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A Beautiful Church episodes

  • Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church with Pastor Troy Brand

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    From becoming a Christian in his early twenties to serving as a pastor focused on community and justice, Elder and Senior Pastor Troy Brand’s life story and ministry is packed with intensity and a devotion to the word of God. Challenged by an ultimatum from his girlfriend (now his wife), Troy joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church while in the Marines. Now, as the Senior Pastor of Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chattanooga, TN, Troy leads his family and his congregation in intentionally honoring the Sabbath and serving the community with compassion and justice.

    Join Troy and Adam as they explore some of the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and what Troy and Orchard Park do to lift burdens and fight for justice in Chattanooga.

    Note: this podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.


    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [0:52] Troy’s childhood and background
    • [8:17] How an ultimatum from Troy’s wife (then girlfriend) brought about his conversion
    • [15:08] Church location, service times, connection information
    • [16:58] Some basics on Seventh-day Adventists
    • [18:26] All about the Sabbath
      • [18:46] What Seventh-day Adventists believe about the Sabbath
      • [23:02] How the Sabbath is observed
      • [25:17] Theological context of the Sabbath
      • [34:44] What Friday nights look like for Troy’s family
    • [38:33] On being like Jesus
    • [41:11] Background information on Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church and their place in their community
      • Chattanooga Purpose Center
      • Unburdening people to be able to worship
    • [52:40] Brief aside on Troy’s pursuit of knowledge and admonishment to not judge Seventh-day Adventists based on only a few distinctives
    • [54:47] The role of Troy and Orchard Park in justice and anti-racism initiatives
    • [58:09] The reputation for high-quality music in the black Seventh-day Adventist Church
    • [1:00:48] The prayer culture of Orchard Park
    • [1:05:34] How God has been blessing Orchard Park
    • [1:08:23] What Troy sees God doing in the city of Chattanooga
    • [1:12:45] Troy’s final exhortation to believers 

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church website
    • Chattanooga Purpose Center website
    • LEAD Pledge website
    • The LEAD Anti-Racism Challenge book

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    1 hr 23 min
  • Ridgedale Baptist Church with Pastor Doug Plumlee

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    Although he grew up at Ridgedale Baptist Church, Doug Plumlee spent thirty years away from this Chattanooga, TN congregation before returning eight years ago as Senior Pastor. In this episode of A Beautiful Church, Doug tells Adam about his background, his church’s emphasis on community and outreach, and his vision for Ridgedale. That vision is centered around discipling believers to equip them to go into their communities as missionaries for Christ. 

    During this conversation, Adam and Doug discuss how Southern Baptist churches spring into action in times of crisis, the growing emphasis on prayer at Ridgedale, and what God is doing in Chattanooga and at Ridgedale specifically. 

    Note: this podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.


    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [1:13] General information for Ridgedale Baptist Church and Doug’s background
      • Church location, service times, connection information
      • How Doug grew up at Ridgedale and how he ended up as Senior Pastor
    • [4:29] Doug’s call to ministry while earning an electrical engineering degree
    • [9:07] Ridgedale’s focus on making disciples
    • [12:46] How expository preaching and community groups foster discipleship
    • [17:12] Challenges to Doug’s vision of discipleship
    • [20:41] Adam asks Doug what would have helped during his first years as pastor
    • [24:53] How Ridgedale and Southern Baptist churches in general excel at crisis response
    • [28:20] Ridgedale’s small groups
    • [31:09] Adam’s experience listening to the Bible in lieu of other media
    • [32:50] How Doug is trying to grow the prayer culture at Ridgedale 
    • [37:23] How God is using Ridgedale in this season
    • [39:41] Doug’s observations on how God is using ChattHOP and the teamwork of various churches in Chattanooga
    • [46:27] Doug’s encouragement for believers to identify their callings and then go out as missionaries for Christ 

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • Ridgedale Baptist Church website

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    52 min
  • New Monumental Baptist Church with Rev. Dr. Greg Odom

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    New Monumental Baptist Church isn’t just a “church in the community” – it’s “the community church.” That’s how Reverend Dr. Greg Odom characterizes his church, a 129-year-old congregation in the Woodmore neighborhood of Chattanooga, TN. In this episode of A Beautiful Church, Greg tells Adam about his background and call to ministry as well as the history, worship style, and ministry focuses of New Monumental.

