Truthspresso

We are continuing a series of episodes comparing Jesus to superheroes. This series will tackle wrong ideas about Jesus from church history in chronological order. A superhero will represent each of these ideas.

Is Jesus Like Ant-Man?

We answer this question by answering the following:

Who is Ant-Man?

What are things that Jesus and Ant-Man seem to have in common?

How does Ant-Man's different sizes reflect the way people view the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

What is Modalism?

Who was Sabellius?

How does Oneness Pentecostalism continue modalism today?

How does modalism differ from the doctrine of the Trinity?

What are problems with modalism/Sabellianism/Oneness?

1. If Jesus is not distinct from the Father, to whom was he praying?
2. If Jesus is not distinct from the Father, to whom did he submit?
3. If we have a modalist understanding of Jesus, what are two versions of this error? (a.) Jesus is just God the Father animating a human body. He could not be our substitute if he were putting on a show and not be fully human. (b.) Jesus is actually a fully distinct human being possessed by God. This is not an incarnation. He could not be our substitute because God merely drove a human to die.

What are some verses against modalism/Sabellianism/Oneness?

1. The Father and Son are co-existent (Mat 3:16-17; Joh 17:3-5)
2. The Father and Son are both divine (Joh 5:17-23)
3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit perform different roles at the same time (Joh 16:7; Heb 1:3)
4. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit drive eschatology (Act 2:32-36)

Sources Consulted:

"Sabellianism," Wikipedia.org.

"Sabellius," Wikipedia.org.

"The Roman Pontifex Maximus," Ministry Magazine, 1943.

"The Catholic Encyclopedia." ReligionFacts.com. 22 Nov. 2016. Web. Accessed 11 Jan. 2021.

Dr. Bob Thiel, "Callistus of Rome," COGwriter.

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

We are continuing a series of episodes comparing Jesus to superheroes. This series will tackle wrong ideas about Jesus from church history in chronological order. A superhero will represent each of these ideas.

Is Jesus Like Batman

We answer this question by answering the following:

Who is Batman?

What are things that Jesus and Batman somewhat have in common?

Is Batman divine or human?

Does he have any superpowers?

What did the Ebionites believe about Jesus?

What do the Socinians believe about Jesus?

Why does Jesus have to be fully divine as well as fully human?

What are problems with Ebionism/Socinianism?

1. A great human teacher cannot be our substitute (Gal 4:1-5).
2. A human who is merely subject to the law cannot be our substitute (Mat 12:8; 9:6).
3. A human-only Jesus cannot bear the penalty for the sins and capital offenses of many people (Lev 24:19-21; Joh 1:29; 1Pe 2:24; Heb 9:28; 2Co 5:21)

What are some verses against Ebionism/Socinianism?

1. Jesus is called "God" (Joh 20:28-29 c.f. Psa 35:23; Psa 45:6 c.f. Psa 145:13 and Heb 1:8)
2. Jesus is ascribed the attributes of God (Col 2:9; Psa 102:24-27 c.f. Heb 1:10-12; Isa 44:6 c.f. Rev 1:17-18)
3. Jesus is worshiped as God (Isa 45:12-23 c.f. Php 2:10; Rev 4:10-11, 5:12-14 c.f. Rev 19:10, 22:8-9)

Sources Consulted:

"What is Ebionism?" Got Questions Ministries.

Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr., "What is Ebionism?" Third Millennium Ministries.

"Ebionites," Wikipedia.org.

"Socinianism," Wikipedia.org.

Other Scriptures Referenced:

Mathew 22:46

Mark 12:34

Luke 20:40

Matthew 8:20

Luke 9:58

Luke 4:30

John 8:59

John 10:39

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

We are beginning a series of episodes comparing Jesus to superheroes. This series will tackle wrong ideas about Jesus from church history in chronological order. A superhero will represent each of these ideas.

Is Jesus Like Superman?

We answer this question by answering the following:

Who is Superman?

Is Superman or Clark Kent human?

What is Gnosticism and Docetism?

What are three flavors of Docetism?

1. The Phantom theory
2. The Alien Body theory
3. The Divine Blood theory

What are problems with Docetism?

1. It denies substitutionary atonement
2. It denies the eschatology of Jesus' reign on earth

What are some verses against Docetism?

Sources Cited:

The Gnostic Society Library, "The Acts of John."

Phillip R. Johnson, "What's All the Controversy About John MacArthur and the Blood of Christ?" romans45.org, 2000.

Scriptures Referenced:

Matthew 9:4

Luke 11:17

Galatians 3:16

Hebrews 2:16

Acts 2:29-30

Romans 1:3

2 Timothy 2:8

Hebrews 10:4-6

Isaiah 53:5

1 Peter 3:18

Romans 5:6

Hebrews 9:28

Luke 1:32

1 John 4:2-3

2 John 1:7

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Welcome to Christmas 2020 at Truthspresso.

In this episode we are going to unwrap the depths of Isaiah 9:6 as a present from God for the first Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

We look at each phrase and cross reference to see that it is a prophecy of the Messiah.

We also compare it with Isaiah 7:14 to verify that the Messiah would be truly born of a virgin.

We put other possible fulfillments to the test such as King Hezekiah, Isaiah's son, or someone unknown from history.

We challenge ourselves to remember that the ultimate purpose of Jesus' coming is to be the king over the earth. His suffering and atonement secures his citizenry.

We look at the name of the son as "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We find each part of this name describing God in the book of Isaiah.

We take on challenges against the incarnation and the deity of Christ as we explore this marvelous Hebrew name.

Sources Cited:

Zhava Glaser, "Almah: Virgin or Young Maiden?" JewsforJesus.org, September 1, 1993.

Justin Martyr, "Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 84," trans. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson.

Jews for Judaism, "Isaiah 7:14 - A Virgin Birth?" JewsforJudaism.org.

Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah 9:6-7

"unto us a son is given"

Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 1:23

Isaiah 8:1-18

Joel 1:8

Song of Solomon 6:18

Jeremiah 31:22

"and the government shall be upon his shoulder"

1 Peter 2:7

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

Revelation 19:13

"and his name shall be called"

Isaiah 40:10-11

Ezekiel 34:23-24

"Wonderful Counselor"

Isaiah 25:1

Isaiah 28:29

"Mighty God"

Ezekiel 32:21

Ezekiel 28:2,7-9

Isaiah 10:20-21

Jeremiah 32:18

Jeremiah 23:5-6

Daniel 7:13-14,27

"Everlasting Father"

Isaiah 57:15

Isaiah 63:16

"Prince of Peace"

Isaiah 2:4

Isaiah 45:7

Is this about Hezekiah?

Isaiah 9:7

Isaiah 39:5-7

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

To conclude our series of political economic topics, let's derive some Biblical principles of economics (and against tyranny) as we break down the Tale of the Superblians.

As many humans in our story replaced simple Biblical rules for tyrannical man-made rules, they drove the benevolent Superblians away from earth. Over time, when the fog cleared, at least one started to realize the evil they had imposed against their intergalactic friends.

The Superblians helped humans prosper by practicing and teaching these four Biblical principles of economics:

1. The Bible favors private property (Exo 20:15-17; Jer 32:6-15; Act 5:4)
2. The Bible favors free exchange (Lev 25:14)
3. The Bible favors savings (Gen 41; Pro 21:20; 13:22)
4. The Bible does not favor "stimulus" (Lev 19:11; Jer 7:9; Joh 10:10; Amo 3:10; Pro 11:1; 16:11)

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Welcome to the first made-up, imaginary, fictional type story on Truthspresso!

This episode is part 3 and concludes the Tale of the Superblians.

Jake arrives at the convention center after Dr. Tom Words finished delivering a speech against Dr. Paul Drugman's article in the New Dork Times. Jake still wants to meet Dr. Words before he has to catch his plane. As Jake befriends Superblians, he has the sneaking suspicion that society is beginning to reevaluate their own.

Some real life type people figures make guest appearances or are mentioned in this part. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and the super guilty alike.

Parodied appearances:

Paul Krugman as "Paul Drugman"

Robert P. Murphy as "Robert P. Nerfy"

Thomas E. Woods as "Thomas E. Words"

Megyn Kelly as "Megyn Skelly"

Bernie Sanders as "Senator Bernie Slanders"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as "Alexandria Ocrazio-CourtSays"

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Welcome to the first made-up, imaginary, fictional type story on Truthspresso!

