Episoder
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The term "gay Christian" has long been disputed, even among those who agree with the traditional Christian sexual ethic.
Christian author Rosaria Butterfield continued that argument in a recent article, titled "I Donât Have an LBGTQ NeighborâAnd Neither Do You." In the article, Butterfield argued that there is no such thing as an LGBTQ+ person, because sexual orientation is a social construct. Furthermore, Butterfield argued, this an issue of identity, and identifying by sexual orientation enslaves a person to sexual sin.
Any number of Christian leaders agree with Butterfield completely. However, many do not.
On this episode, we discuss the differing views of people on LGBTQ+ issues. Specifically, we take a closer look at the range of views among those who hold to a traditional sexual ethic on issues of terminology, celibacy, and how to best approach our LBGTQ+ neighbors.
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This week, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a law requiring public school teachers to feature a poster of the 10 Commandments in their classrooms. While many conservatives are hailing the law as a victory, it is likely to be struck down in the courts.
Landry indicated that he's looking forward to the legal battle, saying, "I can't wait to get sued."
Opponents of the law are citing the establishment clause of the constitution, arguing that requiring public school teachers to post an explicitly religious text on their classroom walls is a religious liberty violation.
On this episode, we discuss the wisdom of such a law. Is it necessary? Is it prudent?
In our discussion, we explore what we believe to be the best and worst arguments for and against this law, as well as the dangers of pulling Scripture out of context to make it a cultural icon.
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It has been a busy couple of weeks as far as pastor scandals are concerned.
Each case is extremely different from the others. But the fact that they have happened in such rapid succession raises common questions about how churches and church leaders should respond to them.
What level of transparency should be demanded? Do pastors who have morally failed to the point of needing to be removed from the pulpit ever get to return? If so, when and under what circumstances? How do we pursue justice and righteousness while not inflicting unnecessary pain on those who have undeniably hurt others?On this episode of the podcast, we discuss these questions and more.
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For Christians, the hope of heaven is one of our most important beliefs. But itâs also one of the most mysterious and even one of the most misunderstood.
And that makes sense. No one has ever been there and come back to tell us about itâalthough some have claimed to.
When we think about heaven, we tend to think about a giant gated community in the sky. Saint Peter stands at the gates, looking through a giant book with your name in it, so that you can enter into the city with golden streets and white buildings backlit by the sun.
To be sure, some of this imagery is pulled directly from Scripture, even though itâs an overly literalized rendering of prophetic and apocalyptic texts. But a lot of it is also culturally conditioned, based on what artwork weâve seen or movies weâve watched.
So on this episode, we discuss three things that Christians tend to get wrong about heaven and cast a bigger vision for what it will be like experience the new heavens and new earth in eternity.
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Pope Francis recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview on "60 Minutes." And, as you might imagine, some people were quick to pick apart everything he said.
Some even accused him of committing heresy. To be sure, this is strong claims to make against the pope.
While we aren't Roman Catholic and certainly have some deep disagreements with Roman Catholic theology, we thought it might be helpful to break down some of what the pope said.
So in this episode, we discuss whether some of the remarks Francis made are really as awful or outside the realm of our own Christian thinking as some people have characterized them.
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Pastor John MacArthur recently made waves by claiming that mental illness doesnât exist. He made these remarks during a Q&A session at a church conference.
"Psychiatry and psychology is finally admitting the noble lies theyâve been telling for the last hundred years," MacArthur said. "And the major noble lie is that there is such a thing as mental illness." He went on to add, "Thereâs no such thing as PTSD. Thereâs no such thing as OCD. Thereâs no such thing as ADHD. Those are noble lies to basically give the excuse, at the end of the day, to medicate people."
While MacArthur's words are shocking, he expressed sentiments that are not entirely uncommon in evangelical circles. And while many evangelical churches and institutions have come a long way with regard to how we speak about mental health, it's important that we continue to be thoughtful about how we approach the topic.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, so we thought it important that we discuss not only MacArthur's arguments and why we strongly disagree with them, but also how Christian leaders can cultivate environments where mental healthcare is celebrated.
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It has often been said that âthe church is Godâs Plan A for working in the world, and there is no Plan B.â We donât disagree with that. Similarly, third century theologian Cyprian of Carthage once said, âNo one can have God for his Father, who does not have the church for his mother.â
Cyprian also said, âOutside the Church, there is no salvation.â While we don't take his meaning literally, this axiom offers important wisdom. There is no way for people in the world to experience Jesus and be formed by his way of life apart from walking alongside other Jesus people.
But what exactly is the church? What is its purpose and function in the world?
While most of us would agree upon a set of theological tenets when it comes to the church, there are also many fundamental questions that we often let go unspoken. And even without us talking about them, they provide a rubric for the practical concerns we think are important.
