Restitutio

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Do the Gospels give you the impression that the kingdom of God is about to arrive? My guest today is Troy Salinger who wrote an interesting article called, " The Postponement of the Kingdom – A Response to Preterists and Anti-Missionary Rabbis ." His idea is that the kingdom of God is a political restoration of the kingdom of Israel to one of Dav...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts For centuries heresy hunters have labeled those who deny the pre-existence of Jesus "adoptionists." This ancient category was based on the idea some Christian groups denied the virgin birth, thinking instead that Jesus became the son of God at his baptism when God adopted him. Modern scholars such as Bart Ehrman and Michael Bird employ this term...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Ignatius of Antioch lived in the first generation of Christians after the apostles died during the late first and early second century. Modern day apologists regularly point to Ignatius' letters to prove the antiquity of the deity of Christ and one-bishop church governance (monarchical episcopate). But did you know that Ignatius' letters have sur...

Let’s face it the New Testament probably calls Jesus God (or god) a couple of times and so do early Christian authors in the second century. However, no one offers much of an explanation for what they mean by the title. Did early Christians think Jesus was God because he represented Yahweh? Did they think he was God because he shared the same eternal being as the Father? Did they think he wa...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Philippians 2.6-11 has generated an immense amount of scholarly literature such as journal articles and monographs not to mention blog posts, video lectures, and podcasts. What does the enigmatic phrase "in the form of God" mean? Did Paul intend us to think Jesus refused to grasp at equality with God or that he refused to exploit the equality he...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts My guest today is Dr. Andrew Perriman of London who will discuss his recent book In the Form of a God , which is part of the Studies in Early Christology series. (Read Perriman's helpful summary of the book here .) The focus for our conversation is looking at the subject of pre-existence in Paul's epistles. The question before us is whether Paul...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts We've all heard plenty of stories of Trinitarians who begin questioning their received teaching and eventually become Unitarian. However, today, we're bringing you a story that's a little different. My guest is Rick Naviello who held a biblical unitarian view of Jesus for decades before attending evangelical churches and really trying to believe...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Have you ever read miracle stories in the bible and asked yourself, "I wonder if this happens today?" My guests today are Josh and Daisy Jones of the UK who share their testimonies of God intervening in and through their lives. Hear about Josh's miraculous healing from asthma, Daisy's baptism when a Muslim spoke in tongues, and various adventures...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Recently Tom Huszti interviewed me for his YouTube channel, the Unitarian Anabaptist. We talked about the importance of geography, archeology, and Greco-Roman history for interpreting the bible, especially the New Testament. Next we delved into early church history, starting with the earliest forms of Jewish Christianity in the first and second c...

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts I'm so delighted to present you with an interview I did with Professor Nancy Pearcey, an author whose books have significantly helped me understand and live out my faith better. Today we're talking about masculinity. Have you noticed the critical and uncharitable tone in our culture towards men? Although our society celebrates women and girls who...

Although he's one of the lesser known Christian authors of the fourth century, Aphrahat is extremely important for our understanding of early Persian Christianity prior to the advent of Islam in the region. Amazingly a full-length book of his survives, called The Demonstrations . In today's interview I ask about Aphrahat's beliefs in general and his christology in particular. My guest today is Sam...

Have you heard of the quests for the historical Jesus? This has been going on for two and a half centuries. It has produced a massive amount of literature and occupied the minds of some of the most impressive biblical scholars over the years. What's all this about? Why do we need to search for the historical Jesus? Isn't he right there in the Gospels that we find in the New Testament? My guest tod...

We continue in our conversation on the topic of healing from bullying. This episode applies not only to those who suffered in school, but also should prove helpful to any who have suffered abuse later in life as well. Jon Nessle taps into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to gain practical advice on what to do to find wholeness. In particular, he went into much greater detail about forgiveness and prayin...

Were you bullied in school? How did you deal with it? Do you still harbor feelings of bitterness and vengefulness in your heart towards those who mistreated and abused you? Today my guest is Jon Nessle who faced ruthless ridicule and physical abuse from kindergarten to the tenth grade. He shares seven points to help you get the healing you need to let go of past trauma and experience God's healing...

Do you struggle with evangelism? Do you feel like you should tell others about the gospel and yet, you can't seem to find a way to do that? If so, then this episode is for you. Part of our aim here at Restitutio is not just exploring the bible and church history to recover authentic Christianity, but also figuring out how to live your faith today. This means we sometimes have practical episodes. I...

Today we are continuing where we left off with part 2 of my interview with Kegan Chandler. In our last episode we spent most of our time talking about UAPs and the evidence that has come to light for their existence as well as non-human origin. Today, we are shifting gears to focus on the faith question. If aliens exist, what would that mean for Christian theology? What biblical categories exist t...

Last month, the US Congress held a hearing with three whistle-blowers who provided testimony about UFOs. Yes, I just said UFOs. No, I haven’t lost my mind or started subscribing to the tabloids. This is a topic that has moved from the fringes of conspiracy land right into serious public hearings in the US government. In today’s episode I’m interviewing Kegan Chandler who has been...

Today we are picking up where we left off with Dr. Steven Nemes. We've been talking about communion (also called the eucharist or the Lord's supper). He's been presenting a case for memorialism. Today we begin with the words of institution, which Jesus gave at the last supper. What did he mean when he said, "This is my body?" Next I ask Nemes about church history and what he's learned there. He ta...

What do you think happens during communion? In my interview today, Dr. Steven Nemes provides a biblical, historical, and theological defense for memorialism--the idea that the eucharist memorializes what Christ has done (and will do) for us rather than actually becoming Christ in some metaphysical sense. Thus, the bread and wine signify or represent Christ's body and blood without mystically becom...

The Key of Truth is a fascinating book, written by a sect of Armenian Unitarian Christians in the 1700s. Originally under Muslim rule, this group of Christians migrated to Russian-controlled Armenia in the nineteenth century. Sadly, they faced investigation, persecution, fines, and probably exile at the hands of the Armenian Church authorities. Although lost to history, this group of twenty-five f...

This is part 22 of the Early Church History class . This episode aims to wrap up our early church history class. We'll cover relics and pilgrimage, emperors Zeno and Justinian, as well as the theological battles that continued to rage in the 5th and 6th centuries. Unsurprisingly the christological controversy of the 5th century did not come to an end when the emperor endorsed the Council of Chalce...

This is part 21 of the Early Church History class . In the fifth century Christians waged a theological civil war that ended in a massive church split. The issue was over the dual natures of Christ. How was he both divine and human? Did he have a human soul and a divine soul? Did his two natures fuse into one new nature? Although such abstruse distinctions would hardly get anyone’s blood boi...

This is part 20 of the Early Church History class . So far we've been focusing primarily on Christianity within the Roman Empire in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East--the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, Christianity also spread south to Africa, north to Armenia, and east to Asia where it reached Persia, India, and China. Hopefully this session will counterbalance the...

This is part 19 of the Early Church History class . Even though the Roman Empire chose Nicene Christianity as it's "orthodoxy," subordinationist Christianity continued to exist, especially outside among the Germanic tribes. In this episode, you'll learn about Ulfilas the Missionary to the Goths who not only brought Christianity to these "barbarians," but also made them an alphabet and translated m...

This is part 18 of the Early Church History class . I wonder how many Christians in the world today believe the gifts of the spirit ceased in the time of the apostles? I know there are quite a few. Many others, however, believe they are available today and make time for them in their worship services. This is one of those topics about which we don’t need to guess. We have the historical reco...