The Hammer Podcast

The Hammer Podcast: Ep. 57: Tax Funded Murder! To pay, or not to pay, that is the question. Are Christians obligated to pay taxes if the money is being used to fund (murder) abortions, gender (mutilation) surgeries and a host of other evil atrocities? What does the Bible say about paying taxes? How did the Roman government use tax money? What are the consequences of not paying taxes? How do we app...

How does humility impact our cultural engagement? Among Christians there are many different views and lots of passion. Christians tend to find people who agree with them on this topic (politics and cultural engagement) and then attack other Christians. How does humility in this situation help navigate tense situations? Church during COVID is a great test case for understanding the application of h...

Peter and Paul were not beta males! Our job is to create culture not change it. Peter and the cudgel of submission and Paul’s use of the rule of law. How should we understand 1 Peter 2 and Paul’s use of the Roman Law in Acts? Submission is not absolute. As Christians our submission is absolute only to God. In all other areas there are conditions. The inquisition: What would you say to those who sa...

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In this episode Pastor Mike talks about the Christian and politics. What is cultural engagement and can it really be divorced from political engagement? If God is sovereign over the ends, he is also sovereign over the means to those ends. How do we think critically about that? How did the evangelical leaders of the past think about this issue? Jerry Falwell Sr., Adrian Rodgers, Pat Robertson and o...

In this episode Pastor Mike talks about the various eschatological views, and how they apply to the Christian in the public Square. Why did it take us so long to get here? What was the purpose of going through each of the millennial views? What are some logical assumptions that actually don’t play out in the public square because of theological disconnects? How should we think about the theologica...

In this episode Pastor Mike talks about how modern premillennialism and amillennialism are inching closer together when dealing with the text. This is in part due to the platonic influence on Christian thinking as it relates to eschatology. As platonism is rejected, we begin to see a shift toward a more grounded eschatology. How has the Catholic dominance since AD 313, and the platonic influence a...

This is a special edition of the hammer podcast. 50 on 50! In this episode, Pastor Mike dives into the Reign of Christ in the three primary millennial views. To begin, we talk about the unnecessary “cheap shots” the different views may make toward each other. How does the character and nature of God affect our view of his Reign? “Reign” is not an attribute of God. But what are the necessary implic...

In this episode, Pastor Mike clarifies the controversy in Romans 8 over the “Redemption” of creation. He explains the two general views and how they relate to the End Times. Then he explains where he lands on the topic. 1. Immediately upon the 2nd Advent of Christ the earth is destroyed and then enters the New Heaven and New Earth. OR 2. Beginning at the 2nd Advent of Christ, the earth through a p...

In this episode, Pastor Mike continues discussing difficult passages for premillennialism. In this episode he tackles four of them. In 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, what is the issue regarding the timing of the second coming and the end of all things? What is the relationship between the two “thens”in verse 23 and 24? In 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, what is the issue with destroying death? If death is destro...

In this episode, Pastor Mike lays open the landscape regarding the issues with premillennialism, in two parts. PART 1 - False Caricatures of this position. Or, in some cases, human reasoning problems about biblical concepts as opposed to… PART 2 - Difficult textual issues. These are genuine issues with the exegesis, not just conceptual problems with the theory of the case. This is where we spend m...

In this episode, Pastor Mike begins the discussion on premillennialism. Has it been left behind theologically because of the Left Behind series? Why do people even consider being premillennial? Is it really because of the Left Behind books? Aren’t all dispensationalists Arminians? What about the vast differences between premillennialists? What are the different variances? What are some of the bigg...

In this episode, Pastor Mike continues the discussion on amillennialism. Considering the recapitulation theory of the book of Revelation, we must acknowledge that the chapter divisions are not inspired. They were added by Wycliffe in the 14th century. Therefore the transition from chapter 19 to 20 verse 1 should be considered. Does it tell us this is a new section starting another recapitulation o...

