Restitutio

Today my guest, Aaron Shelenberger, and I are tackling a second scholarly objection of Bart Ehrman against the resurrection of Jesus. We're taking a deep dive into the historian's use of probability to establish whether a particular event happened. Are miracles by definition improbable? Does the rarity of miracles preclude the historian from talking about them? Like last week, Shelenberger will guide us through his master's thesis to deal with this issue.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://youtu.be/swvCj4uVeJU

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Aaron Shelenberger who studied under Mike Licona at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares about his research on the historicity of the resurrection. In particular, his thesis tackled three main objections brought forth by popular author and anti-Christian Bart Ehrman. Now, I realize this episode and the next two that follow are a tad technical, so if that's not your jam, then you may want to skip them. However, what I've noticed in the past is that our most technical episodes tend to get lots of downloads. In our conversation today we discuss the importance of resurrection and how Ehrman's attack on the reliability of the Gospels fails to undermine the case for the resurrection. Also, I bring up Licona's somewhat controversial book, Why Are There Differences in the Gospels and get Shelenberger's take on it.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9xpP2c89E

Here is Shelenberger's thesis for your consideration.

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Last time Pastor Daniel Calcagno spoke to us about the older generations. Today we'll get into discussing Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. We explore pivotal events in each of these younger generations as well as how Christianity uniquely appeals to them. Hopefully this conversation will spur some thoughts for you, regardless of your age, and how you can reach people for Christ in your own world.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHTrMvzYyY

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Tribalism is a major problem in our society today. If we're honest, tribalism is a major problem in Christianity today. If I'm really honest, I have to admit that tribalism is a major problem in me today. Do you feel it too? Are you tempted to blow your ideological, theological, or political enemies out of the water when they say something ignorant or obviously wrong? Are you tempted to lump people into a group, label them, and stereotype them? As our society has increasingly become polarized on issues from the environment to immigrants to sexuality to wearing masks we must resist the temptation to get sucked into tribal thinking. In the end, we are the Church with a commission to reach outsiders with God's love. How can we do that if we circle the wagons, or worse, cast stones?

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYlCo9SEMfg

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Eric Miller begins by covering Alexander and Thomas Campbell's beliefs about the Trinity. Then he talks about his own experience as a non-Trinitarian in the Independent Christian Churches community. He explains how the Christian Churches have become stricter on this issue in recent years. We discuss the possibility of reforming his church to be more in line with the tolerance expressed by Campbell and Stone in the early years.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

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Have you heard of the Restoration Movement? In today’s interview Eric Miller recounts the history of Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell as they initiated the movement to get back to the Bible over against denominational divisions. He explains the differences between the Disciples of Christ, the A Capella Churches of Christ, and the Independent Christian Churches. He also explores why the Independent Christian Churches is growing today.

Eric Miller is a Bible college student with the Independent Christian Churches in Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s passionate about evangelism and Spanish ministry.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

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The Trinity remains a massively popular theory to understand God in Christianity today as it has since the fourth century. Some go so far as to condemn any attempt to understand the concept while others are content to allow their faith to seek understanding (fides quarens intelectum). Nevertheless, most Christians have never honestly assessed this doctrine in light of scripture, reason, and history.

In what follows, we'll begin by taking systematic theologian Wayne Grudem's definition of the Trinity to build an understanding of this model of God (social Trinity). Next we'll take a brief survey of the history of the idea from it's antecedents in the second and third centuries to the full-blown understanding in the sixth century. Lastly, we'll evaluate the concept based on scripture and reason.

Whether you believe in a Trinity theory or not, I hope this presentation will help you understand it better and see why an increasing number of people are questioning the idea.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDGNGWf2buM

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Definition

History

Bible

God is one person (Deuteronomy 4.35, 39; 6.4-5; Mark 12.28-34; John 17.3; 2 Kings 19.19), routinely referred to as “he” rather than “they.”  Since every time people in Scripture speak to or about God, they always use singular pronouns, we should be suspicious of affirming plural persons within God.

