Questions You Never Thought You Could Ask in Church

Call it what you want: weorthscipe, prostration, sacrifice, liturgia… This week's podcast tackles a variety of questions on worship. What is it? Why do we do it? What's different about Christianity? How do we mess it up? How do we do it?

Are Bible stories true or symbolic? Do I need to love my spouse less to love God more? Did Jesus know he was divine as a kid? Are our loved ones looking down on us?  Tina Gaddini joins today's show with Andrew as Dave fields questions from the theological to the personal, including one listener asking how God could let their family be murdered.

How do we know Jesus existed? How do we know God is loving? How do we know we would have recognized him back them. And have Dave and Steve finally agreed on a what's worth watching? Questions on this, speaking the truth in love, and finding credibility in churches when there's so many hypocrites come rolling in.

Andrew and Dave are joined by personal trainer Mike McKay to discuss physical fitness, spirit fitness, and what spiritual and faith practices are our Spiritual Leg Days.

Steve imposes Nebraska garb on Dave and Andrew while questions come flying on Deconstructionism, yelling at God, translation errors, and how to show love for people without supporting their actions. Fortunately the wisdom of the Bible and Ferris Bueller save the day.

Tina Gaddini joins the show today as she and Andrew join the discussion with Dave. Did Eve die before Adam? Why was Adam so old? And why do we get slammed with his sin? Why should we pray? How do I love someone without condoning what they do or coming across as judgmental? And how many faiths are there? In the process we discovered what our listeners always suspected. Andrew always has good insights. Always.

Why did God make mosquitoes? Why did God make us? Can grace be measured? Can we have assurance of salvation? And what is purgatory anyway. All this and more as Dave takes questions on all things theology.

Questions on salvation continue. How are we saved? Do we play a role? What about stuff like good works? What is grace? What is faith? Who can have faith? And can we be blotted out of the book of life? Further down the rabbit hole of salvation.

Andrew and Steve launch into questions on salvation. Everything from what it is, how someone is saved, what happens when we die, and can our ghosts still lurk about. Dave takes a wide-angle view of what salvation means, what God saves from, whether you're saved or will be saved, and why it's so central to the Christian worldview.

Andrew, Steve, and Dave hash out why someone should follow Jesus, believe the resurrection, and whether there really is any difference between Jesus and Vishnu. Is religion man-made? Are they all basically the same? Is there absolute truth or is morality relative? This and more!

Theological questions reign today as Andrew, Regan, and Dave talk through God's sense of humor, the nature of evil, why there's so many Bible translations, the danger of evil, scary passages in Hebrews, what happens when I die, and reconciling with God in the aftermath of your family's murder. The well goes deep!

The tribulation, rapture, and millennium. Beasts and Revelation. The judgment seat of Christ. Bad Left Behind movies and the continued question of why Steve doesn't like good things. Questions come flying on the end times and more!

Steve is back and the questions are rolling! Do we have guardian angels? How many are there? Who are the Sons of God? Are we in the end times? Can Christians be possessed? And what is Steve's obsession with “Kids of Grace”? Dave fields questions on heavenly beings and ponders why Steve has no taste.

How do I interpret the Bible? Is it history or myth? And how do I know? And why do some people seem to hear God more clearly. Oh, and just for kicks, how do creation and evolution square up? The rabbit hole goes deeper. And wait, was that Mark hosting?

We're back! Though maybe not from the dead. Steve Wells and Andrew Metcalf join the cast to pummel Dave with questions on mental illness and faith, free will, evolution, why bad things happen to good people, whether any of us are all that good, and if God is like Dr. Strange. Oh, and does it really all come down to dinosaurs and ghosts? Same great flavor. Now streaming on internet radio 21.6 The Net. And in a new studio!

Can bean burrito’s talk? How many heaven’s are there? Should Christians vaccinate their children? What about infant baptism? Join us in this live episode recorded at Fellowship of Faith in McHenry, Illinois. You may not have another opportunity to hear Dave answer “I don’t know” this often!

Heaven is not forever, dirty jokes, canopies of water, and missing books of the bible? Reaching back into the archives once again, Dave fields anonymous text-in questions in front of a live audience. He’s on fire!

Today's offering from the live archives was recorded on Jun 11, 2017 during the 9am service at Fellowship of Faith in McHenry, IL. Dave takes live-on-the-spot-text-in questions from his iPad. Crazy but fun!

Marriage in heaven? Sex in heaven? Hmmm.... Ever wonder if God screws up and feels bad about it? Or when Jesus realized he was God? If so, you’re not alone! All this and more on this week's episode of Questions You Never Thought You Could Ask in Church!

We’re taking a holiday break, but here’s a short Christmas Quickfire to hold you over until we return. Have a holy Jolly Christmas and enjoy!

Why don’t most churches celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ? After all, it is part of the church calendar and the traditional Christmas story. It’s true. For reals.

News Flash… Jesus wasn’t born on Christmas! No seriously, he wasn’t. In this special Christmas episode we discuss the season before Christmas called Advent. What is it, and why is it important? We also hit a bit of church history, how and why Christmas is celebrated when it is, who the Wise men really were, and where the heck is “Orient R?”

