Worldview Discussions: Recent Episodes
Chris Jones
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The crowd Jesus preached is connected to the calling Peter received
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The vocation as 'fishers of men' is a quote from the Old Testament!!!!! (I just learned this!)
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The Messianic Secret: Why is Jesus not wanting demons to announce who he is?
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The spiritual rulers and human empires: A look at Daniel 10-11 with Rev 12-13ff.
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The literary connections with previous scenes (rise up, rebuke)
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The physical and spiritual were not as separated for them
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Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law: The new creation language of the return from exile in Isaiah 65 to the literal physical restoration of our bodies and creation in Romans 8.
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Our calling to help other's physical and spiritual needs
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Parallels Luke is making with Jesus in Nazareth and now in Capernaum
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Why is Jesus confronting this demon?
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Where did demons come from?
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The 3 audiences: Jews in Jesus' day, Luke's audience he is writing to, us today
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The Kingdom of God and the miracles and exorcisms.
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What was that parable Jesus said?
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Jesus highlights Elijah and Elisha who minister to Gentiles who believe and not Israelites
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Jesus announces that Isaiah 61:1-2 is being fulfilled by Him
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The Ultimate Year of Jubilee has arrived
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The temptation was a test about Jesus' trusting what God has said about him
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Jesus trusted in and used God's word in response to the devil's tests.
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The role of John the Baptist
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The arrival of the Holy Spirit ( with reflections on the doctrine of the Trinity)
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The Gospel message is rooted in Isaiah 40 and every Gospel author quotes it!
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John the Baptist takes the people out to the Jordan river as a New Israel is created.
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The repentance of the people and having a new heart is key to return from exile as Deuteronomy 30:1-6 speaks of.
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Allusions from Exodus & foreshadowing the cross
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Hyperlinking the Temple story to the Garden story
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Parallels with John and Jesus
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Jesus' dedication at the temple
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The consolation of Israel
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Simeon and Anna (with some cool Easter eggs...pun intended)
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No room for them in the...guest room?
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The good news is a birth announcement.
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The good news is from Isaiah.
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The Roman empire VS Jesus' empire.
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Circumcision and covenant matters of the heart
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Names refer to the role one plays in a story
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Mary and Zechariah's OT prophetic language in their songs
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The 3 big hopes of every 1st century Jew: return from exile, the King of David, God's glory in the temple
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Virgin Mary: Catholics and Protestants
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Jesus is the Son of David
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The Spirit will 'overshadow' Mary
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God at work in the trials of conception
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Zechariah and Mary compared
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Reading the Gospels through an OT lens.
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The Temple as a major theme.
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Turning hearts is an exile reference from Ezekiel 36.
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Luke will focus on elevating those low.
Why does Job get his stuff back? Doesn't that support the idea that God does follow the retribution principle that righteous people will prosper? How can his 10 new kids possibly replace his 10 deceased kids? Simply put, is the epilogue the POINT of the book?
Job has accused God of injustice and called God to court. God shows up in Job 38-41 and has a few questions for Job.
Were they dinosaurs? Well, I don't think so guys. Now here me out on this one. Give these ideas a swirl in the brain for a bit. Why is God talking about them?
Which of the following 3 ideas has failed for Job? 1) God's justice 2) The Retribution Principle 3) Job's righteousness?
The satan carries out his second attack on Job. This is uncomfortable for me so I will be giving my thoughts regarding how I view the literary nature of this book.
God was incited by the Satan to strike Job. Huh....that language sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before? Is there a text that could somehow inform our understanding of this text? (Sorry, I am not really going to come to a good conclusion on this lesson but rather I am going to show a process for how we can study OT narratives. This may be a dead end. That's the deal with Bible study. But I may be on to something.)
Who is striking Job? The Satan or God? Why? Did this really happen? How does the description of the speak to how we should view the point of the book?
Can't leave the topic too soon. This satan figure is a big deal to our understanding of what is happening in the book.
I know we all have been taught the Satan is the name of the bad dude in Genesis 3. Well, that may not be the case at all.
The 'Sons of God' appear as a divine council in Scripture. What they failed to do in judging the world, Jesus was able to do perfectly and so take bake the nations that were given to rebellious spiritual beings. Heaven and Earth are now under the rule of the Heavenly Son of Man.
Who are the 'Sons of God' that approach God in Job 1:6? Let's dive into where that phrase occurs in the Old Testament and unpack their origin story.
Let's take a bit of time to investigate how Job is described. These details will help shape our understanding of the dialogue Job has with his friends and reveal the key theological view of their day that needs the book as a whole is offering a critique of.
We sometimes don't consider how certain books relate to other books in there arrangement in the Bible. In this lesson, I show the key similarity the Book of Job has with other wisdom books.
Some common ideas we bring to the book of Job
- Oldest book written because of the cultural descriptions
- The devil somehow was in heaven
- The heavenly court scene involved angels (NIV), (Heb. ‘sons of God’)
- To make a point to the devil, God allowed the devil to destroy Jobs life and kill his kids
- The book of Job is about suffering (maybe it’s more about God)
- Job is on trial regarding his morality
- The Leviathan and Behemoth were dinosaurs
- The book of Job teaches the prosperity gospel
- Job never sinned.
- A real story because the Bible is inspired. Jesus speaks of Job.
In this lesson we will see how Jesus' crucifixion parallels the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16-17.
This is the famous Olivet Discourse. Many Bible scholar disagree on what Jesus is talking about and when the events will take place. I encourage you guys to have a mindset of preparedness through faithful stewardship.
We will make note of how Jesus is received by people in Jerusalem and how Jesus receives people as well.
The last are first and the first are last...In this lesson we will explore how Matthew arranges various stories together to highlight this aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven.
...For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name...What is this gathering Jesus is talking about?
Anybody hungry? Well, we have 5 dinner parties and a humble little moment about crumbs to explore in these chapters. They way I think Matthew is bringing all these dinners together to make a point about the Kingdom of God I think is amazing!
Why does Jesus send 12? Why does Jesus tell them not to go to Gentile or Samaritan homes? What kind of pep talk does Jesus offer before the disciples head out?
The theme of the Kingdom of Heaven continues here. What is interesting is who enters into the Kingdom and how some struggle to see who Jesus really is. We will also here about the 'GOSPEL' again and find something surprising about Isaiah 53.
Did Jesus come to bring a new law? Well, he is bringing a new covenant right? How does the Law of Moses relate to the New Covenant mentioned in Jeremiah 31?
So the Gospel is about sins being forgiven so I can go to heaven right? Well, that may not be the best way to explain it. Actually, the Gospel may just be more about Jesus than about us. I think that is what Isaiah 40 is telling us. What does Isaiah 40 have to do with Matthew 3-4? Well, here we go....
In this lesson I want us to look at 4 'prophecies' from the OT from a different perspective.
As we read Matthew's account of Jesus's birth story, just think about how he is employing OT stories all over the place. Could this help us understand why he quotes Isaiah 7:14 and connects that birth story with Jesus? Maybe a 'virgin' having a child wasn't the miracle Matthew is referencing....oh boy.
We are actually going to talk about Matthew's genealogy and why it's such a big deal. Now you may be thinking to yourself this will be majorly boring but I promise you there are some really cool things Matthew does.
You and I both know that the 'underworld' isn't below the earth. We also know that heaven isn't really 'up' there. These are directional ideas rooted in the ANE 3 tiered cosmology. So why does the Bible use this language to talk about 'where' Jesus went after he died on the cross?
Did God tell Eve that giving birth to a child would be painful? Maybe not. Do you ever read about childbirth being painful in the Bible anywhere else? Could our translation there be off? Could it refer to difficulty having children? Does that relate to Genesis? Does that better connect with the story of the Bible? How does Mary relate to all this? I hope you find this interesting guys. Merry Christmas.
The temple was the meeting place of the gods and humanity in the ANE. What is shocking is how God's temple presence would be found not on a high mountain but in a lowly girl from Nazareth. Here God takes common ideas and presents a very uncommon message.
What does the Old Testament say about SHEOL and how about the New Testament word HADES? What relationship is their with their cultural neighbors? Are we to understand the location of this reality literally from the Bible of culturally?
