Real Bible Rob: Affirming Christianity Podcast Real Bible Rob - Inclusive Christianity Discussions Real Bible Rob | PCUSA Ministry Insights

Real Bible Rob: Affirming Christianity Podcast Real Bible Rob - Inclusive Christianity Discussions Real Bible Rob | PCUSA Ministry Insights

By Rob Christ | Inclusive ChristianityReligion & SpiritualityChristianitySpiritualityReligion
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Real Bible Rob: Affirming Christianity Podcast Real Bible Rob - Inclusive Christianity Discussions Real Bible Rob | PCUSA Ministry Insights episodes

  • What Born Again Really Means, John 3:3-7, John 3:16

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    "Born Again Christian" is a label you wear proudly or are very leery about it. This dichotomy is intentional and says a lot about how you see scripture and salvation. Most people think of evangelical Christians being Born Again. So why do some Christians, like myself, bristle at the label. It all has to do with a pun, that you only really see in Greek. It gets to the playfulness of the language in the Gospel of John. It also shows us that the way Nicodemus saw salvation isn't so much different than modern Christians do. I then talk about the most famous verse in the New Testament, John 3:16. You see it on billboards and t-shirts. It seems to have magical powers of evangelism and conversion. But again, it is a little different in Greek and not nearly as conditional sounding. You only have to look one verse later to see why.

    #bornagain #john316 #evangelical #salvation #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    29 min
  • Why the Lord’s Prayer is crucial, Matthew 6:9-13

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    The Lord’s Prayer is a central feature of Christian worship. Why? There’s a long history and it’s part of a bigger question of why the Sermon on the Mount is so crucial. This is critical in today’s Christianity. Many Christians are openly disdainful of the central message of the sermon and the prayer. I think a better understanding of the Lord’s Prayer can help return us to a sense of balance. I go through the prayer line by line in Greek to show how. 

    #lordsprayer #sermononthemount #christiannationalism #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    36 min
  • Jesus Broke the Law! John 5:9-18 & Matthew 5:17-20

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    Wait a minute, I thought Jesus was sinless, in Hebrews 4:15! If you ever want to smoke out religious bullies, this is one of the best ways to do it. Most people understand that strict application of the law and being faithful to the intent of the law are not the same thing. According to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus was a big law breaker, but we know that Jesus was on the right side of the kingdom of heaven. I compare two ways of reading the Sermon on the Mount to show that we are surrounded by Pharisees today who want to use the law as a weapon instead of freedom. I also talk about the New Covenant and why it is more important than ever to understand it. 

    #sermononthemount #beatitudes #jesus #torah #law #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    33 min
  • Transgender a real issue? Genesis 1:27 & Matthew 19:10-12

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    It's heartbreaking how transgender people are being targeted as political pawns by Christians. What does the Bible have to say about gender? Is transgender against God's plan for humanity? Why are 1% of the population so threatening to many Christians? I deal with the commonly used verses against trans people and the biblical concepts of gender. I also talk about body modification and the arguments that gender-affirming surgery is an affront to God. Yet, the people who say these things have no problem with circumcision, corrective surgery for congenital problems, tattoos, and elective plastic surgery. Transgender people need our love and protection. 

    #transgender #lgbtq #gender #onemanonewoman #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    30 min
  • Lukewarm is not lukewarm from Revelation 3:15-22

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    Are you lukewarm? This is one of the biggest insults you can tell a Christian, but it is almost always said by lukewarm pastors who don't know what it means. The rebuke against the Laodicean church is one of the most misused parts of the New Testament. Lukewarm is a metaphor for self-satisfaction and complaisance. It is explicitly about works, not faith. But it is usually interpreted about not being on fire for the Lord. People are afraid about being "spit out" if they are not passionate or fervent enough. Instead the verse is about self-sufficiency and arrogance. These were already Christians, so Jesus knocking at the door is not about evangelism. Instead is about their merciless and indifference to the poor and vulnerable. I speak about the history behind this passage and how it is so badly used by the church today. Our self-satisfaction is leading us to reject the gospel message. 

     

    #laodicea #lukewarm #faith #works #revelation #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    25 min
  • Heart, Kidneys and Bad Theology from Jeremiah 17:9-10

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    This is about Bible translation and the bad theology that can come from it. There are many different ways Jeremiah 17:9-10. It is most often used to say, "Don't trust your heart!" But this is a terrible interpretation. The fundamentalist website Desiring God features an article by one of its founders that says, "Don't Follow Your Heart" and “No, our hearts will not save us. We need to be saved FROM our hearts." But the word for heart Levav in Hebrew means reason and mind. It is the word Kelahyote, which means kidneys, that means the emotions, passions, and feelings. This misunderstanding has led many people to believe the bad theology expressed in the Desiring God article, but it is passionately held by many Christians. This is the basis for their "sin of empathy" beliefs. I examine what these verses mean in context, and you should follow your heart because it is the best check on the fallacies of the mind. This is consistent with the overall theme of Jeremiah, that we need both reason and feelings to be faithful to God.

