On this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, we see that sometimes the best way to learn more about Jesus is by asking a question about him that no one's expecting. Here's one that I'm sure you weren't expecting.

This material is adapted from the forthcoming book Too Good to Be False: How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter at Thinking Christian.net so you can get your free preview copy of chapter 1.

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Jesus can still surprise you.

It doesn't matter how long you've been following him, and it doesn't matter how much you've read the gospels. He's still going to surprise you with the unexpected. In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, I share two huge surprises in his life: His use of authority in his teaching, and his "leadership style," which (according to the textbooks) never should have worked. Yet it did.

This material is condensed from the forthcoming Too Good to Be False: How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you can got your free preview copy of chapter 1.

Subscribe to the podcast, too, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.

And please take a moment to rate the Thinking Christian podcast on your podcast provider of choice. It really helps make this content visible and available to more people. Thank you!

Guide to the episode:

1:48 — Passages we'd "never seen before" and "jump out at us" versus real surprises in the life of Christ

3:36 — Jesus' astonishing use of his own authority in his teaching.

4:46 — Using sources: Jesus in comparison to other rabbis and scholars of the day

5:51 — "I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets" ... in your church?

6:55 — "I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them."

9:24 — Totally in charge, even of his own trial and execution

10:43 — Jesus' "leadership style"

11:12 — Not a model leader!

11:53 —  Three ways Jesus led that no one else should ever try

13:28 — His "style" should have failed, according to the textbooks

15:13 — Yet it didn't. Why not?

16:15 — Don't take him for granted; stay surprised!

On this inaugural episode of a revamped Thinking Christian podcast, Tom Gilson describes a problem undermining American Christianity, subtly yet definitely: We've grown to used to Jesus. Drawing from images of biblical persons who knew Jesus, and contemporary non-Christians who may never even have heard of him, he leads us toward a new appreciation of Jesus' amazing magnificence. And then he invites us to consider just how much it could change our Christian lives if we quit being quite so used to Jesus. (This episode is adapted from a June 11 Thinking Christian blog post.)

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. (Other services pending links.)

And please take a moment to rate the Thinking Christian podcast on your podcast provider of choice. It really helps make this content visible and available to more people. Thank you!

My friend Brian Auten at Apologetics 315 has just posted audio from one of the discussions Tim McGrew and I led at Defend the Faith, a conference held at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary early last month. This one is on The Spiritual Life of an Apologist.

For your convenience, listen here:

Are Christians arrogant when we say we know the truth? Is it morally acceptable for us to say we have access to truth that applies to every person? Or are we being offensive and rude, trying to impose our version of truth on everyone else?

I posted a short version of this talk a couple months ago. Here is an extended 28-minute version.

Are Christians arrogant when we say we know the truth?

I've finally been able to make a good recording of The Truth Holds Us. I enjoyed some great hospitality at Williamsburg Christian Academy this morning, and shared this message with their high-school group.

At 21 minutes and a half minutes, this is about two-thirds to one-half the length of the full version of this talk. I cut it most in the historical/philosophical portion. My apologies for the quick and light treatment I gave it there, but it was necessary—you'll even hear the class bell ring near the end.

A guided exploration of the greatness of God, unlike other podcasts I've done, in that it's not a talk I gave before a group. It is instead a meditation, intended for contemplation and worship—and to stretch your thinking about the greatness of God. You won't want to listen to it in your car, but someplace more relaxed than that.