No Church Answers!

Welcome to our first Back Porch Banter podcast, a spin-off of No Church Answers! We’re going to be a little more informal, a little less structured. We'll spend more time on topical discussions while still maintaining a Christian perspective. First up we visit with No Church Answers' venerable host, Bill Cox, who has just published his new book The Man Up Formula: How Your Church Can Build an...

When Jesus said the last shall be first and whoever wants to be great must become a servant, he attached no qualifiers or provisos. In our last podcast before summer break, we confront the Bible truth of the upside-down Kingdom, even as some churches today preach that Christianity means national, political and cultural dominance. The Apostles James and John literally thought the Messianic mission...

In his second letter, Peter vigorously asserts the inevitable return of Jesus. Instead of debating the question of when, Peter emphasizes the importance of living righteously and in accord with the Lord's teaching during the great Second Advent. From there, we get the concept of "Imitation of Christ." Our good friend Dr. Chris Curran, senior pastor of Southland Baptist Church, San Angelo, Texas, j...

What do we mean by Bible inerrancy? We accept the Bible is essential truth, but is every passage and every story literally true? We talk about the authorship, history and authenticity of scripture, then we delve into our opinions about what's essential truth as opposed to literal and discover we have some different opinions. Did Adam live to be 960? Was there an Exodus? Was Jonah swallowed by a gr...

If this request brings you no dread, may God bless you. For most men, sharing their faith is a difficult ask, even though the Bible beseeches us to spread the Gospel. Trouble is, the traditional model tends to be the energetic preacher who regales us how, in the lowest point in his life, the sudden "bright light of Jesus" saved him. Believers all around shout "Hallelujah!" Who wants to follow that...

A dedicated worker never stops learning, that's one of the tenets of the Ministry of Competence, the idea that as Christians, we should be mindful we are working for the Lord, not "the Man." But that's far from easy in jobs that can be dangerous, enervating or just plain boring. We discuss how men can witness for Christ simply by putting their best effort into their work, no matter what the job is...

If we accept that Jesus’ resurrection was the most important event in human history, why do the Gospels offer so little about those 40 days he walked the Earth? There are no accounts of miraculous healings, parables and sermons before crowds, or even large public appearances. The only miracle he performs is a massive catch of fish, a callback to an earlier miracle which led to the calling of Peter...

In our final podcast on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible , we look at Psalms that praise God as the ultimate lord and king of creation. We also discuss the overall study, and question whether Bonhoeffer is too steadfast in his insistence that knowledge of Jesus is required to pray the Psalms correctly. Also, does the study, clearly intended as academic, fail to address th...

We examine Psalms that address the Law, the Holy History of Israel and look ahead to the promise of a Messiah as we continue look at at Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

As we continue our study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: Prayer Book of the Bible, we look at Psalms about Creation, Life and what Bonhoeffer sees as the Church, at least distilled through ancient Psalms about Jerusalem, Zion and the Solomon's Temple. We cover the much-loved Psalm 8, which Mike calls the "Astronomer's Psalm" and, beyond appreciating the poetry, we look at the ways Bonhoeffer says...

This week we look at psalms of suffering, confession and the difficult imprecatory psalms that call down God's wrath on enemies of Israel. All three groups express deep and fearful emotions. We look at how the pain of suffering and guilt are different, but that the psalms promise salvation from both. And how should we approach psalms that ask God to call down divine vengeance, sometimes in horrify...

We begin a study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible with an overview of the Book of Psalms, what they are and how Bonhoeffer sees them connect with Jesus and the New Testament. Is the Lord's Prayer the 151st Psalm? The Psalms are prophetic, but we debate Bonhoeffer's assertion that we need Jesus' spiritual presence to pray them correctly. But we agree that Christians sho...

Our panel gathers to mark our 400th installment with, what else, a clip show. We revisit some of our favorite podcasts, including our discussions on horror movies, faith and works, and whether you can commit adultery without sex, or even if adultery matters anymore (from our live show). All episodes featured are archived, awaiting your discovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

What exactly do Christians mean when we refer to "the Work of the Cross?" In our 2026 Holy Week and Easter podcast, we discuss the cosmic significance of that fateful day Christ was crucified--and why it was much more than simply an atonement for sin. Conversely, why do some Christians want to "take Jesus off the cross" rather than confront the reality it represents. Get ready for some deep theolo...

Given the level of persecution Christian face in other parts of the world, is it arrogant or even shameful for any American Christian to say they are persecuted? In a spirited debate, we ask if Evangelicals are mistaking loss of cultural influence for an anti-Christian attack. Do gay marriage and DEI initiatives constitute "soft persecution" against the believers, or does it simply reflect the gro...

When asked when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said it was already here, in our midst. He added, however, there would be a second coming, which would be sudden and involve judgment. We debate whether this passage describes the Rapture and which group, the taken or the left behind, are the ones who are saved. We explore this uniquely Christian idea of the "Now and Not Yet" and exactly what ou...

In Jesus' time, people continually asked for signs that identified him as the Messiah and Son of God. Christians continue to do so today. Jesus said he was the only sign they needed, although he provided many. Are we too busy worried about the destination to see the signs? Why do we always want one more? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://a...

The Transfiguration is one of the most mystical moments in the New Testament, perhaps second only to the Resurrection itself. Yet its scope is too often narrowed to just another story about Peter's cluelessness. There's far more going to this mountaintop revelation, a watershed moment in the entire Biblical narrative. Join the boys as they fearlessly delve into this strange event. Learn more about...

The regular podcast takes a break this week and Steve and Robert step in to talk about the Christian sensibility and positive masculinity that runs through the Paramount Plus series Landman. We believe the series offers a degree of authenticity that Christian men today can recognize and identify with and tie our discussion to a series of podcasts we did last fall on Brant Hansen's The Men We Need...

What does the Bible really say about Hell? The Old Testament does not contain the word "hell." Instead, there are 63 references to Sheol, a shadowy dwelling place of the dead — both righteous and wicked.  The New Testament mentions Hell 167 times, sometimes describing it as a place of eternal, conscious torment for those who have sinned, other times describing it as total darkness and separation f...

Numerous studies show church attendance is declining across the board, a trend that began long before COVID. We speculate at some of the reasons why, but then flip the script and ask if the motives Christians have for attending church are superficial. We believe corporate worship is a spiritual disciple and critically important to faith. Private prayer and meditation alone, and watching a service...

Zacchaeus is one of the most colorful and compelling stories in the Bible and remains a children's ministry favorite. We revisit the story from a more adult perspective and examine some of the important points it makes about conversion, repentance and redemption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

We conclude our study of Unimaginable: What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity by Jeremiah J. Johnston with a look at what Christianity, despite flaws in the Church, has given humanity. Public education, health care and hospitals and abolition of slavery are among among many strides led by believers and churches. While there's a conventional attitude that Jesus only reminded the world of...

As we continue our study of Unimaginable: What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity, we look at the rise of atheism and philosophies of moral relativism in the 19th Century and the horrors they led to in the 20th. Yet the idea that there are no absolute truths persists to our time, when a man can be a woman and schools teach that 2+2 can sometimes equal 5. Join us for a controversial discu...

We begin a three-week study of Unimaginable: What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity by Jeremiah J. Johnston. We start with the harsh reality of the pre-Christian world, where everyday life was short, brutal and fearful, where 80 to 90 percent of the population lived hand-to-mouth, slavery was normal, and women and children, especially female children, were considered expendable. What ki...