Guess what: I was wrong! It turns out as I write this silly story, part 2 will not conclude the Tale of the Superblians.

We pick up our story a year after the Superblians "invaded" from outer space. Listen in as our antagonist Jake has to battle two opposing economic ideas about these benevolent aliens. Are their improvements good as they appear or will they lead to destruction?

Some real life type people figures make guest appearances in this part. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and the super guilty alike.

Parodied appearances:

Paul Krugman as "Paul Drugman"

Robert P. Murphy as "Robert P. Nerfy"

Thomas E. Woods as "Thomas E. Words"

Theater sounds adapted from FreeSound:

https://freesound.org/people/J.Zazvurek/sounds/60792

https://freesound.org/people/ehohnke/sounds/242231

https://freesound.org/people/Adam_N/sounds/346682

https://freesound.org/people/temawas/sounds/179870

Scriptures Cited:

Proverbs 6:6-11

Amos 3:10

Ephesians 4:28

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Welcome to the first made-up, imaginary, fictional type story on Truthspresso!

I am planning to wrap up the economics series with the Tale of the Superblians.

Part 1 introduces the main characters and our rather unique situation.

Part 2 will show how our unusual story shockingly concludes.

If you like Sci-Fi, I hope you will bear with me in my first attempt at a Sci-Fi short story that also teaches important economic lessons.

Scripture Citations:

Psalm 35:26-28

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Continuing with parsing through the politics of income inequality, we shift from the myths and articles to get down to some simple questions.

We consider these few basic thoughts:

1. College shows why incomes differ. Different majors offer different skills that have different levels of supply and demand. People intend to go to college for a return on investment.
2. Jobs are different and command different incomes. Should a low-skilled factory worker make similar income as a brain surgeon?
3. Because people are different, an economy rebooted with income inequality would never naturally stay that way. People save differently, spend differently, invest differently, and seek different vocations. Any snapshot of an economy with income inequality imposed would quickly revert to inequality without persistent draconian regulation. Our differences are why we trade, interact, and benefit each other.
4. Different types of employment structures account for income inequality. Full time, part time, contract, and freelancing are different and have their strengths and weaknesses. They are all needed for a natural, healthy economy. When bureaucrats want to make all jobs full time, 40-hour hires with employer-sponsored health insurance and benefits, the economy suffers and people lose their freedom and flexibility.
5. Monetary income is not the only factor in measuring equality. Different skills, difficulties, demands, perks, hours, and flexibility can all factor into income. There is an unseen measure of value in flexibility and lower stress. Some people prefer an easier life and can adapt to lower income. Higher income can also mean higher stress. Introverts and extroverts can have different needs that can factor into income and expenses.
6. God made us all different for a reason. The Holy Spirit gives different spiritual gifts to members of the Body of Christ. These gifts might differ in visible impact, but they are all important. Christians should consider this as they view the economy.

Scriptures Cited:

1 Corinthians 12:15-18

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****

Income inequality has become a hot button issue in this last decade. Concerns range from the idea that it will destroy civilization to simply "It just isn't fair!"

Well, this episode will present four common claims about how income inequality is "unfair" and answer them"

1. The rich are getting richer and the poor are staying poor.
2. The United States is the worst offender for income inequality.
3. The poor and middle class are being cheated out of much of the wealth their labor creates.
4. Economic growth that fuels income inequality leaves the poor behind.

Sources Cited:

US Census Bureau, "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019"

Phil Gramm and John F. Early, Wall Street Journal, "The Myth of American Inequality"

Nat Levy, Geekwire, "Walmart posts $514B in revenue for the year, plans to double down on grocery pickup and delivery"

MacroTrends, "Walmart Net Income 2006-2020 | WMT"

Walmart, "Company Facts"

Kim Souza, Talk Business & Politics, "Walmart’s top five executives earned $68.73 million last year"

The Financial Express, "Growth fuels income inequality in Bangladesh"

Manuel Hinds, Quartz, "Inequality can be a good thing"

Scriptures Cited:

Exodus 20:15,17

Jeremiah 22:13,17

*****

Like what you hear? Donate to Truthspresso and give a shot of support!

*****