians should be extremely generous; God has given us so much, we ought to demonstrate His generosity by choosing to be generous to others.
There is no set amount that we ought to give, but we should seek to be sacrificial in how we give. There are no shortage of options when it comes to organizations that are in need of money, so where should we give our money? Kenny gives us three primary places where we ought to consider giving:
1- Your local church.
2- Missionaries that you know personally or missions organizations that you trust.
3- Any cause or campaign focusing on social justice that reflects well on the Gospel.
Kenny's encouragement and advice to believers: Determine a vision for what types of causes that you want to give towards, based on your personal passions and the specific arenas that grab your heart, and then seek to give as much as possible to those types of causes and organizations. This also allows you to develop a clear strategy as to when you ought to say "yes" and when you ought to say "no."
Eventually, many of us will end up giving money to non-profit organizations and charities. Kenny closes the episode by giving us the parameters he uses when determining which organizations to give to, and he also encourages us to vet the organizations, as best as we can, before giving them money, and he gives us some resources to help us in our quest to determine which charities are the best to consider giving our money towards.
Recommended Helps When Vetting Charities:
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
CharityWatch.org
CharityNavigator.org
Information on Pulling 990 Forms
Throughout the Scriptures we see these supernatural creatures called "angels" highly involved in a variety of things that God is doing with and through His own people.
While we don't have a lot of specific information about angels, there are plenty of things about them that we can observe. In this episode, as a response to an e-mail from a regular listener, Kenny tells about these creatures, their nature, and their purpose.
Angels are supernatural spiritual creatures that God employs in His service to accomplish tasks as God sees fit to employ them. They are living beings with personality, intellect, emotions, and their own sense of determination. They are powerful, but not omnipotent. They are wise, but not omniscient.
We don't know precisely how many angels there are, but we do know that there are a lot of them; maybe thousands, or maybe even billions.
We know a few of their names, such as Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer (check out episode 17), but overall we don't know much about specific angels. They were likely created in eternity past, they never die, and it appears that God isn't going to create any more of them.
In the Bible, angels always appear male, however gender is not ascribed to angels in the way we understand gender.
Highlighted Passages:
Colossians 1:16-17
Luke 20:36
Luke 16:22
Hebrews 13:2
Throughout the centuries God revealed His truth to certain people, and in most cases those persons documented the revealed truth.
Typically the truth was revealed for some specific contemporary purposes, but those truths were also typically transcendent and therefore valuable to all peoples of any time period. God did this many times throughout the pages of the Old Testament through the prophets.
Any time God revealed some element of truth to His people, this was referred to as a form of revelation. One of the greatest forms of revelation we have ever received has come through the writers of the New Testament, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, giving us the clarity of the full Gospel message and its implications.
In this episode, Kenny explains that we, as orthodox Christians, believe that the "cannon has been closed" ever since the death of the last Apostle; meaning there will be no more new writings ever added to the Bible.
The Apostles and the New Testament writers were the last group of people God gave special revelation to; everything we needed revealed was fully revealed to us through the pages of the New Testament.
Kenny makes the point that any truth that God has ever intended to reveal, about Himself and about His plan of salvation for humanity, has indeed already been fully revealed through the Bible, therefore there is no longer any need for anyone to ever experience any sort of personal revelation of any kind.
Kenny makes the simple point that any revelation that agrees with the Bible is unnecessary, because we already have that truth, and any revelation that disagrees with the Bible is false, which means it must be completely disregarded. Any and all contemporary revelations are either wholly unneeded or are completely false, there are no other options.
Throughout the Bible we see several moments when God spoke to people through dreams and visions. Does God still do this? Does He still speak to people in this manner?
In this episode, Kenny reminds us that the Bible is sufficient in terms of knowing what God desires from us. The Scriptures must always be the ultimate authority in our lives when it comes to determining the will of God and determining what we believe to be absolute truth, therefore we should not ever expect God to speak to us through a dream or vision in order to directly reveal any new truth to us.
We should not be getting our primary spiritual guidance or our doctrine through dreams. However, there is nothing in the Bible that ought to lead us to believe that God has stopped doing this as a secondary manner of getting people's attention and helping them see that Jesus is indeed the only way to God.
In addition, there have been some contemporary accounts of people around the world seeing dreams that eventually points them to the Gospel. While these events are rare, Kenny challenges us to consider that God is using these supernatural dreams to draw people unto Himself.
In the pages of the Old Testament, we see God declare pork (and several other foods) as unclean. Any person that ate these foods would be labeled "unclean" meaning that he/she would be unfit for worship. But when we fast forward to the New Testament, we see God declare pork clean. Why?
In this episode, Kenny dives into understanding why God declared pork unclean in the Old Testament but then declares it clean in the New Testament.
Kenny reminds us that we must consider why God told them to refrain from eating pork in the first place. The Old Testament mandates do not apply to New Testament believers, however when we examine God’s purposes and motives in these matters, we learn valuable lessons that do indeed apply to the lives of New Testament believers.
God cares deeply about the world. As Christians, one of our greatest desires ought to be to see the Gospel proclaimed in every place on Earth. In order to do so, we need to engage people-groups all around the globe.
In this episode, Kenny interviews missionary Jonathan Ferguson about the theology of world missions and the importance of all believers engaging in world missions.
Jonathan was a youth pastor in Southern California for more than 9 years, but has now been living in Kenya for more than 6 years.
Find and Friend Jonathan on Facebook
Follow Jonathan on Twitter
Since the late 1990's, the concept of multi-site/multi-campus churches has grown is great popularity across North America. One model for church "scalability" has been the idea of "video campuses" wherein one campus of a church has a video feed or prerecorded sermon played during the teaching time of a Sunday morning service in lieu of a live communicator. Is this sinful or wrong?
In this episode, Kenny dives into this topic and gives us his thoughts about this specific model of church growth. Kenny makes it clear that he does not necessarily believe it is wrong or sinful for a church to have video preaching, but Kenny asserts that he believes that it is not necessarily the ideal scenario.
Kenny makes it abundantly clear that he does not think that the video campus model is inappropriate, and he concedes that in some cases it can maybe even be a useful tool, but Kenny gives us three reasons why he believes that the video campus model is not the ideal scenario; one practical reason tied to preaching style and tempo, one philosophical reason tied to contextualization, and one theological reason tied to the regulative principle.
In this episode, our host Kenny answers the question "Are Tattoos Wrong?" He reminds us that God did indeed command the Jewish people in the Old Testament to refrain from tattoos, but Kenny makes the point that New Testament Christians are no longer under the mandates of the Old Testament. We can reasonably state that there is no Biblical argument against tattoos for modern Christians.
However, Kenny reminds us that we must consider why God told them to avoid tattoos in the first place. Old Testament mandates do not apply to New Testament believers, however when we examine God's purposes, we learn valuable lessons that do indeed apply to New Testament believers. In addition, Kenny closes the episode with some quality practical advice for youth and young adults that may be seeking to get a tattoo.
While it may be rare in our modern Western world, there are some Christian communities and church leaders that hold to a more strict and more conservative view on women's fashion and modesty.
Some church leaders prescribe what types of clothing a woman should or should wear in her everyday life, and sometimes that may include the claim that women ought to never wear pants or jeans. Again, this is a rare assertion, but it does exists in some contemporary church circles.
In this episode, Kenny talks about how modesty shifts dramatically from culture to culture, therefore specific prescriptions as to what a women should or should not wear misses the more important Biblical value.
Ultra-conservative specific prescriptions on women's fashion or clothing miss the grander point of how we ought to approach modesty in our culture in a way that points people to the Gospel; and Kenny goes as far as to say that making any such specific clothing prescriptions certainly leads Christians into the burdensome category of legalism.
Kenny makes it clear that he is far more concerned with how you determine what you wear than the actually outfits themselves. He then gives listeners four reminders to consider as we approach the topic of modesty:
1- Be different than the society in which you live.
2- Be more modest or more conservative than others in your culture.
3- Be careful that your clothing doesn't cause the opposite gender to lust.
4- Make sure you spend more time on your heart and character than on your outward appearance.
In this episode, Kenny addresses a question that he has been asked many times over the course of his ministry experience. Often young Christians have asked him whether or not they should jump into dating someone who is not a Christian? Kenny makes it clear that, if you understand the purpose of marriage, then you will know that it us unwise for Christians to date non-Christians.
Along with the expansion of new technologies and new media forums, has also come the availability of new Christian media too. One of the forums that has grown in popularity and availability over the last ten years is the live streaming of church services and sermons.
So this begs the question: Is it okay for me and my family to just skip attending church services, and just watch the live stream at home?
The other related topic involves how much I ought to rely upon preaching and teaching from sources such as YouTube or Podcasts? In this episode, Kenny dives into the question about live streaming as well as listening to sermons from other media platforms. Kenny makes the point that attending church and worshiping with people that you know and are "living life with" is a vital part of the Christian life.
Kenny also highlights the New Testament markers for church gatherings: corporate worship, preaching/teaching, and the sacraments.
We live in a world filled with people in need; people facing difficulties such as hunger, poverty, educational needs, advocacy, injustice! One very simple way to serve people is to meet these needs with a Gospel focus.
In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor, author, professor Tony Merida about the importance of "mercy ministry." In the interview Tony challenges all "ordinary" people to change the world by meeting the needs of others; both here in the USA as well as abroad and across the globe.
Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC. He also serves as Associate Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He is the author of several books including his most recent book Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down and eight volumes in the new Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series (B&H), of which Tony also serves as a general editor, along with Danny Akin and David Platt. Tony Merida is happily married to his wife Kimberly; they have five adopted children.
Visit Tony's website: TonyMerida.net
Follow Tony on Twitter: @tonymerida
Recommended Resources:
Generous Justice (by Timothy Keller)
Orphanology (by Tony Merida and Rick Morton)
Ordinary (by Tony Merida)
Ministries of Mercy (by Timothy Keller)
The Locust Effect (by Gary Haugen)
Multiple times in the Gospels, Jesus is called the "son of man." In fact, it seems to be Jesus' favorite term to use when referring to Himself.
In this episode, Kenny dives into the importance of the term "son of man" and its reference to Jesus' humanity. The term also refers to a Messianic symbol found in the book of Daniel. When Jesus uses this term to describe Himself, He is indeed affirming that He is the Messiah that will "stand for the saints of the Most High."
In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor Matt McAfee for a second time. In this interview, Kenny and Matt dive into a conversation about understanding the "fruit of the Spirit" and why that is more important than seeking the "gifts of the Spirit." Matt makes two great points that all of us need to consider:
1- The fruit of the Spirit is how we judge the Christian life, not the gifts of the Spirit.
2- Only those people with the fruit of the Spirit can truly be trusted with the gifts of the Spirit.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the term "earthly things" as He is telling the inquiring Nicodemus that some spiritual things are simply just not going to be understood by humans (see John 3). A regular listener of the podcast sent in an email asking for clarity on Jesus' intent when using that specific term.
In this episode, Kenny explains what the term "earthly things" means, but more importantly, Kenny also dives into the some of the great lessons we learn about God from this famous passage of Scripture.
Many people have asked, "Why didn't God send Jesus to Earth sooner?" It seems that God waited too long. Why did God choose to send Him at that particular time in human history?
In this episode, Kenny highlights Galatians 4:4, which tells us that Jesus came when the "fullness of time" had come. Kenny makes the case that, in essence, God waited for the perfect moment in human history; the specific time period that would make the most sense for the rapid expansion of the Gospel message. Then, Kenny expounds upon the things that made it more likely for the Gospel to spill over into Gentile nations.
1- The nation of Israel needed to be prepared to receive the Messiah in the way God wanted them to receive Him. God was waiting for there to be a culture of "expectancy" amongst the Jewish people.
2- God wanted people of Jewish decent to be living around the world because they would be the initial conduits for the Gospel to spread.
3- God waited for the development of Roman civil affairs and physical infrastructure that would allow for the rapid expansion of the Gospel message and the circulation of Apostolic writing. The primary elements that contributed to this were: the Pax Romana (time of peace), the Roman trade roads, and the establishment of a common trade language.
