Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to hike into the beautiful New Testament landscape of Hebrews, a book that was probably originally preached as a sermon to a group of battle-weary believers who were seriously considering throwing in the proverbial towel because their faith journey was much more difficult than they had anticipated. As a result, their pastor – and the anonymous author of Hebrews - gathered them together for a much-needed come-to-Jesus meeting to remind them that once you’ve tasted intimacy with Him, nothing else will satisfy our hungry hearts. He enthuses that while King Jesus is the perfectly transcendent Son of God, He is also miraculously accessible. In other words, while our Savior is of the exact same divine substance as God the Father, He chose to be imminent. He chose to condescend from Glory and become an empathetic High Priest that people could reach out and touch instead of some faraway, ethereal entity. If your tail’s been dragging a bit lately because of difficulty at work, or dissension at home, or just plain old garden variety disappointment and dissatisfaction with the season of life you find yourself in, we believe today’s conversation will put some practical hope back in your tank. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re massaging your temples after gulping a Slurpee and getting a brain freeze, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard, and me.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper  SAVE 20% by using code Lisa20 at ElevatedFaith.com

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is a bona-fide bonus episode because we’ve kicked our normal conversational parameters to the curb and are having a rollicking, revelatory good time with a really special guest today – best-selling author, renowned New Testament scholar, seminary professor, and one of our favorite theologians here on Back Porch Theology, Dr. Scot McKnight. Alli and I have had the privilege of getting to know Dr. McKnight because he’s been one of the keynotes at The Kerygma Summit the past two years so when asked him to be our tour guide as we explore the complex caboose of Holy Writ, the book of Revelation, he graciously agreed. Because of its dramatic imagery of dragons, sea creatures, beasts, and divine heroes blazing through the sky on horseback, this biblical prophecy has fascinated readers since John wrote it under the inspiration of Holy Spirit almost 2,000 years ago. However, because of its apocalyptic tone, it’s also been used to strike fear in the heart of hearers and send dutiful Christians scrambling to Costco to stockpile water and canned food as we prepare for impending doom when the world as we know it implodes. Thankfully, Dr. McKnight gives us a more redemptive hermeneutical lens through which to understand and apply the book of Revelation – one that recognizes John’s prophetic symbolism as timeless theology instead of a specific prediction of events that will take place in a future time. Mind you, he might step on your toes a time or two while doing so because his academic exegesis likely won’t match up with every jot and tiddle of your ingrained eschatology, but it’s totally worth the toe pinch because the takeaway is a compelling charge to better reflect the Living Hope of Jesus Christ in the current Babylon of modern culture. So please grab a cup of coffee and open your Bible to the back – unless you’ve got both hands wrapped around a wee pebble high up on a wall and are wondering how in the world you got talked into a rope-climbing course, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper  SAVE 20% by using code Lisa20 at ElevatedFaith.com

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to wade deeply into the doctrine of baptism – sorry, I just couldn’t help using a cheesy wet metaphor! Contrary to popular belief, water baptism didn’t originate with John the Baptist - whose name is better translated John the Baptizer because his ministry was so closely associated with ceremonial soaking - but instead can be traced back centuries before John normalized this sacrament for Christ-followers. In the pre-Christian era, water baptism was frequently connected to ritual purification – both in pagan and Jewish culture – and typically represented one entering a new state, a new community, or a new phase of life. And the same is basically true for Christian baptism; it’s the symbolic gate through which we enter into the newness of salvation by identifying with our Savior’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. Now, before we press play on this particular episode, I do want to acknowledge that there are more doctrinal nuances when it comes to water baptism than there are carbs to avoid on a Keto diet. Sincere Christians disagree about the amount of water necessary for baptism, what phase in a believer’s life baptism is legitimate, and whether one sprinkling, dunking, or sloshing is sufficient. However, the purpose of our podcast isn’t to ferret out the single, best understanding of baptism through some kind of dogmatic, spiritual Darwinism; instead, our hope is to encourage believers from across the beautiful breadth of Christendom to marinate in the miracle of what it really means to be raised from the sorrow and surety of death that is the consequence of sin into the glorious, divine gift of forgiveness, freedom, and fresh life we have because of Jesus Christ! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’ve got both hands on the bad bunny who’s been shoplifting tomatoes from your summer garden – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper  SAVE 20% by using code Lisa20 at ElevatedFaith.com

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a beautiful oasis called En Gedi, which was the geographical inspiration behind some of the most beloved Psalms that were written by David. Effectively making this spot, that slingshot-wielding hero’s Yoko Ono! En Gedi - which means “Spring of the Young Goat” - is one of only two freshwater springs along the western shore of the Dead Sea, so it’s vital for Israel’s agricultural industry. God allotted this fertile region to the tribe of Judah when the Israelites finally got to the Promised Land after the Exodus and four decades of wandering in the wilderness. But En Gedi really rises to prominence in Old Testament narrative in First Samuel when it becomes one of the main places of refuge for David when he had to flee the jealous madness of King Saul, who was intent on taking him out. Consequently, En Gedi became a safe place for David to pen some really lovely tunes praising God for His provision and protection. John Calvin described the Psalms as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul” because that ancient hymnal in the middle of our Bibles records both the rapture and the rupture of God’s people. And I love the breadth of the Psalms because I think it behooves us to be reminded regularly that we don’t have to curate our emotions on God’s behalf but can instead bring everything to our Creator Redeemer – including the excruciatingly painful, hard, humiliating, and completely unfiltered stuff of life – and trust that it all matters to Him because we matter to Him. Today’s podcast is going to give us a safe place to peel off our emotional Spanx and exhale, so please grab a cup of decaf coffee and your Bible - unless you’re picking banana peels out of your composter, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to peruse a parable about 10 Bridesmaids that Jesus taught on the Mount of Olives – that beautiful hill overlooking Jerusalem - during a series of messages called The Olivet Discourse, which He preached just prior to the first Easter. And while this symbolic tale is set in the context of a wedding party, it’s more of a warning than a warm and fuzzy love story so it’s important to note that our Savior was only talking to His disciples when He shared this sober, eschatological story. This conversation takes place in an intimate family