This is part two of the Restoration Theology class.

Restorationism–the impulse to restore authentic Christianity–is not new. Before diving in to learn how to build a proper restoration theology, we owe it to those who have come before us, to remember how we got here. Although we generally take for granted our freedom to dissent from the governing authorities and the unprecedented access to information we have today, our advantages are the result of centuries of struggle. Today we’ll contextualize modern restorationism as the climactic end of a chain of events stretching back five centuries, which I hope will give an appreciation for the pedigree of restorationism and inspire you to carry forward that work.

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This is part one of the Restoration Theology class.

How do you know what to believe? Have you ever been frustrated when hearing multiple perspective on a doctrine and weren’t sure which to believe? There are so many denominations out there, each with its own statement of faith and traditions. How can you be sure that the beliefs you inherited are really true? Will you be satisfied if I just say, “Trust me. I’m a pastor. I’ve been to seminary. Don’t trouble yourself with figuring out doctrine. I’m the expert; you’re the layman. Just believe whatever I say.” How would you feel about that? Maybe if you know me and you’ve been a longtime listener to this podcast, you might be fine with that. That is, until someone else, equally intelligent, equally credentialled, and equally as persuasive comes along teaching a contradictory doctrine. Call me a stickler, but topics as important as what to believe about God, yourself, and salvation are way too important to leave to blind faith. I’m not saying you need to become an expert or get a Ph. D., but you do need to know how the process works. Ultimately you are responsible for your beliefs not me or the thousand other podcasters out there. You.

Welcome to Restoration Theology, my brand-new class designed to guide you through a comprehensive and systematic method to evaluate your beliefs. I’ve been working on this class for the last few months, but really, I’ve been preparing for this class for over two decades as I’ve pursued education in biblical studies, biblical languages, church history, and theology. I’m so excited to share with you what I’ve learned and guide you through the process of figuring out what to believe. My focus for this class is not on telling you what to believe, but on teaching you a method to figure out your beliefs for yourself.

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One of the great concerns that many of us pastors have about our churches is the lack of community. So often people come, sit for a while, and leave without making any real connections with others who are present. In other cases, a self-centered, spectator mindset leads to cynicism and misery, which, in turn, degrades or divides the community. I originally delivered this sermon back in January of 2022 at a weekend event called Revive, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. It was a time of intense partisan politics, accusations of racism, and much civil unrest. Rather than focuses on what to do, I preached on what not to do. Hopefully you find it helpful.

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Greg Cheney grew up in Texas where he joined the Independent Fundamental Baptists. In his twenties, he felt a call to ministry, which resulted in ordination and serving in three Baptist churches. After an unpleasant five years in ministry, Cheney found himself in the corrections industry. At this point, with no remaining institutional ties, he began questioning his beliefs on a variety of subjects. This is his story.

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Who is the child Isaiah prophesied about in the famous line, “For unto us a child is born”? Although most Christians see this as a reference to Jesus, we should first ask what this meant to Isaiah and his original audience seven centuries before Christ. When we do, we see that this prophecy was actually about deliverance from the Assyrian Empire and an unprecedented, miraculous military victory. Even so, Jesus also fulfilled aspects of this prophecy in his ministry, and I believe he will fulfill the rest when he comes again.

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Today we’re promoting a couple of upcoming events in 2026. First up is the inaugural conference near Sydney, Australia for the Unitarian Christian Alliance. This will be a weekend of scholarly presentations as well as practical workshops. In what follows I chat with several of the organizers for the event, including Matthew Bradley, Jeff Deuble, Andrew and Vivienne Johnstone, Ali Steer, and Kerry Weinholz. After that we’ll hear some comments on recent episodes and then I’ll give information about our upcoming winter event here in New York, called Revive. I hope I can see you at one of these events, or some other time in 2026.

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Metaphysics Mike talks about his recent debate with Al Garza over the question is Jesus Yahweh. In the four-hour ordeal, two aspects of Garza’s unusual belief system made for a confusing and frustrating discussion: (1) Garza believes that Yahweh is not a name but an attributive title asserting eternality, and (2) he thinks the Syriac Peshitta and Aramaic Targums have primacy over the standard Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that virtually all Christians recognize as the foundation of our faith. In this debate review we talk about Mike’s experience and how he handled these curve balls and I give some suggestions of my own.

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Here’s the original debate video in all 4 hours of its glory.

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After graduating from Caltech with a degree in physics, Scott Sperling pursued computer science and ended up working in rocket science. He’s also been a Christian for decades and has applied his analytical mind to Bible study, especially on his website ScriptureStudies.com. In this interview I ask him about his paper, “A Hypothesis for the Mechanism of Bodily Resurrection” in which he explains how God can raise the dead on the basis of DNA and the neural connectome. He does not see any need for the existence of an immaterial soul or dualism to account for biblical resurrection.

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Heroes of Faith Series

Ezra stood at the precipice of history. God’s people had returned to the land after a traumatic seventy years in exile. They had begun rebuilding, but they had already–perhaps unknowingly–taken steps that would land them back into idolatry. Ezra’s stand for God changed the course of history. Not only was he a man of great faith who taught the Bible with clarity, but he also was a revivalist who inspired repentance and fidelity to God. In today’s episode, listen in to consider important lessons from Ezra’s life that can help you in yours today.

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