    As Greg and Adam unpack the legacy of the church, Greg explains the challenge of changing outreach styles to youth and the strong, generational faith that keeps the New Monumental community listening to God.

    Note: This podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.
     

    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [0:50] Introduction and background on Reverend Dr. Greg Odom
    • [7:27] How Greg’s involvement in ministry started with music
    • [11:20] Church location, service times, connection information
    • [12:13] What services are like at New Monumental Baptist Church
    • [17:14] Historical background of New Monumental
    • [20:14] A brief digression on how Greg’s approach to ministry has been impacted by his parents’ roles in church
    • [21:28] More on the history of New Monumental
    • [24:13] New Monumental’s impact on the community
    • [29:37] On the challenge of reaching youth and young adults
    • [35:44] Faith as a major quality of New Monumental
      ○  The difference between African-American Southern Baptist churches and white Southern Baptist churches
      ○  The generational and communal aspects of faith
    • [43:33] The prayer culture of New Monumental
    • [48:07] Greg’s take on what God is doing both at New Monumental and the Church universally in this season
    • [50:00] Greg’s exhortation to take everything to God in prayer and to trust Him


    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • New Monumental Baptist Church website


    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    54 min
  • Anglican Church of the Redeemer with Rev. Phil Hanner

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church - both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    Why should a twenty-first century Christian explore one of the oldest branches of Protestantism? In this episode of A Beautiful Church, Reverend Phil Hanner explains the importance of historical liturgical worship as practiced by the Anglican Church and, more specifically, at Anglican Church of the Redeemer in Chattanooga, TN. As Adam and Phil discuss both church history and the history of Redeemer, Phil makes the case for a worship experience that depends on a liturgy that can trace its roots back beyond the Apostolic age.

    While Phil explains how liturgy keeps us focused on Christ and connected to God’s story, he and Adam discuss the differences between Anglicans and similar denominations, what services are like at Redeemer, how the Anglican Church changed with the Reformation, and more.

    Note: This podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.

     

    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.

     

    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [1:08] An overview of Anglican Church of the Redeemer
    • [4:54] How worship at Redeemer emphasizes awe and reverence
    • [10:14] How kids tend to respond at Redeemer
    • [12:30] Church location, service times, connection information
    • [14:38] History of Redeemer
    • [17:29] The consistency/longevity of Anglican worship
      • How a familiar liturgy helps you to focus on God and fights against individualism
      • Observations on changes in church worship due to revivals and other events and how different worship styles might affect discipleship
    • [25:58] The relationship between the Anglican Church of North America, Redeemer, and other Anglican churches
    • [30:13] Differences between Anglicanism and Catholicism
      • Respect for the Catholic church and the necessary changes brought by the Reformation
      • Brief note about transubstantiation
      • Thoughts on John Calvin/Calvinism
    • [35:11] Redeemer’s contribution to the body of Christ in Chattanooga
    • [43:32] Prayer culture of Redeemer
    • [47:48] Phil’s final exhortation to pray as a home

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • Anglican Church of the Redeemer website
    • The Book of Common Prayer

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    52 min
  • St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church (Part 2) with Fr. Kevin Rigdon

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church - both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    On this episode of A Beautiful Church podcast, we’re continuing to talk to Father Kevin Rigdon who founded and serves at St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church in Cleveland, TN. If you haven’t listened to part one of our conversation, be sure to listen here! He shares some interesting thoughts about what the Orthodox Church brings to this region, the prayer culture of St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church, a bit of ancient church history, and more. Fr. Rigdon discusses how God is teaching his mission “the one thing needful” in this season - “mission” being a word they use to call their church.

    Fr. Rigdon expresses how he believes that God has used Covid to provide us the opportunity to die to ourselves on behalf of other people and to teach us to become more like Him. Listen in to our conversation and hear how Kevin continues on the importance of practicing thanksgiving.

    Note: This podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.