Who are the Sons of God in Genesis 6? How do they relate to the serpent in Genesis 3? What do the Nephilim have to do with all this? You know, those crazy giants like Goliath? And finally, how does Jesus' birth relate? Let's dive in!
What/who is that serpent in the garden? Is it a chaos creature that was common to ANE literature? Is it an actual serpent? Is it a rebel spiritual being? I confess this study has me a bit confused the more I go down the rabbit hole.
Hey, go look in the mirror right now. Do you know who you see? You see a royal priest. Do you know why? Because you see a human. What was said of only a few special individuals in the Ancient Near East, God says of all humans. And if this is true of us, you would expect this language to pop up in the NT with Jesus. I hope this lesson helps you think differently about you and your fellow humans you hang out with.
Why did people bring food and drink to temples? Why did God want food brought to his temple? Why did Job's friends think Job had sinned when we are told from the very beginning that he had not sinned? Let's find out.
So what does the garden of Eden, Mt. Sinai and the Temple have in common? Guess what, its the three-tiered cosmology. I know! Crazy stuff.
Why does it say in Exodus 20 that no idol of God should be made in heaven above, the earth below, or the waters under the earth? Does the Bible present the world as 3 major tiers? If so, is the Bible wrong then? Or could there be another explanation? Let's dive in.
So the little girl from It's a Wonderful Life, Zuzu, was a cutie but was wrong about angels. Want to know why? (Hint: it has to do with wings). Also, we are going to chat about seraphim and cherubim being described differently but actually are the same spiritual being BUT are not angels. Oh boy, here we go.
Does anyone like Star Trek? Especially the Next Generation? Well, Captain Picard has a staff room where he talks with Riker, Geordi, Worf, Dianna, and Data about big decisions they have to make. Apparently, something like that is going on in the Bible.
What does the Psalmist mean in 97:9 when he says the Lord is exalted above all gods? Aren't those other gods fake? If so, isn't that empty praise? But wait, we know there is one 1 God. So how do we resolve this? Maybe the issue isn't with our theology but our vocabulary.
What in the 'world of the Bible' is up with the sun, moon, and stars? I am pretty sure you all have a pretty good grasp of what the lights in the sky are and where the light comes from. I wonder if those in the ancient near east would have thought the same as us? When is the last time you checked out Genesis 1:14-19 and thought about how the lights are described? You may be surprised at what you find about these...'host of heaven'.
What in the world of the Bible is going on with an 'expanse' separating waters? How can empty air separate water? I don't get it. Maybe we need to dive into the mind of the ancient audience to see what is going on here.
Have you ever wondered why Genesis 1 talks about creation in such strange ways? In this lesson, I will make a case that Genesis 1 is using creation language that was very common at that day but presenting a message that was unique. So as we 'dive' into this text and compare the language, 'water' you gonna think? (😊)
In this lesson, I want to explain the approach I take to Bible study. I call it the 4 contexts: Reader, Historical, Literary, and Bible Context. Hopefully, this will create a foundation for us. For the remainder of the course, we will zoom in on the historical context as we strive to get into the 'World of the Bible'.
In this lesson, we will explore the implications of how God used common forms of communication but delivered very uncommon messages to the original audiences in the Bible.
Who are elders? How should they lead? When is the last time you prayed for your elders? Hope this lesson encourages you to support the elders God has placed over you.
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Why does God test us?
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What does it mean to bear Christ's name?
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How can judgment be encouraging?
Here Peter challenges his readers that the end of all things is near so they should suffer against sin and build each other up in their faith.
I am going to share another take on the spirits in prison. Brace yourself. This is weird.
Peter calls Christians to live with each other and with those outside the body of Christ in a way that reflects Christ's life. Then Peter starts talking about spirits in prison and Noah. What? Huh? Here we go...
What is the GOSPEL? How does it relate to honoring the emperor? Or does it even? I think this conversation is actually a pretty big deal for us.
What does it mean that women are to be subject to their husbands? Has Peter said anything earlier that could help? Men are called to honor their wives but wives are called the weaker vessel. What is up with that? There are some confusing statements in here. I hope I can offer a few thoughts that can help.
