In this episode, Mark and Cameron take on a difficult topic: literal hell. The Bible says less about heaven and hell than you might expect — and a lot of what it teaches comes to us in the form of analogy, where things that are too wonderful (or too terrible) for the human mind are revealed through comparison to what we do understand. But if we’re going to pass down the faith once for all delivered to the saints, the Bible’s teaching about final judgment is something we need to address.

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.” This famous saying has been attributed to various Church figures, including Augustine of Hippo — who did not say it. Whatever the source, it’s become a popular sentiment in the modern church. There’s just one problem, though: the Bible doesn’t flag its essential and non-essential teachings for us. That’s up to the interpreter … and one person’s essential may be another’s non-essential, and vice versa. In this episode, Mark and Cameron interrogate this hierarchy of doctrine and ask whether applying the ‘non-essential’ label to anything in Scripture is really such a good idea.

Feel like you don’t have enough time for the things that really matter? You’re not alone. Most of us have a sense that time is passing too quickly, that we’re missing out — a feeling made worse by images all around us of other people having a meaningful time. In this episode, Cameron and Mark discuss the tension between two Greek concepts — kairos and chronos — to find out how we can recover some of our lost time.

Mentioned in this episode:

Living by Kairos Time in a Chronos World

Scripture compares believers in Christ to strangers and exiles, people whose home is not in this world or this time. What does it mean to be an exile, though? Apathy, alienation, and powerlessness are all associated with this idea … but what about hope? In this episode, Mark and Cameron think through the implications of the exile metaphor for Christian life.

Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, which has led to a debate on the Internet about canceling church services. At Grace, we’ll be meeting for worship this Sunday. In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss why this is — and try to unpack the assumptions about holidays and worship that make the dispute so illuminating.

Last time we discussed disagreement on the internet, but what happens when it shows up on your doorstep? In this episode, Cameron shares a recent experience talking to some door-to-door evangelists and asks Mark for advice on how to balance the needs of apologetics and missional persuasion.

There is no square inch over which Christ does not declare his sovereignty — including social media! In this episode, Mark and Cameron confront the double standard that allows us to treat people decently when we’re face to face but abominably when we’re on the internet. Before you post another angry rant, let’s think about how to stay Christian on social media.

Who would you be willing to throw under the bus for the greater good? Who could we get rid of to enjoy a more united, more harmonious community? Who would you be willing to trade to accomplish something you really believe in? Questions like this sound pretty abhorrent in the abstract … but in our everyday lives, we entertain them more often than we’d like to admit. This is Human Sacrifice — not in the literal sense, but metaphorically — and in this episode we discuss the way Jesus confronts the many ways we devalue the people all around us.

“What are you thankful for? Have you counted your many blessings and named them one by one?” These are the inevitable questions whenever the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, and for many of us, they spark an uncomfortable realization: that we do not feel as grateful as we should. In this episode, we approach the topic of gratitude from the perspective of those who struggle with it. Where does gratitude come from? What are the obstacles in its way? And is there anything an ingrate can do to cultivate a greater sense of thankfulness?

In Matthew 11, Jesus hints at the unfolding mystery of divine election — a timely topic for Mark, who is writing a devotional on Ephesians 1.4 at the moment. In this episode, Cameron asks Mark about the doctrine of election and predestination. Is it an inexplicable puzzle better left unexplored? Why does the Bible teach these things in the first place? And how should we feel about the idea of God choosing us?