WestGate Church Teaching

This past weekend, we talked about whether the Bible is in conflict with modern science, so we thought it would be great to talk to an *actual* scientist. Dr. Jason Rosé is not only the head of the science department at a local high school here in the Bay Area, but has his doctorate in pharmacology and in the early 90s was part of the research team at UCSF that helped discover some of the medical breakthroughs used to create the drugs that treated the AIDS virus. Doc (as his students call him) stops by to talk about his own experiences with science and God, and gives some insight into the kinds of questions his students have about religion and science - and what he’s finding helps those students.

In 2019, when Barna Research asked Gen Z what some of their biggest objections to faith were, one thing that showed up (twice!) was the idea that the Bible was in conflict with, or was disproved by modern science. This is a common objection. Does what the Bible say about the origins of the world and what Science says contradict? We’ll examine this question. And by asking the simple question “Who was Genesis 1 written to and what exactly is this ancient text trying to communicate” we find that the rumors of science and the Bible’s feud are wildly over-exaggerated.

How do we, as Christians, process the very real, very historical fact that the Bible that we love and hold as the Word of God has been used by some very bad people to do some very bad things? And how do we know we’re not falling into the same interpretive pitfalls? In this week’s triple-threat edition, three guests (Jay Kim, Bobby Williams and Josh Fox) stop by for a lively conversation about that, and we explore how we (all of us) can take steps to guard against these kinds of errant and destructive readings.

It’s an unfortunate fact of US history that before and during the US Civil War, the Bible was quoted, preached and cited by Southern leaders and preachers as justification for the owning of human beings and the supremacy of white people over other races. There are a number of verses in the Bible that seem - on their face - to condone and even endorse slavery. This has led some people - even today - to wonder if the Bible is actually pro-slavery. So is it? What are we to make of that? And in a racially-charged and combative world, is the Bible the problem or the answer to the issues we face around race?

As of right now, according to Barna Research, the number of teenagers who identify as atheist is double the general population. Gen Z - born between 1999 and 2015 - are officially the first US post-Christian generation. Jay Kim stops by to talk about why our new series – How (Not) to Read the Bible based on the book and work by Dan Kimball – is important in light of the research on emerging generations and their negative views about Christianity. We talk about how reading can save your faith, and what to do if someone tells you that Mary Poppins is a horror film.

As of right now, according to Barna Research, the number of teenagers who identify as atheist is double the general population. Gen Z - born between 1999 and 2015 - are officially the first US post-Christian generation. Jay Kim stops by to talk about why our new series – How (Not) to Read the Bible based on the book and work by Dan Kimball – is important in light of the research on emerging generations and their negative views about Christianity. We talk about how reading can save your faith, and what to do if someone tells you that Mary Poppins is a horror film.

We love the nice parts of the Bible, the verses we put on coffee mugs and hang on inspirational posters in our offices. The problem is, there are plenty of verses that aren’t so nice. This is leading to confusion, doubt, and loss of faith for many. So what do we do with that? In the opening week of our new sermon series How (Not) To Read the Bible, we dive into what the Bible is, and what it is, and how some pretty simple basic rules of reading can save you a world of confusion.

On Easter Sunday morning, at dawn, the account of Matthew tells us that the giant stone that had been rolled over the face of the tomb of Jesus was rolled away, revealing an empty tomb. Later, at the end of this story, Matthew tells us why this detail matters. And in the end, we discover that the tomb was rolled away not so that Jesus could get out, but so that humanity - you and I - could enter in.

Good Friday - April 2

The Last Supper and Washing of Feet