Restitutio

Are you interested in online ministry? Would you like to reach more people? Ryan Maher shares what he’s learned about combining his love for God and graphic design into his bible lock-screen app. Once Instigram came out, he jumped on board and developed a following that numbers around a million people. In this interview Maher talks about his journey of faith, how he’s found success in reaching people online, as well as some tips on how to be more effective on social media. Notes and Links: Get more info about Ryan Maher’s bible lock screen app Check out his daily encouragement blog at ryanmaher.net Subscribe to his podcast Follow him on twitter @RyanMaher Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

How does your belief in the God’s coming kingdom affect your life now? Now that we’ve looked at the kingdom as hope (what we look forward to) and gospel (what we preach to others), we’ll examine how God calls us to embody the kingdom now. Taking our cue from Jesus’ kingdom-saturated ministry, we’ll see how he enacted the future in the present as a testimony and a taste of what’s to come. This is lecture 8 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: three dimensions of the kingdom kingdom hope (including, judgment and restoration) kingdom gospel (message preached) kingdom way (lifestyle, motivation, allegiance)   Jesus was obsessed w/ the kingdom we’ve already established that Jesus was a kingdom preacher that Jesus believed he was messiah—God’s anointed king of the kingdom that Jesus chose 12 disciples and promised them 12 thrones in the kingdom his parables were all about the kingdom parable of the sower: responding to the “word of the kingdom” seed parable of the tares & wheat: righteous and wicked grow together until the kingdom age when judgment occurs parable of the minas: teaches how to steward what God has given you so as to be rewarded in the kingdom parable of the sheep and the goats: treat those in need well so when the son of man sits upon his throne he will grant you entrance to kingdom you wanna tell me you can understand Jesus w/o understanding the kingdom? he was obsessed with it it was his hope, his destiny, his dream, his sermon, he gave his life for it (Rev 5.9-10) he called the kingdom a treasure in a field and a pearl of great price (Mt 13.44-46)—something worth selling everything to get as for priorities, Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mt 6.31-33) (on quiz: in what verse does Jesus tell his disciples to seek first his kingdom?) but, he doesn’t stop here his whole ministry, including preaching, healing, exorcisms, dinner parties all enacted the kingdom I want to look at three incidents his inaugural sermon his answer to John’s delegation an exorcism   inaugural sermon Luke 4.16-21 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Isaiah 61.1-11 1 The Spirit of the Lord G

J. Dan and Sharon Gill are part of a growing movement of bible students who have concluded that the Father of Jesus is the only true God. They’re so passionate about this truth that in 2008, they launched their website, called Twenty-First Century Reformation (21stcr.org). To date they’ve received over 700,000 views on YouT ube, not to mention visitors to the site. In this interview you’ll here a bit about the Gill’s journey of faith from oneness to one, why they decided to launch 21st century reformation, how Sharon became “the most tech savvy grandma in America,” how they came up with the name, and their vision for the future. Notes and Links: Visit 21st Century Reformation Subscribe to 21st Century Reformation’s YouTube channel Get J. Dan Gill’s book, The One: In Defense of God Also check out these audios, featuring J. Dan Gill One God, One Message (sermon) Is the Trinity Necessary for Salvation? (interview) From Oneness to One (testimony) Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What is the gospel of the kingdom of God? It’s not about Jesus dying for your sins or going to heaven when you die. In fact, Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom is not new at all; it’s the message the prophets of old proclaimed–that one day God was going to make everything wrong with the world right and extend his reign from heaven to earth. In this lecture, you’ll see how John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the twelve, the seventy, and Philip the evangelist, and Paul the Apostle all preached about God’s coming kingdom. This is lecture 7 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: first off, what is the gospel? τό εὐαγγέλιον (to evangelion): good message holding this message results in salvation 1 Corinthians 15.1-2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you– unless you believed in vain. 2 Timothy 1.10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, Romans 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. thus, getting the gospel wrong is huge! since believing in the gospel results in salvation, getting the gospel right is absolutely paramount!   begin by looking at an interesting incident (why did Jesus rebuke peter?) Matthew 16.21-23 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Why in the world did Peter rebuke Jesus? he had told him he was going to suffer and die Why was this so shocking to Peter? Surely he had heard Jesus preaching the gospel! note v. 21: “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples…” this was the first time they heard about it how did they react? outrage if he didn’t talk about his crucifixion prior to this, what was he preaching for 16 chapters!?!?!?   John the Baptist preached the kingdom gospel Matthew 3.1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” what is the “kingdom of heaven?” (same as kingdom of God) heaven probably substitutes as a circumlocution for God or else it derives from Dan 2.44 “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed” this OT verse may account for the two phrases (kingdom of heaven AND kingdom of God)   Jesus preached the kingdom as gospel Mark 1.14-15 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospe

Sir Anthony Buzzard has led a fascinating life. He grew up in the Church of England in the 1930s and 40s. While at Oxford, he attended a “get saved” meeting and went forward. Next he joined Herbert Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God, but then left and studied with the Christadelphians, before joining the Church of God General Conference. He’s written seven books, publishes a monthly magazine, co-founded the annual Theological Conference, initiated a thriving mission in Africa, trained dozens of current pastors, launched a radio program, and produced nearly a thousand YouTube videos. He’s tirelessly promoted Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom and the simple truth that the Father is the only true God (biblical unitarianism). In this interview, you’ll learn about Buzzard’s journey of faith as well as his hopes for the future of the movement. Notes and Links: Visit Sir Anthony Buzzard’s website: focusonthekingdom.org Subscribe to Restoration Fellowship’s YouTube channel Check out Podcast 71: What Good Is Jesus without His Gospel? Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What happens when you die? Is there an intermediate state? What does the bible teach about the dead before resurrection? These questions are important for our study of the kingdom of God. If you go straight to heaven when you die, you’re not going to care very much about what happens when Jesus returns. You may find it marginally interesting, but it’s what’s next for you. In this way, the doctrine of heaven-at-death eclipses Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. However, as it turns out, the bible teaches that the dead are asleep until the resurrection on the last day. In this lecture you’ll learn the primary texts that support conditional immortality and you’ll see how this Hebrew notion compares to what other cultures and religions say about the afterlife. This is lecture 6 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: difference between conditional immortality and natural immortality natural means immortality is part of nature conditional means immortality is conditioned on God giving it death is sleep (sleep = not awake) RIP = rest in peace sleep is the dominant metaphor the bible uses to talk about death David slept with his fathers 1 Kings 2.10 10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. Solomon slept with his fathers 1 Kings 11.43 43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. Jeroboam slept with his fathers 1 Kings 14.20 20 And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place. death is lying down, quietly in sleep, and at rest Job 3.11, 13-14, 17, 19 11 “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?…13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest, 14 with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves…17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest…19 The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master. the dead know nothing and do nothing Ecclesiastes 9.5, 10 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten…10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. no remembrance or praise of God in sheol Psalm 6.4-5 4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? help me or else I’ll sleep the sleep of death Psalm 13.3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, the dead do not praise the LORD Psalm 115.17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence. breath [ruach/spirit] departs, return to earth, plans perish Psalm 146.3-4 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Jesus calls Lazarus asleep when he is dead John 11.11-14 11 After saying these things, he said to them, &#82