Jesus promised us "abundant life" but whenever we honestly consider and examine the life of most believers, we discover that most believers are not experiencing an abundant life at all. The problem is that many believers have never found the "breathing room" they actually need in this life in order to experience the vibrant abundance that Jesus wants to give to His followers.
Finding breathing room in our finances, daily schedules, and interpersonal relationships leads to enjoying and savoring life instead of simply going through the motions.
Most followers of Jesus never even scratch the surface of experiencing the freedom that Jesus wants them to experience, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and author Josh Reich about the topic of finding "Breathing Room" in our lives, which happens to be the topic of Josh's newest book.
In this interview Josh talks about diagnosing the bad habits and distractions of our lives (often rooted in identity issues) and then he challenges us to shift our attitudes, carve out time for new habits, and chase after Jesus-focused disciplines that will do more than just help us "catch our breath" but will help us find the ultimate road to experiencing the vibrant abundant life that we may have come to believe is impossible. Josh says abundant life can be found in Jesus!
Josh Reich is the founding pastor of Revolution Church in Tucson, AZ.
Connect with Josh Reich
Get a copy Pastor Josh's book "Breathing Room"
Follow Pastor Josh Reich on Twitter: @joshuareich
Check out Pastor Josh's Website: http://joshuareich.org
We received an email, from a regular listener, asking about how we, as Bible-believing Christians, ought to approach areas and genres of our lives that the Bible isn't totally clear about, and whether or not our convictions in those genres of life should or should not be built upon any sources of information other than the Bible.
In this episode, Kenny dives into understanding how we ought to approach all sources of information other than the Bible. Kenny makes it clear that we ought to have a very high regard for the Bible, and it should be the primary source of truth in our lives, but should it be the only source of truth? To that question: Kenny says no! The Bible should not be the only source of truth in our lives. "All truth is God's truth" therefore anything that is true can be embraced, regardless of its source.
The Bible should be the ultimate authority when we are determining our convictions and developing our philosophies, because it is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. The Bible should be the filter through which we examine all other observations, advice, and sources of information, but when we couple the Bible with those secondary sources of information, we will likely end up with a more holistic view on how to practically apply theology to our lives.
Highlighted Passages:
1 Corinthians 10
The baptism of Jesus is outlined in all four Gospels, and in each case we are told that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove immediately after His baptism. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit (the 3rd person of the Godhead) took on a bodily form and descended on Jesus. Why did this happen? And what is its significance?
In this episode, Kenny explains that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus to symbolize that the power of God was on Jesus, but the Holy Spirit specifically took on the form of a dove to symbolize certain things about Jesus. The "dove" is a symbol of purity and innocence. Jesus possessed the fullness of the power of God, but He also possessed the fullness of the purity and innocence of God as well.
Highlighted Passages:
Luke 3:21-22
John 1:32-34
Mark 1:9-11
Matthew 3:13-17
In this episode, Kenny responds to an email that came from a regular listener, asking him to clarify a term he used in a previous episode.
Kenny used the term "God-Man" in a previous episode, and he explains what that term means by explaining the doctrine known as the "Hypostatic union."
There are two commonly held beliefs examined in this episode. The first is the fact that most people believe that one of the greatest themes of the New Testament is taking care of the poor.
The second common belief among many people in modern Western societies is the idea that American Conservative Republicans don't care about the poor, and that Republican politicians supposedly are fighting to pass legislation that is harmful to people living in poverty within the United States.
It is certainly true and right that one of the greatest themes of the New Testament is indeed taking care of the poor. However, is that second common belief true? Is it true that Republicans don't care about the poor? If so, why would anyone, who embraces the New Testament as true, support any Republican candidate?
If Jesus commanded Christians to take care of the poor, why do some many Christians vote for Republican candidates; when these candidates supposedly don't want to take care of the poor?
In this episode, Kenny challenges some of the presuppositions held by many people and then outlines several important historical truths that must be fairly examined. Kenny concedes that some Republicans haven't cared about the poor like they should and he highlights the fact that he does not agree with several of the elements of the Republican platform. But Kenny points out that conservative Republicans in America give more money to charity than liberal Democrats, so it seems unfair to claim that they don't care about the poor at all.
Kenny also reminds us that the mandate to take care of the poor was given to Christians and churches, not government officials. We must take the mandate very serious, but this is to be taken up by individual people and churches, not the central government.
Individual people, as well as local churches and charities, ought to be the ones providing for the poor and meeting the needs of society's most vulnerable. The government should not ever be the primary long-term provider, but rather the government ought to be the protector of the system which enables individual people or individual groups of people to serve those people living in poverty.
Christians are mandated to step in and serve the poor and meet the needs of the people in their communities. Government must never make this task difficult or burdensome.
In this episode Kenny gives us three reasons why he believes the government should not be the primary source of long-term provision for people living in poverty:
1- Historical research and trends show that government provision, in the name of helping poor people, will eventually make the poor people dependent on the government.
2- Any central government that becomes the primary long-term provider will eventually need to grow in scope and size and power, and world history has proven to us over and over again that any central government that grows in such a manner will eventually become oppressive towards its people. In order to protect the people from tyranny, the government must be intentionally limited.
3- Free market enterprise/capitalism is the greatest system the world has ever seen to pull people from poverty. More than 1 Billion people have escaped poverty over the last 20 years because of the expansion of free market principles around the globe. There are some very real negatives to capitalism, so it must be implemented fairly and the central government must properly protect the people from abuse and exploitation, but even with the very real potential pitfalls of free markets, capitalism is still the greatest system in the world, without a close second.
Recommended Resources:
Liberty and Tyranny (by Mark Levin)
When Helping Hurts (by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert)
God & Government (by Chuck Colson)
Politics - According to the Bible (by Wayne Grudem)
God's Politics (by Jim Wallis)
Is every area of doctrine important? Or are there areas of doctrine that matter more than others?
Yes, every area is important, but not every area of doctrine is of equal importance. Some issues are "closed-hand" issues and some are "open-hand" issues. Closed-hand issues we hold tightly; these are essential and non-negotiable). But open-hand issues are areas of doctrine where we can lovingly agree to disagree with other believers.
In other words, there are doctrines that need to divide us and there are those doctrines that need not divide us. The key is to know what to hold in which hand. Tragically, some people make open-handed things into closed handed things, which causes unneeded division among believers.
In this episode, Kenny explains the difference between closed-hand issues and open-hand issues, and outlines for us how we out to approach debates and disagreements within Christianity.
Closed-hand issues include the deity of Jesus, the Trinity, the inspiration of Scripture, the sinfulness of humans and our need to be rescued, the atoning death of Jesus and His physical resurrection, and a few other areas of doctrine. Overall, this list is short.
Other issues concerning God’s foreknowledge, baptism, worship style, the precise understanding of the doctrine of election, eschatology, the atonement of Jesus, the spiritual gifts, our understanding of hell, how prayer works, Bible translation preferences, women in ministry, age of the Earth, and dozens of other areas of doctrine. These are things that should be held in humility in the open hand. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have convictions or strong opinions on those secondary issues, but there is no reason that Christians need to divide over these kind of issues.
As a celebration for the 100th episode of the podcast, Kenny shares the greatest lesson he has learned since launching the podcast back in January 2016: God can use anyone!
After giving us that lesson, Kenny then gives us a preview of what to expect over the course of the next 100 episodes.
What does it take to be a genuine Christian? What must a person believe and embrace in order to be considered a true Christian? Must a person embrace everything related to Christianity?
There are certainly many different perspectives on this topic, and many related sub-topics as well. Many different church leaders would likely answer this question in a variety of different ways, but Kenny takes a simple approach.
In this episode, Kenny examines one of the most basic and most popular passages of Scripture that give us a clear understanding of what it takes to be a Christian.
Highlighted Passages:
Romans 10:9-10
Acts 16:30-31
We believe that every Christian ought to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit; seeking to engage with the Holy Spirit, His supernatural wisdom, His sanctifying power, and the spiritual gifts that He gives.
In this episode, Kenny interviews charismatic church planter Matt van Winkle to discuss engaging with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Matt tells us that each believer ought to be looking to "live by the "nudge" of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit is constantly nudging us in the directions that He desires for us to pursue, and He is constantly giving us the power and wisdom to do the right thing at the right time.
In addition, Matt also talks about how the corporate church ought to engage with the Holy Spirit, making sure that there is always proper order in the public church services whenever the gifts of the Holy Spirit are being used by believers.
In John 16, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit would come into the world and "convict" people in the areas of sin, righteousness, and judgement. What does this mean?
In this episode, Kenny explains that the term "convict" comes from a Latin origin which means "to know" or "to point towards truth." That is what the Holy Spirit does in our lives; He points us towards truth and He helps us see things clearly. The Holy Spirit does this so that we will better understand sin, so that we can better understand what it means to live a righteous life, and so that we can have a better understanding of the impending judgment on humanity. As we have a better understanding of these things, we are much more likely to become people of conviction.
A person of conviction is any person that has a track record of being a person of high character or a person with a strong moral resolution. In essence, whenever a person sees something as true and begins to live their life in accordance with that truth, they are often called a "person of conviction." That's what the Holy Spirit is seeking to transform us into, people of conviction whom have built their conviction on God's morality.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, but why is there confusion around His name? Why do some Christians refer to Him as the "Holy Ghost" instead of calling Him the "Holy Spirit"?
In this episode, Kenny answers this question by reminding us that language evolves and transforms over the course of time. The term "ghost" meant something different several hundreds of years ago, which is why many Bible translations used that term. However, as language has evolved, the term "ghost" has taken on a different meaning, which is why the term "Holy Spirit" is now more accurate.
As a part of our series on the Holy Spirit, Kenny interviews pastor and podcaster Greg Dutcher about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, specifically talking about the more "ecstatic" gifts of the Spirit, and their uses within contemporary charismatic churches.
In this episode, Kenny and Greg dialogue about the modern ongoing "charismatic versus cessationist" debate. Despite his disagreement with charismatic Christians, Greg approaches them with incredible grace and respect. Greg makes his case for cessationism and points out the inconsistencies that he sees within modern charismatic theology, highlighting why he believes the cessationist position is the most accurate position.
Follow Greg Dutcher on Twitter: @DutchDawgyDawg
Check out The "These Go to Eleven" Podcast
Recommended Resources:
"Why I Am A Cessationist" (article by Thomas Schreiner)
"Why I Am a Continuationist" (article by Sam Storms)
Systematic Theology (by Wayne Grudem)
There are many spiritual gifts listed in the Scripture; gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, so that we will have the ability to accomplish certain tasks or take on certain roles, so that we can build up the people within the church.
But sometimes we observe people that are seemingly supernaturally gifted in an area that is not mentioned explicitly within the pages of Scripture. What are we to make of those sorts of observations?
In this episode, Kenny explains that there are not any spiritual gifts left out of the Bible (the list in the New Testament is absolutely exhaustive). However, Kenny believes that our contemporary Christian view of each spiritual gift may be too narrow. Sometimes we confuse roles with spiritual gifts or we confused natural talents with spiritual gifts, and in doing so, we often thrust onto people unfair burdens and unrealistic expectations because our views of the spiritual gifts are far too rigid.
As a part of the recent mini-series on the Holy Spirit (and the gifts of the Holy Spirit) Kenny has interviewed several pastors about the importance of approaching the Holy Spirit in a Biblical and "non-spooky" manner. The bottom line: Engaging with the Holy Spirit does not have to be weird! But why does He seem so weird to so many? And how do we get past the many weird things that we often see in some churches?
In this episode, Kenny interviews charismatic pastor Matt McAfee to discuss the Biblical and non-weird ways to approach the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Matt shares his own wrestling with non-Biblical and extra-Biblical things that he has witnessed in charismatic churches that frustrated him, but also explains why he has not embraced cessationism either. Matt concedes that being a cessationist would be "cleaner" but he clearly asserts that it would not be the most Biblical perspective to take.
