Kingdom Roots

The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35) Imagine a world with more forgiveness. It has been said that withholding forgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. Jesus uses this powerful parable not just as an illustration about forgiveness, but also as an invitation into a deeper relationship with God through forgiveness. The reciprocal nature of God’s grace is such th...

What kind of party does God like to throw? Jesus’ parable of the lost son reveals the heart of God about those who are far from Him. It is clear that God celebrates the worst of sinners coming to Him and invites all to the celebration. Jesus captures our imagination once again in this parable he invites us to join the celebration of redemption like only He can throw.

Stories have power. No matter what you think about Jesus, no one can deny that he was a master storyteller. Jesus’ stories or parables were used to invite listeners to imagine a world saturated in Kingdom living. These stories inspire, disrupt, and sometimes even trick us into understanding the truth. In this episode Scot and Chaz have a conversation with Scott Reed about the Parable of the Barren...

Scot's Trip to Israel - KR 41 by Scot McKnight

Communicating a message in public is one of the difficult tasks in the world. Bill Shiell, President of Northern Seminary, shares insights throughout history about how communication happens. He explains the power that comes from what happens when the Bible is communicated in the Church. The skill of communicating the message well is important when it comes to how it is received by its audience. Pr...

Behind every great scientist is a great story. Scot has a conversation with Dennis Venema about his scientific journey of unpacking the human genome and how that affected his faith journey. Also in this episode, Dennis takes the complexity of the human genome and makes it simple to understand by any audience. Dennis Venema is professor of biology at Trinity Western University in Langley, British C...

What can science shed light about reading the Bible? Genetic science has made some incredible discoveries lately. In this episode of Kingdom Roots Scot shares his story of why he opened his mind about reading Genesis in light of scientific study. Readers of the Bible need to be sensitive to scientific study and Scot shows how that sensitivity can lead readers of the Bible to a deeper understanding...

What would it have looked like to have the Apostle Paul as your Pastor? In this episode of Kingdom Roots, Scot investigates what people think about when they think of the word pastor. There are four major models of pastoral responsibilities that Scot sheds light on and invites the Apostle Paul to speak into. Studying Paul as a pastor is necessary if the Kingdom is going to take root now as it took...

The majority of earth’s inhabitants believe in angels. Yet many of us cannot claim to have seen one. Why? Perhaps it’s because in order to encounter one, we first have to learn what to look for and how to look! We live in a world where the natural and supernatural overlap. Angels are constantly on mission from God and constantly at work in the world. From the Garden of Eden to the book of Revelati...

What is the future of Evangelicalism? Scot begins to answer this question and more by defining how the term “Evangelical” has been used and how the people who claim the title have engaged in society. The story of Evangelicalism is a fascinating one. Scot makes some very important suggestions on what the Church as a whole can learn from the good and bad parts of Evangelicalism. Suggested Resources...

Beverly Gaventa explains how when reading the book of Romans, we often focus on the quotable passages, making brief stopovers and not staying long enough to grasp some of the big ideas it contains. She invites readers of Romans to linger in Romans and to consider Paul’s admonition, how Abraham is involved in Paul’s message, and how worship is expressed in ethics. Suggested Resources: When in Roman...

What really were the dynamics of the first Christmas? Hallmark and Santa Clause have all but totally hijacked the Christmas season. When we really investigate the true story of Christmas we find a story dripping with scandal, surrender, sacrifice and social revolution. The Church is currently in the season of Advent where it is awaiting the coming of Jesus into the world. If the Church is to let t...

How can we pray like Jesus? The Jewish people Jesus grew up with were a praying people. Scot guides us on a journey into the depths of prayer in first century Judaism and explains how Jesus anchors His understanding of prayer in Jewish prayer. Prayer is an essential part of Kingdom living. This episode will help you allow prayer to build deeper roots in your life. Suggested Resources: Praying with...

What is the central thing for the Church? There are so many things that inevitably work to splinter the Church. However, if the Church intentionally roots itself in the central things such as the Gospel of Jesus, then not even divisive issues such as an election can divide the Church. Scot gives a vision for how to keep the central things central while adopting and adapting implications from the G...

“If we only get the right person in the right political office, then all will be well.” Scot explains why this is such a dangerous and damaging way to approach politics as Christians representing the Church. The good news is that even if Christians disagree on politics, there is a way to be faithfully present as the Kingdom of God in the midst of governments of the world. Suggested Resources: King...

In our quest to renew the church, Christians have walked through seeker-friendly, emergent, missional, and other movements to develop new expressions of the body of Christ. Now in the post-Christian world in North America we're asking the question again: Is there a way to be the church that engages the world, not by judgment nor accommodation but by becoming the good news in our culture? In this e...

Have you ever wondered why certain books seem to be left out of the Bible? Scot addresses this question and more about the Cannon, Apocrypha literature, and Pseudepigrapha literature. Scot gives a vision for the value that Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha literature have for readers of the Bible even though they are not inspired and authoritative. Interested in learning more about Northern? Attend Nor...

What happened when Jesus came to Earth? The Apocalyptic Paul camp suggests Jesus’ coming was a sudden disruptive in breaking of God’s redemptive plan at the cosmic level. They claim Jesus’ coming completely shatters all that we know about God and defines the revelation of God. In this episode, Scot breaks down how this camp of Pauline study arose and it’s significance for the Church today. Suggest...

Kingdom Questions Part 2 Community life marked by the Kingdom may be the most unique fellowship the world has ever seen. Scot tackles difficult questions around the subject of the Jew + Gentile vision for the church. This vision leads to more pressing questions for today on the expression of diversity that should be taking root in churches today. Suggested Resource: Korie Edward’s book The Elusive...

Anyone who tries to let God’s Kingdom take root in their life is going to have serious questions. In this episode, Scot fields your biggest questions about Church life and discipleship on how to live out the Kingdom. Do you have a question for Scot? Occasionally, Scot will be fielding your questions from any of the topics discussed on Kingdom Roots. If you would like to send in your question(s) pl...

What if the Church got better at the two things Jesus said mattered most? If the Church is going to thrive in this changing world a pivotal thing is going to be being a good neighbor. Rick Rusaw and Lifebridge Christian Church have been on a journey to love God better through actually loving their literal neighbors. Rick gives some practical advice on how churches can better equip congregations to...

Racial tension is as at a high point. The embodiment of the Kingdom found in the New Testament and lived out through the Church was to be a vision of unity and diversity. The Church in America, unfortunately, has remained one of the most segregated organizations instead of being a vision for unity and diversity. Pastor Derwin Gray and Transformation Church is a shining light of how the Church can...

When God calls His people into mission He doesn’t call individuals, rather He calls a community. Paul exemplifies this reality with his missionary friends. These friends are indispensable to how God used Paul to bring the kingdom to take root in the 1st Century world. Some of Paul’s closest missionary friends included Priscilla and Aquila who provide a beautiful example of an entire household doin...

In the words of the great theologian Bill Withers, “We all need somebody to lean on.” It can be very tempting to make ministry into a solo endeavor and not realize the importance of having friends to be with you as you do ministry together. Paul gives a clear example of how ministry can and should be done together with other people. Relationships prove to be an essential element of his missionary...

What’s on the heart of Northern Seminary’s President Dr. William Shiell? On this week of Kingdom roots we cover everything from Bill’s favorite parts of being a pastor and preaching to his transition as Northern Seminary’s President. The mission of Northern Seminary is to equip the Church to change the world and that mission is clearly heavy on Bill’s heart. Suggested Resources: Ezekiel: God’s Pre...