Nicholas Hlifka grew up as an atheist until a Christian teacher shared his faith with him in high school. While attending the State University of New York at Fredonia, he took a class with Dale Tuggy. When he found out that Tuggy was a biblical unitarian, he was immediately wary of such a heretical belief. Over time, he challenged Tuggy, his best trinitarian proof-texts to him. Tuggy explained the various texts and eventually Hlifka felt compelled to follow the evidence where it was leading. Next, in an online coversation with Kegan Chandler, he learned about how God plans to establish his kingdom on earth (rather than going to heaven at death). Once again Hlifka didn’t balk at the challenge, but embraced the biblical teaching. Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

After a bad divorce, Chad Hoffman became a Christian. He attended a number of different churches and something didn’t sit right at each. In 2006, he was diagnosed with a inoperable tumor on his brain stem. After some treatment it shrank and grew back. During this tumultuous time, he started considering what he believed about the afterlife. He took some seminary courses to get more information and learned about hermeneutics (how to interpret the bible). Armed with these tools, he began understanding that the bible taught that the dead are asleep until resurrection. He continued in his studies and discovered more about God’s nature and his coming kingdom. He still battles cancer, but since this recording a recent mri has revealed this his tumor is currently stable. Please pray for the Hoffmans as they continue in the walk with the Lord.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Steve and Phyllis Carouthers have attended many churches throughout their Christian journey. A couple of years ago Phyllis was researching the gifts of the spirit and came across an article on the Truth or Tradition website and saw that they were biblical unitarians. Initially she found this quite disturbing as she associated all unitarians with the very liberal Unitarian Universalist denomination. However, after learning that biblical unitarians actually hold to the inspiration and authority of scripture, she began considering the idea that the Father is the only true God. She searched around online and began watching the free classes from Living Hope International Ministries. After much study she came to agree that Jesus is not God the Son, but the Son of God. She shared this with her step son, Thomas Brewer who had been studying with the Jehovah’s Witnesses for a year. (He could never quite bring himself to join them because of their opposition to blood transfusions.) He came to see the light and attended the Theological Conference in 2016. This year the whole family came.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Even though he grew up in the Calivinist Reformed tradition as a pastor’s kid, Jouke Elsinga was not sure he believed in God’s existence. After reading Frank Turek’s I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, he came to believe in God and started searching for apologetics. He came across my apologetics class on youtube (also available on podcasts 50-65) and deepened his reasons for believing in the bible. Next he began digging into theology, trying to discern the teachings of the bible. He came to believe in conditional immortality (the sleep of the dead), but still held to the doctrine of the trinity. However, after researching a little more he came across the Trinity Delusion website and youtube channel and found the arguments there very convincing.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Danny Tanner grew up in the Lutheran Church and later got heavily involved with the Brethren in Christ group. He’s served as a worship pastor, an associate pastor, and an executive pastor. Currently he’s involved in a church plant. Over the years he’s questioned his faith, but never let himself dive in deep enough to reconsider his core beliefs. He didn’t want to give himself permission to reconsider any of them, because he was worried he might end up renouncing his faith. After hearing about biblical unitarianism from Jeremy Bowders, he began working through his understanding of God and Christ. The bible starting making sense and coming alive in a fresh way for him.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

While working in a casket factory as an upholsterer, one day Jeremy Bowders reflected on the fact that he would be in one eventually. He began asking the big questions about his life’s purpose. He began reading the bible and became a Christian. In the course of researching open theism, he read an article by William Lane Craig that mentioned Dale Tuggy. He came to trinities.org and began listening to Tuggy’s podcast, specifically episode 6 where a Muslim, a biblical unitarian, and a trinitarian debated Jesus’ identity. Strangely enough, he found himself agreeing with the biblical unitarian! According to Bowders, understanding that the Father is the only true God and that Jesus is his human messiah was like finding the decoder ring in a cereal box. Suddenly the bible made much more sense to him.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Having overcome his desire to remain in the background, Jonathen Favors boldly shared his testimony of coming to understand who God is. After a severe football injury, he had a lot of time to spend time with and think about God. While attending BIOLA University, he had learned that the title “Son of God” is a messianic title, but he didn’t understand how God could be three in one. He began reading through scripture to discover Jesus’ conception of God.   Notes and Links: Other faith stories from Theological Conferences More information about Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference available here. Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Now that we’ve looked at many of the kingdom texts from the Old Testament, today we’ll get into the New Testament and see what Jesus and the apostles taught about the kingdom. We’ll examine the titles of Jesus, a couple of his parables, some texts from Paul and James, and conclude in Revelation. In this lecture, we’ll restrict our focus to just those verses that speak of the kingdom as future. We’ll come back to the other kingdom scriptures in the New Testament in subsequent lectures. This is lecture 5 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: My goal is to cruise through the New Testament and look at texts pertaining to the coming kingdom (Matthew to Revelation) defining Messiah/Christ: the one God anoints to rule over the kingdom Mark 15.32 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. defining Son of Man: the one Daniel saw in a vision to whom God gave the kingdom Daniel 7.13-14 13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. defining Son of David: the promised descendant to rule on the throne of David forever triumphal entry Matthew 21.9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11.9-10 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Luke 19.38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” John 12.13 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” defining Son of God: same as God’s messiah (2 Sam 7.14) and God’s creation (Luke 1) John 1.49 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Luke 1.35 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy– the Son of God.   Jesus clearly believed in a coming (future) kingdom Matthew 5.3-5 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “kingdom of heaven” is only in Matthew (32x) and is identical to “kingdom of God” cf. Mat 19.23 vs. 24 this is as powerful as it is terse bottom line: if you inherit the earth, you aren’t floating around in heaven Dietrich Bonhoeffer: They [the meek] show by every word and gesture that they do not belong to this earth. Leave heaven to them, says the world in its pity, that is where they belong. But Jesus says: “They shall inherit the earth.” To these, the powerless and the disenfranchised, the very earth belongs. Those who now possess it by violence and injustice shall lose it, and those who here have utterly renounced it, who

Simply put, restorationism is the approach to Christianity that seeks to compare accepted doctrines and practices against the bible to see if they are valid. Our intention is to recover authentic New Testament Christianity and live it out today. We hold God’s inspired scriptures above traditions, creeds, and clergy. The time is ripe for us to reach over denominational lines and dialogue with each other about our differences in a respectful and constructive manner. We are restorationists and this is our manifesto. Read the Restorationist Manifesto. Here’s the full-length YouTube presentation: Notes and Links: Read the Restorationist Manifesto here Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Last time we looked at the kingdom prophecies in Isaiah. Today we’ll examine Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, and Daniel to continue developing a biblical picture of the age to come. This is lecture 4 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: We’ve already looked at God’s promises to Abraham and David as well as the richest kingdom book of the bible—Isaiah. Now we will examine several other key prophecies and psalms.   Amos 9.11-15 11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. restoration of Davidic throne 13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. what does it mean, “the plowman will overtake the reaper?” look at how tactile this kingdom vision is! plowing, reaping, treading grapes, wine how far is this from floating on a cloud or “polishing rainbows” 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God. rebuilding the cities enjoying the produce of the land   Micah 4.6-8 Micah 4.6-8 6 In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; 7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. lame, outcasts, afflicted will live in Mount Zion w/ God forever   Zephaniah 3.8-20 8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. does anyone remember the catch phrase from last lecture that encapsulates the kingdom? everything wrong with the world made right part of what’s wrong with the world is human rebellion and wickedness two sides to the kingdom coin judgment restoration many of the majestic kingdom restoration passages come after macabre judgment prophesies 7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. 8 And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice– “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire. 9 On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.