In this special addition Pastor Mike talks about the current mystery facet of the kingdom in relation to the Revelation 20 millennial kingdom. He talks about the mistake that many people make by either insisting that all of the kingdom of God is the future Revelation 20 millennial kingdom, or insisting that we are currently living in the Revelation 20 kingdom. How can we avoid this confusion? Tune...

In this episode, Pastor Mike defines Amillennialism and some of its variations, graciously discussing some benefits and some biblical difficulties. Why does any of this matter? Pastor Mike goes over the purpose of our latest series. He talks about the importance of all the different views meeting together in the public square to stand up for truth. Next Mike explores general similarities between t...

In this episode, Pastor Mike continues discussing some of the difficulties with postmillennialism. How is one to deal with the suffering passages (especially in Thessalonians and Peter) if they were fulfilled in 70 AD? Three major texts create an exegetical problem for this view: 1) Revelation 19, 2) Matthew 24, and 3) 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Pastor Mike examines each...

In this episode, Pastor Mike defines postmillennialism and we discuss why some are inclined toward this eschatology of hope. What is the impact of Doug Wilson and James White on this view? How has that created a revival in this eschatological viewpoint, especially as it relates to the culture war? As an eschatology of hope, does that mean variations of the other views are not hopeful? Is postmille...

In this episode, Pastor Mike gives an update on the ongoing investigation into the hacked episode. Then we turn our attention to eschatology and cultural engagement. Are these two things inseparably linked? What about Augustine? Was he really some version of a premillennialist? How long did he hold that view? When and why did he change it? Was it because of Origen’s (the heretic) allegories or for...

In this episode, Pastor Mike talks about early church history and the millennium. How should we understand church history? Is it on par with scripture, or should we be critical of what is said and why it was said? What did Papias, Polycarp, and Irenaeus say about the millennium? What about Origen and Augustine? Is there a correct way to deduce the words these men have said? What can we learn about...

In this episode, Pastor Mike introduces our new series “Eschatology and Everyday Life.” What is the goal of this series? Should all Christians engage the culture or is it just limited to one eschatological position? Is eschatology a primary doctrine, like the virgin birth? If not, why even study it? What should be our primary focus in studying this topic? What is the balance between systematic the...

In this episode, Pastor Mike talks about the opposition to and support of the virgin conception and birth of Jesus. Yes, it really does matter! Mike explains why as we discuss the importance of this doctrine in our evangelism and church life. How do you teach this Divine truth to your children? Can you use Christmas as a means to that end? What about Christmas? Should Christians celebrate it? Why...

In this episode, Pastor Mike discusses the death and resurrection of Jonah. This pre-sermon podcast gives Hammer Heads a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the prep for this week’s sermon and the issue at hand. What does Jesus mean when he says the last sign He will give is that of Jonah? Did Jonah really die, or was he alive and well inside the sea monster? What does this mean for us as we understand...

In this episode, Pastor Mike talks about the recent criticisms of Doug Wilson and the Moscow Mojo. Kevin DeYoung, Jim Hamilton and Denny Burke have recently escalated the alarms regarding Wilson and company. During No Quarter November, DeYoung released an article articulating specific concerns. Are these concerns valid? What is going on with the recent fuss around Moscow? If we are in a culture wa...

The “Hacked” episode. Did you miss us last week? Foul play was afoot, we suspect Arminians are to blame for a host of reasons. Tune in an find out about the ongoing investigation into the “matter.” In this episode, Pastor Mike talks about Isaiah 53. As it one of the richest and most important passages in the Bible, we see what it means for Christ to be the Man of Sorrows. 1. Isaiah 53 is the most...

In this episode, Pastor Mike deals with preparing to share in Christ’s sufferings. He even touches on testosterone levels and how those might be connected to our stamina for persecution. 1. Why did you feel compelled to preach about persecution and sharing in Christ’s sufferings? 2. How does our society exhibit an intentional lowering of testosterone? And how does this relate to the whole “toxic m...