meeting Jesus has with the Twelve less than a week before His crucifixion and resurrection. Only a few days before Peter, James, and John will mirror the exact same unprepared posture depicted by the bevy of sleeping beauties when they fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, even after Jesus implored them to stay awake for His sake. Remember, our Redeemer didn’t just save us from, He saved us for. For sharing the Living Hope of the Gospel to the image-bearers we have the privilege of rubbing shoulders with because one day those precious people who don’t yet have a real relationship with Jesus will run out of days to run into His outstretched arms. Today’s podcast is about being both compassionate and ready for our divine Bridegroom’s return, so please grab a ginormous cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re cutting up potatoes for a crawfish boil, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is going to be a little more animated than usual because we had the pure joy of recording it with a redemptively rowdy sisterhood of Jesus-loving chicks from 46 states & three countries at our recent Kerygma Summit here in Franklin, TN! And it was especially fitting to have this conversation in the middle of a cohesive community of ministry leaders from almost every stream of Christianity because we hurdled over the wee fences of our doctrinal differences and got real and raw about the damage caused by disunity and denominational tribalism within the Body of Christ. Our biblical theology must be reflected by compassionate sociology y’all or our proclamations of faith sound like discordant noise to the world around us. Theologian Francis Schaeffer underscored how believers must pair kindness and humility with a biblical worldview when he wrote, “Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.” Ancient church father Augustine expressed the same theme beautifully when he wrote, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” And our Savior said it best in Mark’s gospel account: For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Today’s podcast is kind of like spiritual wasabi, it has the potential to cleanse the palate of your heart, but it’s got some bite to it, too! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible - unless you’re vacuuming pet hair out of your couch cushions, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Belle, Dr. Howard, and me!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the final of three podcasts we recorded live in Israel – we’re exposing some stuff to the light that the enemy of our souls would rather us keep hidden because he has a better chance of tormenting us in the dark. Before we go any further, I’d like to encourage you to make sure there aren’t any kiddos listening today because this podcast includes a very vulnerable, ultimately triumphant testimony that includes trauma which might be a bit heavy for little hearts. The catalyst for this bondage-breaking theme was a site we explored in the Golan Heights called Caesarea Philippi – not to be confused with Caesarea By the Sea which we talked about last week. Although, Caesarea Philippi’s beauty is water-based as well because it sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, so the abundance of snow run-off combined with a large spring called Banias makes it a lush green oasis of flora and fauna. But there’s also a big, dark cave carved into the hillside at Caesarea Philippi that was the center of pagan worship in ancient times. Sacrifices were often cast into that cave as offerings to the false god Pan, whom you may remember from Greek mythology as the half-man/half-goat playing a flute and flirting with nymphs. In light of Pan’s secular popularity, it’s especially fitting that Caesarea Philippi is also the place where Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” to which Peter confessed that He was the Messiah. The Christ. The King of all kings who would conquer fear and death once and for all. If you struggle with some level of anxiety, our sincere hope and prayer is that God will use today’s conversation to ease your burden. Your precious shoulders weren’t shaped to carry that crushing load. Paul says it best at the beginning of Galatians 5: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re re-staining your deck, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the second of three podcasts we recorded live in Israel - we’ll discover how one of Peter’s prophetic dreams was fulfilled in a beautiful city overlooking the Mediterranean called Caesarea By The Sea, or Caesarea Maritima. This bustling harbor town on the coast of Israel was one of the most prominent cities in the ancient Roman world, built by Herod to schmooze his patron, Augustus Caesar, and it’s also where Pontius Pilate spent most of his down time. Remember Roman rulers were from Italy so unlike the Jewish citizens they governed, they much preferred the coast of Israel to the dusty hills of Jerusalem. But Caesarea By The Sea isn’t simply a gorgeous place to soak in the sun and enjoy the surf, it’s also a significant city in biblical history because it’s where the first post-Easter Gentile conversion takes place, meaning it’s where God’s merciful plan to redeem all of humanity – not just Israel – begins to take shape. Which means if you love Jesus and you’re not Jewish, it’s the very spot you can trace your spiritual DNA back to! Therefore, today’s going to be a family reunion of sorts, so please grab a big ole’ cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re practicing Around The World on your yoyo, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the first of three podcasts we recorded live in Israel - we’re diving deep – pun intended – into a pair of maritime miracles that took place on The Sea of Galilee, which is also referred to as The Sea of Tiberias, Lake Gennesaret, and Lake Kinneret in biblical narrative. During His earthly ministry Jesus lived, preached, and performed the majority of His miracles near the Sea of Galilee and in its neighboring towns. Mary Magdalene was from Migdal – a fishing village on The Sea of Galilee and three of the disciples were born in the shoreline city of Bethsaida. However, despite its most familiar moniker, the Sea of Galilee is actually a fresh-water lake. It’s about 12 miles long, 8 miles across at the widest and it’s shaped like a harp. And while its waters are neither salty like an ocean or crystal clear like a mountain stream, Galilee has seen more divine grace per gallon than any other body of water in the world! Our hope is that you feel refreshingly soaked by some as a result of our conversation today. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re alphabetizing your spice rack, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co   Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re exploring how hardship and revival are like peanut butter and jelly in biblical narrative – in other words, they’re often sandwiched together. And Apostle Paul’s life exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between hardship and revival, which he testified to while imprisoned at the end of Acts when he said, “It is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” (Acts 28:20). In other words, Whatever hardship I have to endure pales next to the supernatural hope I’m preaching here, y’all – JESUS is the Messiah we’ve been longing for since the beginning of time and I’m gonna keep sharing this message until there’s no more breath in my lungs! The joy of watching other people’s eyes widen and faces light up like Christmas trees when they heard about the unconditional love of Jesus made all the unfair bumps and bruises he experienced while preaching about it worth the cost. In the spiritual milieu, difficult labors lead to miraculous births! Today’s conversation is going help some of us take bigger risks for the sake of the Gospel so fasten your seat belts, grab a super-sized cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or getting spray-tanned for a beach trip, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re talking about a true story in Acts that sounds like some kind of crazy Quentin Tarantino script. It involves a fortune teller, human trafficking, crooked policemen, an earthquake, and a jailhouse revival. Honestly, when people tell me they think the Bible is boring it’s all I can do not to burst out laughing because this divine love story is more engaging than anything that ever came out of Hollywood! And the theme of the text we’re exploring today is wildly counter-cultural because it reveals how our spiritual ancestors were honored to be dishonored for the sake of the Gospel. Their sacrificial humility reminds me of what Therese of Lisieux said soon before her death in 1897: “My God I choose all! I do not want to be a saint by halves, I’m not afraid to suffer for You, I fear only one thing: to keep my own will, so take it, for I choose all that You will.” Bending our will to His is the opposite of bondage, y’all – it actually leads to breakthrough. I have a hunch this is going to be a chain-breaker of a conversation so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or putting together an IKEA armoire, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore an argument that broke out among Jewish believers and Gentile converts to Christianity in the First Century that threatened to split the early church like an overripe watermelon. This chapter of church history recorded in the book of Acts is formally called “The Jerusalem Debate” and the hugely significant spiritual truism came out of those ancient theological fisticuffs is still a foundational wall of orthodox Christianity today. Early church fathers described it as: solo fide, which in Latin means “faith alone.” In other words, the Old Testament guidelines that the Jewish believers in Acts were so fired up about getting non-Jewish Christian converts to abide by couldn’t save them then and it sure can’t save us now because no human being has the capacity to attain moral perfection. Mosaic Law underscores our need for a Messiah. Furthermore, our gratitude for God’s grace – not the attempt to justify it – has to be the motive behind Christian morality, otherwise good doctrine and good behavior will soon digress into smug moralism, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, and even worse. Today’s conversation about our on-going need to be “re-Gospeled” is bound to be lively and hopefully life-giving so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or wrapping banana leaves around a deceased pig for a backyard luau, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to spend some quality time with Apostle Paul, the chief bully of ancient believers who was so gob-smacked by grace on the way to Damascus that he experienced a radical conversion, went on to write at least 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament, and laid the foundation for what we now call systematic theology. Eminent Pauline scholar F.F. Bruce describes his dramatic transformation from anti-Christian crusader to Christian missionary like this: "With astonishing suddenness the persecutor of the church became the apostle of Jesus Christ. He was in mid-course as a zealot for the law, bent on checking a plague which threatened the life of Israel, when, in his own words, he was ‘apprehended by Christ Jesus’ and constrained to turn right round and become a champion of the cause, which up to that moment, he had been endeavoring to exterminate, dedicated henceforth to building up what he had been doing his best to demolish.” Paul’s striking turn-about proves that in the spiritual realm old dogs can most certainly learn new tricks and more importantly, our Savior can mold the hardest of human hearts into the beautiful shape of God and others-honoring humility. I think today is going to provide some much-needed fresh encouragement for those of you who’ve been tempted to give up praying for a precious, albeit hard-hearted, loved one in your corner of the world. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or cleaning the keyboard of your laptop with a Q-tip, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about the spirit of radical generosity that permeated the early church in the book of Acts. Those ancient Christ-followers were so gifted at giving, they made Santa look bush league! In fact, the very first time the Greek word koinonia – which means a close fellowship between people, emphasizing what is common between them and is defined by participation, sharing, and contribution – is used for the first time in the New Testament in the book of Acts to describe the benevolent community that existed among Christ-followers. Andrew Murray, who was a Scottish missionary, pastor, and author in the late 19th & early 20th century framed the theme of today’s conversation with his keen observation: The world asks, "What does a man own?" Christ asks, "How does he use it?" Whether at home, work, or church – true community is a place where people are generous and devoted to one another’s well-being. And if you haven’t found a community quite like that, we hope this episode might just motivate you to start one! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or spray-painting Pickleball lines in your driveway, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s episode of Back Porch Theology we’re stepping into new theological territory after spending the last 8 weeks in our “Wild About Jesus” series where we explored His perfectly simultaneous divine and human nature – otherwise known as the hypostatic union – His historicity, His early life, His empathy, His atoning death and His absolute superiority as the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Focusing on who Jesus is – shoring up the cornerstone of our orthodoxy, if you will – compelled us to ask ourselves the question posed by one of my favorite modern thinkers and theologians, Francis Schaeffer: How Should We Then Live? Because what we believe to be true about our Redeemer can’t simply recline in our minds as cognitive, spiritual information but must generate a Christophormic, Jesus-shaped, response to the world around us! Our sociology should reflect our theology! Which is why we’re going to spend some time in Acts - following the progression of those first Christ-followers who went from walking along beside incarnate Jesus – surely accumulating lots of information about Him along the way - to changing the course of history with the radical message of God’s unconditional love after witnessing that very first Easter. We’re about to put some serious skin in the game, y’all, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or organizing your junk drawer, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper 

During today’s episode of Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about the most epic of all tattoos, which is the one John describes as being on Jesus’ thigh when He comes thundering through the sky on a white horse to claim His bride in Revelation 19: King of kings and Lord of lords. This divine, indelible ink includes not one, but two titles, that herald Jesus’ supremacy and authority over ever other king, emperor, president, prime minister, general or any other kind of ruler the world has ever seen. And those superlative titles are especially interesting when we remember that during the latter part of the first century when the book of Revelation was written, the Caesars were fond of being called king (Greek basileus) and lord (Greek kyrios) so when John shares that spoiler alert about Jesus coming back for us with a “King of kings and Lord of lords” tat – he’s letting us know that the victory of good over evil is a sure thing and that we can rest in the ultimate sovereignty of our Savior. Take a deep breath, baby, because our future is golden! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or weaving Alpaca wool, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Sponsored by Talk About from Awana. Get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com keyword Lisa Harper Check out Lisa's new study on Luke at ChurchSource.com/Luke Save on the Dwell Bible App at dwellapp.io/LisaHarper See "Jesus" for free on Sight and Sound TV. Learn more at Sight-Sound.TV

