Unbinding the Bible

In this episode, I'll share a few thoughts that I've been wrestling through recently. By sharing these thoughts, I'm hoping to help the church rethink how it approaches those not yet a part of our communities and how we model our lives around Jesus' power-under ways. 

In this episode, we'll tackle yet another area where so many evangelical Christians have adopted a power-over mindset: the way current partisan political discussions speak about guns. I want us thinking about this issue as kingdom citizens FIRST, Americans SECOND, and see what, if anything, the Bible has to say on the matter. 

Taking our cues from Moses' actions in Exodus 32, we'll spend the next several episodes asking ourselves, "Which deeply held beliefs of ours are rooted in a power-over understanding of God?" It might be hard to detect at times, but we need to probe deeply into the things we believe so we can best represent our God as the power-under, compassionate, servant-like God that he is, revealed most perfec...

In this episode, I'll share a few personal thoughts from the past six years of my life and how that has shaped the way I think about the Christian faith and the way it is expressed by many well-intentioned Christians. I'll list several books that have shaped my thinking in recent years and then explain why I believe Jesus wants to critique any and all forms of power-over ideologies that are held t...

In this week's episode, we're looking again at Exodus 32 and the Israelites' crafting of the golden calf. Here's the theme we'll be exploring: Who you think God is will determine how you choose to image him; how you choose to “represent” him as one of his priests. And we have a front-row seat to see the ways both Moses and Aaron "represent" God as one of his priests. This is an episode you don't w...

We're back with Season 5! On this week's episode, I'll share a bit about my summer off and what I've been up to and then we'll dive into the context a bit of what led Israel to thinking the creation of a golden calf in Exodus 32 made any kind of sense. I think that today's episode will give you insight and understanding to just how easy committing idolatry can actually be, and I'm confident this w...

In this episode, I'll share with you a few ramblings of what's been going on with me and then read a few additional ramblings that I wrote out concerning golden calves and roots, both of which are plaguing the evangelical church. 

This episode is the final one of our 4-part THROWBACK THURSDAY series. Originally published as episode 038, we'll talk about a strange verse from Colossians 1 where Paul says, "in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions" (v. 24). What could he possibly mean here? And what relevance does it have for Christians? These are great questions! And I'll answer them and others duri...

In this THROWBACK THURSDAY episode, we'll look at how the NT speaks of the solidarity that the followers of Jesus share with Jesus himself. The main theme of this week's episode is: All Christians become, “in Christ,” the very things Christ was while on earth. It is one of the NT's most important themes, and yet one that I've noticed is absent from the awareness of most Christians. Hopefully this...

In this episode, we're going to address one of the gospel's fundamental questions: Why does the one coming to restore justice to the world end up suffering? We'll take a close look at the mission of Jesus as well as his offer of (and our need for) the forgiveness of sins. 

This week's episode is the first in a series of 4 THROWBACK THURSDAY episodes (034, 035, 037, 038). These four episodes immediately preceded our study of the book of Revelation; and in large part, they were responsible for my decision to tackle Revelation in the first place! These four episodes go together, and they are central if we want to understand Jesus' purpose and his purpose for the church...

The following is a first-person narrative sermon I preached at our church Sunday May 1, 2022. It is my imaginative supposal of what the final night of Jesus' life might have been like for Peter as well as his eventual encounter with Jesus after his resurrection. I offer this sermon to you as an encouragement of the way that Jesus meets us at our worst with his grace and love. John mentions a charc...

In this episode, I'll read an article written by Joel Lawrence titled, "The Lion Who is the Lamb: Reflections on Revelation 5 in a Time of War." I plan to make several comments about Joel's insights and to connect them to what I believe is the church's failure to stand firm against the powers and authorities. 

In this episode, we'll talk about what the resurrection of Jesus did to change the world, specifically how the church testifies to the resurrection by its communal life and practices. We'll touch on how the principalities and powers disrupt this calling and why it is that so few Christians seem to even be aware of this episode's topic. 

In this episode, we'll look at Ephesians 4:17-32 to see Paul's logic regarding the church faithfully following the way of Christ and living out their status as God's new humanity. We'll talk about what this "new humanity" means and why it's so important for the church to grasp. This conversation is desperately needed in the church today and I hope you'll find it encouraging. 

This episode is a sermon I preached Palm Sunday 2021. In Mark 11, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey while receiving acclamations of "Save us!" from the crowds. His way of salvation, though, is not what many people were expecting. When given the choice between Jesus and Barabbas (an insurrectionist), the people choose Barabbas as the one who more fully represents their ideals. And the challeng...

In this episode, we'll look at the big picture of Ephesians, specifically at how "THROUGH THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places" (Eph. 3:10). When the church, like Paul, embodies the pattern of Jesus in their communal life, they testify to the rulers and authorities that Jesus' ways of living are superior to theirs and th...

In this episode, I'm simply going to read the book of Ephesians in its entirety. Paul has lots to say about the rulers and authorities as well as God's triumph over them in Christ and then how the church carries out that triumph in its communal life. Listening to Scripture read aloud and in large sections helps position us to best receive its message. And Ephesians has a beautiful message! You may...

In this episode, we'll take a look at the similarities between the creation of the world in Genesis 1-2 and how Paul describes God's new creation people throughout the book of Ephesians. References to conquering the forces of chaos and building temples dominate both passages. And the importance for understanding this relationship cannot be stressed enough if the church wishes to faithfully witness...

In this episode, I will read a chapter from Tim Gombis' book, The Drama of Ephesians, to help us understand the reality and the influence of the powers and rulers in our world. Tim's insights are succinct, clear, and invaluable, as he clears away the confusion surrounding this topic and provides practical and relatable examples of the way the powers and rulers wreak havoc in God's good world.  Spe...

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' understanding of his own mission from Luke 4:18-19. In these words we'll see his multi-dimensional purpose and how it is that the rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions enslave humanity. Then we'll turn to two passages of Paul's (2 Timothy 2 and Colossians 2) to begin seeing how Paul fleshes out these realities for his churches. 

In this Throwback Thursday episode, we're going to go back to the beginning of our Revelation series to episode 046 and take a close look at what it actually means to worship the LORD. The themes discussed in this episode will set us up perfectly to dive into the New Testament over the next several weeks to understand more clearly the calling for the church to embody the characteristics of the LOR...

In this episode, we'll look at three OT passages: Psalm 82, Daniel 4, and Daniel 7. In these passages, we'll notice the connection between the divine council being rebuked for their injustices and how the nations of the earth participate in those same injustices. What takes place in the heavens (among the sons of God) mirrors what takes place on the earth (among the earth's inhabitants). 

In this episode, we'll look at 2 Kings 5:1-19, the healing of Naaman the Syrian. This narrative will help us understand a theme we discussed last week: that after the Tower of Babel, the LORD allotted the sons of God jurisdiction over the nations of the earth, but that He chose Israel to be the nation over which He would rule (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). Divine "space" is a significant theme throughout t...

In this episode, we're going to look at God's divine council - a topic that, sadly, is foreign in many evangelical circles. And we'll look at Genesis 6:1-4, a strange narrative involving the sons of God and the daughters of man, and how the corruption that takes places there mirrors the fall of man from Genesis 3. This is an episode you don't want to miss!