Contending for the Word

As we conclude our December series on the 2025 State of Theology, this episode addresses a growing and sobering reality, widespread doctrinal confusion among self-identified evangelicals and a drifting confidence in the authority of God's Word. In this episode, Dave Jenkins examines what the State of Theology reveals, why these trends matter as we head into 2026, and how the deeper issue beneath the confusion is ultimately a crisis of biblical authority. Scripture is not merely informative, it is authoritative, sufficient, and binding on the Christian life. This episode also offers a clear call to biblical discernment, not suspicion or cynicism, but humble, trained discernment shaped by the Word of God. Listeners are encouraged to consider not only what they believe about the Bible, but how they functionally use it in everyday life, because what we do with the Bible reveals what we truly believe about the Bible. This episode calls believers to stand firm, guard their hearts, and grow in clarity, conviction, and confidence in Christ as we prepare for the year ahead.

In this Weekly Watch episode, Dave Jenkins addresses the growing moral confusion surrounding sexual ethics within the modern church. Drawing from Scripture, he explains why God's design for sexuality is good, purposeful, and rooted in creation, covenant, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. As cultural pressures increase and biblical authority is questioned, Christians are called to speak the truth with clarity, conviction, and compassion. This episode calls believers to stand firm on God's Word, trusting that biblical clarity is always a kindness. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins addresses one of the most urgent issues facing the church today the loss of objective truth. Drawing from Scripture and the findings of the State of Theology study, this episode explains why truth is not defined by feelings, culture, or personal experience, but by what God has revealed in His Word. This episode examines the roots of relativism, why it is so appealing to the human heart, how it has reshaped the modern church, and the spiritual dangers of replacing biblical authority with emotion. Listeners are called to anchor their lives in the truth of Scripture, submit their hearts to God's revealed Word, and stand firm with clarity, courage, and conviction in a culture that no longer believes truth exists. This episode is a call to faithful obedience, biblical discernment, and unwavering commitment to the unchanging truth of God's Word. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

According to the 2025 State of Theology, a majority of evangelicals believe that people are born innocent or mostly good by nature. This belief is not a minor misunderstanding. It is a direct rejection of the biblical doctrine of original sin and strikes at the very foundation of the gospel. In this episode of The Weekly Watch, Dave Jenkins explains why Scripture teaches that we are not born morally neutral or spiritually alive, but sinners by nature in Adam, and why denying this truth undermines grace, the cross, and the need for repentance. This episode addresses how the "born innocent" belief appears in modern preaching, discipleship, worship, and evangelism, and why recovering a biblical doctrine of sin is essential for gospel clarity, faithful ministry, and true hope in Christ. Key passages include Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:10–12, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1–3, and Jeremiah 17:9. The doctrine of sin is not harsh. It is hope-giving, because only sinners can be saved by grace alone through Christ alone. For more from Contending for the Word podcast please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

Who is God really, and does the God we believe in match the God revealed in Scripture? In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins examines the doctrine of God's immutability in light of the 2025 State of Theology findings. While many affirm that God is unchanging, widespread confusion remains about what that truly means. This episode addresses two influential but unbiblical views—open theism and process theology—and explains why they undermine God's sovereignty, knowledge, promises, and the certainty of salvation. Drawing directly from Scripture, this teaching shows that God does not learn, adapt, or evolve, but is eternally perfect, faithful, and sovereign. A changing god cannot save, but the unchanging God of the Bible is our sure refuge, anchor, and hope in Christ. Key passages include Malachi 3:6, Isaiah 46:9–10, Psalm 102:25–27, Hebrews 13:8, and James 1:17. For more from Contending for the Word please our page at Servants of Grace: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