     

    Jump Through the Conversation

    • [0:42] What Orthodoxy brings to the table for the Church in this region
      • Breakdown of what “Church” is to Orthodox communities
      • A bit of ancient church history
      • Being the church for the Orthodox is a rightly glorifying life - which means dying to yourself.
    • [15:23] Orthodoxy stands as a reminder that there is an unbroken continuity, not simply with the first century church, but all the way back [to the beginning].
    • [22:44] How Orthodoxy does an outstanding job tying everything back to history
    • [23:33] Breaking down the prayer culture of St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church and how personal prayer is rooted in liturgical prayer
    • [25:17] For the Orthodox families, there is a dedicated space or altar in their homes called the icon corner or “the beautiful corner”.
    • [29:05] How God is teaching the congregation of St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church “the one thing needful”
    • [30:54] A quick tangent on whether or not we will be hungry in heaven
    • [31:38] How God has used Covid to provide us the opportunity to die to ourselves on behalf of other people
      • How God is teaching us how to become like Him
      • How God is allowing us to be more intentional about who, why and where we are
    • [34:40] What Kevin feels like God is doing in Chattanooga as a whole
    • [35:21] The importance of practicing generosity and practicing thanksgiving
      • The distinction between giving thanks to God in all circumstances vs for all circumstances
      • To live a right glorifying life requires thanksgiving.
      • Everything that we give thanks for - God has taken it, received it, filled it with His divine power and then He gives it back to us as communion.
    • [44:44] An exhortation to practice thanksgiving to God, no matter the emotion you are feeling


    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church website
    • Ancient Faith Radio
    • The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware


    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    52 min
  • St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church (Part 1) with Fr. Kevin Rigdon

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church - both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    On this episode of A Beautiful Church podcast, we’re talking to Father Kevin Rigdon who founded and serves at St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church in Cleveland, TN. He shares some interesting thoughts about what makes the Orthodox Church different including their “unit” service format, their hierarchy, and more. Fr. Rigdon dives into the difference between the western “legal (judge/jury)” paradigm and the eastern “hospital” paradigm and expresses the unique calling of their mission - their “mission” being a word they use to call their church.

    Fr. Rigdon breaks down some of the challenges he and his mission have faced in living out this calling and perhaps one of the biggest challenges the western Church faces today. Listen in to our conversation and hear how a posture of thanksgiving and offering unto the Lord has continued to bless this community.

    Note: This podcast was recorded earlier in 2021.


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.
     

    Jump Through the Conversation

    • [2:00] Differences and appeal of Orthodoxy
    • [3:50] Kevin’s backstory and how he became an Orthodox priest
    • [9:29] Church location, service times and how to get connected
    • [10:27] How Orthodox services happen in “units” and why liturgical anticipation happens frequently
    • [14:21] The importance of understanding Orthodoxy
    • [15:07] Additional ways to get connected and learn more about St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church
    • [15:29] How St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church started
    • [17:00] Difference between a mission and a parish and a breakdown of the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church
      • How Orthodoxy is sometimes mistaken for Catholicism.
      • Some recent statistics on the Russian Orthodox Church
    • [24:42] The unique calling or responsibility of St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church, Being the Church, into two parts:
    • 1. Kevin talks about how humans are the priests of creation. Our purpose is to offer the creation that God has given us back to God - to offer the matter of our lives (vocation, family, friends, enemies) to God in thanksgiving.
    • 2. Being a hospital. Kevin dives into the difference between the western “legal (judge/jury)” paradigm and the eastern “hospital” paradigm.
    • [34:52] Some challenges Kevin’s mission has faced in living out this calling and perhaps one of the biggest challenges the western Church faces today


    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • St Maria of Paris Orthodox Church website
    • Ancient Faith Radio


    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    51 min
  • Introduction - A Season About People

    On the last 3 seasons of A Beautiful Church podcast, we’ve discussed A LOT of theology. While theology is included in season 4 by default, this is a season about people: pastors. In Chattanooga, we have way more than our fair share of incredibly talented and devoted pastors. We feel that the conversations and content in this season have been some of the best yet.

    We asked strategic questions to hear the honest strengths and unique qualities of their churches. We wanted to hear firsthand the heartbeat behind some of the practitioners of faith in our community. We hope that this encourages you and gives you perspective to see the beauty and diversity of God’s Church - both in Chattanooga and the Church at Large.

