The Old Roads Podcast

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explains the value of ancient Christian creeds and then dives into the first article of the Nicene Creed on God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth. What does the doctrine of creation tell us about God and the world, and why is this particular doctrine essential to the entire shape of our theology?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers questions from listeners about just war theory and pacifism, advice for when you don’t feel as “on fire” for the Lord as you once did, and appropriate titles for women who serve on church staffs.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley addresses the question of Hell, namely, the traditional view that it entails an eternity of conscious suffering away from the presence of God. Some have challenged this view in recent times, but are these challenges faithful to Scripture? And why does this question matter to our lives and doctrine?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley addresses the question of how God demonstrates his wrath against sin in various ways, according to Scripture. Some argue that divine wrath is nothing more than the natural cause-effect order of a moral universe, but does Scripture uphold such a minimalist view? Or should we think of God’s wrath as his personal, active response to sin?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explores the biblical teaching on God’s wrath, offering not only a definition of it but also a survey of how Scripture presents it as the primary threat to humanity from Genesis to Revelation. A proper understanding of this doctrine is not optional for coherent Christian theology. It is essential.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers a range of questions from a listener on the topic of disciplining children, including common mistakes in discipline, the place of spanking, and how to keep the gospel central in parental discipline.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley looks into the biblical teaching on resistance to authority. What examples from Scripture can we point to that show legitimate resistance to authority, and what can we learn from them? How does resistance theory apply properly in our own setting today?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley reflects on authority in society, specifically with regard to the institution of the state. What is the biblical purpose of the state? What happens when a governing authority goes wrong? What is the biblical vision for a government that operates well for the good of society?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley addresses the question of how lines of authority should operate biblically in a church, specifically from a congregational perspective. What is the biblical authority of a congregation, and how do church officers, pastors and deacons, exercise authority properly within that congregational structure?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley addresses the issue of authority in the home. What is authority? How has it been misunderstood and misused in our day? How does Scripture define the authority of husbands with respect to wives and parents with respect to children, and what are the implications for how we should wield authority and live under authority in our families?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers questions from listeners about what it means for pastors to give an account for the souls of church members they oversee (as mentioned in Hebrews 13:17) and on the relationship of predestination and faith.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explores the biblical teaching on the gift of tongues/languages. Cessationists believe this gift had narrow purposes that now no longer apply, and thus the gift is no longer given to the church. Continuationists take an opposing view, arguing that many believers today are gifted with tongues for prayer. Which view best fits the evidence...

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley evaluates the Pentecostal teaching that baptism in the Spirit is a second blessing for believers some time after conversion, marked by speaking in tongues. This doctrine is based on stories from the book of Acts, but does Pentecostal teaching rightly interpret Luke’s purpose in recording those stories in Acts?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explores the differences between the old covenant and the new with reference to the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of new covenant believers. What privileges do we have today that Old Testament saints did not have? How does this magnify the redeeming work of Christ on our behalf?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers questions from listeners about how Christians can speak truthfully about the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality without being harsh, how we can know God is there for us during hard times, and what Jesus means when he speaks of Elijah coming in Matthew 17:10-12.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley looks into the controversial passage describing a 1,000 year period during which Satan is bound and Christian martyrs reign with Christ. This passage has long divided theological camps into premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial. What do these differing views argue, and what is the best approach to interpreting Revelation 20?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explores the interesting ways the book of Revelation uses numbers: seven and multiples of seven; three and one-half (or its equivalents), twelve and multiples of twelve, and the mysterious number 666. Do these numbers carry symbolic meaning that can give us deeper insight into what the book is telling us?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley gives an overview of the entire book of Revelation, arguing that the center of it is found in the vision of the Lamb in chapter 5, and then showing how the storyline of the book unfolds from there. When understood rightly, Revelation does not give us details for a prophecy chart, but rather a new way of seeing the world.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley gives an overview of four different interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation and argues that one of them makes the book much easier to understand and read profitably.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers questions from listeners about how Christians can keep our minds quiet and focused in a world of so much noise, the limits of religious liberty, and Paul’s use of the past tense verb “glorified” in Romans 8:30.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley offers some basic principles for how Christians should think about AI and use it profitably. With any new technology, finding the ethical boundaries for using it in light of Scripture is essential for any Christian believer, and AI has now opened up a world of exciting possibilities as well as previously unforeseen pitfalls.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley offers guidance, drawing from Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism, on how to use smartphones, social media, and other digital technologies with intentionality rather than allowing them to shape us in destructive ways.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley addresses the question of what the Bible teaches us about technology. Is technology good, bad, or capable of both? What role does it play in God’s plan for us, and what dangers might it pose?

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley answers questions from listeners about how Christians who live and work primarily around other Christians can fulfill the Great Commission, whether or not Baptist churches should allow paedobaptist Christians into membership, and how we can guard our hearts from thinking that God owes us blessings for our faithfulness.

In this episode of the Old Roads Podcast, Dr. Aaron O’Kelley explores the differences between those who call themselves “pro-life” and those who describe themselves as “abortion abolitionists.” Although both groups oppose abortion, they have found themselves at odds with one another in recent times. What are the issues that divide them, how should we evaluate those issues, and can we forge unity b...