Faith in the Folds

If you believe in the kind of predestination that rejects free will, I don't think you can take seriously Jesus's call to repent ... nor any other command in the New Testament.

What is the number of the Beast in Revelation 13? In today's episode I discuss the ancient practice of gematria and its relevance for uncovering one of Revelation's most intriguing mysteries.

Today I sit down with Casey Coston, Campus Missionary for the University of Delaware, with Blue Hens for Christ. Casey has been in campus ministry for 20 years, and he talks with me about how God has worked on him through the years to make him who God wants him to be.

You can find out more about Casey and his new book Made Competent here: https://www.reflectmissions.org/made-competent

Alex Bernardo of The Protestant Libertarian Podcast joins us again, this time to talk about the inherent similarities of Christian Nationalism and Progressive Christianity. Check out his insightful article from the Libertarian Christian Institute: https://libertarianchristians.com/2023/10/09/progressive-christian-nationalism-left-right-authoritarian/

The podcast has been mostly dormant for a few months because we moved out of state and I started a new career. But now we're back! Today I share the twenty-year journey of how I got my dream job of teaching college Bible.

Today I had the great pleasure of talking with one of my favorite YouTubers, Sam of the channel Master Samwise. He is an insightful film and TV critic, and has created several video essays on the virtuous masculinity of some of my favorite fictional characters: Aragorn and Samwise Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings and Iroh of the Fire Nation from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

You can find Master Samwise's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@master_samwise

And check out this one on General Iroh: https://youtu.be/IzINu0wezWU?si=8qDO-oYY1Fp3DruJ

We referenced this video early on in the interview: Why Men Need Male Heroes: https://youtu.be/DkKcc-71fIU?si=vWYi3CQQ61wQglxC

Dr. Steve Cloer joins me today to talk about a new and exciting Memphis-based venture with Harding University, the Center for Church and City Engagement. Steve's extensive urban ministry experience and his work with Harding School of Theology's Doctor of Ministry program provide the ideal combination for raising the next generation of city-based ministry.

Do the gospels really contradict each other? What does it mean for the Bible to be "inspired"? Michael Licona joins me again on the podcast to talk about these issues and his new book Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently (Zondervan Academic, 2024).

You can find Mike's personal ministry Risen Jesus here: https://www.risenjesus.com/

Mike's new book Jesus, Contradicted is available from Zondervan Academic: https://zondervanacademic.com/products/jesus-contradicted

Or you can find Mike's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0darIKx

Joining me again on the podcast is Smith Hopkins, a longtime friend and a church planter in the University district of Memphis, Tennessee. Smith works with Oikos Church, a church plant in partnership with Highland Church of Christ in Cordova, TN (greater Memphis area). Smith and I talk about the challenges of church planting in an urban area, and what he has learned in almost three years of working with a church plant. It was a joy to catch up with Smith and to hear about the good things God is doing with Oikos.

You can find more about Oikos Church here: https://www.oikosmemphis.org/

Joining me on the podcast is Dr. Benjamin Shaw, President of CORE Apologetics and Adjunct Professor for Liberty University and Colorado Christian University. Today Ben and I talk about his interest and work in apologetics, a Christian ministry dedicated to helping others find meaningful answers to their questions about faith, God, Jesus, evil, reality, and so much more.

CORE Apologetics, https://www.coreapologetics.com/

Ben has several publications to his name which are linked below.

Coming July 30, 2024 from InterVarsity Press, Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament, https://a.co/d/29ZJd1z

For more of Ben's work, you can follow him and his associates here, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Shaw-3