Frederick Faith Debate

When we read what the Bible says about the end of the world as we know it, including the tribulation and Second Coming of Christ, are we reading history?  (Meaning that it has already happened.)  Or perhaps partially history, with some of it having happened with more yet to come?  Or is it all futuristic?  Saying it is history is called Preterism.  Preterism is divided into two camps: Full Preterism (believing that all prophecy has come to absolute fruition) and Partial Preterism (believing that all prophecy has been fulfilled, and yet there is more to come).  This is part 3 of a 5 part discussion on this topic.

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Travis Finley, blogger and podcaster with a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Preterism.  What is it?  What do Christians who hold to this view believe, and what are some of their main reasons for believing they way that they do?  Has all of biblical prophecy been completely fulfilled and realized?  Has Jesus already returned?  Are there reasons from the Bible for thinking so?  This episode is part two of a five show arc during which we address questions such as, “When will the end of the world occur?  Will it end at all?  Or has it already ended in some sense?  Should Christians scour the newspaper looking for clues in the headlines of daily events?”

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Travis Finley, blogger and podcaster with a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Dispensational.  Amillennial.  Post Millennial.  Pre-Trib.  Post-Trib.  Mid-Trib.  Preterist.  Futurist.  Partial Preterist.  These are all words that can come up when discussing eschatology, “last things”, Armageddon. “the end of the age”.  What do they all mean?  How should we examine these sorts of perspectives?  This episode provides an overview in defining these terms, and sets up the discussion that will follow over four additional shows.

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Travis Finley, blogger and podcaster with a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary.

What is the point of relevance?  Why even talking about it?  Is it merely a marketing question about purposely building interracial/multi-national churches and/or demographically targeted congregations?  It what ways was the earthly ministry of Jesus relevant to the Jewish culture around him?  What can we learn from this?  This episode tackles these sorts of questions while we tie up loose ends from the previous episodes in this five-episode arc.

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Howard “Chuck” Copeland III, Pastor at Hosanna Worship Center.

Taking a short view:  What’s happening in churches now and in recent years in the effort to be relevant to the surrounding culture?  Skits, dramatic dance, and even worship services featuring U2 as worship music have been tried.  So has décor that’s like Starbucks, mega churches with multiple programs, and now a renewed house church movement.  Are these good, bad, or indifferent things?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Howard “Chuck” Copeland III, Pastor at Hosanna Worship Center.

Taking a long view with a quick survey of church history:  Has it been a good thing that Easter and Christmas traditions were co-opted from other cultures, as the church worked to be relevant to their neighbors?  What about the Black Madonna and Black Messiah?  Or drums and guitars replacing organs… after organs replaced a cappella singing.  Has the church mostly helped or mostly hurt its cause by seeking relevance through the embrace of elements found in surrounding culture?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Howard “Chuck” Copeland III, Pastor at Hosanna Worship Center.

Are the efforts by churches to be relevant a good thing?  Why?  Why not?  Should the church seek to mirror culture?  Change culture?  Ignore culture?  Whose culture?  Does the church’s cultural relevance effort ever go too far?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Howard “Chuck” Copeland III, Pastor at Hosanna Worship Center.

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What is the current state of the “relevance dialog/debate” in the church?  What does the “relevance landscape” look like?  Are “seeker sensitive” churches relevant?  How about “high church” with lots of liturgy?  What has been the impact of high profile pastors such as Andy and Charles Stanley, Matt Chandler, John Piper, John MacArthur, etc.?  In other words, what are churches today doing in an effort to be relevant?  And to whom?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Howard “Chuck” Copeland III, Pastor at Hosanna Worship Center.

The three marks of the church from a Protestant (especially Reformed) view are:  The Word Rightly Preached, the Sacraments Rightly Administered, Discipline Rightly Applied.

This week the focus is on the question:  What should a person do when their church does not exhibit the three marks?  When is it right to leave and how should this be done?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Dr. Peter DellaSantina, Pastor at Neelsville Presbyterian Church.

The three marks of the church from a Protestant (especially Reformed) view are:  The Word Rightly Preached, the Sacraments Rightly Administered, Discipline Rightly Applied.

This week the focus is on the third of these.  What is church Discipline and what does it look like when it is “rightly” applied?

Panel:  Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator.  Dr. Jace Broadhurst, Pastor at Poolesville Baptist Church.  Dr. Peter DellaSantina, Pastor at Neelsville Presbyterian Church.

Aired: April 16th, 2017