Podcasts about liberal christians

We are back!  Irenciast has taken many different forms over the years and after a couple year break we return in a new iteration.  In this episode we take some time and catch our listeners up on where we've been and what we've been up to.  In addition we provide some information on the direction of the show.  We are so happy to be back and are tremendously thankful for everyone that listens.  We look forward to continuing the conversation with you.   IRENCAST HOSTS Rev. Bonnie Rambob, MDiv | co-host Pastor Casey Martinez-Tinnin, MTS | co-host Jeff Manildi | co-founder, producer & co-host Rev. Rajeev Rambob, MCL | co-host   ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION Join our progressive Christian conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links: Email Us at podcast@irenicast.com Like Us on Facebook - http://www.fb.com/irenicast Listen & Follow Us on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/irenicast-a-progressive-christian-podcast/id973641238 & Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2I8ZocjK9u4d8PMEWeJFDU?si=F0PCz8RH See Us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/irenicast/ Love Us? CREDITS Intro and Outro music created by Mike Golin.

Is it godly to be a Democrat? Tune in to find out. Order Pastor Mark's newest book Vote Like Jesus to help you navigate this election year! -Instead of looking left or right, get the book that shows you how to look up to the Kingdom instead of down to Hell: https://realfaith.com/vote/ In addition As a thank you for listening to the podcast, here's my gift to you – one of my post popular (and controversial) books, New Days Old Demons: https://realfaith.com/fire/Follow on social media!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MarkDriscollMinistries?sub_confirmation=1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastormarkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markdriscollTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pastormarkdriscollTwitter: https://linktr.ee/markdriscoll Click here for more resources: https://linktr.ee/markdriscoll

Give to help the Truce Podcast! Harold Ockenga was a famous fundamentalist(ish) pastor from Boston. And he had a problem. Liberal Christians had the ear of the government. That meant that military chaplain positions and free radio time were going to liberals, not conservatives. Why shouldn't conservatives have access to the radio waves like theologically liberal Christians? But that would take unity among evangelicals, or, what he called neo-evangelicals. Neo-evangelicals were evangelicals who didn't separate from the world. In Ockenga's case, this meant maybe going to the movies or an opera. So he, along with other preachers like Billy Graham, founded the National Association of Evangelicals with the hope of uniting neo-evangelicals under one banner. It didn't work. The real story, though, sometimes gets lost. The was a big boom in evangelism in the 1940s as WWII wrapped up. Evangelists targeted the youth with organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ springing up left and right. This boom meant that churches swelled in the 1950s, only to begin their long slide a few decades later. In this episode, Chris speaks with Joel Carpenter, a senior research fellow at Calvin College and author of "Revive Us Again". Resources Used: "Revive Us Again" by Joel Carpenter "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald "The Surprising Work of God" by Garth Rosell "Reaganland" by Rick Perlstein NPS article about the Bonus Army “After the Ivory Tower Falls” book by Will Bunch Billy Graham audio National Association of Evangelicals "The New Treason" Interviews from Harold Ockenga at Wheaton College Discussion Questions: What spurred the revivals of the 1940s? How has youth evangelism shaped American society? Why is it important to understand the role that cheap higher education played in shaping the 1960s? Why did neo-evangelicals feel that they needed access to the radio waves? Is unity important to the Christian walk? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eric Metaxas with John Zmirak. Liberal Christians See Us as Pets Who Need to Be Declawed. The Eric Metaxas Show  Sep 28 2023   John Zmirak of Stream.org shares his latest article and thoughts on the state of affairs.   Article mentioned: Liberal Christians See Us as Pets Who Need to Be Declawed https://stream.org/liberal-christians-see-us-as-pets-who-need-to-be-declawed/ The last person left supporting New Mexico's gubernatorial gun grab is the hapless local Catholic archbishop. By JOHN ZMIRAK Published on September 18, 2023 John Zmirak A rare bit of good news in our demon-driven, dazzlingly insane America: Even Democrat governors can go too far. At least in 2023. Yes, during the COVID panic they got away with murder. Literal negligent homicide (at best), in the case of blue state rulers like Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and others who dumped COVID patients in nursing homes to infect and kill the most vulnerable citizens of their states. This nicely inflated the death statistics, to justify mail-in voting and vote harvesting for the 2020 races. But robust kids and teens were caged up at home, while their grandparents in nursing homes gasped out their last breaths on ventilators, denied any farewell visitors, blessings by clergy, or even Christian burial at the end. They were bagged up and burned as medical waste, like aborted babies from clinics. Churches were padlocked and gathered dust, while casinos, liquor stores, and abortion clinics were deemed “essential,” and throbbed with financial life. So much for “Public Health,” a phrase that deserves only bitter laughter. Anyone who still speaks it with a straight face is either a grifter or a dupe. (Please read this essay explaining why those two words are the name for a false god we're obliged to mock and despise.) FBI Show Trials for Citizens it Entrapped Those governors also got away with blatant tyranny. Whitmer violated her state's constitution with her state of emergency locking citizens in their homes, as Michigan's highest court ruled. Not that some stinking constitution stopped the FBI from faking a kidnapping plot against her, and recruiting hapless citizens to entrap into its plan. Thank the good lord that three of these FBI victims have just been acquitted, unlike those January 6 protestors goaded to break the law by FBI-controlled agitators. Nobody actually tried to conduct a citizens arrest of Michigan's tyrannical governor, except those whom the FBI aggressively lobbied and funded, in a desperate effort to create right wing “domestic terrorists” for the purpose of show trials. I wonder what our founding fathers would have done with a Royal governor who tried what Whitmer did. Pay No Attention to the Tyrant Behind the Curtain But at the moment, we aren't all cowering at home in pitiful fear of a Chinese bioweapon, wearing useless face diapers when we creep out to purchase our kibble, or sticking out our arms to take an abortion-tainted experimental mRNA gene therapy. Maybe we're less prone to just flinching and cowering when our rulers pronounce the magic shibboleth that's supposed to make all our constitutional and human rights disappear. When the Wizard of Oz booms: “Public … health!” some of us insist on looking behind the curtain. A New Mexican Standoff So when New Mexico governor declared that “gun violence” (more agitprop nonsense language) was such a threat to “public health” that by executive order she was suspending citizens' gun rights in one of her cities, she didn't get the reaction she expected: Servile, cringing obedience from the citizens, adoring tributes from the media, and a cascade of gift certificates for pedicures and pumpkin lattes. Instead she got what she richly deserved: defiance and scorn. Hundreds of citizens appeared in public, peaceably displaying their weapons as permitted under actual New Mexico law. The relevant sheriff announced that he wouldn't enforce an unconstitutional order. Even gun-grabbing undergrad David Hogg took to Twitter to denounce her ham-handedness. America's best news source, Revolver gloriously gloats: New Mexico's Attorney General, Raul Torrez, has just hung his governor out to dry. He's made it crystal clear that he refuses to stand in defense of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in the face of growing legal battles stemming from her draconian ban on firearm carrying. “While I acknowledge my legal responsibility as the foremost legal representative of New Mexico to provide defense when state officials are litigated against in their official roles, my primary allegiance lies in safeguarding and upholding the constitutional rights of every individual,” Torrez asserted. Ouch. She's on her own. One Man Steps Forth to Embrace the Stupid I hate to correct Revolver, but that's not entirely accurate. There's one institution standing stalwartly alongside Grisham in her one-woman war on the Bill of Rights: Her local Catholic church, and its Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe. Catholic News Agency reports, deadpan: “I believe Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is correct to point out the crisis we are experiencing in Albuquerque and the County of Bernalillo,” Wester said, adding that “the number of gun deaths we witness here is deplorable and tragic. I hope we can come together in New Mexico to address this issue.” “In my view, the governor has been consistent in addressing gun safety through legislation and is not now attacking the Second Amendment,” Wester went on. “She knows the law. Rather, I believe she is trying to get us to solve what has become a crisis in our state.” “I do not see the governor's call to action and discernment as a threat to the Constitution,” Wester said. “The focus should be on the sanctity of human life. That is the point.” Remember that I reported here some months ago on a coordinated plan by leftist bishops to attack our citizens' gun rights, led by the scandal-plagued Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark. Whenever any politician tries to cancel the Second Amendment, one of those bishops will be ready to step forward and lie about it, to suggest that owning a gun is somehow akin to aborting children, because … reasons. Gaslighting the Sheep on Behalf of the Wolves Nobody will be fooled by Wester's argument. Because he doesn't offer one. He simply, blandly states that a diktat by a governor canceling gun rights doesn't violate the Second Amendment. This isn't Christian teaching. It's gaslighting, and ought to earn Wester the scorn and ridicule that (pro-choice “Catholic”) Governor Grisham is already reaping. Where does this kind of mindless post-Christian virtue-signaling come from? That's a long story, which I tell in my upcoming book, No Second Amendment, No First (now available for pre-order, though I'm making final updates). Here's a sample: Following biblical truths, we recognize that every life is unique and precious. Does that mean, at the policy level, the highest good is avoiding death at any cost? Actually, no. If that were true, then we'd never fight any wars. We'd always decide that the price in human lives was just too high. So, we'd let bullies and tyrants (who think life is cheap) run the world. If Churchill had been a pacifist, there would have been death camps in Britain. God didn't tell the Jews to embrace nonviolence in the Old Testament, and Jesus never endorsed it in the New. He never told soldiers to quit the Roman army as the price of following him. He did tell us to accept personal slights (like a slap on the cheek) rather than escalate to dueling, but that's as close to pacifism as Jesus ever got. He didn't come to earth to contradict his Father, who'd told the Jews to fight in self-defense against — and sometimes even to conquer — truly evil regimes built on child sacrifice. If extending every single life as long as possible were the goal, our speed limits would have to be set at 10 miles per hour, and we'd all drive rubber cars while wearing helmets. Mountain climbing, NASCAR, football, and other dangerous sports would be illegal. We'd have no death penalty, not even for murder. But we'd also have a hard time enforcing the law in the first place. No cops would carry guns. Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day. Christian leaders (Catholic and Protestant) who make such a fetish of “safety” and “public health” that they are willing to shred our liberties … no longer believe in the Christian view of the person. They see us as hapless, occasionally naughty pets, not dignified images of God. We need to be kept in “safe environments” and compelled to make “responsible” and “sustainable” choices that protect “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” If that means the masters who rule us might decide to vaccinate, sterilize, or even euthanize us when it suits the “common good,” who are we to complain? And how? Once we've let our masters pull out all of our teeth, we can't even bite the hand that beats us. UPDATE: Gov. Grisham has been forced to revise her order.    John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  John Zmirak makes his weekly appearance and covers current events and shares recent articles available at-   https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ Watch Eric Metaxas on Rumble-  https://rumble.com/c/TheEricMetaxasRadioShow  The Eric Metaxas Show- https://metaxastalk.com/podcasts/ Eric Metaxas Show on Apple Podcasts-    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-eric-metaxas-show/id991156680 Check out- Socrates in the City   Find All of John Zmirak Articles at- https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Apple canceled us and now we are clawing our way back to the top. Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FM Player Podcast Addict Tune-in Podcasts Pandora Look us up on Amazon Prime …And Many Other Podcast Aggregators and sites ACU on Twitter- https://twitter.com/AmerConU . Warning- Explicit and Violent video content.   Please help ACU by submitting your Show ideas. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children.

Nope, this isn't a rant about folk not doing what I think they should or shouldn't do. Today I am talking about being liberal in how we live and conduct ourselves and how we think about the misfortune of others. Let me know what you think.  _________________________________________ Cogitations now has a Facebook page. If you want to contact me for show ideas or questions I can turn into a show it is now easier than ever. Please like and follow the page so we can build a community! https://www.facebook.com/tonyscogitations     Tony Brewer,   DIGITAL SUPPORT: www.patreon.com/nearchurches www.buymeacoffee.com/cogitations PAYPAL: nearchurches@gmail.com   You can also send me crypto: @tonycogitations on my Coinbase Wallet   BTC:  bc1qqrj8khghfsxkkna2gtgndpq9sqcxxynj4ujaum USD:  0x4d4C623187Ebc44ACF7688ee3A11141f76D02672 [ERC-20] ETH:  0x4d4C623187Ebc44ACF7688ee3A11141f76D02672 UST: 0x4d4C623187Ebc44ACF7688ee3A11141f76D02672

David talks with Dave Jenkins, the Executive Director of Servants of Grace, a multi-media ministry that exists to help people know the God of the Bible and equip God's people to grow in His grace as they serve in the local church and beyond. Dave's new book called "The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age" just launched this week! Daily podcast, relevant articles on issues pertaining to Christians and more can be found on Stand Up For The Truth.

