Podcasts about Larry Hurtado

On todays show Texas Jim leads the Bible Bunch on a talk about Christology, focusing on early Christian practices and their implications. Jim highlighted the significance of baptism into Jesus' name, emphasizing its unprecedented status in Jewish Christianity. The conversation explored the relationship between Jesus and God, referencing Larry Hurtado's work and the inclusion of the Holy Spirit in early Christian worship. The debate included perspectives on Unitarianism, Trinitarianism, and the historical context of messianic expectations. The group also discussed the role of the Holy Spirit in restraining evil and the covenantal nature of baptism, suggesting it universalized circumcision. The discussion delves into Christology, focusing on the psychological and sociological implications of Jesus' teachings contradicting traditional Jewish practices. Speaker 4 argues that Jesus' resurrection should have validated his claims, and Paul's message to the Greeks emphasizes that the gospel provides a clear path to God, contrasting with the "fuzzy lens" of pre-gospel beliefs. The conversation also touches on the theological implications of ignorance and the role of the gospel in clarifying religious choices. The segment concludes with a sponsor's promotional message and a brief acknowledgment of participants. Don't Miss it!

What made the early church so compelling? What were the practical ethics of early Christian practice? What would it look like to restore our radical witness?The lecture today is titled "Ethics, Human Dignity, and Christian Orthodoxy." Originally given at the Remission Connect Conference at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ (Little Rock, AR) on February 10, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under LEARN: Introduction to Theology.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):The "more beautiful song" illustration (connecting Homer and Orpheus) comes from Martin Luther King's 1964 Nobel Lecture."We need a good story": David Martin, Christian Language in the Secular City (2002).Nathan Guy, "Jesus Made Your Moral World," TGC 2024.A summary of Keller's speech at the Gospel & Our Cities Conference can be found here. See also Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods.Nathan Guy, "The New Christian Era," Christianity Today 2024.Louise Perry, The Case Against The Sexual Revolution.Brad East, "COC-Catholic, not Evangelical."Allen Gardiner illustration can be found here.Song, "I Raise A Hallelujah" (Bethel Music).I'd love to connect with you!Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

This video discusses the ancient text, "The Ascension of Isaiah", and early Christian cosmology, Christology, theology and philosopher. I ask the question "Can we still ascend to heaven?". I mention the Ascension of Isaiah, The Book of Enoch, The Shepherd of Hermas, Protoevangelium of James, King Hezekiah, Jim Morrison, Oliver Stone, Andy Warhol, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Toll Houses, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jonathan Pageau (  @JonathanPageau  ), Elon Musk, The Apostle Paul, the Book of Revelation, John The Baptist, Jesus Christ, Satan, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, James, Adam, Abel, Seth, King David, Moses, The Apostle Peter, Claudius Ptolemy, Numenius of Apamea, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, and Eusebius of Caesarea, Arthur F. Holmes, Middle Platonism, Neoplatonism, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras of Athens, Ignatius of Antioch, Hermes Trismegestus, Jacob Faturechi (  @faturechi  ), Fr. Stephen DeYoung, Fr. Andrew Damick, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Thomas Aquinas, Larry Hurtado, Ma Knibb, Detleft Muller, Loren Stuckenbruck, Gavin Ortlund (  @TruthUnites  ), Beau Branson, David Bentley Hart, Clement of Rome, John Vervaeke (  @johnvervaeke  ), Paul Vanderklay (  @PaulVanderKlay  ), Jordan Peterson (  @JordanBPeterson  ), Copernicus, CS Lewis, Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, and more. Arthur Holmes on Middle Platonism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sic5OdUIkgk Lord of Spirits on AoI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXJ1LCnHQE&t=4329s Development of Christology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQt_QO4ASAQ&t=3621s David Bentley Hart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcu9e_1wAKU&t=1210s John Vervaeke on Neoplatonism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ZpIN85gBQ&t=3959s

Dr. Chad McIntosh has a PhD in Philosophy from Cornell University. He is the editor of the recent "One God, Three Persons, Four Views" book featuring four different scholars' view on the Trinity. The contributors are Dr. William Hasker, Dr. Dale Tuggy, Dr. William Lane Craig, and Dr. Beau Branson. We talk about the process of editing the book as well as some of his reflections on the book now that it is done. We mention James Anderson, Phillip Carey, Ryan Mullins, Scott Williams, Henry of Ghent, Brian Leftow, Larry Hurtado, Origen of Alexandria, Paul of Samosata, Richard of St Victor, Joshua Sijuwade, and many more.

This video is a respond to Gavin Ortlund (  @TruthUnites  ) regarding his recent video about the Trinity being Apostolic and therefore not an accretion. I mention Paul Vanderklay (  @PaulVanderKlay  ), Dr. Jordan B Cooper (  @DrJordanBCooper  ), Remnant Radio (  @TheRemnantRadio  ), Justin Martyr, Athanasius of Alexandria, Tertullian of Carthage, Origen of Alexandria, John Vervaeke (  @johnvervaeke  ), Jonathan Pageau (  @JonathanPageau  ), Jordan Peterson (  @JordanBPeterson  ), Constantine the Great, Jacob Faturechi (  @faturechi  ), Rabbi Tovia Singer (  @ToviaSinger1  ), Trent Horn (  @TheCounselofTrent  ), Plato, Aristotle, Bethel McGrew, Tripp Parker, Megan Basham, Shepherds for Sale, Austin Suggs (  @GospelSimplicity  ), Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, Francis Watson, Beau Branson, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Dale Tuggy, James White, Arius of Alexandria, RPC Hanson, Alexander of Alexandria, Hilary of Poitiers, Augustine of Hippo, John Calvin, Eusebius of Caesarea, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, James Dunn, and many more. Gavin's original video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYIBb5SDybg&t=2706s Gavin and PVK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMgeekKddfY&t=159s Sam on Trent Horn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaoH4sjp58c&t=25s Sam, Bethel, Tripp on Megan Basham - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K85U9l_bfSw&t=1980s Gavin on Gospel Simplicity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1xpxyzq92g&t=3488s Jesus and the Divine Name - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJ3GGI8Ie8 Development of Christology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQt_QO4ASAQ&t=3641s Tertullian's Christology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB4fja4GQsU&t=930s Did the Early Christians Worship Jesus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsKU9YRS8KI&t=2473s Theological Triage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWkYm3hSPEw&t=1750s

In this episode I talk with Dr. Chris Bruno about a brand-new book he co-wrote called The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul, which is out now on IVP Academic. This book argues that Paul did believe that Jesus was divine and that this high Christology develops in the earliest years of the church. Bruno reviews the work of four influential scholars, Richard Bauckham, Larry Hurtado, Chris Tilling, and N.T. Wright, who have each developed models for understanding Paul's divine Christology. We then explore the most important Christological texts in Paul, including 1 Corinthians 8:6, Philippians 2:5-11, and Colossians 1:15-20, and Bruno explains how each of them demonstrate that Paul believed that Jesus was God.  Media Referenced:The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul: https://a.co/d/5vGW9tABook Information: https://www.ivpress.com/the-divine-christology-of-the-apostle-paulDr. Chris Bruno BIO: https://www.ivpress.com/chris-brunoOahu Theological Seminary: https://oahuseminary.org/  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

This is a presentation I gave at the 2022 Unitarian Christian Alliance Conference. The topic is on the biblical definition of worship, the meaning of the eucharist, whether or not early Christianity worshiped Jesus, and what that means for Christians today. I mention Larry Hurtado, Joshua Sijuwade, James Dunn, Thomas Aquinas, Richard Rubenstein, Sean Finnegan, Pliny the Elder, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and more. Unitarian Christian Alliance 2023: https://www.unitarianchristianalliance.org/ Personal Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJvcrgL79BY Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsKU9YRS8KI&t=7s

IntroAlkaline 88 water bottle - https://www.amazon.com/Alkaline88-Purified-Himalayan-Electrolytes-Perfectly/dp/B00K14R2NIOrcas sinking ships - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230626-why-are-orcas-suddenly-ramming-boats“Crabification” - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-animals-keep-evolving-into-crabs/Last EpisodeS3E6: https://www.hammer-quill.com/podcast/vocationwithdaniDani Treweek - https://www.danielletreweek.com/Dani's Book - https://www.ivpress.com/the-meaning-of-singlenessDrop bears - https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/drop-bear/ConversationDestroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado - https://www.christianbook.com/destroyer-early-christian-distinctiveness-roman-world/larry-hurtado/9781481304740/pd/304740?utm_source=google&kw=21440761692&mt=&dv=c&event=PPCSRC&p=1186432&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnrmlBhDHARIsADJ5b_kyuUS3H7L8WgIdA8qE2kRXeo-qFl4eaAI3AxeFrnhCslWk7LVdp5waAlqCEALw_wcBThe Three Worlds of Evangelicalism by Aaron Renn - https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/02/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism

Dr. Michael Bird is Academic Dean and lecturer at Ridley College and an Anglican Priest. He is the author of multiple books and a well know research in early christianity and the New Testament. We talk about his new book "Jesus Among the gods". We also mention Troels Engberg-Pederson, Bart Ehrman, Andrew Perriman, Richard Bauckham, NT Wright, Larry Hurtado, Jeremiah Coogan, David Litwa, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Philo of Alexandria, Plato, Tertullian, Ignatius of Antioch, John Calvin, Marcellus of Ancyra, Athanasius of Alexandria, Paul of Samosata, Theodotus of Byzantium, and many more. Dr. Bird's book "Jesus Among the gods": https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-among-gods-Christology-Greco-Roman/dp/1481316753 Dr. Bird's twitter: https://twitter.com/mbird12 Dr. Bird's substack: https://michaelfbird.substack.com/ Dr. Bird's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC21I7qYVHPsOzL9ujxiRWZA

When we are at our worst, it is often because something has deeply hurt us. Hurt people hurt people. But what if the opposite is also true? What if loved people love people? This is the point the apostle Paul is trying to make in Ephesians 5. Paul knows we will never love each other, our neighbors as ourselves, until we know how loved we are. He calls the church, those who follow Jesus, beloved children of God. For those of you who have children in your lives, you know the look on a child's face when they know they are loved. There is a delight, an ease when a person feels like someone takes a genuine interest in them. A safety that you are in the love and care of someone else. Loved people love people. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4897058422.10.23

En la primera parte (0- 14:05) Pablo era un ferviente fariseo antes de convertirse en seguidor de Jesús. Tim dice que ese "celo" que Pablo mostraba como fariseo es un hipervínculo a una historia del Antiguo Testamento en Números 25 donde el sacerdote Finees mostró "celo" por preservar la ley judía. Jon dice que el celo o fervor es una emoción curiosa que es complicada de entender en los movimientos religiosos. Tim dice que Pablo nunca perdió su celo; simplemente lo redirigió cuando se convirtió a Jesús. En la segunda parte (14:05-26:10) Jon y Tim hablan de Hechos 13 y los viajes misioneros. Tim explica que hubo más viajes misioneros que los que se mencionan en el libro de Hechos. Hace referencia a un libro llamado "The Lost History of Christianity" (La historia perdida del cristianismo) de Philip Jenkins. Con respecto a los viajes misioneros de Pablo, Tim cuenta que Pablo cerró la brecha entre judíos y gentiles; Lucas lo cuenta con historias cortas sobre conversos como Lidia, la gentil comerciante de púrpura, Timoteo, hijo de madre judía y padre griego, el carcelero de Filipos, de carácter tosco y fuerte, y Dionisio Areopagita, un antiguo intelectual aristócrata. Lucas quiere retratar a Pablo como una persona que llega a un grupo diverso de personas con el mensaje de Jesús. En la tercera parte (26:10-37:26) Jon y Tim hablan sobre la controversia de la circuncisión retratada en Hechos 15. ¿Se les debe exigir a los gentiles convertidos al cristianismo que cumplan las costumbres tradicionales judías? Esa es una de las preguntas fundamentales que forman la base de todo el Nuevo Testamento, pero hoy en día se pasa por alto, porque la mayor parte de los cristianos no son judíos. Tim dice que los discípulos determinaron qué hacer utilizando un pasaje del Antiguo Testamento del profeta Amós, que se encuentra en Amós 9:11-15. En la cuarta parte (37:26-54:19) Tim y Jon hablan de cómo era la antigua Roma y por qué el cristianismo era considerado una amenaza para el Imperio romano. La economía romana estaba compuesta en gran parte por siervos y esclavos. La religión romana era politeísta. Tim cita a los estudiosos Kavin Rowe y Larry Hurtado, que plantean que los cristianos representaban una amenaza económica y religiosa para la sociedad romana. ¿Por qué? Porque se negaban a participar en el culto comunal a los dioses romanos o en la economía construida sobre un nacionalismo violento. Tim dice que eso es evidente en las historias que comparte Lucas, como la del platero Demetrio en Hechos 19. Él ve al cristianismo como una amenaza para todo el sistema religioso y económico mundial e incita una revuelta en Éfeso contra Pablo. En la sexta parte (54:19-60:20) Tim comparte algunas citas de NT Wright. Jon y Tim hablan de cómo la vida de los occidentales modernos se parecen a las vidas de los romanos. En nuestra cultura tendemos a adorar al sexo y el dinero pero sin la mitología que los rodea. Los occidentales modernos, ¿somos muy diferentes de nuestros históricos predecesores romanos? Quizás somos más parecidos de lo que creemos. En la séptima parte (60:20-70:51) Tim y Jon analizan Hechos 17. Dondequiera que se extendía el cristianismo, tendía a haber revueltas a medida que las comunidades locales sentían que los cristianos estaban perturbando su forma de vida. Tim dice que Lucas estaba retratando intencionalmente el movimiento de Jesús en curso de colisión con el mundo romano. Pablo y otros cristianos generaban perturbación dondequiera que fueran, pero predicaban el evangelio de paz. En la octava parte (70:51-final) Tim y Jon hacen una interesante observación histórica sobre el fundamento de la libertad religiosa y la separación entre iglesia y estado que proviene de los padres de la iglesia antigua, como Tertuliano, quienes abogaban por su derecho de adorar al Dios judío, pero servir a un emperador romano.¡Gracias a todos los que nos apoyan!Mostrar recursos:• The Lost History of Christianity (La historia perdida del cristianismo) de Philip Jenkins• World Upside-Down: Reading Acts in a Graeco-Roman Age (El mundo al revés: leer Hechos en una edad greco-romana) de Kavin Rowe• Destroyer of the Gods (Destructor de los dioses) de Larry Hurtado• Why on Earth Did Anyone Become a Christian in the First Three Centuries?(¿Por qué motivo alguien se convertiría al cristianismo en los primeros tres siglos?) por Larry Hurtado• Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Pablo y la fidelidad de Dios) de N.T. Wright Música:• Latin Music por Full Voice Studio (presentando a Braian Quevedo y Bernabé Torres)• Cello from Portland por Beautiful Eulogy• Acquired In Heaven por Beautiful Eulogy• Blessed Are the Merciful por Beautiful Eulogy• Day and Night por Aiguille• Mid Summer por Broke in Summer• Música de Tensión - Sin Copyright (Streaming)Producido por Full Voice Studio. Este podcast es una versión localizada del podcast de BibleProject, originalmente grabado por Jon Collins y Tim Mackie. Desarrollado y distribuido por Simplecast.

