Our approach to conversion...  Is our process today of "raising our hands" to receive Christ or praying a "20 second prayer" creating strong disciples?  What kind of process did Jesus employ for people wanting to convert?  In this podcast David will explore our current approach to conversion within Western Christianity and contrast it with a surprising approach from Judaism.  It is a challenging subject that will make you think.  

If you would like to email David and share your thoughts or questions, please email at: [email protected]

Are Today's Preachers Weakening The Gospel?  The Challenge of Modern Day Sophists.  Paul had a lot to say about many preachers in his day who were relying more on the power of their own oratory to move people, than they were about the content and power of the message of the Gospel.  Paul had the same dilemma that we have today, where showmanship and polished rhetoric took precedence over the truth of the gospel.  Explore with us how the Sophists greatly influenced the Greco-Roman world and the church's viewpoint of power.

To comment or share your thoughts, I would love to hear from you.  Email me at: [email protected]

Who has impacted our theology more than any other? One of my favorite questions to ask people is, “Who has had the largest single impact on church doctrine and theology the last two-thousand years?”  Most answer with Jesus or the Apostle Paul, and of course I can't argue with that... But outside of scripture who has had the greatest impact, whether it has been for the good or at times to the detriment of the church, on our theology?  In this episode, find out who, why, and their key doctrinal ideas...

Part 2 of "True Christians Never Get Depressed? Reconciling Faith & Mental Health."  We move towards a healthier hermeneutic in our case study passage of Matthew 17, where a religious father brings his son who is tormented by seizures and Jesus heals the young man.  This passage becomes a case study in how we truly reconcile the chasm we have in the church towards the mental health spectrum.  

If you are struggling with depression or any other mental health spectrum issue or if you have a loved one or a friend, then you will not want to miss the 5 Guidelines at the end of the podcast that will help us bridge this great divide!

Here is a link to the book, "Learning To Breathe Under Water - Managing Depression in the Sea of Religion."

True Christians Never Get Depressed?  Really?  One of the most difficult and misunderstood subjects within Christianity and faith in general, is how do we try and reconcile genuine faith with the issue of depression and other related mental health issues on the spectrum?  No doubt it is a very tough question to answer, but answer I will try.  

This subject is spilt into a Part 1 and Part 2.  Part 1 helps us build the framework of the severity of the issue within the faith community, and begins to build a framework towards a healthier hermeneutic.  While Part 2 will dive deep into several key passages in the New Testament to try and bridge the gap between scripture and mental health.

As mentioned in this episode, I have written a book on this subject titled, "Learning To Breathe Underwater: Managing Depression in the Sea of Religion."  You can get the book via paperback or Kindle.  Click here

Are all teachings of scripture equal?  How do we discern between two biblical truths?  How do we weigh the difference when we see two scriptural truths that look like they are in conflict?  Can one scripture or one truth cancel or equalize another? How do we know which one to act upon? How do we know how to prioritize truth, without diminishing the lighter truth?

Click to listen...

In Episode #33, I want to take a deeper dive inside the context of the Roman culture: their methodologies of punishment in relation to identifying the person’s crime, which crimes within the Roman culture had the highest form of punishment, why this phrase, “King of the Jews” was not a unique phrase used just for Jesus, but was a phrase that had been carved into many plaque’s of the crucified, and why this phrase was significant to the story of Jesus’ mission.

These are some of the questions we will explore in this episode titled, “What did the sign on the cross mean, “King of the Jews?” So let’s get started.

Many of us don't know who the author of the book of James is.  Some think he is one of the two original disciples, but it surprises many when I tell them it is actually Jesus' brother.  James was the leader of the early church, and was truly a righteous man who stood up for the marginalized, the poor, those who had no voice, and was a prophet against religious injustice.  In this episode, you will find out the context of the man, the context of his times, and why in the context of Judaism he was considered a Tzedek (a righteous devout follower of God and the Hebrew Scriptures).

Baptism...  It is such an odd word and concept when the etymology and context is absent.  We all find it meaningful, but what is it?  Where did it come from?  And why does it matter?  Come on a journey to see the concept of baptism wasn't invented by John the Baptist or Jesus, but was a practice that had already been around for hundreds of years.  Find out more.

Did Jesus go by another name?  If so, what did he hear phonetically?  Was Jesus' name unique or was it a very common name?  Was "Christ" his last name?  Why is it important to understand his original name and background?  

Journey with us as we answer these questions and more in our Episode #30, "Did Jesus go by another name?"