Science: Ladies go into imagination in stress! Al Gore pretends to protect kids! Libs pretend Christian Nationalism is bad! Central Park Five: Guilty?  The Hake Report, Wednesday, July 27, 2022 AD: Pocket/Prevention article: "How stress hits women's brains harder — and why men don't always get it," feat. Dr. Amit Sood, the far-left American Psychological Association (APA), and a couple ladies. // Al Gore and the establishment spread fear and untrustworthy predictions, "alarmist nonsense" to get power! // INTERESTING CALL AND SUPER: What are the benefits of immigration? // Liberal "Christians" (like Rev. Marvin McMickle) supporting globo-homo "antiracist" false religion bash, strawman, and fear-monger about "Christian Nationalism"! // Correcting the record on the Central Park Five: Not quite innocent! Not quite exonerated! //  MUSIC: "Save Me Save Me" - Xiu Xiu - The Air Force (2006, 5 Rue Christine)  // "Kicked Up Pumps" - Audionautix - YouTube Audio Library (Hassan selection) //  JUST ONE CALLER Art in Ohio talks common sense about cause and effect, and scare-mongering for power! //  TIME STAMPS 0:00:00 Wed, Jul 27, 2022 0:02:14 Hey, guys! USS Liberty tee 0:04:44 Stress Gender Gap: Dr. Sood, APA 0:34:14 Women don't get along: Savannah Guthrie vs. Hoda Kotb 0:39:01 Al Gore and mainstream climate hysterics 0:47:20 ART, OH: Dishonest people using cause and effect for power 0:59:01 Super: Lie about benefits of immigration? 1:03:40 Super: Wordy Pocket article: Do Silent Prayer 1:04:39 "Save Me Save Me" - Xiu Xiu 1:07:49 Reading chat during music 1:12:51 Christian Nationalism: Nate Fischer, Rev. Marvin McMickle, J. Suffering 1:36:29 Central Park Five: Daily Wire, Townhall, WSJ 1:56:40 "Kicked Up Pumps" - Audionautix Also see Hake News from JLP.  HAKE LINKS VIDEO: YouTube* | Facebook | Twitter | ARCHIVE Odysee | Rumble | BitChute | LIVE Odysee | DLive | Twitch*  PODCAST: Apple | Spotify* | Podplayer | Castbox | TuneIn | Stitcher | Google | iHeart | Amazon | PodBean  SUPER CHAT: Streamlabs | Odysee | EXCLUSIVE SUPPORT: SubscribeStar | Teespring  CALL-IN: 888-775-3773, LIVE M-F 9-11 AM PT (Los Angeles) thehakereport.com/show  *NOTE: Liberal platforms commonly censor Hake's content.  BLOG POST https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2022/7/27/women-stress-christian-nationalism-central-park-five-wed-7-27-22 

Liberal Christians have a calling card - saying they love Jesus, while they hate Him. How are they able to do this? We take a look at Jesus 'stories' from the Gospels that are most often used, and abused, by Liberal Christians (and sometimes, even Conservatives!).

Title: Altogether Reliable Text: II Peter 1:16-21 FCF: We often struggle accepting and believing the word given to us. Prop: Because God's truth is confirmed by 2 witnesses, we must cling to the Word until Christ appears in power. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter chapter 1. Last week, Peter began to transition his readers from his introductory words about God's work in preserving His people to obtain a rich entry into the coming Kingdom, to, as we'll see today, the surety of that Kingdom and Christ's coming in power. This represents the body of the letter. Peter is preparing his readers for attacks on the truth of Christ's return and wants to ensure them that what he's revealed to them previously is certain. He does so forcefully today – providing a powerful and doctrinally RICH close to this first chapter. I'll begin reading in verse 16. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1369 or in whatever version you have in front of you. Transition: Doctrine of supreme importance awaits us in this text. Let's not waste any time. I.) Because we have eyewitness accounts of Christ's power, we must cling to the Word until He appears in power. (16-18) a. [Slide 2] 16 – For i. Why should Peter's audience listen to him? ii. He just said that he is reminding them of all they know and are doing. Why should they continue to listen to him? iii. Why should they listen to him about this glorious excellence that all God's people are called to? iv. Why should they listen to him when he speaks of sharing in the divine nature? v. Why should they listen to him when he talks about God's power giving all they need for a godly life coming to them through the knowledge of Christ? b. [Slide 3] We did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the power and return of our Lord Jesus Christ; i. It is not difficult to understand what Peter means by this statement. ii. Our faith is not based on a bunch of myths and legends that deified Christ. iii. What is more difficult is understanding the backdrop for this statement. iv. Do the false teachers that Peter predicts later rely on myths and fables? Do they accuse the apostles of doing so? v. What we do know for certain, is that within Roman paganism and emperor worship, much of the gods that were worshipped including previous Roman rulers were deified by their “miraculous” deeds. vi. Stories were passed down about individuals doing amazing things, being blessed by the gods, and eventually being accepted into the pantheon for worship. vii. Interestingly enough, no one really accepted these stories as truth. They were really meant to teach a moral or point someone toward a certain kind of living. viii. It would have been easy for enemies of the gospel to have done something similar with Jesus, claiming that his death earned some kind of place among the gods. ix. Was He atoning for sin? Probably not. Will He return to take us away? No. It is just a story. x. But Peter categorically denies such assumptions without qualification or exception. xi. The stories and history that the apostles made known to the church, and that Peter made known to His audience, the accounts of Jesus' coming in power– did not originate in fantastical stories that developed over time to become legends. xii. They did not sit down at a bonfire and listen to Jesus or someone else tell the great fables of His power and godhood. c. [Slide 4] No, we were eyewitnesses of His grandeur i. Peter says – I saw it with my own eyes. ii. All of us did. iii. All of us saw His grandeur. iv. Grandeur here could be translated majesty or magnificence. v. We saw with our own eyes the evidence that He was more than merely a man. vi. We saw him eat, we saw him bleed, we saw him sweat – we know he was human. But He was not merely human. vii. But to what event specifically is Peter referring? d. [Slide 5] 17 – For He received honor and glory from God the Father, when that voice was conveyed to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is my dear Son, in whom I am delighted.” 18 – When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves heard it, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. i. Although not all the details from Matthew are recorded the same here in II Peter, we have enough in common to conclude that Peter references the Transfiguration on top of Mount Hermon. ii. In the passage leading up to this, Jesus talks with His disciples about denying self, taking up their cross and following after Him. He says that if they wish to find their life, they must lose it for His sake. He says that if they gain the whole world but lose their soul it is of no profit to them. Because the Son of Man will come in glory and power with his angels and reward everyone for what they have done. iii. This sounds… a lot like what Peter was just saying doesn't it? iv. Make every effort to add these virtues to your faith. Make every effort to confirm your calling and election so that you will never stumble but entry to the kingdom will be richly provided for you? v. Then Jesus says – Truly I tell you there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. vi. Then the chapter ends and with it our brains shut off. But the next chapter starts with - “after six days” vii. Matthew clearly connects the prophesy of Christ's coming in His Kingdom to the events that follow. viii. What events follow? ix. In Matthew 17:1-8 Christ's inner circle of Peter, James, and John join him on top of Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon was located in a place known for its pagan worship. In fact, at its base was the “gates of hell”, a mythological entrance into the underworld. x. Pagan deities and demons had been worshiped in this place for millennia. xi. And on that mountain, Peter, James and John witnessed the Son of Man come in His Kingdom. xii. Christ in their very presence tears the fabric of this world and the Spiritual world and displays His full glory. He stands with Elijah and Moses as a precursor to the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord – when He shall come again in power and glory. xiii. He just predicted that this would be, and then he shows Peter James and John the trailer for the movie. xiv. But why? Why does Jesus do this? xv. Might I suggest to you that this is first to confirm that He was, at that very moment, able to come in power and glory. xvi. But after God the Father speaks, his glory is hidden again and Elijah and Moses are gone. xvii. What does that mean? It means 2 things. 1. He can and will fulfill the promise of His future coming in power. Because He just did. He can do it again. But… 2. It was not yet time to do that. He had a mission to complete that preceded His coming in power. 3. Interestingly enough, when they got down the mountain, Jesus once again told them that he would be put to death and on the third day raised again. xviii. So, coming back to II Peter – what is Peter using this event for? xix. Peter now uses this experience as the authority and assurance of Christ's future coming in power. Why? xx. Christ came in power on Mount Hermon, on the mythological doorstep of the underworld. xxi. How did Peter's eyewitness account differ from fables? Christ came and stood on top of cleverly concocted fables, lies of demons, and brought His true and glorious Kingdom down on top of it. xxii. And Peter saw it with his own eyes. xxiii. That is why Peter feels comfortable continuing to remind his audience about God's power to get them from pre-ordination to glory. xxiv. Because He has seen the glory of Christ shown brightly in the darkest place on earth. xxv. And if He could do that BEFORE he was crucified and raised again to life and ascended into glory! Then surely, He can do that again and in a much greater way now that He has been given a name above every name and has put all powers under His feet. e. [Slide 6] Passage Truth: So, in these first few verses Peter reminds his audience that his teaching in general, but specifically his teaching on the future coming of Christ in power, is completely trustworthy since it is based on eyewitness accounts and not on made up fables. f. [Slide 7] Passage Application: Although he hasn't quite gotten to the application yet, it is abundantly clear. They need to trust what he has said and will continue to say regarding the coming of Christ. True, this hasn't been the main topic of discussion through the book thus far, but it certainly wasn't absent. And now he will turn to proving it in the next two chapters. So, they had better listen intently and trust completely what he is going to teach them. g. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out for a more systematic look of scripture we see that all of our New Testament books are either directly from eyewitnesses of the events and teachings of Christ or, like in Luke's case, collected eyewitness accounts. In fact, this was a mark of canonicity for our scriptures. They had to be written by or rely heavily on the eyewitness accounts of those who actually saw the risen Christ and were taught by Him. Every book that has been received in the New Testament canon except for Hebrews has this status. And Hebrews is written in such authority and exquisite interpretation of the Old Testament – that we might assume that one of the apostles wrote it without claiming that they had. The fact that they experienced all that Jesus said, did, and all the miracles, the resurrection, the ascension, and yes even the transfiguration – all of this gives heavy weight to the testimony of the apostles. It is not one man claiming some fantastical thing. Rather it is several men seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, and smelling the power and glory of God, every day for three years. h. [Slide 9] Broader Biblical Application: So for us CBC, it increases our trust not only that the biblical writers are correct in the future surety of the coming of Christ in Power – but also the assurance that we have the very words of Christ transmitted down through time to us. We can confidently trust those who were eyewitnesses to the glory and power of Jesus. Transition: [Slide 10] But it is not just that we have eyewitness accounts. As we know, sometimes our eyes cannot be trusted. Sometimes our senses play tricks on us. Who's ever been to a house of mirrors right? In fact, magic or slight of hand succeeds basically because our senses are tricked. Is it possible that the apostles suffered from mass hysteria? Were they all duped? No. It is not possible. Why? Their eyewitness accounts are only one testimony of two. II.) Because the God-given Word has predicted Christ's return in power, we must cling to the Word until He appears in power. (19-21) a. [Slide 11] 19 – Moreover, we possess the prophetic word i. Peter's eyewitness account and experience is not the only thing that all of Christendom possesses to verify that Jesus is this powerful, magnificent, and returning Lord. ii. We, meaning all Christianity, possess the prophetic word. iii. The Scriptures are what Peter is referencing here. iv. We might be tempted to conclude that since he mentioned Prophesy that he only means the Prophetic books. v. However, what is clear is that he means every single piece of scripture that speaks forward to the coming of the Messiah of God to save His people from their sin and establish a New Kingdom in glory with them. vi. Those prophesies are laced to literally every book of the Old Testament. I won't say every page or every chapter – but certainly every single book has some reference, allusion, or blunt prophesy of the coming Messiah. vii. Therefore, Peter is using synecdoche here. He is referencing a particular part of the Old Testament to refer to the entirety of it. viii. New Testament writers do this when they say “The Law” or “The Law and the Prophets” – many times when they say these smaller parts they mean the entire Old Testament. ix. Peter's view of the powerful future coming of Christ in glory is not simply based on his own eyewitness account. Although that would be reliable in and of itself. x. But the whole of scripture speaks to His power and future coming in glory. xi. Why does that matter that all of scripture speaks to this truth? b. [Slide 12] As an altogether reliable thing. i. By Peter's statement that the prophetic word is altogether reliable, he indicates that the words of the Old Testament are truly and completely reliable words. They are without error, and the reason they are without error, is because they were given by God. ii. He has already said that they did not receive myths and cleverly concocted fables – but instead they were eyewitnesses to Christ's glory and possessed the inerrant words of the Old Testament Scriptures. iii. The phrase “altogether reliable” draws a comparative force here meaning that the Old Testament prophesies, though always without error and given by God, are now proven or vindicated all the more because of the eyewitness accounts of the apostles. iv. Peter has seen the Scriptures fulfilled. That means that even though they always were God's inspired and inerrant word, full of authority, they are now all the more reliable in their fulfillment. v. The one thing we need to highlight here is what Peter says about the Old Testament Scriptures and thus all Scripture. vi. [Slide 13] In reference to our doctrine of the bible or bibliology there are several key points of teaching that Peter hits on in these last 3 verses. 1. Inspiration 2. Inerrancy 3. Perspicuity 4. Sufficiency vii. Unfortunately, we do not have the time this morning to unpack each of these to their fullest degree. However, in a few moments as we apply what we've learned from this text, we will unpack these teachings briefly and see how they impact our daily lives. viii. But for now, Peter says something that ought to make us all snap to attention. c. [Slide 14] You do well if you pay attention to this i. He wants us to stop and consider the importance of the prophetic word. ii. But he wants to draw us a word picture to demonstrate how important it should be to us. iii. We need to pay attention to the prophetic word and the fact that it is altogether reliable … d. [Slide 15] As you would to a light shining in a murky place, i. Imagine with me that you are in a place of absolute darkness. ii. Have you ever been in true darkness; darkness where you cannot see your hand wave in front of your face? iii. Now imagine that it is not only this dark, but it is also dingy. Smelly. Slimy. Putrid. Dry. Parched. Where the smell of death hangs in the air and you can feel the filth creeping all around you. iv. This word for murky means darkness but it also means all of these words. It conveys not just darkness but filth and poverty. As if you were sealed up in a crypt. v. How would you react to a light suddenly appearing in your filthy darkness? vi. Would you not rush to its rays? Would you not cry out for help to emerge from where you were? Would you not trust whoever bore the light to get you out of where you were? Would you not trust the light bearer to take you from your place of darkness? vii. Such are the rays of light given by the absolutely reliable word of the Living God. viii. This is how you should pay attention to the prophetic word … you should receive it with eagerness, gladness, and trust. But how long must you do this? e. [Slide 16] Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. i. The night is