Inevitable Tensions

(Bonus material) With the big Presidential election a week away, the Todds discuss what it looks like to trust Christ, and have a clear view of what our world looks like and the direction it is heading. No real big philosophical debate in this episode, it's just a bonus conversation about the biggest decision our country is making in a week.

Christianity is sometimes described as sacrificing our own personal happiness or joy to follow Christ, because this certainly has to cost us something, right?? Wait - that's not it? Pursuing delight and pleasure can't be what God wants for us, is it? The Toddcast discusses...

Justification and Sanctification are these big words that we use as we look at Scripture and pull apart what salvation looks like....but do we actually know what these words mean? This episode helps to clarify exactly what these are and how they work together. We tackle questions like "Does one come before the other or are they simultaneous? Are there churches that disagree on the order in which these come? Why is it important for me to be able to delineate between the two?"

So this "prosperity gospel" thing is pretty well known, but is it actually another gospel? What's wrong with it, and what do they have right? Is it really that dangerous to promote it, or is it just another interpretation of the Bible? The Todds discuss...

So many churches, so many mega churches - how is "success" defined for a church? Is it better to get as many people inside to hear the pastor give a message?

So, God is incapable of evil - yet He created beings that can do evil? How did evil get here in the first place? Is God using evil the same way He uses good in pointing us to Him?

So God is Sovereign and already knows who's going to heaven? Yes. But we are supposed to share our faith with others so that they may be saved? Yes. How do these two sides work together?

Can a homosexual be a Christian? Will there be gay people in Heaven?

Hang on a sec, if God's will is ultimately going to get done - why are we praying? Do our prayers influence God's plans? What if our prayers aren't well thought out or seem to flow from habit - do those prayers not count? Sometimes we end up praying more in a day because we are eating more, and surely we MUST pray before eating, right???

Are we just robots? Here's a big question - How much of our salvation is God doing His will and how much is us making the decision to follow Christ? If God is sovereign and knows who will be saved, do we even have a choice?