Ask with David Deane

What is the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”? How have people understood it in the past? What does it represent? Does it mean anything for you and I today? These are some of the ideas we explore in this fascinating interview with Dr. Nathan French (Ph.D. Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East) who is one of the few leading authorities on this subject!

Spoiler: Nathan helps us to see there is another dimension to this familiar story, which has a big impact on how we view the Bible as a whole.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” 🔔🔔🔔Contradiction! Or is it? Critics of Christianity often argue that the Bible cannot be trusted as a reliable source of information – historical or otherwise – because it contains many contradictions. In this week’s episode of Ask I suggest there are at least three different elements we need to keep in mind when assessing apparent Bible contradictions.

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" (Psa. 14:1; cf. Psa 53:1). What does this verse mean? Does the Bible teach that people who deny God's existence are... stupid? 

In this week's episode of Ask, I take a look at these verses and their surrounding contexts to unpack some of the significance of this statement. And no - if you do happen to believe in God, you don't get a pass on this one.

Ariana Grande sings “God Is a Woman”… Bishops campaign for more “expansive language and imagery about God” that encompass feminine pronouns… Books and films like The Shack portray God as a woman… And at least one Rabbi has argued that the Hebrew Bible hints at God’s own transgenderism…

In this episode of Ask I take a deep dive into different angles on the question ‘Why do Christians refer to God as male‘? My conclusion is: I cannot see how the degenderfication of God-talk is needed nor wise. Ultimately, it stands as a move against the way in which God has chosen to reveal Himself, redeem us in the God-man Jesus, and relate as a Bridegroom to His Church, the Bride.

“Believe you deserve it and the universe will serve it.” #PositiveVibeTribe.

‘Name it and claim it’ teaching, also known as the ‘Word of Faith’ movement, is a phrase used in reference to popular teachings by some televangelists, faith healers, and other various Charismatic and Pentecostal preachers. For example, Word of Faith teacher, Kenneth Copeland, writes: “you can have what you say! … If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying. It will change what you have… Discipline your vocabulary!”

In this episode of Ask I respond to the question ‘Is ‘Name it and claim it’ teaching Biblical? I argue that history says no, the Bible says no – and so should you. The best antidote to the ‘Word of faith’ espoused by the likes of Kenneth Copeland is ‘the word of God.’ Come and see!

Was Jesus a real historical person? Or do Christians live their lives for a copy, paste and compile of pagan antiquity? In a stunning survey from late 2021 here in Australia, only half of Australians (49%) view Jesus as a real person who actually lived. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Aussies see Jesus as a mythical or fictional character, while around one in three (29%) don't know.

 In this week’s episode of Ask, I respond to the question ‘Did Jesus even exist?’ which has been submitted following a previous episode where I compared belief in Santa to belief in Jesus. But for the alarming statistics of the recent Aussie survey, I wouldn’t think this question needed much of a response, but I’ve decided to break my time-limit rules to weigh the claims of “Jesus Mythicism”. You be the judge.

Today, the word “faith” has come to collect so many connotations in all manner of contexts that it's not clear to me how many would recognise a Biblical denotation of faith if it were put before them. Often, this is case with religious critics who mock "faith" as an inadequate way of knowing. When Paul writes “we live by faith, not by sight…” (2 Cor. 5:7), he’s not making a statement of how believers are to think, he’s making a statement of how we are to live, which is no less than thinking, but so much more.

In this week's episode of Ask I consider a foundational question for Christianity - "What is faith?"

Is it a sin to yell "Jesus Christ!" when I stub my toe? Or if I retweet an amazing footy try with the hashtag “OMG” for ‘oh my god’? What does it mean to 'take the Lord's name in vain'? I mean, which 'name', right? El? Elohim? Jehovah? Yahweh? Jesus? The "Lamb"? The "Rock of Ages"?

These, and more, I consider in this week's episode of Ask.

The end of the calendar year brings with it all sorts of traditions. Interestingly, the tradition of making New Years Resolutions spans back in the East to ancient Babylon, and in the West, to ancient Rome. In fact it was the Romans who kicked off the year by making promises to the god Janus, from where we derive the name of ‘January’.

But should Christians make ‘New Years Resolutions’? That's the question for this week's episode of Ask!

“Santa is a fairy tale for children, God is the same thing but for children and adults.” How would you respond?

This week's question has come in response to a previous episode where I begged the question for someone to ask how belief in Santa is different to belief in Jesus. Implicit in this question is the view that belief in Jesus is tantamount to believing in Santa Claus. I'm thankful for the opportunity to respond to this, with three lines of argumentation in today's episode.