Born Again!  This well known phrase comes arguably from the most famous passage in the New Testament scriptures in John 3.  The dialogue is between two Jewish Rabbi's and teachers of the law, Nicodemus and Jesus.  In Nicodemus' late night private meeting, he comes with a curious mind to know if he is the Messiah, the one he has been looking for all his life?  Jesus responds with what looks like at first an enigmatic phrase to Nicodemus, but what is shocking once we see the original Judaic context, is this phrase was extremely familiar to Nicodemus.  So, the focus of this episode #21 is, "What did this phrase mean in its original context and why did this throw Nicodemus off his spiritual game?"  You will find the original context quite enlightening!  Enjoy! 
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#21: Born Again, What did this mean in its original context?

Curiosity. This ingredient alone led to the creative Podcast: "Stuff You Missed: In the Bible, In Church History."  Each Podcast is designed to mine those wonderful insights and help us all better understand stuff we have been missing.

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Our approach to conversion...  Is our process today of "raising our hands" to receive Christ or praying a "20 second prayer" creating strong disciples?  What kind of process did Jesus employ for people wanting to convert?  In this podcast David will explore our current approach to conversion within Western Christianity and contrast it with a surprising approach from Judaism.  It is a challenging subject that will make you think.  
If you would like to email David and share your thoughts or questions, please email at: mdavidhancock@gmail.com

#43 - Our Approach to Conversion

Are Today's Preachers Weakening The Gospel?  The Challenge of Modern Day Sophists.  Paul had a lot to say about many preachers in his day who were relying more on the power of their own oratory to move people, than they were about the content and power of the message of the Gospel.  Paul had the same dilemma that we have today, where showmanship and polished rhetoric took precedence over the truth of the gospel.  Explore with us how the Sophists greatly influenced the Greco-Roman world and the church's viewpoint of power.
To comment or share your thoughts, I would love to hear from you.  Email me at: mdavidhancock@gmail.com

#41 - Are Today's Preachers Weakening The Gospel? The Challenge of Modern Day Sophists

Who has impacted our theology more than any other? One of my favorite questions to ask people is, “Who has had the largest single impact on church doctrine and theology the last two-thousand years?”  Most answer with Jesus or the Apostle Paul, and of course I can't argue with that... But outside of scripture who has had the greatest impact, whether it has been for the good or at times to the detriment of the church, on our theology?  In this episode, find out who, why, and their key doctrinal ideas...

#37 - Who has impacted our theology more than any other?

Part 2 of "True Christians Never Get Depressed? Reconciling Faith & Mental Health."  We move towards a healthier hermeneutic in our case study passage of Matthew 17, where a religious father brings his son who is tormented by seizures and Jesus heals the young man.  This passage becomes a case study in how we truly reconcile the chasm we have in the church towards the mental health spectrum.  
If you are struggling with depression or any other mental health spectrum issue or if you have a loved one or a friend, then you will not want to miss the 5 Guidelines at the end of the podcast that will help us bridge this great divide!
Here is a link to the book, "Learning To Breathe Under Water - Managing Depression in the Sea of Religion."

#36 - True Christians Never Get Depressed? Reconciling Faith & Mental Health - Part 2

True Christians Never Get Depressed?  Really?  One of the most difficult and misunderstood subjects within Christianity and faith in general, is how do we try and reconcile genuine faith with the issue of depression and other related mental health issues on the spectrum?  No doubt it is a very tough question to answer, but answer I will try.  
This subject is spilt into a Part 1 and Part 2.  Part 1 helps us build the framework of the severity of the issue within the faith community, and begins to build a framework towards a healthier hermeneutic.  While Part 2 will dive deep into several key passages in the New Testament to try and bridge the gap between scripture and mental health.
As mentioned in this episode, I have written a book on this subject titled, "Learning To Breathe Underwater: Managing Depression in the Sea of Religion."  You can get the book via paperback or Kindle.  Click here

#21: Born Again, What did this mean in its original context?

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