Faith in Focus

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! Spencer Klavan is a scholar, writer, and podcaster, and has harbored a lifelong devotion to the great works and principles of the West. After studying Greek and Latin as an undergraduate at Yale, he spent five years at Oxford University to earn his doctorate in ancient Greek literature. Now an editor at the Claremont In...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! When we sit down to read the Bible we often ask questions like, "What does this mean to ME?" or "How can I apply this verse to ME?" These are perfectly fine questions but they are not the first questions we should be asking. We should always be seeking to know what the text says and means before asking how to apply it....

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this episode I sit down and talk with an old college friend of mine, Emily Buckner. Emily is an actress who has had roles in films with actors Dean Cain and Kevin Sorbo. She has starred in the film "Dinosaur Cove" and is currently working as a Brand Ambassador for the upcoming film "Not Too Far From Here." This film,...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! One of the problems with the Church in the West is that it functions more like a business than as a church (an issue we've discussed previously on the show). The question is: Does Bible college help perpetuate this problem? Is Bible College even necessary? Does it create more problems than it solves? Does it perpetuate...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this episode we near the end of the book of James as the author tackles another way we try to get out of suffering, sometimes without God's help. We often try to make plans to make money, find security or identity, or just simply make life easier. That's totally fine! God wants us to have plans. However, He does not...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! Dr. David Diener grew up in northern Michigan and northeast Ohio where he spent his childhood working in the family gardens, cutting wood, playing in corn fields, Bible quizzing, downhill skiing, playing music, and of course studying assiduously in school. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with an undergraduate degree in Phi...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this episode I respond to an article from Them Rainer, a church health consultant, about how many people an average church will lose in a calendar year. Spoiler alert: it's a bleak statistic. The fact that pastors know this, though, lends itself to a desire to use gimmicks and cheap tricks to just keep their church a...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! "Exvangelical is a social movement of people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, agnosticism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof. The hashtag #exvangelical was coined by Blake Chastain in 2016 to make 'a safe space f...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! James has already confronted us on turning to the world system in order to cope with the struggles we face in the world; he calls it spiritual adultery. That's pretty harsh language. Well, he doesn't pull any punches in this section either and calls on us instead to humble ourselves before God rather than thinking we ar...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! I was struck this past weekend when I listened to one of my favorite podcasts which features two secular, evolutionary biologists and what they had to say about being professors and building community with their students. Why do two secular professors understand the commitment needed to build lasting relationships but t...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! Matt Walsh, conservative podcaster, political commentator, and author recently tweeted about how he would not trust any man who isn't blood related to baby sit his kids (he did clarify, later, that close family friends do count as family and are to be trusted). So while this isn't a critique per se of his thoughts (I wo...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! It seems like we're facing in impasse as a Christian culture. The Church is struggling to stay afloat in America and Christians are faced with the call to radical commitment to the Body of Christ and the Great Commission on one hand and the lure of the world system on the other. All too often Christians choose the latte...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! When we suffer it is easy to look inward and think, "What do I want? What will make me feel better?" Then we think we can pray to God and He will just give us whatever it is that we think we need or want. However, God has desires too. We ought, instead, to look to God's wishes and desires when we are suffering and ask H...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! The world is moving more and more on to the internet and as it does so deception seems to be increasing. It's impossible to know what is true and what is "fake news." This shouldn't be surprising. Jesus told us 2,000 years ago that near the end of time, right before his second coming, there would be a massive amount of...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! James makes it abundantly clear that when we are suffering and have an opportunity to grow, that is the time we need to look to God for wisdom. In fact, wisdom is central to growing as a Christian. However, there is a wisdom from below, that is, earthly wisdom and there is a wisdom from above that comes from God. James...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! Speaking is a central part of being a Christian. We are called upon to share the Gospel, disciple other, and praise God. All of these things, in some way, shape, or form, require the use of our words. It's vitally important that if we want to progress in our maturity we need to get a hold of our tongue. Follow my minist...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! There's no denying that there is a serious crisis of faith among men in the Church. Why is that? Why are men continually being told to act like...well...NOT men in the Church? Is viewing our relationship with God as boyfriend/girlfriend helpful? What about the relationship between a Father/child or Master/Servant? In th...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! This passage in the book of James is often misunderstood and has caused a lot of confusion in Christianity and in the presentation of the Gospel. Paul makes it clear that we're saved by faith apart from works but then James comes along and says, seemingly, the exact opposite! How do we square this circle? This teaching...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! Continuing in this series on the book of James I take a look at how James challenges his Jewish congregation to cease living under the Old Covenant Law which puts self at the center and instead live under the law that brings freedom, the royal law, given by Christ. This Law to love others as Christ has loved us puts Chr...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! James makes it clear that suffering is not an excuse to turn inward but rather an opportunity to mature and focus outward. In doing so we need to understand that God has a purpose to our walk with Him. Serving people is at the core of Christianity and not just empty words. Serving people also takes place in community an...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! When we're in the midst of suffering it becomes easier to question the goodness and character of God. James is encouraging us to turn to God rather than away from Him. In the moments when hardships come we have a rock solid identity in Christ that we need to rely on and trust that God who loved us in the good times love...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this continued series on the book of James, Dennis discusses how we have two ways to respond to suffering and trials. One is by leaning on the wisdom of God and our identity in Christ and the other is to lean on our own understanding and turning to sin to get us through. One results in life and the other results in d...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! This episode will be the first in a series of Bible Teachings I am going to do on the book of James. Hopefully you enjoy these episodes as we dive in to this practical little letter in the New Testament. Follow my ministry with InFaith by going to: https://www.facebook.com/DennisInFaith If you have any questions or comm...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this episode I have the honor and privilege of having a discussion with an old college professor of mine, Mike Sullivan. Mike has been in the ministry for close to 50 years and has been teaching the word of God to thousands of people who've gone on to have ministries of their own. Mike shares his testimony of God sav...

Have questions or comments about this (or a previous) episode, give us a text! In this episode I am responding to a clip from an older episode of Jordan Peterson's podcast where he discusses why a family meal is so important. It's in those communal meals where our "stories" are updated. It's where we are able to practice love with those closest to us. This is a practice and a skill that is so impo...