A Seminarian and Friends: Recent Episodes
Kevin Gray
I am currently pursuing my M.Div, and I want to be a resource for people. This is a place to wrestle with my friends’ questions about Jesus, Scripture, the Church, and theology as well as I can. I’m not perfect, but I pray I’m helpful. God bless!
This is mostly a quick lesson on a couple hermeneutical principles so that readers of the Christian Scriptures can find answers to questions they might have, promoted by the question of the Old Testament’s stance on polygamy.
Solomon write of a woman named Wisdom to instruct his sons in the way they should go. Let us listen to his words to see Christ Jesus.
The Bible is full of technical terms, and understanding what the Biblical authors meant frequently hinges on our understanding of these terms.
In ancient times, the Kingdom of Israel had twelve tribes as a unified monarchy. Then it split.
America has been quite prosperous during its existence, but that does not mean that it is the blessed nation of God from Psalm 33:12.
Though Christians struggle with sin their whole earthly lives, Jesus offers hope in the fight and never leaves His sheep or condemns them.
If youth ministry were a single cell organism, it would be an amoeba—shapeless and unidentifiable. Perhaps there is a way to nail down what it is and how to do it.
Fellow seminarian Sean Carney sat down with me to discuss his thoughts on same sex attraction and share his own walk with Jesus.
With the professionalization of the pastorate, family discipleship has gotten overlooked. Perhaps there is a better way.
Many people in the Old Testament were saved, even though Christ had yet to pay for their sins. Their salvation might have looked different than ours, but it was not of a different form.
Abuse in any relationship is hard, and marriage is no different. Charis and I discuss how to navigate it.
The Church has a responsibility to address both parties of an abusive marriage with love and grace.
The standard practice within the Church has been to tithe ten percent, but perhaps there is a better way.
My clinical mental health counselor friend hops on the podcast to help me discuss if God condones abortion or not.
The significance of Matthew 17:24-27 is overwhelming. It offers something all humans long for: Freedom.
My good buddy Braydin Rath and I discuss various topics about telling people the good news of the Person and work of Jesus Christ, specifically what motivates us to evangelize.
Christ’s Church is one unified organism, His Body. However, we see the Church in different local churches with different understandings of the Scriptures.
Jonah’s claim to its genre matter to its interpretation. Below are the sources I used to come to the conclusion of its purpose. Bible Project. “Overview: Jonah” (video) Directed by Tim Mackie. http://bibleproject.com/learn/jonah/.
Cook, Stephen. “Jonah, Parody, and Satire: The Bible in Conversation with Itself.” Lecture at University of Sydney, 2020.
Davis, Edward B. “A Whale of a Tale: Fundamentalist Fish Stories.” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 43, 1991.
DeRouchie, Jason S. Lecture Notes for BS 2211 Old Testament Survey II: Wisdom, Poetry, and Prophets, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, February 2021.
DeRouchie, Jason S., ed. What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2013.
Erlich, Richard. “(Teaching) The Biblical Book of Jonah as Satire and Comedy.” Academia. https://www.academia.edu/11796322/_Teaching_The_Biblical_Book_of_Jonah_as_Satire_and_Comdey.
Filipiak, Noah. “Am I Going to Hell If I Don’t Believe Jonah Was Eaten by a Fish?” Noah Filipiak. http://www.noahfilipiak.com/am-i-going-to-hell-if-i-dont-believe-jonah-was-eaten-by-a-fish/.
Filipiak, Noah. “Jonah and the Whale: Fact, or Fictional Fish Story?” Noah Filipiak. http://www.noahfilipiak.com/jonah-and-the-whale-fact-or-fictional-fish-story/.
“Jonah,” in NIV Life Application Study Bible. Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2011.
“Jonah As Satire.” River Valley Church. https://www.rivervalleycc.org/riveryvalleyblog/jonahassatire.
“Jonah: Gently Raise the Sacred Satire.” By Common Consent. https://bycommonconsent.com/2006/08/31/jonah-gently-raise-the-sacred-satire/.
Klein, William W., Blomberg, Craig L., and Hubbard, Robert L., Jr. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017.
Kugel, James. How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.
Merrill, Eugene H., Rooker, Mark F., and Grisanit, Michael A. The World and the Word: Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2011.
Redmond, Eric C., Curtis, Bill, and Fentress, Ken. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus In Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Nashville: Holman Reference, 2016.
Schrock, David S. “Sovereignty, Satire, and Second Chances: An Introduction to the Book of Jonah.” Via Emmaus. http://davidschrock.com/2018/03/17/sovereignty-satire-and-second-chances-an-introduction-to-the-book-of-jonah/.
Tillema, Aron. “Humor in Jonah.” Bible Odyssey. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/humor-in-jonah
Wiseman, Donald J. “Jonah’s Nineveh.” Tyndale Bulletin 30, 1979.
“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Mark 1:15.
Scripture can be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. It is God’s invitation to be known. He has revealed Himself to us through His Word, so it is a joy to dive into what He has said. There are many ways to approach it (as long as you believe that it is inerrant, infallible, sufficient, and authoritative).
As more time passes since Christ’s ascension, fear and anticipation for His return and the subsequent end of the age increase. That, coupled with the troubling circumstances in the world, has lead many people to speculate about what Revelation means—and if we are vulnerable to falling victim to an accidental association with evil. A better way is to trace the Biblical narrative to learn how the authors arrived at their conclusions, especially in Revelation.
The claims of Scripture are the subject of rejection and disagreement, including who wrote each of the 66 books in the Christian canon. However, there is no need to fear.
Blessed Lent, friends! As we begin this season, I pray that you come to know the Lord more and more. May you find rest and comfort in His life, death, and resurrection!
Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular Bible verse for Christians to memorize, get a tattoo of, and put in their Instagram bio. This episode wrestles with how Christians should understand what God is saying to them in this verse.
We celebrate Christmas on December 25, but it is unlikely that Jesus was born on this date.
One hotly-debated topic surrounding Christianity is if miraculous events like Noah’s flood took place in history. We explore some evidence for it and why Christians trust its account.
My good friend joined the podcast today to share her thoughts on one of her favorite chapters in the Bible, which she said has helped her during this season of COVID-19.
A friend asked me why Matthew, the New Testament’s first book, begins with a genealogy. I answer that and more in this episode.