Change the Conversation

Last week, we talked about Hell, and this week we're headed in the other direction. What does the Bible actually say about Heaven? What can we know about it, and what can we say about it? There's not much we can say with certainty, but a few things we can say with confidence.

What were you taught about Hell as a child? Did it involve pitch forks, lakes of fire, eternal conscious torment? In this episode, we dive into the weird, murky, and generally scary theology of Hell.

Continuing the "Living with the Questions" series, this week we're responding to questions on the theme of Religion vs. Science:

- Must we accept only certain contributions from the scientific community or can both or all have some parts of the truth at once?

- Why do we defend our faith against science?

- How strong is our faith if we constantly feel the need to defend it?

- Doesn’t science also require faith?

- Are we hypocrites when we embrace and celebrate scientific innovations as God-given conveniences, and then condemn conclusions like climate change that implicate Christians among others in the latest mass extinction event?

How have so many Christians become convinced that the life of faith should be full of certainty and free from questions? This week we explore some of the faith questions from our formative years, and discuss the role of doubt in the Christian life.

New year, renewed commitment to changing the conversation. Why is this important? Is it naive to talk about hope in the face of evil and tragedy in the world? Don't people need to be told when they're wrong?

Jordan Lawson, Robby White, Sam Hawkins, Melinda Sparks

A little bit of stream-of-consciousness talk on Christmas and the new year, along with thoughts on why "changing the conversation" proves so challenging.

Jordan Lawson, Sam Hawkins, Melinda Sparks

We finish our "In the Beginning" series this week with a look at Genesis chapter 11 and the story of the "Tower of Babel."

This week we discuss the story of the Flood and Noah's Ark. Did God do something evil? Was this all part of the plan? We dive into the story of a hero who wasn't very heroic, a happy ending that maybe isn't so comforting, and a children's story with some very grown-up themes.

Jordan Lawson, Robby White, Sam Hawkins, Melinda Sparks

What does it mean to live "East of Eden"? What does it mean to be our brother's keeper? Why does God ask questions he already knows the answer to?

All this an more as we continue our "In the Beginning" series exploring the first stories of the Bible with a look at Cain and Abel.

Melinda Sparks, Sam Hawkins, Robby White, Jordan Lawson

This week we dive into the story of the Garden of Eden, and try to arrive at a more complete and more powerful understanding of this ancient text. How would have been read by the audiences it was first written for? What do we lose with a literal interpretation? What does this story have to tell us today?

Jordan Lawson, Robby White, Sam Hawkins, Melinda Sparks