Recommended Resources:
The God I Never Knew (by Robert Morris)
How to be Pentecostal Without Speaking in Tongues (by Tony Campolo)
Holy Fire (by RT Kendall)
Forgotten God (by Francis Chan)
In this episode Kenny explains the difference between prescriptive forms of writing in the Bible and descriptive forms of writing in the Bible. When we misunderstand the style of writing we run the risk of misunderstanding the character and nature of God.
Descriptive passages describe what happened; they give us the historical narratives and the stories of the events that took place. Prescriptive passages give us clear commands and instructions as to how we are to live our lives.
Kenny explains how we can diagnosis whether a passage is prescriptive or descriptive by reading through whole passages and whole books of the Bible over time. Kenny also asserts that we should primarily build our doctrine on prescriptive passages and then supplement that doctrine with the overall themes and trends and patterns that we learn from descriptive Biblical passages. We should avoid building our doctrine on individual descriptive passages that describe individual events.
Recommended Resources:
Exegetical Fallacies (by D.A. Carson)
There is a segment of contemporary Evangelical Christianity that believes that every true Christian has to ability to speaking in tongues. Those Christians typically fall into the Charismatic/Pentecostal camp. Is this true? Does every Christian have the ability to use this spiritual gift? Should every Christian be speaking in tongues?
In this episode, Kenny says, "No!" Not all Christians speak in tongues. Kenny clearly combats this belief by examining several Bible passages. Kenny proclaims his appreciation and admiration for certain elements of the Charismatic movement, but he clearly challenges the belief that all Christians should be speaking in tongues, as espoused by most Charismatics.
Kenny examines the passages that mention the gifts of the spirit (1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12) and makes the point that God works in different ways in each believer.
Highlighted Passages:
1 Corinthians 12:4-31
Romans 12:3-8
Acts 2:4
Acts 10:44-46
Acts 19:6
Acts 2:41
Acts 8:5-25
Acts 16:31-34
Acts 21:20
Romans 8:9
1 Corinthians 12:13
Ephesians 1:13-14
There is much controversy around the topic of speaking in tongues within contemporary North American Evangelical churches. In this episode, Kenny clearly explains that speaking in tongues is a supernatural ability, given to believers through the power of the Holy Spirit, to have the ability to speak in a language that they have never learned on their own accord.
Kenny outlines the different forms of speaking in tongues in the Bible, or the different ways this spiritual gift is used in the Bible. Kenny also points out the importance of identifying when the Bible is being descriptive versus prescriptive, and how that identification has major implications on how we interpret many of the passages that mention the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues.
Recommend Resources:
Lecture from Dr. Wayne Grudem: "Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Tongues" | MP3 | PDF Outline
Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (by Dr. Sam Storms)
Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? (multiple authors)
Diagram Outlining the Different Views:
There are a variety of views of the Holy Spirit and how He interacts with believers. There are three main perspectives among modern Evangelical Christians, as well as a fourth minority view. In this episode, Kenny unpacks the three main views, explaining their differences and the implications of each.
Recommend Books:
Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (by Sam Storms)
Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? (multiple contributors)
Diagram Outlining the Different Views:
Whenever God gives a person a supernatural ability to do some particular thing or to fulfill some particular role, it can be said that specific person has been gifted by God to do that specific thing. The person of the Godhead who administers these gifts is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God that enables us to use these gifts, that's why these gifts are often called the "spiritual gifts."
In this episode, Kenny unpacks the passages of Scripture that explain how we are to use these gifts as well as the passages that list the many different types of spiritual gifts that are available to believers.
Highlighted Passages:
1 Corinthians 12:1-12
Romans 12:3-8
Ephesians 4:10-13
1 Peter 4:9-10
1 Corinthians 7:7-8
Ephesians 3:6-8
1 Corinthians 13:3
Prophecy is a grossly misunderstood spiritual gift that often gets maligned or abused. In this episode, Kenny explains what the Old Testament office of "prophet" actually consisted of and how that changed in the New Testament, being imputed to every believer because we now all have access to the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Kenny highlights spiritual gifts as they are related to prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), explains how prophecy ought to be used today in the church, and why it is important for us to understand the difference the gift of prophecy and the gift of utterance of knowledge.
Whenever a person puts their whole faith in Christ, they are forgiven of their sin and invited into friendship with God. This is the moment when someone becomes a genuine Christian; in our contemporary evangelical circles we often call this "getting saved." The other major event that takes place is this thing we call the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." So, what exactly is this baptism?
In this episode, Kenny explains what this event is and why it matter to the life of the believer. In addition, Kenny addresses the debate among evangelicals as to when this baptism actually takes place; some Christians say it happens as salvation while others claim it happens at a later time.
There is much confusion in the modern church about the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is His Holy Spirit; it is an absolute privilege to have God with us all the time.
In this episode, Kenny kicks off a mini-series to give a clear explanation of the power, work, personage, and role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Recommend Resources:
Forgotten God (by Francis Chan)
Highlighted Passages:
John 16:7-8
John 14:16
Galatians 5:22-23
1 Corinthians 12
John 16:14
John 15:26
John 16:13
1 john 2:27
Romans 8
John 6:44,65
In this episode, Kenny responds to a question from a regular listener: Does God love everyone unconditionally?
First, Kenny notes that God does indeed love every person, but it is actually more than that. Love isn't just something God does or something God feels, God is love! (1 John 4:8)
God is passionately, head over heals, in love with you and I, because He is love and He allows that love to ooze out of Him in everything He does; everything God does is driven by love.
However, God's love for everyone is not the same, He loves certain peoples differently and uniquely. It is also important to note that sometimes the love of God is misunderstood and wrongly equated with the approval of God. Just because God has a passionate love for you, does NOT mean that He approves of everything you do. Kenny explains why it is essential to understand this truth.
Many Muslims claim that their religion embraces Jesus as a great prophet and a great teacher, so many of them find it odd (and even offensive) that orthodox Christians do not embrace Islam's prophet Muhammad. Why is it that Muslims accept and embrace Jesus, but but Christians reject Muhammad and his message?
In this episode, Kenny explains the theory of abrogation, upon which Islam is built, and why Christians ought to reject that theory. Kenny also highlights the fact that Muslims do not embrace Jesus in the same manner that Christians do (Muslims reject His Deity) and they do not embrace the narratives of the Old Testament and the New Testament in their entirety, as Christians do.
Finally, Kenny reminds us of the challenge given to us from the Apostle Paul to reject any and all other versions of the Gospel that do not match the version of the Gospel given to us by the Apostles (Galatians 1:6-9).
Recommended Resources:
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an (by James R. White)
Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross (by Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb)
Over the centuries religious skeptics and critics have claimed that all religions are just different perspectives of the same God. Others have claimed that the world's three major monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) all worship the same God. Is this true?
In this episode, Kenny addresses the questions: "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" The answer is a resounding "No!"
Kenny gives a timeline of Old Testament history, highlighting the two lineages after Abraham: the line of Isaac (the Jewish people) and the line of Ishmael (the Arab people). Many centuries after Ishmael, in 610 A.D., Muhammad began a new religion, claiming to have received revelations from the God of Abraham, and claiming that Jews and Christians had corrupted the true religion of the one true God. Muhammad became a crusader, and for several centuries Islam was the fastest growing religion in the world.
However, it is important to note that Muhammad's new religion was not a "purified" form of the ancient religion of Abraham, but rather nothing more than a repackaging of the polytheistic pagan religion that was popular throughout the Arab world in the 6th and 7th centuries.
Recommended Resources:
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an (by James R. White)
Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross (by Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb)
Jesus is called the Son of God throughout the New Testament. But He is not the only person given the label "son of God." The term occurs more than 40 times in the Bible, mostly in the New Testament. God is not the "Father" in a biological sense, but the term describes the nature of the relationship between God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
In this episode, Kenny explains that Jesus never became the Son of God, but rather has always been the Son of God. Furthermore, Kenny explains what the term "only begotten son of God" means and how it should impact how we see Jesus. All believers are adopted as sons and daughters of God, meaning that God chooses to treat us as if we were His own children, but Jesus is unique from us in that He has always been the Son of God, from the very same essence of God Himself.
Highlighted Passages:
Matthew 3:17
Matt 11:27
Luke 10:22
Hebrews 13
Colossians 1
Hebrews 1
A regular listener of the podcast sent in an email asking, "Can gay people go to heaven?" This is a question often asked when people read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 where it states that a person practicing homosexuality will not "inherit the kingdom of God."
In this episode, Kenny gives a clear answer about all sin, not just homosexuality. If you have a pattern of practicing sin over and over again, without any resolve to overcome that sin, then your faith in Christ may not be genuine. If you continue to live in sin, then we need to examine whether or not you are really a believer.
If you are a genuine believer, you are labeled as righteous, you have been justified, therefore you are not identified as a sinner. Anyone with faith in Christ is labeled as a "saint" not a sinner. Saints will inherit the kingdom of God. But if you have not placed your faith in Christ, then you are labeled unrighteous, enemy of God, therefore you are indeed still identified as a sinner and the passages that talk about not inheriting the kingdom of God do indeed apply to you. This ought to be a sobering and inspiring truth.
Highlighted Passages:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Revelation 22:15
Galatians 5:19-21
Ephesians 5:5
2 Corinthians 5:21
Romans 5:1-2
Romans 5:8-11
Related Episodes:
WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION?
WHY IS HOMOSEXUALITY A SIN?
In this episode, Kenny interviews author, speaker, and college professor Dr. Preston Sprinkle about homosexuality, but more specifically about how Christians ought to engage with people who identify as gay.
Dr. Sprinkle makes it clear: Homosexuality is not about an "issue" to be dealt with, but it is much more about people than need to be loved.
Dr. Sprinkle gained national attention several years ago when he co-wrote the best selling book Erasing Hell with Francis Chan, which was a response to Rob Bell's Love Wins. Dr. Sprinkle has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Master's Seminary as well as a Ph.D. in New Testament from Aberdeen University in the Scotland. He currently serves as the Vice President for Eternity Bible College's Extension Campus in Boise, ID. He previously taught at Cedarville University (Ohio) and at Nottingham University (U.K.).
Check out Dr. Sprinkle's Personal Website
Follow Dr. Sprinkle on Twitter: @prestonsprinkle
Check out Dr. Sprinkle's podcast: Theology in the Raw
Resources Recommended by Dr. Sprinkle:
People to be Loved (by Preston Sprinkle, Ph.D.)
Washed and Waiting (by Wesley Hill)
Is God Anti-Gay (by Sam Allberry)
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate (by Justin Lee)
Additional Recommended Resources:
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (by Kevin DeYoung)
Tim Keller's Response to Matthew Vines & Ken Wilson
Resources from Rosaria Butterfield
Christopher Yuan's Response to Justin Lee's "Torn"
Christopher Yuan's Response to Matthew Vines
Is Gay the New Black? (Video)
How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn't Harm Anyone? (Video)
Previous Related Episodes:
78: Why is Homosexuality a Sin?
70: How Does God Determine What Is Sin And What Is Not Sin?
65: Is It Wrong To Live Together Before We’re Married?
58: Why Is God Consumed With His Own Glory?
55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? With Dr. Corey Allan
11: Why Is Premarital Sex Sin?
In this episode, Kenny clearly explains why God labels homosexuality as a sin. Kenny starts the episode apologizing to any person who identifies as gay who has been mistreated by Christians. Kenny then challenges Christians to be consistent in their evaluation of sins.
Kenny then makes the point that the Bible does indeed label homosexual behaviors as sinful (citing 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Timothy 1:10, Romans 1), but then Kenny begins to answer the question "Why?"
There are typically multiple levels as to why something is sinful. The deepest layer when it come to understanding sexual sin is rooted in understanding God's ideal design, and that is one man and one woman, within the bounds of covenant marriage. During the act of sex there is something mysterious and supernatural that happens that emotionally unites the man and woman.
The book of Genesis says they will become "one flesh" which is translated from the Hebrew word "echad" which speaks to plurality and diversity, but still points to a perfect unity. This is designed to reflect the Trinity. Through the creation of genders, God is reflecting both His unity and His diversity.