Larry Hurtado writes that "Jesus message is no easy pill to swallow and no mild word of spiritual uplift but a declaration of war upon the power of evil" so on this Palm Sunday are we taking up the spiritual battle of following Jesus or not? This is the salient point that Jesus makes in his parable of the sower and the four different types of soil. It ultimately comes down to the nature of our discipleship are we 'productive' or 'unproductive soil'? Is our seed of faith lost under the duress of life's challenges or do we persevere and produce an abundant harvest for the kingdom of God? [Entire Worship Service]

In this episode, we discuss preaching and neo-Calvinism. Many evangelicals turn to neo-Calvinism in search of resources for cultural life beyond the church, but overlook its significance in how we think about preaching. By its emphasis on the redemptive-historical reading of Scripture, neo-Calvinism connects us to an ancient way of reading and preaching from the Bible. Added to this, its deeply Augustinian anthropology helps us understand the people who hear our preaching. Together, these emphases offer resources for preachers as those who exegete the Bible and the human soul. Join us as we discuss how those ideas have shaped how we preach in our distinct cultural contexts: Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Jackson. Resources mentioned: James Eglinton (ed., tr.), Herman Bavinck on Preaching and Preachers (Hendrickson, 2017). Tim Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Scepticism (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015). Tim Keller, 'Preaching to the Heart,' TGC 15. J.H. Bavinck, 'De prediking als theologisch probleem,' Vox theologica (1957-58), 42-48. [Dutch] K. Schilder, Kerktaal en leven (Holland, 1923) [Dutch] https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/schi008kerk01_01/ A Noordtzij, The Old Testament Revelation and the Ancient Oriental Life (Bibliotheca Sacra 1913) Koert van Bekkum, From Conquest to Coexistence Ideology and Antiquarian Intent in the Historiography of Israel's Settlement in Canaan (Brill, 2011) Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World (Baylor University Press, 2015). Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton University Press, 2020)

Dr. James McGrath is a Professor of Religion at Bulter University. He is a widely respected expert on Early Christian History, Christology, and the New Testament. In this conversation we discuss the Gospel of John and it's Christology. We focus mostly on the contents of his book "John's Apologetic Christology". We mention James Dunn, NT Wright, Richard Bauckham, Larry Hurtado, The Mandaeans, Lydia McGrew, Justin Martyr, Arius of Alexandria, Fr Stephen DeYoung, Philo of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, The Book of Enoch, and more. John's Apologetic Christology: https://www.amazon.com/Johns-Apologetic-Christology-Legitimation-Development/dp/0521803489 Dr. McGrath's twitter: https://twitter.com/religionprof Dr. McGrath's blog: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionprof/ Dr. McGrath's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClOdSlk7Rb7XIYTgZKSH-Mw Dr. McGrath's works repository: https://works.bepress.com/jamesmcgrath/ Video of Mandaean Baptism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF_vKco3PHc

Series: Colossians: Supreme!Title: “How to walk in freedom in a world constantly entrapping you”Scripture: Colossians 2:16-23(Commentary helps listed at the end)Bottom line: Walk in freedom in Christ and avoid the dangerous ways of the world apart from Christ by remembering who you are and what Christ has done for you.If I was to yell at the top of my lungs, who would you say that I am? Dave Ramsey? Nope. I'd be Mel Gibson playing William Wallace in the movie Braveheart.FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM!!! -William Wallace, BraveheartToday we're answering the question, “How do I walk in freedom in a world trying to intrap me and contain me and control me?“Opening story:I was listening to the Knowing Faith podcast with Jen Wilkins, Kyle ?, and JT English. They were all asked what book of the Bible they find themselves re-reading a lot and why. JT, author of Deep Discipleship, answered Colossians. He said in effect, it addresses things we're going through today and gives us the answer to the philosophies of this world: the supremacy of Christ. A high Christology is the answer to the “isms” of this world.Would be good to share a story about being entrapped in something of this world like a cult like Mormonism, a conspiracy, false religion like Jehovah Witnesses, Christian nationalism, …Amazingly, when Epaphras visits Paul who then writes this letter about being free in Christ, Paul is physically in prison!Story of a little girl enslaved physically and spiritually that led to a Jailer and his family being freed spiritually. See Acts 16:16-38“Paul recognized that civic freedom did not always equate to authentic liberty.”“Perhaps this understanding of true freedom was most influenced by his experience in Macedonia with Silas (Acts 16:16-38). As they were spreading the gospel, they were harassed by a young girl who was enslaved in every way. Physically, she was a slave to her masters who were exploiting her for financial gain. Spiritually, she was possessed by a demonic spirit who had seized control of her life. By the power of Christ, Paul instantly freed her from both.As a result, Paul and Silas were flogged and imprisoned. The Scriptures vividly describe how they were heavily guarded, thrown into the most secure area of the jail, and their feet were shackled with chains. Yet none of these could restrain their hearts from worshiping. As they expressed their praise to God, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors opened, and their bonds were broken. While others may have fled and sought what they supposed was freedom, Paul and Silas continued to operate in the spiritual liberty they had never lost. Paul reassured the jailer that they had not escaped, and the guard responded with a request for true freedom, salvation in Christ.” -Pace, p. 70-71Paul and Silas, arrested and imprisoned in the most secure dungeon in Philippi, maintained their joyous freedom in Christ despite their outward circumstances. This was because of leading this twice-enslaved girl to freedom in Christ and led others to freedom in Christ as well.Outline: (based on Willmington)Paul WARNS 2 churches against 4 dangerous -ISMS or philosophies that rob us of our freedom in Christ.From railroad crossing signs to skull and crossbones on bottle of rubbing alcohol, we're surrounded by warnings.Children need to be taught to heed these warnings while adults need to be reminded that familiarity breeds contempt. -W WiersbePaul gives us 4 warnings against losing our freedom in Christ. (Based on Willmington's Outline)Gnosticism (8-10)Fiction (8): Gnostics diminish Christ to an angel.Facts (9-10): Christ incarnate was God in bodily form. Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh.Legalism (11-17) “Let no one judge you”Paul describes the LOVE of Christ (11-15)We've been CRUCIFIED and RAISED to new life with him (11-12).He has FORGIVEN our sins (13).He has “CANCELED the charge” against us “NAILING it to the cross” (14-15). Paul describes the LIBERTY in Christ (16-17). Because of this, believers should not criticize (aka judge) each other…In matters of diet (16a): Food or drink like alcohol, meat, pork, sugar, caffeine, etc.In matters of days (16b-17): Sabbaths, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Passover, the liturgical calendar, feasts, etc.Mysticism (18-19) “Let no one disqualify you”Fiction (18): Mysticism teaches that God can be KNOWN through 2 METHODS:Through worship of ANGELS (18a…in addition, myths abound….People DO NOT “get their wings” and become angels at death.Christ was NOT a super angel. HE CREATED angels!Through seeing of VISIONS (18b)Fact (19): One can only know God THROUGH CHRIST, who is the head of the body, the Church.Asceticism (20-23) “let no one enslave you”Fiction (21-22): Asceticism teaches that one can PURIFY the spirit by PUNISHING the body.Facts (20, 23): The spirit cannot be purified by PUNISHING the body. (23)The believer's body and spirit have been CRUCIFIED with Christ. (20)ConclusionBottom line: Walk in freedom in Christ and avoid the dangerous ways of the world apart from Christ by remembering who you are and what Christ has done for you.“Until I first read Colin Urquhart's book, In Christ Jesus, I had never realized how significant that little word “in” is in the New Testament. Understanding that, as a Christian, you are “in” Christ Jesus revolutionizes how you see yourself, your self image, your identity and how you understand your value to God.”“Take out a piece of paper, write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.” —Nicky GumbelPrayLord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32OtherPace Outline:Bottom line: “Through the power of the gospel and according to our identity in Christ, we have been delivered from the demands of religious performance and are free to live for his glory through loving obedience.”I. Our death in Christ releases us from the law. (16-23)A. We are free from the shackles of reputation. (16, 18)B. We are free from the bondage of religion. (16-19)C. We are free from the chains of regulations. (20-23)All of these admonitions hinge on the conditional clause in v. 20: “If you died with Christ…” The finished work of Christ+ Their corresponding participation in his death= Frees them from the related obligations of the false teachingHughes' outline:The Guarding of Your TreasureA warning against legalism. (16-17) “Do not let anyone judge you”A warning against mysticism. (18-19) “Let no one disqualify you”A warning against asceticism. (20-23) “Let no one enslave you”OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:“Several years ago Royal Robbins, a professional mountain climber, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated(March 6, 1978) that demonstrates the importance of seeing ourselves and life as we really are. He wrote:‘If we are keenly alert and aware of the rock and what we are doing in it, if we are honest with ourselves beyond what we know is safe, then we will climb safely. For climbing is an exercise in reality. He who sees it clearly is on safe ground, regardless of his experience or skill. But he who sees reality as he would like it to be, may have his illusions rudely stripped from his eyes when the ground comes up fast.'This reality is this: ‘In him (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,' and him we have been made full (2:9, 10). But we can lose the benefits of that fullness very easily. We can fall to legalism…” -Hughes, p. 292As I reflect on Tim Keller's summary of Larry Hurtado's main points in his book, I see a lot of wisdom to help me lead our church going forward.I learned about this article while having lunch with Neal McGlohon. He summarized the o5 points in a slightly different order . Neal shared it this way:1. The early church was multi-racial and experienced a unity across ethnic boundaries that was startling. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)3. The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)2. The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. (What both sides thinks it's doing when in fact what we see is fighting for power)4. It was a community committed to the sanctity of life. (Republican; conservative concerns)5. It was a sexual counterculture. (Republican; conservative concerns)MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott PacePreaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent HughesESV Global Study BibleBible in One Year by Nicky GumbelBible Knowledge CommentaryThe Outline Bible, WilmingtonPaul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright's commentary on Philippians and ColossiansGospel Transformation BibleNIV Study BibleThe Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe

Series: Colossians: Supreme!Title: “How to live out your faith with confidence”Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7, 11-15(Commentary helps listed at the end)Bottom line: Walk boldly in the wake of Christ's victory.Opening story:In Exodus three and four Moses encounters got at the burning bush. After God tells him that he wants him to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt into freedom and the promised land, Moses comes up with several excuses for why he thinks someone else should do it. And even though God tells him he will be with him and give him all kinds of reasons to obey, Moses ends up just saying please send someone else.If Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, the most humble man ever to walk the planet, struggles to walk confidently in his faith with God, then it stands to reason that we might struggle with the same thing.Today we will revisit the question that is implied in Colossians 2:6–7 how do we walk confidently with God. How do we walk with confidence in our faith with the Lord Jesus Christ? It's a good question.This question is understandable as well in the face of being uncertain of who do we believe, who do we believe in, and what do we believe about them? These things are addressed in Exodus three and four with Moses and the burning bush. And these things are addressed by Paul in Colossians 2.Transition: Paul states his concern (shared with Epaphras) in 2:4. He then calls them to resist and gives them reasons to resist along with the power to resist. Spoiler alert: It centers on Jesus Christ.Outline: (based on Pace)Bottom line: Walk boldly in the wake of Christ's victory.How do we walk out our faith in God with confidence? We do so by remembering and believing that:I. He circumcised our hearts. (2:11)II. He conquered over death. (2:12-13)III. He canceled our debt. (2:13-14)IV. He condemned the enemy. (2:15)V. He confirmed our victory. (2:15)And that he called us to identify with him in these things. That's a Purpose in baptism.ConclusionBottom line: Walk boldly in the wake of Christ's victory.How do we walk boldly in our faith of God?We remember who it is we believe in.We remember what he did and continue to walk in those things.PrayLord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32OtherPace Outline:Bottom line: We must define our identity in Christ so that our words, ways and works reflect who we are in Christ.I. He circumcised our hearts. (2:11)II. He conquered over death. (2:12-13)III. He canceled our debt. (2:13-14)IV. He condemned the enemy. (2:15)V. He confirmed our victory. (2:15)Hughes' outline:I. “In Christ”: His death, burial, and resurrection. (2:11-12)A. DeathB. BurialC. ResurrectionII. “In Christ”: Delivered from bondage. (2:13-15)W.W.II. Colossians 2:11–23 (WEONT): Beware of Religious Legalism (2:11–17)These false teachers had mixed oriental mysticism with Greek philosophy and Jewish legalism—what a mixture! But the flesh loves to be religious, so long as that religion does not have a cross to crucify the flesh. The Colossian believers were involved in Jewish legalism—rituals, diets, holidays, and so on. “You are going out of the sunlight into the shadows!” Paul cries (v. 17). “You are forsaking the reality (Christ's body) for the symbol!” Like the child who admires his father's photo while he ignores his father's presence, so these Christians had turned from the fullness of Christ to the ABCs (“elements”—2:8, 20) of the world.All that we need has been accomplished by Christ on the cross. The circumcision of v. 11 is not His physical circumcision as a child (Luke 2:21), but rather His death on the cross. Just as Christ's water baptism was a symbol of His baptism of suffering on the cross (Luke 12:50), so His circumcision as an infant prefigured His “putting off the body” when He took our sins on Calvary. “Your spiritual circumcision in Christ is far more wonderful than physical rituals!” Paul states. “Why replace Christ with Moses? Why have a physical cutting instead of a spiritual operation on your heart? Circumcision removes a fragment of the flesh from the body, but our identification with Christ puts off the whole fleshly nature.”All of this is made possible through our union with Christ, when the Spirit baptized us into His body. We died with Him, and we are risen with Him. The Old Covenant laws are now set aside; Satan has been completely defeated (v. 15); therefore enjoy the liberty you have in Christ. “Let no man judge you!” Paul urges (v. 16).OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:As I reflect on Tim Keller's summary of Larry Hurtado's main points in his book, I see a lot of wisdom to help me lead our church going forward.I learned about this article while having lunch with Neal McGlohon. He summarized the o5 points in a slightly different order . Neal shared it this way:1. The early church was multi-racial and experienced a unity across ethnic boundaries that was startling. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)3. The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)2. The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. (What both sides thinks it's doing when in fact what we see is fighting for power)4. It was a community committed to the sanctity of life. (Republican; conservative concerns)5. It was a sexual counterculture. (Republican; conservative concerns)MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott PacePreaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent HughesESV Global Study BibleBible in One Year by Nicky GumbelBible Knowledge CommentaryThe Outline Bible, WilmingtonPaul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright's commentary on Philippians and ColossiansGospel Transformation BibleNIV Study BibleThe Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren WiersbeBQ = Better Questions

