In the Shadow of the Cross

There are large portions of Christianity that cling to the importance of the Bible and elevate the teaching of scripture while at the same denouncing any in-depth study of it. They're locked into their hermeneutics and interpretation of the Bible regardless of what evidence points to the contrary. Intellectuals who learn the original languages and study the culture, history, and sciences to unders...

Anti-intellectualism is dominating much of Christianity. Sadly, it is widespread in charismatic/Pentecostal circles. But that's not to say that these believers don't have something valuable to contribute to the body of Christ. As charismatics (but without the crazy, as Dr. Stephen Crosby puts it), Jim and Loren share their journeys from anti-intellectualism to embracing the scholarly work of teach...

What were you taught about history as it relates to the Bible? Many believers have misconceptions about the history surrounding the Bible times and the church. Jim wasn't able to join in on this one so Michael and Loren dared to continue in his absence and discussed the Bible through a historical lens.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies. This is not some side teaching, but the heartbeat of what it means to follow Jesus. Here in the US, we tend to think of loving our enemies as loving that person who rubs me the wrong way. But that's only scratching the surface. It also means loving my political opponents, the enemies of my country, and the people groups I despise. In this episode, Michael, Jim,...

Last podcast we began a fascinating debate between Mark Karris and Thomas Jay Oord on free-will or determinism. This week things really get interesting as our guests examine how these play into desire and our relationship with God.

Is there such a thing as free will? Some would argue yes while others say no. Mark Karris and Thomas Jay Oord join us today for a fascinating debate on the topic of free will.

When people begin questioning the contradictions they see between Jesus and the God in some of the Old Testament passages they are often accused of Marcionism. But who was Marcion and what did he teach that caused him to be labeled a heretic?

In this episode, which was recorded on 4/20 (an important piece of information), Jim, Michael, and Loren discuss commonly used Christian terms that are misdefined and misapplied.

In Romans 14 Paul discusses the weak eating vegetables while the strong eat meat. This passage is often interpreted as saying, "Don't do things in front of others that will cause them to stumble." Jim, Michael, and Loren take a look at this passage and as we'll see, we've been looking at this through a 21st-century lens.

1 Corinthians 5, the passage dealing with kicking a man out of church because of incest, is a difficult passage. Many churches use this passage as justification to kick people out involved in certain sins. Is that what Paul is instructing the Corinthians to do? On the surface, it appears that's the case. But as Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss, Paul may not be saying what we thought he was saying.

At a recent gathering, Michael made an interesting statement, "God doesn't do morality, he does Ethics." What does that mean? Many people think of morality and ethics as being the same thing. Others talk about not being under the Law while still upholding moral codes. What is the difference between doing morality and doing ethics?

Is following Jesus about adhering to morals, rules, and codes of conduct?

Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss who or what Satan is. Where did he come from and how does Satan fit into Christian beliefs?

Michael, Jim, and Loren don't just open a can of worms, they take a tour through an entire worm factory as they wrestle with some of life's tough questions about our Heavenly Father, evil, and more.

Michael, Jim, and Loren continue their discussion wrestling with the question, "If God is good then why do bad things happen?"

Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss evil. What is evil?

Michael, Jim, and Loren continue their discussion on Jesus' humanity and divinity with a particular focus on what it means for the Word to become flesh.

Christians have a tendency to fall into one of two ditches. Some will place so much emphasis on his divinity they strip him of his humanity, Others will completely strip him of his divinity. Michael leads Jim and Loren in a discussion on the humanity and divinity of Jesus.

Discussions on theology can often get heated and become divisive. Is theology bad? Should we stay away from discussing it? Michael, Jim, and Loren discuss whether theology matters.

Many followers of Jesus have left the institutional church because of vastly different views of the Father. Those that left find that their non-sacrificial view of the Father and a belief in a Heavenly Father in whom there is no dark side doesn’t mesh with the teachings and theologies in most institutional churches. Is it possible for those that have left to return as sources of healing? Jim is st...

Jim is on vacation, so Michael and Loren have a hell of a time discussing hell. This is a hot topic right now as many debate whether hell exists. Isn’t hell central to the Gospel? Is it possible to have a Gospel without hell? What about judgment? Join us for a conversation focused on these burning questions.

As we view Jesus through our Western lenses, we have a strong tendency to erase the fact that he was a Jew. But what does this mean? We have so Westernized, Americanized, and Christianized Jesus that many are unaware that he was none of these things. In this episode, Michael, Jim, and Loren examine what it means for Jesus to be a Jew living in the culture of second-temple Judaism.

It’s not uncommon today to hear Christians cry heresy over something that was considered orthodox by the early church fathers. Or Christians will think they’ve stumbled upon something new not knowing that it was embraced by followers of Jesus centuries ago. The sad fact of the matter is many Christians have an extremely limited and even twisted view of church history. Michael, Jim, and Loren discu...

Many people who start asking questions about their commonly held beliefs find some of their friends and family aren’t too happy with them. What do you do when you find yourself alone as many of your long-held beliefs are unraveling and you’re seeing things different?

In recent years many Evangelical Christians have been leaving their congregations and joining more liturgical communities. Why has this been happening? Jim, Michael, and Loren share their thoughts on what is sparking these changes.