The members of the Trinity are committed to one another, they are in covenant with one another, therefore God desires covenant before the unity, which is why we believe premarital sex is wrong. God's design for humans is for us to function as He functions, that we would mirror Him and His character. Therefore, when two men have sex, they are not mirroring the diversity of the Trinity, for this reason God labels this as sin.
Our understanding of the creation account and our understanding of the Trinity point towards God's ideal for sexuality. Any behavior outside of the ideal design is sinful, including homosexual behavior.
Recommended Resources:
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (by Kevin DeYoung)
Tim Keller's Response to Matthew Vines & Ken Wilson
Resources from Rosaria Butterfield
Christopher Yuan's Response to Justin Lee's "Torn"
Christopher Yuan's Response to Matthew Vines
Is Gay the New Black? (Video)
How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn't Harm Anyone? (Video)
Previous Related Episodes:
11: Why Is Premarital Sex Sin?
55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? With Dr. Corey Allan
58: Why Is God Consumed With His Own Glory?
65: Is It Wrong To Live Together Before We’re Married?
70: How Does God Determine What Is Sin And What Is Not Sin?
In this episode, Kenny interviews Dr. Corey Allan for a second time. This time they talk about "sex toys" and how married couples can approach the topic of being "diverse" in their quest to enhance their sexual relationship.
Dr. Allan is a therapist, author, blogger, speaker, and podcaster. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has coached hundreds of people through issues related to sexual integrity.
After the interview, Kenny gives some additional thoughts and commentary on the issue of sex toys related to single people, masturbation, celibacy, and homosexuality.
Resources:
Check out our previous interview with Dr. Corey Allan (Episode 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter?)
Connect with Dr. Corey Allan at www.simplemarriage.net
Check out “Sexy Marriage Radio” co-hosted by Dr. Allan & Shannon Ethridge
Check out our interview with Dr. Corey Allan on the Inspiring Awesome Podcast
With the ever changing cultural landscape of North America, many companies are now passing policies that are not in line with a Biblical worldview. This means more and more that Christians will be faced with the predicament of working for a business that promotes something that Christians may morally object to.
In this episode, Kenny dives into this topic and gives Christians several things to remember as they navigate these sorts of issues. The legal questions around this topic are certainly still very "grey" in many ways, but we need to make moral resolutions and build our ethics upon Biblical truth, regardless of whatever laws are passed. But it is also imperative to remember that our convictions will vary from person to person.
As we determine our convictions, we must do these things:
1) Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth (John 16:13; 1 John 2:27); and ask yourself good questions as you determined your convictions such as:
-
Is this really a big deal?
-
Can I reconcile this?
-
Am I being inconsistent or being a hypocrite?
-
Am I directly participating in the destruction of another human being or their God-given potential?
2) Be clear and precise with your language.
3) Dialogue with your boss, peers, or clients.
4) Be kind, respectful, and gentle (1 Peter 3:15).
There has been a recent debate around the topic of transgender people, specifically their usage of public bathrooms. So, that begs the question, How should we, as Christians, respond to this recent transgender people bathroom usage debate?
In this episode, Kenny attacks this recent debate with clarity. First, Kenny reminds Christians that we need to be sensitive to people with emotions we may not be familiar with. Secondly, Kenny affirms that it is okay for Christians to reject certain ideologies based on Biblical convictions. Lastly, Kenny gives Christians three practical things to remember as they engage with this debate:
1- Be kind.
2- Invest extra energy into protecting your children.
3- Be consistent with your voting and how you spend your money.
Many Christians compartmentalize their lives in such a way that their theology never bleeds into certain areas, but our theology should impact every area of our lives.
In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor and podcaster Stephen Mackey, for a third straight episode, but this time they dive into a topic that few Christians ever talk about: "How should our theology impact our eating habits and our approach to being physically healthy?" Mackey has lost more than 70 pounds over the last few months and he has become passionate about living a healthy life.
Mackey says that living a healthy lifestyle does two very important things:
1- Health honors God.
2- Gives us the power to say "no" to things that are unhealthy, physically and spiritually.
3- Exposes the fact that we find satisfaction in food more than Christ.
4- Enables us to live a longer healthier life, so that we can do more Gospel work.
5- Impacts our self-esteem and how people see us.
In this episode, our host Kenny is joined, once again, by pastor, speaker, and podcaster Stephen Mackey (M.Div.) to discuss the importance and magnitude of each individual person's view of Jesus Christ. The most important answer you will ever give in your life is the answer you give to the most important question in the world: Who do you say Jesus is?
In this conversation, Mackey examines and unpacks a famous quote from C.S. Lewis wherein he made the claim that Jesus must be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord; there is no fourth option, neither is there a hybrid. You must either reject Jesus' words or embrace them as absolute truth. We must either reject Jesus as having any value or we must worship Him, there is no middle ground option.
In this episode, Kenny interviews a pastor friend Stephen Mackey (M.Div) to answer a tough theological question that came in from a regular listener of the podcast.
The question was: "I came across John 20:23. After appearing to the disciples, Jesus breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive another's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Doesn't this seem to negate the work Jesus just did on the cross. I am not sure from a historical point how his was interpreted."
Kenny and Mackey dive into the Greek nuances of the Gospel of John to help in order to help bring clarity to this particular passage.
Topics related to mental illness are very sensitive for many people, therefore it is essential that we have quality Biblical theology around the topic of mental health and related issues.
A few weeks ago Kenny received an email from a regular listener, in response to episode 43: Is Judas in Heaven or Hell? In the email, the listener praised Kenny for not "blanketly condemning" all mental illnesses, and those individuals who suffer from them, as merely being "unChristian." In this this episode, Kenny addresses that comment and clearly answers the question: "Is mental illness caused by demonic activity?"
There are some people that believe demons cause mental health issues and mental illness. In response to that, Kenny says that sometimes they do, but other times they cause other health issues. Furthermore, there is Biblical evidence that only some health issues can be directly attributed to demonic activity.
Recommended Resources:
Overwhelmed (by Perry Noble)
Highlighted Passages:
Luke 17
Mark 6:5
Matthew 13:58
Luke 8:2
Mark 16:9
John 21:25
Luke 9:39
Luke 13
Mark 9:17
Mark 9:25
Matthew 12:2
Luke 8:27-28
Luke 9:1-2
Luke 13:32
Acts 5:15-16
Sometimes people believe that God seemingly condemns certain things or certain behaviors arbitrarily, randomly, or haphazardly. This is not true.
In this episode, Kenny explains that we were created to glorify God and reflect His character, therefore anything in us that does not glorify or reflect Him violates the purpose for which we were created. Furthermore, we were all created by God to function in certain ways, with an ideal design in mind. Anytime we do not function as we were created to function, or anytime we go outside of His perfect ideal design for us, then we will cease to glorify and reflect Him.
Kenny asserts that God determines certain things to be sinful based upon the ideal design with which we were created. Anything that goes outside that design can potentially be labeled sinful, or at least will eventually lead us down the road to sin.
In this short episode, Kenny makes it clear that God never punishes believers. The Father has already punished his own Son Jesus at the cross, therefore there is no need to punish you.
However, God does discipline His people. God steps in to coach us and He also corrects us, and sometimes those moments of correction can be painful, but we are never being punished. Our discipline comes from the hand of a loving Father, molding us into the image of His Son Jesus.
Highlighted Passages:
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Romans 5:1
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Romans 8:1
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Romans 8:29
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Hebrews 12:5-6
In this episode, Kenny interviews David Schrock (Ph.D., SBTS) about the importance of studying the character and nature of God; being diligent in seeking to understand all areas of theology.
David outlines that theology isn't just a study or discipline, but a delight in getting to know God better. He also tells us about the importance of theology because good theology has real positive impact on our lives and bad theology has the potential to be a significant detriment to our lives.
Recommended Resources:
Blog: Theology is Not Just for Theologians
David Schrock's Blog
The Gospel Coalition
9 Marks of Healthy Church
Desiring God Ministries
Timothy Keller Ministries
A somewhat frequently asked question is, "Was God unjust when He asked Abraham to kill his own son Isaac?" Sometimes this question is asked by Bible skeptics as an attack, while other times this is asked by inquiring believers.
In this episode, Kenny answers the question with several thoughts:
1- Every human deserves to die, so decreeing Isaac's death would not be unjust.
2- We are not entitled to anything at all; Isaac was not entitled to life, therefore God can take away Isaac's life if He sees fit to do so.
3- God has the right to do whatever He pleases with His own creation, at any times, for the expansion of His own glory and His own pleasure.
4- The point of the story is the foreshadowing of the cross; we are "Isaac" and Jesus is the "ram in the thicket" that is ultimately killed. This Bible narrative was orchestrated by God to illustrate the Gospel.
The discussion about the duality (or dichotomy) of mankind versus the triune nature (or trichotomy ) of mankind is a mini-debate among some Christian theologians. People have asked, "Are we made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit?" or "Are we just a body and soul?"
In this episode, Kenny defines the difference between the material substance of humans versus the immaterial substance of humans. Then Kenny uses several passages of Scripture, as well as our overall understanding of the "imago dei" that is indwelled within humanity, to point to the fact that we are indeed made up of three substances: Body, Soul, and Spirit.
Highlighted Passages:
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Mark 7:19
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Proverbs 4:23
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Luke 16:19-31
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2 Corinthians 5:8
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Romans 12:1-2
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Hebrews 4:12
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1 Thessalonians 5:23
The question answered herein this episode comes from a regular listener, after he listened to episode 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? His questions is about cohabitation before marriage. Many people in today's culture have abandoned traditional values, and many couples jump into cohabitation situations before marriage.
In this episode, Kenny answers the questions, "Is it Wrong to Live Together Before We're Married?" Kenny says yes, and he gives three primary reasons:
1) The reality of sexual temptation makes cohabitation a really bad idea.
2) If we live with our future spouse before marriage, we are not above reproach.
3) Living together violates the pattern God established in Genesis.
These reasons need to be seriously considered and evaluated before any person jumps into any cohabitation situation.
Some times people claim that the God of the Old Testament seems so much angrier than the God we see in the New Testament, reflected in the man Jesus. But the God of the Old Testament is the same God that is incarnated in the New Testament. God never changes.
In this episode, Kenny explains how God has always been loving and kind and gracious and merciful, and that God has also always hated sin; God demands that sin be atoned for and that justice be served. God has always loved human beings, and yet God has always hated the sinful choices committed by human beings.
The God of both Testaments (Old and New) is the same God, filled with desire to glory Himself through demonstrating His kindness to us, while simultaneously being filled with the desire to glory Himself through the justice that we see when sin is thoroughly punished. That is why the cross took place. The cross is where both the kindness of God and the justice of God are fully on display.
Sometimes people believe that God was angrier in the Old Testament than He was in the New Testament, but that is simply a flawed perspective that must be challenged and corrected.
Highlighted Passages:
Malachi 3:6
Hebrews 1:8
James 1:17
Hebrews 13:8
Psalm 103
Many of us have heard someone say, “Don’t judge me!” or "Only God can judge me!" Should we, as Christians, follow those sorts of requests? Kenny answered this question in a previous episode entitled: Should Christians Judge? In that episode Kenny made the point that we need to judge rightly and fairly. After that episode, Kenny received an email from a listener challenging the idea, claiming that Christians should never judge other people at all.
In this episode, Kenny responds to the email and defends his original point. Kenny also seeks to bring clarity to several elements presented in the previous episode that may have needed to be clarified. Kenny explains that we all make judgments of people and we all make conclusions about people, this is not inherently evil or wrong in any way at all, but we ought to seek to be Christ-honoring in the way we come to those judgments.
There is a righteous form of judgment and there is an unrighteous form of judgment. When we make wrong judgments, we hurt people. When we judge rightly, we honor God. It is essential that we know the difference and we seek to honor Christ through righteous judgments.
There are many people in the world that claim to be angry at God. That begs the question: Are we ever justified in any such anger towards God? Are there any circumstances that would allow this to be an appropriate emotion towards God?
In this episode, Kenny starts off by talking about how pain and suffering are often the cause for any anger towards God, and Kenny explains the appropriate manner to handle such feelings towards God. Then Kenny explains the moments when it is appropriate to be angry towards a person, and demonstrates how God never falls into any such category, therefore it is always wrong to be angry with or at God.
Furthermore, it is extremely important to remember that it is God who has many reasons to be angry with us because it is we, humans, that have sinned against Him. It is God who has the right to be angry, but instead of remaining angry, and instead of holding a grudge, God demonstrates His love towards us by coming to planet Earth and making a way for us to receive grace and mercy (Romans 5:8-10).
Throughout the course of the podcast's history thus far, Kenny has mentioned, quoted, and even praised Martin Luther several times. However, history tells us that Martin Luther was extremely combative. In addition, there is some evidence that he held to some antisemitic views.
If this is the case, why quote from his works? And more importantly, why praise him at all? In this episode, Kenny explains why Martin Luther is worthy of the praise he is often given, but Kenny also clearly outlines the areas where Luther was flawed; and Kenny makes no attempt to condone or justify Luther's negative words about the Jewish people. Kenny clearly condemns any antisemitic sentiments Luther may have embraced.
Kenny points out that Luther was profoundly flawed, as all humans are flawed. However, Kenny also points out that Luther was still profoundly used by God. This is the evidence that God is gracious, choosing to see beyond our flaws, using us for His glory in profound ways, despite our own profound weaknesses and flaws.
Theology is extremely important because theology impacts how we live our lives. Theology is simply learning more about God. If we refuse to study theology, we are then, in essence, refusing to learn more about God. Our lack of understanding in the arenas of theology will eventually have a negative impact on our lives.
It is also very important to note that, as we study theology, we develop doctrines, and there is always the potential to develop doctrines that are different than those developed by some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Knowing how to deal with those types of disagreements is vital to the unity and health of the church.
In this episode, Kenny interviews blogger Jerome Danner about the importance of guarding our theology and our doctrines. They also talk at length about how to properly manage and navigate doctrinal disagreements amongst our fellow believers. How we handle such differences can make or break our Christian relationships as well as potentially impact the unity and health of our local churches.
It has been asked by inquiring minds, "Why did God create us as humans here on planet Earth? Why not just create us in heaven?" Sometimes this question is rooted in legitimate curiosity, while other times it is used by secular progressives seeking only to antagonize the Gospel.
In this episode, Kenny refers to the fact that everything God does is for His own glory. God intentionally created us, and the world in which we live, with specific purposes in mind, and those purposes all feed into one greater overarching purpose. That grander purpose is His own glory. Everything God does is to maximized His own glory and for the maximum amount of His own pleasure.
God saw fit that creating us on planet Earth and living this life would bring Him more glory than if He had just created us in heaven in the first place.
Highlighted Passage:
Revelation 4:11 (KJV): “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Sometimes people accuse God of being an egomaniac. People often wonder, "Why Is God Consumed with His Own Glory?" This is a great question that has a very simple Biblical answer.
In this episode, Kenny explains what it means to "glorify" something or someone by using a silly metaphor from his favorite Chik-fil-A sandwich. Then Kenny uses the recent Villanova University Men's Basketball National championship as a metaphor to explain the absurdity of any being praising something or someone other than God; and this includes God Himself. It would be absurd to assume that we should be consumed with His glory, but expect God to be consumed with something other than His own glory.
Highlighted Passage:
Revelation 4:11 (KJV): "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
There are many different Christian denominations around the globe, with a variety of different theological perspectives. In response to a recent episode, Why Are There So Many Denominations?, one of our regular listeners asked about the fact that so many Christians disagree on doctrines.
The listener asked, "How can we read the same Bible and claim the Holy Spirit guides our interpretation of the meaning of Scripture and yet believe mutually exclusive doctrines?" This is a great question. In this episode, Kenny gives three reasons:
1) In some cases the people are not really Christians.
2) Humans are all incredibly biased and overly subjective.
3) Mass ignorance is rampant among contemporary Christians.
Kenny also outlines why it is important to always keep an open mind when studying theology and keeping quality dialogue open with other believers to guard ourselves against our own arrogance and biases.
Then Kenny pivots to explain closed-hand theology versus open-hand theology, with the understanding that there are only a few areas where the Bible is absolutely clear, and in those areas we happen to see a lot of agreement and unity among believers. Kenny then outlines why it is important that we do not allow our doctrinal differences to fracture our friendships and relationships.
In a previous episode of the podcast, episode 35: Why Are There So Many Different Denominations?, a regular listener of the podcast made this comment: "[You described] the Reformation as being a significant benefit for mankind. How can splintering dogmas and denominations be beneficial for the church?"
This a great question that deserves a quality answer. If the Reformation caused so much division among Christians, how can we consider it a positive event in human history?
In this episode, Kenny makes the point that the positives of the Reformation far outweigh the negatives. The Reformation was started by a German monk and Catholic priest named Martin Luther. This event ushered in an era where hundreds of thousands of people all across Europe were reacquainted with the essential doctrine of justification; and the Reformation caused a mass revival, which has had incredible positive impacts on the world.
Some of the most frequently asked questions asked by younger believers are about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity. In essence, does it really matter? Do my sexual choices today really have any impact on my life in the future?
In this episode, Kenny interviews therapist, speaker, author, and podcaster Dr. Corey Allan about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity, particularly about the impact sexual choices have on our future marriages.
Dr. Allan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has coached hundreds of people through issues related to sexual integrity. He makes it clear that all of our choices in life have impact later on, positive and negative, in every arena of our lives, but especially when it comes to the arena of sexual purity.
Connect with Dr. Corey Allan at www.simplemarriage.net
Follow Dr. Corey Allan on Twitter: @simplemarriage
Check out "Sexy Marriage Radio" co-hosted by Dr. Allan & Shannon Ethridge
Check out our interview with Dr. Corey Allan on the Inspiring Awesome Podcast
While it may seem like there's an obvious answer to the question "What is Sin?" our podcast host Kenny feels that many people often miss the real definition of sin. Many people would define sin as "bad things." While there is certainly an element of "bad" when it comes to our sin, the idea of sinning against God is much bigger than just doing something that might be classified as a bad thing.
In this episode, Kenny gives a clear, holistic, and Biblical definition of sin. In addition, Kenny explains God's ultimate desire to have humans reflect His character and nature to one another, as well as the damaging effects on our lives when we fail to reflect God well.
The now-famous Quaker author Richard Foster wrote a well-know book Celebration of Discipline to discuss the things that we can do to engage with God and grow in our faith. However, our guest on this episode of the podcast has a different perspective on how we grow in our faith.
Our interviewee David Mathis points to grace as the means for growth in faith. Grace is abundantly available to us each day, and it us by the grace of God that we enjoy Jesus. There are a variety of things we can strive to do everyday to enjoy Jesus, but so often as many of us seek those "things" we end up falling into legalism. Enjoying Jesus is not about doing something, but rather it's about engaging with His grace.
There are three seemingly unremarkable principles that can shape and strengthen our Christian life:
1) Hearing His voice.
2) Having His ear.
3) Belonging to His body.
In his recent book, Habits of Grace, David Mathis talks about the importance of listening to God’s voice, speaking to him in prayer, and joining together with his people as the church. Though seemingly normal and routine, the everyday "habits of grace" that we cultivate each day in our lives give us access to these God-designed channels through which his love and power flow; and it is by engaging with these habits that we can truly know and enjoy Jesus.
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Get a copy of David Mathis' book: Habits of Grace
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Follow David Mathis on Twitter: @davidcmathis
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Check out the great ministry of Desiring God
The last several episodes of the podcast have been a mini-series on the doctrine of the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, including several evidences for the resurrection and responses to several common attacks from skeptics and liberal theologians. This is the capstone episode, bringing the mini-series to a close.
In this episode, Kenny answers the question: "Why do I believe in the resurrection of Jesus?" highlighting the eye witness accounts from the people who saw Him on planet Earth after He rose from the dead. And then Kenny outlines why this doctrine matters so much. Kenny asserts that the resurrection is the lynch-pin of the Christian faith, the foundation upon which our entire faith rises and falls. There is no doctrine more important to examine, critique, defend, and embrace than the resurrection of Jesus.
Recommended Books:
- The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona)
- Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (by N. T. Wright)
- The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell)
- The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer)
- The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona)
- Resurrected! (John Morris)
Other Resources:
- "He Has Risen: The Worldview of Easter" DVD Series (by John Stonestreet and T. M. Moore)
- Chuck Colson's Classic Commentary about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Article from 1992 published in the New York Times about Discovery of the Bones of Caiaphas
Over the last several episodes, Kenny has been in a mini-series about the evidences for the physical resurrection of Jesus. There are three common theories used by skeptics and liberal theologians to attack the validity and credibility of the traditional resurrection story. Those three common attacks are:
1) The Swoon Theory
2) The Stolen Body Theory
3) The Wrong Tomb Theory
In this episode, Kenny explains the basics of all three theories and thoroughly explains why he rejects them. Kenny highlights several concessions made by skeptics that point to the credibility of the resurrection as well as outlining the reasons why these three theories are simply illogical, and in some ways they ignore several well-documented historical facts.
The most rational and most logical explanation for the events of the first century is the fact that Jesus did indeed raise from the dead.
Recommended Books:
- The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell)
- The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer)
- The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona)
Other Resources:
- "He Has Risen: The Worldview of Easter" DVD Series (by John Stonestreet and T. M. Moore)
- Chuck Colson's Classic Commentary about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Article about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre from RC.net
- Article from 1992 published in the New York Times about Discovery of the Bones of Caiaphas
Can you imagine if the world's biggest terrorist, all of a sudden, based upon an experience he claims to have had, changed his mind about his ideology? What if the biggest enemy of a particular group of people, all of a sudden, became their biggest advocate? Well, this is exactly what happened in the first century with a man named Saul of Tarsus.
In this episode, Kenny examines the conversion of a man named Saul and his transformation into becoming the Apostle Paul. Saul was the biggest enemy of the church; he was zealous and passionate about stopping the spread of Christianity. But he would later become the biggest proponent of the church and did more to spread Christianity than anyone else in human history.
Why did he transform? Because he saw the resurrected Jesus!
Some skeptics and opponents of Christianity will concede that the early Christians did in fact believe that they had seen the resurrected Jesus Christ, but that those early Christians were actually hallucinating. Some critical scholars will claim that the early Christians, led by the disciples, were so passionate about their movement that they began to see visions of Jesus after His death, and therefore they began to proclaim that Jesus had risen from the dead.
In this episode, Kenny examines this claim. When we rationally consider the facts surrounding the claims of the early Christians about the resurrection of Jesus, as well as what we know about how hallucinations take place, we begin to quickly see that this skeptical claim cannot be true.
Recommend Resources:
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona)
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (by N. T. Wright)
This episode is a part of the mini-series on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Herein Kenny examines the historical nature and historical evolution of the holiday that we now called Easter Sunday.
There are many contemporary revisionist historians and liberal theologians that would seek to discredit the Christian faith by making claims that the early church did not celebrate the same things we celebrate today, and more importantly, that the early Christians supposedly did not believe the same things we believe today.
However, there is substantial historical evidences that show that the early Christians did indeed believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus and that they celebrated the resurrection each year as an official holiday.
In this episode, Kenny covers the history of the lustful, warring goddess known as Eostre, tracing back to the days of Nimrod in ancient cities such as Babel and Ninevah, and the influence that specific goddess had in ancient Germanic and Old Saxon tribes as well.
Kenny does concede that the word Easter may have pagan roots tied to this ancient goddess, but that the framework and reason for the holiday is clearly and distinctly Christian in nature. Kenny also covers important people related to the conversation such as Polycarp, Victor the Bishop (also known as Pope Victor), Irenaeus, and the Venerable Bede.
Kenny also covers topics related to Easter such as the Council of Nicaea and its impact on Easter, the development of how we calculate the Easter holiday date, the tradition of dying eggs, and even the Easter bunny.
Recommended Resources:
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In Three Days-The History & Traditions of Lent and Easter (EG Lewis)
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Christian History Made Easy (Timothy Paul Jones)
- Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought (Alister E. McGrath)
- Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (Joseph Barber Lightfoot)
There are many skeptics that claim the resurrection never happened, but rather it was a fabrication by the early Christians, led by the Apostles. But this does not make sense. When we consider the persecution they faced, it is both illogical and irrational to believe that they would have conspired to fabricate it.
