One Question with Pastor Adam

In Luke's version of the first Easter morning, there is someone missing. Where is Jesus? See how a progressive Christian answers this question in this Easter sermon by Rev. Adam Ericksen.

Bishop Budde asked for mercy and exposed right-wing Christianity for lacking in Christian principles. We discuss in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

Have you lost your groove? Let's get it back in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

I sit down with Suzanne Ross, author of "The Wicked Truth: Why Good People Do Bad Things" to discuss her book and the phenomenon that is Wicked!

In this episode, we explore a Progressive Christian view on Christmas. How can Progressive Christians understand the story of Christmas in a way that leads toward justice, peace, and love? We explore that topic in this episode of One Question.

I invited the audience to join me in a Q&A in this episode. Some topics include Advent, Bonhoeffer, the relationship between Christ and the Bible, acupuncture, and more!

Christian nationalists want to install a theocracy and force Christ upon others. They claim Romans 13 as justification for the US government to do whatever it wants through violence and coercion. But that's a misuse of Christ and of Romans 13. Check out this episode of One Question for more!

What is the difference between scapegoating someone and holding someone accountable? How can we tell the difference? These are important questions during these times as scapegoating abounds in our culture. Is it possible to hold people accountable without scapegoating them? Check out this episode as we explore these questions with Lyle Enright.

Last week's election left us in grief, but once we grieve, where do we go from here? Join me as I talk with Matthew Distefano about the election and hope for the future. We also take listener's questions and comments. Matthew J. Distefano is the author of multiple books, including the wildly popular "Heretic!" and "From the Blood of Abel". He is an audio engineer, the producer of the Heretic Happy Hour podcast, cohost of Apostates Anonymous, and is a regular columnist for Patheos. His website is www.allsetfree.com.

Many people think that Christianity is merely about where you go after you die. But did you know that the New Testament is deeply political? Check out this episode of One Question as Pastor Adam and Dr. Lyle Enright discuss politics, theology, and mimetic theory. Lyle Enright is the Research Director of unRival Network. His blog on Substack is Religion is for Losers. A recent article by Lyle is "René Girard, J. D. Vance, and You".

I have been highly influenced by mimetic theory to understand how the Bible reveals the nonviolence of God and the human tendency to scapegoat. Tragically, major politicians have started using mimetic theory as a tool for doing precisely what mimetic theory warns us not to do - scapegoat others. In this episode to begin season 5, I talk about reclaiming Christianity and mimetic theory. I hope you enjoy it!

Pastor Adam and Biblical scholar Kate Common discuss her book, "Undoing Conquest: Ancient Israel, the Bible, and the Future of Christianity." The conquest narrative in the Book of Joshua is one of the most troubling parts of the Bible. But what if it never actually happened? Dr. Common separates fact from fiction and provides a deeper understanding of the conquest narrative. To purchase Dr. Common's book and learn more about her, check out her website at https://www.katecommon.com/.

Pastor Adam sits down with Fr. James Alison to talk about his upcoming book, "You Can If You Want To," which is a primer on Basic Christianity and inclusion of our LGBTQ siblings.

Pastor Adam and Brian McLaren discuss Brian's upcoming book "Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart." We are facing multiple doom scenarios - war, climate change, economic exploitation, just to name a few. Is there a way out of this doom? Should we feel hope or despair about our future? These are some of the topics discussed in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

In this episode of One Question, Pastor Adam talks with Rev. Dr. Julia Robinson Moore about the Equity in Memory and Memorial Project. Along with her husband Ricky, Julia leads the project that brings together descendants of slaves and slaveholders to reflect on their experiences. Julia talks about the successes and challenges of the project, including confronting the effects of continued racism.

Sophia is going through the dark night and wants to know if there is a way out. Have you been through the dark night of the soul? Let's explore in this episode of One Question! "The Rapture Exposed : The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation" by Barbara R. Rossing and  "Changing Our Mind" by David P. Gushee are books mentioned in this episode.

Jesus says that we are to forgive 7 times 70 times, but forgiveness is hard. What if we just can't forgive? And what does forgiveness mean, anyway? Join Pastor Adam as he discusses forgiveness in this episode of One Question.

The Christian religion claims something that other monotheistic religions don't - that humans have killed and wounded God. The Resurrection of Jesus reveals that even when we wound God, God offers us peace. Check out this episode of One Question for more!

Have you ever been asked the question, "When were you saved?" Well in this episode, Pastor Adam gives you the definitive answer! Check out this episode of One Question for how to answer this question whenever anyone asks it!

Have you ever wondered what the voice of God sounds like? Can you distinguish between God's voice and other voices? Pastor Adam helps us understand the voice of God in this episode of One Question.

The Gospel of John is an explosion of wokeness from beginning to end. John starts with describe the Word of God that became flesh in Jesus. If we understand the historical and philosophical context of the Greek term for "Word," we discover that the Christian understanding of the Word is woke. Pastor Adam explores the wokeness of Jesus in part 4 of this series! Check out the new sermon series, Pastor Adam Preaches, wherever you get your podcasts.

Join Pastor Adam as he continues the Jesus is Woke series! Part three is the Gospel of Luke. How are Jesus and the Gospel of Luke woke? Check out part three to find out!

From beginning to end, the Gospels are woke! Check out the second part of this series where Pastor Adam discusses the wokeness of the Gospel of Mark.

Was Jesus woke? Yes. In fact, Jesus was the wokest. Check out this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam as he begins a four part series discussing how each four Gospel shows that Jesus is woke.

Talking with someone who is going through a hard time can be very difficult. What do you say? What shouldn't you say? Join this episode of One Question for some answers on this topic!

Many people think Jesus came to save us from God's wrath. You might be surprised that this idea was formulated late in Christian history. And it's not true. So what did Jesus come to save us from? Check out this episode of One Question for more on this topic!

