Practically Christian

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we explore Psalm 137, which infamously concludes with this line: "Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." As Christians, what do we do with texts like this in the Bible? If the Psalms are our prayer book, how are we supposed to understand and even pray this?

Join us for this enlightening conversation as we explore these questions and more.

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we look at the account of Achan's sin, and the subsequent killing of his entire family...even all of his animals.

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

How do you respond when people critique the picture that the Old Testament paints of God? This can be especially difficult if you yourself are disturbed by some of the stories.

In this series we dive into four of the most infamous Old Testament stores and explore them in-depth. And, spoiler alert, there is a lot more going on in these stories than it may first appear!

In this episode we look at the account of the conquest, exploring the question: If God is good and loving, why would he command the Israelites to kill the Canaanites? Related, Is God guilty of commanding ethnic cleansing, or genocide, in this account?

Well-known atheist, Richard Dawkins, wrote: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

We're back! It has been two years since we've released an episode. Why is that? Welp, a lot of life change happened. Catch up on what has been happening with us.

Good news: If you're subscribed to the show, you will begin getting episodes every two weeks.

Why should hospitality be a cornerstone of the Christian life? And, if you're unsure about how to get started, where do you begin? Listen in as we interview our friends, Dave and Teresa Schoel about how their family practices hospitality together.

So far in this series, we've discussed how the moment you entrust yourself to Jesus, God sanctifies you. In the last episode, we discussed how the ongoing process of sanctification involves taking off the old self--meaning demolishing bad habits/ways of life that keep you from who God wants you to be. In this final episode of the series, we discuss the concept of transformation: How do you participate with the Holy Spirit to "put on the new self" and become more like Jesus?

On this episode of Practically Christian we look at the topic of Mortification and how it plays a role in our sanctification. Mortification is the destruction of sin in our lives. While sanctification is normally understood in a positive side, becoming more like Christ, mortification is the negative side of that. It is how we become more like Christ by fighting against the sin within us. 

We hope that you are able to understand the importance of fighting the sin within yourself and are able to take a step towards mortifying the sin within you after listening to this episode. 

To be sanctified means to be holy-fied. While many people think of sanctification as something that happens as you become more like Christ, the Bible also speaks about sanctification in the past tense. It is something that happened to you the moment you entrusted yourself to Christ.

Discussion Questions (to process this content with a friend, family member or small group):

Name 4-5 attributes of a child of God. Why did these attributes stand out to you? 

Which of these attributes are often exemplified in your life? Which are hardest for you to live out?

How might you partner with the Holy Spirit to push into the areas you are weaker?

Jesus warned us that persecution is to be expected. That's true globally for the church -- but what does it mean for us? Join the second half of our conversation about modern day persecution and how it affects us and our witness.

Suggested Resources:

Voice of the Martyrs Radio/Podcast

Write to Prisoners

Donate to Support Persecuted Christians and their Families

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever invested yourself in prayer and/or giving on behalf of persecuted Christians? If this facet of serving Jesus is compelling to you, how will you get started this week?

Do you ever find yourself comparing your "Christian status" with others? Jesus spoke with Peter after his resurrection, foreshadowing Peter's martyrdom and telling him not to compare himself with John. How does Jesus' command, "You, follow me," speak into your life?