In this episode, Kenny examines several elements surrounding the resurrection narrative. As we study this, we see that it is more likely than not that the early Christians did indeed see the resurrected Jesus.
Recommend Resources:
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona)
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (by N. T. Wright)
The central and foundational truth upon which Christianity is built is the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the lynch-pin of our faith. If Jesus did not raise from the dead, then Christianity is false.
The question has been asked many times: What are the evidences for the resurrection? In addition, many people have asked: Are there any historical documents or reliable ancient sources that mention the death and resurrection of Jesus?
In this episode, Kenny interviews lawyer and evangelist Dr. John Morris about the historical extra-biblical evidences that do indeed point to the life, death, and physical resurrection of Jesus.
Recommended Resources:
- Check out Dr. John Morris' new book: Resurrected!
- Check out Dr. John Morris' Website: http://yourgreatgrace.net
In this episode, Kenny records on-location, from Guatemala City, while on a mission trip. He talks about the importance of loving people from all over the world, not just your own backyard.
Kenny makes the point that God loves all peoples, and if we are going to be His followers and His ambassadors, then we need to love the same things that He loves, mainly all the peoples of the Earth.
Recommended Resources:
Radical (by David Platt)
Our special guest in this episode Alexis Muscarella covers the topic of suffering and the importance of viewing suffering as an opportunity to know God better. As she has faced a myriad of health issues in her life, including many weeks spent in a hospital, she has found herself in multiple "bad circumstances" where she was faced with grappling through her own understanding of suffering.
Alexis says that she has come to learn and discover many different ways to face suffering, many different attitudes, but embracing suffering as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of God's character and nature is the only attitude that leads to a stronger relationship with God. Alexis says that pretty much every other possible attitude typically leads to bitterness.
Suffering can be negative or positive. It can be an opportunity to fracture our relationship with God in a very bad way or it can be the opportunity to strengthen our faith; the result typically depends on our posture towards God in the face of tough times. Alexis closes the interview by reminding us that our story doesn't end in suffering, and that even if our suffering leads to death, our story isn't over. God is bigger than anything we face, and He is writing our story!
Connect with Alexis Muscarella:
Twitter: @lexis_elise
Blog: Alexiselise.blogspot.com
Recommended Resources:
- Hinds Feet on High Places (by Hannah Hurnard)
- The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected Paperback (by Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis)
There are a variety of theories surrounding Judas, the disciple whom betrayed Jesus. Sometimes the question arises: Is Judas in heaven or hell? Most Christians assume that Judas is in hell, but the Bible doesn't clearly state that.
In this episode, Kenny addresses why we cannot know for sure where Judas went.
Some say that Satan entered Judas, so that is evidence that he's in hell. Others say that he's definitely in hell because he betrayed Jesus, but in this episode Kenny highlights the fact that Peter betrayed Jesus by his denial, and many of us betray Jesus everyday of our lives with our actions.
Some people say Judas repented, so he must be in heaven, but we're not so sure that he really repented. It does appear that he felt guilty for what he did, but was it only regret? Or was it true repentance? We're not sure. Feeling bad for your mistakes doesn't automatically equate to true Biblical repentance. Others say that Judas is in hell because he committed suicide, but no where in the Bible are we told that suicide automatically means that you go to hell.
Kenny highlights the fact that it is likely Judas did indeed go to hell, but regardless of whatever point anyone mentions, we simply cannot know for sure whether or not Judas went to heaven or to hell because the Bible does not give us clarity.
Ever wonder what God thinks of you? Or what type of potential He sees in you? The answer is simple: God sees greatness in you, and it's because He put it there.
In this short episode, Kenny explains what we learn about ourselves from the simple name changing of an inconsistent fisherman named Simon, whom Jesus renamed "Peter" which can be translated "rock" or "big boulder."
Many times in the Bible, God changed someone's name because He was calling them to live out a new mission or identify with a new identity that God was giving them. This is exactly what Jesus was doing with Simon, seeing in him some great potential that no one else saw. Everyone else saw Simon, Jesus saw Peter.
Another way to ask this question: Should Christians tithe? This is a great question.
The word "tithing" can easily seem completely foreign to many people. But to some others, it's a perfectly normal part of their lives and budgeting.
Should Christians tithe? The tithe was a component of the Old Covenant and today Christians are no longer under the Old Testament law therefore Christians are not legally bound or expected to tithe. But the New Testament does indeed encourage generosity and financial giving. This helps to keep our hearts right; it helps us to fight against our own propensities toward greed.
The topic of money is a controversial topic within Christians circles, but it is far too important to ignore. This topic demands a quality Biblical response and examination.
In this episode, Kenny tackles the topic by making it clear that Christians should not ever tithe, but rather we should cheerfully and sacrificially give generously; giving to causes that spread the Gospel.
Kenny dives into the actual meaning of the word "tithe" and the Hebrew words that we translate into English as "tenth" or "tithe" throughout the Old Testament. He then examines the Old Testament Law that required multiple types of tithes from the land, not general income; he also explains that those monies were generally earmarked for these three items:
1- One tithe for the Levites
2- One tithe for the use of the temple and the feasts
3- One tithe for the poor people
The tithe laws only applied to those in the land of Israel, and they were a part of the Old Covenant, therefore they do not apply to Christians today. But the principles and lessons that we learn about giving certainly still do apply to all believers today. In fact, Kenny believes that Christians ought to be the biggest and most generous people around.
In New Testament we are never told to tithe, but there are many times that we are expected to give. Many times in the book of Acts people brought money to the Apostles and we also see this alluded to multiple times in the epistles as well. In Acts 5 we see a story of a couple that sold their land and claimed to have given all the proceeds to the Apostle (they lied and God struck them dead); but it is important to note that it is clearly apparent that large extravagant gifts to the church were common in that time period.
In Mark 12:41-44, we see Jesus being more impressed with a poor woman who gave a few pennies than those who gave big amounts, because Jesus is not impressed when we give from our abundance.
The Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians about giving regularly and cheerfully (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). He also wrote to both the Corinthians and to his protege Timothy about collecting and using monies to pay pastors and church leaders as needed (1 Timothy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 9:3-10).
In this episode, Kenny also talks about how church leaders must be responsible with those funds, being above reproach, and how those funds are to be used for building the church and serving other churches and ministries.
Kenny talks extensively about how we give, why we give, and how much we ought to give. He closes the episode with a great quote from one of his favorite authors Randy Alcorn: "When God blesses you financially, it is not to raise your standard of living, but to raise your standard of giving."
Highlighted Passages:
Leviticus 27:30: Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.
Numbers 18:26: “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.
Deuteronomy 14:24: And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you,
The Church is the group of people who are followers of Jesus, called to "live life" together. Christians are called to meet together on a regular basis for worship, prayer, fellowship, building relationships, hearing teachings, and for the sacraments (ie: baptism and communion).
We as Christians are at our best when we have quality Christ-centered friendships in our regular everyday lives to challenge us and encourage us. Jesus and His Apostles established the Church to be for all people, from any ethnic group or nation, that wanted to be followers of Jesus.
In this episode, our guest Tori Mayo talks about how the concept of the local church has been attacked in our contemporary culture, and he answers the question as to why being a part of a local church is so important. Tori is the Lead Pastor at The Well in Austin, TX.
Tori tells us that the local church is God's preferred manner to grow us and build us up as believers. He talks about several key elements: the process of sanctification being cultivated within the bounds of the local church; the importance of using our gifts and talents for the edification of others within the local church; the significance of church discipline in the lives of believers; and the commands of Scripture for us to serve one another in a variety of ways (commanded 100 times in 94 verses throughout Scripture).
Towards the end of the episode Tori also hits on the topic of spiritual abuse and hurt caused within the local church. There have been many people who have been hurt by Christians or feel as if they have been hurt by leaders of the church. Tori talks about how to deal with those sorts of very real issues that are more prevalent than we sometimes realize.
Check out The Well Church in Austin: thewellaustin.com
Connect with Tori Mayo on Facebook: Facebook.com/toriano.mayo
Email Tori Mayo directly: tmayo@thewellaustin.com
Highlighted Passages:
Hebrews 10:25-26
Hebrews 3:13
1 Peter 4
1 Corinthians 4
Ephesians 4
Recommended Resources:
- Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus (by Jonathan Leeman)
- What Is a Healthy Church Member? (by Thabiti M. Anyabwile)
In this short episode, Kenny answers the question as to why we attend church services on Sundays opposed to any other day of the week. The Bible encourages us to meet with other believers on a regular basis for things such as prayer, worship, teaching, fellowship, and the sacraments (ie: baptism and communion).
The early Church were mostly Jews, so they observed the Sabbath (Friday evening thru Saturday evening). They were already accustomed to doing these sorts of things. However, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, it became tradition to meet together every Sunday morning for corporate worship and to hear preaching from one of the Apostles, in honor of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Many of the Gentile churches began to follow that tradition. It is important to note that Christians are never commanded to worship on any particular day, it was the common practice and tradition of the early Church to do so. Because we value the heritage that we have inherited from the early believers, we have chosen to follow their example. However, we are not required to worship on Sundays together, we can choose to do so on any day we feel like getting together for worship.
In addition, we should not only meet together for corporate worship, but we ought to be "living life" together, meeting regularly with other believers for fellowship, prayer, accountability, Bible study, and other things that can encourage our faith as well as deepen our friendships with other believers.
Many times we see worship as something that is segmented from the rest of our lives. But everything in our lives is a form of worship.
In this episode we are joined by pastor, author, blogger, podcaster, and book publisher Casey Cease. In our conversation, Casey beautifully highlights the importance of seeing temptation as an opportunity to worship God.
Every time we are tempted to sin and disobey God, we have the opportunity to reject that sin, which in-turn honors God. It makes God look good and brings Him joy. Saying no to sin is a form of worship. Whenever we say no to sin, we are telling God that we value what He values. Anytime we say no to sin we are communicating to God, to ourselves, to other people, and to Satan that we see great worth in the words and commands of Scriptures.
Casey reminds us that temptation in and of itself is not at all sinful. The struggle itself isn't wrong, but sometimes we see temptation as bad. Sometimes when we are tempted, we feel like we have failed. But temptation should bring a different attitude. Temptation isn't sin, temptation is an invitation to worship God. Temptation is the invitation, the opportunity, to shout to all peoples that we value God above all others.
Casey Cease is the Lead Pastor at Christ Community Church just outside Houston, Texas (in the Magnolia/Woodlands region). He is also the CEO of Lucid Books, a unique Christian book publishing company that focuses on Partnership Publishing. Their unique Partnership Publishing model allows our authors to reap long term benefits while maintaining creative control over their own work.
Listen to Casey's Podcast: C3Magnolia.org/Gospel-Matters
Get a Copy of Casey's Book: Tragedy to Truth: A Story of Faith and Transformation
Check out Lucid Books: Lucidbooks.net
Check out Casey's Website: Caseycease.com
Follow Casey on Twitter: @caseycease
Orthodox Christianity holds to high Christology, meaning we believe that Christ is "higher" than other beings, not just a good human. We believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully God. Jesus was not half God and have man, but rather He was simultaneously 100% God and 100% human. His divinity and His humanity united together perfectly, this is what we call the "hypostatic union."
In this episode, Kenny explains how the second member of the Trinity became fully human. Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, stepped into the bounds of time, took on human flesh, and lived among us; we call this the "incarnation" of Christ.
Some critics claim that this isn't possible so Kenny uses an example from the world of physics, explaining that light exist simultaneously as both a wave and a particle. Physicists never challenge this, although it seems illogical and impossible, because it has become an indisputable fact of science. Just because we cannot explain something doesn't make it untrue. In the same manner, Jesus' hypostatic union, while seemingly illogical and impossible, is still indisputable Biblical fact. The hypostatic union of Christ should be embraced and defended by believers.
