JED BREAKS BREAD

While this podcast isn't based upon the "reaction and critique" kind of content, an event occurred recently in the conservative evangelical sphere of Christianity which requires comment and clarity. In late January, Pastor Alistair Begg was recorded on a radio program offering advice to a woman who wanted to attend her grandchild's LGBTQ "wedding" ceremony. In his response to her, he suggested she go; his advice caused a great deal of controversy in conservative circles. 

As a follow up to episode 125 on "How Many Kids Should I Have?", this episode seeks to answer the question of what methods are morally acceptable for Christians to use in family planning. 

I interview my friend and elder-in-training Andrew Winters to get perspective from a Christian who is well-studied in biology. 

It is good to examine your roots - especially your theological roots. Often, we find that the messages and sermons preached in days gone by are as relevant and needed today as they were when first delivered. 

Today, I recorded a sermon first delivered by the Original Jonathan Edwards, on December 29, 1734. This was his New Year's message to the congregation. We would all do well to heed the exhortation found in this message. 

Note: this isn't a word-for-word reading of the sermon; some words/portions were altered to communicate more clearly to a 21st century audience. 

From a pastor's perspective, here are the seven most spiritually significant events of this year. These are events where theology and culture, or the church and the culture, have collided and they represent the main points of the spiritual battle we face. 

In case you haven't noticed, since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the pro-life movement has suffered a number of defeats at the state level. I live in Ohio, a state which recently passed Issue 1, which enshrines abortion and abortion access into the constitution of our state. 

This episode details three reasons why Pro-Lifers keep losing; there are certainly more reasons than these, however, the three detailed in this episode are true cornerstone issues that I identified from a pastoral perspective. 

The bottom line: if pastors are truly pro-life, then they need to ensure their church goers understand this is firstly a moral issue, not a political issue. Pastors need to step up and lead in this issue, and (as a collective) they're not. 

What Biblical principles guide the thinking of Christian couples (or soon to be couples) as they consider family planning? Is it even right to consider family planning, or should you just have "as many kids as God allows"? 

In this episode, I provide two Biblical commands that give direction for Christian couples seeking to honor the Lord, as well as a number of factors that should be taken into consideration which would provide an answer to "How many kids should we have?" 

The final installment in this series! 

In this episode, I share with you the Biblical history and origins of the conflict. I also provide five points for Christians to consider as they think about this conflict. 

The views presented are my own, and are subject to change as I think and study more on the topic, and as new information comes to light. They are not representative of the church's position on this matter.

Continuing to define the issue, this episode examines how one's theological perspective on the end times affects one's understanding of the Christian's relationship to culture. 

In this episode, the four main end times views are defined and I attempt to explain how this affects their perspective on the Christian and culture: 

1. Historical Premillennialism

2. Dispensational Premillennialism

3. Postmillennialism

4. Amillennialism 

Finally, it concludes with the challenge that one of my fellow pastors gave to me and how that challenge led to this particular study/theme. 

This is the first in a series of episodes that will examine how Christians relate to culture and how we think about engaging the culture with Biblical truth and principles. 

In episode 1, I provide a brief history of different historical perspectives on how Christian's have related to the culture, as well as an appeal to carefully consider one's own thoughts about this issue and how the Bible has shaped your thinking and actions.