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about how captivating Jesus was as a communicator. Although our Savior was omniscient, He wasn’t obnoxious. He didn’t expound on Torah with elitist, multi-syllabic, proprietary language to prove His other-worldly intellect, instead He told stories. He talked about transcendent things like God and the Kingdom of Heaven with imaginative language and compelling metaphors that engaged His first century audience. In fact, almost half of His sermons were in parabolic – or story – form. The bottom line is, we wouldn’t be tempted to play Candy Crush on our phones if we were listening to Jesus preach! Plus, His stories are just as engaging and relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. In fact, I found myself so enthralled by one while preparing for this episode that I skipped dinner last night, which could almost qualify as a modern-day miracle. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or rolling homemade sushi, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Sponsored by Talk About from Awana. Get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com keyword Lisa Harper Check out Lisa's new study on Luke at ChurchSource.com/Luke Save on the Dwell Bible App at dwellapp.io/LisaHarper  See "Jesus" for free on Sight and Sound TV. Learn more at Sight-Sound.TV

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re diving deep into the biblical concept of atonement – which the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible describes as: the act by which God and man are brought together in personal relationship. The term atonement is derived from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “making at one,” hence “at-one-ment.” It presupposes a separation or alienation that needs to be overcome if human beings are to know God and enjoy a relationship with Him. In Romans 5:11, Apostle Paul frames it like this: And not only that, but we shall also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement – which in many Bible translations is called the reconciliation. Now, we want to make a wee qualification before we commence conversating because there are as many theories of atonement as there are ice cream flavors at Baskin Robbins. We don’t have enough time or thick enough skin to delve into all of the nuances of atonement, much less whether it’s limited or universal so we’re taking the risk of being equal opportunity offenders to both hyper-Calvinists and enthusiastic Arminians! But the theological axis we are going to unify around today is how through His vicarious, substitutionary, and sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus atoned for our sin and satisfied the demands of God’s perfect justice. In other words, we believe Scripture clearly reveals that we can’t save ourselves so our Heavenly Father mercifully sent His only begotten Son to pay the price humanity couldn’t possibly afford so as to reconcile us to Himself. Easter was a “consequent absolute necessity.” This episode might feel a bit like drinking from a firehose, so please grab a big cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or practicing roping steers, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Sponsored by Talk About from Awana. Get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com keyword Lisa Harper Save on the Dwell Bible App at dwellapp.io/LisaHarper  See "Jesus" for free on Sight and Sound TV. Learn more at Sight-Sound.TV

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re discussing all things anthropomorphic – which in the theological realm involves the oft feeble attempt to use human context and metaphor to describe what is divine and transcendent. And we’re doing so to responsibly frame the thesis that our Creator Redeemer is not uniformly angry or solemn but instead expresses sheer delight within the perfect Trinitarian “perichoresis” kind of relationship that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit enjoy with each other, and also with us - His prone to wander people. If you grew up like me with the wrong assumption that the Bible is an altogether somber rulebook and our Savior is an unsmiling grump, then today’s episode might just help you understand how orthodox Christianity and the concept of a smiling Savior are not mutually exclusive! Praise God, some of y’all are gonna get free today, baby! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or grinding your own wheat, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Sponsored by Talk About from Awana. Get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com keyword Lisa Harper Save on the Dwell Bible App at dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the fourth in our “Wild About Jesus” series – we’re going to talk about how Apostle Paul compared the Christ to the dude who started that whole fig-leaves-for-pants trend when he referred to our Savior as the “Second Adam.” Which sounds like he was casting Jesus as a sort of new and improved “version” of mankind, doesn’t it? Like adding Christological chorizo to queso or something to make it better. But that’s not Paul’s point at all, y’all. Instead, his systematic compare-and-contrast language leads to the theological truism that Jesus was God’s original gameplan to redeem humanity all along. We’re going to be pounding nails to shore up some awesome doctrinal scaffolding today y’all, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or trying not to fall over while peeling off a pair of Spanx in the narrow stall of a public restroom, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co  Save on the Dwell Bible App at dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the third in our “Wild About Jesus” series – we’re going to talk about the fact that Jesus is a proven historical figure. In fact, there’s overwhelming evidence about the work and person of Jesus Christ from numerous non-Christian sources from the earliest centuries of the Common Era! In his book, The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, pastor and theologian Dr. Tim Keller writes about a man who told a pastor he’d be happy to believe in Christianity if the pastor could give him a watertight argument for its legitimacy. The pastor replied, "What if God hasn’t given us a watertight argument, but rather a watertight person.” Dr. Keller goes on to say that faith and certainty grow as we get to know more about Jesus – who He is and what He did. If someone you love has serious doubts about the historicity of Jesus and you feel like you’ve hit a dead end when it comes to talking with them about Christianity, today’s conversation might help you re-engage with them. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or changing the oil on your John Deere, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Ally, Dr. Howard and me!  