Series: Colossians: Supreme!Title: “How to resist deceptive cults, religions, and philosophies of this world and why”Scripture: Colossians 2:8-10(Commentary helps listed at the end)Bottom line this week: Resist instead of settling for the deceptive philosophies of this world by embracing the fullness of Christ Jesus himself in you.Opening story:People are easy to fool. P. 255“That little incident is a good illustration of all the earth-born religions. People talk about having faith; they tell you to look in a direction there is absolutely nothing. (Like look inside yourself) Some poeple are so desperately in need of seeing something that they will look till they are almost blind, yet they never catch a glimpse of anything real.” -Donald BarnhouseMany of us have heard of family members, church members and friends who've left and followed a cult leader or false religion deceived by a charismatic leader or deceptive lies. It happens. If it wasn't seductive, it wouldn't happen. If it didn't sound credible, no one would fall for it. But it is. And they do.Philosophy = love of wisdom“Everything that had to do with theories about God, the world, and the meaning of human life was called philosophy, both in the pagan and Jewish schools of the day. Both Judaism and Christianity are philosophical because they make holistic claims about the nature of reality and set values to guide life.” -Hughes“What Paul was warning against was a dangerous philosophy made up of both elements of Judaism and Greek Gnosticism. Greek Gnosticism taught that a person must work his or her way up a long series of lesser gods, called emanations, before reaching the ultimate god. Here false Jewish teachers combined Hebrew rites and ascetic regulations with their philosophy as a better way to move up the spiritual ladder. It was all very mysterious, complicated, astrological, and snooty. But worst of all, it was very deadly because it mixed some of the truth of Hebrew religion with the delectably enticing mysteries of Eastern mysticism and Greek philosophy. This was presented as “something more” that would elevate the ignorant Colossian Christian's from their crude baby-faith to the truly deep things of God. Evidently some succumbed.” -HughesTransition: Paul states his concern (shared with Epaphras) in 2:4. He then calls them to resist and gives them reasons to resist along with the power to resist. Spoiler alert: It centers on Jesus Christ.Outline: (based on Hughes)I. Charged to Resist. (2:8)Paul's warning notes 4 characteristics of this dangerously seductive philosophy:It (the Gnostic philosophy) was deceptive. It sounded great but was “empty deceit.” (8)It was purported to come from ancient and primal “human tradition.” (8) ex. If someone jumps off a cliff will you jump too?It was demon controlled, depending on the “elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (8b)Human traditionsElemental — stars, planets i.e. astrology, horoscopes, ouiji boardsThis was happening then. This happens today.It is enslaving. “See to it that no one takes your captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.” (8) “Take you captive” means to carry off, as prisoners were led away by victorious armies. “Cultic teaching asserts a death-like group on its followers, and few come out of it. Paul is saying, stay away from false teaching if you value you life.” (Refer back to v. 4 and last week) -Hughes “How is it possible for one not to be sucked in by a philosophy that is subtly deceitful in its language, logically compelling within its system of reason, and enticingly moral? The only answer is the fullness of Christ.” -HughesII. Reasons to Resist. (2:9-10)Because Christ is full of deity.“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (9)Re-read Colossians 1:15-20Umbrella = Covering that comes when I stay under his authority analogyWould you rather be full of Christ or full of yourself?Because we are full of Christ who is full of deity himself.Christ is more than merely Godlike. More than simply overflowing with the character of God.“This statement that ‘in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily' (9) forever blasts the Gnostics' idea that the fullness came through the emanations and angelic mediators. We can see the fullness of God in his work in the heavens and creation around us. But in Christ we see the face of God.” -Hughes“This out to steel us against being taken captive by deceitful, empty philosophies.” -HughesEven more breath-taking: “Christ, full of Deity, fills us.” (10)Illustration: “My wife and I once stood on the shore of the vast Pacific Ocean—two finite dots alongside a seemingly infinite expanse. As we stood there, we reflected that if I were to take a pint jar and allow the ocean to rush into it, in an instant my jar would be filled with the fullness of the Pacific (which is huge but finite). But I could never put the fullness of the Pacific Ocean into my jar! Thinking of Christ, we realize that because he is infinite, he can hold all the fullness of Deity. And whenever one of us finite creatures, dips the tiny vessel of our life into him, we instantly become full of his (infinite) fullness.”Our souls are elastic in this sense. Our capacity is infinite because he made us to be able to contain the infinite fullness of Christ. Wow!His fullness meets our individual needs. “He gives us what the moment requires: wisdom, strength, courage. We must remember too that as we experience the satisfaction of his fullness, a continual stream filling and overflowing our lives.”He is a path, if any be misled;He is a robe, if any naked be;If any chance to hunger, he is bread;If any be a bondsman, he is free;If any be but weak, how strong is he!To dead men, life he is, to sick men health,To blind men sight, and to the needy, wealth.-R.E.O. White“If you are full of Christ, and growing in that fullness, if you are overflowing with Christ, the Gnostic appeals of the empty philosophies of our age will bear little appeal to you. If you are full of him, how can you want anything else?” -HughesHow do we resist? See 2:6-7 againAnd embracing the fullness of Christ that is already in us.Alexander Maclauren put it this way:“Though all the earth were covered with helpers and lovers of my soul, ‘as the sand by the sea short unnumerable,' and all the heavens were sown with faces of angels who cared for me and succoured me, thick as the stars in the Milky Way—all could not do for me what I need. Yea, though all these were gathered into one mighty and loving creature, even he were no sufficient stay for one soul of man. We want more than creature help. We need the whole fulness of the Godhead to draw from. It is all there in Christ, for each of us. Whosoever will, let him draw freely. Why should we leave the fountain of living waters to hew out for ourselves, with infinite pains, broken cisterns that can hold no water? All we need is in Christ. Let us life our eyes from the low earth and all creatures, and behold ‘no man any more,' as Lord and Helper, ‘save Jesus only,' ‘that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.”“Let us covenant with God to invite more of his fulness.” -HughesBottom line this week: Resist instead of settling for the deceptive philosophies of this world by embracing the fullness of Christ Jesus himself in you.ConclusionWe need to learn to treat our Bibles like love letters from God. How did you treat your love letters?Why did I hold it, read it, re-read it, smell it? Because of what it said. Yes, in part. But mainly because of who sent it.PrayLord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32OtherPace notesMain idea: “God calls us to grow in our walks with Christ in order to strengthen our faith and find our fulfillment in him.”I. We must deepen our intimacy with Christ. (2:6-7)II. We must denounce the insufficiency of Christ. (2:8-10A. False teaching 1) deceives us and 2) denies Christ. (8) (This is the fundamental flaw) “depends on” vs. “rooted and built up”False teachings about person of Jesus Christ. (Who he is)False teachings about works of Jesus Christ. (What he's done/doing)Our culture does this throughPersuasive philosophiesWorldly valuesTo combat, we must“Recognize the infinite worth of Christ” (person and work) “as the only source of truly fulfillment (being in the word) and “Denounce any teaching to the contrary.” (Based on the word)B. Faithful teaching 1) edifies us and 2) exalts Christ. (9-10)Intimacy with Christ + Sufficiency of Christ + Defining our identity in Christ = Strengthening of our faith in ChristFaith in Christ must be exclusive and singular. There's no room for Christ + anyone/anything.Person and work of Jesus Christ is at stake!False teaching —> Deceives us + Denies ChristFaithful teaching —> Edifies us + Exalts ChristQuite the contrast!Another contrast is the barren emptiness of deceptive teaching vs. the divine fullness of Christ.Cf. “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (1:19)W.W.I. Keep making spiritual progress. (2:4-7)Colossians 2:6 (BEC): Paul had already encouraged his readers to “walk worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10), and later he used this image again (Col. 3:7; 4:5Colossians 2:7a (BEC): The tree (v. 7a). Rooted is an agricultural word. The tense of the Greek word means “once and for all having been rooted.” Christians are not to be tumbleweeds that have no roots and are blown about by “every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14)By reviewing these pictures of spiritual progress, we see how the growing Christian can easily defeat the enemy and not be led astray. If his spiritual roots are deep in Christ, he will not want any other soil. If Christ is his sure foundation, he has no need to move. If he is studying and growing in the Word, he will not be easily enticed by false doctrine. And if his heart is overflowing with thanksgiving, he will not even consider turning from the fullness he has in Christ. A grounded, growing, grateful believer will not be led astray.II. Watch out for spiritual perils. (2:8-10)Colossians 2:8–10 (BEC): Paul continued the military image with this warning: “Beware lest any man carry you off as a captive” (literal translation). The false teachers did not go out and win the lost, no more than the cultists do today. They “kidnapped” converts from churches!Colossians 2:8–10 (BEC): How is it possible for false teachers to capture people? The answer is simple: These “captives” are ignorant of the truths of the Word of God. They become fascinated by the philosophy and empty delusion of the false teachers. (This is not to say that all philosophy is wrong, because there is a Christian philosophy of life. The word simply means “to love wisdom.”) When a person does not know the doctrines of the Christian faith, he can easily be captured by false religionsColossians 2:8–10 (BEC): is a true Christian tradition (1 Cor. 15:3ff; 2 Thes. 2:15; 3:6; 2 Tim. 2:2). The important thing about any teaching is its origin: Did it come from God or from man? The religious leaders in our Lord's day had their traditions and were very zealous to obey them and protect them (Matt. 15:1–20). Even the Apostle Paul, before he met the Lord, was “exceedingly zealous of the traditions” (Gal. 1:14).Colossians 2:8–10 (BEC): But in ancient Greece, this word also meant “the elemental spirits of the universe, the angels that influenced the heavenly bodies.” It was one of the words in the vocabulary of the religious astrology of that day. PColossians 2:8–10 (BEC): The gnostics believed that the angels and the heavenly bodies influenced people's lives…The fact that this teaching is not after Christ is sufficient to warn us against horoscopes, astral charts, Ouija boards, and other spiritist practicesWhy follow empty philosophy when we have all fullness in Christ? This is like turning away from the satisfying river to drink at the dirty cisterns of the world (Jer. 2:13). Of course, the false teachers in Colossae did not ask the believers to forsake Christ. They asked them to make Christ a part of the new system. But this would only remove Him from His rightful place of preeminence.My thought:We all do this. We add idols to our worship of God making us double-minded in all that we do.Back to WW:So Paul gave the true and lasting antidote to all false teaching: “All fullness is in Christ, and you have been made full in Him. Why, then, would you need anything else?” (see Col. 2:9–10)We have seen the word “fullness” (pleroma) before (Col. 1:19). It means “the sum total of all that God is, all of His being and attributes.” This word was used by the gnostics, but they did not give it the same meaning as did Paul. To them, the pleroma was the source of all the “emanations” through which men could come to God. The highest point in gnostic religious experience was to share in the pleroma.Of course, there are no emanations from God. The gulf between heaven and earth was bridged in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He is declared to be “Emmanuel, God with us” (Matt. 1:23). Jesus Christ is the fullness of God, and that fullness dwells continually and permanently in Him bodily. Once again, Paul refuted the gnostic doctrine that matter was evil and that Jesus did not have a human body.When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He went in a human body. It was a glorified body, to be sure, but it was real. After His resurrection, our Lord was careful to assure His disciples that He was the same Person in the same body; He was not a ghost or a spirit (see John 20:19–29). There is a glorified Man in heaven! The God-Man, Jesus Christ, embodies the fullness of God!Now, the remarkable thing is this: every believer shares that fullness! “And you are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10). The tense of the Greek verb indicates that this fullness is a permanent experience.When a person is born again into the family of God, he is born complete in Christ. His spiritual growth is not by addition, but by nutrition. He grows from the inside out. Nothing needs to be added to Christ because He already is the very fullness of God. As the believer draws on Christ's fullness, he is “filled unto all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). What more does he need?Indeed, there are spiritual perils that the Christian faces. The fundamental test of any religious teaching is, “Where does it put Jesus Christ—His person and His work?” Does it rob Him of His fullness? Does it deny either His deity or His humanity? Does it affirm that the believer must have some “new experience” to supplement his experience with Christ? If so, that teaching is wrong and dangerous.III. Draw on your own spiritual provisions. (2:11-15)WW outline for a message:In this chapter, Paul gets to the heart of the problem and denounces the false teachers. He asserts clearly the sufficiency of Christ for every need. He sounds three warnings, and these warnings are needed just as much today as in his dayColossians 2:1–10 (WEONT):I. Beware of Empty Philosophies (2:1–10)A. Walk in Christ (v. 6).As you were saved by faith, so walk by faith. As you were saved by the Word, so walk according to the Word. As you were saved through the work of the Spirit, so walk in the Spirit. The Christian life continues as it began, by faith in God.B. Grow up in Christ (v. 7).Have roots that dig down into the richness of the Word. Have foundations that are strong, laid upon Jesus Christ. How important it is to be taught the Word of God! Believers fall prey to religious philosophies unless they are rooted in Christ, grounded in the Word, and built up in Bible truth.C. Make Christ the test (v. 8).Test every high-sounding religious system by asking, “Does it give Christ the place of preeminence?” Almost every religious system today gives Christ an eminent place, but only true Bible Christianity gives Him the preeminent place.D. Draw on His fullness (vv. 9–10).Realize that there is no substitute for Christ and that in Him we have all that we need. When believers drift into worldly living, or are taken prey by man-made systems, it is usually because they feel they lack something that Jesus Christ cannot supply. “You are made full in Him!” What a wonderful position we have in Christ!OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:Sacrifice happens inside the Temple“Sacrifice happens inside the temple.” -Chris KarpusIn the OT, sacrifice happened first inside the Tabernacle and later the Temple.In the NT, we Christ-followers—individually and collectively—are the temple in which the Spirit of Christ resides. Therefore, sacrifice happens inside of us as we gladly submit and surrender all to him.Fighting WolvesI recall a story about a pastor who was concerned about some unsavory businesses that had opened near a school. His protests finally led to a court case, and the defense attorney did all he could to embarrass the Gospel minister.“Are you not a pastor?” the lawyer asked. “And doesn't the word pastor mean ‘shepherd'?”To this definition the minister agreed.“Well, if you are a shepherd, why aren't you out taking care of the sheep?”“Because today I'm fighting the wolves!” was the pastor's quick reply, and a good answer it was.Knowing that there were enemies already attacking the church in Colossae, Paul offered encouragement. By heeding his admonitions, the Colossians would overcome their enemiesYou made converts, not disciplesThen there's the MS story. This middle eastern woman comes to Christ and immediately starts making disciples who make disciples. When her future husband meets her she's already started 25 house churches of about 250 people in 5 cities.When she moves to America with her new husband (Pastor X) she eventually finds herself depressed saying,“The western Church is under a satanic lullaby and I'm going to sleep. And every time I want to wake up the lullaby goes faster.”When they returned to this middle eastern country she was from, the movement then grew to 5,000.Leaders are “making a mess of the country and Jesus is just the cleanup crew.” -Pastor X1,300 leaders arrested that year—enemy #1 was the house church movement.Q. Why is persecution not growing the church? pastor x asked God.God answered, “You made converts, not disciples. Converts run away from persecution. Disciples will die for me.”“Because she encountered me she will die for me. You must give the word of God but it must be sealed by the power of God.”Now doing a disciple making movement (DMM).As some are running to the mountains for their lives and staying in caves, they are also starting up their zoom meetings so they can reach more people for Jesus. Wow.20:21 mark: “The only way to change a nation is through discipleship.” -Steve T. “…Through love.”As I reflect on Tim Keller's summary of Larry Hurtado's main points in his book, I see a lot of wisdom to help me lead our church going forward.I learned about this article while having lunch with Neal McGlohon. He summarized the o5 points in a slightly different order . Neal shared it this way:1. The early church was multi-racial and experienced a unity across ethnic boundaries that was startling. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)3. The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)2. The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. (What both sides thinks it's doing when in fact what we see is fighting for power)4. It was a community committed to the sanctity of life. (Republican; conservative concerns)5. It was a sexual counterculture. (Republican; conservative concerns)MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott PacePreaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent HughesESV Global Study BibleBible in One Year by Nicky GumbelBible Knowledge CommentaryThe Outline Bible, WilmingtonPaul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright's commentary on Philippians and ColossiansGospel Transformation BibleNIV Study BibleThe Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren WiersbeBQ = Better Questions