often an Old Testament allusion to the world in which we live. ii. The dawn is, then, an allusion to the coming day of the Lord where God invades His own creation and puts down forever the forces of darkness and reclaims all that is His. iii. He then will make all things new. iv. The expression morning star has clear roots referencing Christ, since he was the star that will rise out of Judah in Numbers 24. v. Putting these images of dawn and Christ being the rising star in the morning of that dawn, the point Peter is making is that when Christ does return and the day of the Lord does happen, God's people will no longer have to trust the prophetic word or the apostle's eyewitness accounts because they will see it for themselves… vi. In their hearts. vii. This does not mean that Peter is refuting a literal physical return of Christ. In fact, Peter will talk about that soon enough. viii. Peter's point is not to prove the coming of Christ – at least not yet. ix. His point is the reliability of His words and the words of all other Scripture. x. Meaning that his emphasis is that their trust will be affirmed when Christ returns. They will see Him in a way that they were only able to perceive by faith before. xi. And once we see Him clearly, once the day dawns, we no longer need to rely on the lamp light. We have the sun to guide us. f. [Slide 17] 20 – Above all, you do well if you recognize this: i. Peter says that his audience would do well if they paid attention to the reliable prophetic words of the Scriptures regarding Christ's coming in power and glory and they should do this until he fulfills what they have prophesied. ii. But first, and above all, they would do well to recognize. iii. Or to know something. iv. They would do well to receive a truth first, before they even pay attention to that prophetic word. v. So, what must they know first? g. [Slide 18] No prophesy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet's own imagination. i. The thing that his audience would do well to know first, is WHY the Scriptures are reliable. ii. Many translations have “interpretation” as the last word in this verse. “No prophesy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet's own INTERPRETATION” So we need to ask why the NET translates this imagination. iii. The NET gives us a clue that there is some disagreement over what Peter is saying. iv. The disagreement comes down to whether or not Peter is talking about the origin of the prophesy or the explanation of the prophesy. v. I won't dive too deeply here. We are getting close to the end of the sermon so I don't want to get too technical. You can come on Wednesday night and ask for all the ins and outs – but for me the meaning that seems best is explanation. vi. There is probably a comparison happening here between the pagan religions of the day, the false teachers that are coming, and the way God's prophets received truth from God. vii. In pagan culture, the oracles would consult a writing, event, dream, or vision. They were always unclear. So, the oracle would then interpret the dream and give a prophesy. viii. The false teachers in Peter's time are beginning to question the prophesies of the Old Testament as having been interpreted conveniently by the apostles to force Jesus's coming in power into a still future event. ix. Their reasoning is that like the pagans, the oracle is delivering an interpretation of their own making rather than one that conforms to the actual prophesy. x. But what does Peter say? xi. No. No prophesy of Scripture has ever come about or came into being because a prophet made his own interpretation of what God gave. xii. Instead, Peter says here that the interpretation DID NOT COME FROM MEN. xiii. Now over church history Roman Catholics and even Liberal Christians with Postmodern views, have taken this text to mean that it is not possible to arrive at the one meaning of scripture on your own. 1. From a Roman Catholic perspective, Vatican II says that “the task of interpreting scripture rightly has fallen ONLY to the teaching office of the church.” In other words, not one single Christian can interpret the scriptures accurately. Instead, they must rely on the Church tradition, with creeds and councils and the teaching office (pope, bishop, priests) to understand the scriptures' meaning. 2. From a postmodern perspective, there IS no one interpretation of scripture and therefore you cannot arrive at that one interpretation because there are many interpretations based on the reader. xiv. Both of these views, although using this text, actually violate what Peter is saying here. xv. Scripture's meaning is not of human origin. xvi. That is not to say that people cannot err in interpreting the Word of God. They can. xvii. But the true meaning of Scripture does not come from man's mind. xviii. The Roman Catholic perspective is closer to the truth, but still elevates human interpretation to the same authority as the scriptures, even though over the history of the Catholic church that interpretation has changed several times. xix. In truth, we must confess with the reformers that the FINAL authority for a believer is Scripture, and thus the FINAL interpretive authority of Scripture… is Scripture. xx. But why can Peter say that the interpretation or meaning of scripture does not come from men? h. [Slide 19] 21 – For no prophesy was ever borne of human impulse; i. Scripture's meaning cannot come from men, because Scripture does not come from men. ii. No Scripture ever came about by a man sitting down to write it of his own will. iii. Even the words Peter is writing now, he did not sit down of his own will to write them. iv. He did not desire to write them and it did not originate from him. v. So, in this text we have both the origin and the interpretation of scripture being located from a source that is completely OUTSIDE of man. vi. If man neither creates nor assigns meaning to the Scripture… where does it come from? i. [Slide 20] Rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. i. The