Distinctive Christianity

In this episode, we welcome Judge Thomas R. Young to discuss his book The Alexamenos Graffito: An Early Roman Commentary on Christians and Christianity. What is the Alexamenos Graffito, and why does it matter? What insight does this single artifact give us into the Roman context, and the cultural distinctive of an emerging Christianity? What can we learn about the predominant Roman view of the Christian emphasis on the Lord Jesus being crucified? Why would a Roman student depict the Christian God as a human with a donkey head? What might the mocking of Alexamenos help us understand about a real fear of social instability and transformation in the cultural war of that time? From a tour of the Roman cult(s) system, both public and private, to aiding our understanding of what inspired Roman intolerance – to aiding our understanding Christian distinctiveness in the Mediterranean world, listen in as Rob takes us through this and more as he explains how a detailed analysis of a single graffito can, in fact, give us a tour of the world of antiquity in an unparalleled manner. Indeed, this graffito-based tour of antiquity can likewise shed light on our own world, today.

Book: The Alexamenos Graffito: An Early Roman Commentary on Christians and Christianity

Other resources:

"Alexamenos Graffito"

Confessions; The City of God by Saint Augustine

The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Louis Wilken

Pagan Rome and the Early Christians by Stephen Benko

Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado (also here)

The Cross Before Constantine by Bruce Longenecker

Christianity at the Crossroads by Michael Kruger

In this episode, we welcome Scott Hunter to take us into The Gospel of John. What is this gospel, and what is the unique voice of John relative to the other three evangelists? Who is this Christ Jesus, what did he come to do – and where is he from? With these questions in mind, Scott takes us through highlights from the text that clearly reveal a God who is Triune: Father, Son and Spirit - and a Christ who is the incarnate Word, truly the unique God and man. Scott takes us through the theme of light and darkness, Jesus as the bridegroom, and who the bride of Jesus really is rooted in his identity as God and who mankind is given our universal condemnation in Adam. What did the temple originally teach us, and who and what is the temple now in light of the first coming of Christ? Is John 7.17 really a pragmatic challenge to base the truth of God on self-defined fruit of a life we choose? How should we understand Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 82 in his teaching that he and his father are One? And did Jesus really teach that we can be one with the Father and the Son in the same exact way that the Father and Son are One with each other? Listen in and hear an example of what Sunday School should be when learning Scripture given time, attention, study and reflection.

Check out: Emmanuel OPC in Kent, Washington

- Audio

- Sermon Audio

James Dennison on the Gospel of John

Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments by Geerhardus Vos

The Temple and the Church’s Mission by G. K. Beale

By Faith, Not By Sight; Perspectives on Pentecost by Richard Gaffin

Hear our previous interview on the historical reliability of the Gospel of John with Lydia McGrew.

In this episode, we welcome back Eric Johnson of Mormonism Research Ministry to discuss the legacy of President Russell M. Nelson. In this episode, we try to take the listener through some of the highlights of the theology and administration of Nelson, the 17th President of the LDS Church, as well as critique them from the perspective of evangelical Christians. From Nelson’s emphasis on the “correct name of the Church”, his administrative flexibility, his emphasis on Temples and temple work, his view of faith as a power, his encouragement of women to be like “Mother Eve”, the Restoration Proclamation – to his ruling theme of obedience to “the covenant path” being the key to one’s exaltation in the eternities, as heavenly parents have gone before – Eric takes us through what stands out most to him from the presidency of Russell Nelson. In a time when the LDS membership is so hungry for charismatic leadership – is there a popular confusion of pragmatic administrative change with the spiritual substance of revelations?

Mormonism Research Ministry

Other resources by Eric Johnson:

- Introducing Christianity to Mormons

- Sharing the Good News with Mormons

- “President Nelson speaks on ‘The Everlasting Covenant’: A Review”

- Hear our previous interview with Eric Johnson here

- Also check out the response to Nelson’s “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys” here

Some talks of President Russell M. Nelson:

“The Correct Name of the Church”

“Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys”

“Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel”

“The Second Great Commandment”

“Think Celestial!”

“Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives”

“The Love and Laws of God”

- (Revised) Temple Recommend Interview Questions

- Restoration Proclamation

“Call to the Holy Apostleship”

“Reverence for Life”

“Reflection and Resolution”

“The Canker of Contention”

“Thus Shall My Church Be Called”

“The Atonement”

“Blessed Are the Peacemakers”

“Sweet Power of Prayer”

“Lessons from the Lord’s Prayer”

“Celestial Marriage”

“Ask, Seek, Knock”

“Divine Love”

“Thanks be to God”

“Becoming True Millennials”

Also check out this very helpful archive: here

- Nelson’s first GC talk

- “President Nelson’s First Message to Members as Our Prophet” by Danielle B. Wagner

- Interview, including line: “If you think the Church is fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning...”

Other resources:

D&C 14; 107; 132

“Timeline of President Russell M. Nelson’s life and minsitry” by Sydney Walker

“A by-the-numbers look at the 200 temples announced by President Nelson” by Scott Taylor

“Mormon LGBT ban was ‘revealed’ to the prophet as God’s will, says Elder Nelson”; “Mormon leaders reverse LGBT policy, raising the question: What is revelation?” ;“The top 10 changes President Nelson has made in the LDS Church” by Jana Reiss

President George Albert Smith

The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball (also here)

“Mormon Should Mean ‘More Good’” by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley; also his book What of the Mormons?

On the scandal of exaggerating (to even lying) about stories, see RFM: here, and here

Financial Scandal: here, here, and here

“The Correct [Domain] Name of the Church: Technology, Naming, and Legitimacy in the Latter-Day Saint Tradition” by Spencer P. Greenhalgh

The Mysteries of Godliness by David Buerger

The Harvest of Sorrow by Robert Conquest

The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris (also here)

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Ben Witherington III to discuss his book The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci. Though a writer of fiction, Dan Brown wrote on one of the first pages under the heading “FACT” that “all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate”. In a mix of pseudo-history, conspiracy-logic and emotion-based theology - the influence of this novel (and the culture surrounding it) is often seen in the mainstreaming of views such as Jesus being married, emphasis on a “sacred feminine”, the claim that the Gnostic texts and theology are more reliable than the official-canonical texts and theology, and conspiracies surrounding Constantine and the Council of Nicaea. The success of this Da-Vinci-Code-Culture has likewise revealed a profound ignorance among Christians, themselves, when it comes to the Bible and historical claims about their past. What are the earliest Gospels, and which are the most historically accurate? Is the Gospel of Philip as reliable as the Gospel of Mark? Was Jesus seen as simply a man until Constantine and corrupt church authorities forced the church to confess otherwise? Did the Council of Nicaea choose the canon, and suppress the texts they didn’t like? Was Jesus married - and what did he teach about marriage? Were Christians misogynistic – in contrast to the feminist Gnostics? And why should people care about getting all of this right? Join us as Dr. Witherington helps us understand the answers to these questions and more.

Book: The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci

Some other resources by Dr. Witherington:

- New Testament History

- Paul’s Narrative Thought World

- Conflict and Community: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians

- The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

- Jesus, Paul and the End of the World

- The Jesus Quest

Other resources:

Thomas: The Other Gospel by Nicholas Perrin

Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way by Philip Jenkins

The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses; Jesus and the God of Israel by Richard Bauckham

Early Christian Doctrines by J.N.D. Kelly

Scribes and Scripture by John Meade and Peter Gurry

The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright

Shaman and Sage by Michael Horton

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, edited by Marvin Meyer

Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature by Birger Pearson

The Gnostic New Age by April DeConick

Church Statement; yet,

“The Family Proclamation” (and here)

“Gathering the Poor - Religion a Science” by President Brigham Young (also here and here)

“The Marriage Relations”; “Man the Head of Woman, etc.” by Elder Orson Hyde (also here)

The Seer by Elder Orson Pratt (also here)