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the second in our “Wild About Jesus” series – we’re going to dive deep into the Christological doctrine concerning our Savior’s absolute deity and His perfect humanity, which is summed up in the term – hypostatic union. That fancy phrase dates all the way back to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, where it was determined that the Son of God was of the exact same substance as God the Father, as well as being indisputably human simultaneously! That despite our Redeemer’s habit of hugging on lepers and hanging out with disreputable sinners so as to save them, His compassionate relationship with flawed humanity in no way meant Jesus was a lesser form or diluted derivative of Yaweh. Dr. J.I. Packer says it best: He took humanity without the loss of deity. This truism is a foundational wall of biblical orthodoxy, y’all so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or hand-painting quail eggs, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Ally, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – which is the very first episode of our second season so please forgive Ally, Dr. Howard and me if we sound gob-smacked with grateful joy but we just can’t help it because we’re over the moon that we get to continue this adventure with y’all - we’re going to begin an 8-week series that revolves around our Redeemer so we’re calling it “Wild About Jesus.” We’re gonna put the “Christ” into “Christocentric” baby! Now for those of you who’ve just recently joined this spiritual shindig, please know our goal here on Back Porch Theology is to dive into substantive biblical exegesis and spiritual formation but not be too stuffy in the process. That’s why we call it Back Porch Theology – because while you can hang with your friends on the front porch, those places tend to be all neat and tidy in light of their visibility to neighbors and passersby. But the Back Porch is a place where you can totally relax with your closest friends and talk and rock to your heart’s content. Plus, remember the Greek root words of theology are theos, which refers to God, and logos, which refers to words or conversation. So theology was never meant to be a boring, academic pursuit, it was meant to be lived! The bottom line is, here at BPT we’re all about having honest, biblically sound conversations about God, punctuated by lots of stories and a belly laugh or two - it's a pretty safe place to learn more about our Creator Redeemer and hopefully lean more fully into your relationship with Him. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or cutting your own bangs, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast @LisaDHarper @AllisonAllen @Jim.Howard.Co Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to sift back through the rapture and rupture of our first year of podcasting – we can hardly believe this is our 52nd week of BPT! We’re going to revisit some really cool theological concepts like orthodoxy, orthopraxy and orthopathy and I will surely mispronounce a multi-syllabic term or two because if you’ve spent even a short amount of time hanging out on the proverbial porch with us, you know that bloopers are a big part of our repertoire! But there’s a biblical method to our happy madness today as well, because in Revelation 12, the evil one is depicted as an angry dragon because our Savior’s sword is poking out of his nasty, scaly chest so that lying lizard knows his time is short. Revelation 12 also explains that the devil is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. In other words, when we talk about the good things God has done and is doing, we effectively plunge King Jesus’ sword deeper into his evil chest! Therefore, Ally and Dr. Howard and I are going to thoroughly enjoy some lizard torture today, because we’re gob-smacked by the grace God has lavished on us, as well as the gift of community He's given us with y’all and we can’t wait to TEST-TI-FY all about it! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or doing the Electric Slide with your small group, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology Ally and I are beginning 2023 with fresh resolve to lean more fully into the love of Jesus Christ! Our goal is to grow in our devotion to God, as well as to have more wisdom regarding how to prune that which (and those who) diverts or distracts us from Him. According to recent polls, losing weight is a perennial top ten New Year’s resolution and I hope to drop a few pounds myself…but man, how much more fulfilling would it be to drop ten or fifteen pounds of toxic, emotional baggage, y’all? So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or still peeling off the Spanx from that New Year’s Eve party, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard, Belle and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to dive into the joy-saturated stories of Anna and Simeon, two geriatric saints who never gave up hope that they’d meet the Messiah before they met their Maker. And we’re going to compare and contrast the solo Simeon warbled after meeting 7-week-old baby Jesus with Mary’s Magnificat – the gorgeous praise chorus she sang after Gabriel gave her the shock of a lifetime by proclaiming that although she hadn’t graduated from high school yet, Yaweh had chosen her to carry the Christ! You’re gonna be so stoked when you find out how those two ancient songs reveal the supernaturally comforting Trinitarian-nature of that first Advent! This episode might just help banish your post-Christmas blues better than chips and queso, y’all – which is a huge endorsement coming from me. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or secretly dragging your Christmas tree to some vacationing neighbor’s backyard burn pile, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to peruse the 400 Silent Years between the Old Testament and New Testament – which is formally called the Intertestamental Period – when God’s voice was not recorded. It’s tempting for us to associate silence with sadness, even badness, especially during seasons like Christmas when it seems the world around us is in an emotionally noisy, celebratory mood. However, biblical narrative kicks our assumption to the curb because over and over again in Scripture silence is the prelude to a miracle. Plus, learning to trust God’s sovereign mercy while waiting in the quiet often led to a wonder that far exceeded our ancestor’s faith. Abraham and Sarah became parents to Issac – the beginning of the theocracy of Israel – when Abe was 100 years old and surely at least a smidge deaf in one ear; Issac and Rebekah prayed for children for two decades before giving birth to those infamous twins, Jacob and Esau; Manoah and his wife gave birth to Samson when they were so old, they were on daily statins and wearing bifocals; and when Elizabeth got pregnant with John the Baptist – the human symbolism of Christmas Eve because he was the forerunner of the Christ – she was advanced in age, meaning she’d spent long seasons wondering if God was immune to her anguish. The deepest hope often grows in the darkest places. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or bridling a reindeer, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.  Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a passage in Luke and expose the awe-deprivation that has permeated modern Christendom. Then we’re going to take off our spiritual Spanx and have a real and raw conversation about how we can recover the wonder we used to have at Christmas when we were absolutely undone by the truism of Immanuel – of God. With. Us. Remember when your eyes welled up whenever you sang, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, GLORY to the newborn king?” What happened to the starry eyes we used to have only for Jesus? One of my spiritual mentors, Pastor and Professor Scotty Smith, wryly observed that far too many Christ-followers are like Cinderella with amnesia. Some of us have forgotten that believing in Jesus swings the door wide open to a glorious adventure and mystery greater than our imaginations could possibly conjure up! We. Have. Been written into the lead role of an epic, divine love story called Christianity, y’all – which as Sir C.S. Lewis exclaimed: “Is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” Our jaws should still be hanging open over the inscrutable fact that the only true God who CREATED THE WORLD WITH HIS WORD condescended from glory to make His grace accessible to us! Today is our wake-up call to WONDER… so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or trying to superimpose your mother-in-law’s head on that dancing digital elf, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about some of the less prominent features – the “tucked away treasures” in the Christmas story that illustrate the fact that nothing and no one is insignificant to God. Even the quietest - often overlooked - details of this love story we call the Bible bellow the attentive compassion of our Kinsman Redeemer! From Joseph’s gentle and generous assent to becoming an adoptive father, to the astral projection that compelled a crew of wise men to pack their bags and begin a 1,000 mile trek to meet a foreign toddler, to the royal specificity of an ancient substance called frankincense that’s still royally pricey today if you’re one of those passionate essential-oilers, the minutia of Christmas was miraculous. And while they weren’t loud, blow-your-hair-back kind of supernatural stuff, the finer points of the birth narrative we’re perusing today changed the course of history. Reminds me of what a wise dude named Zechariah said a long time ago, “Don’t despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” If you’re feeling unseen, irrelevant, or unappreciated today, be encouraged this one’s especially for you! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or untangling Christmas lights in the attic, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a colorful passage at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel account to help prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas during this, the first week of Advent. Because despite what retailers would like us to think, the Advent has nothing whatsoever to do with shopping! The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means arrival or coming. In the 4th and 5th Centuries, Advent marked the season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. During that ancient season of preparation, Christ-followers spent 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for the baptisms of new believers at Epiphany. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages, that Advent was solely connected with Christmas. And while joy is certainly one facet of Advent, there is a necessary sobriety to this season as Deitrich Bonhoeffer explained in his observation: "The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come." Bonhoeffer’s assertion that only those cognizant of their own flaws can actually celebrate Christ’s coming aptly describes the biblical characters we’ll be hanging out with today because their true stories sound like they’ve been ripped from the tabloids! They’re pretty unusual – if not very unlikely - ambassadors of Advent but they provide glorious proof that perfection is not a prerequisite to be adopted into the family of God! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or feeding a giant Tupperware of cranberry sauce into the garbage disposal, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to use a uniquely American holiday that involves consuming copious amounts of dead bird and marshmallow-slathered root vegetables as a springboard to talk about the global spiritual fruit of gratitude. Our hope is that this conversation will be beneficial to all Backporchers - whether you live in Nashville, Nairobi, New York or New Zealand! And the passage we’re going to dive into is non-traditional as well. More often than not Christians turn to the New Testament when the topic is eucharisteo – that’s the original Greek word the English word “thanksgiving” is translated from – but we’re going Old Testament today to talk about how unlike the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate here in America the last Thursday in November, gratitude is supposed to be an on-going, everyday expression of faith for Christ-followers. One of my theological heroes – Sir G.K. Chesterton – who wrote the classic book, “Orthodoxy” – said it well in this keen observation: “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or have your hands in the nether-regions of a frozen Turkey, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to get real and raw about those seasons in life when we seriously consider throwing in the towel. Or at least whacking an adversary with a wet one! In John 10:10 our Redeemer, King Jesus, promises us abundant life – but He never promised that it would be easy. As a matter of fact, in John 16 Jesus confided that in this life, we’ll actually have some trouble. So how do we keep running the race so as to win the prize as Paul admonishes? How do we keep on keeping on when life knocks the wind out of both our sails and our lungs? Well, there’s a couple of divine diamonds at the tail end of Hebrews we’re going to excavate today that we believe will help those of us who feel like we're running on fumes to get refueled in every sense of the term, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or knitting Christmas prayer shawls, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about an eschatalogical passage toward the end of Mark’s gospel that at first glance comes across as alarming. Remember eschatology is just a fancy, multi-syllabic, theological term that refers to the doctrine of end times or last things. And regardless of what your personal or your denomination’s doctrinal view of eschatology is - whether you’re pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, amillenial or just confused about all the trib-talk because your only association with that term is from the Hunger Games - far too many believers associate the end times only with ominous and apocalyptic and stockpiling lentils from Costco. However, there’s a revelatory nugget in Mark’s gospel that promises the return of Christ will be infinitely more glorious than gloom and doom. Mind you, we’re not advocating for Christians to quit stockpiling lentils, we just hope you’re doing so because you’re throwing an awesome Fall party for all your neighbors wherein everybody’s bellies will get full from the wonderful soup you make with those ancient grains and their hearts turn toward Jesus because of the stories you’re compelled to share about how Jesus has redeemed your life as we occupy well until He comes back for His bride by loving the image-bearers around us! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or milking the family cow, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about a heart-warming story in Mark’s Gospel narrative that involves a man named Bart, who much like the little engine that could of children’s literature, persevered through significant adversity and by doing so, experienced both the miracle of physical and emotional healing. We’re also going to talk about a Greek word that’s used in the original telling of Bart’s story – epitimao – which means, “to command with the implication of a threat” and how some of us have laid down God-authored dreams because of the cold water others have poured on our proverbial fires. Our deep hope is that the Holy Spirit will use today’s conversation to spur some of you to pick up a divine dream you prematurely discarded and that much like Caleb, you’d begin to realize your latter years will be even better than your former and that our compassionate Creator Redeemer is not through writing the redemptive chapters in your story! Today might just be the day that real hope barges back into your battered heart, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or getting a head start on hanging Christmas lights, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore the miraculously cohesive band of brothers Jesus chose to be His disciples, and how they modeled unity not uniformity. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group of men in the Ancient Near East who were more diametrically opposed with regards to cultural views and societal norms. The Hatfields and McCoys might’ve had more things in common than the original twelve! And in light of Jesus intentionally choosing exactly a dozen raggamuffins to follow Him – which many scholars say is a nod to the orginal twelve tribes – we’re heading back to the Old Testament today too to highlight a hapax legomenon (which means a word or expression that’s only used once in a linguistic context or entire text) that pretty much proves the adage, “God doesn’t always call those who are equipped, but He always equips those He calls!” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or hollowing out a decorative gourd, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me! Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to tackle all things theophany – which is a form of divine revelation where God’s miraculous presence is made visible and recognizable to mere humans. Some of the most familiar theophanies in Holy Writ are the flaming topiary through which God affirmed and called a stuttering Moses to lead Israel out of captivity, as well as the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that accompanied the Israelites through the wilderness wanderings. However, we’re going to focus on some really cool, less familiar theophanies today because there’s loads of theological significance regarding the nature of our trinitarian God to glean from biblical theophanies and Christophanies – which are theophanies that have a human form – but they also have the capacity to spur our faith and fertilize some old-school awe over the fact that our Creator Redeemer loves us so much that He condescends to make Himself unmistakable to us. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or French-braiding your show horse’s tail, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Operation Christmas Child. Pack a shoebox! Learn more by clicking here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to continue exploring the Old Testament historical narratives, as well as the biblical significance of both banquets and barren places. We’re going to talk about what it really means to be adopted into God’s family and assured a seat at His family table. And Dr. Howard’s going to give us a much more hopeful and holistic understanding of the theological term soteriology because putting your hope in Jesus Christ is so much better than a one and done moment at youth camp or a single step on some ethereal ladder of religiousity! The supernatural atonement Jesus made available to us through His suffering and subsequent death on a cross, followed by His bodily resurrection is a 360-degree experience of divine grace – He really is making all things new, y’all! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or participating in a hotly contested thumb war, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.   Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31, 2023 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re going to dive into a crazy Old Testament family drama more colorful than an episode of Yellowstone and in so doing we’re going to highlight what Dr. A.W. Tozer said many years ago: It takes humility to worship God acceptably. There’s a lovely little Hebrew word in the Old Testament pronounced kah-vode that can mean two things: “glory” as in God’s glory, and “weight” as in the waistline of someone who’s been indulging in too many Krispy Kremes. And this one little word packs quite a punch in our convo today because it leads us to the conclusion that human shoulders aren’t nearly broad enough to carry the weight of God’s glory – spiritual leadership and Christian celebrity are not remotely synonymous. As my friend Christine Caine wisely and soberly says, “If the light on you in brighter than the light of Christ in you, it has the potential to kill you.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or in the final stages of putting together a Lego replica of the Millennium Falcon, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.     Learn more about the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.   Back Porch Theology Goes Home-Christian Tour to Israel-March 21-31 

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re going to wrestle with the question: “Is true happiness actually the absence of sadness” and in so doing we’re to delve into the theological territory of “theodicy.” We’re also going to talk openly and honestly about the false assumption that when you put your hope in Jesus, He’ll make life easier – possibly even painless. The Biblical text and compelling true story we’re diving into is found in the Old Testament Historical book of First Samuel. And since it goes without saying that Alli & I are rabid Dr. Tim Keller fans, we’ve chosen this quote from Dr. Keller as the tantalizing intro for today’s convo on the porch: “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.” So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or practicing math on an abacus, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to delve into a very colorful Old Testament story that illustrates the symbiotic relationship between blessing and boundaries. History proves over and over again that without the life-giving promises AND parameters of Scripture, we lose our bearings – ultimately our identity and our dignity. Now speaking of boundaries, because the historical context of the Biblical narrative we’re going to peruse in this episode is spicy – it reads more like HBO than the Hallmark Channel - I want to encourage y’all to make sure there aren’t any little ears listening along with you. Please make sure your kids, grandkids, neighbor’s kids or pre-teen passersby are out of earshot, then grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or arranging a charcuterie board, of course – and come hang out on the porch with Ally and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to lean into another Psalm, which if you listened to last week’s episode, you know entails listening intently to one of the tunes on God’s proverbial Spotify list since all of the Psalms were originally penned as song lyrics. The particular Psalm we’re focusing on today is Psalm 42, which is a bluesy kind of tune and technically classified as a Psalm of Lament. It’s also essentially an engraved invitation to mature into a more honest relationship with our Creator Redeemer. To trust Him enough to confess our disappointment, grief, and despair as a raw and unfiltered act of worship. Because from our emotional ashes, God can build a pathway to more secure hope, deeper joy and steadfast peace. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or sheering sheep of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porth Theology is sponsored in part by the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminary. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to exhale into a green Scriptural pasture that church father and ancient theologian, John Calvin, described as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” The Psalms. Every emotion in the human continuum is expressed somewhere in these 150 Psalms that were all originally composed as songs. These biblical lyrics record both the dancing and the weeping of God’s people. As a matter of fact, they contain more bluesy kind of tunes than anything else, proving that our Savior doesn’t require us to sanitize our emotions or cull out the dark ones before we approach Him. God’s love for us is immutable…it doesn’t change regardless of what kind of emotional season we’re in. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or docking a boat of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.       Learn more about the Tov for Women Event at Northern Seminay. Log onto CWLNorthern.com/events for more information.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to apply John’s observation in Revelation 12:11 where he tells us that satan - that lying lizard whose sole purpose is to rob, steal, kill and try to destroy humanity – is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. In other words, when we talk about how God compassionately pulled us out of pits we dug ourselves and how He’s currently revealing His grace and faithfulness, we effectively twist the sword in that nasty dragon’s chest. The enemy of our souls simply can’t stand it when we talk about how good our Creator Redeemer is, y’all – our God stories are his kryptonite! And today’s testimony-teller is none other than my five foot twelve sister from another mister, the Shirley to my Laverne, the Laurel to my Hardy, the Oats to my Hall – well, you get the picture. Today’s all about Alli! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or pumicing your heels of course, and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/Lisa Harper.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to dive into the twelfth book of the Minor Prophets & the very last book ~ in canonical order ~ of the Old Testament, Malachi. Or as one of my Italian friends teasingly transliterates: Malachee! This post-exhilic book is unique in its format, which scholars describe as rhetorical disputation ~ which basically means a literary debate. In other words, this OT narrative depicts the Israelites ~ our spiritual ancestors ~ with their fists raised in the air fussing with the Creator of the Universe. Yet, despite their flagrant disobedience, Malachi also underscores God’s immutable ~ which is a fifty-dollar word that simply means unchanging ~ compassion. If you’re anything like me and struggle with trust ~ maybe because you’ve been abandoned or deeply wounded in the past, I think today’s conversation might help you lower your guard with God. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or doing origami of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore the second half of Hosea’s prophetic story, which reveals the difference between the often emotive charade of counterfeit repentance – which may look and sound like someone who’s contrite yet whose behavior remains sinful and self-indulgent - and the posture of a believer who’s truly turning from spiritual rebellion back toward a right and reconciled relationship with God. The biblical model of repentance has never been primarily about assuaging our guilt, much less about getting attention or sympathy y’all; instead, it’s about the honest awareness of how our sin separates us from our Savior, followed by a humble appeal for God’s mercy. Which is surely the only thing powerful enough to repair the chasm we create between us and our Creator Redeemer when we choose to give anyone or anything other than God the lion’s share of our attention and affection. The takeaway from today’s pitstop in the Minor Prophets might include a smidge of conviction, but mostly we’re going to marinate in the miracle of God’s kindness, which Apostle Paul tells us facilitates repentance. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or juggling cacti of course, and come hang out on the porch with Ally, Dr. Howard and me. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to begin exploring a 12-book section at the tail end of the Old Testament called The Minor Prophets. I used to think they were called “minor” prophets because the men who wrote them were diminutive, Paleo-eating kind of men but the real reason these twelve books are referred to as the “minor” prophets is simply that they’re not as long-winded as prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah! Yet in spite of their brevity – most are no more than a few chapters in length – the Minor Prophets are full of passion, intrigue and unforgettable images of God. And my favorite image of God is presented in the very first book of the twelve Minor Prophets – a shocking love story that serves as a biblical harbinger of the Gospel about a good guy named Hosea – whose name literally means “Yaweh has rescued” or “salvation” - and a bad girl named Gomer. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or shaping a bonzai tree of course, and come hang out on the porch with us.  Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, I have the HUGE privilege of introducing you to one of my living heroes of faith – the man who introduced me to grace. I’ve been attending church since I was in utero and have been reading the Bible – or having it read to me - from my earliest memories but the concept of grace – of God’s unmerited favor - was always like wet soap to me – it was hard to hang on to. Until I moved to Nashville at the age of 21 and began attending a church led by a Birkenstock wearing pastor named Scotty Smith. It’s not hyperbolic to say that the Holy Spirit used Scotty to create a seismic shift in my heart toward Jesus – the long season I enjoyed as a member of his church, and ultimately as one of the students he mentored at Covenant Theological Seminary is what built the spiritual scaffolding that supports my belief system, as well as the intimacy I now have with Jesus. I love and respect this man so much that if I had a son, I’d probably name him Scotty – of course, that implies getting married and having this old jar of clay restored back to its pre-menopausal vitality, so I digress! The bottom line is, I’m beyond happy to have Pastor and Professor Scotty Smith here today so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, unless you’re driving or shelling peas of course, and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re continuing our “Sizzling Summer” series with more hang time on the porch with biblical culturalist, Professor Kristi McLelland. Her first visit to BPT was so revelatory and resonate that we begged her to come back so that we could keep swimming in life-giving passages like Genesis 2 and Luke 8 and Romans 16 that prove the significant – not subjugated - role women play in biblical narrative, in Jesus’ incarnate life and ministry, as well as Apostle Paul’s and the early churches’ mission to share the Living Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Now since this is a part-two kind of message and this episode compliments the one before like queso does chips – they’re much better in tandem! Therefore, if possible, please listen to last week’s episode “What God Says About Women” first and then grab a ginormous cup of coffee, a notebook, your favorite pen, your widest grin and your Bible – unless you’re driving or tying macrame knots for a plant hanger of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re kicking off our “Sizzling Summer” series by getting up close and personal with an awesome chick whose job title is: biblical culturalist. Her training at Dallas Theological Seminary, coupled with her extensive boots-on-the-ground training in multiple Middle Eastern countries with world-renowned archeologists, historians and rabbis have honed her incredible gift of helping others better understand the historical, cultural and linguistic context of Scripture. Every single time I have the privilege of hanging out with this particular professor, I not only learn something new about God and His Word, I find myself falling even more in love with Jesus! Much like Miracle Gro accelerates the growth of tomatoes in my garden, I guarantee Kristi McLelland will accelerate your hunger for Holy Writ! So please grab a big cup of coffee, a notebook, your favorite pen and your Bible – unless you’re driving or tweezing your brows, of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper

During today’s conversation on Backporch Theology we’re going to talk about the massive shift that took place in that motley crew of disciples in the 50 days between Passover and Pentecost. And in so doing we’re going to talk about the difference between performance and devotion. How spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible or engaging in worship can either be dutiful smokescreens that hide the broken, numb and even angry places in our hearts and minds or they can actually be the genuine overflow of a believer who remains cognizant of the cross and therefore finds themself gobsmacked with gratitude by what Jesus has already done for us through His sacrificial death on the cross and glorious resurrection. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or eating freshly steamed crab-legs, of course! – and come hang out on the porch with us. Follow Us On Instagram! @BackPorchTheologyPodcast@LisaDHarper@[email protected] Back Porch Theology sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at Dwellapp.io/LisaHarper