Thinking Theologically

A casual reader of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke notices that the stories they tell are quite similar. However, the connection goes deeper as there are entire sections that agree word for word in Greek. In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Mark Goodacre of Duke University about why the Gospels are so similar, the Synoptic Problem, Q, and other questions related to the Gospels.Find additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

The Gospel of John is typically thought to have been written by John the Apostle, but is this the case? Who is the Beloved Disciple in the story? Did the Beloved Disciple write the Gospel or just tell the stories that became the Gospel of John?Check out our additional content, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

Was the author of Luke-Acts a traveling companion of Paul? Is there any connection between Luke-Acts and Paul's letters? What do we know about the author? Check out our additional content, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

In John, Jesus's resurrection is the means by which God brings about new creation. Find our additional content at our website, thinkingtheologically.org.

Luke's version of Jesus's resurrection invites all humanity to take part in a journey with Jesus on the road to redemption. Find our additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org.

Matthew's Gospel presents Jesus's resurrection as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy because Jesus is Israel's Messiah. Find our additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus's resurrection is connected to his identity as the suffering Messiah and the importance of discipleship. Check out our additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org

The authorship of Mattew's Gospel raises a few interesting questions. Who was Matthew the disciple? In what language was the Gospel originally written? What is the likelihood that Matthew actually wrote it? Check out our additional content, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

Were the Gospels originally anonymous? Where do we get the name Mark from? What internal evidence in the Gospel might suggest an author?Find additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

How are we to understand God passing the animals before Adam in Genesis 2:19–20?Find the written article and additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org

The best and easiest way to study and interpret the Bible, especially the problematic passages most of us don't know what to do with, is by seeing it as the story of God. Check out all of our content on our website, thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

Our world/culture is shifting. This is nothing new; it is inevitably a part of the nature of culture. So, as the people of God have always been forced to do, we must figure out what it means to be God's people in our new and shifting world. In this conversation, Dr. Grady King talks about what church leadership looks like in these shifting times.Find additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org Music:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

Currently, it seems that our country and even many Christians are struggling to figure out how to love their neighbor. What does it look like to love the poor or the immigrant? Who is my neighbor? Is there a hierarchy of love determining whom I am to love first?Find additional content on our website,thinkingtheologically.orgMusic:"Kid Kodi"Blue Dot Sessionswww.sessions.blue

In this conversation, we discuss Dr. Walton's influential book, "The Lost World of Genesis One." In the book, he argues that Genesis 1, read in its Ancient Near Eastern Context, is not about material origins (how did everyone come to exist from nothing?) but functional origins. Genesis 1 is the story of God's ordering of creation as his temple where, on the seventh day, God comes to rest. Check out all of our content at thinkingtheologically.org Also, check out Dr. Walton's updated edition of the book, "New Exploration in the Lost World of Genesis" coming out April 15.

What does Paul mean when he tells the Corinthians that they are to "discern the body" before taking the Lord's Supper or risk taking it in an "unworthy manner?" Find the article on our website, thinkingtheologically.org. Also, check out our YouTube Channel

Apocalypticism was the worldview of Jesus, the New Testament authors, and the first Christians, which gave rise to the stories and language used to tell the story of Jesus.

Jesus came to earth as "the way" to the fullness of life in relationship with God. Check out the article and the rest of our content on our website thinkingtheologically.org

If the Lord's Supper was originally open to non-believers, as seems to be suggested in Luke's Gospel and perhaps in Paul's letters, then how did it shift to a closed communion by the time of the second century? Read the article and check out our additional content at thinkingtheologically.org

God coming to dwell with us in Jesus means that God suffers with us. Check out the article and additional content on our website, thinkingtheologically.org.

Asas we celebrate the Christmas season and consider the birth and incarnation of Jesus, let's remember that Jesus's birth was the birth of God's Word. Jesus is the ultimate speech-act of God that reveals God's identity, desires, and ultimately, through which God causes amazing things to happen. “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” (The Message).

If the church wants to keep from becoming spiritually stagnant, it must utilize the insights provided by biblical scholars. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

At the end of the day, followers of Jesus should approach and engage in politics in a way that loves God and loves their neighbor above themselves. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

What are the implications of a pollitical theology that takes a bottom-up appraoch and strives to simply live as the church in the power of the Spirit? Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

What happens when our battle against the principalities and powers moves to the political arena and becomes a part of partisan politics? Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we introduce our series on developing a theology of how followers of Jesus should think about and engage politics. Check out the entire series, as well as additional content, on our website, thinkingtheologically.org. #christianscholar #podcast #theology #politics #jesus #bible #church Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

Baptism and the Bible aid the Christian in our spiritual battle against the forces of evil. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we discuss Spencer's new book, "Cultivating Culture: Creating Spirit-Powered Churches for the Future." We discuss why church culture is so important and how churches can cast a vision incorporating the past, present, and future. Find the book on Amazon, our website, thinkingtheologically.org, or wherever else books are sold. 0:00 Introduction 6:34 About the Book 15:30 Who is the Audience? 22:24 Why Church Culture is Important 37:37 A Culture with Vision (Visioning with the Past, Present, and Future) 53:49 Closing Thoughts #christianscholar #theology #podcast #bible #newtestament #paul #church #culture Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

