We dive into the elder qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and discuss the importance of getting them right while also looking at the controversies involved.

Topics include:
- How the qualifications have been downplayed, and the consequences we're seeing
- What does "able to teach" mean?
- Why "peaceable" is a more important qualification to get right than you might think
- Does an elder have to be married?
- Do an elder's children have to be baptized, faithful Christians?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Christians were caught unaware by the rise of the internet, but we can't afford to make the same mistake with the newest booming technology.

Almost overnight, artificial Intelligence has gone from a fringe technology to a feature of everyday life. While it comes with numerous useful features, it certainly has its dark side, too. We discuss what you need to know about the issue in this episode, including:

- The history and where it stands today
- The threats to relationships posed by AI
- A dark turn in the porn addiction epidemic
- AI's incentives toward laziness and plagiarism, including for those in ministry

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

The role of women in the church has long been a debated topic. This week we take on the big issues like women preachers and what prominent women in the Bible teach us, along with a number of practical questions, including:

- Non-speaking roles in worship
- "Children's minister" and other titles
- Church internships
- Ladies Days

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

See focuspress.org for more!

This week we take on the difficult but important topic of suicide.

Topics include:

- Why the rate is so much higher among males than females
- How the mental health industry often doesn't help and sometimes makes the problem worse
- Why faith is the answer... but also why it's not as simple as that
- Questions like is suicide a sin, and does it bring automatic condemnation?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Some people are big on chasing goals and resolutions. Others aren't.
Does it matter? Do Christians have a duty to aim to grow year over year?

Topics include:
- Why aimlessness makes us the 1 talent man of Matthew 25
- How do we balance contentment with what we have in life without becoming complacent?
- How to make plans without assuming we know what tomorrow holds (see James 4)
- All of the things and people depending on your growth
- Tips and resources for sustained growth

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

We respond to listener questions, including:

- Does the church of Christ have a cult of personality problem?
- Why should I stay in the church of Christ?
- What's the biggest challenge facing congregations in 2024?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of small groups?
- What should we make of the decline of evening services? And is extended AM worship a positive change?
- Can Christians join others' religious celebrations to "become all things to all men?"
- Where is the line between righteous judgment and being judgmental?
- When do we go from being a person who sins to being a sinner?
- Is the Bible anti-democracy?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

In the churches of Christ congregations are autonomous... to a point. Deciding when a line has been crossed and others have become beyond fellowship is a delicate but critical matter.

Topics include:

- The tendencies of progressivism and hyperconservatism
- Being open to one another without becoming compromised
- Being exclusive without being exclusionary
- Whether there's a difference between salvation issues and fellowship issues
- Are churches supposed to "police" one another?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

There are many things the Bible does not discuss. There are also plenty of things it discusses briefly or vaguely without giving a firm answer as to what we should do. How do we handle those matters? Romans 14 shows us.

We discuss:
- The role of the weaker brother and stronger brother
- The "tyranny of the weaker brother" vs. the laxness of those who may think themselves strong
- How God expects us to use our wisdom
- What elders can and can't bind
- Specifics like religious holidays, entertainment choices, boycotts, clothes, and more

Hosted by Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie