In the Shadow of the Cross

The Bible can be used in terrible ways. But the Bible is not the problem. The problem is the way of perceiving and using scripture that is the exact opposite of the whole point of why we have the scriptures. A flat reading of the Bible in which all voices are attributed to being the voice of God, rather than rightly DIVIDING the scriptures produces people who look more like Saul on his zealous mis...

The good news that announced the end of scapegoating has been taken captive and become the sacred justification of scapegoating. The very thing the Gospel ends has been converted into sacrificial religion. This is not some new trend but something that began centuries ago. This captivity twists our understanding of the beautiful Father Jesus revealed and turns him into all the other pagan gods who...

Is anyone thirsty? What does it mean to thirst? Why are so many Christians thirsty while proclaiming the One who said if we drink of the water He gives we will never thirst again? Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss how our "like" driven, influencer pursuing, crowd pleasing, AI developing culture promises satisfaction but leaves us thirsty. The good news is Jesus gives us water that quenches that thir...

When tragic things happen in our lives is God the one coordinating those events? What about when wonderful things happen? Is God the big controller in the sky working out some master plan and we're all chess pieces on his board? Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the sovereignty of God and our delusions that cause us to play God.

Do we need to balance grace with the law? Does grace open the door to sin? Is hyper-grace even a thing. Join Loren, Michael, and myself as we take a look at “𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮”.

We love sweet baby Jesus! But do we like the man that baby becomes? Does the Gospel begin in the manager? Or are we perhaps starting the message at the wrong place? In this episode Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss where the Gospel begins and the importance of the incarnation in relation to that starting point.

Did you know we're living in a season where we're witnessing the wrath of God? But before you grab that megaphone and head to the nearest street corner to start screaming at people about God's burning anger you may want to first learn what that means. For the vast majority of Christians the wrath of God doesn't mean what they think it means. God is love and he is light, and in him there is no dark...

Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples. But what does that mean? What does discipleship look like? Is discipleship a Bible study? A class one attends? An academic curriculum? It seems there are as many ideas about how to disciple believers as there are Christian denominations. Jim, Michael, and Loren take a look at this important topic.

Isn't it interesting that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are strikingly similar? And that 2nd Peter and Jude are also so similar? What if the Bible interprets itself? What if certain writers actually pulled from other writes when they wrote their texts? Take a seat in the classroom and join Michael, Jim, and Loren in this fascinating conversation!

Many have said the answer to all of our problems in the West is revival in the church. Some people will watch a big event filled with emotional fervor and exclaim that the church is in revival. Is revival what the church needs? Are we in a revival? What is the difference between a revival and a movement? Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss revival and movements, particularly the Jesus People Movement.

Do good deeds achieve God's favor, leading to a successful life? Are wealth, fame, and power evidence that one is following Jesus? Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the theology of glory that has polluted much of Christianity. This leads to a discussion on twisted leadership in the church, what causes it, what makes us susceptible to it, and what's the fruit of it?

We've never made current events the topic of our podcasts. But after witnessing the awful responses from many Christians to the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk, it became evident how few Christians understand the Gospel and are not walking in the path Jesus called us to walk. This podcast is a call to repentance for all of us to get off the broad road that leads to destruction and turn to t...

After a river floods its banks and then recedes, have you noticed what becomes of the pools of water left behind? Would you want to drink from those pools? Of course not! Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss how easy it is to cut ourselves off from the river and choose instead to drink from cesspools of dead religion and movements long passed.

Two innocent victims. Both were brutally murdered. Two voices cry out. But one voice cries for something so drastically different from the other that it will strip naked principalities and powers and transform humanity. In this day, where many cry for justice, it's so important that we know the difference between the voice of Abel and the voice of Jesus. Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss why it's so...

There is currently a surge of believers referring to themselves as Trinitarians. Being that the vast majority of Christians believe in the Trinity, Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss this growing emphasis on the Trinity.

It has become increasingly popular to post quotes from the Church Fathers on social media. But are those quotes an accurate depiction of what the church fathers believed? This week Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the church fathers and their beliefs.

Are Christians without sin? There are popular teachings that hold to this belief. Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss sin, discipleship, and what it means to be saved.

Jim asked a daring (heretical?) question, "If you could compile your own canon of scripture, what would you include? What would you remove?" This sparked a discussion about historical church leaders who engaged in canon criticism (one protestant may surprise you), wrestling with the scriptures, and interpretation. Join Jim, Michael, and Loren in this audacious conversation.

It is extremely common in Christian circles that when someone thinks differently and sees things differently, the person will be dismissed as being wounded. This is especially true if the person's thoughts challenge the status quo. Why do some Christians mark these people as wounded? And if they are indeed wounded, does that immediately mean their thoughts aren't worth considering? Jim, Michael, a...

Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the most difficult season followers of Jesus experience. That season of suffering when misery is your constant companion, and Father isn't doing the things you think he should be doing. That season when your beliefs are being unraveled, everything seems hopeless, and there is no deliverance in sight. This is the dark night of the soul.

How did the early church begin to think theologically? Do you know that parts of the epistles are hymns? What purpose did hymns serve in the Early Church? Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss the origins of theological thinking, how singing supported theology in the early church, and the pluses and minuses of modern worship music. Also, did Paul's theology ever change? Join us!

Are Christians supposed to take over the family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and the government? Those who hold to Dominion Theology are convinced Christians are supposed to control these "seven mountains of dominion." This is not some odd theology on the fringes. Rather, it has found its way into mainstream right-wing Christianity and is currently the central bel...

Who was Jesus, the man who walked the Earth in the first century? Christians have often discussed and debated the historical Jesus.

"Just read your Bible!" The person exclaims during a discussion. But their assumption is the lens through which they've been taught to read the Bible is the way someone just picking up the Bible will read it. When someone picks up the Bible, they engage with ancient writings originally written in another language, in another culture, in another land long ago. This is not a book that someone can si...

The doctrine of the Trinity is a beautiful way of describing the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in one Godhead. Sadly, some sects of Christianity have divided God into three separate persons, each with a distinct personality, in order to justify and embrace Janus-faced violent God images and teachings that contradict the Father as revealed in the Son. Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss how...