Theology Lunch

Is it biblical for God's people to tithe (10%) to other good and noble causes beyond the church? What if the church has a special need or project, should we designate our 10% to that work? Do we even need to tithe in the New Testament Era?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." We pretty much all know those words but what does righteousness mean? We all have a concept of righteousness, but we struggle to define it. What may we say it is and how do we define it? Is it relative or absolute?

We desire for our services of worship to God to be saturated with Scripture. We read the Scripture, preach the Scripture, sing the Scripture, pray the Scripture, even see the Scripture in the Sacraments. But why then do we add non-Scriptural portions to our service, like creeds and confessions? Would it not just be better to reserve those non-Scriptural portions for non-service moments, like Sunda...

Ananias and Sapphira are dealt with swiftly and definitely, but why? Did they commit the unforgivable sin? If not, what else is going on that we need to appreciate in this text? And by the way, what is the unforgivable sin?

How do we discern the difference between the storms and trials God sends us to punish us as opposed to sanctifying us? How do we know we aren't pulling a "Jonah" vs. when God is just allowing us to suffer like Job and Joseph?

Wouldn't it be great if we were sanctified immediately, like justification? Or would it not? What would we be missing out on? Or better, may we know from what God has revealed concerning why sanctification is a process that endures for the rest of our life?

How are we to think of nearness with God? Does God nearness to us depend upon us? How might we be nearer to God? How do we cultivate greater nearness?

What is limited atonement and why did God choose to limit His atonement?

We know of the commandment not to kill and we also know there are instances of killing in the Old Testament, but what does the New Testament add that clarifies this debate? What changes? What about self-defense? Should we become padifists?

In this episode, we hear about Pastor Pete's most recent travels to Honduras as well as take on the subjects of missions and church planting.

Must a Christian listen to Christian music? Must a Christian artist only make Christian music? What are the considerations and consequences?

We toss the phrase, "Jesus loves you" around a lot. But what does it truly mean to be loved by Jesus and how might we know for certain that He loves us?

From where did the notion of sacrificial substitution come? Was it a pagan practice incorporated into the Jewish religion? And why has it for the most part come to an end with Christ?

Our God is invisible and has commanded that we not make images of Him (2nd CDMT), but does this apply to God the Son, Jesus, who came into the flesh and was man? Also, what should we do with modern day movies and shows that depict Jesus?

Is the role of preaching for men only and why? What then do we call it when a woman teaches or encourages other women in the Word of God?

How many kids should we have? Does Scripture supply a mandate that we have as many as possible? Also, concerning those kids, are we obligated to choose a certain schooling option for them?

Is it ok to drink alcohol to be merry? Is it a sin to be tipsy? Being a drunkard is stated in scripture to be sinful, but is feeling good after acouple glasses of wine acceptable?

Kids in worship is a hot topic issue with a host of differing opinions. How old or young should they be? What happens when they get fidgety? and more. But it would be helpful for our pastors to share their personal opinions on this subject as well as what did and didn't work for them.

Should a Christian celebrate cultural holidays, and which ones? Is there a line too far or is everything open game? How are we to approach these days and how might we see them as opportunities for the Gospel?

What do we believe about marriage in the afterlife? What do we know for certain, and further what additional speculations do our pastors have about it?

We have all heard this term and pretty much put it together, but is it really about giving babies communion? What is the rationale behind this? Perhaps more important why or why not do we do this?

Why do some Bibles have the longer ending of Mark (ending at v. 20) and others not (end at v. 8)? The same could be said about John 8 with the woman caught in adultery? What is the issue going on here and how do we begin to work through this? Today we talk about manuscripts of the Bible. (Please excuse our technical issues!)

Do you grab a pillow and scream into it or punch it? Or do you start planning your next vacation? These are common techniques, but what is the right way to handle stress? How do we set ourselves up for handling it even before it hits us?

God is 100% absolutely, no doubt about it sovereign over all things all the time. With this being true, how does this configure in and with evangelism? Does God's sovereignty render evangelism pointless or extraneous, or rather does it propel it forward?

Charisma is what every leader wants and needs, but what exactly is it? Is it a good thing and is there a difference between how the Bible defines charisma vs. the way man defines it?