Without Doubt

This is part 3 of a series answering the question: can women be pastors? In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul writes, "the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church." In this episode, we examine this difficult passage head on to discover what it means and apply it to our lives.

This is part 2 of a series of episodes answering the question: can women be pastors? In this episode, Pastor David and Nathan along with special guest, Jessica Horner, look at 1 Timothy 2, focusing especially on verses 11:-15: "11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." (English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)).

What does this mean? Can women be pastors/elders in the church? Can they teach in any capacity? Was this passage only relevant to a specific audience in a specific time period? Have complementarians failed to consider the historical context surrounding this passage? How does the book of Genesis inform our understanding? What does it mean that "she will be saved through childbearing"?

We discuss all of these questions and more on this episode of Without Doubt.

This is part 1 in a 3-part series. This week we begin to tackle one of our most asked questions. It's probably not an understatement to say that this is one of the most hotly debated topics in current evangelical Christianity. In this first episode, Pastor David and Nathan Crowe are joined by Jessica Horner, to discuss the definitions of the two main views on this issue: egalitarianism and complementarianism. We hold to a complementarian viewpoint and explain what that means in the episode. Our discussion includes a survey of the incredible ways that God used women throughout the Scripture and an exhortation to Christian women to serve the Lord.

Last week we examined 4 facts that the vast majority of Christian and skeptic scholars agree upon surrounding the events of Jesus' life:

1) Jesus of Nazareth was EXECUTED by crucifixion and buried in Joseph’s tomb

2) Jesus’ tomb was found EMPTY three days later

3) Some believed they had EYEWITNESS experiences of Jesus alive after his death.

4) The EARLY TESTIMONY of Christians was belief in a resurrected Jesus

The question is, how can we explain these facts? What theory or explanation can account for all of the pieces of this puzzle? Many theories have been offered throughout the ages but one stands above them all. In this episode, we finish Pastor David's sermon, "How Can We Explain the Empty Tomb?"

How can we explain the empty tomb? We have to begin by examining the facts surrounding it. The vast majority of scholars, both skeptic and Christian, agree on 4 essential facts regarding the life and death of Jesus. Those 4 facts might surprise you – but understanding them will help us to piece together what actually happened on the Sunday morning after Jesus died. In this episode, we begin to look at a sermon that Pastor David recently preached about the resurrection called, "How Can We Explain The Empty Tomb?"

Today we are doing a lightning round on the podcast! That means that Nathan has picked a handful of questions that our listeners have asked and David will give his short, off-the-cuff answers to them. In this episode, we answer:

• (0:55) Does a believer go straight to heaven when they die? If so, how does that all work out with the rapture and final resurrection?

• (05:42) If God knows what will happen, what is the importance of prayer for healing, etc.?

• (09:06) Is it wrong to be a climate activist or a vegan?

• (13:57) What does the Bible say about tithing?

• (17:13) What is the point of asking God for forgiveness if I know I'm probably going to commit the sin again in the future?

The process of recognizing the New Testament canon took some time. When it was originally written, the New Testament was not one compiled literary work but rather 27 different writings that circulated around the early church. As the church expanded, began dealing with false teachers and doctrines, and came under intense persecution, it became necessary to spell out the recognized limits of the New Testament canon. In the process, some books like Hebrews, James, or Revelation were disputed for a time but eventually recognized as canonical. Additionally, fraudulent books began to be written, claiming to be from one of the apostles or close associates of Jesus. Dan Brown popularized the idea in the DaVinci code that all of these writings had equal weight with the rest of the New Testament writings we have today, and that at the Council of Nicea in the 4th century, the church picked the books they liked and discarded the ones they didn't. David and Nathan discuss all the disputes and dispel the myths surrounding the New Testament in this episode.

In this episode, David and Nathan discuss the New Testament canon and how the person and work of Jesus necessitated that the New Testament be written. We delve into topics such as:

• The role of apostles and how they were commissioned by Jesus to give us the New Testament

• The qualifications of apostleship and why the canon of Scripture is now closed

• Who wrote each New Testament book

• The tests of canonicity as applied to the New Testament

Roman Catholics include 7 additional books in their Bibles that Protestants reject as Scripture. Protestants call these books the "Apocrypha" (meaning "hidden") while Roman Catholics call them the "Deuterocanon" (meaning "second canon"). Should they be included in our Bibles or not? David and Nathan discuss several topics in part 2 including:

• The Church Fathers

• Jerome and the Vulgate

• The Reformation

• The Council of Trent

• Concluding Thoughts

Roman Catholics include 7 additional books in their Bibles that Protestants reject as Scripture. Protestants call these books the "Apocrypha" (meaning "hidden") while Roman Catholics call them the "Deuterocanon" (meaning "second canon"). Should they be included in our Bibles or not? David and Nathan discuss several topics in part 1 including:

• Why it matters

• The time the apocrypha was written and cessation of the prophets

• The Septuagint

• Jesus and the apostles' view of these books

Part 2 will include discussion on:

• The Church Fathers

• Jerome and the Vulgate

• The Reformation

• The Council of Trent

• Concluding Thoughts