Let’s face it; it’s difficult to talk about pornography, especially among Christians. We get overwhelmed with feelings of shame and embarrassment while fearing how others will regard us with disgust or disdain. However, this issue is a huge struggle for a ton of Christians (and non-Christians) in the world today. Drawing on some of what he shared last week about spiritual disciplines, Blake Cortright joins us once again to tackle this sensitive topic. He explains why porn is so hard to quit as well as reasons why it’s worth it to gain freedom from this taskmaster. In a remarkable display of courage and honesty, Cortright also shares his own 10+ year struggle with pornography and what measures he took that finally liberated him. Warning, if children are around, although we do not discuss any graphic content, the general topic is probably inappropriate, depending on the ages. Notes and Links: Follow Blake Cortright on Twitter @blakecortright Check out Interview 19: Spiritual Disciplines Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The prophet Isaiah spoke more about the kingdom than any other prophet in the Hebrew bible. Consequently, his book is a phenomenal place to begin developing our understanding of what the kingdom will be like. Stitching together his various snapshots, we encounter a magnificent collage detailing a new world full of peace, justice, and healing. This is lecture 3 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: God will make everything wrong with the world right. Isaiah 2.1-4 all nations will go to God’s mountain to learn how to live God will settle disputes between nations and peoples weapons of war will turn into tools of agriculture no more learning or waging war Isaiah 9.2-7 human child will shoulder the government no end to the increase of his government he will reign on the throne of David uphold kingdom with justice forever Yahweh’s zeal will get this done Isaiah 11.1-10 the spirit of God will rest upon the king his delight will be in the fear of Yahweh he won’t judge by eyes and ears he will make just decisions for the poor and meek with the “rod of his mouth” and “the breath of his lips” he will kill the wicked he will be righteous and faithful animals will live in peace w/ each other and humanity no one will hurt or destroy in God’s holy mountain the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as waters cover the sea the nations will inquire of the “root of Jesse” Isaiah 25.6-9 reach feast of well-aged wine and choice meats he will swallow up death forever the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from all faces he will wipe away the reproach of his people from the earth people will be glad and rejoice in his salvation Isaiah 35.1-10 desert will blossom abundantly they will see the glory and majesty of our God God will come with vengeance and recompense he will come and save you the disabled will find healing (blind, deaf, lame, mute) singing and “everlasting joy” coming to Zion sorrow and sighing will flee away Isaiah 51.3-8 God will make Zion’s waste places like Eden, the garden of Yahweh thanksgiving and voice of song will be found in Zion God’s salvation and righteousness will be forever Isaiah 60.1-22 wealth of the nations will come to Jerusalem foreigners will build up Jerusalem’s walls Jerusalem’s gates will be open continually (24/7) any nation that refuses to serve Jerusalem will perish, utterly laid waste Yahweh will be Jerusalem’s everlasting light instead of the sun all the people will be righteous they will possess the land forever all so God might be glorified Isaiah 61.1-7 good news to the poor liberty to the captives comfort those who mourn call people oaks of righteousness to God’s glory repair ruined cities strangers/foreigners will tend flocks and work land you will be priests of Yahweh possess a double portion Isaiah 65.17-25 create new heavens and earth God will rejoice in Jerusalem and his people no more will people hear the sound of weeping or the cry of distress mortals will live very long lives (no more infant deaths)

What spiritual disciplines do you practice? We’re all familiar with reading our bibles and prayer, but there’s so much more available. In this interview, Blake Cortright guides us through his own journey into discovering ancient Christian disciplines that can help us today, including prayer, fasting, meditation, bible study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. Pulling on the work of Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Dallas Willard, and John Eldredge, Cortright shares how these spiritual disciplines can help center us and sanctify us so we can live for God better today. Notes and Links: Follow Blake Cortright on Twitter @blakecortright Books mentioned in this podcast: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen, Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge Watch the epic “Trinity Schminity” song by Winterband here More on Dale Tuggy vs. James White here Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

It&#8217;s impossible to understand the kingdom of God or Jesus without having a grasp of the history-changing promises God made with Abraham and David. To Abraham God covenanted the land and to David, a descendant to rule. Ultimately these two covenants find their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth&#8211;the Messiah. This is lecture 2 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: defining a covenant בְּרִית: agreement, alliance, covenant, pact The brit milah (Hebrew: בְּרִית מִילָה‎‎, pronounced [bʁit miˈla]; Ashkenazi pronunciation: [bʁis ˈmilə], &#8220;covenant of circumcision&#8221;; Yiddish pronunciation: bris [bʀɪs]) is a Jewish religious male circumcision ceremony performed by a mohel (&#8220;circumciser&#8221;) on the eighth day of a male infant&#8217;s life. (Wikipedia) ἡ διαθήκη: a will, covenant, contract Καινή Διαθήκη: new testament where do we have covenants in our society? marriage, homeowner associations, airports Abraham (Land Promise) Gen 12.1-4: the pre-covenant 1 Now the LORD said to Abram, &#8220;Go from your country and your kindred and your father&#8217;s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.&#8221; 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. move to this land and I will bless you make your name great bless those who bless you and curse those who dishonor you all families of earth will be blessed in you Gen 12.5-7 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother&#8217;s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, &#8220;To your offspring I will give this land.&#8221; So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. Abram obeyed: this is the key to everything v7 is the first land promise Gen 17.1-12, 23-27: the blood covenant 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, &#8220;I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.&#8221; 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 &#8220;Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. Abram gets renamed Abraham (a father of a multitude of nations) ironic that the first Hebrew is “the father of many peoples” 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. v7 everlasting covenant! <l

What role does doubt play in your life? Do you think of it as something to push aside and ignore or do you pursue your doubts to get answers? In this episode we examine the role of doubt for Christians, avoiding both extremes of refusing to engage with doubt as well as obsessing on it. Our goal is to face doubt honestly and ask God for help as we do the hard work of getting good answers. Links: See Sean Kelly&#8217;s Off Script on Resting from Work Apologetics Class podcast episodes (on Restitutio) Releveant.com articles on doubt Unbelievable podcast with Justin Brierley William Lane Craig&#8217;s apologetics site: ReasonableFaith.org Craig Blomberg&#8217;s Historical Reliability of the Gospels Tim Keller&#8217;s book Reasons for God and Making Sense of God Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Today we begin a new class on Restitutio on the Kingdom of God. Jesus said the kingdom was like a treasure hidden in a field—it’s so valuable it’s worth selling everything to purchase. He said to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness above what we eat or wear. In this class we’ll spend a great deal of time exploring what the bible teaches about the kingdom, including hope, gospel, and way. We will also work through the main reasons why Christianity lost the kingdom before looking at how some Christians recovered it. This class will not only provide a panoramic and nuanced view of the kingdom, but it will also offer a cohesive proleptic ethic to aid navigating our complex world while remaining true to Jesus, the king of the coming kingdom. In this first lecture we look at the bookends of the bible: Genesis and Revelation. By developing a robust creation theology we&#8217;ll have a better grasp on what the end will be like. In addition to looking at Genesis, we&#8217;ll consider some of the marvels of God&#8217;s creation, including relativity, quantum theory, the hydrologic cycle, and bees. In the end my goal is to convince you that God did a good job making our world so it makes sense that he would want to restore it in the end. This is lecture 1 of the Kingdom of God class, originally taught at the Atlanta Bible College. To take this class for credit, please contact ABC so you can do the work necessary for a grade. Notes: eschatology = study of the end two key restoration texts Matthew 19.28 Jesus said to them, &#8220;Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ἡ παλιγγενεσία: (1) state of being renewed with focus on a cosmic experience, renewal, (2) experience of complete change of life, rebirth NASB: regeneration Acts 3.21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. ἡ ἀποκατάστασις: restoration this is what the whole bible is about! creation theology close your eyes and picture earth ever since 1972 when an astronaut took this picture, called “The Blue Marble” during the Apollo 17 lunar mission, this is how we think of earth if I asked an ancient Israelite to picture earth, they would think of soil, land, crops so, we have to be very careful about reading our own assumptions into what the bible says we need to adjust our thinking to the bible rather than the other way around the first book of the bible begins with a poem, detailing God’s creation of universe Genesis 1 what repeats? And God said let there be and God saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning&#8212;the ?? day every stanza begins with, “And God said” and “let there be” every stanza ends with, “and God saw that it was good” and “it was evening and morning” more patterns God creates heavens on day 1 God populates heavens on day 4 God creates the waters on day 2 God populates waters on day 5 God creates the land on day 3 God populates the land on day 6 orderliness of creation! billions of stars, galaxies, and quasars and they move in totally predictable ways millions of plant and animal species w/ highly specialized niches determined by insanely detai

Christians protecting Muslims while they prayed in Tahrir Square, Egypt in 2011 On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13769, called &#8220;Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,&#8221; in which he banned immigration from seven countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This unpopular order caused much controversy throughout the US and led to significant litigation, delaying it&#8217;s implementation. Much of the president&#8217;s motivation for this order (and subsequent revisions) is to protect Americans from terrorists posing as refugees. In this episode we look at few significant biblical passages on sojourners (immigrants) and attempt to stake out a Christian position on this subject. Whether you are for or against immigration, this episode should help you think through your position from a distinctly Christian perspective. Links: 99% Invisible podcast on the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s: podcast 1, podcast 2 Washington Post article: ‘Now they live in the light’: A Syrian refugee family finds only love and compassion in America &#8220;World Poverty, Immigration, &amp; Gumballs&#8221; by Roy Beck visually demonstrates how immigration cannot solve world poverty Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response: &#8220;Caring for Refugees from the Middle East&#8221; (interview with Darrell Bock on The Table Podcast) Info about Stan and Pam Chee&#8217;s ministry to Chinese students at the University of Toronto Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In the last episode (Boundaries for Same-Sex Attraction), we looked at what the bible says about same-sex attraction. In this one, we consider seven important questions about gay and lesbian Christians: How should same-sex attracted Christians think of themselves? Isn’t the Christian sexual ethic harmful to gays and lesbians? Is having same-sex feelings a sin? Can someone go from gay to straight? Do people choose to be gay or are they born gay? As a Christian, how should I treat gay people? How can we support same-sex attracted folks who choose Christ over their sexual gratification? Links: Becket Cook&#8217;s podcast, YouTube talk Sam Allberry&#8217;s book: Is God Anti-Gay?, website: LivingOut.org Rosaria Butterfield&#8217;s book: Secretly Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert Jackie Hill-Perry podcast Mark Yarhouse&#8217;s book: Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church&#8217;s Moral Debate Wesley Hill: Celibacy as a Call to Love (YouTube) Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. Notes: Becket Cook’s story can help us think through some really tough questions related to same-sex attraction.[1] Our culture pressures us through songs, movies, and stories about finding romance to believe singleness is inferior to relationships. It’s easy to get the impression that to achieve human flourishing and experience humanity to its fullest, you need to get married (or at least be in a serious relationship). What does that say about Jesus? Are we saying he wasn’t a full human being? Did Christ mope around, longing for romance? Did the great missionary Paul think singleness was a curse? Far from it, he wrote, “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am” (1 Cor 7.8). He goes on to extol the benefits of celibate singleness, including freedom from worrying about how to please a spouse and freedom to serve the Lord better. He concludes, “So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better…Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is [i.e. single]” (1 Cor 7:38, 40). Question 1: How should same-sex attracted Christians think of themselves? Sam Allberry, author of Is God Anti-Gay, an excellent book, writes: The gospel of Jesus is wonderful news for someone who experiences same-sex attraction. I used the term “same-sex attraction” just then because an immediate challenge is how I describe myself. In western culture today the obvious term for someone with homosexual feelings is “gay.” But in my experience this often refers to far more than someone’s sexual orientation. It has come to describe an identity and a lifestyle. When someone says they’re g

Is it a sin to be gay? What does the bible say about same-sex attraction? In this episode you&#8217;ll become familiar with the relevant scriptures that talk about homosexuality. You&#8217;ll also learn what arsenokoitai (ἀρσενοκοῖται) means in 1 Corinthians 6.9, a key battleground text for discussions of biblical sexuality. Here the Apostle Paul pulls from the Greek translation of Leviticus 20.13 as well as Roman sexual sensibilities to condemn both active and passive participants of same-sex acts. Whether you believe in accepting gay lifestyles or think homosexual behavior is sinful, it&#8217;s important to get a grasp on what the bible says about this incredibly controversial subject. Notes: Creation provides the foundation for what the bible says about human sexuality: Genesis 2:23-24 23 Then the man said, &#8220;This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.&#8221; 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. God’s original design was a man and a woman, complementing each other in marriage. However, when our first parents rebelled, humanity fell from its original condition. The serpent asked, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (Gen 3:1). After Eve confirmed God’s restriction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the serpent said, “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3.5). He wanted the first people to distrust God, to think he’s holding them back, to imagine he’s restricting them from enjoying something good. As a result Adam and Eve committed high treason against their maker in an act of open rebellion. Consequently “fallenness” contaminated them and their descendants ever since. Romans 5.12, 17, 18, 19 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…17 because of one man&#8217;s trespass, death reigned through that one man… 18 one trespass led to condemnation for all men…19 by the one man&#8217;s disobedience the many were made sinners… Today we are imperfect mirrors stamped with God’s image, but broken in all kinds of ways. Some of us are tempted with losing our tempers, others with adultery, still others with greed. Our fallen condition means that from birth we are out of tune with how God wants for us to think and live. Of course, redemption is available in Christ today and ultimately complete restoration will flood our world when the kingdom comes, healing everyone from sinful impulses, physical sickness, and relational dysfunction. Although the incident in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19) is the first mention of same-sex desire, it’s not particularly helpful for figuring out the bible’s position on homosexuality, since the men of the city wanted to rape the visitors. (Rape, of course, is condemned throughout scripture.) Instead, we’ll begin in the Law of Moses with two texts in Leviticus. Leviticus 18.22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. abomination: something that causes disgust or hatred. Example: “Although once common, torture is now an abomination to the civilized peoples of the earth.”[1] Lest you think abomination is a radical word, solely used for sexual acts, here are some other abominations in scripture: for Egyptians to eat with Hebrews (Gen 43:32) the gold and silver on idols (Deut 7:25) child sacrifice (Deut 12:31) eating unclean animals (Deut 14:3) practicing magic or sorcery (Deut 18:9-10) prideful eyes, lying, shedding innocent blood, devising

Jackie Hill-Perry used to dress like a boy to go out and pick up girls. She ended up in a long-term relationship with another woman, but then she came to a sudden realization that she was living a lie. She&#8217;s completely changed her life and now embraces her femininity and even got married to a man (Preston Perry). She&#8217;s a poet, a hip-hop artist, and a powerful speaker. This is her testimony. Warning! This episode contains sexually explicit content and is not appropriate for children. Notes: Watch&#8221;My Life as a Stud&#8221; on YouTube here and here. Listen to &#8220;The Art of Joy&#8221; album here Also, see a powerful piece about the conversation Adam and Eve may have had after the Fall Visit Jackie Hill-Perry&#8217;s official website at jackiehillperry.com More Restitutio posts about same-sex attraction Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Meet Becket Cook.&nbsp; He&#8217;s a very well-connected gay fashion set designer who has traveled the world, attended the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, etc., and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood&#8217;s A-list actors.&nbsp; One day he saw Christians reading their bibles in a trendy coffee shop in LA and engaged them in conversation.&nbsp; One of them invited Cook to church and he went to check it out.&nbsp; That Sunday God encountered him in a spectacular way that instantaneously changed his life from that day forward.&nbsp; God gave him a vision of his holiness and in a moment Cook knew that God was real, Jesus was real, eternal life was real and that homosexuality was wrong.&nbsp; In addition to his testimony, I ask him what questions he gets asked, including: Can you be a Christian if you&#8217;re gay Isn&#8217;t it unfair that you don&#8217;t get to have a partner for the rest of your life? Are you straight now that you&#8217;re a Christian? Are people born gay? Cook answers these questions confidently and biblically.&nbsp; Throughout this interview his enthusiasm for God and life will draw you in.&nbsp; Even though his conversion was nearly eight years ago, Cook says he wakes up every day &#8220;in awe of God and his holiness and his grace on me.&#8221; He&#8217;s just about to finish up his seminary degree at BIOLA (Talbot), working with JP Moreland and others.&nbsp; His goal is to develop a ministry that helps the church understand homosexuality biblically, theologically, culturally, and personally. Notes and Links: To get in touch with Cook or to book him to speak at your church or event, visit becketcook.com or email him [email protected] Watch his excellent talk at BIOLA from 2014 on YouTube Check out these other Restitutio posts on Christians who struggle with same sex attraction Also, watch these YouTube testimonies about Christians who&#8217;ve left the gay/lesbian lifestyle Rosaria Butterfield Christopher Yuan Jackie Hill Wesley Hill Sam Allberry Caleb Kaltenbach Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod.&nbsp; Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. &nbsp;

The best chapter on resurrection in the bible is 1 Corinthians 15. In it, the Apostle Paul masterfully lays out the Christian position on resurrection while overcoming common objections in the culture. As it turns out, people living in Corinth thought the idea of resurrection seemed real bizarre. Looking at tombstone inscriptions, Plato&#8217;s Phaedo, and Celsus&#8217; criticism of Christianity, we can get a sense for why the Corinthians balked at resurrection. However, there&#8217;s no way around it; if we get rid of our belief in resurrection, then Jesus himself is not raised and our faith is worthless. But, since Jesus is risen, we know that resurrection is possible and it awaits God&#8217;s people on the last day. Notes: More episodes on resurrection Podcast 56: Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus (William Lane Craig) Podcast 57: More Evidence for the Resurrection (NT Wright) Podcast 47: Resurrection Implications (Richard Hays) Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

How does salvation work? Is Israel still God&#8217;s chosen people or are they on the same footing as everyone else now that the Messiah has come? In Off Script episode 17, Is Jesus the Only Way to God?, Brian wrote in, inquiring if a Torah-observant Jew could be saved even if he or she didn&#8217;t believe in Jesus. He sharpened his question by pointing out how painfully aware many Jews are of how Jesus&#8217; followers have horribly mistreated their people over the centuries. In this interview, Matthew Elton deftly works his way through several of Paul&#8217;s epistles, giving special attention to Romans 9 to find an answer. Whether you are interested in Jewish-Christian relations or struggle to understand the doctrine of election, this bible-heavy interview is sure to stimulate your thinking on these important issues. Notes and Links: Check out Off Script 17: Is Jesus the Only Way to God? Listen to another interview with Elton called Churchology vs. Christianity from way back when he was still in high school. Visit here to read a number of Elton&#8217;s theological articles, especially the one called &#8220;A Free Will Perspective on Romans 9 and Predestination&#8220; Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Are you embarrassed of your non-traditional beliefs about God? Victor Gluckin says that it&#8217;s time to stand up for what we believe. Believing God is one (instead of three-in-one) is not some sort of fringe doctrine; it&#8217;s at the very heart of biblical faith. After all, Jesus himself identified the Jewish &#8220;shema&#8221; as the most important command. He said: The most important is, &#8216;Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.&#8217; (Mark 12.29-30 ) Knowing that Yahweh our God is one and loving him (not them) with everything is paramount for authentic Christ-centered Christianity. Drawing on the examples of the prophets of old, Michael Servetus, and John Biddle, Gluckin urges us to boldness: &#8220;The testimony of scripture to the proclamation of the identity and personality of Yahweh is clear and consistent&#8230;Yet today many believers in the unity of God remain silent, afraid and ashamed. My brothers and sisters, things should not be this way. Our God and our Lord deserve more from their followers.&#8221; Notes: Here&#8217;s the paper that accompanied Gluckin&#8217;s presentation Watch Gluckin&#8217;s sermons on YouTube or visit his church website: Living Faith Christian Church (Warwick, RI, USA) For another rousing appeal to proclaiming God&#8217;s oneness, see Podcast 43: Identity Theft (Vince Finnegan) To learn more about the Shema, listen to Podcast 44: The Immutable Shema (Sean Finnegan) Check out more biblical unitarian podcasts here Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Back in Interview 11, Joe Martin talked about how he was soon to step down from his leadership position at the Church of God (General Conference). In this episode, you&#8217;ll hear from Seth Ross, who has taken up the mantle and who casts his vision for the future. You&#8217;ll learn about his background, his twenty years pastoring a church in Ohio, and how he came to be the executive director. What I found particularly refreshing about Ross&#8217; outlook is how non-sectarian he is. Rather than looking at the Church of God as a denomination to be protected from hostile secularists, on the one hand, and heresy hunting evangelicals, on the other, he sees his role as a cheerleader and facilitator not only for his network of churches, but also individuals far and wide who are studying the bible and coming to discover God&#8217;s identity, the kingdom gospel, conditional immortality, and believers&#8217; baptism. Whether you are a member of the Church of God or not, this interview should get you excited about the future of what God&#8217;s doing in the world in our time. Notes and Links: Participate in the Christian Workers&#8217; Seminar in Pigeon Forge, TN on April 23-28, 2017 Come to the Theological Conference in Hampton, GA on May 18-21, 2017 Here&#8217;s a list of churches affiliated with the Church of God General Conference in the United States and Canada (see here for other countries). Please note that there are several groups with the name &#8220;Church of God.&#8221; To find out about Ross&#8217; group, visit coggc.org Contact Robin Todd on the Worldwide Scattered Brethren Network to see he can connect you with someone in your area Get more information about Eric Chang and the Christian Disciples Church (mostly in Asia) Check out Interview 11: Joe Martin, Looking Back on His Service at the Atlanta Bible College Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

No one joined the Pharisees out of desire to practice professional hypocrisy. They were the devout, the separated, the ones who took God and holiness seriously. However, by the time of Jesus, they had confused godliness with self-righteousness and lost compassion in the process. It&#8217;s so easy for us to root for Jesus as he calls them on their hypocrisy. Nonetheless, this same attitude&#8211;thinking we&#8217;re better than others&#8211;is not just a Pharisee problem. When we look within our own hearts, we see our own self-righteousness masking itself as moral outrage. What&#8217;s the cure? The way to heal a judgmental heart is with the medicine of grace and humility. Quotes from This Episode Dale Tuggy: “God would rather have ten humble Trinitarians that are trying to follow Jesus every day, and act his teachings in their daily lives, he’d rather have ten of those guys than one constantly battling and self-righteous, angry, condemning, doctrine-obsessed unitarian, who’s got the correct theology. So…don’t be that guy. If we’re that guy, the movement’s doomed.” Frederick Douglass: &#8220;I find, since reading over the foregoing Narrative, that I have, in several instances, spoken in such a tone and manner, respecting religion, as may possibly lead those unacquainted with my religious views to suppose me an opponent of all religion. To remove the liability of such misapprehension, I deem it proper to append the following brief explanation. What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slave-holding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of &#8220;stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in.&#8221; I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which everywhere surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cow skin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me… The Christianity of America is a Christianity, of whose votaries it may be as truly said, as it was of the ancient scribes and Pharisees, &#8220;They bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men&#8217;s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides! which s

Now that we&#8217;ve worked through several counterfeit gods, including love, money, success, and power, it&#8217;s time to dig in a little deeper. Do you understand your own heart? Can you discern where you are tempted to idolize something or someone? In order to figure this out, ask yourself these four questions: What do you daydream about? What do you spend your money on? What happens when you don&#8217;t get an answer to prayer? What instigates the most uncontrollable emotions within you? Asking these kinds of questions can help you discover your own counterfeit gods. However, even once you&#8217;ve identified and uprooted them, you still have to put God on the throne. One of the best ways to do this is to recognize the incredible worth and value of God. To that end, here are ten reasons why God is is worthy of worship. 10 Reasons Why God Is Awesome Creation (dna, clouds, gravity) God calls the underdog (Saul, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Peter) The cross shows God&#8217;s love In the resurrection God defeats death When the kingdom comes, he plans to make everything wrong with the world right God&#8217;s love, compassion, grace (kings of Judah) Justice, wrath Power (10 plagues) His eye is on the sparrow (Matthew 10) Forgiveness Ultimately, we need to cultivate our relationship with God. Worshiping him takes work and diligence, but it is grounded in God&#8217;s unfathomable love shown to us through the cross. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God Check out Kim Walker&#8217;s exhortation in the middle of this song on YouTube. For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller&#8217;s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book this series is based on by Tim Keller, go here Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Covetousness, self-reliance, and envy can rob us of gratitude and contentedness. So much of our world programs us to feel restless, entitled, and discontent regarding our possessions, how we look, our work, and our relationships. Have you ever asked yourself, &#8220;How much is enough?&#8221; Taking his cue from the Apostle Paul, John Cortright shares the secret of being content: recognizing that what God has done through Christ is already enough. In the end, Cortright concludes based on Psalm 73, that God is his chief good, his portion, his refuge, therefore, come what may, God is enough! Psalm 73.25-28 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all your works. Notes: More podcasts with John Cortright on Restitutio Living Hope sermon archive for John Cortright Listen to Off Script 6: Consumerism Check out Off Script 24: Worshiping Money Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The 19th century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, believed that our desire for success, money, or love really went back to our &#8220;will to power.&#8221; Whereas other philosophies focused on calibrating our internal state to accept reality, Nietzsche focused more on conforming reality to our desires. Although it&#8217;s terribly out of fashion to admit one desires and pursues power, this counterfeit god is alive and well. We can get so involved with a political party, a social justice issue, or advocating some cause that we begin to live for it rather than God. We seek to make the world better and this often takes heroic sacrifice and commitment, which, in turn, can easily lead to removing God from the throne of our hearts and even defying how he says to live in the process. The solution is not to divest ourselves of power, but to submit our wills to God. Humility is the way God can redeem our influence for his purposes. In his earthly ministry, Jesus was powerful, but he did not let it go to his head; instead, he constantly recognized that God was the source of his words and works. In the end, God exalted Jesus, bestowing on him a name that is above everyone else. This is our example. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God Check out Off Script 16: Christians Discussing Politics For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller&#8217;s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book this series is based on by Tim Keller, go here Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Saint Patrick is one of the most courageous missionaries of Christian history. Although revelers mark his day with debauchery and drunkenness, he pursued holiness and risked his life to preach to the Irish barbarians. He held out to the ancient Irish tribes a promise of protection from their gods and demons, if only they would come to Christ. Not only is he an example of virtue and courage, he also shows how far forgiving and loving our enemies can go. After patiently waiting for years for his non-missionary-minded church to send him, he got to preach to the very people who had kidnapped and enslaved him as a teenager. Learn who the real St. Patrick was and how his life can inspire you to live for Christ in our post-Christian society today. &nbsp; Notes: Sources I used for research on Saint Patrick How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill Let Me Die in Ireland by David Bercot Confessio by St. Patrick Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Everyone enjoys accomplishment and achievement, but what happens when we take success and make it our ultimate goal in life? When you reach the pinnacle of success in any field, it&#8217;s easy to get depressed, asking yourself, &#8220;Is this all there is?&#8221; Furthermore, you may begin to fear that you won&#8217;t be able to maintain your position as other star-eyed would-be achievers are climbing to the top in an effort to push you off. How can we guard against worshiping the counterfeit god of success without settling into complacency or laziness? In this episode we answer this question by embracing the goodness and joy of achievement while recognizing that our ultimate worth comes from God&#8217;s gracious offer of love, demonstrated on the cross of his dear Son. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God Watch David Foster Wallace&#8217;s entire commencement speech For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller&#8217;s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book this series is based on by Tim Keller, go here Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The history of Christianity can sometimes be really depressing, especially when we look at the &#8220;heresy hunters.&#8221; From Justin Martyr and Irenaues in the second century to Athanasius and Epiphanius of the fourth century, as Christians we progressively came to define ourselves on the basis of what we don&#8217;t believe. As a result, so much energy focused on precisely defining and policing the boundaries of orthodox doctrine. This tendency continued to develop throughout the middle ages, culminating with the Catholic Inquisition in Spain where the church interrogated, tortured, and executed &#8220;heretics&#8221; (typically Jews who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism). In the sixteenth century, even Protestants executed heretics like the founders of the Anabaptists and Michael Servetus. Thankfully, the world has changed so much from the days when one could be executed for thought crimes. However, especially with the advent of the internet, the heresy-hunting impulse is alive and well within Christianity. Across countless blogs, chatrooms, and youtube channels, self-appointed orthodox defenders continue to bully and blackball other honest-hearted Christians for their unwillingness to accept their list of essential doctrines. In this eye-opening talk, Dr. Dale Tuggy discusses four approaches to heresy, including (1) Catholic, (2) Protestant, (3) &#8220;free&#8221; Protestant, and (4) apostolic. He argues that there is such a thing as heresy, and we should take it seriously, but it has a lot more to do with divisiveness than doctrinal errors. Ironically, the heresy-hunters are the ones guilty of causing αἵρεσεις (factions) in the body of Christ. Notes: Find out more about professor Tuggy at his website and subscribe to his excellent podcast in iTunes or via RSS or check out his YouTube channel. Here&#8217;s a transcript of this talk (pdf) Watch the full video of this talk (posted by 21st Century Reformation) Watch Tuggy&#8217;s screencast version of this presentation (includes slides) For information about this year&#8217;s Theological Conference, including to register, go here. Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. &nbsp;