    4 min
  • Redemption, Glorification, and Hell

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    In the final episode of this season, the conversation takes a downward turn – into hell, that is. Adam, Joey, David, and Keith finish discussing the purpose of Jesus’s death before turning to the subject of God’s character and what hell is like.

    Athanasius may emphasize God’s goodness, but is that how modern Christians describe God? This issue bookends a discussion of various ideas about hell in light of God’s character. The group characterizes hell as an experience caused by a negative response to God’s love instead of being a punishment for sins committed; however, the fact of God’s wrathfulness cannot be ignored, and Joey and Keith wrestle with how justice fits into the picture. 

    This concluding episode is not only full of eruditeness but funny anecdotes about Martians, asbestos, and Sunday school. Listen in to hear the end of the discussion of Athanasius’ On the Incarnation!


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.


    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [1:07] Adam’s intro
    • [2:33] How Athanasius emphasizes God’s goodness
      • Connection to several heresies
      • God isn’t just wrathful
    • [4:55] Athanasius’ optimistic/comprehensive view of Jesus’s death
      • You have to “opt out” of God’s redemption
      • Does God make the choice for us to go to hell or do we?
    • [6:15] David: God is somewhere in the middle of our benevolent and wrathful pictures of Him
      • God’s love is still shown by people existing in hell as non-existence is worse
      • Why God wouldn’t force people into heaven
    • [8:31] David: heaven and hell are “the same reality perceived differently”
      • Analogy of loving/hating an embrace
      • [10:09] Keith: Orthodox view of hell is hating God’s love for you
      • [10:50] David: hell is emotional separation from God
    • [11:42] Rabbit trail on Lewis and accents
    • [13:37] Joey: Protestants agree that righteousness is love of “the things of God” and wickedness is opposing those things
    • [14:24] Debate about whether God is punishing and wrathful or loving and if those attributes can coexist or are contradictory
      • [15:46] Joey: God’s justice is an important part of His character
        • Keith: punishment is not the same as justice
        • Consequences vs punishment
      • [18:52] God’s character and the Reformation
    • [19:52] The “how” of God’s redemption is simply Him taking a body
      • [20:40] Doctrine of justification developed later
        • Keith: it’s overexplaining
        • Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification in the 1990s
    • [21:41] More on God’s motivation for redemption
      • Book recommendation from David
      • Stories from Sunday school

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • On the Incarnation (Adam’s recommended edition)
    • Joey Sherrard’s ministry
    • Keith Kettenring’s ministry
    • David Carter’s ministry
    • Jesus Shock by Peter Kreeft (book recommendation from David)

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    29 min
  • The Divine Dilemma

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    Don’t let the jokes at the start of this episode fool you – the conversation gets intense as the group debates different emphases on God’s redemptive plan.

    In On the Incarnation, Athanasius explains that God chose to send Jesus Christ “for the sake of His [own] name.” But, as Keith and Adam discuss, modern evangelicals typically say that God’s redemption was because of mankind’s sinfulness. Through examples from their own church backgrounds, Joey and David help show how both answers are correct, and the group generally agrees that God redeemed man for His own honor/glory AND to address sin. 

    But why do we need to understand both reasons? The group gives some insightful answers about how God redeeming for God’s sake lines up with the rest of Scripture, how by abolishing death God dealt with sin and its consequence, and how these reasons together give a more complete picture of the gospel. 

    Bonus: listen to this episode to find out the origin of the word “erudite!”


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.

     

    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [0:40] Adam’s intro
    • [3:34] General goofiness, jokes and notes about southerners and various denominations
    • [10:41] Why did God redeem mankind? For the sake of His name
    • [12:00] Keith: for modern evangelicals, God’s redemption is all about the forgiveness of sins
      • God sent Christ to bring us into union with Himself
      • God’s reason is divine, not individualistic
      • We are tied to His glory
      • [13:49] Adam: yes, evangelicals do emphasize God sending Jesus for our sins
        • Keith: correct, but incomplete
        • Keith: would evangelicals disagree with Athanasius?
    • [15:17] Joey: difference between a “two-chapter gospel” (fall, redemption) and a “four-chapter gospel” (creation, fall, redemption, new creation)
      • Four-chapter gospel closer to what Athanasius is saying
      • God redeems us not just “legally” but to be made new
      • [16:20] David: original grace, corruption, elevated grace
    • [19:21] Why the emphasis (on people or on God) matters pastorally
      • [19:58] Joey: emphasis on God as the cause is consistent with how God is talked about in the Bible
        • God’s goodness is primary, not His anger/wrath
        • Opposes our narcissistic tendencies 
      • [22:37] Keith: “death was defeated by death”
      • [22:46] Joey: more complete view of the gospel
    • [25:12] Adam’s outro, disclaimers, recap