How should Christians respond to rulers who reject Jesus as their King? What should our motivation be? What is our model? There is some good stuff in here for us to consider.
What's up with heaven? (hahaha)
What is the Kingdom of God?
Why does God speak of judgment?
How can one BE holy?
Great questions guys. Hope I can offer some helpful ideas.
In this episode, we will look at 8 things Peter says about our salvation, and surprisingly he won't be talking about going to heaven. I will be on that soapbox for a while.
Peter addresses his recipients as 'selected sojourners of the scattering'. What does that mean? In this lesson, we will highlight some key ideas that may show what Peter wants to address in his letter.
We are diving into our study of 1Peter by thinking about how to read NT letters. Hope this provides a helpful foundation for us.
I admit that this view is really going to mess with you. It messes with me. Does that necessarily mean it's wrong though? Maybe not. In this view, Peter Enns, Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University, will argue that the Joshua conquest account describes how Israel viewed God but not necessarily what Israel did or what God told them to do. Instead, Enns argues a theological point is made regarding what it means to be a member of God's people (i.e. Rahab and Achan). Brace yourselves guys, this will make you uncomfortable.
Great questions guys! Thanks so much. I hope my responses are helpful. I am going to dive into a bit of technical stuff regarding the Hebrew words for Genesis 15.16.
In this lesson, John Walton will present his argument that the language in Joshua represents ancient war language. What makes his view different from Paul Copan is that Walton will argue that the conquest is not God using Israel to punish the Canaanites. Instead Walton will argue that even the descriptions of the Canaanites was common ancient language regarding an enemy. He calls it the 'barbarian motif'. At the end, Walton will provide a very interesting critique of Genesis 15 that is worth thinking about.
Man, you guys asked some great questions! Thanks so much for your involvement. I hope my comments are helpful and are charitable. Please reach out if you have any follow-up questions on anything I say.
In this lesson, I am having you listen to a message by Paul Copan, who is Professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Copan wrote the book, Is God a Moral Monster. Copan will be calling us to think about the details in the text that should challenge our understanding of what 'history' narratives are. He will argue that we should read the Bible literarily and not literally. As we notice the details in the text, Copan argues we will find parallels to other ancient war texts that use similar language.
So what is up with all those giants in the Old Testament? You have wondered about it. I know. So have I. In this lesson, we will hear a view of the conquest that relates specifically to these giants. Buckle up people, this is going to get weird...
Thanks to all who asked questions or made comments. I had quite a bit to work with. 20 minutes went by fast. Speaking of fast, I talk pretty quickly so I included my script for anyone who wants to revisit an idea they heard. I didn't clean it up so there are a few grammatical issues :)
For those who didn't post anything, please try to do so for the next lesson. It would be great to get everyone invovled. For those who posted something this week, please feel free to do so next week. The more the merrier!
In this lesson, I will begin by reminding us of a few ideas we should keep in mind moving forward about our Bible study. Then I will introduce the first view, which I will call the INSTRUMENT view. I imagine many of you will find this view familiar but I also expect many questions. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.
We look at the Northern campaign in these chapters and I attempt to pronounce a whole bunch of tricky names. Feel free to chuckle at my attempts. I am excited to talk more with you about the rabbit hole I go down in the 2nd half of the lesson that connects the Rephaim and Anakim mentioned in these chapters to the Nephilim and Nimrod in Genesis 6 all the way to Goliath in 2Samuel! Some crazy stuff is ahead of us...
We explore the Southern campaign in these chapters. Others hear what God has done for Israel and respond in various ways. These chapters really set up the second half of our study where we will study the phrase 'devoted to destruction'.
In these chapters, we get to the heart of our study regarding the phrase 'devoted to destruction'. This is not easy stuff to read and I confess it challenges me. Yet I am confident that my understanding and interpretation of this text and my evaluation of God's character are rooted in my imperfections and lack of knowledge. In other words, I trust in God more than in myself.
Joshua encounters a man with a sword. Jericho faces the Israelite army. Israel must trust that God fights for them. Rahab's family waits in anticipation for salvation by God through Israel. All the while, God's promise to bless the world through Abraham must remain our focus here.
God calls Israel to follow him through the waters of the Jordan and Joshua is exalted as Moses' successor. There are lots of cool connections here and I know I am missing a ton of them. As we work our way through Joshua, remember that God's goal is not just to fight for Israel but to use Israel to bring blessing to the world.
In this reading, we will think about the parallels Joshua has with Moses and the Passover event in the Exodus. We will also reflect on the incredible faith of Rahab.
When some read that God commanded the Israelites to devote all the inhabitants of a city to destruction, it gives them pause. Maybe it gives you pause as well. I want to introduce the topic with you guys and read some passages in Joshua that speak of God commanding Israelites to kill lots of Canaanites. How do we square this with the story of the Bible and God wanting to bring salvation to all the nations? Many wonder how God can be loving and make such a command. Let's begin our study by thinking about these things.
You have made it! This is the last lesson. Let's recap the four worldview categories and how Jesus's resurrection reshapes those categories. I pray God's blessing on you all and that God uses the topics in this study to encourage you in your faith and to be a light to those around you with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many of us may have heard of the 'Premil' view or the 'Amil' view and we say, 'I take the Panmil view because I believe it will all pan out in the end. I get it. Revelation is confusing. However, Revelation promises the reader they will be blessed if they read it! So, let's be blessed and dive into the Revelation. My prayer is that the promises found in this apocalyptic, prophetic letter will challenge and encourage you your whole life!
Have you ever asked yourself how God's word can be relevant to our lives when it wasn't written to us? Well, I have. Let's take Paul's letter to the Corinthians for example. Paul writes this letter to address problems he has heard about and answer their questions. Now if you think about the questions they had then you realize those are not the questions we ask today. So how can God's word be authoritative for us when it wasn't written to us? I believe it is but I also believe it takes some thoughtful work for us to apply God's word today.
Paul tells us in Colossians 3:13 that we have been delivered from the Kingdom of this world and brought into the Kingdom of Jesus when we give our allegiance to Christ as our Lord. Yet Jesus is reigning in heaven and not on earth right now and the Kingdom Jesus brought has not been fully manifested on earth. We live in a period of tension and as exiles. The question I want to explore is what should our approach be towards the culture we live in. Should we withdraw? Should we compromise? Or is there a third way? A way of the exile...
The disciples were confused before the cross and remained confused after the cross. They wondered if Jesus would finally restore the kingdom to Israel. Why are they asking that? Shouldn't they just be asking when they will be going to heaven? What significance does Jesus's answer about giving the Spirit have to do with us today? What is the purpose of our life as followers of Jesus as we wait for Jesus to return? Let's go!
Have you ever thought about the significance of where Jesus went after the cross? I am going to argue he went to 3 different locations. I am also going to say the first one wasn't heaven and that our final destination is heaven just because Jesus eventually went there. Sound crazy? Maybe. Let's see what the Bible says and let's see if our modern ideas are getting in the way here.
Have you had your credit card info stolen? Ever had to deal with the issues of hackers? Did you learn a few things along the way about how to better protect your info? Well, I am going to try to use this illustration as a way to talk about the cross and what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf.
Sometimes it is good to ask a question that you already have the answer to. My hope is that even though you know that our sinfulness is a key reason why the cross happened, this lesson will encourage you to worship God for who he is and how he has committed himself to humanity. (check out the accompanying Bible Project videos which each of the 5 points I make in the lesson for more reflection)
We believe Jesus was and is the true Messiah. However, hundreds of years before and after Jesus, many Jews had a very different idea of what it meant to be the Messiah and it was all about picking up a sword. In this lesson, we are going to compare Jesus' Messiah movement with other revolutionary movements. With every revolutionary movement, the death of the leader essentially ended the hopes that their leader was the Messiah. Why were the disciples so different?
Beliefs take time to change. Have you changed your beliefs regarding some theological idea in the last twenty years? I know my ideas have changed but I also know changes in our beliefs are not easy. We perceive them as threats. So why did the disciples drastically change their beliefs in the afterlife? Did it come from the Greco-Roman and Jewish cultures? Nope. In this lesson, I will explain why.