The question for this episode comes from Moriah, who asks if Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Let's find out and discover why this matters to nonviolent theology!

Is the Bible Worth Keeping with Leo Wolters Tejera For many people, the Bible is an inspiration for a better world. For others, the Bible is a violent book that holds humanity back. So, is the Bible worth keeping? Or should we leave it as a document of the ancient world? Join Pastor Adam and Leo as they discuss. You can check out Leo's work at www.conversationsofficial.com and on social media.

Many people claim that the Bible is just fiction. Sometimes that's meant as an insult to the Bible. But fiction often tells us deeper truths about ourselves and the world. But is the Bible fact or fiction? Listen to this episode of One Question to discover the surprising answer from Pastor Adam!

Happy New Year! Do you try to keep New Year's resolutions? Why/why not? Perfectionism is a killer. I'm going to avoid it this year. Also, I'm going to tell a story about Legos®, a grocery store floral clerk, and a vase. It's gonna be great. :)

This episode's question comes from Princess, who asks how I became a "defender of the LGBTQIA+ community"? I will make some confessions in this episode as we explore working together for a better world.

Politics increasingly seems like a violent sport where no one wins. Is there hope for a better politics? Join Pastor Adam as he talks with award winning journalist and member of Braver Angels as they discuss the hope for better politics.

Our culture tells us who we are, but is our culture lying? You may have received harmful messages about yourself from religious leaders, capitalism, politicians, parents, and others. But those harmful messages are lies. Don't believe them. The truth is that at your core you are the object of God's affection and love. Check out this episode to hear more about how to remember who you are.

In this episode, we explore the top three most underrated chapters of the Bible. We have three suggestions from social media friends, an honorable mention, and my vote for the most underrated passage in. the Bible.

Did you know the only story in the Bible about a witch reveals her to be a Christ-like figure? Her story is found in 1 Samuel 28. We discuss her in today's episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

You have questions about religion and theology. We all have questions. Even Google has questions.So in this episode, we will explore the top questions about theology from Google's search engine.

The Rapture could have happened on Tuesday, according to one viral YouTube video. Are you still here? Also, Lauren Boebert went to the theater and a funny thing happened. Let's discuss on this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

Welcome to season 4 of One Question with Pastor Adam! In this first episode of season 4, we talk with Dr. Sharon Putt, Professor of Theology and Religion at Messiah University. Sharon helps us understand the ancient strands of Christianity that reveal the nonviolent love of God. Sharon is the author of many articles and books, including "Razing Hell: Rethinking Everything You've Been Taught about God's Wrath and Judgment" and "A Nonviolent Theology of Love: Peacefully Confessing the Apostles Creed."

Paul had some pretty negative thoughts about the "flesh." But what did Paul mean by "flesh"? Did he hate flesh? Or was he talking about something different? How can the flesh be bad when Genesis 1 tells us that human bodies are good? Or that God became flesh in Jesus? Join Pastor Adam and Dr. Ryan Hansen as they discuss Paul and the flesh!

Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Progressive Christianity emphasizes the commandment to love, but many of us struggle to love ourselves. No one teaches us how to love ourselves. Join me in this episode as we talk about practical ways that we can love ourselves as we love others.

Does the Bible say anything about drug use? You might be surprised! Join Pastor Adam and Matthew Distefano as they discuss drugs and the Bible.

Our nations and communities are getting more religiously diverse. This can be a good thing, but can also be dangerous. Fortunately, there are experts to help us navigate. In this episode. Pastor Adam talks with Mark Waters, Professor of Religion, about how religious pluralism can help.

In part 2 of this series, we discuss the rest of the Nicene Creed. The way the Creed talks about the Trinity, the cross, the Virgin Birth, the scriptures, judgment, and even hell, all have a lot in common with progressive Christianity. Check out this episode for more!

We generally assume that the ancient creeds of Christianity are very conservative, but what if we've been wrong? What if the Nicene Creed is actually far more progressive than we ever thought? Join Pastor Adam as he explores in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam.

Many claim that the Bible is just another retelling of myths from the ancient world, but is that true? Join Pastor Adam as he explores the Babylonian creation myth with the Jewish creation story. And then he explores the story of Dionysus, a god of wine, with Jesus, who turned water into wine. What are these stories telling us about violence? What about nonviolence? Let's explore together in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam!

Many people claim that the Bible is just another myth. In part 1 of this series, we explored the Ascension of Jesus with the Ascension of the Roman god Romulus. In this episode, we explore the similarities and differences between Jesus and the god Horus. Are there similarities? Are there any differences? Check out this episode of One Question to find out!

Many claim that Romans 1 condemns homosexuality. But did Paul have homosexuality in mind when he wrote Romans? There are big clues in this chapter that Paul isn't talking about homosexuality. We explore this topic in this episode of One Question!

Many find similarities between ancient myths and the Bible to be a reason for doubting the Bible's validity. There are similarities between the ancient myths and the Bible. But is the Bible just another ancient myth? We explore this topic in this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam

Is the Devil Real? Images of the devil have plagued the human imagination for centuries. But who, or what, is the devil? How does the Bible portray the devil? Is the devil real? Join this episode of One Question with Pastor Adam as we explore this topic!

May the Fourth Be With You - What Star Wars Can Teach Us about Good and Evil In this episode recorded on May fourth, Pastor Adam talks about what Star Wars can teach us about good and evil, and relationships between parents and children. Hopefully, you will understand Star Wars in a radically new way! May the Fourth be with you. Always.

What can hobbits teach us about power, violence, greed, and climate change? Pastor Adam talks with Matthew Distefano about his latest book, "The Wisdom of Hobbits: Unearthing Our Humanity at 3 Bagshot Row".