Thrive Theology

In this episode, we do a deep dive into the covenant that God made to David regarding his family line. We work our way through the succession of the royal family and explore God's faithfulness despite some very evil kings. We also look at how the line of kings gets progressively worse, the story of a power-hungry queen mother who murders her grandchildren to keep the throne, and the king who foolishly showed visiting Babylonian dignitaries his wealth.

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Recommended resources:
• "Covenants: the Backbone of the Bible" (BibleProject.com)
• "The Davidic Covenant" (Ligonier.org)

Music: Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “Slave” by IULI MAI (Creative Commons)

This week, we pick up where we left off with the covenant that God made with Abraham. We continue to follow the story through Abraham's son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Then we jump ahead 400 years to Moses & the covenant God makes with Israel through him. We also explain why this covenant is conditional, unlike some earlier covenants.

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Recommended resources:
• What is the Mosaic Covenant? (GotQuestions.org)
• Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis by John J. Davis

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “Inspiring Corporate” by Free Music

We kick off a new series on the covenants of God, starting with the very first covenants God made with key characters from the biblical narrative: Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham. We explain the significance of covenants in the ancient Near-East, discuss the difference between conditional and unconditional covenants, and take an in-depth look at the first three covenants God makes with His people.

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Recommended resources:
• Covenants in the Bible theme video from BibleProject
• The Language of Faith: Covenant podcast from Exploring My Strange Bible (BibleProject)

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “Remember” by Nettson

We took a break from theology this week and had fun looking at some medieval history; namely, the religious lives women could opt for in the Middle Ages. We explore why most women who chose to lead a religious life were actually well off, how married women could lead a religious life, and why some women lived in tiny rooms for 40 years.

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Recommended resources:
• "The Mystic Margery Kempe" from Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast
• "The Showings of Julian of Norwich" from Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast
• Pocket History of the Church by D. Jeffrey Bingham

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “You & Me” by Domiko

We explore a few more creeds: the Apostles' Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We talk about the real authors of these creeds and why the creeds got longer later on in history. We even share Apelles' Creed, who was a Gnostic. It gets a little weird . . . it may be the only creed that uses the word "moist".

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Recommended resources:
• By What Authority: The Standards of Truth in the Early Church by Bruce Shelley
• The Athanasian Creed by R. C. Sproul (Ligonier.org)

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “Senseless” by Johny Grimes

In this first of two episodes on the creeds of the Church, we give some background on the reasons early creeds were written. We also explain why the Greeks believed the spoken word was more valuable than the written word and how an ancient manuscript instructed the Early Church on detecting false prophets.

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Recommended resources:
• "The Didache" article from ChristianHistoryInstitute.org
• "The Earliest Mere Christianity" article from ChristianHistoryInstitute.org

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & “Forever” by Johny Grimes

You maybe haven't heard the term "dominionism," but there's a good chance you've heard its teachings. Dominionism advocates for complete Christian influence on the world in seven spheres of society. But there's a problem with how dominionism seeks influence: it's not biblical. We explain how this framework directly opposes what Jesus taught about power, the line from the Lord's Prayer dominionists use to support their beliefs, and how this worldview appeals to our pride and egotism.

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Recommended resources:
• “What Is Dominionism?” by Kit Kennedy
• “The Danger of Useful Christianity with Russell Moore” episode 447 of Holy Post podcast (skip to 23:00 - 38:50)

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & "Ambient Presentation" by Free Music

The public ministry of A. W. Tozer is lauded today, but there has been controversy around his personal life and the way he treated his family. He is recognized as a prophetic voice for the church of the 20th century, but he also flirted with Gnosticism in his personal life. Join us as we explore the life of this Christian leader.

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Recommended resources:
• A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett
• "A.W. Tozer" (cmalliance.org)
• "Tozer's Contradiction and His Approach to Piety" by Justin Taylor

Music: "Inspiring Acoustic" by AShamaleuvMusic & "Gold Autumn" by WM Music

We wrap up our series on hell by exploring the traditional view of hell: eternal conscious torment. But before we get to that, we take a brief detour and explain why the ancient Jews of the Old Testament didn't have a concept of hell or the afterlife and why they eventually started to change their minds. We give arguments for eternal conscious torment, and offer some different theories as to why those who deny God deserve eternal ongoing punishment.

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Recommended resources:
• Revelation 21 - 22: A New Heaven & A New Earth (BibleProject Blog)
• Heaven & Hell series from Exploring My Strange Bible podcast

Music: “Inspiring Acoustic” released by AShamaluevMusic

If you were raised in a traditional Christian home, you were probably taught about hell from the eternal conscious torment perspective. But did you know that annihilation is also thought of as a valid option by many orthodox Christians? We explain what annihilation is all about in this episode, along with the unbiblical perspective of annihilation Jehovah's Witnesses promote.

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Recommended resources:
• Episode 210: Returning to Hell with Preston Sprinkle (Holy Post podcast, 18:50 - 42:00)
• Episode 208: Talking About Hell! with John Walton (Holy Post podcast, start at 22:30)

Music: “Inspiring Acoustic” released by AShamaluevMusic & "Inspiring Cinematic Piano and Strings" by AShamaluevMusic