Vision For Life

Resources mentioned in this episode:Pocket History of The Church by D. Jeffrey BinghamThe Reformation as Renewal by Matthew Barrett

Resources mentioned in this episode:Priests of History by Sarah Irving-StonebrakerInstitutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

Resources mentioned in this episode:Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistoric Age by Sarah Irving-StonebrakerThe Holy Spirit and Christian Experience by Simeon ZahlKing: A Life by Jonathan EigSimply Christian by N. T. WrightThe Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

Resources mentioned in this episode:The End of Children by Gideon Lewis-KrausModernity's Self-Destruct Button by Louise Perry

Mentioned in this episode:Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right and Wrong by Steve WilkensThe Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims by Rebecca McLaughlin

Resources mentioned in this episode:Battered by Moses? Why We Still Need to Preach the Law by Jared KennedyWestminster Confession of Faith

Resources mentioned in this episode:The Prayer Course

Resources mentioned in this episode:Colorado's 2024 vote: A slight red shift in a still predominantly blue state by Ernest Luning and Evan Wyloge

Resources mentioned in this episode:Taylor Swift's Sexual Revolution by Patricia Snow

In certain corners of Western Civilization, being male is itself considered toxic. Nancy Pearcey addresses this perspective on masculinity in The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Pearcey takes a broad view of societal trends, carefully examines Scripture, and provides a constructive way forward for the church.Autumn and Hunter highlight portions of Pearcey's argument and use her paradigm of the “good man” vs. the “real man” to answer a listener's question.Resources mentioned in this episode:The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy R. Pearcey

In the wake of the recent election, journalists, sociologists, political party leaders, and all of us are looking at the voting data, examining what ballot initiatives passed and where, and asking, “What does this data tell us about the people and culture in our country?” Autumn and Hunter discuss four themes that emerged from the election trends. 1) Legacy Media vs. Alternative Media 2) The Broad “Trump Voting Coalition” 3) The Abortion Issue, and 4) The Return to Political Norms.Resources mentioned in this episode:Financial Times: U.S. Election Results 2024No, the Problem Isn't the Voters by Bari Weiss and Oliver WisemanThe Doug Election and America After the Great Dechurching by Jake MeadorHow Trump Won, Again by Nate CohnAbortion Rights Ballot Measures Succeed in 7 of 10 States by Kate ZernikeColorado Voters Move to Put Existing Abortion Laws Into State Constitution by Bente BirkelandSee the Voting Groups That Swung to the Right in the 2024 Vote Vote by Zach Levitt, Keith Collins, Robert Gebeloff, Malika Khurana, Marco HernandezContextualizing the 2024 Election: It's the (Knowledge) Economy, Stupid by Musa al-Gharbi

Resources mentioned in this episode:Walking Through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling by Matthew ArboResurrection and Moral Order: An Outline for Evangelical Ethics by Oliver O'Donovan

Resources mentioned in this episode:How Gospel-Centrality Prioritizes Long-Term Fruit in Youth Ministry by Michael Goldstein

Description: It's election season! Perhaps you've weighed the factors and decided how to vote. Maybe you predict staring at your ballot and praying for a cloud to go before you. Either way, the current political climate may have left you weary and confused, feeling the hope and the awkwardness of our Christian allegiance to a kingdom not of this world — or all of the above. Clark Nunnelly and Hunter Beaumont, two of the Pastors at Fellowship, join Autumn to discuss how to think and act like a Christian as we engage in American politics.Resources mentioned in this episode:How Do Christians Fit Into the Two-Party System? They Don't by Tim KellerThe Last Green Valley by Mark SullivanThe Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940 by William ManchesterThe Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

This fall, the pastors at Fellowship Denver led our church family through six sermons examining what we want to do (our mission), who we want to be (our values), and what we long to see God do (our vision). Jesus defined the mission of his church in Matthew 28 in a statement often called “the great commission.” Our way of restating our public mission, as given to us by Jesus, is “We help people discover and follow the original Jesus.” In today's episode, Hunter and Autumn reflect on the recent sermon series, Fellowship Denver's mission, and the bridge graphic we use to explain the locus of the church between the kingdom of God and the world. The bridge graphic displays six pillars:1. Contend & Contextualize2. Doctrine & Life3. Scripture & Orthodoxy4. Words & Deeds5. Transformation & Grace6. Personal Faith & Church

“What is the greatest threat to the church of Jesus Christ today?” Authors Rick Langer and Tim Muehlhoff answer, “quarreling.” Their book, Winsome Conviction, helps Christians disagree well. In today's polarized context, Christians often have committed, biblical rationales for very different positions. How do we discern between core biblical convictions and secondary issues? How do we cultivate better understanding and compassion for those we disagree with? Rick joins Dave and Autumn to discuss the book and provide insight into examining, communicating, and discussing our convictions.Resources mentioned in this episode:Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church by Richard LangerJim Bridger: Trailblazer of the American West by Jerry EnzlerJesus and the Powers by N. T. Wright and Michael BirdFlannery O'Connor: Collected Works by Flannery O'Connor

Brandon Washington, Pastor at Embassy Christian Bible Church and author of A Burning House, joins Autumn and Hunter on the podcast to discuss his recent book. In A Burning House, Washington contends that American Evangelicalism is a house ablaze: burning by its own hand due to an “in-house schism.” The stain of segregation has long tarnished the witness of Christianity and hampered our progress toward a Christ-like vision of Shalom—peace, justice, and wholeness—in the world. Common doctrine may unite black and white evangelicals. However, rifts such as social ethics and cultural influences still separate us, and we are in danger of embracing a truncated or partial gospel.Resources mentioned in this episode:

Jen Oshman joins Hunter and Autumn on the podcast today to discuss her book Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More. In today's culture, women and girls are influenced by idols that promise purpose and meaning for their lives―outward beauty and ability, sex, abortion, and gender fluidity. Within the church, women may elevate good things like marriage and motherhood to the status of idolatry. Ultimately, these idols are hollow and leave women feeling unsettled, but where should they turn instead?In Cultural Counterfeits, Jen encourages women to reject these idols' empty, destructive promises and embrace real hope and peace in Jesus, calling them to recognize their unshakable and eternal identities in him.Resources mentioned in this episode:Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More by Jen OshmanIt's Good to be a Girl by Jen and Zoe OshmanKing: A Life by Jonathan EigVirgil Wander by Leif EngerHow to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David BrooksThe Rise of Christianity by Rodney StarkDominion by Tom HollandThe Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry

Autumn and Dave sit down with Dr. Craig Blomberg, Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Denver Seminary and author of over 30 books, to discuss his recent award-winning academic work, Jesus the Purifier: John's Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus. What, as an academic field, is the study of the “historical Jesus?” Why has John's gospel been neglected or assumed to be somewhat irrelevant within this body of work? Dr. Blomberg answers these questions and discusses the emerging consensus regarding demonstrably historical portions of John. He describes the emphasis in Jesus's ministry on purity and purification that John captures. What is a practical application of this emphasis for the contemporary church?Resources mentioned in this episode:Jesus the Purifier: John's Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus by Craig Blomberg

Resources mentioned in this episode:Women, Work, and Calling by Joanna MeyerHalf the Church by Carolyn Custis JamesDenver Institute for Faith and WorkWomen, Work, and Calling

The Vision for Life Podcast turns 4 today! We released our first episode on September 4, 2020, and are kicking off season 4 with Episode 176 on September 4, 2024. We hope Vision for Life has encouraged good, thoughtful conversation about how the gospel impacts and beautifies all of life.Today, Hunter and Autumn ask “What does it look like to live as citizens of this world now in anticipation of the kingdom to come?” Let's grow together in our vision for a life lived as followers of Jesus in the modern world.

Hunter Beaumont, Lead Pastor of Fellowship Denver, and Rich Dugan, Lead Pastor of Fellowship Denver's North Metro Congregation, join Autumn on the podcast to discuss the state of the Church in America and the unique experience of pastoring in Denver. They also explore the upcoming season of mission and ministry and their heartfelt commitment to the family of God they've been called to lead.Resources mentioned in this episode:Tim Keller on the Decline and Renewal of the American Church

Resources mentioned in this episode:Here's the No. 1 thing that makes relationships successful, say psychologists who studied 40,000 couples by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz GottmanThe Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert by Dr. John Gottman

Originally released March 3, 2021The doctrine of the authority of Scripture states that God's word stands above all earthly powers. Within God's governmental structure, God - the Living Word and the Written Word - hold positional authority. We are created, not Creator. We are stewards, not owners. Because many of us have experienced "authority" as a way to leverage power or to obtain a desired outcome, we may balk at the notion of the authority of Scripture.Yet acknowledgement of the authority of the Word of a God who gave his own Son on our behalf is not submission to a power-hungry deity, but to a Father who inverts the very idea of authority. He gives grace and agency to the humble. He elevates and protects the meek and powerless. Submission to such a Father grounds us and allows us to share in his abundant life, a life animated by his Word and illumined by his Spirit.

Originally released June 28th, 2023Resources mentioned in this episode:"The Moral Case Against Equity Language" by George Packer

Resources mentioned in this episode:This America: The Case for the Nation by Jill LeporeThe Triumph of the Therapeutic by Philip RieffThe Free Press

Resources mentioned in this episode:Habits of the Heart by Robert Bellah

Resources mentioned in this episode:This America: The Case for the Nation by Jill Lepore“Why This is a Mission of the Church Conversation” in Church Matters by Jonathan LeemanCity of God by St. Augustine

When we talk about “politics,” we usually mean elections and debates about public issues involving our government and “politicians.” But we can't think well about governmental politics unless we understand “politics” in a bigger way, as an aspect of our inter-relational existence created by God.Hunter and Autumn discuss two paradigms to get at this bigger meaning of politics. The first paradigm utilizes the biblical movements of creation, fall, and redemption to elucidate the intention, complication, and redeemed modality of politics. The second paradigm relies on the biblical terms shalom, justice, and righteousness to inquire how a redeemed body politick, the Church, can pursue wholeness as the purpose of “politics.”

What is the role or purpose of seminaries or institutions dedicated to theological training? Are seminaries sending out men and women who are rooted in scripture and able to withstand the shifting winds of culture without being tossed about (Eph 4:14). What does “rootedness” look like?The President of Denver Seminary, Dr. Mark Young, joins Dave and Autumn to discuss what unapologetic love coupled with distinct theology looks like in practice. Dr. Young lends insight into the current state of seminary training on the whole and why the hope of the gospel is the greatest need in theological education today.