I bet you don&#8217;t think you struggle with greed. In fact, I&#8217;ve never met anyone who told me this was a problem for him or her. But greed is subtle. It sneaks up on you when you think you&#8217;re just working towards financial security or building your confidence or taking control of your life. In this episode we discuss how greed lurks in the shadows as well as how to slay the beast through gratitude and generosity. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God For more on money, especially consumerism, check out Off Script 6: Consumerism For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller&#8217;s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book this series is based on by Tim Keller, go here Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

We all have competing impulses within us vying for our attention and expression. How do you know which ones to amplify and which to repress? How should we think of ourselves? Are we powerful and valuable creatures made in God&#8217;s image or accidental byproducts of time plus chance plus matter? In order to live out authentic humanity we need to grasp who we are and how God calls us to live. Only when we live in conformity with our designer and creator can we flourish and bring him glory. Notes: For more on authentic Christianity, take a look at Rosaria Butterfield&#8217;s testimony Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Today we are starting a series based on Tim Keller&#8217;s book, Counterfeit Gods, wherein we&#8217;ll consider a number of idols that vie for worship in our society. In this episode we consider Aphrodite, the ancient goddess of love, and her modern counterparts. We begin by examining the somewhat dysfunctional love story of Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis. We conclude that love and romance are goods God has given people, but they should not be our ultimate pursuit or what we look to for salvation. In addition, Rose rebukes the tendency among Christians to hold out romance and marriage to singles as an ultimate goal to find completion. Dan also shares some great advice about attracting a godly spouse. Whether you are married or single, this Off Script episode will help you think through the proper place you should have for romantic love in your life. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller&#8217;s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book, go here Intro music: &#8220;Protofunk&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

How should Christians relate to the government? In this sermon, Vince Finnegan works through Romans 13 to show how we should relate to the powers that be. Ultimately God is in charge of raising up and tearing down regimes and nations over the course of human history. Our goal is to love one another as examples of genuine faith rather than get overwhelmed with political concerns. Notes: Romans 13:1 – In order to stay constantly living for God, we must have the right mindset and proper behavior in relationship to the kingdoms of this world. Subjection is very common. Wives to husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24), children to parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), servants to masters [employees to employers] (Ephesians 6:5-8), younger to elders (1 Peter 5:5), and believers to church elders (Hebrews 13:17). Husbands tell wives to worship. Parents tell children to steal. Employer tells employees to lie. Church leadership tells people to have sex. Government tells clerk about marriage licenses to homosexuals. Daniel 3:18; Daniel 6:10; Acts 4:18-20; 5:29 Deuteronomy 13:4 Submission in human relationships is commanded, but never when it breaks God’s commandments. We must obey God rather than man. Romans 13:2 If we do not submit to the laws of the government, we will be judged by those laws. By no means is God saying to us that worldly governments are holy or that their reign is equitable, fair, and right. Governments are a temporary necessity in this present evil age to maintain a semblance of order until God’s perfect Kingdom comes. The main danger was that the early Christians would err in refusing submission, even when it was proper, rather than in undue conformity to idolatrous rites and ceremonies. Daniel 2:21; 4:17, 26, 34, 35 By God’s permission or appointment, those in office obtain their power. God often claims and asserts that He sets up one and puts down another. Romans 13:5 – The word “minister” could also be translated “servant” as it often is in other translations. Kings, presidents, governors are God’s servants just as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus were. They were not serving us because they understood God’s Word and believed it, but because God is almighty and the supreme ruler of the earth. 7 – Mark 12:15-17; Matthew 17:24-27 8 – God does not want us to owe anyone because indebtedness may place us in a compromising position to be controlled or influenced by someone other than Him. Genesis 14:21-24 Abraham refused to be indebted to the king of Sodom when he was offered great wealth. Nor would he accept the land to bury Sarah without paying, so he remained free from obligation to anyone other than God 1 John 3:16; 4:11 – We all love because God loved us, and He commands us to love others. Romans 13:12 – We are to maintain an awareness of the urgency of our times. Each day, we are one day closer to his return or our death, whichever comes first. Ephesians 5:14-16 – We cannot afford to fall into a lackadaisical slumber and squander the time we could have with God. Romans 13:14 Check out this Off Script on patriotism for more on this subject Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Claudia Scott is one of the pillars of our church, a woman of faith who carries herself with dignity and poise. Growing up, she&#8217;s been an example to me of faithfulness and passion for God. Having only known her over the last twenty or so years, I was clueless about how much she had been through in her past. She suffered repeated sexual abuse for years as a child. Once she left the house, her life didn&#8217;t fair much better. When she met God and discovered his power to heal her, she began a journey that eventually led her to mental relief and peace of mind. This is her story. Notes and Links: Check out Interview 4: Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Healing with Bill &amp; Ann DeNenno Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What is true freedom? We tend to think of freedom as the lack of restrictions so that we can do whatever we want. However, I want to make the case that freedoms is not the lack of boundaries, but finding the right ones to enable us to be our best for God. After God liberated the ancient Israelites form Egypt, they were free: politically, religiously, economically, etc. However, they continued to distrust God and hold to an enslaved mindset. We have much to learn from their example. Notes: Freedom: autonomy, independence, liberty, license, self-determination, self-governance, sovereignty Exodus 3:7-8 God tells Moses His plans to deliver His people from slavery. Exodus 6:5-8 God plans to rescue them so they can become His people and He can become their God. Exodus 12:30-32 After the ten plagues, the Egyptians released the Israelites. Exodus 14:27-31 God splits the Red Sea and then destroys the Egyptian army, freeing His people once and for all. Exodus 16:2-4 Remember sitting by the meat pots and eating bread to the full? Numbers 11:4-6 Remember the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic of Egypt? Numbers 14:1-4 Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt! Numbers 20:4-5 Why have you made us come up out of Egypt? 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 Let’s learn from their example and not desire evil or give ourselves to idolatry. Hebrews 3:7-4:2 Do you trust God? The issue comes down to belief. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Jesus (Mt 11:28-30) Check out this Off Script on tolerance for more on this subject Read more about a Christian analysis on tolerance here Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What do you believe about baptism? In this interview, I ask Ken LaPrade, a house church pastor in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, to share his baptism journey. Coming from a Way International background, LaPrade learned that spirit baptism had replaced water. As a result he had interpreted the water baptisms in Acts to be incidents where the apostles held to an outdated methodology. Apparently, they had not realized that spirit baptism had replaced water. However, when LaPrade went back through the book of Acts, he failed to detect any negative remarks about baptism in water. He started to see how baptism in water and spirit actually went together in several conversion narratives in Acts. After careful study and much prayer, LaPrade decided to take the plunge himself and was surprised when he received significant physical healing as well. Whether you accept baptism or not, please take the time to consider LaPrade&#8217;s humble and honest-hearted approach to this important issue. Notes and Links: You can get in touch with Ken LaPrade at [email protected] Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In this vintage message, Sir Anthony Buzzard makes the case that the gospel Jesus preached was about the kingdom. Although Jesus remains incredibly popular all around the world today, his message remains obscured even among many sincere followers. How can we call ourselves Christians if we are ignorant of Christ&#8217;s proclamation? The kingdom is not living in heaven nor is it a clever way of talking about the church or Jesus reigning in your heart. Rather, it refers to the age when Jesus returns to fulfill all the prophecies of the Hebrew bible, bringing wholeness, judgement, and God&#8217;s reign to our world. We&#8217;ve substituted the gospel of Jesus for a gospel about Jesus. Of course, we don&#8217;t want to lose out the magnificent truths of his death and resurrection, but we dare not re-contextualize these within an overall scheme that defies Jesus&#8217; kingdom announcement. According to Jesus, &#8220;This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come&#8221; (Mt 24.14). How can we hope to be faithful to Jesus&#8217; commissioning here, unless we recover and proclaim &#8220;this gospel of the kingdom&#8221; that Jesus preached?

