Off the Beaten Pulpit

1. Good News & Other News Federal Appeals Court upholds Texas law requiring public schools to hang posters of the Ten Commandments. Good News or other news? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Matthew 28:16-20: Teach them to obey all Jesus commanded—what did and didn’t Jesus command? (b) Psalm 22: From “My God…Why have you forsaken me?” to "Father, into your hands..." to “It is finished!” What does this supr...

1. You Asked for It (a) Does President Trump's participation in "America Prays" promote Christian Nationalism? (b) Should there be qualifications for Bible teachers or is every Christian qualified? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Matthew 28: Baptism and the bestowal of identity in a culture of the 'self-made man.' (b) Psalm 23: The Good Shepherd and stupid sheep. 3. Offerings (a) Robert Jenson: Visible W...

1. Sermon Discussion (a) John 21: Peter's Denial and Restoration (b) Matthew 28: The Grammar of the Great Commission: Disciple is a verb. 2. Offerings (a) Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place (b) Byung Chul-Han's The Disappearance of Rituals Send your questions for "You Asked for It" to offpulpit@gmail.com "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd." —Flannery O'Connor

1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) a) Where do dinosaurs fit in the timeline of the Bible (and where do these timelines of the Bible actually come from)? b) Response to Reuters article: Evangelicals Amplify Trump's Religious Framing of Iran War 2. Sermon Discussion (a) John 21: Living in the Epilogue of the Resurrection (b) Matthew 28: The Two Commissions: The Great Commission...

1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) a) What do the 3,000 killed at Sinai have to do with the 3,000 saved at Pentecost (commemorating Sinai)? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Luke 9: The Feeding of the 5,000: the meal that revealed the Messiah (b) Mark 1: Jesus touching, and healing, a leper: the touch that cleansed the world. And what's the significance of the command to "Greet one anot...

1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners): Doesn't Christian Zionism attempt to control God's timeline (that Jesus forbids us from even knowing, much less controlling!)? 2. Biblical Zion & (Anti)Christian Zionism: In this episode we had a special guest guest discussion with Pastor Ben Hurst. We examine the three pillars of Zion in the Bible over against the three pillars of modern day...

1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) a) What are good reasons to leave a church? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Luke 5: The Calling of Levi and the table ministry of Jesus. (b) Genesis 32: The blessing of God and Jacob's wrestling match to become "Israel"--receiving the blessing of God and undoing the curse of his father. 3. Offerings (a) A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community...

Episode 6 | Four Loves, Three Sacraments, Two Pukes, and an Alien My favorite episode yet! 1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) a) Is God an alien? (Richard Dawkins thinks so!) b) Who are the Nephilim? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Revelation 3: On Jesus' warning about spitting the church of Laodicea out of its mouth (bad puke) unless repent of their self-reliance (good puke)! (b1) Ja...

Episode 5: Special episode discussing the two 2026 superbowl halftime shows, and two (or three?) visions of America (or the world?) Send your questions for "You Asked for It" to offpulpit@gmail.com "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd." —Flannery O'Connor

Episode 4: Godly Wisdom from Above & Glittering Images from Below 1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) a) Why are there missing verses in Scripture? b) Who is qualified to lead a bible study? c) Are you calling for open borders? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) James 3: On the godly wisdom from above contrasted with the demonic(!) wisdom from below: seeing the "spiritual" nature of every...

Episode 3: Wild Things & Untamed Tongues 1. You Asked for It (Q&A from Congregants & Listeners) Are those who rejected by Jesus in Matthew 7:23 the ones who are "saved through fire" in 1 Corinthians 3:15? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Reading Revelation like Where the Wild Things Are (b) James 3: Untamed Tongues and Teachers as the Norm Setters for Speech about God *Excursus on the real meaning and int...

1. You Asked for It: How does the Church relate to the government (and what kind of Government does the Church uniquely have?)? What about immigration, abortion, and how do we speak the truth in love to those across the political isle (without getting caught up in "the swarm")? 2. Sermon Discussion (a) Daniel: Revelation 2:12-17 Letter to the Church in Pergamum: Scales, Blindfolds, and Swords: Wha...

1. Sermon Discussion: (a) Jeremy: James 2:14-28 Faith with a Pulse James: saving faith and the kind that doesn't save, cheap grace and costly grace, the relationship between faith and works (and righteousness), the eschatological nature of works (as the "outworking" of faith in Christ as Lord and coming Judge). (b) Daniel: Revelation 2:8-11 Letter to the Church in Smyrna Revelation: one of the two...

Welcome to the Off the Beaten Pulpit—where we preach Gospel, plant sequoias, and practice resurrection 🌱 Hosted by pastors Jeremy Spainhour (Crossroads Neighborhood Church) and Daniel Frederick (The Refuge Church)—with plenty of Wendell Berry along the way. This podcast is devoted to sermon reviews and previews, meandering tangents in theology and life and literature, a weekly "offerings" segment...