The ministry of Jesus did not merely deal with the problem of sin (Genesis 3), but it was also the defeat of the spiritual powers (Genesis 4–11) and the establishment of the kingdom of the heavens. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In the Old Testament, sacred spaces and places are connected to the divine. These themes appear again in the New Testament, particularly in Jesus' ministry. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we discuss how Yahweh God and his other spiritual beings interact with and intersect with the gods of other Ancient Near Eastern Religions. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we talk about the Nephilim and their role in the stories of Moses, Joshua, and David. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we address some recent criticisms around Spencer's "The Problem with the Bible's One Unified Voice" and talk at length about the importance of defining terms and speaking to one another. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

How do young women experience the church? What does the church's future look like? How can the church listen to and utilize women's voices? In this second conversation episode, we address these questions and many more. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

How important is the Tower of Babel to the greater biblical narrative? We discuss Genesis 11, its spiritual realm backing, and why it matters to us today in this episode. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

Spiritual beings are involved in mankind's fall from the very beginning. In this episode, we discuss the Fall of Genesis 3, the Flood of Genesis 6, and how spiritual beings were present in bringing about rebellion against God. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

Did you know that God has a spiritual council He converses with and even, sometimes, allows to make decisions? Jack and Spencer discuss Psalm 82 and God's Divine Council in this episode. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In our first every conversation, I speak with Jake Doberenz about his new book "AI in Church and Ministry: Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Faith Communities." We talk about the ethical and theological considers of AI, how ministers and churches and begin integrating AI, as well as some helpful resources. Introduction Personal introductions Describe/summarize the book (AI in Church Ministry: Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Faith Communities). (2:21)  What is it about? Who is the intended audience?  What is the main thing you want people to take away? Why is this topic important? (11:18) How important is it for churches to adapt to our ever changing world? Should Christian universities train ministers in the use of technology and AI? Will this be important in the future?  Define AI (17:45) Ethical/Theologically Considerations of AI What's the biggest danger of AI? (24:21) Risk for children/youth ministry (28:59) How should youth ministers be speaking to their kids about ethical use of AI?  The importance of human connection (emphasized heavily in the book) (36:38) What makes us human?  Balance between AI and gifted members  Balance between AI and the human touch  AI has the potential to change the work landscape of our society. How important is work? What are God's thoughts about work? (53:33) Ethical considerations for preaching (1:02:10) Plagiarism? Originality? Human/pastoral component  Ministry Usage  Your book lists three different areas that AI can assist churches.  Teaching Ministry Care and Community Administration What do you think is the biggest benefit AI can give to the church? (1:13:20) My personal experience with AI (Helpful for ministers in small church settings) (1:17:21) Church logo Cultivating culture logo Sermon illustration Sermon series title - Unleashed (Holy Spirit) Kahoot Discussion questions for youth class Discussion questions for small groups How can a minister get a congregation on board with AI? (1:28:43) Should every church be using AI?  How can AI be used in a cost-effective manner? (1:36:32) Small churches  Packed budgets What is the role of higher church leadership? (e.g., elders, lead minister) (1:41:41) Closing Remarks Top 3 AI resources for churches (1:47:03) Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

For many, the spiritual realm or "heavenlies" as Paul calls it in Ephesians 6 is an interesting, but unclear subject. On this episode, Jack and Spencer discuss, generally, what the spiritual is, and more specifically, why it's important to study it. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

For the ancient world, the apocalyptic genre was not particularly difficult to understand. This is not the case today. In this episode, Spencer and Jack discuss Revelation, the genre of Apocalyptic literature, and how to interpret signs and symbols in Scripture. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, Spencer and Jack discuss the writings of Paul and a few key elements present in his writing style. thinkingtheologically.org Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, Spencer and Jack observe the differences within various narratives in the synoptic gospels, discuss why we shouldn't try to harmonize them, and offer a better way of reading through them. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, Spencer and Jack discuss the differences in the synoptic gospels, explain why they might be there, and discuss how to interpret the gospels as literature. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we discuss how to interpret Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, Spencer and Jack discuss what to look out for when interpreting the Old Testament. You can find the show notes on ThinkingTheologically.org Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

On this episode, we conclude our discussion on the Lords Supper by making an appeal for a table that's open to all. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we talk about the phrase "do this in remembrance of me" and talk about exactly what kind of things we are to remember when taking the Lord's Supper. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In Luke's gospel, Jesus is constantly interacting with those the text refers to as "tax collectors and sinners". Many of those times, Jesus is seated at a table, eating with them. In this episode, Spencer and Jack look at the institution of the Lords Supper in Luke's gospel narrative and connect the theme of Jesus eating with sinners to Jesus' eating with Judas. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

Luke's gospel places the discussion between the apostles about "who is the greatest?" right after the Lord's Supper implementation. Why here, and what does this mean for us today? We discuss in this episode. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

In this episode, we discuss the atoning language that accompanies communion, and chase a few theological rabbits while we're at it! Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

How does the table we sit around now in our worship compare to the table scene that awaits us in the end? We discuss eschatology and the Lords Supper in this episode. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

The Lord's Supper was not a random happenstance meal, but one that was built on the foundation of the Passover meal of Israel. When we understand the importance and significance of the Passover meal, we come to a better understanding of the wine and bread at the table of Jesus. Music: "Kid Kodi" Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue