Armchair Theology

Ecclesiastes is one of the most difficult books in scripture. In this episode Ross and Clay wrestle with the text without jumping straight to the Jesus Juke to which Christians so often resort.

Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless... Could there be a more confusing way to open a book of scripture?  This week Ross and Clay take on one of their favorite books in the whole Bible and share why it has been so meaningful in their lives. 

A wife of noble character who can find? This week Ross and Clay wrap up Proverbs, try to right the ways the woman of noble character has been wronged and make sense of this amazing book in scripture.

Proverbs offers very practical skills for living well. But sometimes it creates dualistic thinking and overly-simplistic binaries that can hurt our ability to love others. In this episode Ross and Clay look at some of the strengths and limitations of the wisdom of Proverbs, and how Jesus used them in his teachings.

One way many use Proverbs is as a daily devotional. 31 chapters for 31 days. Marcus Taylor did just that and joined us to talk about his experience. You can find Marcus on Twitter at @brwneyedsoulman and online at browneyedsoulman.bandcamp.com

Lady Wisdom calls in the streets: "Listen to Armchair Theology!" This week Ross and Clay give a 30,000 foot view of Proverbs, break down the first nine chapters, answer the questions: What is Wisdom? and Why should we care about it? Thanks for listening.

In our first live podcast recording, at Wild Roast Cafe in Birmingham, AL, Cliff Jones joins us to talk about ways to combat racism and inequality in our own lives and communities. Cliff is the founder of the Facebook group Blended Lines, which he started in the aftermath of George Floyd's death  to "bring awareness to racial/immoral injustice while working to bridge the gap for all thro...

In our third conversation on race, Tay Rowell joins Clay and Ross to discuss the effects of redlining, food deserts, white flight, and how racism persists today in systemic and sometimes subtle ways.  Tay is the owner of The Hair Headquarters in Hoover, AL. You can find him on Instagram at @cutsbytay or book an appointment at https://hairhq.as.me/schedule.php 

Pulitzer-winning columnist and author, John Archibald, joins Ross and Clay to discuss his book, Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution, white silence and how we can all use our pulpits and platforms to say more about racism and injustice. You can find John online at johnarchibaldink.com and on Twitter at @JohnArchibald. His book can be f...

Racism is a problem that predominantly white churches have a hard time addressing. So although we may not be qualified to talk about race, we have been blessed with a platform and (we believe) a responsibility to try. This Black History Month (2022), while the daily reading is catching up the the podcast, we've decided to do our best to address racism. 

Back by popular demand! Dr. Amy Cottrill literally wrote the book on the Psalms of Lament. They're raw. They're uncomfortable. The psalms of lament teach us how to mourn over injustice.  You can find Dr. Cottrill at bsc.edu and on Twitter at @AmyCottrill3. Her book on the psalms of lament is "Language, Power, and Identity in the Lament Psalms of the Individual".

Wisdom literature is one of the most unique genre's of scripture answering questions like: How best to live this short life we're given? Where's God when things turn sideways? What does it really mean to love God with our whole hearts? Generally we think about Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes. But they're not the only wisdom books in scripture. Join Clay and Ross in this episode...

Praise is more than raising your hands in church one hour a week. It's what you do with your whole life. Join Ross, Clay and special guest, Isaac Morehouse as they discuss turning your life into one big act of praise. Isaac is the founder of Praxis, a college alternative,  the founder and CEO of Crash, a career placement service, author of several books, and regular guest on several cable new...

The Royal Psalms celebrate David and his descendants, hold the throne accountable to the highest ideals of Torah and remind us just who the true king really is. Join Ross and Clay as they break down some of the Royal Psalms.

Enter His courts with thanksgiving in your hearts! Join Ross and Clay as they break down some of the psalms of thanksgiving and Ross drops an absolute bomb.

Lisa Congo, who wrote her seminary dissertation on theomachy (wrestling with God), helps Ross and Clay wrap up Job and make sense of of suffering, theodicy and how wrestling with God can grow your faith. You can find Lisa on Twitter at @LisaCongo or at her blog theomachology.wordpress.com 

The middle section of Job is basically a story of would-be friends adding insult to injury instead of comfort and love. Being a victim of abuse within the Church herself, and then being attacked for blowing the whistle, Hannah-Kate knows Job's situation better than most. The joy and faith she maintains is really inspiring and the work she's doing to advocate for other victims is incredib...

What are Job's friends afraid of? What are they protecting? In this episode Ross and Clay break down Job's friends, why they became so hurtful to the one they came to comfort and how the church can do better today. 

Why do bad things happen to good people? Who is the satan? What should I say (or not say) to a friend who's suffering? Job tackles some of the most difficult questions in life and Ross and Clay are here to help make sense of it all. Thanks for listening.

Singer, songwriter, actor and friend, Jada Cato joins Ross and Clay to help wrap up the book of Esther and it is not one you want to miss. Thanks for joining us Jada. And friends, thanks for listening. You can find Jada on Twitter and Instagram at @jadacatomusic

Esther is one of our favorite books in the Bible. Absolutely entertaining. Sex, violence, a strong female lead, made for Hollywood storytelling... Join Ross and Clay as they breakdown the first half of the book of Esther.

Stay on the wall friends. In E060 Nehemiah finishes the wall and we wrap up the book. Also the nation of Israel repents for something they didn't do and commits to making it right. A lesson for us all.

Nehemiah is so moved by the disrepair of the walls of Jerusalem that he leave's King Artaxerxes' palace, goes home and organizing the rebuilding efforts. Through tons of distractions, lies and threats he stays on the wall. Stay on the wall friends.

The end of Ezra illustrates the tension in scripture between being set apart (holy) and being a blessing to the nations. Thanks for listening friends.

After the downward spiral of Judges and Kings of Israel and exile to Babylon, Ezra bring hope for the future as the Temple is rebuilt and worship restored.