The Holy Spirit is not a different person from the Father or Son since it lacks a name, never sends greetings (Romans 1.7), is left out of fellowship (1 John 1.3), is intrinsic to the Father’s mind (1 Corinthians 2.11), is never prayed to, is left out of key Christian creedal statements (1 Corinthians 8.6; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; 2 Timothy 2.11-13), is left out of end times knowledge (Mark 13.32), and is never given a throne like the Father and Son (Revelation 3.21).

Jesus is not fully God because he is not the same substance (1 Timothy 2.5), not eternal (Matthew 1.18; Hebrews 1.5), not a se (John 6.57; Mark 10.18), not omnipotent (John 5.19, 30), not equal to God (John 14.28; 1 Corinthians 15.28), not omniscient (Mark 13.32), not immortal (1 Corinthians 15.3), not invisible (1 Timothy 1.17; 6.16), and temptable (Hebrews 4.15) unlike God (James 1.13).

Not only do the words “Trinity,” “same substance,” “eternal generation,” “three persons,” etc., fail to occur in the Bible, but Scripture likewise lacks any explanation of the concept of the Trinity.  Furthermore, if the apostles were teaching about the Trinity, why is it missing from their recorded sermons in Acts?  If the Apostle Paul taught the Trinity, why didn’t any of his opponents bring up that issue either during his missionary journeys or among the many issues he dealt with in his letters?  Furthermore, if Jesus were merely playing the role of a lowly human in his “incarnation,” why does the resurrected, ascended, and exalted Christ still refer to the Father as “my God” (Revelation 3.12) and remain in subjection to God for all of eternity (1 Corinthians 15.28)?

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Are you in a high control group? How would you even know? Lori Jane shares her story of waking up after attending Kingdom Halls for thirty years as a Jehovah's Witness (JW). Although the Watch Tower organization claimed they were the one true church, Lori discovered in Pioneer School the many "corrections" that had been handed down, which indicated they didn't have a monopoly on truth.

In today's conversation, we talk about how to recognize if you are in a high control group. Still, even if you aren't in a high control group, you might have their exclusive mentality that looks at all outsiders as beyond salvation. Lori explains why humility is important as an antidote to the arrogance that can accompany doctrinal pride, leading to sweeping statements about who is saved or not in other Christian groups.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swvBx8_A6S8

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In a world where self-identifying as a Christ-follower draws criticism, exclusion, and persecution, it's important for us to remember the words of our Lord. He said we are salt and we are light. But, what does it mean to be salty and shining? In this message, my hope is that you'll be challenged to stick with Jesus even when others pressure you to conform to new ways of thinking and living. Today is your day. You are who God has in your home, your neighborhood, and your workplace. Be salt. Be light.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://youtu.be/4z20Ou6qzkI

Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus fully expected that his followers would suffer persecution. The world reviles, persecutes, and utters evil against us because of righteousness’ sake and because of our association with Jesus. We do not seek negative attention, but when it comes, we can take comfort knowing that the world persecuted the prophets before us in much the same way. What’s more, Jesus tells us to “rejoice and be glad” since our reward is great.

Matthew 5:13 Based on the concern for losing its taste, we can conclude that Jesus’ point here is that his follows should retain their distinctive salty flavor. We should not blend in with the world too well. Swapping out Christ’s teachings for the world’s fads and whims results in a comprised Christianity that is as useful as flavorless salt. We need not seek to be weird in the eyes of the world but instead endeavor to follow Jesus’ teachings, and let the chips fall where they may.

Matthew 5:14 Unlike monasteries and hidden communes, Christ’s followers have an important role to play as the lights of the world. God’s ultimate goal for His city on a hill is to draw all nations to Himself (Isaiah 2:2-4; 42:6; 49:6; 60:1-3, 18-22). We seek to embody God’s future Kingdom in the present by how we live now, both individually and communally. As the city on the hill, our goal is to attract and invite.

Matthew 5:15-16 A light exists to illuminate. Putting a lamp under a basket doesn’t make any sense. Likewise, we cannot limit our faith to the privacy of our homes and churches. We also have an illuminating, prophetic, public role to play, just like Jesus did. Our goal is for others to see our good deeds so that they give glory to God. In the end, God will wipe away our tears and remove our reproach (Isaiah 25:6-9).

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