New Persuasive Words

In this episode we talk about the recently released Netflix film The Two Popes.

This is our annual Christmas episode. Have a great holiday!

In this episode, joined by Matthew Milliner, we talk about iconoclasm. The Iconoclastic Controversy, was a dispute over the use of religious images (icons) in the Byzantine Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Iconoclasts (those who rejected images) objected to icon veneration for several reasons, including the Old Testament prohibition against images in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4) and the possibility of idolatry. The defenders of the use of icons insisted on the symbolic nature of images and on the dignity of created matter.

You can download Matt Milliner's review essay "Everything you know about Byzantine art is wrong" here.

Special Guest: Matt Milliner.

We continue our "Romance of Orthodoxy" series. We've been considering the development of Christian orthodoxy and some of the major challenges and debates that helped formulate the heart of the Christian faith. In this episode we consider the Fourth Century controversies that led to the Chalcedonian Council, which declared that Christ had two natures in one person, and the relationship between the natures.

In this episode we continue talking about the Romance of Christian Orthodoxy, considering what many consider to be the grandest heresy of them all: Arianism.

In this episode we continue our series on the Romance of Orthodoxy. We consider the heresy that seems to have perennial appeal in Christian history: Gnosticism.

Continuing our series about the Romance of Orthodoxy, we consider the modalist heresy, which holds that Father, Son, and Spirit are really not persons but more like masks or roles God puts on in relationship to the world.

In this episode we continue to talk about the Romance of Orthodoxy. We talk about Marcionism, a heresy that claims the God of the Hebrew Bible is fundamentally different than the God revealed in Jesus Christ. We find a surprising modern example of the position in renowned theologian David Bentley Hart. We consider a recent exchange he had with First Things contributor Peter Leithart.

Continuing our series on the Romance of Orthodoxy, we discuss the "docetic" heresy, which claims that Jesus Christ was divine, but not really human.

Continuing our discussion of the romance of orthodoxy, we consider controversies in the history of the church. In this episode we discuss the early church's struggle with the role of Torah observance and the inclusion of Gentiles.

We reference an atonement chart put together by Brad East. You can find it here.