Relentless Truth with John Warren

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes I am often amazed at how life provides valuable lessons. A couple of weeks ago, a “Pastor” told me that he doesn’t believe in apologetics. He went on to explain that apologists are too negative. He went on to explain that he doesn’t believe the Bible is inerrant or inspired. In fact, he said that if a person understands historical context, they know they must be gay affirmin...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes My guest today is Dr. Sarah Gothard. In this crucial episode, Sarah discusses our culture today, the challenges young people face, the weight of sin, education, and worship. Dr. Gothard offers well-reasoned observations and shares insights for students and parents alike. Sarah provides a nurturing, wise, thoughtful approach to issues we often struggle with as parents and stu...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Today’s episode is about a difficult topic. I have often struggled to engage well in groups. I have enjoyed working with brilliant colleagues over the years. Collaboration and fostering collective inputs is a strength of mine. Borrowing from the strengths of a diverse team can result in incredible synergy. Working in Groups But working in groups can be challenging. It can be...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes In today’s episode we discuss a topic that has morphed in recent years. Church attendance is in decline for a number of reasons in the U.S. among professing Christians. Reasons The messiness of the church is off-putting to many. Pastors have given us reasons to lose respect through scandals that include sexual sin. Some leaders have even fallen away from the faith. Others ar...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Our episode today focuses on biblical truth that is important for our lives. We sometimes assume that truth and mercy need to be balanced. It’s almost as if we think we can only have a certain amount of each and that they must be balanced. We sometimes think similar thoughts about faith and reason. The Assumptions The challenge with the philosophy of this world we live in is...

Please enjoy this midweek episode of Relentless Truth.

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Today we discuss humor in the life of a Christian. What role does humor play in our lives? What is appropriate humor for us as Christians. How do we develop biblically informed senses of humor? Christian Comedy I talk about Christian comedy and Tim Hawkins in this episode. I do so from a biblically informed Christian worldview. Tim is funny. He is popular. But he is irrevere...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes This episode is about Christian relationships. Much has been said and written about relationships among Christians. Christian community is important, but how do we get it right? How do we practice the relationship imperatives in Scripture. Agape defined Many of us just aren’t good at making small talk. So how do we engage in relationships among Christians? In this episode I...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes This episode of Relentless Truth is unlike others. I explain some exciting refocusing that I’m doing in my work. I am leaving my teaching and board roles at Circle Christian School, and this allows me to further develop the ministry of Relentless Truth and CFS Financial. Lasting Relationships I address Circle Christian School families, in particular, in this episode. The swe...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We discuss our great Country and the first four months of the Trump administration’s second term in this episode of Relentless Truth. The Trump administration seems to be more adept at governing during this second term, but they still have their challenges. Tariffs We discuss Trump’s tariff “strategy” or lack thereof, and we talk about his negotiating style. Our relationship...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes The way we interface with others as we live this life is important for our enjoyment and function. Scripture gives us instructions on how we are to live in community. And yet it grieves us when professing Christians hurt us. Christian Community How are we to live humbly in Christian community? What does that look like as we live this life on this fallen earth? What does it m...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Worry or stress or anxiety and pride or arrogance have the same source. An elevated view of self and a low view of God cause us to experience anxiety. This counterintuitive truth is a game changer – a life changer. Mind-Body Connection We don’t talk enough about anxiety in the church. We all experience various levels of anxiety or stress, but we aren’t quite comfortable disc...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes I often think and sometimes say something like, “families are dysfunctional.” In a recent episode of Relentless Truth, I discussed my dad’s passing and some of the dysfunction that our family has experienced. God’s Design Paul describes, in Colossians and elsewhere, the way families are to function. In this episode, I discuss the fact that God is “the head” of Christ, Christ...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Metaphors in Scripture are helpful to me as I study the important imperatives in the New Testament. Paul uses the language of putting off the old clothing and putting on new clothing. This describes beautifully how we are to live our lives as Christians. Put Off We struggle with this notion of continuing to put on the old clothing, or as Paul says in Romans, we live like we...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Interestingly, I made it through the first half of my banking career without understanding why I was successful or specifically how I’m “wired.” It wasn’t until my employer sent me for a day of testing that I began to see my capabilities, my preferences, my patterns, and my style. Since that time, I have learned much more as I have grown spiritually. The Heart Paul has writt...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes As finite humans, we have limitations and tendencies that cause struggles in living the Christian life. A turning point in my life involved the recognition that my flesh clouds my perspective on important truth. The Record of Debt In this week’s episode we discuss the powerful truth that we learn in Paul’s letter to the Colossian church when he says, “having forgiven us all...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes This episode addresses a timely topic relative to our economy. The U.S. is in a trade war with China and other nations at present. There is a clear precedent in our history for the impact of the strategy that is currently employed by the Trump administration. The Great Depression We have to go back to the Great Depression era to see the impact of a trade war. Congress passed...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Our topic this week involves language that our society today is most accustomed to. Paul talks about the treatment of our sin and its wages or due as debt. Americans set a consumer debt record recently by exceeding one trillion dollars in total credit card debt. Consumer credit is used by a majority of American households to purchase products of various types including homes...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Our series on the preeminence of Jesus Christ continues today. This week, our topic focuses on our sin being nailed to the cross. Our Promissory Note In the first century, it was common for debts to be memorialized in writing. This early form of the promissory note was marked with an X or the word “cancelled” when the debt was paid in full, and the creditor would often nail...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We all seem to enjoy reading, watching, and learning about mysteries. Mysteries intrigue us. Unfortunately, many of us obsess over resolving mysteries that aren’t ours to understand. We want to know why God does and doesn’t do certain things. The Colossians Mystery cults have been popular going all the way back to the first century. Paul writes some of his letter to the chur...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Today’s episode focuses on one of the most encouraging principles in all of Scripture. We, who have sinned and fled from a holy God, are reconciled to Him. The implications of this should change our lives dramatically. The Implications This is a profound, life-changing truth. God sees us through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and we are reconciled to Him. We are no longer a...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Legalism and its derivatives are the sources of more anxiety and doubts and fears than anything else I can think of in the Christian life. The Apostle references our walk or “the worthy walk.” What does this mean? Legalism In this episode, we discuss the worthy walk and all of its implications. We are justified by faith, and we continue to walk by faith. The legalist appears...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Today’s episode is about the family of God and what it means to be part of that family. The Bible uses familial language to describe Christians and our relationships – with God and with each other. The implications of this are important, and clear understanding of these truths is much needed in our evangelical culture today. Familial Language This episode is another in our o...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Our answer to the question, “who is Jesus,” is a differentiator among religions of the world. It has likely occurred to you that Islam, Postmodernism, Secularism and other views of the world answer this question poorly. His Preeminence In the church today, the local church and its denominations, we still struggle to understand Jesus Christ our Lord and His preeminence. We ex...