“Uniformity” by Elder Jedediah M. Grant

President Joseph Fielding Smith Letter (March 17, 1963)

“The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

“Joseph Smith Translation: Doctrinal Restoration” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie

The Gospel Through the Ages by Milton R. Hunter (Seventy)

Achieving a Celestial Marriage (student manual); “Many Plain and Precious Things” (LDS Video)

“Early Christians According to Newly Discovered Papyrii”; Temple and Cosmos; Mormonism and Early Christianity; Old Testament and Related Studies; When the Lights Went Out by Hugh Nibley

Like A Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith by Stephen Taysom

Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera

Jesus Was Married by Ogden Kraut

Dynasty of the Holy Grail: Mormon’s Sacred Bloodline by Vern Swanson

In this episode, we interview The Reverend Terry Johnson about his book When Grace Comes Home: How the Doctrines of Grace Change Your Life. What are “the Doctrines of Grace”, and are they practical when it comes to the Christian life? Far from being items Christians should put on the shelf, these revealed truths from Scripture form the very core of the Christian life – as should be seen most importantly in worship. Moreover, Christian worship should be in the context of the covenant community, the church, where the Word is heard, sung, preached, made visible in the sacraments, and received with hearts desiring the Triune God who made us for Himself. Going over the basics of the sovereignty of God, human depravity, and God’s sovereign grace – Terry also takes us over some of the more common objections to these doctrines. If God is sovereign, why do we pray? Why do we evangelize? How should a Christian be biblically faithful to both Justification and Sanctification? And is the church a negotiable aspect of the Christian life?

Book: When Grace Comes Home: How the Doctrines of Grace Change Your Life

Check out: Reformation Today

Other resources by The Reverend Terry Johnson:

- When Grace Comes Alive: Living through the Lord’s Prayer

- When Grace Transforms: The Character of Christ’s Disciples Put Forward in the Beatitudes

- Who Needs the Church?: Why We Need the Church

- The Excellencies of God: Exploring and Enjoying His Attributes

Other resources:

Confessions by Augustine

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton

- The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan Hatch

The American Religion by Harold Bloom

JSH-1; Moses 1.39

“King Follett Discourse” by Joseph Smith

Understanding Paul by Richard Lloyd Anderson

In this episode, we conclude our interview with Dr. Matthew Harris about his book Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right. Who was LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson, what were some of his teachings, and why do they matter today? From the White Horse Prophecy to the John Birch Society, from almost being on two Presidential tickets to his conflict with fellow Elder Hugh B. Brown – Dr. Harris takes us through some of the highlights, teachings, impact, and then the “remaking” of this controversial LDS Apostle who became the thirteenth Prophet-President of the LDS Church. Ezra Taft Benson was an author and speaker, firmly believing in “secret combinations” (that is, conspiracies) - and who frequently mixed his devotion to both Joseph Smith and Adam Smith. Listen in as Dr. Harris takes us through how to best understand and distinguish between Benson’s authoritative influence, and his broader influence today all along the Mormon corridor.

Book: Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right

Related resource: Thunder From the Right: Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics

Some other resources by Dr. Harris:

Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality

The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History (edited with Newell Bringhurst)

Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (edited with Jay Buckley)

“Joseph Fielding Smith’s Evolving Views on Race: The Odyssey of a Mormon Apostle-President”

“Mormons and Lineage: The Complicated History of Blacks and Patriarchal Blessings, 1830-2018”

Some resources from Ezra Taft Benson (et al):

Sample: D&C 98; 101.77-80; 134 and Ether 8

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson

“The LDS Church and Politics”

“The American Heritage of Freedom”

“A Race Against Time”

“Be Not Deceived”

“Not Commanded in All Things”

“Trust Not in the Arm of Flesh”

“The Book of Mormon Warns America”

“The Proper Role of Government”

“Life is Eternal”

“Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints” (audio)

“Prepare Ye”

“The Constitution: A Glorious Standard”

“Our Priceless Heritage”

“Freedom and Free Enterprise”

“Fourteen Fundamentals of Following the Prophet”