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • On the Incarnation (Adam’s recommended edition)
    • Joey Sherrard’s ministry
    • Keith Kettenring’s ministry
    • David Carter’s ministry

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    30 min
  • Athanasius and Reason (Part 2)

    The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

    Last week, the group began looking at Athanasius’ relationship with reason and philosophy, debating whether or not he was strategically using philosophy in On the Incarnation and what place philosophy has in modern apologetics. This episode continues the conversation and moves into a rousing discussion about whether or not an encounter with Jesus Christ is a sufficient introduction to the faith or if reason is needed as well. 

    After revisiting how context affects the perception and use of philosophy within the Church, the group responds to Keith’s claim that On the Incarnation is exclusively using the person of Jesus as its argument, not philosophical reasoning. Joey and David contend that Athanasius uses reason to prepare the audience for an encounter with Christ, but Keith makes a historical argument that people experienced Jesus through the church itself. This opens the door for general discussion about how people come to faith: by experiencing Jesus, or through reason, or both. 

    This episode is rich in theological dialogue with real implications about how we ought to live and evangelize. Listen in to hear Keith’s take on how Christ can be encountered, how this connects to Jesus’s disciples and the saints, and more!


    About Adam Whitescarver

    Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.

     

    Jump Through the Conversation:

    • [0:05] Adam’s intro and recap
    • [3:12] Argument that there’s only one God because of one creation
    • [4:23] Protestant tendency to be “Biblicists” 
    • [6:05] Using philosophy might be about culture, not education
    • [7:01] Argument that God sent Jesus at a specific time when people had a reasonable capacity for receiving the Incarnation 
    • [9:06] Different church traditions have different standards for what can be used in addition to scripture
    • [11:25] Keith: Athanasius is using Jesus as his apologetic, not reason/philosophy
      • [13:37] Pastoral task is to return to putting Christ at the center as On the Incarnation does
      • [14:49] Using reason can obscure Jesus’ power to affect us directly
        • What’s needed in our modern context
        • Manifested in the Church, Eucharist, miracles
    • [17:00] Joey: Athanasius is using philosophy to “clear the ground” to get people from an experience with Jesus to deeper faith
      • [17:37] David: Scripture says to “always be ready to have a reason for your faith”
      • [18:20] Keith: not accurate to Athanasius’ context; Christ is manifested in the Church
        • Modern approach doesn’t trust Jesus to be enough
        • Looking for reasons/arguments outside the Church ignores existing ways to “enter into the life of Christ”
      • [21:09] Joey: the mind/reason engages at some point
        • Problem: we get it backwards by addressing reason first
        • David: sainthood isn’t about knowledge
      • [23:17] On encountering Christ
      • [25:30] Joey: the mind must be involved in experiencing Jesus, especially to record those experiences in words
        • Keith: those experiences came out of ascetic practice, not intellectual 
        • David: “the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth”
      • [26:55] Keith: experience with Christ doesn’t have to involve reason/philosophy
        • Example of brother’s work with special needs kids
        • “The way we know God is without words”
        • Words are not totally excluded: prayers, Bible, etc., but Christ is at center
    • [30:23] Keith: we’re drawn to Athanasius because of his emphasis on Christ
    • [31:22] Drawing connections to Athanasius’ work The Life of St. Antony
    • [33:04] Becoming more like Christ = becoming more fully human

     

    Links and Resources:

    • A Beautiful Church website
    • Chattanooga House of Prayer website
    • Give today
    • On the Incarnation (Adam’s recommended edition)
    • Joey Sherrard’s ministry
    • Keith Kettenring’s ministry
    • David Carter’s ministry

     

    Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe! If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

    36 min

About A Beautiful Church

From the publisher's feed

Our mission is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God's Church - both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. This podcast is hosted by Adam Whitescarver and is a resource of the Chattanooga…