Martin Luther was a man whose heart was held captive to the Word of God. He was used mightily by God to usher in the Protestant Reformation, which would serve to recover the core truths of the Gospel that had been obscured by medieval religion and superstition.

On this episode we will examine the life of the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Learn more at ReasonableTheology.org/Luther

Some Recommended Luther Biographies

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton: https://amzn.to/3QgzxNE

Luther and the Reformation: How a Monk Discovered the Gospel by RC Sproul: https://amzn.to/46P54O6

The Legacy of Luther by RC Sproul and Stephen Nichols: https://amzn.to/3Qad6Kd

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Christians have more access to Scripture than ever before. At the same time, study after study reveals that our time actually reading the Bible is declining. If we’re honest, most of us have experienced difficulty with getting into the Word and really engaging with the text.

Why is this the case, and how can we overcome our tendency to leave our Bibles unread?

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Alex Goodwin, co-founder of the Institute for Bible Reading and the author of The Bible Reset: Simple Breakthroughs to Make Scripture Come Alive.

In this conversation Alex and I discuss:

○ How some of the modern formatting in our Bibles creates friction that slows down our reading

○ The benefits of reading large sections (or even entire books) of the Bible in one sitting

○ Why we should read Scripture in community with other believers

○ How understanding what he calls the ‘six act drama’ of Scripture can help us connect the Bible’s central themes and get more out of our study.

Listen to our conversation and find some ways that you can reset your Bible reading habits.
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Introducing the 5-Foot Bookshelf, my list of 57 must-have books every Christian should own, all fitting neatly into a 5-foot shelf!

This whole idea was sparked by Charles W. Elliot, a past president of Harvard University, who believed you could get a solid education with just a 3-foot bookshelf. Eventually, he expanded it to 5 feet and filled it with a wide range of books now known as the "Harvard Classics."

I've curated a list of books in areas like Biblical studies, theology, church history, and Christian living, aiming to deepen your understanding of Scripture and strengthen your faith. Whether you're building your library from scratch, looking to expand your shelves, or just interested in a good book recommendation you're sure to find something on this list.

As the title suggests, these recommendations take up only 5 feet of shelf space in total, making this the perfect list for those with limited shelf space and a limited budget.

See the List & Download a Printable Copy: https://reasonabletheology.org/the-5-foot-bookshelf-57-great-books-every-christian-should-own/#7-christian-literature

📖 THE FIVE-FOOT BOOKSHELF COVERS:
• Biblical Studies
• Theology
• Apologetics
• Church History
• Christian Living
• Personal Devotion
• Christian Literature

LEAVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS
I'd love to hear your thoughts and any book recommendations you might have. But remember: if you suggest a book, let me know which one you'd swap out to keep within the 5-foot limit.

🛒 View the Full List on Amazon
Explore all the books mentioned in one place on this Amazon list: https://amzn.to/3tjwBIq

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• A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library

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William Tyndale was a Reformer, a Bible translator, and – ultimately – a martyr. He became an outlaw as he worked in secret to give England a translation of Scripture in their own language directly from original Hebrew and Greek texts.

In doing so, he had a tremendous impact not only on the history of the church but also on the history of the English language. Every modern translation of the Bible relies heavily on Tyndale’s work, and he helped to standardize the English language and came up with many words and phrases that are still in use today.

Although he was able to smuggle his New Testament translations into England, many were confiscated and burned by the Catholic Church. Because of this (and the fact that about 500 years has passed since they were initially published), original copies of Tyndale’s work are extremely rare.

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Owen Felix O’Neill – a rare book collector who has an original, complete copy of the Tyndale New Testament of 1534. He is in the process of making a facsimile copy of this remarkable book available to all, and you can learn more about the project at Tyndale1534.com.

Felix and I discuss the great impact that Tyndale’s Bible had on the church, how he got started with his collection of over 3,000 rare books, and how they have gone about scanning and reproducing his copy of Tyndale’s New Testament. We’ll also get to learn about a couple of other interesting items in his collection.

Check out the show notes for this episode and learn more about the project at ReasonableTheology.org/Tyndale. 

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• A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly
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• Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy
• A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library

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The three main philosophies which characterized Judaism in the New Testament period and before were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.

So what’s the difference between these three groups?

