The Conquering Truth

From shell fish to levirate marriage to murder. We discuss the moral, ceremonial and judicial law - and how to tell which is which.

As Russia faces off against Ukraine, how should Christians around the world be thinking about this situation? Should we be concerned, or are we just being manipulated by the media and politicians?

It is very common to hear Christians reference Paul’s statement in Romans 6, “you are not under law but under grace” without any context or connection to the overall argument that Paul has been making throughout the book of Romans. And while there is no question that Paul’s statement is absolutely true, it is not a statement that we get to take and interpret however we want. But this is exactly how it has been commonly used, and there has been a great deal of damage and confusion both inside and outside of the church because of it. In this episode, we focus on the relationship between law and grace and try to establish a way of thinking about them both that harmonizes with the teachings of the Old and New Testament. We talk about the difference between the law as the standard of righteousness and the curse of the law, the nature of the Gospel, and how being under grace enables us to see the goodness of God’s law so that we might obey it with joy.

All around us, we see evidence of people who refuse to look at the truth. They are blinded by their passionate support for their side or their trust in the untrustworthy. Should this be surprising to Christians or should we understand, this is the normal state of the world?

Faith and reason are frequently set in opposition to one another. But what if it’s impossible to truly have one without the other?

Particular ways that American political outcomes affect Nigerian politics and economics. We are joined by a guest this week, Deshi Zingak Nengak from Nigeria. (Joshua will be back next week)

While a majority of Americans believe in the right to self-defense, there are some mainstream Christian teachers, such as John Piper, who make the argument that Christians should be willing to die rather than to take an assailant’s life. This view is particularly common among missionaries, with the story of Jim Elliot being commonly held up as an example. In this episode, we talk about the problems with this view and how it can lead to (or be caused by) a fundamental misunderstanding about the gospel, and the nature of justice and mercy. We also discuss the biblical basis for the right to self defense and we talk about how wrong teaching on the issue has caused problems on the mission field and Dan discusses some firsthand experiences he has had in Nigeria.

We started the podcast one year ago, so it seemed like a good time to take a break and discuss why we started the podcast, and a little bit about ourselves. We also reflect on some favorite moments from 2021, and some predictions for the future.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the topic of when you can disobey the government’s orders has been a controversial subject of discussion. It’s a complex subject because as Christians, we both desire and are commanded to obey God, and as sinners, we desire to disobey the authorities that God has placed over us. In this episode, we walk through different scenarios and situations and discuss the different ways they might play out:

It is practically impossible to think about Christmas without thinking about Santa Claus. In secular circles, Santa Claus is widely accepted, but what is more surprising is how accepted Santa Claus is within conservative and even Reformed Christian circles. And it is specifically the practice of telling your children that Santa Claus - the supernatural being who flies around the world distributing presents to good children - is real, that we focus on in this episode. We discuss the nature of worship and idolatry, and how easy it is to think that we are completely different from our ancestors. We talk about how strongly children believe their parents and how this early deception impacts their view of God, the gospel, and God’s sense of justice.. And we talk about how this impacts the church and our ability to be a witness in the world. Please join us in thinking about these things.