Series: Colossians: Supreme!Title: “How to tell Good News from Fake News”Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7(Commentary helps listed at the end)Bottom line this week: We can tell fake news from good news as we live our lives firmly in the truth by beinggrounded in the truth,growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and beinggrateful in the truth that Christ Jesus is Lord of all…including of my life.Today I want to answer the question: How do we tell truth from lies?It has been most frustrating the past 5 years especially to tell the truth from lies. On the news, on the internet, on COVID-19, on election counts, on CRT, on you name it.And even within the truth, we have universalism, legalistic teachings and we have prosperity gospel teachings and it's pretty easy to be confused on what's true and what's not.The Apostle Paul had to deal with this same challenge too. And in a church that he'd never been to a thousand miles away. We can learn a lot from Paul on how to tell the truth from lies.Opening story:Then there's the MS story. This middle eastern woman comes to Christ and immediately starts making disciples who make disciples. When her future husband meets her she's already started 25 house churches of about 250 people in 5 cities.When she moves to America with her new husband (Pastor X) she eventually finds herself depressed saying,“The western Church is under a satanic lullaby and I'm going to sleep. And every time I want to wake up the lullaby goes faster.”When they returned to this middle eastern country she was from, the movement then grew to 5,000.Leaders are “making a mess of the country and Jesus is just the cleanup crew.” -Pastor X1,300 leaders arrested that year—enemy #1 was the house church movement.Q. Why is persecution not growing the church? pastor x asked God.God answered, “You made converts, not disciples. Converts run away from persecution. Disciples will die for me.”“Because she encountered me she will die for me. You must give the word of God but it must be sealed by the power of God.”Now doing a disciple making movement (DMM).As some are running to the mountains for their lives and staying in caves, they are also starting up their zoom meetings so they can reach more people for Jesus. Wow.20:21 mark: “The only way to change a nation is through discipleship.” -Steve T. “…Through love.”2 weeks ago I preached: Psalm 1, “Who Influences You Most?”Bottom line: Let God influence you more than anyone else, so that whatever you do you prosper.This flows right from that one because God influences us most through his word and his Spirit.Bottom line this week: We can tell fake news from good news as we live our lives firmly in the truth by beinggrounded in the truth,growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and beinggrateful in the truth that Christ Jesus is Lord of all…including of my life.Colossians 2:6-7 are hinge verses in the letter. Hinges on a door, when working properly, make the door open and close properly. When aren't, they don't.2 Kinds of KnowledgeIn French, there are two different words for ‘to know'.One (savoir) means to know a fact,The other (connaître) means to know a person.God is more interested in us knowing people than facts. The most important knowledge of all is knowing God and being known by him. Even this is not the end though. It is never enough simply to have knowledge – you must also have love. -Nicky GumbelPace's outline (Outline I'm using today)“God calls us to grow in our walk with Christ in order to strengthen our faith and find our fulfillment in him.”I. We must deepen our intimacy with Christ. (2:6-7)A. We are called to be grounded. (6-7)B. We are called to be growing. (7)C. We are called to be grateful. (7)James 1:5-8 if any of you lacks wisdom you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do.Colossians 1:15-20ConclusionFinal illustration:As I reflect on Tun Keller's summary of Larry Hurtado's main points in his book, I see a lot of wisdom to help me lead our church going forward.I learned about this article while having lunch with Neal McGlohon. He summarized the o5 points in a slightly different order . Neal shared it this way:1. The early church was multi-racial and experienced a unity across ethnic boundaries that was startling. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)3. The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)2. The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. (What both sides thinks it's doing when in fact what we see is fighting for power)4. It was a community committed to the sanctity of life. (Republican; conservative concerns)5. It was a sexual counterculture. (Republican; conservative concerns)Final applications:I. Grounded: Born to walk having personally received Christ in all his fullness…II. Growing: Walk in/with Christ rooted and built up...III. Walk believing the gospel in all of life—not just eternal life…IV. Grateful: Walk in gratitude.The old saying still holds. If he's not Lord of all he's not Lord at all.Is he Lord of your life?Does your life reflect that outwardly?If not, let's prayerfully repent asking him to restore us, reconcile us and transform us so that we gladly surrender to his word, his ways and his work.PrayLord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32OtherHugh's outline“Paul's protective charge to the Colossians” or “What's the walk that protects like?“I. A Birth Walk. (6) “This means out experience of first coming to Christ out to mirror how we walk in him all the days of our lives.”What was our spiritual genesis like?A. Receive him > accepting himThey received teaching and traditions handed down about Christ.They received not just Jesus but Jesus in all his fullness.They received him as Christ/Messiah/King.They received him, “As one who fulfilled messianic prophesies of OT“They received him as living prophet, priest, and king.They received him as a historical person rooted in humanity through the incarnation.Jesus = Joshua = The Lord is (my) salvationCapt of salvation—there is no otherThey received him as Lord—not just Savior (this is big)Billy Graham says in the Annals of America: “No man can be said to be truly converted to Christ who has not bent his will to Christ. He may give intellectual assent to the claims of Christ and may have had emotional religious experiences; however, he is not truly converted until he has surrendered his will to Christ as Lord, Savior and Master.”Spurgeon comments on this, saying: “It is interesting to notice that the Apostles preached the Lordship of Christ. The word Savior occurs only twice int he Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:31, 13:23). On the other hand it is amazing to notice the title “Lord” is mentioned 92 times; “Lord Jesus” 13 times; and “The Lord Jesus Christ” 6 times in the same book. The Gospel is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.”They received him as Lord will help resist gnosticizing influences around us.Major cults have defective doctrines of ChristMormonsJehovah WitnessesChristian ScienceLike gnostics, they say that they believe in ChristBut what kind of Christ?LegalismProsperity gospelII. Walk in him (6b, 7a) Walk—how?A. In him…B. Rooted and…Tumbleweed vsPsalm 1C. Built up in himIII. A Walk in Faith (7b)A. Same faithIn salvationIn sanctificationB. Growth doesn't discard or move on from early truths of Christ for newer truth. Jesus isn't a beginning to be left behind by the “mature.”His truths are so deepIncarnationReconciliationAdoptionEph 3:17-19IV. A Walk in Thankfulness (Gratitude) (7c)A. A healthy Christian walk spills over withGratitude (for what He's done)Praise (for who He is)B. Good spiritual test—thankfulness. “A thankless spirit betrays a life that is no longer focusing on the greatness of Christ. It is looking down, not up.C. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess 5:18My notesVv. 6-7Who is God? What has he done?Christ, Messiah, King —come, reign, ruleJesus—Saved, rescueLord—ruled, defeated darknessWho am I? What do I get to do as a result?I am…A citizen—follow, serveA rescued/saved citizen—celebrate, serveA followers, soldier—serve, fight (prayer), free others from captureA child of light—walk/continue in Christ rooted and built up in himV. 9Who is God? What has he done?Christ/King—rulesDeity/God—worked all-powerfully in those he's rescuedHead—rules, leadsHealer—circumcised usCreator/sustainer—made us alive with ChristHigh priest—forgave all our sins; canceled all our debts; nailed our sins to the crossSubstitutionary atoning sacrifice—took our place and sin and curseDeliverer—Disarmed the powers and authorities; made public spectacle of enemies through the crossWho am I? What do I get to do as a result?Citizen—participate in his kingdomRescued—Walk in fullness of his glory in usFollower—Walk with himCircumcised—Walk in purity and healing freed from power of the fleshDead man walking—Walk as a dead man without fear or fleshBaptized with Christ—live forgivenRaised with Christ—live forever with ChristUncondemned—live gratefulOTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:Walking dad jokes1. During a trail walk, my mother was so tired she said to my father, "Slow down you. Don't you Everest?"2. I was walking along a trail and ran into my friend named Nick. It was quite a see-Nick trail today.3. I was walking on a trail and dropped my trail mix. I started wondering if it was a trail remix now.What did the guide say when he left the hikers on their own? May the forest be with you.14. What do you do if the feet of the hiking robot breaks? You reboot it.asked my father how his hike was, he replied, "It had its ups and downs".30. I bought a new jacket for a hiking trip. It's called a trail blazerYou pick 'em up, O Lord, I'll put 'em down. - Author Unknown, "Prayer of the Tired Walker"People say that losing weight is no walk in the park. When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem. - Chris AdamsI have two doctors, my left leg and my right. - G.M. TrevelyanA vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. - Paul Dudley WhiteWalking would teach people the quality that youngsters find so hard to learn - patience. - Edward P. Weston.Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path. - Author unknownDon't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. - Albert CamusOUTLINESMAIN COMMENTARY HELP:Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott PacePreaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent HughesESV Global Study BibleBible in One Year by Nicky GumbelBible Knowledge CommentaryThe Outline Bible, WilmingtonPaul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright's commentary on Philippians and ColossiansGospel Transformation BibleNIV Study BibleBQ = Better Questions

A sermon by Jamie Howison from Sunday November 7, 2021. The reading for the sermon was the story of the poor widow giving her last two coins to the temple treasury, found in Mark 12:38-44.Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to audio and recommend this episode to your friends. We invite you to rate us or write a review of what we are doing on Apple Podcasts. Reviews help others join the conversation.* * *This podcast is created at saint benedict's table, a congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada in Winnipeg, where we've been making great audio since 2006. Listen to other recent episodes on our website and see our entire catalogue of well over 500 shows on our hosting page.Our MissionTo provide rich and stimulating audio resources to the wider church and engage topics and issues relevant to the concerns and questions of the larger culture in which we live.

Dr. Joshua Sijuwade is a Visiting Lecturer at the London School of Theology and has a PhD from the University of York in the Philosophy of Religion. Josh has taken inspiration from Beau Branson's Monarchical Trinitarianism and articulated it in a way that includes developments in contemporary analytic metaphysics and also putting on a catholic twist. We mention Dale Tuggy, Beau Branson, Richard Swinburn, Fr John Behr, David Lewis, Larry Hurtado, Jonathan Schaffer, Bishop Barron and more. Dr Joshua Sijuwade's academia page: https://lst.academia.edu/JoshuaSijuwade

Dr. David Capes is the Senior Research Fellow at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, TX and distinguished New Testament Scholar. He is an expert on the Apostle Paul and New Testament study. His specific area of interest is how the Apostle Paul uses the Old Testament in the New Testament. In particular he focuses on how Paul will use OT passages about God and reapply them to be about Jesus in the NT and what the Christological implications of the hermeneutics are. He has written a book on the subject titled The Divine Christ. We delve into these topics these topics and more. We mention Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, NT Wright, Bart Erhman, and more. Hope you enjoy! The Divine Christ by David Capes: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Christ-Scriptures-Studies-Theology/dp/080109786X David Capes Hayward Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqFOiBA36To

How can you read the Bible with understanding and apply it to your life with confidence? Join Dustin Davis as he asks Pastor Brian how he decides what to study and preach, as well as how to keep your Bible reading fresh and keep going when you don't feel that motivated. Resources mentioned in this episode: First Steps Life Journaling & Reading Plan bookmark (Download Below) Life Application Study Bible https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life+application+study+bible Life Journals https://www.liferesources.cc Mark for Everyone by N.T. Wright https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Everyone-New-Testament/dp/066422783X Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary by Larry Hurtado https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Bible-Commentary-Larry-Hurtado/dp/0801046645

How can you read the Bible with understanding and apply it to your life with confidence? Join Dustin Davis as he asks Pastor Brian how he decides what to study and preach, as well as how to keep your Bible reading fresh and keep going when you don't feel that motivated. Resources mentioned in this episode: First Steps Life Journaling & Reading Plan bookmark (Download Below) Life Application Study Bible https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life+application+study+bible Life Journals https://www.liferesources.cc Mark for Everyone by N.T. Wright https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Everyone-New-Testament/dp/066422783X Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary by Larry Hurtado https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Bible-Commentary-Larry-Hurtado/dp/0801046645

Dr. Chad McIntosh has a PhD in Philosophy from Cornell University. He has developed a model of social trinitarianism complimented by a deeper understanding of group personhood. I feel like his model is one of the best and most compelling articulations of social trinitarianism that many people could learn from. He also challenges me with arguments against Biblical Unitarianism. We mention Dale Tuggy, William Lane Craig, Augustine, Larry Hurtado, and more.

Luke returns for a second conversation. This time Sam and Luke discuss Philippians 2, The Christ Hymn. Sam presents a Biblical Unitarian interpretation of the passage and Luke gives his feedback from an Eastern Orthodox Monarchical Trinitarian perspective. This video in both in response to the debate between Dale Tuggy and Christ Date and in anticipation of an upcoming debate/discussion between Sam and Chris Date. Because this is Sam and Luke they don't always stay on topic and mention Dr. Preston Sprinkle, Paul Vanderklay, Owen Barfield, Julian the Apostate, Lewis Carrol, Guy Sengstock, Jordan Peterson, Arius of Alexandria, David Bentley Hart, and Larry Hurtado. My previous conversation with Dr. Beau Branson was mentioned multiple times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_tuLfkp4_Y&t=2235s Dale Tuggy and Chris Date Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c35_uFjEbx8

Luke, Julian, and Sam do a debrief on the recent debate between Chris Date and Sam and Preston Sprinkle's "Theology in the Raw" podcast. Various people mentioned are Larry Hurtado, Jonathan Pageau, Alan Kreider's "The Patient Ferment of the Early Church", Jordan Peterson and his rules for good conversation, Paul Vanderklay as always, Jonathan Haidt, and Beau Branson. We discussion Biblical Unitarianism, Eastern Orthodoxy, The Jewish context of the emergence of Christianity, Monarchical Trinitarianism, and just exactly what is means for Jesus to be divine. Link to the debate video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a7tsC_6T80&t=1284s Link to the podcast: https://www.prestonsprinkle.com/theology-in-the-raw/2020/3/16/783-trinitarianism-versus-unitarianism-a-conversation-with-chris-date-and-sam-adams

