The Learning Laborers

What was going on during the Second Temple Period? And how did that build the social-political context of the first century? Lastly, then, how does this help us read the NT better?

In this episode, Denver interviews Taylor about some of his recent research. Taylor is looking at how the first century church navigated their political climate, but in order to evaluate that, we must see the church in its first century context. Beginning from exile, Taylor and Denver summarize Judea through the Persian, Greek, and Hasmonean (Maccabean) eras, all the way to Roman occupation in 63 BC. They then try to draw out some implications for understanding the NT.

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Taylor and Denver sit down for a chat with pastor and life-long learner Gary Pauley. In the first part of the episode, Gary shares about his academic research into the historical roots of the social gospel and its relationship to kingdom theology. Gary believes understanding these theological movements can help pastors as they navigate the relationship of politics and the church today.

In the second half of the episode, Gary shares about the various ministry roles he has taken on over the years, including his time as a chaplain in a hospital and then later in a maximum security prison. These contexts have greatly influenced the way Gary does theology and ministry today as a pastor at First Baptist Church of Shawnee.

Here are links to the resources mentioned throughout the episode:

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Denver and Taylor have a fantastic conversation with Renjy Abraham, the Dean of Scholarship at BibleProject. If you do not know about BibleProject, it is a nonprofit, crowdfunded organization that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone everywhere. From page one to the final word, they believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. Definitely explore all of their great resources.

Renjy shares how he leads the team of scholars that develop content for BibleProject. They employ something they like to call "the paradigm," which highlights the importance of intertextuality in scripture, meditation, and studying in community. Fascinating stuff!

Towards the end of the episode, we also discuss some of Renjy's research around a biblical theology of unity and diversity.

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Taylor and Denver interview Tommy Preson Phillips, lead pastor and elder of Watermark Church in Tampa, FL. The discussion touches on various topics from ministering to those who are "deconstructing," staying up to date with scholarship, pastoral ministry, etc. But the primary topic of discussion concerns Paul's letter to the Romans. Tommy did his Masters in New Testament with Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary and devoted his studies to the letter to the Romans. You can hear more from Tommy by visiting his blog, and you can listen to his music here. 

Here are links to resources mentioned throughout this episode.

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What did first-century baptisms look like? How was it similar to other rituals of the time? How was it different?

In this episode Taylor interviews Denver about baptism in the early church. Denver believes that a thoughtful examination of the historical and cultural context of this important ritual will lead to an even richer understanding of its theological significance for the church today. Together, Denver and Taylor explore immersion rituals in the first century, John the Baptizer's ministry, Jesus' baptism, and early Christian baptism. They end with a discussion about how church leaders might incorporate these ideas into their own baptism practices.

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Why do we need mission agencies? And how should churches relate to them?

In this episode, Denver sits down with Dr. Robert Blincoe to discuss the two structures of the church: ecclesial bodies and apostolic bands. Bob believes there is good evidence that these two structures go all the way back to the first century, and he has studied their dynamic relationship throughout church history. As a leader and mobilizer of missionaries to Muslim-majority cultures, Bob is passionate about helping churches and mission agencies to cooperate as they recognize one another's unique contributions to God's kingdom purposes. Bob received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, and he completed his PhD under Dr. Ralph Winter at William Carey International University.

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Denver and Taylor have a chat with Nika Spaulding. They discuss her role as the resident theologian at her church, where she leads their midweek theology classes. They explore some topics in scholarship that Nika has incorporated in her teachings - things like Barclay’s work on grace and textual criticism. Nika also talks about how she inspires a culture of learning in her church. She gets into how to instill ownership in those taking the classes, and they discuss the best ways to curate research and content for classes. Really good stuff - enjoy the episode!

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Referencing the work of John Barclay, Denver and Taylor discuss the notion of "grace." What is the grace of God? How does understanding gift-giving in the ancient world help us understand grace? How does the circularity or reciprocity of grace impact how we think about salvation and works? And if you are a ministry laborer that is interested in studying further, Taylor gives three suggestions. Here are three books referenced at the end of the episode: Paul and the Gift, Paul and the Power of Grace, and Gospel Allegiance. 

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Grant Porter grew up in Australia but served with Operation Mobilization beginning in 1982 when he joined a short-term outreach in Singapore and Malaysia. Grant has a heart for mobilizing, evangelism and church planting. He has a PhD in Theology from the Vrije University in Amsterdam. He met his wife, Laura, while serving with OM, they have three children and three grandchildren. Grant has served 35 years with OM in the Middle East, including in Jordan, Cyprus, Syria and Lebanon. Grant was the field director for the Near East and helped start several ministries, including the Love Middle East program and the Near East Initiatives Network. He currently works as a program director for a Christian philanthropic foundation overseeing the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasian regions.

Denver, Taylor, and Grant discuss Dr. Porter's dissertation that researched missions in the middle east in light of the early church. Should Acts be used as a manual for modern church planting or ministry? How are Muslim converts navigating their identity in Christ? This was a fascinating conversation! 

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Brenden is the Residency and Formation Minister at Third City Christian Church in Grand Island, Nebraska. Brenden is also in the DMin of New Testament Context program at Northern Seminary. His wife Rachel also serves at Third City as the Outreach Minister and they have two kids - Haden and Scotty. 

In this episode, Denver & Taylor talk with Brenden about how to teach the Bible with a nod to scholarship and keep it interesting. We discuss the importance of literary and contextual approaches to scripture. Brenden and Taylor also have a similar thesis around "gospel" in its first century context, so they discuss that research and how it has implications for the church today.

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