No Church Answers!

Is it a sin if your New Year's workout routine incorporates exercises derived from yoga, even when prescribed by a licensed physical therapist? We take a critical look at assertions that claim yoga, meditation, wellness and holistic medicine somehow meet with God's disapproval. Really? Or is it just an American bias for Western medicine, convenient pharmaceuticals and a few centuries of philosophi...

In honor of the Feast of the Epiphany (aka Three Kings Day), we bring back our 2021 Christmas podcast on the Magi and their significance to the Nativity story. What motivated them to pack up and travel a thousand miles to investigate an astrological portent that was only peripheral to their own religious and national background? Along the way we discuss comets, planetary conjunctions and various o...

From our vault, our Christmas podcast from 2022, where we discuss the miracle of the incarnation as spelled out by the opening of John's gospel. What we get is the essential message of Christmas: God's entry into history as a finite human being to offer all those who accept him the right to become "children of God." We also talk about the implications of believing the Gospel and ways to make Chris...

We look at two major Messianic prophesies from Isaiah and the picture they present not just of a divine savior, but of a new Kingdom and Creation that he will inaugurate. Take a breather from the Christmas rush and join us as we explore the significance of Advent and its promises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal...

More family rifts occur during the holidays than any other time of year. Pressures of expectations, traditions, not to mention politics, resentments and old patterns all build. We agree it's not the best environment for growth of spiritual fruit, yet we want to try to at least set a good example--which, of course, only creates more pressure. We set up three hypothetical scenarios: the Opinionated...

After eight years of podcasting from a Baptist church, the fellows finally take up the topic of baptism. Whether it’s immersion or sprinkling, infant or adult, all denominations treat baptism as a significant event to be respected and celebrated. We talk about baptism’s meaning and tradition, how it connects with growth of one’s faith and whether or not it should be required for church membership....

The fellows are joined by Melody Slaton, Pastor for Mission and Outreach at Sugar Land Baptist Church, for a discussion of ways church mission programs can engage in both material and spiritual poverty alleviation in ways that foster ongoing faith partnerships and long-term sustainability. God is already working in poor and disenfranchised communities, wherever they are. Informed by the foundation...

It’s time for our deep dive into Season 5 of The Chosen . We have the Last Supper told in reverse; apocalyptic visions and prophesies; passive-aggressive political backbiting in high places; not to mention a chaotic temple-clearing. Join us as we dissect the drama, the wit and the poignancy of Dallas Jenkins’ retelling of the first Passion Week from Palm Sunday to Gethsemane. Learn more about your...

Following up on our prophets draft in Podcast 366, we select our favorite disciples of Jesus, drawing from the gospels, Acts and the letters. It's a surprisingly large board generates some surprising picks. Who'd be on your team? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...

Do emotional affairs and parasocial online relationships break the Sixth Commandment? Does adultery require a physical betrayal, or are there other intimacy boundaries in Christian marriage that are just as sinful to cross? We go way back in our archive and follow up on Podcasts 110 and 111 on David and Bathsheba, but this we boldly (and anachronistically) reimagine the story to give contemporary...

Do not confuse emotional response, or lack of one, as a measure of spirituality, advises author Brant Hansen in the final section The Men We Need. We think this is a vital message for men, especially in a time when church services accentuate show biz trappings over spiritual nourishment. Emotion has its place, but self-control is a fruit of the spirit. The fellows talk about better ways to gauge s...

Whatever your age, the decisions you make now will have impact on you in the future. No one sets out to become a grumpy old man, but too many of us end up there. In The Men We Need, author Brant Hansen says wisdom has much more to do with opening your eyes than following your heart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and C...

In The Men We Need, author Brant Hansen addresses the significance of the Christian marriage covenant and why it's more than just "a piece of paper." We discuss the need for new models of marriage that remain Christian yet are relevant in a time when young men and women are encouraged to delay marriage until they establish themselves professionally and financially. We debate whether this is a good...

Ambition, when directed correctly, is not a characteristic of toxic masculinity. In The Men We Need , author Brant Hansen states that even a simple man earns respect when he knows his worth, has specific goals for the growth of himself and his family, and puts in the time and effort to achieve them. And these goals should have little to do with wealth, power and prestige and everything to do his p...

Guarding safe space for your wife, children and community is a paramount role for men, says author Brant Hanson. We continue our study of Hansen’s The Men We Need , discussing the divine call to defend the weak and take up the cause of the oppressed. We look at the recent Internet hub-bub over “Phillies Karen.” Did the father wimp out or correctly assess the situation in choosing not to fight back...

Join us as we dive head on into a discussion of pornography addiction. Hardcore pornography is ubiquitous and has been all but normalized. For men ensnared in it, it is a compulsion driven by a need for dopamine hits, not “lust” or the desire to look at “dirty pictures.” We argue that caring congregations should shift from shaming porn users to offering the same counseling, treatment and caregivin...

What is Christian masculinity? We begin a study of Brent Hansen’s The Men We Need, beginning with his assertion that Adam’s abject passivity in the face of evil was the primary reason for the Fall. What can we learn from Adam’s failure? Hansen says God’s purpose for men is to bring their gifts to bear in taking responsibility for nurturing and protecting their spouses, children and, by extension,...

No Church Answers! panelists Steve and Mike talk with Ken Hanning, executive director of development of the Christian Amoveo Group, about their June mission field trip to Dublin, Ireland. We talk about ministering to marginalized kids, plus methods that create effective, trusting partnerships between churches and faith-based organizations that assist with understaffed, underfunded government agenc...

As Christians, we are taught to turn the other cheek, give to others sacrificially, never return evil for evil, and forgive rather than retaliate. So sometimes saying “no” to someone, or simply asserting our own needs, seems wrong to us. Still, the Kingdom of God is not here yet, and the world is filled with obnoxious, manipulative and outright toxic people. The Bible has no pithy verse that tells...

Two synagogues, two outcomes. In Capernaum, Jesus amazes attendees with the authority of his teachings and casts out an impure spirit. Back home in Nazareth, it's a different story. Just like the neighbors were unable to see past Jesus' background a carpenter, do we as Christians sometimes take Jesus for granted, holding onto familiar but unchallenging notions but missing the chance to greater gro...

We look at the the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official and the healing of the bleeding woman, commenting on the significance of both miracles as well as their presentation as a story-within-a-story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-se...

"We must trust Jesus to quell the storms in our life," is the "church answer" to this story. We think this takeaway, while not wrong, is superficial. Like many episodes recounted in Mark, there is deeper significance in the way this miracle is reported, especially for men. To start, when we call on the Lord in a crisis, what exactly are our expectations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

How should Christians push against the modern "throwaway" culture that encourages both overconsumption and waste, be it with our land, material goods or human relationships? We discuss the virtue of simplicity in choosing value over cheapness, in living fruitfully but sustainably, and cultivating Bible-based stewardship in all we care for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

The fellows talk about the Second Coming, starting with the question of why there has to be one. Why wasn't God's plan of salvation and restoration accomplished all at once? Was the doctrine of the Second Coming tacked on after it became obvious the lion was not laying down with the lamb? If Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God on Earth, where is it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Despite being a Bible study podcast, we've never taken up the fact of the sheer number of translations available. We remedy that oversight this week with a discussion about the history of Biblical translation, memories of Bibles we grew up with and what our preferences are now. This week's podcast is sponsored by Magic Mind. Visit www.magicmind.com/NoChurchAnswersAPR and use the discount code NoCh...