Think Deeper

We take on a roundup of some major headlines from the last two weeks, touching on Christians and self-defense, a Biblical view of divorce, birthright citizenship, and whether children should stay in the worship assembly. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - The importance of following the news with a Christian eye 04:20 - Tony Spell, the fighting pastor 15:09 - The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship decision: a...

With America's 250th anniversary coming up this weekend, we take a look at the Christian's place in celebrating our country. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro and why 250 matters 08:23 - Is America a "Christian Nation?" Is there such a thing? 15:41 - Should churches celebrate America 250? 27:40 - Extremes in both directions in the church 32:13 - Should sins of the past dampen our celebration? 40:49 - What we...

We take turns picking 7 of the Bible's great chapters apiece. Once a chapter is taken, it's off the board. Give it a listen and tell us who picked the best list, and tell us what Bible chapters you think we missed! SECTIONS: 00:00 - Explaining the draft 03:37 - A Romans-heavy Round 1 12:23 - Matthew-centric Round 2 23:26 - Looking to the OT in Round 3 33:48 - Ephesians gets the spotlight in Round...

This week the guys take a look at their own walks and discuss ways in which they want to grow in their walks as Christians. Listen in and see if you can relate! CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and the idea behind the episode 02:27 - The challenge of building relationships 11:32 - Finding opportunities to do good 20:00 - Maintaining spirituality in a busy, balanced life 31:04 - Being realistic without beco...

Dr. Brad Harrub joins the show to discuss recent research on generational views about spanking, including a lively debate on the "village" approach to parenting. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and reviewing recent headlines on discipline 07:22 - The proper context for spanking 13:02 - The cultural shift and the disappearance of the parenting "village" 24:43 - Navigating a culture in which you can't trust...

Special guest Jacob Hudgins joins the show to discuss the Non-Institutional Churches of Christ. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 03:21 - What does "Non-Institutional" (NI) mean, and what is the history of the division? 14:32 - Kitchens, classes, cups—what does and does  not fall under the NI banner? 18:58 - Is there a progressive to conservative spectrum within the NI churches? 23:44 - How church treasurie...

America is not the modern version of Old Testament Israel, but there is still much we can learn from God's people in those days. We discuss: - Their lack of multigenerational success - How they set the stage for their own moral declines - What those days teach us about God's dealings in the world and more! With Jack Wilkie and Joe Wilkie Become a supporter to join us for the Deep End at focuspress...

As graduation month is upon us, we look at the plight of high school and college graduates today and discuss what advice is helpful, and what is unhelpful. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro, and whether this generation's age is more "uncertain" than the past 11:59 - The pros and cons of the "go into the trades" advice for young men 19:09 - Why "follow your passion" is terrible advice 25:36 - The importance...

We examine the Bible's view of crime and punishment, considering the principles established in the Old Law, whether the New Testament changes those principles, and how modern criminal justice has gone astray from God's way. CHAPTERS:  00:00 - Intro and two reasons for tackling this subject 06:21 - Principles of Biblical justice 13:13 - It's not  just restorative 21:43 - Statistics that prove our d...

This week's episode is a bit on the lighter side as we share hot takes about Bible characters, and review listener submissions! CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and explaining the idea 03:31 - Quick Hits: Best person in the Bible? Worst person in the Bible? 12:15 - Quick Hits: Best hang, most annoying? 17:28 - Jack and Will's hot takes on Peter 24:39 - Joe's hot take on Jonah 30:43 - Will goes against the...

In this episode, we examine some of the common phrases you hear in Christian circles that don't often get explained. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Overview of clichés and introducing "Christ-like" 07:26 - Is there a difference between being Biblical and being "Christ-like?" 18:07 - What all is meant by "doctrine?" 27:01 - What elements make up doctrinal "soundness?" 41:21 - Should we find our "identity in Chri...

We've covered pornography addiction before, but this time we take a look at some specific questions surrounding the issue. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and defining "lust" for men and women 11:05 - Is porn addiction grounds for divorce? 17:28 - Examining the arguments in favor 24:29 - Does unwillingness to repent change the decision? 28:55 - A message to those caught in addiction, or married to someone...

NBA player Jaden Ivey recently lost his job, seemingly for derogatory comments made about the NBA participating in what he called the "unrighteousness" of Pride Month. Is this a type of persecution? If not, what is? Do American Christians deal with persecution? We discuss... CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and recapping the Ivey story 08:25 - Do American Christians face persecution? 13:28 - Should we avoi...

Dr. Brad Harrub joins the show to discuss recent controversies in the churches of Christ and the back-room politicking that breaks unity. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Why discuss this? 09:04 - Why we must handle public division publicly 15:36 - The tactics of the brotherhoodpolice 23:55 - The need for love of the brethren 32:40 - Does discussing this hurt the church's reputation? 40:06 - How "I am of Christ"...

Recent viral posts raised an interesting question: does conversion to Christianity remove the consequences of past sexual sin once you go looking for a spouse? We discussed the many issues surrounding this debate that set the internet on fire for a few days. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and reading the tweets 07:18 - Why did this debate go so viral? 12:27 - What should we teach our kids about who they...

We discuss the latest sordid headline about the Duggar family, including - The big family question - Why sin has to be dealt with COMPLETELY - How this will be twisted against Bible believers and more Tune into the full episode Monday: Does A Future Spouse’s Past Matter?

We apologize for the lack of our usually scheduled Monday episode, but we waited a day to go live and recap Jack's debate on baptism! Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and initial thoughts 07:13 - Getting denominations to defend their "home court" 14:32 - Debating like a Christian vs. taking pot-shots 17:09 - Strongest and weakest points of the debate? 26:36 - Jake Hisaw joins to talk the value of de...

Youth faithfulness remains one of the biggest challenges facing the church. As we strive to boost our percentages in this generation of young people, we examine some of the biggest obstacles that can shipwreck their faith, and discuss how to avoid those obstacles. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and explaining our approach 04:58 - Uninvolved parents 12:15 - "Diversifying your family's portfolio" 25:19 - C...

We discuss the viral post about bringing "loud kids" to church. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Reading and reacting to the viral post from Mt. Washington Church 05:15 - Are loud kids a distraction? 11:06 - Different policies for members and visitors? 14:57 - Leadership's role in setting standards 20:54 - How can churches help parents train kids in worship? 25:46 - Can churches give parenting critiques? 29:16 -...

The command to observe a Sabbath day of rest as established in Exodus is not found in the New Testament... but can it still be a useful part of our spiritual lives today? What forms might that take? Join us for a discussion on the place of "Sabbath" in the Christian life. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - What do we mean by "Sabbath?" 07:59 - Why discuss an idea that can't be bound? 13:38 - The goodness of rest 2...

We discuss a report that links mens and women's wages to fertility rates and how the study correlates to Biblical gender roles Catch the full episode on Monday, where we discuss, "Can Christians Observe a 'Sabbath?' Should They?" focuspress.org jackwilkie.co

We continue our study on some of the Bible's difficult teachings with a look at Old Testament polygamy and the charge that the Word is unfair to women. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and recapping Bible controversies 03:52 - Polygamy in the Bible 12:01 - Reality of the time vs. God's ideal 17:35 - The precedent of Jesus in Matt. 19, and hermeneutical tactics 28:17 - How do we judge people of the past? 38...

There have been a number of controversies in the headlines recently, with Bad Bunny's halftime performance vs. TPUSA's, President Trump's video mishap, and the competing interpretations of the Epstein files. What's a Christian to make of it all? Are each week's headlines worth our time? If so, why, and what guidelines should we observe? CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and a survey of the events that promp...

We begin a look at some of the Bible's more controversial topics, focusing this week on genocide like the flood and the Canaanite conquest, and slavery in the Old and New Testaments CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro, and the importance of wrestling with difficult questions 04:46 - Genocide and God's character 15:19 - Was it solely about the Nephilim? 23:55 - Slavery - chattel, indentured servitude, or both?...

We continue our list of the biggest challenges facing the church this year! CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and the Rising Threat of AI 10:28 - A looming confrontation over gender roles 21:55 - Political division in the church 37:08 - We're correcting errors of the past, but... 47:14 - The biggest problem continues to be... 01:03:41 - Recapping our Top 10 list With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie...