Theology on Air

We look at the Bohemian reformer, Jan Hus, who closely followed John Wycliffe and who influenced Martin Luther. A noted preacher and critic of Catholic practices, Hus fought against corruption, indulgences, and ultimately Rome's own definition of the Church. Tried at the Council of Constance, his adherence to the scripture as the standard for Christian ethics would cost him his life.  

Part 2 of our series on Satanism and Conspiracy Theories was held Tuesday night. A member of the Satanic Temple of Houston dialogues with Pastor Evan Mcclanahan of First Lutheran on the differences between Christianity and Satanism. The panel includes frequent guests Paul Sloan and Beth White. 

John Wycliffe is really seen as the first of the major Reformers, the man who inspired Hus, who in turn inspired Luther. In the second half of the 14th century, Wycliffe challenged the church's right to own property, sell indulgences, the wisdom of begging friars, and Transubstantiation. He would work later in life to translate the Bible into English, his most famous achievement. 

In this first episode of our newly-formatted seasonal series, we introduce the topic of reform in the church and why it was needed. This season, we will be looking at the key Reformers of the Church: Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, the English Reformation and the Catholic Response. How did these men and movements change history and how are we still living in a post-Reformation world? We hope you enjoy the new format as we are seeking to be more focused, topical, and informative for our listeners. 

In April, Chris Date joined Theology on Tap in person to look at hell and different theological understandings of it. Does it exist? Do the evil simply cease to exist at some point? Is existence in hell eternal? There were so many questions we could not get to, Chris and another panelist from the live event, Pastor Juan Carlos Martinez, join us again to try to answer them. Juan Carlos espouses a traditional view of eternal conscious torment while Chris teaches conditional immortality. Enjoy the sequel!

Christian Elliot joins TOT to look at conspiracy theories. Are any of them true? How can we know? Are they a distraction or even dangerous for the Christian? Are there malevolent forces secretly controlling EVERYTHING? Or maybe just a few things?

Pastor David Ritchie, author of "Why Do the Nations Rage?" joins Evan to look at nationalism and its demonic origins. Is America in the throes of a similarly dangerous Christian nationalist movement? Is America comparable to the biblical nations? What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? 

Side note: unfortunately, the Internet just died during the recording of this so there is one transition you may notice and it ends somewhat abruptly. Still, I think most of what we wanted to cover we did. Thanks to David for sticking with me through the technical difficulties! 

Scientist, apologist, and author Melissa Cain Travis joins ToA to talk about Science, Faith, Math, and the Divine Design of Cosmic Resonance.

Evan sits down with attorney Bradley Pierce of Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX). AATX is working to abolish abortion totally in the state of Texas and that work necessarily raises many questions. Like, what do they mean by abolition? Are they working with pro-life groups? What kind of exceptions should be made and what kind of prosecution do they call for? To be clear, while Evan calls himself an abolitionist, his views and Bradley's views do not necessarily represent the views of Theology on Tap. We simply wanted to explore this view of the most contentious moral issue in America, especially if Roe v. Wade may soon come to an end.  

How should Christians think about war? Is violence ever justified? Doesn't the Bible teach peace? What about Nazis, though? Putin? What does Jesus/the Bible say? Dr. Jeffrey Green walks us through ideas around just war theory, pacifism, and a Christian's response to war and violence. Then we'll have a group discussion where you can text your own questions in to our larger panel of pastors and professors.