The Midweek

In the Season 1 finale, Pastors Steve and Luke tackle one of the most controversial and confusing terms in American Christianity today: Christian nationalism. What does it actually mean? How is it different from being a patriotic Christian? They define the term carefully, walk through PRRI's five-question diagnostic, identify where Christian nationalists have common ground with most Christians...

In the conclusion of Tammy Manheim's interview, Pastor Steve and Tammy explore what happened after her near-death experience — both spiritually and practically. Now three years out, Tammy shares why she waited to speak about her experience, how her family helped her test it against Scripture, and the surprising spiritual challenge that followed: her prayer life completely tanked for almost a y...

In Episode 13, Pastor Steve and Pastor Luke discussed near-death experiences (NDEs) and mentioned a friend of the church who had one. This week, that friend — Tammy Manheim — shares her remarkable story firsthand. What began as a routine outpatient surgery turned into 19 days in the hospital, including a week of unconsciousness and two times when she coded. During that time, Tammy experienced perf...

In Part 2 of the women in ministry conversation, Steve and Jenny introduce the third theological view — soft complementarianism — and explore how each view objects to the others. They unpack hermeneutics (the rules we use to interpret Scripture) and slippery slope arguments. Then Steve shares where Cherry Hills Church lands as a body, and the episode turns deeply personal as Jenny shares her journ...

After receiving multiple questions on this topic, Pastor Steve and Jenny Elliott finally tackle one of the most discussed and debated issues in the modern church: the role of women in ministry. With grace, humility, and rigorous study, they begin a multi-part series by laying out where all Christians agree (Genesis 1:26-27 — men and women are equally created in God's image) and then walk throu...

Steve and Brian wrap up their two-week run of shorter questions. First: why does Cherry Hills take communion every week instead of monthly? Brian shares fascinating church history about the American frontier, circuit-riding preachers, and how monthly communion became the norm — and why Cherry Hills shifted to weekly five years ago. Then they tackle one of the strangest patterns in the Gospels: why...

Steve and Brian tackle three shorter questions in this rapid-fire episode. Why did people in the early Old Testament live for hundreds of years? Why do the four Gospels describe theresurrection morning differently? And who is Jesus referring to in Mark 10:40 when he talks about sitting at his right and left hands? Along the way, Steve introduces his "Tinkerbell Theory" of declining lifes...

If God already knows the plan for our lives, why should we bother praying? Can prayer actually change God's mind? Chuck and Jenny tackle this deeply relatable question by exploring prayer through three lenses: prayer as formational (it shapes us into certain kinds of people), prayer as relational (God as Father invites us to come to Him), and prayer as powerful (our God is a miracle-working Go...

With war in the Middle East dominating headlines, Diana asks a timely question: should American Christians feel obligated to support the modern state of Israel? Pastors Brian and Luke dig into the theology behind this issue — specifically the relationship between Israel and the Church, the meaning of covenant, and how to interpret key passages like Genesis 12:3, Romans 9-11, and Galatians 3. This...

In the finale of the heaven series, Pastors Steve and Luke tackle two more questions from Chris. First: how should Christians process near-death experiences (NDEs)? Luke explains what NDEs are, how they differ from "heaven tourism" books, and what they might (or might not) reveal about the afterlife. Then they walk through the order of events after death — from the intermediate state to the resurr...

This week Pastors Steve and Luke tackle two deeply personal questions about heaven. First: what happens to people who can't understand or express faith — those with cognitiveimpairments, infants, or people who've never heard the gospel? Luke walks through four theological approaches to this question. Then they address whether we'll recognize our loved ones in heaven and what happens to...

Following up on the serpent series, Pastors Steve and Luke tackle two popular questions about angels and the afterlife. First, do we each have a guardian angel? They examine Matthew 18:10, Daniel, and Acts 12 to explore what Scripture actually says. Then they address a question many of us have wondered: will our pets be in heaven? They look at this scripturally, theologically, and pastorally — and...

After four episodes of groundwork, we finally answer the question: How did the serpent get into the garden? Pastors Steve and Luke reveal that the serpent was no ordinary snake—it was a fallen divine being, a cherub who rebelled against God. Using Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14, and Revelation 12:9, they show how this "shining one" was cast down from the divine council and sought to do to humanit...

If God gave us free will, and the Fall was a result of that free choice, was the Fall predestined? In Part 3 of the serpent series, Pastors Steve and Luke tackle one of theology's trickiest questions: the relationship between God's foreknowledge and predestination. Using 1 Samuel 23 as a key text, they show that God can know what will happen without necessarily predetermining it—meaning fo...

Continuing the deep dive into "How did the serpent get into the garden?", Pastors Steve and Luke explore the figure of "the Satan" in the book of Job—not as a proper name, but as a title meaning "the adversary" or "the accuser." They examine how the Hebrew word is used throughout the Old Testament, discuss whether divine beings can sin, and tackle the big qu...

How did the serpent get into the Garden of Eden? It seems like a simple question—but the answer opens up much bigger questions about evil, suffering, and the spiritual world. In Part 1, Pastors Steve and Luke lay the groundwork by exploring what existed before creation: the Heavenly Host, the "sons of God" (Bene Elohim), and the unseen realm of divine beings. Drawing heavily from Michael...

Raising hands, kneeling, dancing like David—is expressive worship something all Christians should do? In this episode, Pastor Steve and Pastor Chuck explore what worship really means (hint: it's more than singing!), dig into Hebrew words for praise from the Psalms, and discuss the story of David dancing before the Lord while his wife Michal watched in disgust. If you've ever felt self-cons...

You know Jesus has forgiven you—so why is it so hard to forgive yourself? In this episode, Pastor Steve and Jenny Elliott explore the roots of guilt and shame all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and offer practical tools for breaking free. They unpack the difference between conviction (from God) and condemnation (from the enemy), share four steps for overcoming shame, and remind us that Jesus...

Episode 4 Your Questions About the Church What is the church, really? Is it for believers only or for everyone? How is it different from a community organization? In this episode, Pastors Steve and Brian answer multiple listener questions about the nature of the church. They discuss the biblical definition of "church" (hint: it's not a building!), how to handle conflict and criticism...

When is saving for the future wise, and when does it become selfish? Is it okay to buy nice things for yourself? In this episode, Pastors Steve and Jeff tackle a thoughtful questionabout stewardship, exploring the tension between scarcity and greed. They discuss what the Bible says about enjoying God's blessings while also being generous, and why there's no simple "level" that ma...

If God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6), why don't Christians celebrate the feasts described in Leviticus 23? In this episode, Pastors Steve and Luke walk through all seven Old Testament feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Booths—and explain how Jesus fulfilled (or will fulfill) each one. Learn what "typology" means and discover...

Welcome to the very firstepisode of The Midweek! In this inaugural episode, Pastors Steve and Lukeanswer questions from Amber, Michelle, and April. They share their favoriteresources for biblical study, then dive into one of the most perplexing passagesin 1 John: "the sin that leads to death." What does John mean? Is ita specific sin like murder? The unpardonable sin? Apostasy? Join us a...

In The Midweek, we seek to move beyond Sunday sermons into answering your questions from a Biblical perspective as we seek to live the way of Jesus from Monday to Sunday. In this Preview episode, Pastors Steve and Luke discuss what the podcast is about and how to submit questions for future The Midweek podcast episodes.