Echoing Hope with Kurt Willems

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

Episode Sponsors

1) This episode is sponsored by Logos Mobile Education, providing theological education and practical ministry training for pastors and leaders. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Logos Mobile Education Lecture Hall. This online learning community is designed to provide free lectures and access to free Logos Mobile Education courses and will help your ministry. Join the Lecture Hall today for free access to Dr. Robert Sloan's NT344 Paul's Theology and the Letter to the Philippians. In this course, Dr. Robert Sloan explores the theological concepts and terminology in Philippians moves you beyond a book-level understanding to understanding Paul's theology as whole. Learn more atwww.logos.com/lecture hall.

2) This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the newMaster of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

Episode Sponsors

1) This episode is sponsored by Logos Mobile Education, providing theological education and practical ministry training for pastors and leaders. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Logos Mobile Education Lecture Hall. This online learning community is designed to provide free lectures and access to free Logos Mobile Education courses and will help your ministry. Join the Lecture Hall today for free access to Dr. Robert Sloan's NT344 Paul's Theology and the Letter to the Philippians. In this course, Dr. Robert Sloan explores the theological concepts and terminology in Philippians moves you beyond a book-level understanding to understanding Paul's theology as whole. Learn more at www.logos.com/lecture hall.

2) This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

Episode Sponsors

1) This episode is sponsored by Logos Mobile Education, providing theological education and practical ministry training for pastors and leaders. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Logos Mobile Education Lecture Hall. This online learning community is designed to provide free lectures and access to free Logos Mobile Education courses and will help your ministry. Join the Lecture Hall today for free access to Dr. Robert Sloan's NT344 Paul's Theology and the Letter to the Philippians. In this course, Dr. Robert Sloan explores the theological concepts and terminology in Philippians moves you beyond a book-level understanding to understanding Paul's theology as whole. Learn more at www.logos.com/lecture hall.

2) This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

In this episode, Greg Boyd chats with Kurt Willems about spiritual warfare in Paul and others. This is a pastoral and theological conversation, more so than an issue focused only on the historical Paul. But, from time to time, these conversations are fun as well!

Episode Sponsors

1) This episode is sponsored by Logos Mobile Education, providing theological education and practical ministry training for pastors and leaders. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Logos Mobile Education Lecture Hall. This online learning community is designed to provide free lectures and access to free Logos Mobile Education courses and will help your ministry. Join the Lecture Hall today for free access to Dr. Robert Sloan's NT344 Paul's Theology and the Letter to the Philippians. In this course, Dr. Robert Sloan explores the theological concepts and terminology in Philippians moves you beyond a book-level understanding to understanding Paul's theology as whole. Learn more at www.logos.com/lecture hall.

2) This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

In this episode, Kurt Willems interviews Professor Mark D. Baker of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. Mark studied with Richard Hays at Duke and did a contextual project spurred on by his experience as a missionary in Honduras. His work focuses on Galatians, which he breaks down in this episode. Check out his website to see more of his work.

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. In The End Times in Paul and Others, Kurt Willems examines Paul's "end times" theology, seeking to understand his own expectations of the Second Coming through a historical lens. Then, Kurt compares various other New Testament authors' perspectives on the end as well. Do they line up? Does Paul envision a future tribulation and a rapture? What about Jesus? Revelation? And others?

If you are tired of end times madness but want to know what the historical Paul believed and taught, this series is for you. But it doesn't stop there, in an uncharacteristic move for The Paulcast, we will devote full episodes to other relevant texts from outside of the Pauline epistles!

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

Paul didn't just sit around and pontificate lofty theological ideas from a chamber flowing with the finest wines and grains of abundance. Not even close. Paul, although an intellectual, was a practitioner. For him, theology is always practical.

In Paul's short letter to Philemon, he challenges power structures of the day by contending for peace between a slave owner (Philemon) and a runaway slave (Onesimus). According to our friends at The Global Immersion Project, peacemaking in the way Jesus involves several practices: SEE, IMMERSE, and CONTEND—with the dream of eventual restoration. In this letter, Paul has clearly taken time to SEE the humanity of both of these men, he has IMMERSED in their stories, and now must contend for the life of Onesimus. This letter is peacemaking 101, folks! So good!

In light of the current challenges we see in social media land, family relationships, and church dynamics in the aftermath of the Orlando mass shooting of 49+ LGBTQ persons, peacemaking couldn't be more relevant today. Listen along as we learn from Paul how to enter spaces of conflict.

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc.

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.

In this special edition of The Paulcast, Kurt explores a topic that is on the hearts and minds of many people in the aftermath of the horrific shooting that took place in Orlando. 50 lives were lost. 49 lives were lost because of one thing: their identity. LGBTQ persons continue to struggle to find equal footing in our society, and this tragedy is another reminder of how far our culture has to go to make a safer and more humanizing world. 

Questions are often raised, during times like this, about how the Scriptures speak to issues pertaining to sexuality. In this episode of The Paulcast, Kurt explores the Roman vision of sexuality and virtue and how Paul confronted such ideals of hierarchy with a better way: the way of love. Is Paul homophobic? Doubtful. Was Paul speaking to issues of same-sex practices that are the same as what LGBTQ folks advocate for today as blessed before God in the context of covenantal marriage? That is a "debatable matter." What isn't up for debate, however, is Paul's insistence that Christ-followers of differing convictions belong at the same table. Without solving the "who is right?" question, Kurt offers some observations about gender in the ancient world that 'traditionalists' and 'progressives' tend to interpret differently.

This episode is sponsored by Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. They are excited to announce the launch of the new Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership and Culture. This online program, designed for practicing pastors and ministry entrepreneurs, will help you understand and integrate sub-cultures, theology, and leadership into practice. Guest faculty like Bruxy Cavey, Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd model practical integration of Anabaptist theology and 21st century kingdom work. Learn more at fpu.edu/mlc. 

*Show sponsors do not endorse every word or idea discussed on The Paulcast.