“Prepare Yourselves for the Great Day of the Lord”

As President of the Church:

“The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner”

“Our Divine Constitution”

“I Testify”

“Beware of Pride”

The Moral Basis of a Free Society; The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil; Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen; The Book of Mormon and the Constitution by H. Verlan Andersen

Stand Fast By Our Constitution by J. Reuben Clark

The Naked Communist; The Naked Capitalist; Prophecy and Modern Times by Cleon Skousen

Other resources:

Mosiah Lyman Hancock Autobiography

President Brigham Young: JD 2.182; 7:13, 8.321; 12.121, 12.204

President John Taylor: JD 21.8, 21.31; 22.143-44; 23.63; 26.38-39

Elder George Q. Cannon: JD 23.104; 23.122

President Joseph F. Smith; Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (Oct. 1918 General Conference)

President George Albert Smith

“The Profile of a Prophet”; “God is the Gardener” by Elder Hugh B. Brown

“Overcome the World and Find Rest” by President Russell M. Nelson

“Church Statement on White Horse Prophecy and Political Neutrality”

Elder Statesman: A Biography of J. Reuben Clark; “Ezra Taft Benson and Mormon Political Conflicts” by D. Michael Quinn

“Edwin Rushton as the Source of the White Horse Prophecy” by Don L. Penrod

The Lie That Will Not Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Hadassa Ben-Itto

The Pope and Mussolini; The Pope at War by David Kertzer

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Matthew Harris to discuss his book Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right. Who was LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson, what were some of his teachings, and why do they matter today? From the White Horse Prophecy to the John Birch Society, from almost being on two Presidential tickets to his conflict with fellow Elder Hugh B. Brown – Dr. Harris takes us through some of the highlights, teachings, impact, and then the “remaking” of this controversial LDS Apostle who became the thirteenth Prophet-President of the LDS Church. Ezra Taft Benson was an author and speaker, firmly believing in “secret combinations” (that is, conspiracies) - and who frequently mixed his devotion to both Joseph Smith and Adam Smith. Listen in as Dr. Harris takes us through how to best understand and distinguish between Benson’s authoritative influence, and his broader influence today all along the Mormon corridor.

Book: Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right

Related resource: Thunder From the Right: Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics

Some other resources by Dr. Harris:

Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality

The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History (edited with Newell Bringhurst)

Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (edited with Jay Buckley)

“Joseph Fielding Smith’s Evolving Views on Race: The Odyssey of a Mormon Apostle-President”

“Mormons and Lineage: The Complicated History of Blacks and Patriarchal Blessings, 1830-2018”

Some resources from Ezra Taft Benson (et al):

Sample: D&C 98; 101.77-80; 134 and Ether 8

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson

“The LDS Church and Politics”

“The American Heritage of Freedom”

“A Race Against Time”

“Be Not Deceived”

“Not Commanded in All Things”

“Trust Not in the Arm of Flesh”

“The Book of Mormon Warns America”

“The Proper Role of Government”

“Life is Eternal”

“Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints” (audio)

“Prepare Ye”

“The Constitution: A Glorious Standard”

“Our Priceless Heritage”

“Freedom and Free Enterprise”

“Fourteen Fundamentals of Following the Prophet”

“Prepare Yourselves for the Great Day of the Lord”

As President of the Church:

“The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner”

“Our Divine Constitution”

“I Testify”

“Beware of Pride”

The Moral Basis of a Free Society; The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil; Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen; The Book of Mormon and the Constitution by H. Verlan Andersen

Stand Fast By Our Constitution by J. Reuben Clark

The Naked Communist; The Naked Capitalist; Prophecy and Modern Times by Cleon Skousen

Other resources:

Mosiah Lyman Hancock Autobiography

President Brigham Young: JD 2.182; 7:13, 8.321; 12.121, 12.204

President John Taylor: JD 21.8, 21.31; 22.143-44; 23.63; 26.38-39

Elder George Q. Cannon: JD 23.104; 23.122

President Joseph F. Smith; Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (Oct. 1918 General Conference)