Note: There is a big difference between yokes and yolks. Are you weary and burdened this holiday season? Come and find some rest! Well, not with us, with Jesus. He likes his yolks over-easy and light. Okay, slight misinterpretation. We unpack all of this a bit this week, but please understand that this episode is quite comfy and cosy as well.

What do Liam Neeson, faith healing, hyperbole, lobotomies, BB guns, and false hope all have in common? Well, nothing really. But they do all make an appearance in this week’s episode. Oh yeah, Mark goes to Narnia and Dave gets pummeled with yet another Old Testament Quickfire.

What do we eat when death is no more? Are we the idols of God? Why should I go to church? These are just a few of the issues addressed in this week’s episode! We’ll take a journey into meta-cognition, the character attributes of God, and what it means to not worry and a whole lot more!

What is it about Thanksgiving dinner that makes us all a little goofy? Sure, there’s the ubiquitous turkey with all the fixings, but some people fancy Goat Cheese while others prefer Head Cheese. (C'mon, really? Head Cheese?!?!) Yeah, we know that makes no real sense at this point, so you’ll just have to listen. It’s quite important. Oh yeah, Dave answers some questions too.

If we’re all descendants of Adam and Eve, why are there different races?  Who are the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation? And who the heck answers Dave’s questions? This week we hit another great set of listener submitted questions as we discuss salvation, science, Darwin’s finches and sparkly-blue butt bread. Yep, that’s not a typo.

Why did Paul say women shouldn’t speak in church? How do we know when God answers prayer? Why are there so many different bible translations? If this isn’t enough we also have Zombie Tacos, Superhero Jesus, Pot Gardens, and Jesus talks to trees, but not in english. We also learn that Mark wears MC Hammer pants and Dave wants a leisure suit. Who knew?

In this week’s episode, we go deep into the history of the three great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Dave gives us a detailed timeline of their common roots and when, how and why they divided along the way. What happened in 135 and 611 A.D.? Who were the Samaritans? All this and more as Dave partakes in another belligerent quickfire round and Mark talks about his number two.

Dave attempts to recite the chemical name for Tryptophan Synthase as we hit some killer questions about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jehovah’s Witnesses and being born in the spirit. More great questions abound regarding cheap grace, and living with your significant other before marriage as Mark gives practical advice on what to say to the boy who wants to date your daughter.

Are some bible stories symbolic? Why are we blind to our own sin? How do we know when God is speaking to us? All this and more as Mark encourages kids not to study, Dave teaches us some wicked cool Hebrew, doesn’t actually say “butt flow” and can’t bring himself to drink Cocoa Puff milk. Also worth mentioning is Dave’s first Quickfire round and Molly McButter. Yep, it happened.

What would it be like to be Jesus’ brother? Dave's most embarrassing moment as a Pastor? What about the existence of other celestial beings? All this and more as Dave revisits the topic of henotheism from Episode 3, and unpacks the question of other religious gods in far greater detail. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that Dave has a sexy radio voice and that sometimes Mark forgets to wear pants.

In this special episode, Mark and Dave have an open and honest conversation on a topic that is very personal to them both. Suicide. Is it a sin? Can God love someone who has taken their own life? How do I deal with my own darkness, or help someone who is suffering in theirs? What do I do with the shame and guilt after losing someone I love to suicide? All of this and more is discussed during this very special episode, and we hope that it will strengthen and encourage you in whatever you or a loved one may be facing.

Why does God let bad things happen? In this canine episode, we address the question of theodicy, learn how to change God’s mind, and take a walk down church history lane with an interesting discussion on Martin Luther and the Reformation. Mark also declares his love for Muppet stuff as Dave offers to sing him a lullaby.

Once again, Mark Chaffee pummels Pastor David Gaddini with listener submitted questions he hasn't heard beforehand. This week: The unforgivable sin, getting rid of Satan, divine inspiration, the Christian creeds, and more! And if that isn't enough, Dave warns us about the dangers of hot dog sauce, and Mark experiences verbal diarrhea, a moment of brilliance, and apologizes way too much. Oh yeah - if you're a fan of The Princess Bride, we obviously need some help...

In this episode, Dave shares his favorite bible verse, makes children cry, and admits his affinities for the DC Universe and flannel graphs. There’s also fire-breathing hippos, and we learn that Mark doesn’t think there is anything funny about cutting off the tip of... well, let's just say we have a lengthy discussion on circumcision.

We are starting to get a feel for this whole podcasting thing! Not only do we hit some great questions this week, but we get to hear how Dave played bible roulette when choosing his wife, that if you're going to sin, then sin boldly, and that God forgives everyone but Mark. Oh yeah, and apparently the toilet is clogged again...

Another test episode posted for your listening pleasure! Some interesting questions this week as we spend a little time previewing a potential theme song, learn about the algorithm of the traveling salesman, and that Dave does not in fact have a squeaky butt.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Questions You Never Thought You Could Ask in Church! This first episode was a test run, but we thought we'd go ahead and post it anyway - in all it's raw and messy glory. We may post a few more like this to get the ball rolling so you can laugh at us as we are getting our feet wet!