Complete Manuscript from the show:---------Jeff: All right, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of home row. And on today's show, I finally have Patrick Shriner joining us. Patrick, how are you man?Patrick: Good. Thanks for having me. It's been awhile.Jeff: been awhile. We were supposed to record. Oh, good grief. I dunno. Maybe it's gotta be close to two years ago.Patrick: I think it's like 15 years ago when we were both toddlers.Jeff: We were, we were both in middle school. How old are you? Oh, me too. 35 when's your birthday?Patrick: August 26Jeff: Ooh, you're older. October 23rdPatrick: your blood type?Jeff: I have no clue.Patrick: Either door.Jeff: must be our generation thing. People are like, I bet my parents and your parents, they know their blood type.Patrick: That's right. That's right.Jeff: Like what do I need to know that for? They just tested at the place, whatever that place is.And they'll tell me what it is, what I need.Patrick: So we would have been 2015 years ago. There we go.Jeff: It's when we were 20 we were gonna do it. And where were you when you were 20. Were you at Louisville? Were you in Southern? Where were you?Patrick: I was in Louisville at that point. I'm trying to exactly what I was doing at that point, but I guess maybe Western Kentucky university.Jeff: Okay. All right. Nice. Where would I have been? I would have been here in Houston, still at the college of biblical studies, inner city Bible college. And it was a blast. very dispensational, which I learned while I was there. And yeah, so a lot of things have changed in my life.A lot of things have changed in yours, but the reason we were going to record, I think it was about two years ago, we were scheduled to record  and it all fell apart cause I stopped at Starbucks. 30 minutes before we were going to record, to go pick up, you know, just to, it was probably a salted caramel mocha or who knows when those are in season.  I got to get them. And so I go and I see a guy there and he's wearing a black shirt and, and big bright neon green. It just says, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, three times. And I've seen this guy walking around my town. All the time carrying a huge backpack. I'm like, Oh, that's the Jesus shirt guy. And he's got his Bible open and I say, "Hey man,  what are you reading?"And he's telling me what he's reading and everything. And then he starts asking me, "He says, do you have a job? "And I said, yeah, I do. He goes, "Do you make money?" I said, yeah, man, I totally, I, of course, I make money.  He goes, "You're sinning." As go, excuse me. He  says it is jobbing, like, what are you, it's jobbing.He's like, yep, you're jobbing. And that's a sin. And he started confronting me about how I am not obeying Jesus because I have not sold everything I have and given it to the poor.Patrick: Wow. You like to do a podcast where I don't make any money, so you know, I could do that.Jeff: Yeah, that's true. I'm, I'm, I'm there and I couldn't believe it. And so I think this ended up being like an hour or two hour. Then his, a friend of his came in that, so these guys have decided to be homeless together. Then they're not together, but they eat, they've each decided to be homeless. They've sold other stuff, left their parents behind.One of them has a, girlfriend that he got pregnant and have a kid. He left them all because Jesus said, if you love me, you've got to hate father, mother, brother, sister, and sell all that you have and give to the poor. And so these guys have chosen to be homeless and think they're following the true Jesus way.So that was why we couldn't record.Patrick: I just remember sitting on the other end. We had like, I must've gotten the wrong time.Jeff: Well, no, that that was today. That was me today where I messaged you, said, Hey man, I'm on Skype. Oh wait, I'm an idiot. Pacific is two hours behind.Patrick: Being in the Pacific Northwest, I've always doing math with people though, and many times I do it the opposite way. I, I've canceled many meetings that I don't have to cause I'm like, yeah, I gotta do this other call. And then I'm like, Oh, it's two hours. The other way I always forget though.Jeff: I told my wife, I was like, Oh, I gotta do this podcast right now. Sorry, I can't. I'm like, Oh wait, nevermind. It's an hour. What do you need? I, I've, I get East and West coast confused. It's just crazy. but, and I don't even know what day it is. This is, this is the life in quarantine.Patrick: It could be Sunday,Jeff: Hey, it could be, yeah, it could be.I'd be in my pajamas still watching the quote live.Patrick: watching yourJeff: Yeah. Watching my livePatrick: You do, you watch your sermon.Jeff: define, watch.Patrick: Do you sit down with your family and the service? Yeah.Jeff: do. Yeah. Yeah. I, I don't look at myself. I listened to myself. it's very inception to be watching. Be watching myself and I feel I got to participate. You know, my kids are watching.Patrick: Oh, for sure.Jeff: you know, I got them. But yeah, it's brutal. I hate watching myself preach the first week of doing that. I realize, okay, there are a lot of hand motions I don't want to do anymore.Patrick: That's all right. That's why I don't read my writing, you know? We were going to get to that. IJeff: Yeah. Well, yeah. Why are we?Why? we here? Why are we on Skype? What are we here for? Yeah, man. So here we're here to talk about writing and you have written all kinds of stuff, and you, you sent out a tweet. I mean, you've got books, you, of course, you've got journal articles and blogs and all kinds of stuff that you do.And, but you put out a tweet the other day about how you have stayed, so productive or trying to stay productive during the pandemic, but before, but before we get into that, let's talk about how you became a writer. How did that happen?Patrick: Yeah, I mean, my parents, I grew up and they read to me all the  time. So we were a family that loved books. I remember my dad reading Lord of the rings, the Hobbit, Greek mythology, Chronicles of Narnia. I mean, you know, all the classics for any homeschool Christian kid. we did some public school homeschool and Christian school, but so we just really liked literature.And. So growing up reading, if you, you keep reading. And I, in college I kept doing literature, American lit, British lit, and I just really liked the side of writing that that could be, cause I'm terrible at math and you know, you just kinda gravitate that way. but I really felt like it was in college when I started taking some writing classes, I was getting encouragement that I just realize, I just really love to write, and I ended up majoring actually in journalism at Western Kentucky university. It's a, it's a great program for journalism, and so I ended up doing that just because I thought it was a little more practical. Halfway through. College, I realized I wanted to go towards ministry, but I do remember, just some like creative writing and things that I do that I really enjoyed.So I think it started very early on just being interested in reading, and reading good books and being interested in literature. I mean, I go through classics as much as I can. That's kind of fallen off just at this point in my life, but I still try to do audible books as much as I can. And so, yeah, I think the love of reading and then that just translates many times into writing.I find, at least in the current stage of my life, I mean in terms of even a calling, I know people use that term in different ways, but I sometimes feel like I'm wasting my time if I'm not writing. So it's like one of those things where nobody has to tell me, you sit down and write. It's, it's what I do when I get everything else done and actually work towards getting everything else done to write, if that makes sense. So it's, it's like that compulsion.Jeff: Did you know that you were going to lean towards academic writing?Patrick: No, not really. And you know, sometimes I want to move towards a little more popular level writing. so even, even the book on the kingdom that I did, you know, it's more for people in the pews in the church. And so I like to do a little bit of both. I, the thing that I want to say about academic writing is, you know, most people think that you, if you do academic writing, it has to be stodgy and boring and hard to read.And I just really rail against that. I think the writers that can communicate deep things in simple ways, that's, that's really the goal. so you think of a person, obviously, like C S Lewis, I mean, Ernest Hemingway. Even as you look at some scholars out there who are writing, I mean, think about the Bible.Johannine literature is the perfect example, right? So he can write in a very simple way, but it's very profound and deep. And so. I even got critiqued on my dissertation, on a few reviews, or at least one review. I remember reading one where he's like, well, this style just didn't really fit a dissertation.And I, I took it as a compliment because I used analogies and maybe that comes from preaching and, and being in the church. But, I think even when I was working with in my dissertation, just to pause on that for a minute, I remember I sent it to, Greg Alison was one of my readers. I think it was in Rob Plummer. And he was like, I didn't get the theory you were using until you use the example of Rosa parks. And he was like, that's what stuck out to me. And that's the only thing I'll remember. and you know, that just kind of spoke. I mean, he's a world class scholar, great thinker, and I was just dealing with something that was pretty complex.And. Honestly, it wouldn't click for people until I use some sort of example. So I don't even remember what your original question was, but in terms of writing, I do think I'm trying to do a little bit of both in terms of academic and for people in the church and, but I do believe at the academic level as well, you, you need to write so the people can get it and they can understand it.And I mean, really, why right a book where a good majority of the population, even who are interested in this can barely understand it. Like, that's not going to reach many people. And it kind of seems like a fool's errand, in some sense. so, so anyways, I, I think we need a push. Helen Sword has a great book on this, stylish academic writing, which I require for my students in the THM program where she just shows like you, you don't have to write in a way that.Is boring and dull. You can be creative. I mean, there's a difference between being creative and cute, and I always have to kind of tell my students and tell myself to find that balance. Like if you're being too colloquial, if you're being too funny in an academic type paper, yeah, you're going to get dinged on that.But there's a way to write, I think with analogies and with illustrations and with varying your sentence length and so forth and so on, that actually makes it enjoyable to read and people get a lot more out of it. So.Jeff: man. Absolutely. I, As I think I may have shared this on Twitter, that I, I got accepted into the PhD program at Southern for  biblical spirituality. And that was one of the things in the interview that we talked about, is that obviously I've done a lot of popular level writing and that it, you know.  How do I view the challenge of now having to come into academic writing? what do I think about that? And I said, yeah, I think it will be a challenge. when I had to do some master's leveling work, that was one of the comments I got was, this paper's great, but it's too  lay level, too popular level, too a funny, like you gotta.Got to make it more like academic writing. And I thought, okay, this is going to be, this is going to be a, a struggle, to, you know, to grow in. But, so one guy, he just told me, Hey, you gotta do what you do for the papers and stuff, dissertations. But then when it comes to. The actual writing, after seminary, then, you know, have fun. Get after. Right. You know, like Kevin Vanhoozer, Michael Bird, he's got a, his commentary. Yeah. Like bird's got his commentary on Romans. He's talking about being a bacon, a bacon chomping Gentile. Like, you know, that's just great.Patrick: I mean, it mentions like the Kardashians and his like systematic theology or something like, right. I mean, there is a, there is certainly a difference and you can't spend pages and pages telling a story, and doing things like that. So you ha, you have to know there's a genre, you're writing in certainly.But I do think genres can be pushed and genres can be molded to do what we want. Like.  sometimes we think about genres like, well, it's academic, so you have to stay in this lane, like who says we have to stay? Like, where's the genre king telling us we need to stay here. so, so I think we can make the genre what we want it to be.And, and I, I just going back to like more people will find it interesting and readable if you do make it more readable and, and where you tell some analogies. And so with that more academic stuff, I try to keep those shorter. And I try to keep, I try to keep the argument tight and so forth and so on, where if I'm writing a little bit more for, for church people or, or just a wider audience, I'll, I'll spend maybe a little more time on the stories and so forth and so on.So it is a different style, but I do think you can take many of those principles. I mean, honestly, what is writing? It's communication. And so if you're having a conversation with people that are not there, through your writing, and hopefully helping them in some ways. And if you're sitting there and you're boring them out of your mind, that's not a very good conversation.So.Jeff: Yeah. Amen. And listeners, if you don't know, Patrick mentioned Helen Sword. You can go listen to my interview with her. that's a few episodes back, maybe 20 or 30 episodes back, and we talk about her book, the writers diet, and zombie nouns and all that great stuff.And I was such a great episode. It's probably my favorite. Episode. She was just such a wise coach and just teach her on writing. It was, it was outstanding.Patrick: Yeah. She's great. All her books are so good. I just, again, require them for all my ThM  students because they're just so helpful.Jeff: yeah. Now, what are some of your, writers that have just been, maybe mentors for you, people that would, beyond kind of your riders, Mount Rushmore, your own personal, writers Rushmore.Patrick: Yeah. Well, in terms of, in terms of academic orJeff: Anything. AnythingPatrick: anything. Okay. Well, you know, in my PhD, a big influence was Jonathan Pennington. And he really pushed,  you're in the PhD program there at Southern. He's going to really push you on writing, and so he was really helpful in terms of just walking through writing and making sure it flowed very well.So he, I remember this line that he gave me, he maybe still uses it. It's a funny analogy, but. He, he used to say to me like, you should let your reader like kind of slide down this like butter slide without any rocks hitting them on the way. So you shouldn't ever be jostling your readers like, Oh, what was that like?What are you saying here? I don't quite understand. Like it should be a smooth ride always for your reader. So he was, he was always pushing me in my writing. He said, some of your ideas are good, but you're not getting them. Across well and half of the half the battle is getting them across well. And so I, I found that to be true.Like the things that were most captured by are spoken or written well. So I look at his writing, I think his writing is very good. So, I look at Jamie Smith's writing. Jamie Smith's writing is very good, just in terms of how he uses analogies from movies, from TV, from music, so forth and so on. And he just not, not only does he have great ideas, not only does he.Oh or write in a way that just captures your mind, but it captures your imagination. And so I think the combination of those two for someone like a Jamie Smith, even an N T right? Honestly and T right is popular. Partly because he knows how to write, partly because he takes concepts that are so difficult.I mean, his chapter on second temple Judaism and his and Mike bird's most recent introduction is, is the best summary of second temple Judaism I've ever read because it's readable. Like it's fun to read. And so NT Wright is popular partially because of what he says, but partially because how he says it.So, Kevin Vanhoozer, Jamie Smith and NT Wright, Jonathan Pennington. Ernest Hemingway, is, I would look up to him in terms of his style because he's so simple. And so one of the things, John Calvin, my father, brevity and clarity are just really what I strive for. And so I, I, I really work at trying to make my sentences short and kind of pop.Yeah. But I don't do that always, because if you do that always it gets a little, you know, you're kind of like just duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh. So you really want to vent, vary your sentence length. But I think what most people struggle with is, getting a sentence in there that's three or four words.And so I, I'm even writing a commentary right now and I'm just working on looking at my sentences and saying, can I shorten this at all? Can I make it pop anymore? And if I have a long sentence right before it. I really want to put a short sentence or a few short sentences right afterwards just to kind of make it pop.So, so those are some of the people I look at. I mean, obviously I love C S Lewis, JR Tolkien, severe, very, they're great writers. Alexander Dumas. he's great in terms of just storytelling. He, his books on three Musketeers, man in the iron mask. Those are some of the books, like in the past a lot. So, in terms of classics, those would be some of the people I look up to.Jeff: Yeah. I think the, the varying of of sentence length, man, that is just a writing hack that if, if people could start implementing right away, it'll, it'll, I think it does revolutionize your writing. It just gives the reader variation and speed, and let things sink in. Like I, I think there are three people who have, who do amazing job at it, and they're all related. Ray, Cortland, Gavin, Orland, and Dane, Orland, all three of them. I'm reading Dana, Portland's gentle and lowly right now, and he just does a masterful job at having these longer profound sentences. And then a very short, abrupt, the sentence right after that that kind of lets it all sit.It's kind of a nice shave and a haircut and then give any six bits right at the end. I mean, it's just, it's so good.Patrick: There must be something in their blood. You know, one person said, you can do, and maybe you've done this is you know, when you're writing just the, how long your sentences are, you can look and see. But if you double space between each one for like for a page, you can just see in terms of visually how long your sentences are going.Does that make sense? So like keep your, do one double space, go to the next sentence. And so just after you've written it, go through and say, Oh look, all of my sentences are like. 10 words, that means you're not very like, it's going to be the same length on your, on your page. That makes sense. So,Who Jeff: did that? Somebody shared that on Twitter and that they make their students do it.Patrick: I don't remember. I feel like somebody else had told me that, so I do that sometimes as well. I just, I more look at it now and just say, okay, how long is the sentence? But it's, it's something I'm always looking for.Jeff: Yeah, that's a great, that's a great trick. yeah. So man, you've written, Matthew, the about the discipled scribe. you've got, your book on kingdom through in covenants and stuff are no nuts on it. Kingdom and glory in the cross. What's the title of the book from Crossway?Patrick: for God and the glory of the cross. Yeah. And there's a big debate going around about gospel. So you know, you can just pick up that book and get all your answers.Jeff: Go pick that up. Patrick: it.And then. Is that it right now? I mean, I have my dissertation out and then I have a book on the Ascension coming out this summer.Jeff: I'm s, I'm pumped foor that.Patrick: And then a few, quite a few other projectsJeff: Yeah. Yeah. So let's, let's go through the, the, the, your tweets. So at 9:57 AM my time, I guess. April 16th, 2020Patrick: Yeah.Jeff: at PJ_Shriner says, a few people have asked me what I'm working on during hashtag quarantine life in regard to books, projects there. The sit below, here comes thePatrick: And I think that there's the, there's the edit you need in there somewhere. Tweets are terrible.Jeff: One, I'm putting the finishing touches on my Ascension book with Lexham press @Lexhampress coming out in July, which may, I can't wait for it. And you say the second tweet, in it argued Jesus' work would be incomplete without his ascent to God's right hand, not only a key moment in the gospel story. Jesus' Ascension was necessary for his present ministry in and through the church. And that's in the snapshots of theology. A little series that Lexham puts out. Actually have Larry Hurtado sitting over here, Todd, Patrick: it's great. It's a great book. That's a great book. I, I mean, part of the reason I'm excited about that series, it's just because that book was so formative and helpful like we were just talking about. I mean, he's done so much work. That's a snapshot of, I mean, years and years of his work, so that's a great book.Jeff: Yeah. Destroys or the gods is outstanding.Patrick: I love that book too.Jeff: two, you said in June, the book Baptist and the church tradition releases where I contributed a chapter on hermeneutics. Three, I'm about to turn in a manuscript for a commentary on acts with B&H pub that looks at the book from a more theological, narratival and ecclesial way.My guess is should be late 2021 for I midway through a book with at moody publishers called the visual word. And illustrate a guy to the New Testament books. I'm a very excited to see how this project show people this project based off my visual outlines I've posted on Twitter. That's gonna be very cool.Five I am working on a proposal for a book on the gospel that is tentatively called the political gospel, and that's all I will say about it at this point. And I forgot to add, I just signed another contract with  Crossway to do a New Testament biblical theology of Acts. I sketched out two chapters and we'll try to use the second half of the summer to work on it.Dude, fill up your schedule, man. You got, you know, you need to find some stuff to doPatrick: That's what my wife keeps saying. She's like, why are you doing this? You don't make any money off this.Jeff: a man. She is preachingPatrick: she knows though that like I, I just love to do it. Like this is not, this is not a chore for me. And you know, some of these are related. So my Acts commentary is birthing both the Ascension book and the ax biblical theology. So, you know, some of these things are spinoffs. So if things that I've thought through and I'm like, I can't put all this in this commentary I got, I got to do something else on this.So. So many of these things are related, but, and they're different. You know, I'm, I'm trying to, one of the things I like to do is just write in different, at different levels. So the commentary is a little more academic. It's not, it's actually not a technical commentary, but it's still more academic. the essential book is more like the kingdom of God book and glory of the cross.And then the acts book will again be more at that level. and then the visual word one is totally different. If you've seen Ryan Lister stuff, I think you've had him on here actually, right. So I'm using the same artists from humble beast and designing all of my kind of outlines in the new Testament.And then I'm going to summarize the whole new Testament book in two paragraphs and then link to the icons that he's making for each section of the book. I'll have a paragraph summary. So what we're hoping that's going to be is someone sits down, they're like, I'm going to preach through Romans. Like you can look at it, outline the front of a commentary, but honestly, my eyes just go cross eyed when I see things like, you're like, what in the world is happening here, so we're going to fit the outline of every book on one page that's a more minimalist. You can kind of look, I mean, you can't look at it probably in 30 seconds and get it, but you can look at it for maybe two minutes and kind of get the flow and read a very short summary just to kind of have a sense of where this is going and how, how it's put together, and I'll use like a, for Romans, I put righteousness of God for Matthew, fulfillment for Mark, the servant King. So kind of get the theme up there and just, this is what I think the theme is for this. This is, if you, even if you're going to do a preaching series.I'm trying to think for preachers, like what, what would be a good, almost like title for your sermon series? people can do different ones obviously, but I'm thinking, especially for pastors for that one. So that's been really fun and really difficult because it's a new skill because I have to think of what image I've got to instruct to Anthony who is working with me.Like what image do we tell them about to do second Corinthians? What image do you do for comfort? Like, that's so hard to do. It's a totally different skill. So we get on, we get on once a week and I say, this is what it's about. And then we bounce around ideas for what kind of icon or image would fit for it. And, usually he helps me more than I help him because I'm like, man, I have no idea. Let's just put a cross for all of these and go.Jeff: That's, that's, that's pretty funny. Okay, so you, you got all these, all these projects, that have, you know, some are done, some you're working on, some are, are almost completed. How do you keep these things straight? How do you organize, what does the writing week look like for you?Patrick: Yeah, well, it's, it's not even the main thing I do because I'm a teacher and I run the THM program here at Western seminary, so that, that's the first thing I do. And so I, I make sure I have my classes and my grading. My interactions with students, and I'm in pastoral ministry. I'm an elder at my church. So those things certainly come first.But, in terms of all the writing projects that I, I try to do, you know, each one's at a different stage and I find it helpful to, hopefully, I can continue this. I'm, you know, I'm new to this. I'm still figuring it out, but, So, so my Acts commentary right now, like I'm editing it right before it goes to the publisher.My Ascension book is the fine editing, like the final stage where like just about done with it. So I just saw it typeset. We're still finding very minor errors, so forth and so on. So I enjoy every stage of the writing process. And. The other books. so the visual book, I'm more in the middle of it. I'm still writing, I'm still composing. The Crossway book I just composed like two chapters. So for me, if I sit down, like let's say I have a whole day to write because I, I've gotten everything else done. If I sit down and I try to compose all day long, like just write on a blank screen, usually I'm pretty much done in about like three to five.Like I'm sapped, right? I could sit there and produce pretty quickly. And get something on paper. But after that, I pretty much need to add just because my brain is fried and it's a different, it's a different mental exercise to me. So actually with all these projects, I like having them at different stages because I just mentally can't be always editing.Like I'm so tired of editing my Acts commentary right now. I'm like, it's killing me. But I know I have to keep editing it. And, and one of the things about my writing that I've learned, and this might be helpful for people, is. You know, people talk about different types of writers. Either you're kind of slow and clean, or you're like quick and muddy in your writing.In other words, you either get stuff out really quickly and it's a mess, or you have a problem with getting things out, but when you get it out, it's gold. I'm definitely in, in the first case, I, it it out so quickly. I mean, I can. Like, I literally just signed a contract with Crossway and I got 20,000 words out.Like, no problem. But it's a mess. It's a mess. Like it's, it's not even close to being done. Cause people are like, Oh my goodness, you got out 20,000 words that quickly. And I'm like, well yeah, but it's, I've got to edit this thing like 75 times after this.Jeff: and that is not, yeah, we're totally inverse.Patrick: You're, you're the different way. And that's, that's fine. Like, that's different personalities and that's how they work. So I, I can get stuff on paper, but man, I have to work at editing and I'm not, I don't think I'm a great editor. Honestly. I need help. that's where publishers helped me a lot. But I, I literally read through my manuscripts so many times.Probably. there's no, there's not too many times that you can read through it, right. But, I read, I feel like I've read through my Acts commentary 30 times now, just editing, editing, editing, editing. And then what I try to do is I send it to people who are nice enough where they will read my stuff and you get different eyes on it and they see different things.So. right now it's, it's gone out to a few scholars and a few friends just to say, Hey, help me out with writing and help me out with content. Help me out with whatever you want to help me out with. If you, if you have any time, give me feedback. SoJeff: Man, I'm with you, I remember, you know, writing Humble Calvinism and then having to edit the chapters over and over and over, and then eventually you just think, I don't want to look at this again.Patrick: yeah, you get tired of it.Jeff: I don't even like it anymore. I don't want to see it. Just editor-you take it if you're good with it, I'm good with it.Like I don't even want to look at it anymore.Patrick: It's usually when it comes out and you're like, I'm so tired of thisJeff: Oh yeah. But then when I got the first box of like author copies, it's like, Oh, cool. Open it up. I'm like, man, that's a great cover. They did a great job. I flipped open. I start looking at it. I'm like, that was dumb. Why did I put that in there? This book stinks.No one's going to read this dumb thing.Patrick: that's right.Jeff: this is a nightmare. Okay, soPatrick: I haven't read that yet, but I've heard great things. I don't think you're right about that.Jeff: a lot of people are liars. you know, that's what we, that's what we know about social media. The book stinks this is, this is me trying to be a humble, humble Calvinist.  So when you're going to sit down to, to write. Let's, let's now talk about, I this, I did this with Lore Ferguson Wilbert and I, I, I don't remember to do it. Whenever I sit down to do these interviews, I just sit down. I don't have any notes. I have nothing. And it's just a, just a conversation about writing. So I want to try to remember to do this with, with, with people on the show. this is like the MTV writers crib edition, remember that show cribs?Patrick: Yeah.Jeff: And so.Patrick: The scholars who do cribs would be, it would be quite disappointing to take, take them through the houseJeff: So we're just going to do your writing area and your desk and your like habits. All right, so, so what's the place where you typically write? tell me, tell me two things on your desk that are there.Patrick: Yeah. You know where I write the best is at coffee shops. So I go to Heart coffee on woods in Portland. It's great coffee, and I don't really drink coffee, so I get some tea. but yeah, that's another story. But they have, the walls are basically all windows, and I put in headphones. And I sit down just with my computer or with research and I began writing. So, I like, number one, I like to change the scenery because it gives me a new energy. And so every once in a while it change  coffee shops just because I feel like I'm in a rut and honestly, like a new seat and looking at new things will give, give me something, I don't know what it is.Okay. Jeff: So if you're not at heart, where do you go? Do you go to Cova?Patrick: Yeah. Well, there's a few coffee shops like in Sellwood, which is near us that I'm like, ah, I don't even, Oh, a fair lane coffee. So there's some like local coffee shops. Cova is further away from me, so I don't always go to that one. But there's some local coffee shops that I go, I kind of go around.Sometimes I go to our. A local public library to write. sometimes I'll go to a restaurant and eat lunch there and just hang out there and write. Sometimes I'll do it in my office, but my office doesn't have great windows. But if I need resources and I need my books, then I'll do it in my office.Recently, I've had to do it at home. That's worked terribly, with COVID stuff. So we just have young kids and everything's going on, and I never know what, what's my role here? Do I keep writing or do I let my son fall off the trampoline? You know, So, yeah, I think the place that I write the best is at a coffee shop with, this is the other weird thing about me.I have like Epic  movie scores that I listened to while I writeJeff: Not weird.  Not Patrick: no, that's not weird. Okay. So I have a Spotify playlist, like best studying scores, and I've actually posted on, Twitter a few times, but I have, let me pull it up right now. How many songs? I have 200, 206 songs.Jeff: That's it.Patrick: That's it. Sorry,Jeff: How many hours? What's the hours of your writing playlist?Patrick: 13 hours and 50 minutes.Jeff: man, I have 466 songs.Patrick: you killed me.Jeff: 27 hours and 36 minutes.Patrick: you got to share that with meJeff: Yeah, I'll share it with you. It's got explosion in the sky. It's not just soundtracks though, but there are a lot of soundtracks, so it's got the lone survivor sound track. social network.Patrick: yeah, yeah.Jeff: a lot of the, all of stranger things is in here. Anything Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have done is in here.Patrick: So I don't do the whole albums. Here's the difference. I just picked three songs that I love the best from certain ones. So you do, do you do a whole albumJeff: I see the whole album andPatrick: You cheated to win. That's appraised.Jeff: Well, and, and like, yeah, you do, you, yours is more refined, but like, I have all the beautiful eulogy instrumentals in here.Patrick: Oh, cool. Yup, yup.Jeff: it's gotta be instrument, all the kinks, kaleidoscope, I mean, all that stuff. And then I just pop it on shuffle and just let it go.Patrick: You know, and sometimes I can do just like indie music with lyrics, local natives. I mean, just whoever I'm listening to you, Bon Iver, honestly, I can write with, with even words coming through the speakers and it's fine. Especially if I know the music, if I don't know the music as well. Then it's a little harder for me, but, if I forget my headphones, I find it very difficult. I don't know. It's just something about my pattern.Jeff: And like if I'm, if I'm at my, my home study, which is where I typically do most of my writing as I've got my, my vinyls over here, and sometimes I'll pop those on. That way I can get up, you know, you got to flip it. So I have, I'll have to get up that way. You're moving around and not sit in the chair for hours on end.And, but I found out that one, the one artists I cannot write to is Stevie Ray Vaughan. He is too good. And I sit back at my chair, I'm making all the faces, like I'm playing with them and I start air guitar and I'm like, I can't listen to this and work.Patrick: I thought you were going to say DrakeJeff: No, I got enemies. you know, I, I can't, I don't, I probably didn't know how the rights to even say that.Patrick: God'sJeff: on here, God's plan,Patrick: you should look at in some of my works, I try to sneak in footnotes like little, Easter eggs, you know, for people.Jeff: I wanted to do that with a Seinfeld references.Patrick: Did they cut them? Don't let people cut them.Jeff: they cut it. They, I said something like a puffy white shirt. but it was a part of this argument I was trying to make maybe for definite atonement or something. I don't remember. And we just had too many words and so it had to be cut. So this whole like line of logic, I was trying to make like editors like this, this part has to go, I was like, Oh no puffy white shirt.Like,Patrick: Yup. Don't do it.Jeff: but it's gone. So that dream, that guy, the dream, and I didn't do it for my first book. I was like, well,Patrick: In the Acts commentary argue that God's plan is one of the main theological themes. So I had to footnote Drake.Jeff: ah, so is that gonna make it?Patrick: I have no idea. They haven't seen it yet, but I mean, I've got, I've got Kanye, I've got Drake in there. I've got, I've got a bunch of people thatJeff: Kanye is good. Yeah. Kanye's a brother.Patrick: I just slip them in there, so we'll see what the editors say, but I'll, I'll, I'm going to fight for him. I'm going to fight for him.Jeff: It was, it was so difficult in my sermon that I preached last Thursday, that aired on Sunday, and I just started at First John. And when I said, he is the light. It was so difficult for me to not to say cut out all the lights. He the light.Patrick: That's right.Jeff: Got pulled over, see the brights. Okay. now. So what we already talked about music, we talked about you don't have a writing desk.so in either your study or your office at home or flip flop, whatever that may be, what are some objects in there that they just mean a lot to you? Either just, you know, cause they communicate a lot, you know, of truth and reminds you of things or this, you know, they're part of your personality.Patrick: Yeah. I wish I had better answers to this. I, I've looked at like paintings that I want to get a, I don't have any of that stuff right now, so when I'm at the coffee shop, what means a lot to me is I'm in the city, let's just put it this way, and I'm watching people walk by. And I like being in the city because it just reminds me of where I'm placed and what's going on, and that very few care about what I'm doing.So, but that, like, I'm writing to people who are ministering to these people, right. And I'm getting to them. So in terms of what's important to me, I usually have my chai with me. I have my MacBook pro, I have my music. And if you're at a coffee shop, you don't have any of your other stuff. So I actually don't have a lot of stuff like that in my office. I have my books around me. I have my standing up and down desks that I can stand up with sometimes. But, I've wanted to get some paintings. I just haven't decided what to, and they are. Yeah. I mean, I'm a, I'm a poor.Jeff: I'll have to get a print framed. I'm like, good grief. And so,Patrick: to steal them, you know? So,Jeff: Yeah. National. It'd be like a, not national treasure. I don't know what it would be. Global treasure. Patrick: I you little, you might have like magical devices, like, you know, Paul and Peter, like you could touch their garments and you could be a better writer. I don't have any of that stuff. I just honestly have my computer and what I'm drinking and the headphones, the headphones are the key piece for me.Jeff: Yeah. So we need  some, relics.Patrick: A rally.Jeff: need some writing relics. Amid Midwestern has them. They've got Spurgeon's hair follicles. they'rePatrick: it. I,Jeff: in a tank. Patrick: cigar that he smoked before he died.Jeff: his cherry wine  bottle opener too. Patrick: I did, like when I touched those things, I became a better preacher. So,Jeff: I, I developed a, a British accent for the day when I, when I did it. So like, and my study, I've got the a, do you remember? You've, I know you've seen it. It's a drawing of Eve and Mary.Patrick: Oh yeah, the controversial one now because of joe carter.Jeff: Yeah. Where, you know, and,Patrick: no, I'm, I'm for, I'm for you though. It's okay. it's a great image. I've, you know, at the beginning, I, you know, I'm totally interrupting you, but I've thought about getting that one, and then I thought, dang, it got controversial now. I don't know if I want to do it.Jeff: I don't remember the controversy about it. Patrick: Whether it's to Roman Catholic,Jeff: Too Roman Catholic. Okay. Patrick: I mean, what's the controversy like is marry ourselves nation? And I'm like, no, it's . It's like,Jeff: baby in the womb. Jesus in her womb,Patrick: Yeah, exactly.Jeff: clear. But Mary is the one stopping the on  the snake. So I have that here, but I like a bigger version of it. So now, cause it was just like a little cardPatrick: It's tiny. Yeah.Jeff: And so I found that, monastery, I think it's the, the word, the right word where they make them and they make them in a little bit bigger frame. So I have like an eight and a half by 11. Matted but not framed. It's leaning on a lamp cause I can't afford a frame.Patrick: Yeah. I'm glad you're worshiping Mary. You know, that's, you can cut all of this, but.Jeff: Well then it's right next to a Luther bobblehead. Yeah.Patrick: There you go. There you go. You're just, that seems like it'd be very confusing to you. Like who am I right now?Jeff: And then there's a James harden bobblehead adjacent to that.Patrick: do you want to talk about the, what is it, 2014 Damian Lillard shot at all?Jeff: man, I know there are some things I hope don't come up on podcasts, and that's definitely one of them.Patrick: yeah, well, don't worry. We were, what are we? We're ninth in the Western.Jeff: horriblePatrick: Very horrible thisJeff: Y'all are probably happy this season's probably going to get canceled.Patrick: Oh, I mean, it gives time for everybody to get Nurkuic to get back up and we're, we're good. Yeah.Jeff: I, I, I really do fear Steph Curry and all those guys too. But man, there's something about Damian Lillard that against the rockets, man, he's just stone cold. And I remember that night so vividly, a friend was, I think maybe two friends were over. We were dancing in the living room, all that jumping around.And then when Lillard hit that shot, I mean, I literally fell to my knees.Patrick: Yeah, I shouldn't have problem because you know the saints, when they beat the Vikings in 2008 or something like that, when we had Brett Farve, do you remember that game? And then the saints went on to win the Superbowl. That was like. They like stuck a dagger in my heart. That was the worst ever. They tried to injure Farve in that game.They twist his ankle. Then he threw an interception at the end. But Damian Lillard, I mean, I'm watching the, you know, the last dance, I'm sure everybody, it's 6 million people are watching. Everyone's watching it. but Damian Lillard, he's not Jordan, obviously, but he's got that killer instinctJeff: right, right.Patrick: there's something about it, which, you know, we won't talk.I just don't think LeBron has that killer.Jeff: I don't. I don't think so either. And I, yeah, I don't think harden has it clearly. I feel like Westbrook has it more than harden does. cause he just so intense. And so I, I was very anti us getting Westbrook at the beginning, but now I'm, I'm thrilled that we have them and glad that we do. He's so much fun.And I still think Harden's great too. At the Westbrook bobblehead has been upgraded. It's on my desk. I'm next to a Calvin bobblehead. I have a lot of bobbleheadsPatrick: We've got two of the probably best bat backcourts, right? I mean, McCollum, Lillard, Westbrook and Harden. That's, is there any backcourt that's better? I can't think of.Jeff: Active. No.Patrick: Yeah, yeah,Jeff: Unless you know Steph and Klay, but I  would pick Harden Patrick: yeah, Jeff: KlayPatrick: that's true.Jeff: clay and depending on what needs to happen, I, you know, if I need the last shot at the game, I'm picking stuff. If I need somebody to care my franchise by themselves, I'm picking Harden.Patrick: Yeah. Yeah. I would, Oh, we're talking too much basketball now, but I went a playoff game where stuff was coming back 2016 I think it was. He was coming back from an injury. And, yeah, we were beating them. I mean, it was a great game. The fans were going crazy. Playoff game, first round playing the warriors.We were beating them the whole game. And Steph was, you know, he was kind of getting back from his injury. You could tell he was a little rusty. And then he turned it on the fourth quarter and over time it demolished, demolished us. And he was just draining threes. And I respected him, but I hated him at the same time.Jeff:  man, I was at the game where Chris Paul pulled his hamstring.Patrick: Oh, yeah.My Jeff: wife and I were in the stadium. I saw him hop up and grab the back of his leg and I just knew it's over.Patrick: Yikes. Yeah.Jeff: that would've been it. We would've, we would've won and the championship, we would have steamrolled those Cavs. Ah, man. And I got a lot, a lot of rockets, Miller memorabilia around here too. And so I think, is there anything left to say about writing?Patrick: I'm sure there's a lot, butJeff: You gave so much great advice. Patrick: I may, main thing I'd say is edit, edit. You got to edit your work a ton. A ton. And that's especially for me because I write so quickly, but. you know, I have a document and another interesting thing about writing, I'll just add this. I have, a document in Evernote. I use Evernote to save some stuff and I just have a document called writing cuts.And I literally, at the end of my writing, I go through and I search my, there is, there are, it is, it was my adverbs, my, that's my is I N G statements that was, that are very, anything that does doesn't need to be there. And I searched him. I don't take everything out, but I just look at all those and say, does that need to be there?Like are usually a, there is, there are sentences are not strong sentences or it is, it was, it can be helpful in terms of if you're trying to make a point and being poetic or repetitive at times. But for the most part, I, I think it's a good thing to have those like things that you usually don't want in your writing and just control F.And search those things, get rid of them. So that's one of the final steps I do. I just look for those things and try to strengthen my sentences.Jeff: man, that's a great, great tip. I'll, I'll steal that and be frustrated at myself in the, in the process. Self-editing and self-loathing are very close friends.Patrick: That's right.Jeff: Well, Patrick, thanks so much for coming on the show, man. listeners, be sure to go to Amazon and search for all of Patrick's books. You can find Matthew, his, his book of Matthew, the disciple and scribe, there and also find his book on the kingdom and the cross from Crossway and all of his new books coming out.And especially his Ascension book, which you will definitely want to grab. And then you'll also want to go. after you leave a five star review for this podcast, you're gonna to go to your podcast app and go over and find food trucks in Babylon with him and Todd miles is a great show, a lot of fun, a great theology, great guests, and fun conversations about food. Of course, it's in Portland and all that. Do you have a handlebar mustache yet? Or just just the beard.Patrick: You know, I had one for a little while and then I just got rid of it on the quarantine time. My wife said, it's time to go so. I always grown it out. It was getting pretty big. I mean, to the point where, man, I was curling that thing. It was, it was going pretty high. I had an automatic like joker smile on my face all the time.It was great.Jeff: I have an automatic envy for everyone with facial hair, with a beard. Just my wife is a anti beard.Patrick: Dr. Mohler at ETS was like, Hey, I see your hair's going every which way now, and then he walked away from me. That was him making fun of me for my handle stash. So. I just trying to think of something clever but to say back to him, but I couldn't think it up.Jeff: So be sure to be sure to go listen to their their podcast about theology and a little bit about food, food trucks in Babylon. He goes, subscribe to that and go follow him on Twitter and Patrick, what's your blog? So you can tell people to go over there.Patrick: I don't do anything on my blog.Jeff: All right. Don't go there.Patrick: Yeah, don'tJeff: Go to mine, go to mine. I blogged there three times a year, jamedders.comPatrick: There you go. Jeff: And of course you can find all of my books on Amazon as well, and follow me on Twitter at Mr Medders and I love to hear from you. Be sure to leave a rating for the show in iTunes and all that. Tell your grandmother and as always, just to keep writing. 

Chapter Two, Verse Five (2:5) In this double-length episode Chris Keith and I enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation about the Gospels, Historical Jesus Studies, social memory theory, and who would win a fight at SBL. Thanks for tuning in!  RESOURCES: Chris has written and edited a lot of books. Here is a selection: + Chris Keith, Jesus' Literacy (T&T Clark) – https://amzn.to/2sG69tE + Chris Keith, Jesus Against the Scribal Elite (Baker) – https://amzn.to/2QGqG9f + Chris Keith & Anthony Le Donne, eds., Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity (T&T Clark) – https://amzn.to/35laTC6 + Chris Keith & Larry Hurtado, eds., Jesus Among Friends and Enemies (Baker) – https://amzn.to/2FdwEtd   Credits: Produced by Jonathan Pennington and Mandy Pennington Video and Audio Engineering and Music: Mandy Pennington

Why did Roman rulers and polemicists find early Christianity so alarming, rather than just another religion?

Dr. Hurtado on his book God in New Testament Theology.

Dr. Hurtado explains the term "early high christology" and what it means when applied to his own work.

A new season of Church Grammar is on the docket, so stay tuned! Today, however, we are reposting our conversation with Dr. Larry Hurtado in honor of his recent passing. Larry was known by many as an eminent scholar, but some may not know that he was equally a devoted follower of Jesus and churchman. He will be missed. Make sure to buy some of Larry's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests' views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Episode: This is a re-release. Larry Hurtado passed away recently, and in memory of his contributions to biblical studies, we’re re-releasing this 2016 episode. Apologies for the sound quality. Larry […] The post Larry Hurtado – Destroyer of the Gods first appeared on OnScript.

Episode: This is a re-release. Larry Hurtado passed away recently, and in memory of his contributions to biblical studies, we’re re-releasing this 2016 episode. Apologies for the sound quality. Larry […]

How is studying the New Testament like tracing a family tree? Why were Christians in the early church called anti-social? What was so radical about that first generation of Christians calling on Jesus as Lord? And how does the early church help us to be faithful in the modern world?Larry Hurtado is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology in the School of Divinity at Edinburgh University.For more about Larry Hurtado, see here.

How important is collaboration? We spoke with Larry Hurtado, CEO and President of Digital Defense, Inc. about integrating with partners. Sponsored By: https://www.digitaldefense.com/ For more on cybersecurity, visit us at https://cybersecurityventures.com/ Follow Cybersecurity Ventures / Cybercrime Magazine here: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cybercrime-magazine/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CybersecuritySF Apple Podcasts: Cybercrime Magazine Podcast

What anchors your life? What is it that you worship to get happy, feel protected and connected to the world around you? The answer is more complicated than you think. Sources: Destroyer Of The Gods by Larry Hurtado, Black Mass by John Gray,

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Larry Hurtado of the University of Edinburgh. We discuss becoming a Christian (2:20), the lost art of love letters (7:20), entering NT scholarship in the 1970s (9:10), the earliest Christians' devotion to Jesus (14:15), Jesus as a unique divine agent in comparison to others (20:00), the place of the Holy Spirit in NT theology (27:15), contextualizing the doctrine of the Trinity (33:23), differences between he and Richard Bauckham (36:35), the best and worst trends in modern Christology scholarship (41:39), and more. Buy Larry's books. In honor of his recent passing, we reposted this episode on December 4, 2019. Larry was known by many as an eminent scholar, but some may not know that he was equally a devoted follower of Jesus and churchman. He will be missed. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests' views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Is it too simple, or flippant to say that Jesus is God? What about the Trinity? Does the New Testament teach a distinction or a union between the Son and the Father? Does it teach both? How did the early church view the divinity of Christ? Can Christians stay unified despite different beliefs and interpretations? How did the early church pursue unity? To discuss these questions and more, the guys sit down with Dr. Larry Hurtado.

The advent of English “reader’s Bibles” and audio Bibles is upon us. What should we make of it? With poor statistics on Bible literacy in the West, how can pastors and church members encourage more and better Bible reading in their churches and small groups? On this episode, Travis chats with Glenn Paauw, Senior Director of Content at the Institute for Bible Reading. Much like Exegetical Tools, the Institute for Bible Reading is committed to helping people read and understand the Bible. Travis and Glenn talk about Bible literacy in the West today, the advantage of reader’s Bibles and audio Bibles, the need for reading in community, Larry Hurtado, and more!Don’t forget to check out this episode’s featured resources – Immerse: The Reading Bible and Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience – at immersebible.com Follow us: @exegeticaltools

This episode continues our series on the portrayal of God as a character in the Bible. Today Tim and Jon dive into the Gospel of John and how it portrays the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In part one (0:00-13:30), Tim says that reading John is similar to watching a remake of a movie, only with a different director. The Gospel of John was the Gospel that was written the latest, and John himself seems to have been the last living disciple of the original twelve. Tim says that John feels like a reflective retelling of the story of Jesus. This means the language used in the book is slightly different than in other Gospels and books in the Bible. Tim says that John specifically hones in on using the language of “oneness.” It echoes the Shema. For example, Tim cites Richard Baukum, saying that in John 5:16 (Healing the crippled man on the Sabbath): “For this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God." Or again in John 10:30-31: “'I and the Father are one.' The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.” And again in John 14:10: “Philip, do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” Tim says that the point is that John has reflected the Jewish Shema in Jesus and God the Father’s relationship intentionally. In part two (13:30-23:30), Tim and John look at the divine name. John 8:56-59" “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.' Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him.” Tim says that this is taken directly from Exodus 3:14. In part three (23:30-28:10), the guys look at John 17. Tim calls this chapter the climatic summary of the themes in the book. John 17:1-3: “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Tim says to notice the Daniel 7 echoes: Son, authority over all flesh, etc. John 17:5: “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Tim says that Jesus was the pre-existent word and wisdom of God and the embodiment of his divine glory. In part four (28:10-end), Tim shares John 17:11. "Holy Father, keep them in your name, the name which you have given me, that they may be one even as we are one.” Tim says that Jesus and the Father bear “the name” showing that they are one. John 17:20-26: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that also they may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in one-ness, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Tim says that the true nature of God the Father’s relationship with Jesus is mirrored in how people relate with each other through love. Tim shares a quote from scholar Larry Hurtado: “The Gospel of John draws on a rich, almost interchangeable association of God and God’s name to express a uniquely intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father. Indeed, for the author of the Gospel of John, for whom the biblical traditions provided the authoritative store of vocabulary, images, and themes by which to express the significance of Jesus, this divine-name tradition constituted the most profound way to portray the relationship of the “son” to the “father.” To speak of Jesus as invested with the divine name, as given the name, as manifesting God’s name in his own words and actions, as coming with and in the name of God, was to portray Jesus as bearing and exhibiting God in the most direct way possible in the conceptual categories of the biblical tradition and within the monotheistic commitment of that tradition. In the centuries following the Gospel of John, Christians began using terms and conceptual categories from Greek philosophical traditions (words like: being, essence, person). But it’s important to see that the use of the divine-name tradition in John is on it own terms an equally radical and direct claim about the relationship between Jesus and God.” -- Larry Hurtado, The Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Early Christianity. Jon comments that the Gospel of John seems to be the most Jewish of all the Gospels. Tim says he agrees. John speaks directly to all of the Old Testament Jewish “shelves” of who God is. All these shelves are difficult for many modern people to fully understand without learning how an ancient Jew would have thought and acted. Jon says there are not only other languages to deal with when reading the Bible (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, English etc) but also foreign ways of thinking. Ancient people thought differently than modern western people. Thank you to all of our supporters! Show Resources: Larry Hurtado, The Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Early Christianity. Richard Baukum Our video on God: https://bit.ly/2Pr6qpJ Show Music: Defender Instrumental, Tents Tae the Producer, Praise Through The Valley Tae the Producer, Another Chance Tae the Producer, He’s Always There Show Produced By: Dan Gummel, Jon Collins, Matthew Halbert-Howen.

This episode continues our series examining God as a character in the Bible. Today Tim and Jon dive deep into the story of Jesus of Nazareth. In part one (00:00-12:30), Tim outlines the historical path of Jesus. He says that within Jewish culture, Jesus stands unique. For example, in early Christian culture, there were hymns singing songs of praise to Jesus, not just about Jesus. Christians can “praise the name of Jesus” and Paul can use the phrase “maranatha,” which means “our Lord come” in Aramaic. Tim says the point is that Paul can write to a Hebrew or Greek audience with an Aramaic phrase and have it apparently make sense. The significance is that what Jews would have said about Yahweh––“our Lord come”––Christians were then saying about Jesus in Paul’s letters. Tim says that by doing this you are essentially equating Jesus to Yahweh. Tim cites Larry Hurtado and his book One Lord, One God. In part two (12:30-22:45), Tim outlines the most common exalted claim made about Jesus by the first Jewish Christians. It was to use the language of Psalm 110:1-2 combined with Daniel 7. Psalm 110 A poem of David: Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” These lines are the most-quoted Old Testament text in the New Testament. It describes God taking a “master/lord” of King David and placing him on a throne that is next to the divine throne. It’s quoted by Jesus himself inMark 12:36 and 14:62, by the apostles in Acts 2:33-35; 5:31; 7:55-56, and by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2. It's also used in a Jewish context to claim that a human figure had been exalted to share in the divine rule over creation, which was equal to a claim that this figure shares in God’s unique identity. Tim asks the burning historical question: How did this configuration of beliefs and practices come into existence? The New Testament offers an account for the origins of this exalted view of Jesus and their experience of him through the Spirit. In part three (22:45-37:00), Tim lays out more accounts of Jesus and says that Jesus positions himself as “Yahweh returning” from the Old Testament. For example in Mark 1:1-3: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’” “Lord” here is in Greek (kurios), the Greek Septuagint translation of “Yahweh.” In Mark 1:4-8, John the baptist is introduced as the messenger voice in the wilderness. So In Mark 1:9, we’re introduced to Jesus as kurios. Tim continues and says that with Jesus’ baptism, the story is a Father, Son and Spirit love-fest. Mark 1:9-11: "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens [God as Father]. 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'" Tim says the point is to demonstrate the unity of the triune God. Jesus is sent forth from God/Yahweh in the power of the Spirit. In part four (37:00-end), Tim says after the baptism that Jesus does “Yahweh alone” things, such as forgiving people’s sins. Mark 2:5-7: "And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?' [lit. “the one God”]" Jon asks about the relationship as a son and father. Why does Jesus call God his father? Tim says it’s not like Yahweh gave birth to Jesus. It carries forward Old Testament ideas that the son, specifically the eldest son, is the chosen one who will carry on the father’s mission. Tim says that while the title “Father” or “my Father” or “our Father” can be confusing to modern readers, Jesus was fundamentally trying to show an intimate, precious relationship between him and Yahweh. Father is used in the Old Testament in Exodus when Yahweh refers to Israel as “my son.” Further, Christians get this language uniquely from Jesus’ own choice of that word to use it to describe Yahweh. Tim says that there is always a point in these type of conversations when things seem mysterious and confusing and people lack language to describe this aspect of God. Tim says he thinks that this is part of the beauty of the topic. Show Resources: Larry Hurtado One Lord, One God. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranatha Our video on God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvYmE2YYIU&t=3s Show Music: Defender Instrumental, Tents Praise Through The Valley, Tae the Producer Eden, Tae the Producer Moments, Tae the Producer Show Produced By: Dan Gummel, Jon Collins, Matthew Halbert-Howen

In part 1 (0- 14:00), Paul was a zealous Pharisee before he converted to following Jesus. Tim says this “zeal” that Paul showed as a Pharisee is a hyperlink to an Old Testament story in Numbers 25 where the priest Phineas exercised “zeal” to preserve the Jewish law. Jon comments that zeal is an interesting emotion that is complicated to understand in religious movements. Tim comments that Paul never lost his zeal; he just redirected it upon his conversion to Jesus. In part 2 (14:00-25:30), the guys discuss Acts 13 and the missionary journeys. Tim explains that there were more missionary journeys going on than just those recounted in the book of Acts. He references a book called “The Lost History of Christianity” by Philip Jenkins. Regarding Paul’s missionary journeys, Tim recounts that Paul bridged the gap between Jews and Gentiles, and Luke recounts this with all these short stories about converts like Lydia the Gentile purple merchant, Timothy the child of a Jewish mother and Greek father, the Philippian jailer, a rough and tough character, and Dionysius the Areopagite an ancient intellectual aristocrat. Luke desires to portray Paul as a person who reaches a diverse group of people with the message of Jesus. In part 3 (25:30-36:00), the guys discuss the circumcision controversy portrayed in Acts 15. Should Gentile converts to Christianity be required to observe traditional Jewish customs? This is one of the fundamental questions underpinning the whole New Testament, but it’s largely missed today because Christianity is now majorly non Jewish. Tim says the disciples determined what to do by using a passage from the Old Testament prophet Amos found in Amos 9:11-15. In part 4 (36:00-48:45), the guys discuss what ancient Rome was like and why Christianity was viewed as a threat to the Roman empire. The Roman economy was made up largely of indentured servants and slaves. Roman religion was polytheistic. Tim cites quotes by scholars Kavin Rowe and Larry Hurtado saying that Christians posed both an economic and religious threat to the Roman society. Why? Because they refused to participate in communal worship of the Roman gods or in the economy built on violent nationalism. Tim says this is evident in the stories Luke shares, like the one about the silversmith Demetrius in Acts 19. He views Christianity as a threat to the entire religious and economic system of the world and incites a riot in Ephesus against Paul. In part 6 (48:45-53:05), Tim shares a few quotes from NT Wright. The guys discuss how modern Americans’ lives look very similar to Roman lives. We tend to worship sex and money as a culture, but without the mythology wrapped around it. Are Americans or modern westerners that much different from our historical Roman predecessors? Perhaps we’re more alike than we care to believe. In part 7 (53:05-59:50), the guys cover Acts 17. Wherever Christianity spread, there tended to be riots as the local communities felt the Christians were disrupting their way of life. Tim says that Luke was purposefully portraying the Jesus movement on a collision course with the Roman world. Paul and other Christians would create disruption wherever they went, yet they were preaching a gospel of peace. In part 8 (59:50-end), the guys make an interesting historical observation that the foundation for religious liberty and the separation of church and state comes from the ancient church fathers like Tertullian arguing for their right to worship the Jewish God, but serve a Roman emperor. Thank you to all our supporters! Produced By: Dan Gummel, Jon Collins, Matthew Halbert-Howen Resources: Philip Jenkins, Lost Christianity Kavin Rowe, World Upside-Down: Reading Acts in a Graeco-Roman Age Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods Larry Hurtado, Why on Earth Did Anyone Become Christian? N.T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God Music: Beautiful Eulogy, The Fear of God Beautiful Eulogy, Come Alive (Hidden) Beautiful Eulogy, Come Alive Moby, Shot in the Back of the Head Shipwrecked, Noah Dixon KV, Wild Rosasharn Music, Defender Instrumental

Scripture Reference: Micah 6:1-8 Micah 6:1-8. Additional resources include "Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World" by Larry Hurtado; "Generous Justice" by Tim Keller; "Seek Justice," a sermon preached by Rankin Wilbourne on June 30, 2017. Audio File: 20180107.mp3 Sermon Date: January 7, 2018

Coyle Neal interviews Larry Hurtado about his recent book, "Destroyer of the Gods."

Coyle Neal interviews Larry Hurtado about his recent book, "Destroyer of the Gods."

Coyle Neal interviews Larry Hurtado about his recent book, "Destroyer of the Gods."

The details on the distinctiveness of the early Christian movement can be found in Larry Hurtado's Destroyer of the Gods.  The Michael Green quote and line about Hosea's story ending were from Tim Keller, and the story about Karl Barth is from Fleming Rutledge's The Crucifixion.

Larry Hurtado is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Professor 1996-2011). He was the Head of the School of Divinity 2007-2010, and was until 2011, the Director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins, at the University of Edinburgh. Perhaps because of the great distance between myself and Prof. Hurtado during recording (a six-hour difference), a small echo creeps in.

Larry Hurtado is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Professor 1996-2011). He was the Head of the School of Divinity 2007-2010, and was until 2011, the Director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins, at the University of Edinburgh. Perhaps because of the great distance between myself and Prof. Hurtado during recording (a six-hour difference), a small echo creeps in.

Dr. Larry Hurtado joins the show to discuss early Christianity including Christian distinctiveness, what made Christianity bizarre, Christianity as a philosophy, God of love, the improbability of Resurrection in the first century and his book Destroyer of the gods. For more on this month’s sponsor Missions Resource Network click here. Or email them at missions@MRNet.org.

What is the central thing for the Church? There are so many things that inevitably work to splinter the Church. However, if the Church intentionally roots itself in the central things such as the Gospel of Jesus, then not even divisive issues such as an election can divide the Church. Scot gives a vision for how to keep the central things central while adopting and adapting implications from the Gospel to the culture in which the Church exists. Suggested Resources: Books: The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight (http://goo.gl/ARF03V) New Horizons in Hermeneutics by Anthony Thiselton (http://goo.gl/5Oud8G) NT Blogs: Scot McKnight (Jesus Creed) - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/ Ben Witherington III - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/ Larry Hurtado - https://larryhurtado.wordpress.com OT Blog: Claude Mariottini - https://claudemariottini.com Magazines: Relevant Magazine - http://www.relevantmagazine.com Christianity Today - http://www.christianitytoday.com Interested in learning more about Northern? Attend Northern’s Open House online through Northern Live or in person on Tuesday, Novemeber 15 at 6pm CST. Learn more and register at http://www.seminary.edu/news/oh16/

After you hear this interview you are gonna want to get Hurtado's new book Destroyer of gods. In the conversation we discuss just what made Christianity a distinctive religion in the Roman empire and what came to distinguish Christianity from Judaism. What Hurtado does a great job explaining is just how what we call "religion" is a product of Christianity's emergence in the Roman world. Dr. Larry Hurtado was born in Kansas City, but spent much of his career in Scotland until retiring as Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology at the University of Edinburgh. He is known for his research into the origins and development of “devotion to Jesus” in earliest Christianity, and also on textual criticism and the study of earliest Christian manuscripts as informative artifacts of ancient Christianity. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode:  Larry Hurtado and OnScript host Matthew Bates smash gods. Well, actually Larry is the one who brings the heavy artillery, drawing from his recent Destroyer of the Gods (Baylor […] The post Larry W. Hurtado – Destroyer of the Gods first appeared on OnScript.

Episode:  Larry Hurtado and OnScript host Matthew Bates smash gods. Well, actually Larry is the one who brings the heavy artillery, drawing from his recent Destroyer of the Gods (Baylor […]

Historian Tom Holland recently penned an article for The New Statesman on why he changed his mind about Christianity. Holland is the author of popular books on ancient empires and says his research made him realise how unique Christianity was in its infancy. He claims that, despite secular arguments that Christianity hinders moral progress, the West actually owes its values of equality and human dignity to the religion.   Holland discusses the issues with New Testament historian Larry Hurtado whose recent book 'Destroyer of the Gods' explains the unique and unusual nature of the early Christian church in the context of Greco- Roman culture. For Tom Holland's article: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2016/09/tom-holland-why-i-was-wrong-about-christianity For Larry Hurtado's 'Destroyer of the Gods': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destroyer-gods-Early-Christian-Distinctiveness/dp/1481304739 For the Beyond Materialism conference on 12 Nov: https://www.c4id.org.uk Can We Agree To Disagree? Dialogue event 14 Nov: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/can-we-agree-to-disagree-christians-humanists-in-dialogue-tickets-27430401068 Order Unbelievable? The Conference 2016 DVD/MP3CD & Digital Download   http://www.premier.org.uk/Shop For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter  Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Why was Christianity so odd in its time and how did it change the way we think of religion today? Larry Hurtado is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language, Literature,and Theology in the school of divinity at the University of Edinburgh. His research has focused on the origins and development of what he calls “devotion to Jesus” in earliest Christianity. He is an author of numerous books and an authority on the Gospels (esp. Gospel of Mark), the Apostle Paul, Early Christology, the Jewish Background of the New Testament, and New Testament Textual Criticism. We discuss his latest book is Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World.

In this second part of my conversation with Dr. Larry Hurtado about his book Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World, we discuss the distinctive "bookishness" of early Christianity

Larry Hurtado joins me to talk about his book "Destroyer of the Gods" showing the distinctiveness of early Christianity

Dr. Larry Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology at the University of Edinburgh, describes the early Christian use of codices, nomina sacra, and the staurogram.

Paul calls Jesus "the one Lord." What does this mean? In episode 15, we saw why we can't take Paul to mean that Jesus is Yahweh himself. In this episode, we see what, according to the New Testament, it means for Jesus to be "the one Lord." Sir Anthony Buzzard has helpfully covered Psalm 110:1 many times. See this blog post and this video, in addition to his published works. See also this discussion between Dr. Joe Martin and pastor J. Dan Gill, who also discuss Peter's use of this text in Acts 2, and other relevant texts. The commanding voice of Paul in this and the last two episodes is Mr. Dominick Baldwin. Be sure to contact him if your business or church etc. is looking for a voiceover that makes Warf sound like a little girl. You can also listen to this episode on YouTube (scroll down – you can subscribe here). If you would like to upload audio feedback for possible inclusion in a future episode of this podcast, put the audio file here. Books quoted in this episode: Larry Hurtado, How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? James Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Samuel Clarke, The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. James McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context. Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel.

The Minette and Huber Lelland Drumwright Jr. Endowed Lecture in New Testament Studies delivered by Dr. Larry W. Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology and Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. The title for Dr. Hurtado's lecture is: "The Place of Jesus in Earliest Christian Prayer."

The Minette and Huber Lelland Drumwright Jr. Endowed Lecture in New Testament Studies delivered by Dr. Larry W. Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology and Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. The title for Dr. Hurtado's lecture is: "The Place of Jesus in Earliest Christian Prayer."