Faith and Other Oddities: Recent Episodes
Raven Creek Social Club
Introducing the Open Wallet Podcast: an exploration of personal finance hosted by Katie, a numbers nerd, and Joe, a 40 year old punk rocker, who are married. Together they discuss and learn the topics we all have to deal with regarding personal finance. So join us on the Open Wallet Podcast! Coming Soon!
Twitter.com/OpenWalletPod
Instagram.com/OpenWalletPod
OpenWalletPod@gmail.com
RavenCreekSC.com/OpenWallet
Critics of our faith have pointed out that if God chose to forgive us all that he could. He didn’t need our permission or repentance to make forgiveness a reality. And they are right. God is sovereign, He gets to do whatever, however, whenever, to whoever he wants. So make his expressions of love contingent on our decisions? Why not just save us all whether we repented or not?
I have often compared my life to a Monet painting. Grand, impressive, surprising, and innovative – as long as you don’t get too close, because up close me and the Water Lilies are one massive mess.
If you haven’t been accused of picking and choosing the parts of the Bible you choose to believe then you have probably been wise enough to avoid any online debates concerning our faith.
Sometimes your story is the means for you to help someone else, and in that act we participate in the redemption of our stories.
Important note: We had some audio and video issues with Skype due to our internet connection. There are a couple of times when Tandy is a little difficult to understand, but they are minimal. We decided to post it anyway, because we believe this is an important conversation for many in the Church to hear.
This week, Nathan and Emily discuss the Divine Council Worldview. We talk about how it has changed the way we read the Bible, magnified God, and how it impacts our view of our role within God’s Kingdom. But first, Nathan fulfills a listener’s request and talks about the most unusual birthday present he ever received.
Scriptures from this episode:
Psalm 82, Psalm 89, Psalm 27, and Psalm 8
Exodus 15 and Exodus 12:12
Deuteronomy 32 and Deuteronomy 4:19-20
1 Kings 22, Isaiah 66, Acts 2, and Revelation 1:4-8
From Dr. Michael Heiser and for more on the DCW:
The Naked Bible Podcast,
DRMSH.com
The Unseen Realm (Book)
From Thomas Cahill:
Gifts of the Jews (Book)
You can find us at:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ravencreekSC
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RavenCreekSC
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ravencreeksc
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/RavenCreekSC
We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions.
In this episode, Nathan leads the discussion of the Beatitudes in Matthew, but first we confirm that the no children were irrevocably harmed during the taping of last weeks episode, wonder what happened to Nightcrawler, and we discover the role of comic books in the Saga of Nathan and Micci.
Scriptures for this episode:
Matthew 5:3-12
Luke 6:20-22
For more information on the Beatitudes in their Jewish context:
Jesus The Jewish Theologian by Dr. Brad Young
Personal note from Emily: Dr. Young was one of the most influential teachers I had while in seminary. He is one of the leading experts on the Jewish roots of Christianity, and he has written several books on this topic. It was in his classes that I became enthralled with the rich history of our faith. And while we neglected to name him specifically in our podcast, it was his writings and teaching that informed many of our ideas and conclusions. I highly recommend his work to anyone who wants to dig deeper as they are academically sound, well-researched, and documented, but also are written to be accessible to lay person.
You can find us at:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ravencreekSC
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RavenCreekSC
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ravencreeksc
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/RavenCreekSC
We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions.
In this episode, we introduce our discussion on the Beatitudes, but first Emily points out that Nathan has a lot of weird things in his house including, but not limited to, a donkey’s jaw bone and “pet” spiders. Then we dive into the background of our topic and how the formula for the Beatitudes is found in the Old Testament, Second Temple Literature, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We share example of how Jesus draws from known traditions and builds on them to communicate with his audience. We ask what does it mean to be blessed and how demonstrate the presence of God’s Kingdom in the world now.
Scriptures from this episode:
Matthew 5:3-12
Luke 6:20-22
To listen to Dr. Maxie Burch’s podcast on Church History, mentioned by Nathan, click here:
https://bit.ly/2zrqtyp
You can find us at:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ravencreekSC
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RavenCreekSC
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ravencreeksc
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/RavenCreekSC
We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions.
Every interesting person I know is a collection of scars. To me a scar is a story, a remembrance of a moment where we collided so hard with this life it left a mark, and that is where all the really good stories of our lives live - in those moments where life was inescapable and unforgettable.
While I hated that she experienced those hellish years, it opened my eyes to how myopic my worldview was. It helped me move out of places that preach culture in the name of Christ.
Jesus said, whoever divorced his wife and married another commits adultery. When I married my husband (who has been in a previous relationship) I knew this. But I shrugged it off. And I thought that it probably didn’t count in our situation. But it’s pretty cut and dry. And honestly, I’m scared to death I’m going to hell for being an adulteress. What are your thoughts?
The conversation is always the same, and when I tell people this the assumption is always the same – this must not be a strong Christian woman, this has to be non-believer, or someone new to the faith. Good Christian girls don’t end up in these situations, and if they do, then they pray through, fight for their marriage, and will be rewarded with a miracle.
To all of you who think this way, I want to say one thing – YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Our discussion on divorce begins at 8min 44sec, but before that Nathan and Emily get sidetracked by Marvel toys. (Just where did our Nightcrawler action figures disappear to?) Then we dive into Emily's past and talk about her divorce, what she believes the Bible has to say on the topic, and why she believes our misunderstanding of Scripture often leads to abuse in marriages. Nathan shares how his views on divorce help him be a better husband.
Highlights include: Are we misquoting Scripture when we quote Malachi 2:16 as "God hates divorce"? Who is responsible for the laws on divorce in Deuteronomy, Moses or God? Are all marriages of God? What do Abraham and Hagar have to teach us about divorce?
Scriptures from this episode:
Malachi 2:16 Deuteronomy 24:1-4 Mark 10:1-10 Matthew 5:31-32 Genesis 3; 12:16; 16:1-2; and 21:12 1 Corinthians 5, 6, and 7
From Jeff Crippen:
A Cry For Justice Blog - https://cryingoutforjustice.com A Cry For Justice (Book) - http://a.co/d/7aQWHzD Unholy Charade (Book) - http://a.co/d/6DdKlp9
From David Instone-Brewer:
Questions and Problems About Divorce and Remarriage Blog - https://bit.ly/2POQbUg Divorce and Remarriage In The Church (Book) - http://a.co/d/cKQ5qY0
From Emily Dixon:
Scandalous (Book) - http://a.co/d/1QEWe7O
John Piper Quote - https://bit.ly/2q8UdLZ
You can find us at: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ravencreekSC Twitter - https://twitter.com/RavenCreekSC Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ravencreeksc Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/RavenCreekSC
We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions.
Meet your hosts, Emily and Nathan, and hear them explain what the Bible is, some of what it isn’t, and why the evolution vs. creation debate does not help us understand Genesis.