In light of some sad news we share at the start of the podcast, Michael Hardin, Loren Rosser, and our new host, Dr. Stephen Crosby discuss the resurrection. Surprisingly, this is often a hot topic that can cause tempers to flare. But the three point out that this being a more speculative topic, when Christians discuss these things, we need to be generous of spirit. What is the hope that we have in Jesus? What do we have to look forward to? And how has platonism impacted the views many Christians have of the after life?

The Bible can be used in terrible ways. But the Bible is not the problem. The problem is the way of perceiving and using scripture that is the exact opposite of the whole point of why we have the scriptures. A flat reading of the Bible in which all voices are attributed to being the voice of God, rather than rightly DIVIDING the scriptures produces people who look more like Saul on his zealous mission to imprison people than people who look more like the forgiving crucified One.

The good news that announced the end of scapegoating has been taken captive and become the sacred justification of scapegoating. The very thing the Gospel ends has been converted into sacrificial religion. This is not some new trend but something that began centuries ago. This captivity twists our understanding of the beautiful Father Jesus revealed and turns him into all the other pagan gods who cry for blood, vengeance, and violence. The Gospel that reveals has been mutated into a message that conceals. It hides our Father and it hides who we are as human beings. This leaves the door wide open for Christians to accept sacred violence, vengeance, and scapegoating. The captive gospel flows with the world rather than against its mindsets and systems. Michael discusses with Loren his important work on this topic.

Is anyone thirsty? What does it mean to thirst? Why are so many Christians thirsty while proclaiming the One who said if we drink of the water He gives we will never thirst again? Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss how our "like" driven, influencer pursuing, crowd pleasing, AI developing culture promises satisfaction but leaves us thirsty. The good news is Jesus gives us water that quenches that thirst.

When tragic things happen in our lives is God the one coordinating those events? What about when wonderful things happen? Is God the big controller in the sky working out some master plan and we're all chess pieces on his board? Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the sovereignty of God and our delusions that cause us to play God.

Do we need to balance grace with the law? Does grace open the door to sin?

Is hyper-grace even a thing.

Join Loren, Michael, and myself as we take a look at “𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮”.

We love sweet baby Jesus! But do we like the man that baby becomes? Does the Gospel begin in the manager? Or are we perhaps starting the message at the wrong place? In this episode Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss where the Gospel begins and the importance of the incarnation in relation to that starting point.

Did you know we're living in a season where we're witnessing the wrath of God? But before you grab that megaphone and head to the nearest street corner to start screaming at people about God's burning anger you may want to first learn what that means. For the vast majority of Christians the wrath of God doesn't mean what they think it means. God is love and he is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Jim, Michael, and Loren launch season 4 with a fascinating discussion on the wrath of God and how AI is humanity's effort to cope with that wrath.

Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples. But what does that mean? What does discipleship look like? Is discipleship a Bible study? A class one attends? An academic curriculum? It seems there are as many ideas about how to disciple believers as there are Christian denominations. Jim, Michael, and Loren take a look at this important topic.

Isn't it interesting that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are strikingly similar? And that 2nd Peter and Jude are also so similar? What if the Bible interprets itself? What if certain writers actually pulled from other writes when they wrote their texts? Take a seat in the classroom and join Michael, Jim, and Loren in this fascinating conversation!