In this episode, we probe into some of those questions: Who is the church for? What should it be doing in the world? And where is allowable, and even healthy, to have disagreement over those questions?
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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When you think of the word "righteousness," any number of images and ideas might come to mind. Many of them are good, although some are probably incomplete.
If you look at the concept of righteousness as presented in the Bible, what you'll quickly realize is that it is inextricably connected to the concept of justice.
And Jesus says that those who are desperate for righteousness and justice are the kind of people who are the most blessed.
On this episode, we share a sermon Dale recently gave about Matthew 5:6, which says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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Richard Dawkins, a biologist who is perhaps one of the world's most prominent apologists for atheism, recently said that he considers himself a "cultural Christian."
"I do think that we are culturally a Christian country, and I call myself a cultural Christian," Dawkins said of his home nation, Britain. "Iâm not a believer, but thereâs a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian."
Dawkins added, "But I must emphasize that I think that the things that Christians believe are actually nonsense." Specifically, he scoffed at the idea that Jesus could be born of a virgin or that he rose from the dead. So it seems like Dawkins wants the societal benefits of Christianity, just without Christ.
On this episode, we discuss what to make of Dawkins' cultural Christianity by looking into his comments within their context. Is Dawkins turning toward faith, or is something else going on here? What is cultural Christianity, and is it something Christians should seek to cultivate? If so, what should that even look like?
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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Last week, a firestorm erupted on social media after a Christian writer described disciplining his four-month-old son. While he later clarified that he was referring to sleep training, a wave of criticism ensued. Some called into question whether this father was abusing his infant, and some even claimed to have contacted Child Protective Services.
The original social media post described the infant's sleep training process in terms of sin and discipline. But should we be framing the actions of a baby in moral terms?
On this episode, we dive into the theology of humanity and how it can affect our parenting styles. Since parenting is an important part of life for every Christian who has children, we want to ensure that we are cultivating an underlying theology that is conducive not only to raising and disciplining godly children but also to treating them with the dignity they deserve.
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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Immigration is always a contentious issue in America, as well as in the evangelical church. In an election year and with the current crisis at the border, that is especially true right now.
And while Christians have a rich history of caring for marginalized people, including refugees and immigrants, the current political climate has caused distrust or even disdain for migrants to creep into the church.
On this episode, we seek to develop a theology of immigration by looking at what the Bible has to say about immigrants. It may surprise you how often the topic arises!
Then we dive into to some of the specific policy concerns that are driving the conversation todayânot so much to give you an "answer" or tell you how to vote, but to set the rules of engagement for Christians seeking to advocate for immigration policies that are both compassionate and effective.
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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When it comes to the devil, plenty of misconception circulate not only in our culture but in the church as well.
Some of what we believe about Satan is informed by the Bible. But a lot of it comes from cultural traditions and misinterpretations of what the Bible says.
On this episode, we do a deep dive on what the Bible says about the devil. Who is he? What should we know about him? And what should Christians do to be prepared against him?
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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A recent Alabama Supreme Court decisions has ignited a passionate discourse about the morality of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and pro-life Christians stand on either side of the debate.
The case centers on a wrongful death lawsuit that was brought against a fertility clinic in 2020 after the embryos of a couple using the clinic's IVF treatment services were accidentally destroyed. The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that the suit has valid grounding, since an embryo is a human life. Many pro-lifers are hailing the ruling as a victory.
Nevertheless, the precedent this ruling sets has implication well beyond this specific case, and fertility clinics have discontinued their IVF services for fear of legal exposure. If embryos are to be treated as humans, then fertility clinics could face civil or even criminal charges for destroying them, something that is a regular practice in IVF treatments.
On this episode, we explore the moral complexities involved with IVF and other reproductive technologies. How can Christian think through these questions in a way that is theologically informed and compassionate toward potential mothers, as well as their future children?
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From time to time, we receive questions from folks who are trying to figure out an important point of theology or biblical doctrine. And we enjoy getting to offer our thoughts in the context of those personal interactions, whether in-person or online.
While we don't always have great answers, we think it's important to faithfully wrestle with the questions we receive (and that we have ourselves). That's part of the heartbeat of our podcast.
On this episode, we tackle some common questions that we hear, offering our thoughts on a range of theological concerns.
Here are the questions we focus on:
Is it wrong for a Christian to get cremated? What is a saint? Are only some Christians saints? Is suicide the unforgivable sin? What is the âage of accountabilityâ?If you have a question you'd like to hear us discuss on a future episode, email us at [email protected]!
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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As Christians, we look up to people who pray and read the Bible a lot. But the sad fact is that some of the people we think of as the most devout are actually suffering from a condition known as religious scrupulosity.