President George Albert Smith

“The Profile of a Prophet”; “God is the Gardener” by Elder Hugh B. Brown

“Overcome the World and Find Rest” by President Russell M. Nelson

“Church Statement on White Horse Prophecy and Political Neutrality”

Elder Statesman: A Biography of J. Reuben Clark; “Ezra Taft Benson and Mormon Political Conflicts” by D. Michael Quinn

“Edwin Rushton as the Source of the White Horse Prophecy” by Don L. Penrod

The Lie That Will Not Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Hadassa Ben-Itto

The Pope and Mussolini; The Pope at War by David Kertzer

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Stanley G. Payne to discuss his book The Spanish Civil War. What is the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), and why does it matter? In a war often still wrongly characterized as liberal/republican vs. nationalist/fascist – how do we understand the incredibly violent and extensive worker revolution and the murder of nearly 7,000 clergy on one side, and the Roman Catholic identity of the Nationalists while uniting with the Falange (Fascists) and being supported by Muslim troops on the other? When most international attention was on a defunct Republican state, how has “the grand camouflage” led to a prominent narrative which overlooks and sanitizes one half of a bloody revolutionary civil war? How does communism and fascism fit into the story? General Francisco Franco was the youngest general in Europe in 1926. How did he end up being the central figure in a national dynamic of revolution and counter-revolution, bathed in religious rhetoric (on both sides) – and his eventual reaffirmation of Spanish Roman Catholic identity. Dr. Payne identifies the Spanish Civil War as a war of religion with many paradoxes – including Franco’s international relations, his relationship with the Vatican, and what would slowly lead to a decline of his counter-revolution following the war. How did Franco view Protestants? Indeed, how should Protestants view Franco? That last question is more engaged than answered as we have the opportunity to learn from one of the great historians of Spain.

Book: The Spanish Civil War

Other resources by Dr. Payne:

- Franco: A Personal and Political Biography

- Franco and Hitler: Spain, Germany, and World War II

- The Franco Regime, 1936-1975

- The Collapse of the Spanish Republic, 1933-1936: Origins of the Civil War

- Fascism: Comparison and Definition

- Fascism in Spain, 1923-1977

- A History of Fascism, 1914-1945

- En Defensa De Espana: Desmontando Mitos y Leyendas Negras

- Spain: A Unique History

- Spanish Catholicism: An Historical Overview

See also the article: “The Road to Revolution”

Other resources:

Granada (Documentary); BBC In Our Time

The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas

Fascism: The Career of a Concept by Paul Gottfried

Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror by Victor Sebestyen

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Jeremy Kimble to discuss his book Behold and Become: Reading Scripture for Transformation. What is Scripture, and how do Christians understand it’s place in the Christian life? In today’s episode, Dr. Kimble takes us through not only the character of Scripture, but it’s efficacy and authority – as well as some more practical advice for Christians to be more “word-saturated”. What does it mean to pray Scripture, and even to meditate on Scripture? Is the Bible truly one story – rooted and revealing of Jesus Christ? Moreover, we ask Jeremy about the connection between Scripture and the Beatific Vision in a Protestant context that truly honors the place of Scripture as uniquely inspired of and for the Christian Faith.

Book: Behold and Become: Reading Scripture for Transformation

Other books by Dr. Kimble:

How Can I Get More Out of My Bible Reading?

40 Questions about Church Membership and Discipline

That His Spirit May Be Saved: Church Discipline as a Means to Repentance and Perseverence

Other resources:

We Become What We Worship by G.K. Beale

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life; Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney

What It Means to be Protestant by Gavin Ortlund (also see here)

The Courage to Be Protestant; No Place for Truth; God in the Whirlwind by David Wells

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer

“The Protestant Doctrine of the Perspicuity of Scripture: A Reformulation on the Basis of Biblical Teaching” by Gregg Allison

In this episode, Skyler and Casey discuss past mistakes made on the show (the silly, the bad, and the ugly), check-in with the audience, and partially review the introduction to a biography of Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855-1931).