Adventures in Theology

In this brief meditation, we explore one of the many angles of Good Friday. In this case, how Good Friday is a new exodus for the new covenant. Listen in and share with someone who needs to hear this! Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen from! And please share this podcast with others who you think would be encourag...

I cannot tell you how many times I encounter people talking about "the rapture." It is so engrained in some Christian's minds, but is that what the message of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 really is about? Furthermore, is that really what we are hoping for when we anticipate the return of Christ? I don't think so. Listen in as we go verse by verse through this passage as we remember what the hope of the...

Last episode ended sitting with bewildermnet as Paul and Silas responded to their terrible circumstances with praise. What happens next might be even more shocking! There is so much to appreciate in the next few verses and their interaction with the Roman Jailor. And then we tie all of Acts 16 together with a nice bow showing how the three conversion stories have an awesome connection to an ancien...

Acts 16 is an important part of the story. In order to do it justice, we have to break this into two parts! Listen in as we learn some incredible things about the origin story of the Church in Philippi and the lives that were changed there. And then we end on a cliff-hanger! Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen from!&nbs...

We are in the midst of the season of Lent. And so there is no better time to refresh on the importance of Jesus' final days! Thankfully, Dr. William Varner has published a very accessible and enjoyable read on the subject! I highly encourage you to listen in and then pick up a copy of his book, "Passionate About Passion Week."  Here is a link to Dr. Varner's book: https://www.amazon.com/Passi...

Dr. Habermas is a leading expert on the topic of "NDE's" or "Near-Death Experiences." Listen in as Dr. Gary shares fascinating testimonies from renowned medical journals on how we have evidence of life beyond death and what that means for discussions of faith. Just after we finished recording, Dr. Habermas shared with me (offline) an incredible story that he forgot to share on the recording. Fortu...

Can we defend the resurrection of Jesus from a historically reliable vantage point? Yes! And I brought on the most prominent voice on the topic to give a brief introduction into why. Dr. Gary Habermas is second-to-none in his forty-plus years of scholarly research and writing on this topic (and others). When people reference "the scholars" on the topic of the resurrection of Jesus, they better be...

What does it look like to live a lifestyle of purpose with the Holy Spirit? Following Philip's story of a Spirit-led conversation, we may be surprised on how a narrative from the first century may encourage us with practical insight on how to live a life of adventurous faith, today!  Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you li...

Scripture is clear that when we give our lives to Jesus we receive His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. As post-Pentecost, new covenant belivers, we are filled with the fullness of God's temple presence (1 Cor. 3:16). In light of that, why does Paul command believers to be continually filled by the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18? How can we be full of the Holy Spirit but also continually filled by the Spirit? I...

In a very passionate episode, we unpack one more thing about Pentecost is what made it so counter-intuitive for its day. Listen in as we talk about how the temple presence of God, the fire of God, has left the temple! Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen from! And please share this podcast with others who you think...

Welcome to part 2 of our Acts series, where we seek to explore major themes and passages in the book of Acts. Few episodes are as difficult to communicate as this one. On one side of things, this is an eye-opening dialogue on how Pentecost serves as a major hinge between phases of the biblical story; and yet, it is almost like trying to summarize the story of Israel at one event. And that is what...

Today, we kick off the series in Acts! Acts is Luke's sequel to the Gospel of Luke, and unlike most sequels in the movie world today, Acts is a sequel done well! As we will see, the book of Acts answers the question of "What's next?" for us as followers of Jesus.  Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen from! And...

A new year is upon us, and so that means new adventures, too! Listen in as we consider what it means to re-center the narrative and what lies ahead for season 2 of Adventures in Theology! Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen from! And please share this podcast with others who you think would be encouraged by it.&nbs...

The Sabbath is a 24 hour period in which we cease from the toil of work to simply enjoy the life given to us. Is the Sabbath still applicable today? Listen in as Dr. Matthew Sleeth and I try to persuade YOU that Sabbath is not legalistic law, but life-giving wisdom.  Matthew Sleeth, MD, a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to te...

The phrase: "Don't pull weeds without planting flowers" has been deeply influential to me. Today, I share my candid, off the script insights on the topic of habits. As Christians, we should recognize the power of habits in how the rhythms, routines, and habits are forming a lifestyle, and even identity, of who we are becoming. Healthy habits form healthy people. Listen in as we talk about the jour...

Responding to the question of women's roles in the Church is no quick conversation. While this is not an exhaustive conversation, Jenny Randle and I talk through some key things that are important to be informed of when considering women's roles in ministry.  For more on Jenny, including her books and podcast, see her website ( https://www.jennyrandle.com/ ) N.T. Wright on the 1 Timothy 2 --...

Some phrases and cliches may be trendy in culture or even in the Church. But does that make them true? Of course not! Popular opinion does not make something true or false. Phrases (and the beliefs behind them) have to be thought through and examined. Today, we discuss how the phrase "everything happens for a reason" is not biblical, not helpful, and should be abandoned altogether.  Like the...

For most of my life, I did not even know other perspectives on the topic of "hell" existed! In today's episode, I speak with Chris Date, of rethinkinghell.com. After my own study in the Bible on this subject, listening to many debates (some Chris was part of), and reading books on the subject, I came to the same conclusion as Chris; that the position, known as "Conditional Immortality" (aka "Annih...

Today, Matt and I discuss the relationship between God's Law and what we call "the good life." We hope to convey that God wired us with many innate desires that only can have their answers found in Him and His way of life. Matt is a pastor and resident philosopher at the Branch Church in San Diego, CA. Connect with Matt on Instagram: @matthewmarzec Follow me on Instagram: @braydenbrookshier . I re...

The past few weeks we have tackled questions like: "Why Jesus?" and "Why the Bible?" Today, I want to fire similar questions at my good friend, philosopher/apologist, Matt Marzec. We discuss the main objections that keep people in accepting there being an intelligent Creator; objections about Jesus; and objections about the Bible--all under 40 minutes!  Matt is a pastor and resident philosoph...

Have you ever heard objections to the Bible like: "I can't believe the Bible because it was written by man." Maybe you have wrestled with these questions yourself. In today's episode, I have a conversation with world renowned apologist and speaker, Dr. Frank Turek of crossexamined.org. Join us as we defend the rational and logic behind the Bible being a reliable account of God's interaction with h...

Today we address the common question: "Why Jesus?" In my conversation with Shawn Hart we discuss the landscape of faith and evangelism in America and how  people are longing for  an emotional apologetic to the question of faith. Shawn Hart is a dynamic speaker on the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) team, and leads week-long ministries on the campuses of universities all ar...

I have heard people say things like: "Billy Graham was so faithful, so influential as a Christian, he will definitely have a greater heavenly reward than me. He will have a high position of authority in God's kingdom." But is this biblically true? Will there be degrees of reward and status in the next life? Join me as I refute the misconceptions and make a compelling case for equality of reward an...

Revelation 21-22 presents more than Eden restored, the new creation is even greater than eden! The shocking contrasts between the first and the final eden encourage us that the hope we hold is contains more privilege and more responsibility than we expect. Open your Bible and let the adventure continue as we explore Revelation 22:1-5. Like the podcast? Subscribe and give a five-star rating on...

If you have grown up in the Church you have probably heard about the "streets of gold," but have you ever been curious to know what that means? What if John's vision of the streets of gold is actually communicating something? Today we bring some memorable conclusions to Revelation's key theme of God's presence in the new creation.  There is handout with fill-in's for today's episode! Link to...