Scrupulosity is a subset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and is marked by the constant presence of intrusive thoughts about sin, hell, or blasphemy, resulting in compulsive religious activity. It can be extremely debilitating, and a lack of awareness about it can keep us from helping the people in our lives who may be suffering from it.
On this episode, we explore what religious scrupulosity is, its symptoms, and how it differs from a healthy commitment to religious practices and spiritual disciplines. We also look at some of our heroes in church history through the lens of scrupulosity. Did some of them suffer from extreme anxiety that they compensated for with religious compulsions?
We also discuss how our approach to theology can trigger or exacerbate feelings of religious scrupulosity, even among people who are relatively healthy. Are there ways we can adjust how we talk about biblical doctrines to better help us become both holy and healthy?
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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Alistair Begg has become the subject of considerable criticism in recent weeks after he said that he had advised a woman to attend her grandson's wedding with a trans person.
While Begg gave the advice with the caveat that the woman was clear that she had not changed her views on marriage and gender, he said that reaching hearts for the gospel would "take risks."
Amid a bevy of criticism, Begg has stood by his comments. As a result, American Family Radio has pulled his "Truth for Life" program from 1,800 radio stations.
On this episode, we discuss what exactly Begg said and whether we agree with him.
We also explore broader questions about the relationship between the church and the LGBTQ+ community. What does it look like to walk in grace and truth when we disagree with the prevailing culture about such fundamental realities?
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In a recent video that went viral, progressive Christian minister Brandan Robertson claimed that the problem with evangelicalism is that it focuses too much on the teachings of Paul and not enough on the teachings of Jesus.
Robertson went on to claim that Paul even contradicts Jesus on a number of important points, and that when that happens, we should go with the teachings of Jesus instead of Paul's.
What Robertson said was not unique. Rather, it is a common claim within the movement of progressive Christianity.
In this episode, we discuss Robertson's specific claims and why we believe a number of things that he says are misleading or outright false.
We also explore some of the tenants of progressive Christianity more generally and discuss how tethering ourselves to the historic Christian tradition helps us from coming up with innovative ways to arrive at old heresies.
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President Joe Biden recently held a campaign event at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, denouncing white supremacy and casting his vision for a second term as president.
Notably, Mother Emanuel has been a historic part of the Reconstruction era and Civil Rights movement. It is also the place where a racially motivated mass shooting claimed the lives of nine people in 2015. Remarkably, surviving members of the church went to court to offer forgiveness to the white supremacist killer.
After the event, some conservative commentators were criticalâbut not at Biden. Instead, their ire was cast toward the evangelical leaders who in 2021 had denounced Robert Jeffress' First Baptist Church in Dallas for giving Donald Trump the microphone during a Christmas service but had nothing critical to say about Biden's event at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
Are these two events the same thing? Or are there fundamental differences? This week on the podcast, we discuss.
We also look ahead to what promises to be a politically volatile year in 2024. In our discussion, we grapple with how Christians should engage in politics as we look to the presidential election in November.
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Throughout the millennia, Jesus has been portrayed by artists across every conceivable medium. Some of these depictions of Jesus have sought to prioritize historical accuracy, while others have focused on conveying theological significance through artistic expression.
Depending on the culture of the artist, depictions of Jesus have varied greatly. Nevertheless, for American evangelicals and other western Christians, the standard for how we think of Jesus' appearance has been set by artists who portrayed him as a western European.
That hasn't been the case for everyone in the global church.
In a recent photo essay published in Christianity Today, Victoria Emily Jones explored the ways in which Jesus' birth has been portrayed throughout the centuries in Asian cultures, providing insight into the unique ways in which depictions of Jesus have indigenized to those cultures.
The article was met with stanch criticism, with a number of Christian leaders decrying CT as "woke" and "liberal."
In this episode, we take a closer look at the article and explore why it caused such backlash. We also discuss artistic depictions of Jesus more generally. For example, is it okay that they are culturally defined? To what measure are we conscious or unconscious of the fact that our culture is defining our depictions of Jesus? And how much historical accuracy do we need in order to understand who Jesus is in a way that is theologically cogent?
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After the fall of Roe v. Wade, pro-life Christians around the nation celebrated the nearly half-century of advocacy that led to the decision. However, a little more than a year after the Dobbs decision, national abortion rates are up.
What's more is that Christians within the pro-life movement disagree about how best to move forward. On the one hand, you have mainstream, incrementalist pro-life movement, which has led in this conversation for the better part of five decades. And on the other, you have the emerging abortion abolitionist movement, which is advocating for total bans on abortion and criminal prosecutions for women who seek them.
In this episode, we discuss how the abolitionist movement differs from the traditional pro-life movement. We express where we can find areas of agreement with abolitionists, as well as what we find troubling about the movement.
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Visit kainosproject.com to find other resources to help you tackle ancient truths in everyday settings, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to get all of our fresh content delivered straight to your inbox.
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