In this short episode you'll get an overview of each in order to help you as you encounter them in your study of the New Testament and its historical context.

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The Holy Spirit has been referred to as the “forgotten member of the Trinity.” At one extreme there are those who all but ignore the person and work of the Spirit and at the other extreme there are those who stray from Scripture in seeking to harness the power of the Spirit for their own purposes.

We don’t want to commit either of these errors, but instead we desire to have a right understanding of and appreciation for the Holy Spirit.

On this episode we’ll talk with Costi Hinn, who grew up in the extremes of the Word of Faith Movement but was saved and now serves as the Pastor as well as the founder and president of For the Gospel.

He’s also the author of Knowing the Spirit: Who He Is, What He Does, and How He Can Transform Your Christian Life.

We’ll discuss the common misconceptions about the person and work of the Holy Spirit, how Christians can discern whether something is of the Spirit or not, what it means to worship in Spirit and in truth, and how we are to understand practices like speaking in tongues or prophesying.

This is a great conversation that will help you better understand and appreciate the person and work of the Spirit in your everyday life.

Check out the show notes and see additional resources at ReasonableTheology.org/Hinn
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• A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library

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Can the techniques used to solve homicides be the same tools to establish the case for Christianity?

J. Warner Wallace was a seasoned homicide detective and a devout atheist. But everything changed when he turned his investigator’s eye towards the claims of Christianity, applying ten common rules of evidence that he’d used to solve crimes throughout his career.

The result? A transformation from skepticism to faith, and a bestselling book, “Cold-Case Christianity,” which has just released an updated and expanded 10th anniversary edition.

In this latest conversation with Detective Wallace we talk about how he used his skill set as a detective to evaluate the claims of Christianity.

• We’ll also learn about how we can employ the rules of evidence when evaluating the reliability of the Gospels.
• We’ll learn the important difference between direct and indirect evidence and how this impacts how we try to present the truthfulness of the Christian faith.
• We’ll also hear his advice for those who are earnestly seeking to understand whether or not the claims of Christ are true.

To see the show notes, explore links to other resources, or watch our conversation visit ReasonableTheology.org/coldcase

Pick up a copy of Cold Case Christianity: https://amzn.to/3Pp1eVu

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• A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library

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When was the book of Acts written, and what difference does it make?

Understanding when the book of Acts was written allows us to determine when many other New Testament books were composed.

Unfortunately, Biblical writings do not contain a copyright date, like a modern book do and so there is a wide range of opinion on when Acts was written.

Even so, we can be confident that it was composed in the early to mid-60s. Here are a few ways that scholars are able to reach that conclusion.

For more information: https://reasonabletheology.org/dating-book-acts/

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The use of paratroopers began in WW2. At the start of the war, landing airborne soldiers in the correct location in the dark was a challenge.

To solve this problem, the military created the pathfinders. Pathfinders were small groups of specially trained paratroopers who jumped ahead of the rest of the force. Once on the ground, the job of the pathfinder was to mark the correct drop zone with signal beacons, flares, or special lanterns visible from the air.

These men would literally light the way, allowing pilots and paratroopers to see where they needed to land. In the midst of darkness and chaos, fear and danger, light provided a way for others to head in the right direction. 

The Christian is to be such a light. In many ways, we are called to be spiritual pathfinders pointing others to Jesus Christ in a dark and dangerous world where it is easy for people to follow the wrong things and end up far from God.

Philippians 2:12-16
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

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"Blessed are the poor in spirt…blessed are those who mourn…blessed are the meek..."

Christ’s beatitudes in Matthew 5 present a means of obtaining joy and blessedness in this life that is drastically different than what our culture presents as the pathway to success and fulfillment.

Yet in the beatitudes we will find great wisdom and practical answers for how Christians are to live in this world and how we are best able to cultivate God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”

On this episode I speak with Pastor Chris Castaldo about his latest book, The Upside Down Kingdom: Wisdom for Life from the Beatitudes.

We discuss how these counter-intuitive principles from Jesus truly are the best way to navigate our fallen world, how some believers misunderstand and wrongly reject calls to be meek peacemakers in our contentious culture, what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and how the beatitudes can help us to live well in a world increasingly hostile to the things of God.

You’ll find the show notes for this episode at ReasonableTheology.org/Kingdom where you can find more resources to dive deeper into this topic. 

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