Highlighted Passages:
- John 8:58; John 5; John 10; Mark 14; Luke 5:20; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 13:8; Hebrews 1; John 20:28
We recognize that in life there are going to be things about the character and nature of God that we simply do not understand. God is complex and infinite, therefore He is beyond our comprehension. We can, however, observe lots of things about God and His attributes, and we ought to seek to understand Him as much as possible, even with the presupposition that we'll never fully comprehend Him.
In this episode, Kenny highlights God's infinite nature and compares that with out finite nature, explaining that we are better-off when we relinquish our desire to fully understand God and simply worship Him in light of the attributes that we do already understand. Also, Kenny highlights that there are other things in our lives that we do not understand but we continually embrace. Not fully understanding something is not sufficient grounds to dismiss its existence.
Highlighted Scriptures:
- 2 Peter 1:3
Resources:
Interview with John Lennox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcoDM9U39GQ
There are more than 40,000 Christian denominations in the world today. But this wasn't always the case. For the first several centuries of the church, there was only one branch of Christianity. But in 1054 the Great Schism took place, separating the eastern churches from the western churches. This formed the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and the beginning of major factions within Christianity.
In this episode, Kenny gives us a "mini history lesson" about the development of the Roman Catholic Church and its evolution away from quality Christian doctrine. This drift away from orthodoxy eventually causes certain priests and church leaders to rebel against the church, which turns into the Protestant Reformation, ignited mostly by Martin Luther, a German monk and Catholic priest seeking to bring reforms to the Catholic Church.
Kenny outlines Luther's impact and explains how the launching of the Lutheran Church eventually led to the launching of many other denominations within Christianity.
Praying in the name of Jesus is extremely powerful. Through prayer, we can literally change the course of human history.
Unfortunately, most people do not understand what it means to pray "in Jesus' name." Most people just say a prayer and then simply tack on the words "in Jesus' name" at the end of the prayer, but this is done out of ritual, and becomes a form of legalism.
In this episode, Kenny explains that praying "in the name of Jesus" means to pray in the manner Jesus would pray and to pray for things that Jesus would pray for. If you are asking God for the things that Jesus Himself would have asked for, when He was on planet Earth, and you pray with the same attitudes and sentiments with which Jesus would have prayed, then you are praying "in his name" even if you don't actually say those words at the end of the prayer.
Highlighted Passages:
John 14:14
1 John 5:14-15
Our friend Mike Adams returns to the podcast for a second time to talk about God's affection for us. In our previous episode with Mike, we talked about "performance based" Christianity. In this episode, Mike talks about our fear of embracing grace and our misunderstanding of God's love. Mike spends time making clear to us that God's affection is always "full on" for us.
So often, we as Christians struggle to really believe that God loves us. We struggle to really believe that God is not mad at us. And we often have a very hard time embracing the unconditional grace that God has made available for us. But Mike's message is very clear: God likes you, God delights in you, God loves spending time with you, God has made unconditional grace available for you.
Discipleship is the process of becoming a better disciple of Jesus and the process of intentionally building and cultivating relationships with others in order to help them become better disciples of Jesus.
Tragically, discipleship is often misunderstood and simply relegated to a Sunday school class or curriculum, but discipleship is learning how to live a life fully engaged with the God, not just learning information about God.
In this episode, Kenny unpacks the origins of the word disciple, tracing its roots back to the first-century-BC rabbinical system where rabbis recruited disciples to preach and teach their methods, theology, and philosophy. We are to take the principles of the rabbinical system and apply them to our local contemporary context.
In discipleship we do two things:
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We seek to know Jesus well
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We seek to mentor others so that they will know Jesus well
In this episode, guest host Ricky Jones talks about the Trinity being a "spiral of delight" between three distinct Divine persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) wherein they are absolutely in love with one another, gushing over one another, crazy about one another. Ricky paints the picture of incredible love between the members of the Trinity.
In addition, Ricky makes clear that God's mission was to invite us into that spiral of delight, so that we can experience the love and affection God has for us. Furthermore, understanding the depth of this spiral of delight helps us see how much God loves us. God was willing to rupture the spiral of delight for a period of time, sending Jesus to Earth, so that we could be saved.
The members of the Godhead love each other desperately, and hate being separated, but were willing to be separated for a brief moment in history (the time that Jesus was on Earth), to make a way for our sins to be forgiven. God was willing to rupture the perfect harmony that He has been experience for all of eternity past, so that Jesus could accomplish a task on our behalf. God loves us so much, He was willing to break Himself apart, so that we could be rescued. God's affection for us is so great, He would do anything to bring us into the spiral of delight.
Without understanding the nature of the Trinity, it is impossible to see and understand how much God loves us. Understanding the Trinity gives us insight into understanding just how far God was willing to go to bring us into the spiral of delight.
Follow Ricky Jones on Twitter: @revrickydean
Find Ricky Jones on Facebook: facebook.com/ricky.jones.923
Jesus didn't say, "It is MOSTLY Finished!" Of course, most Christians know that Jesus actually proclaimed: "It is finished!" while He was hanging on the cross, but so many of us sometimes live as if He didn't finish the job; like we've got to come up with the finishing touches.
Many Christians believe they must "perform" for God. Many of us can accept the fact that we need Jesus to secure our salvation, but we often then move into feeling like we must "do" something to make ourselves into good Christians. However, when we begin to believe or feel this, it always leads us into legalism.
In this episode, our guest host Mike Adams talks about the different forms of legalism, and spends time unpacking the common trend of many Christians falling into a "legalism of do" that is devastating to our lives, our relationships, our spiritual health, and always leads us to being "fake" with other people. Mike says this happens when we jump into sanctification without focusing on our justification. He tells us that performance-based Christianity is "sanctification gone wild." Mike also talks about the antidote to the problem: Embracing God's true love and affection for you!
Mike Adams was a pastor and church planter for more than 20 years. Today he focuses on blogging and podcasting.
Sanctification is the process that God takes us through to make us more like Jesus. The goal of sanctification is that we will live and love the way Jesus did. This process is ignited when we place our faith in Christ, which is the moment that God fully justifies us and also fully transforms us and indwells us with the Holy Spirit. The process of sanctification continues in our lives as the Holy Spirit continually works in our hearts and minds.
In this episode, Kenny clearly explains what sanctification actually is, how it works itself out in our lives, and he highlights the promise that God has made to complete the work of sanctification in our lives. Kenny also outlines several different views on sanctification (the traditional Protestant view, the Wesleyan view of achieving Christian perfection, and the "new mystics" view of instant sanctification).
Highlighted Passages:
– Romans 8:29-30
– Philippians 1:6
Recommended Books:
- Five Views on Sanctification (various authors, published by Zondervan)
Justification is the central doctrine at the heart of the Gospel message. Justification is the act of God whereby God chooses to completely remove the guilt sin.
Justification was the central doctrine by which the entire Protestant Reformation was ignited, and brought massive change and revival across Europe in the 16th century. Justification is much greater than merely a pardon. A pardon is declaring that a guilty person does not have to suffer the consequences of his guilt, but justification is something different and greater. Justification says that the guilt itself has been removed, declaring the person innocent and therefore not deserving of any penalty whatsoever.
In this episode, Kenny clearly explains what justification actually is, and makes the point that justification is not progressive. Kenny also outlines how we can receive justification (by faith alone, not by works we do), and he explains how justification tangibly impacts our lives.
Highlighted Passages:
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Romans 4:20-5:1
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Romans 5:10
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Galatians 2:16
Recommended Books:
- Redefined (by Kenneth Ortiz)
If you've been around Christian circles for a while, at some point you've probably heard someone talk about legalism, or at minimum you've probably heard someone mention something they found to be legalistic.
Legalism is relying upon your own effort to get God to like you more or make yourself feel more spiritual. Legalism can take several different forms. Regardless of the form, legalism can be devastating to our emotional and spiritual health.
In this episode, Kenny defines "legalism" and unpacks the different forms of legalism we face. By highlighted the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians and by examining some contemporary Christian trends, Kenny clearly explains how legalism impacts our lives in a negative manner. Kenny also talks about how we often fall into legalism and he gives us some insights as to how we can avoid it.
Recommended Books:
-
Scandalous Freedom (Steve Brown)
-
Ragamuffin Gospel (Brennan Manning)
-
What's So Amazing About Grace (Philip Yancey)
We've all heard someone say, "Don't judge me!" Should we follow that request? Or we've heard someone say, "Only God can judge me!" But is this true? What does the Bible say?
In this episode, Kenny defines the word "judge" and points out how the words of Jesus have often been manipulated. Some people claim that we should never judge, but the truth is judging is both appropriate and expected, as long as we judge righteously. There is an RIGHTEOUS form of judgment and there is an UNRIGHTEOUS form of judgment. It is essential that we know the difference.
Highlighted Passages:
Matthew 7:1-5
John 7:24
In this short episode, Kenny answers a few simple questions about the word "Amen"? Kenny also makes several jokes, talks about his love for Chick-fil-a sauce, and there's even an appearance from the Beetles.
For centuries, it has been the tradition of Christians to say "Amen" quite often. Many times we say it after a prayer, and sometimes we say it when we agree with the pastor's "good preaching" in church. But what does this word mean? And why do we say it? This episode answers those questions.
In this episode, Kenny continues his interview with author and speaker Blaise Foret, talking about the power and importance of discovering and embracing grace. When we truly see grace, it greatly impacts our lives.
In this interview, Blaise talks about fear-based church ministry cultures, his journey away from the mainstream Charasmatic church, and his discovery of grace-filled ministry. Blaise challenges listeners to always remain "open minded" and objective when evaluating doctrines, and reminds us that focusing on Christ is always greater than focusing on our specific doctrines.
Connect with Blaise Foret at www.blaiseforet.com
In this episode, Kenny talks with author and speaker Blaise Foret about seeing people the same way Jesus saw people.
Blaise has often been accused of being a "hyper-grace" preacher, but Blaise feels that he's simply trying to get Christians to view all people through the lens of love and grace. In this interview, Blaise makes the point that many Christians have fallen into the trap of seeing people as "projects" that need to be fixed instead of humans that long to be loved.
Connect with Blaise Foret at www.blaiseforet.com
This episode is a response to a comment that was left on our website. The comment challenged Kenny's thoughts on masturbation, outlined in episode 14: Is Masturbation Really Sin?
In the previous episode, Kenny outlined his opinion that masturbation is not necessarily sinful, but that it could be harmful, therefore it ought to be avoided.
However, the comment/charge (to which we are responding) sought to make the case that Genesis 38 does indeed condemn both masturbation and birth control. So, does Genesis 38 actually condemn masturbation & birth control? Or not?
In Genesis 38, God labels Onan wicked and eventually puts him to death. What was Onan's sin? Why did God kill him? Some commentators and preachers might say it appears that God is angry with Onan for "wasting his semen" on the ground, so this has caused some people to condemn masturbation. Onan was also having sex in a way to avoid pregnancy, which has led some Christians to say that birth control is sinful.
But is that what the passage is actually talking about? In this episode of the podcast, Kenny addresses these thoughts and concerns, and he points out that Genesis 38 is actually pointing to something much larger and grander; and that is the importance of men fulfilling their responsibilities and duties as men.
Highlighted Passages:
-
Genesis 38:8-10
-
1 Corinthians 10:23
Many people would verbally claim to believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God, but yet there is still a lot of confusion about the nature of the Holy Spirit. Some people seem to believe the Holy Spirit is some sort of "cosmic force" like we see in the Star Wars movies. But Christian orthodoxy tells us that the Holy Spirit is far greater than that.
God exists in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Godhead is distinct and unique from each other, but they are each fully God.
In this episode, Kenny specifically focuses on the divinity of the Holy Spirit, clearly making the case that the Holy Spirit is God.
Highlighted Passages:
Acts 5:3-4
Psalm 139:7-8
1 Corinthians 2:11-12
1 John 2:27
John 14:26
John 14 & 15
Job 33:4
Psalm 104:30
Many people walk around in life with regret, carrying the wait of their past sins and mistakes. Often times there are people who even allow the potential fear of regret to govern how they make choices in their every day lives.