Many people today say there is no evidence for Jesus' resurrection. I would beg to differ. In this lesson, I would like to provide some historical and literary evidence regarding the bold claims people made regarding Jesus that function as evidence to consider. As we will see, evidence may not be the issue but rather the philosophical bias towards miracles.
For many years, the differences in the gospels have been an issue for readers. Why do the Gospels present different details? Could an understanding of the Gospels as ancient biographies help? Are we modern readers guilty of bringing modern ideas of history writing to an ancient text? So I want to give a few ideas on how to read the Gospels as ancient biographies. I also want to explore the Gospel of Mark and apply some of those principles and then make a quick reflection on how the gospel stories fit into the larger context of the whole biblical story. There is a lot I cram in this episode!
What is the 'good news' in the Bible? Do you think you would have given the same answer as the Gospel writers? Do you know what Mark thinks about when he presents his idea of good news? It may surprise you a bit. Could the good news be what we think it is but also much more? In this lesson, I look forward to challenging you to think about the ideas you bring to your study of the Gospels and what ideas the authors and first-century audience brought.
Have there been errors in the inspiration, preservation, or translation of the Bible? You may be surprised to hear me say yes to some of these. Can you guess which one I would say no to? What is up with the note after Mark 16:8 in our Bibles? What does it mean to believe the Bible is 'inspired'? Hope this lesson helps answer a few questions you may have.
Believe it or not but there are people who doubt there was a historical Jesus of Nazareth. In this episode, I am going to provide evidence that shows Jesus did in fact exist. I will also tackle the negative bias people have with the Gospel accounts and argue they are the most important historical documents for proving Jesus did indeed exist.
Could there be a few things about heaven and hell we need to rethink? Is it possible that heaven and hell are not just future realities? Is going to heaven the goal of our faith and why Jesus died? I would like to challenge some commonly held ideas in this lesson.
This is a tough one. I have had many intense conversations with students regarding hell over the years. Could it be that people don't understand what hell is and who made it? Could it be that God doesn't send anyone to hell? Hold on, I am not a universalist. I think our choices matter in this life. So much so that maybe we are the ones who choose hell because of the nature of what sin does in us. Interested to hear what you guys think of this one...
Who do you think you are? No, really. Who are you? What is your identity rooted in and who gets to answer that question? Could our inability to properly define who we are be the root cause of what is wrong in the world? Could that be a way to define sin? What can put it all right?
We read the laws of the Old Testament and become very confused. Why would a dad sell his daughter into slavery? How come you could be stoned to death for so many reasons? Well, what if our idea of 'law' was different from theirs? What if God's intent in giving a law to Israel had more to do with how it made God look to people in the ancient near east? What if these 'laws' could still provide wisdom for us today? Let's dive in! (sorry, I talk really fast through this)
Let's eat some humble pie here guys. How can we respond to people who say they want nothing to do with Jesus because of some Christians they have met. Does the truthfulness of Christianity rely on the faithfulness of its followers?
Well, I am going to try to touch on some really serious stuff this episode guys. What can we say to people who struggle with the idea that God says don't murder yet he sends the flood and then later wants Israel to kill 'every man, women, young and old' in Canaan? I want to offer a few interpretive ideas for you. Some will be new. My encouragement is to stay open-minded and seek humility. These are not easy texts to deal with and they definitely are not kid's stories. We are dealing with highly sophisticated ancient near eastern language.
We hear people define God based on the hypocrisy of Christians. It seems that the Book of Job talk about how people define God based on what is happening to them. I hope I can offer a few ideas that can be encouraging to you not just on how to read Job but how to fear God.
Many today struggle with the idea that God could be good or even exist since there is so much suffering present in the world. I want to explore the assumptions being made by someone who thinks that and talk about how the cross can provide insight into the character of God and how God views suffering.
The Bible presents morality as objective. How can the two trees in Genesis 2-3 help us understand that? People today have many questions when it comes to the trees in Genesis 2. How can the fruit of a tree impart life? Why did God make a tree and forbid Adam and Eve from eating its fruit? This narrative is very unusual to us modern readers but contains incredible insight into the human condition and illustrates the benefits and consequences of following God's wisdom.
What do KitKats, Peanut Butter Cups, and Morality have to do with each other? Is it possible to consistently believe there the world is messed up if God does not exist? Could our conviction that evil and injustice exists in the world be more evidence for God rather than against God? Looking forward to sharing a few ideas with you about all this.
So do you like Ikea? Next question. Do you like their instructions manuals? They are confusing, right? Well, people feel like that with NT letters too. When is the last time you greeted everyone at your church with a holy kiss? Oh, you haven't ever done that? Well, you are not following command in the New Testament then. People often feel like Christians cherry-pick what they obey and what they should not obey. I think they have a point and we need to sort through how to explain to people how the letters in the New Testament have wisdom for us to apply but at the same time, they were not written directly to us. Are the commands in the NT letters 'rules to follow' or maybe a better perspective is to see them as instructions according to our design? If God is remaking us to be the humans he always intended, maybe we need an instruction manual for help.
Do you remember the gorilla that was killed a few years ago because the little boy fell into its enclosure? People were upset that the gorilla was killed. Yet that begs the question, 'Does the life of the boy have more value than the gorilla?' We would believe that and it seems the Bible's description of humans being made in God's image provides the explanation. So let's investigate the claim that humans are made in God's image.
When people hear today that Jesus is the only way, that sounds intolerant, close-minded, and rude. I am noticing that even in Christian circles, people are becoming uncomfortable with exclusive religious claims because it leads to divisiveness. So, what do we do? Do we just ditch exclusive claims because all exclusive claims create a dualism of 'us vs. them' or does such an approach fall prey to its own critique? Could condemning people for making exclusive religious claims be itself an exclusive religious claim? Let's see.
When we read Genesis 1, we think about our modern issues. We think about science, evolution, and 7 days. What is fascinating however is that Genesis 1 shares common vocabulary with other ancient creation stories of its day. So what benefit could there be if we were to compare the inspired creation account in Genesis 1 with other creation stories that were around when Genesis 1 was written? Let's find out...
People today struggle to believe miracles are possible and that scripture can be aligned with modern science. Yet maybe their struggle could be in how they are interpreting the role of science in answering such questions and in how they are interpreting the Bible itself. In this episode, I hope to encourage us to see that we all interpreters of both science and scripture.
In this episode, we will learn why Buzz Lightyear may be a great friend but he stinks at philosophy. This argument for God's existence is my favorite. I find the logic very compelling. Put on your philosophy hat guys, we are going to dive a bit deeper in the philosophical pool on this one. My hope is that these arguments provide ways to share with family and friends who have doubts about God's existence but also lead us to worship our incredible God who made the heavens and the earth OUT OF NOTHING!
I know what you are thinking, 'what kind of a lesson is this going to be?' But stay with me. I love these deductive arguments. It is a very cool way to talk to someone who may not believe in God. In this episode, we will be introduced to the idea of deductive reasoning. Then we will dive into the 1st argument for God's existence. Put your Philosopher hat on people!
Have you noticed Christians talking about 'deconstruction'? This is becoming a common statement of those adopting the 'Progressive Christian' movement. In this episode, I have a few ideas to share regarding two of the major beliefs in this movement (1) panentheism and (2) rejecting dualistic statements of 'us' versus 'them'.
People often have questions about Christianity because they have questions about the Bible. In this episode, I want to provide the final foundational lessons for our worldview discussion course. We will look at 4 contexts of Bible study that will help us understand our Bible better and in turn help us be equipped to share what the Biblical worldview claims really are (and are not).
In this episode, we look at 3 approaches to truth. 1) Complete Relativism. 2) Strong Rationality. 3) Critical Rationality. We also discuss if we can really know if yesterday happened. :)
Sorry! This episode is only 20 minutes long. I accidentally replay the lesson more times giving it an hour run time.
In this episode, we will think about what a 'religion' is and how Christians and non-Christians all share both beliefs and doubts.