A growing number of evangelicals are denying the full deity of Jesus Christ. This is not a secondary issue—it is a gospel issue. In this episode of The Weekly Watch, a segment of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins examines alarming findings from the State of Theology surveys that reveal a decade-long drift away from the biblical confession of Christ's full deity. Modern forms of Arianism present Jesus as merely a great teacher or a created being rather than eternal God. Scripture, however, is clear: Jesus is uncreated, co-equal with the Father, and fully God. If Christ is not God, He cannot save. This episode calls the church to recover biblical Christology through faithful preaching, Trinitarian teaching, and doctrinal discipleship grounded in God's Word. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

The State of Theology survey reveals staggering confusion within the church—confusion about sin, Jesus, salvation, the Trinity, and the authority of Scripture. This episode examines why neglecting sound doctrine always carries a cost and why biblical clarity is kindness. Dave explains the consequences of doctrinal drift, how false gospels multiply, why holiness becomes negotiable, and how confusion spreads when the church minimizes biblical teaching. He also lays out a biblical path forward rooted in expositional preaching, the fear of the Lord, the centrality of Christ, and the call to contend for the faith. May this episode encourage you to hold fast to the truth and stand firm in a confused age. For more from Contending for the Word podcast please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

In this episode of the Weekly Watch, we address one of the most alarming trends revealed in the latest State of Theology survey: 53% of evangelicals now say the Bible is not literally true. This is not a minor drift — it is a complete collapse of our foundation. Dave Jenkins walks through why so many professing Christians no longer trust the Scriptures, how decades of shallow teaching and therapeutic Christianity have contributed to biblical illiteracy, and why the church must return to a deep confidence in the truthfulness and authority of the Word of God. We consider: • How the modern church moved from expositional teaching to motivational talks. • Why biblical illiteracy is a spiritual crisis. • What Scripture says about Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17, Psalm 19:7, John 17:17, Matthew 4:4). • How false teaching flourishes when confidence in the Bible collapses. • Why revival begins with returning to the Word of God. The Bible is true, trustworthy, infallible, and sufficient. If the church is going to stand firm in a confused age, we must once again treasure, trust, and teach the Word of the living God. Scripture Alone. Christ Alone. Truth Without Apology. Stand firm in the Word. Keep contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

Many Christians today believe yoga is harmless just stretching, breathing, or a way to relieve stress. But yoga is not spiritually neutral. Its poses, philosophy, and origins are rooted in Hindu worship, idolatry, and counterfeit spirituality. When believers adopt these practices, they often open the door to confusion, deception, and spiritual warfare. In this important episode, Dave Jenkins is joined by Doreen Virtue to examine what yoga truly is, why it cannot be separated from its pagan roots, and how Christians can respond with biblical discernment. Doreen shares from her own 20-plus years inside the New Age movement, her testimony of coming out of deception, and her new book Yoga and Spiritual Warfare. Together they discuss: • The State of Theology findings and the rise of universalism. • Why "holy yoga," "Christian yoga," and "praise moves" cannot redeem pagan worship. • The spiritual meaning behind yoga poses, chanting, and meditation. • Why stretching is good, but yoga is not neutral. • How the gospel delivers us from deception into truth. • Why biblical discernment is an act of love for God and neighbor. This episode calls believers to test every practice by Scripture and to cling to Christ, the only Way, Truth, and Life. Scripture References: Romans 6–8, John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Romans 1:25, Exodus 20, Jude 3, 1 Peter 3:15, 2 Corinthians 10:5. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/ For more from Contending for the Word please visit:

Today's Weekly Watch brings biblical clarity to spiritual warfare in a culture filled with counterfeit spirituality, occult practices, mystical deception, secularism, and confusion about spiritual authority. Dave Jenkins walks through Ephesians 6:10–20, the classic, historic, biblical understanding of warfare, the Puritans' insights into Satan's schemes, and Jesus' model of resisting temptation in Matthew 4:1–11. Christians are not left defenseless. God equips His people with His Word, His Spirit, His promises, His presence, and His armor. Believers fight not for victory but from Christ's victory. This episode helps you understand how to stand firm in the truth and walk in biblical discernment in an age of deception. For more from Contending for the Word please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/