Jeff & Amy At the Well

This week we answer a question from a church member: what's the deal with the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" in the Genesis creation story? How are we to take that? Did God not want us to know? What's going on there? Jeff and Amy revert into full seminary-student mode to search for the answer, or at least for more questions!

This week Amy asks the questions to Jeff-- she thinks his new project on hope deserves some attention. So, listen in to hear about Jeff's research on hope. Then, check out his new blog looking to make what he's learned about hope accessible to everyone! You can find it at https://www.practicalhope.net

So much of life is spent in the hallway-- no longer in one room but not yet in the next. This week is part two of the conversation with special guest Brenda Hogan and she, Jeff, and Amy talk about what the wise call "liminal" times. Spoiler alert: it's the perfect place to find true companionship with other people and with God.

Ever disagreed with something you read about God? Good!

This week Jeff and Amy have a special guest: an old friend who is now a new pastor and seminary student, Brenda Hogan. Brenda had just such a moment in one of her classes about the nature of the so-called "second coming." Join the conversation!

Jesus says to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. As of this recording, we've all had complex emotions and thoughts with President Trump in the hospital. So what does it mean to pray for someone with whom you disagree, who's recklessness has surely caused death from COVID in this case? This week we take on the question and end up with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Join in!

So much is made about this idea of "hell," but when you study the Bible closely the common ideas don't hold up. More than that, though, the idea of hell as "eternal damnnation" is fundamentally harmful to your view of who God is. This week Jeff and Amy scratch the surface of the Biblical arguments but more importantly show why a healthier view of the afterlife can lead us all to something better.

Is it wrong to disagree with parts of the Bible? Scripture is a sacred document and truly a revelation of God. But how do we make sense of the terrible things that part of that too? The short answer is that the Bible is the story of people who got it wrong just as often as we do ourselves, and we can find God in their struggle as well as our own. The long answer? Listen in!

This week Jeff and Amy turn towards our spiritual journey. Joy is one of the main ways we see God day-to-day. But how do we find joy when everything around us seems so bad?

This week Jeff and Amy answer a question about what it means to "love thy neighbor," a question which is surprising controversial in how Jesus (and John Wesley) answers it.

This week Jeff and Amy talk about protesting. It's a big topic right now as protests continue in many parts of our nation. But this conversation focuses on a story from a couple of years ago, so perhaps the distance will help us see more clearly. At issue is the question of ethics: when is political action helpful and when does it cross a line to cause more harm than good?