REVERENT AND REBELLIOUS

When the Church Lost the Plot — Episode 1: The Crusades. Good intentions. Bad theology. Unchecked power. Three ingredients that turned a call to protect Christian pilgrims into two centuries of holy violence. We trace the honest history, name the theological errors, follow the human cost, and ask the question every generation of Christians needs to ask: Does this look like Jesus?

Jesus said that anyone who divorces and remarries commits adultery. Full stop. But what was He actually doing when He said it — and who was He protecting? In this series finale of The Hard Sayings of Jesus, we dig into every Gospel account of Jesus on divorce, unpack the explosive rabbinic debate He was walking into, and make the case that the words the church has used to shame divorced people were never aimed at them to begin with. This one is for everyone who has ever been handed a verdict they didn't deserve!

In Luke 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter some would-be followers. It makes sense because at this time, Jesus is becoming quite popular! The first one comes and says I will follow You. Jesus says to him foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. In other words, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. This is not glamorous work! But the next guy is someone Jesus spots in the crowd. He invites him! Follow Me! The guy says I would love to, but first permit me to go and bury my father. Jesus gives what sounds like the harshest and most insensitive response! Let the dead bury their own dead! Is Jesus not going to let this young man go to his own father's funeral? What are we supposed to make of Jesus in this moment? If we look under the surface, there's a lot more going on!

Jesus and His disciples have just been through an extremely stressful time. They had a dust-up with the Pharisees that was not pretty. Jesus decides they need a little getaway. A chance to breathe. He takes them to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There will be no Jews there. It's a pagan place. It's foreign territory. He books this house for them to stay in, and doesn't tell anyone where they are. However, a woman of Syro-Phoenician origin figures out where they are! She comes seeking Jesus. She's desperate. Her daughter has become possessed by an evil spirit. Somehow, she knows Jesus can heal her. She cries out. Lord, Son of David! Help my daughter! He doesn't answer at first. He ignores her. She cries out again. He says, I have only come for the house of Israel. What I have is not for you! She cries out again! He says, it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs! Is Jesus being mean? Is he angry? Having a bad day? Is Jesus being racist, misogynistic, downright ugly? Or is He intentionally doing something in a particular way to prove a point? Join us as REV-REB unpacks this in a way that few are courageous enough to venture into!

There are two times in the Gospels that Jesus talks about swords. One time, He says, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword! He follows that with, I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household! That sounds aggressive! Another time, He says, if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! These passages have become in many circles a rallying cry for violent insurrection in the name of God. Theme verses for movements that would attempt to seize power and overthrow systems and institutions for the advancement of a Christian society. We don't buy it. We're going to dig deeper in a way that only REV-REB can! Did Jesus promote violence? Let's find out!

One day, Jesus encountered a rich young ruler. He had it all going on. He was wealthy, respected, upright in character and integrity, and of high status. He had to be every young woman's dream! There was one thing lacking in his life, though. He wanted eternal life! Everything I have right now, forever! At first, Jesus said to keep the commandments. I have, he said. So, Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give the money to the poor. That was not going to happen. He went away grieved, because he had great wealth. Jesus then offers these difficult words. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God! Is He serious? Does being rich exclude you from the kingdom of God? Let's find out!

This episode begins a new series called Hard Sayings of Jesus. We often see Jesus as the softer side of God, the One who always had love and blessing on His lips. But Jesus said some harsh words! He also taught some things that will make your head spin! Today, we are looking at a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says, "If your right hand causes you to sin, gouge it out! Throw it away! And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It's better for you to go through life one-eyed and one-handed than for your whole body to go to a fiery hell! Was Jesus serious, or was He using analogy and hyperbole to make a point? Let's dig in and find out!

We spent the last six weeks talking about all of the ancient heresies and their impact on early Christianity. We looked at the councils that were convened and the creeds that were created to combat these dangerous doctrines. It turns out, bad theology dies hard! The ancient heresies don't die; they just put on different clothes. Today, we are talking about the ways and the places these misguided doctrines have found their way into the modern church. The evidence is plentiful, and what it reveals will shock you!

This one gets in the weeds! But stick with it. As we dive into these final ancient heresies, you'll discover why Christians have been arguing about this stuff literally for centuries! Today's heresies have to do with the two distinct natures of Christ. He is fully human, yet fully divine. How do those 2 natures fit together in one person? How do they interact with the physical world and the heavenly realm at the same time? The theological hubs at Alexandria and Antioch would like a word! Nestorius said they are two distinct entities, and as such, Jesus becomes a hybrid being. The human part of Jesus was born, suffered, and died. The God part did none of those things! Eutyches said the 2 natures of Jesus melded into one nature. The human was indistinguishable from the divine. Jesus then becomes a superhuman! The Chalcedon Council solved all that in a series of brilliant theological moves. Join us as we take this long and winding road, untangling all the way!

We are just about to wrap up our series on the heresies that threatened to compromise the witness of the early church. Today, we tackle two heresies in one episode. The first is Montanism. In the mid-100s, a guy named Montanus claimed that the Age of the Spirit had arrived, and new revelation was coming through him and his two female prophetesses, Priscilla and Maximilla. This new revelation was to stir up what had become a morally compromised and complacent church. This new revelation was not just to support or affirm the Scriptures. It was equivalent to Scripture! It was a wave that swept through the church, threatening to undermine the Gospel itself! Then, almost 200 years later, another movement sprang up. Donatus, a clergyman in North Africa, took offense to the reinstatement of priests and bishops who had buckled under intense persecution. He said they were contaminated, and all of their work was invalidated! This view split the ancient church in two and triggered our old friend Augustine, who spent the last years of his life fighting against it. Successfully, I might add. What do these two heretical movements have in common? Each one claimed to be the true church. The pure church. They were in, and everyone else was out. How did the early church fathers rally against these Christian renegades? That's what we're going to find out! Join us!