    Jeremiah 17:9 
    The heart is devious above all else;
        it is perverse—
        who can understand it?

    Jeremiah 17:10 in the ESV:  “I the Lord search the HEART and test the MIND, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” 

    Jeremiah 17:10 in the Jubilee Bible: "I the LORD search the HEART; I try the KIDNEYS, even to give each man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings." 

    Jeremiah 17:10 in the NRSV:  "I the Lord test the MIND and search the HEART, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings." 

    Jeremiah 17:10 in the NET: "I, the Lord, probe into people’s MINDS. I examine people’s HEARTS. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done." 

    #bibletranslation #theology #heart #mind #deviousheart #followyourheart #desiringgod #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    26 min
  • Freedom in the Spirit from 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 & Hebrews 8:10-13

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    Learning a new meaning of a favorite scripture is one of the great joys of preaching every week. 2 Corinthians 3 is one of those. When paired with the lectionary readings about Moses on Mount Sinai and the Transfiguration of Jesus, I saw that it is so much more than just an explanation of the Law and the New Covenant. Verse 17 "where the Spirit is, there is freedom" shows the glory of the New Covenant. I explain the standard interpretation of these stories, but I then expand it to a pivotal understanding of the Transfiguration. It was the handing over of the Old Covenant when God's face was dangerous and hidden to God revealed in Jesus. This is such an important concept that is overlooked by many Christians and non-Christians alike. Rather than the systematic theology focusing only on atonement, Jesus's presence is all about revealing the face of God. In this there is freedom! 

    #newcovenant #transfiguration #moses #holyspirit #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    26 min
  • Obsessed with Your Sin from Matthew 12:22-32 & 1 John 3:4-10

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    Many Christians are obsessed with sin. Especially your sin. There is a common refrain that Jesus talked much more about the condemnation of sin than he did about compassion. This is fallacious. Jesus hardly spoke about individual sin and rarely condemned individuals. He overwhelmingly showed compassion to individuals. He reserved his ire for Pharisees and religious leaders. Most references to sin, repentance, and condemnation were directed to groups of people and unjust systems. The "unforgivable sin" in Matthew 12:31 is a good example. This is the most feared verse of many evangelicals because they personalize it rather than seeing it about religious leaders and systems. 1 John 3:4-10 is often used to condemn sinners, but this is done by ignoring the surrounding chapter about God's love and truth. I discuss that this hyper-focus on sin is a longstanding strategy by religious bullies to exert control. 

     

    #sin #gospel #compassion #unforgivablesin #penalsubstitutionaryatonement #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    31 min
  • Women Priests with Rev. Adina Meyer - Judges 4:5 & Luke 8:1-3

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    Rev. Adina Meyer is an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Women Priests International Movement within the Roman Catholic Church. She also leads a UCC congregation in Seattle. She is also a terrific friend of mine. We took classes together in seminary and we love to talk theology, church and ministry. The concept of women priests is new to many people but women served major ministerial roles throughout scripture and in the history of the church. Deborah served in priestly role as judge of all Israel in Judges 4. Mary Magdalene is often called the apostle of apostles with Jesus. The early Christian church did not have priests, but Lydia, Junia, and Priscia clearly had ministerial roles. Junia was likely an apostle herself. Adina and I talk about what it means to be a priest today and the apostolic authority vested in ordination. We talk about Bishop Budde's prophetic witness at the Inauguration, especially in contrast to Franklin Graham's prayer. Against all odds and the vigorous resistance of many, women priests are making a big difference in the life of the church universal and the prophetic witness of Christ in the world. 

    #womenpriests #romancatholicwomenpriests #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    37 min
  • Genocide & the Bible with Deuteronomy 7:1-2 & 1 Samuel 15:2-11

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    Genocide is the hardest part of the Bible. How can we justify the call for total war and the total destruction of enemies in the Hebrew scriptures with a loving God? The concept is called Cherem in Hebrew. It is not enough to defeat an enemy but you must obliterate the enemy, including all men, women, and children, and their livestock. God commands in Deuteronomy 7 to show no mercy. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul loses the favor of God for being too merciful. I dive into the meaning of these passages in history. Then I discuss how genocide has been and continues to be in our history. It is not enough to win, but their memory must be obliterated. I also talk about indigenous people and the underappreciated history of Japanese Internment during World War 2. This is why we must hold our leaders to account because history shows us that dehumanizing rhetoric and lies are the first steps toward genocide. Killing the body is not the point of genocide. Killing ideas is. 

    #genocide #herem #oldtestament #japaneseinternmentcamps #dachauconcentrationcamp #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

    38 min

About Real Bible Rob: Affirming Christianity Podcast Real Bible Rob - Inclusive Christianity Discussions Real Bible Rob | PCUSA Ministry Insights

From the publisher's feed

Exploring Bible interpretation and modern Christian faith, I am a Presbyterian USA minister who interprets the Bible in all of its messy and varied voices. I teach and preach spiritual growth to…