The NewCity Orlando All of Life Podcast

In this episode, I sat down with our senior pastor Damein Schitter to talk about the vision series for the fall Whole Life Whole Love. This four week series will take a closer look at the greatest commandment as it is presented in each of the four gospels. Here, Pastor Damein explains some of his thinking behind the series, his hopes for our congregation, and some of the barriers we may encounter as we seek to listen to what God would say to us through these sermons.

In this episode, I talk with Rev Dr Mike Allen from RTS about the early chapters of Genesis. The books mentioned are Gavin Ortlund's Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation and John Collins' Genesis 1-4. Listeners may also find Michael Lefebvre's The Liturgy of Creation and S. Joshua Swamidass' The Genealogical Adam and Eve helpful. The former book covers the days of creation, as well as the flood, a topic we had hoped to cover here and may get to in a future episode. 

NOTE: We began experiencing some technical difficulties on Mike's audio around the 30 minute mark. Troubleshooting on the fly led to some PC notification dings that will hopefully not be too distracting.

The chapter on Esther in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. It also contains many of the insights we mentioned (like the chiastic structure, importance of humor, providence of God). A short accessible commentary on Esther is Debra Reid’s volume in the TOTC series. Interested listeners may also want to check out Karen Jobes volume in the NIV Application Commentary series, as well as David Firth’s The Message of Esther in the Bible Speaks Today series. As always, check out the Bible Project video on Esther: https://youtu.be/JydNSlufRIs

The chapter on Nehemiah in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theology, history, and literary form of the Nehemiah should consult Charles Fensham’s volume in the NICOT series (covers Ezra as well). A shorter, more accessible commentary is Derek Kidner’s volume in the TOTC series (which also covers Ezra). As always, check out the Bible Project video on Nehemiah (also covers Ezra): https://youtu.be/MkETkRv9tG8

The chapter on John in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theology, history, and literary form of the John’s Gospel should consult D. A. Carson’s volume in the PNTC series. A shorter commentary worth consulting is Colin Kruse’s volume in the TNTC series. As always, check out the Bible Project videos on John. There’s one on the Book of Signs: https://youtu.be/G-2e9mMf7E8 and another on the Book of Glory: https://youtu.be/RUfh_wOsauk

The chapter on Ezra in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theology, history, and literary form of the Ezra should consult Charles Fensham’s volume in the NICOT series (covers Nehemiah as well). A shorter, more accessible commentary is Derek Kidner’s volume in the TOTC series (which also covers Nehemiah). As always, check out the Bible Project video on Ezra (also covers Nehemiah): https://youtu.be/MkETkRv9tG8

The chapter on The Pastoral Epistles  in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theological, history, and literary form of the Pastoral Epistles should consult Philip Towner’s volume in the NICNT series. Two shorter commentaries worth consulting are The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus and The Message of 2 Timothy, both by John Stott and both in the Bible Speaks Today series. As always, check out the Bible Project video on 1 Timothy: https://youtu.be/7RoqnGcEjcs & 2 Timothy: https://youtu.be/urlvnxCaL00 & Titus: https://youtu.be/PUEYCVXJM3k .

The chapter on 1-2 Thessalonians in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theological, history, and literary form of Thessalonians should consult Gordon Fee’s volume in the NICNT series. Two shorter commentaries worth consulting are The Message of Thessalonians by John Stott, and Nijay Gupta’s volume in the NCCS. As always, check out the Bible Project video on 1 Thessalonians: https://youtu.be/No7Nq6IX23c & 2 Thessalonians: https://youtu.be/kbPBDKOn1cc

Dr. Damein Schitter and Dr. Irwyn Ince discuss the biblical foundations for reconciliation, the importance of pursuing reconciliation and diversity as a local church, and the dynamics of racial, political, and cultural divides.

The chapter on Colossians in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized is helpful for understanding the structure of the book. Listeners that want to do some real digging into the theological, history, and literary form of Colossians should consult Douglas J. Moo’s volume in the PNTC series. Two shorter commentaries worth consulting are N. T. Wright’s volume in the TNTC series, and Michael Bird’s in NCCS. As always, check out the Bible Project video on Colossians: https://youtu.be/pXTXlDxQsvc