In this episode, our guest Mary Butler tackles the importance of having a "big view" of God because that is the only thing that leads to genuine repentance and joy, but having a "small view" of God leads to regret and sucks the life right out of us. Mary is a student at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.
Some times people challenge God on the sole basis that there is evil in the world. The question has been asked, "If God is so good, then why is there so much evil in the world? Why does He allow evil to still exist in the world? Why doesn't He intervene?"
This is a great question, worthy of a thoughtful Biblical answer.
In this episode Kenny gives five responses to this important question:
1- Sometimes evil is the consequence of our own actions.
2- Maybe God is restraining some evil, but we just don't realize it.
3- How much should God intervene, because eliminating all evil could mean eliminating all people on the planet.
4- God has a purpose in allowing some evil to continue.
5- God actually has already responded to evil in the best manner possible: By sending Jesus!
Highlighted Passages:
Genesis 1:28
Romans 5:12
Ephesians 2:3
Genesis 3:17-18
Romans 8:22
James 1:13-17
Colossians 1:16-17
Isaiah 55:8-9
Romans 5:3
Romans 8:28
John 3:16
Romans 10:9-10
Recommended Books:
"Problem with Pain" (C.S. Lewis)
"If God Is Good" (Randy Alcorn)
Sometimes Christians wonder why God has not already gotten rid of Satan? I think most of us would agree that the world would be better without Satan, so if God continually allows him to live, then there must be a reason.
In this episode, Kenny makes the Biblical argument that God is, by His own sovereignty and providence, using Satan's attacks and schemes for the betterment and development of the people of God and, ultimately, for the expansion of the glory of God.
Highlighted Passages:
Revelation 20:10
2 Corinthians 12:6-8
Luke 13
For as long as humans have been on the planet, Satan has been working hard at tempting us to sin and he seeks to wreak havoc. But who is this creature? Who is this character we often call the devil?
In this episode, Kenny gives us Biblical insights into who this character is, where he came from, and what his goals are today. Kenny also highlights several Scriptures that encourage us to never be afraid of Satan and trust in the power of God that indwells us.
Highlighted Passages:
Ezekiel 28:12-19
Isaiah 14:12-15
1 Timothy 3:6
Ephesians 6:10-18
1 Peter 5:7
Job 1
Genesis 3
Revelation 20:10
John 10:10
James 1:13-17
John 14:30
1 John 4:4
This question has been asked many times, whenever tragedy strikes; asked by many different people, from all different walks of life. But, unfortunately, it is the wrong question to ask.
In this episode, Kenny gives very clear and bold response to this question, that is surely likely to offend some people. But this episode is laced with pastoral love and packed with clear Biblical exposition that is essential for all of us to hear and embrace.
Highlighted Passages:
Psalm 14:1-3
Psalm 53:1-3
Romans 3:10-18, 23
Romans 6:23
James 1:13-17
Luke 13:1-5
Romans 8:28
Often times, certain secular progressives attack Christians by asserting that any person of faith should not ever use their faith or religious beliefs to determine their political ideologies. There is supposedly a "separation of church and state" and that's supposed to keep Christians from using the Bible to determine how they vote in the United States of America; or this concept is aimed at keeping Christians from using the Bible to determine which political policies they choose to support or challenge.
The challenge usually includes a demand for a secular moral code, separate from the Bible, or the challenge includes a demand that Christians back up their moral beliefs with something other than the Bible. Is this challenge consistent with the beliefs of our founding fathers?
In this episode, Kenny examines the origin and meaning of the phrase "separation of church and state" in its historical context, highlighting that the term never appears anywhere in our founding documents. Kenny clearly explains that the First Amendment was designed to protect the people from the government, not keep religious ideology out of the legislative process; and by using quotes from the Founding Fathers, Kenny makes the case that we are expected to use our religiously-informed morality to develop our political ideologies.
Recommended:
Words of the Founding Fathers (ed. Steve Coffman)
Many people have been told by their pastors or parents that masturbation is bad and sinful, while there are some other church leaders that have told their flocks that masturbation is normal and maybe even helpful.
So, is masturbation really a sin or not? This is a question often asked by many people, particularly young unmarried men.
The Bible never clearly or explicitly condemns the act of masturbation, but it does give us some ideas and insights into how we ought to approach this topic.
In this episode, Kenny seeks to examine God's original design for human beings and our sexual cravings, and examines the ideal design for the satisfaction of those cravings. While the Bible does not clearly condemn masturbation, Kenny makes the point that we probably should still seek to avoid it, and he also gives us some additional thoughts on the topic that we ought to consider.
Highlighted Passages:
Song of Solomon 2:6
1 Corinthians 7
Matthew 5:27-28
Many Christians often ask about the Trinity. It can be a very difficult doctrine to understand because it defies our human logic and transcends our human understanding.
In this episode, Kenny makes a clear case for the Trinity; the fact that God is made up of three co-equal persons, but He is still just one God.
Highlighted Passages:
Deuteronomy 6:4
Revelation 4, 5, & 6
Colossians 2:9-10
Philippians 1:2
John 1:1
Acts 5:3-4
Genesis 1
Isaiah 64
Job 33:4, 14-15
Genesis 18 & 19
Whenever we discuss shame, we are typically referring to feeling embarrassed or humiliated because of something wrong we did, but shame actually goes much deeper than that. Shame is not just feeling guilty for something foolish you did, but shame is feeling bad for who you are.
If you are ever feeling ashamed, your spiritual health is at risk. But the beauty of the Gospel is that we can overcome our shame. We know that shame reminds us of our character flaws, our inadequacies, and our patterns of foolish choices. Simply put, shame reminds us that we are "not enough."
Shame can be an incredible determinant to our lives, to our relationships with others, and to our friendship with God.
But the Gospel shatters our shame. The Gospel shatters our "not enough-ness." In this episode, Kenny interviews Aubrey Sampson (author of Overcomer) and she gives us some incredible insights on how to overcome our shame through embracing the truth of the Gospel!
Connect with Aubrey Sampson: www.aubreysampson.com
Recommended Book: Overcomer (by Aubrey Sampson)
Sex is most certainly the juiciest topic. It's the topic that everyone is interested in. Our church leaders and pastors often do a very good job of telling people to abstain from sex before marriage, but overall most of our leaders and preachers don't give us a decent "why" with that thought.
The question has been asked often: "Why is Premarital sex sin?" Sometimes scare tactics are used when answering this question, other times the question is simple ignored or neglected. In this episode, Kenny gives us a clear Biblically founded answer.
Highlighted Passages:
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Songs of Solomon 2:7
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Songs of Solomon 3:5
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Songs of Solomon 8:4
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Matthew 19:4-5
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Ezekiel 11:18
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1 Corinthians 6 & 7
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Hebrews 13:4
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Proverbs 5:15-19
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1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
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Ephesians 5
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Galatians 5:16
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Leviticus 18, 19, 20
Recommended Books:
-
Every Man's Battle (Fred Stoeker and Steve Arterburn)
-
Every Young Man's Battle (Fred Stoeker and Steve Arterburn)
-
Every Woman's Battle (Shannon Ethridge)
-
Sexually Confident Wife (Shannon Ethridge)
-
Sex and The Supremacy of Christ (ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor)
-
Sacred Sex (Tim Gardner)
Most Christians believe that aborted babies go to heaven. And most Christians are vehemently against the practice of abortion. So that leads some people to ask the question, "Why oppose abortion if those babies go right to heaven?"
In this episode, Kenny gives seven reasons:
1) Sin should never be condoned no matter what.
2) Abortion is murder, and this argument could be used to justify the murder of all small children.
3) This same logic could be used to justify the murder of all Christians.
4) We ought to never choose to sin just so that we can see grace exhibited.
5) Abortion kills the beauty of potential.
6) This logic presumes to rob another human of their opportunity to choose God.
7) This logic presumes to take the place of God.
Abortion is one of the hot button topics in our nation, often argued as an issue of choice or equality for women. However, these views are skewed and miss the bigger picture.
God is grieved by the mass killing of our unborn babies. But why does this grieve God? And why is it some important that Christians stand against the practice of abortion? In this episode, Kenny gives three reasons:
1) Life begins at conception
2) Abortion is inhumane
3) The foundation of abortion is the opposite of the Gospel
Highlighted Passages:
-
Jeremiah 1:5
-
Exodus 21:22-25
Additional Resources:
-
Hope After Abortion: http://hopeafterabortion.com
-
Abort 73: http://www.abort73.com
There are few things in this life that are more painful for a parent than the lost of a child.
So, when an infant dies, we're left with the question: What happens to them when they die? Do they go to heaven? In this episode, Kenny gives a clear and simple answer to this very important question.
Highlighted Passages:
Romans 5:12-19
Psalm 51:5
2 Samuel 12:23
Romans 1:18-21
In this episode, Kenny clearly points out the Bible verses and passages that give us confidence that Jesus really is the only way to get to heaven.
Highlighted Passages:
John 11:25
John 8:24
John 8:58
Exodus 3:14
John 10:30
John 14:6
Matthew 7:13-14
Acts 4:12
Romans 10:9
The King James Version (KJV) was the "gold standard" of all English translations around the world for nearly 350 years. Originally published in 1612, it has past the test of time.
It has an incredible legacy. However, with newer more modern English translations, most Christians have gone away from using the KJV.
But there are some people within Christianity that believe that the KJV is the only English Bible that we should read; others even go as far as to say that all other English translations are nothing more than a corruption of God's Word.
How should we respond to the KJV-only debate?
Why do we presume to teach anyone anything about God at all?
This question posed by a friend of Kenny (the friend is not a follower of Jesus). This is an important question. Why is it that we can speak about God confidently? Why do we feel the confidence to speak on His behalf?
What makes us so sure about God? Kenny answers these questions in this episode.
A frequently asked question by many believers revolves around the desire of knowing which English Bible version they ought to read to best understand what God is saying to us. There are many different contemporary English translations, each with its own flavor and philosophy. In this episode Kenny unpacks:
1) The different philosophies of modern Bible translations
2) Which versions are the most trustworthy
Kenny's two favorite and most trusted Bible translations are:
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English Standard Version (ESV)
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New Living Translation (NLT)
This episode is a follow-up to our previous episode "Why Are There so Many Bible Translations?" wherein Kenny gives us some good insights into the incredibly difficult task of Bible translation.
People often ask, "Why are there so many different translations of the Bible?" The answer simply lies in two facts:
1- Translating ancient languages into contemporary language is a very difficult task.
2- There are several different philosophies of how to translate the Bible.
In this episode, Kenny gives us insights into the difficult task of Bible translation and clearly answers the answer to this question in a way that anyone can understand.
Whatever you believe about God matters a lot, because it'll impact how you live your life. Theology is simply the study of God. The more you study about God, then the more you'll know and understand about God, his character, his nature, and his dealings with mankind. The more you know, then the more you'll be better equipped to make better choices in life.
Theology matters because it greatly impacts how we live our lives.
If you have bad theology (meaning you believe the wrong things about God) you could make decisions that are potentially detrimental to you or those around you. But if you have good theology (meaning you believe the right things about God) then you are more likely to make good decisions in life and, more importantly, you are more likely to embrace all of life's circumstances with a Christ-honoring perspective.
This is the very first episode of Theology For the Rest of Us. This podcast is designed to help any person who just wants to learn more about God or learn more about whatever it is orthodox Christians actually believe about God.
Lots of people have questions about God. That's totally acceptable. But, far too often many of our pastors, preachers, church leaders, and seminarians are way too complex in their speech when answering these questions, sometimes making the topics and issues even harder to understand. This podcast is aimed at giving simple quick answers to some of those tough questions that people ask.
In this first episode, our host Kenneth Ortiz explains the genesis of the show, its format, and its goals. Typically each episode will answer one question related to theology, God, religion, history, or the Bible.
If you have a question that you'd like to have answered on the podcast or you'd like to connect with Kenneth, you can connect with him directly:
E-mail: Heyortiz@theologyfortherestofus.com
Twitter: @kennethortiz
Podcast Website: www.theologyfortherestofus.com
Personal Website: www.kennethortiz.com