Scripture in Black and White

Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Explore biblical arguments about Christian freedom and how Halloween traditions shape children’s faith.

Read Daniel McCoy’s related article: https://renew.org/should-a-christian-celebrate-halloween/

Renée Sproles and Josh Branham join moderators Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy to discuss whether Christians should celebrate Halloween. This episode of Scripture in Black and White examines how believers can approach a holiday with mixed religious roots while remaining faithful to Jesus.

For parents and church leaders weighing Halloween decisions, this conversation offers contrasting perspectives grounded in biblical reasoning. It encourages thoughtful discernment about personal conscience and the responsibility to help others follow Jesus.

Related Resources

Should Christians Watch Horror Movies?

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Should pastors connect biblical teaching to political positions and politicians? Explore two perspectives on preaching and Christian political engagement.

Go deeper with this related RENEW.org article on preaching politics: 

https://renew.org/preaching-politics-6-thoughts-from-the-book-of-daniel/

Tom Steele and Michael Demastus join moderators Daniel McCoy and Anthony Walker for Season 7, Episode 9 of Scripture in Black and White Podcast. Their discussion examines whether pastors should connect biblical teaching to specific political positions and politicians during a sermon.

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The New Perspective on Paul challenges how Christians read Romans, Galatians, justification, and works. John Whittaker and Bob Turner examine its strengths and weaknesses.

Explore what it means to be Protestant and always reforming: https://renew.org/what-it-means-to-be-protestant/

John Whittaker and Bob Turner join moderators Daniel McCoy and Anthony Walker on this episode of Scripture in Black and White to examine the New Perspective on Paul. They begin with its central question: Have Christians read Paul in his first-century context, or have they filtered Romans and Galatians through Martin Luther and the concerns of the Protestant Reformation?

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House churches and traditional churches offer different strengths and risks for disciple making. Matt Dabbs and Jordan Arnold examine both models.

Learn how churches can align leaders around disciple making: https://renew.org/leadership-alignment-training-for-disciple-making/

This conversation continues the discussion of house churches and traditional churches. Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy moderate as Matt Dabbs, a home church planter, and Jordan Arnold, teaching minister at Harpeth Christian Church, examine how church structure shapes discipleship.

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Are House Churches More Biblical? Matt Dabbs and Jordan Arnold discuss what the New Testament says about house churches, larger gatherings, and making disciples.

Want to become a disciple making church, learn more about RENEW.org's Leadership Alignment Training for churches -- https://renew.org/leadership-alignment-training-for-disciple-making/

Is speaking in tongues a real human language, a private prayer language, or a spiritual gift the church no longer needs? 

Explore a biblical approach to the gifts of the Spirit

In Season 7, Episode 5 of Scripture in Black and White, hosts Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy sit down with David Young, academic dean of RENEW University, for a format they have never tried before: asking one guest to argue both sides of the same question.

Speaking in tongues appears in five clear New Testament passages, yet debates over what it means—and whether the gift continues today, have shaped entire denominations and still divide Christians within the same congregation.

Daniel and Anthony press David on how each side answers the other’s strongest arguments, including Paul’s instruction that speaking in tongues during a church gathering requires an interpreter.

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Does the Bible clearly teach a young earth, or is there room for an old earth reading of Genesis 1? 

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Hosts Anthony Walker and Daniel moderate a frank conversation between Jeff Randleman (young-earth perspective) and Ben Stroup (old-earth perspective) about whether Genesis 1 clearly teaches a young earth. They explore scriptural language, the meaning of "yom," the death-before-fall argument, distant starlight, and pastoral implications for faith and science.

The episode emphasizes shared convictions, God as Creator and the need for redemption, while outlining different interpretive approaches and practical ways ministers can guide doubting or curious listeners.

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Hosts Anthony and Daniel sit down with Jason Ishmael and Brett Kays to debate whether multi‑site churches are a healthy path for growth. The conversation weighs biblical eldership, practical leadership challenges, and the impact on church planting, especially in under‑resourced rural areas.

The episode explores real‑world fears and case studies, including when to launch, release, or subsidize campuses, how to preserve local pastoral care and autonomy, and strategies for multiplying healthy, independent churches while reaching more people for the gospel.

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Does the modern nation of Israel still have a role in Bible prophecy, or have God’s promises to Israel been completely fulfilled in Jesus?

Read the article, “Does God Still Have a Plan for Israel?” https://renew.org/does-god-still-have-a-plan-for-israel/

In this episode of Scripture in Black and White, Bobby Harrington and John Whittaker discuss one of the most debated theological questions in the church today.

Bobby Harrington, lead pastor of Harpeth Christian Church, argues that Scripture points to an enduring and not-yet-fulfilled role for Israel and the Jewish people. He builds his case from passages including Romans 11, Genesis 17, Deuteronomy 30, and Zechariah 12–14.

John Whittaker, creator of the Listener’s Commentary, argues that God’s promises to Israel find their complete fulfillment in Jesus. He explains why he believes the New Testament identifies the people of God as everyone who places their faith in Christ, both Jew and Gentile.

Key Takeaways

00:00 - Introduction 

KEY PASSAGES DISCUSSED

Genesis 12:1–3, Genesis 17:7–8, Deuteronomy 30:4–5, Amos 9

Explore more episodes of Scripture in Black and White:

If this conversation helped you think more carefully about Israel and Bible prophecy, like the video, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone exploring the same questions.

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How should Christians engage in politics? Is "Christian Nationalism" a legitimate threat OR a boogeyman used to keep Christians out of the public square? David Young VS Paul Huyghebaert

Learn more about this topic at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/

Welcome to a new season on Scripture in Black and White. Where we examining the hard topics through a biblical lens, bringing multiple perspectives, and asking what it means to follow Jesus in a politically divided world.

This first episode of this new series focuses on Christian Nationalism. 

Christian nationalism ignites debate across pulpits and podcasts. But what does the term actually mean? In this conversation, Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy bring two trusted voices into the room, David Young, academic dean at RENEW University and scholar in residence at renew.org, and Paul Huyghebaert, lead minister at Southside Christian Church in Fort Pierce, Florida. They unpack what's really at stake.

What emerges is nuanced, articulate, and honest. They disagree on the method but share a conviction: Christian principles are best for any nation. The real question is how we get there, and whether the church loses its soul in the process.

0:00 Christians and the public square: confronting rulers, defending truth

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