The symbol of the Cross is fixated in the imagination of western culture, but its orgins are not what we think they are.  What if I told you...
The Cross was not the symbol of Christianity for the first 300 years after Christ… 
The Cross as a literal symbol was non-existent those 300 years… not in artwork, not in mosaics, not in places of worship, not anywhere…
That a majority of Jews worldwide, see the Cross as a symbol of anti-semitic hatred...
The Cross as a symbol of Christianity was popularized by the Roman Emperor Constantine with his vision on the Milvian Bridge…
Have I whetted your appetite yet?  Did I get your curious quotient up?  Are you ready to learn some amazing facts of history that shed light on a symbol we thought we knew?  Let’s see some of the stuff we missed in church history regarding the symbol of the cross.

#8: The Symbol of the Cross & The Religious Imagination

Curiosity. This ingredient alone led to the creative Podcast: "Stuff You Missed: In the Bible, In Church History."  Each Podcast is designed to mine those wonderful insights and help us all better understand stuff we have been missing.

Religion & Spirituality

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Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

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: mdavidhancock@gmail.com

#43 - Our Approach to Conversion

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: mdavidhancock@gmail.com

#41 - Are Today's Preachers Weakening The Gospel? The Challenge of Modern Day Sophists

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...

#37 - Who has impacted our theology more than any other?

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."

#36 - True Christians Never Get Depressed? Reconciling Faith & Mental Health - Part 2

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

#8: The Symbol of the Cross & The Religious Imagination

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