How are you at handling conflict? Do you withdraw and avoid conflict at any cost? Do you rush in headlong, eager to set the other person straight? Are you a compromiser who looks at everything like a contract where both parties inevitably have to make trade-offs to get some advantage? As with so many really important aspects of life, we rarely receive any instruction on how to confront one another or deal with conflict in a constructive manner. In this episode, Dr. Jerry Wierwille reviews David Augsburger&#8217;s book Caring Enough To Confront, which will help you learn which of the four main postures towards conflict you hold as well five helpful strategies to help you improve your skills. Notes and Links: Listen to Jerry Wierwille&#8217;s other interviews Interview 1: Jerry Wierwille on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Interview 2: Jerry Wierwille on Hermeneutics Visit his website at JerryWierwille.com Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The gospel is the message we believe in that results in immortality (2 Tim 1.7-10). If I were the devil, I would target the gospel message so that even if some Christians rustled up the courage to actually share it with others, they&#8217;d have a distorted or partial message. In fact, scripture tells us that the god of this world blinds the minds of unbeliever to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel (2 Cor 4.4)! We cannot just go along with the flow of evangelical or Catholic Christianity. We need to examine the scriptures to see what the original gospel was. When we do this, we discover a radically different message from what we hear on radio, TV, and in most churches today. In this message I make the case for a gospel with a minimum of three elements: the kingdom, the cross, and the resurrection. Take away or alter one of these and you no longer have the whole gospel. Notes and Links: Does Amos 9.11-15 seem strange to you? Two Major Problems most of us do not speak the gospel those who do speak it know a partial gospel Importance of Getting the Gospel Right Is the gospel like a paint color or a medical diagnosis? It is a matter of life and death (Galatians 1.6-9; 2 Timothy 1.7-10) the gospel is the pill of immortality, washed down with faith Three Elements kingdom (Matthew 4.23; 5.5; 6.9-10) cross (1 Corinthians 15.3; Romans 5.8) resurrection (1 Corinthians 15.4) Four Reasons the Kingdom Matters it is God’s idea it was Jesus’ primary focus it is gospel promotes stewardship Satan attacks the believing of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4.3-4; Matthew 13.19; Luke 8.12) But just knowing isn’t enough! believe repent persevere Check out Jacob Rohrer&#8217;s interview about his journey of getting the gospel right Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What is the gospel? Growing up, Jacob Rohrer heard about Jesus dying for his sins so he could go to heaven. However, he&#8217;s come to see that this way of thinking is not only wrong, but goes against what Jesus himself taught. Listen in to Rohrer as he explains the five elements of the gospel, including (1) repentance, (2) kingdom, (3) Jesus&#8217; death, (4) Jesus&#8217; resurrection, and (5) obedience to Jesus. You may be surprised to discover that the gospel you received is not the whole message. Jacob Rohrer is a 2015 graduate of the Atlanta Bible College who is currently interning at Cornerstone in Gatesville, Texas. Notes and Links: Listen to Jacob Rohrer&#8217;s recent sermon from Revive 2017, &#8220;What To Do When You Fail&#8220; Watch a number of his sermons on YouTube, here If you want to get in contact, email Rohrer: [email protected] You can read some of his work on KingdomUprising.com Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

We hear a particular narrative over and over: &#8220;Gay teen courageously comes out to Christian parents and faces consequences.&#8221; This is the hero&#8217;s journey of the early 21st century. From gay pride marches to hit songs to movies and TV shows, this story is ubiquitous in our culture. For example, I used to listen to the Moth podcast and heard story after story championing the gay lifestyle and supporting the choice to live &#8220;out and proud.&#8221; In the hundreds of stories I listened to, not once did I ever hear a story of someone who came to Christ, even though it is a much more common occurrence. It&#8217;s hard not to absorb the impression that LGBTQ folks are courageous and tolerant while Christians, especially bible-believing ones, are repressive and unloving. However, could it be that there&#8217;s an alternative narrative that few are hearing? Caleb Katenbach has an interesting story. He grew up with two moms and learned to hate Christians. However, when he unexpectedly became a Christian in high school, he had to &#8220;come out of the closet&#8221; to his moms. Were they supportive? Did they embrace his new sense of identity? Did they accept him for following his heart? No! They kicked him out and expressed intolerance. Of course, his story doesn&#8217;t end there. Listen to this fine interview between Darrell Bock and Caleb Kaltenbach to learn both how we as Christians need to repent as well a how we can reach the LGBTQ community. Notes and Links: Caleb Kaltenbach&#8217;s book, Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction, is available here Thanks to Darrel Bock for persmission to replay this episode. Check out his stimulating podcast, &#8220;The Table,&#8221; here Intro music: &#8220;District Four&#8221; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. &nbsp;