verb to be carried along refers to guidance. It is to bear, to bring, to carry, or to produce. ii. God's Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of Christ, provided the impulse for the biblical author to sit and write and provided the content, breathing out the very words God desired to be said. iii. To the extent that when a prophet speaks, to ignore would be to ignore God Himself. Regardless of whether a prophet said “Thus says the Lord” they were always saying what the Lord said. For they were carried or guided along by the Spirit of God to say exactly what God desired them to say. iv. And to that end, the interpretations the apostles have provided of the Old Testament are also the Spirit guided interpretations of the scriptures. Where they interpret them, they rightly ascribe the meaning of the text of the Old Testament. j. [Slide 21] Passage Truth: So, Peter reminds his audience that his teaching on the future coming of the Lord in power is a trustworthy teaching. It is trustworthy because it is a fulfillment of what the God-breathed, inerrant, clear, sufficient, and authoritative Scriptures have already revealed. k. [Slide 22] Passage Application: Therefore, as Peter says, they would do well to pay attention to the scriptures that they know are God given, even down to their meaning. l. [Slide 23] Broader Biblical Truth: We will spend a good chunk of time exploring this more fully in just a moment but it is enough for us to realize that the scripture as a whole reveals about itself that it is From God, without error, Having one clear meaning, Is sufficient for our lives, and is thus our final authority in all matters of faith, life, and practice. We can resoundingly say – Sola Scriptura. For this is what Peter says. m. [Slide 24] Broader Biblical Application: Therefore, CBC, with the scriptures being our final authority – we must come to them not as if we determine what they mean, not as if they were purely human made, and not as if we can never understand them. Rather we approach as if they are the very words of God, without error, possessing one clear meaning that we can and must labor with the Spirit to uncover, sufficient for all of faith and practice, and thus are authoritative over our lives. We must come to the mirror of the Word and not judge the word, but have the Word of God judge us. Conclusion: [Slide 25(blank)] I want to spend some additional time this morning discussing what we believe about the Scriptures. Don't worry, I don't plan to make this into some long theology class with lots of big words. I don't plan to dive deep into all the false teachings on these things. We'll talk a little about what we don't believe to help explain what we do – but we won't be naming all the various perspectives that exist. Today I just want to answer, what do we believe about the Scriptures. God's Word. [Slide 26] 1.) First, we believe in the verbal, plenary (whole or complete) inspiration of the Scriptures. This means that we believe the Holy Spirit, through the personality and style of the human author, breathed out upon their minds the exact words that God wished to give to His people. We must state that this applies only to the original autographs. It does not apply to the copies or translations. That is not to say that what we have with our English bibles is NOT the verbally inspired word of God. But we would say that in all these copies and translations God has preserved His original message down to the very words. Which is exactly what we would believe about Preservation. [Slide 27] 2.) Second, God has graciously and providentially preserved all of His word for us and will continue to do so until all is fulfilled. God promises this to us in many places in scripture. We must be sure though that we do not err in how we apply this. He has not done this in a single copy or translation. Instead, more miraculously and more securely, he has preserved every single word He ever gave in the various copies and translations of the text. [Slide 28] 3.) Third, we believe in the inerrancy of scripture. Because we believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures, this is not only a logical assertion but also one that the bible says about itself. God's Word is truth. When God says something that seems to be in error, no matter what the topic, be it science, math, history, or doctrine – we must accept that we are the ones who need to shift – since the scriptures are without error. Again, this applies to the original autographs only. Copies can contain errors. Translations too. This is not to say that the word of God must be precise. When the scriptures speak of science, there is no need for them to be technically scientifically accurate. Rounding numbers up or down is not an error. Neither is using figurative language or not including all the details of a narrative. These are not errors. But, the Scriptures NEVER tell us something is true when it isn't or false when it is true. Why? Because they are God's Words. And God is truth. [Slide 29] 4.) Fourth, we believe in the perspicuity (clarity) of scripture. We believe that God giving us His Word and being all powerful means that He desires that we understand what He says. This means that God has one meaning that He intends as He writes His Words to us. That doesn't mean there are not layers or double meanings, but that all meanings are intended by God and clearly given in the total counsel of the Word of God. This doesn't mean that there are not difficult passages to understand. This doesn't mean that every single person on earth can understand the Scriptures. Rather, this means that God has intended a meaning and from all of scripture He can and does show that meaning to His people. His Word is not far from us. [Slide 30] “The Holy Spirit …has generously and advantageously planned Holy Scripture in such a way that in the easer passages He relieves our hunger; in the more obscure He drives away our pride. Practically nothing is dug out from those obscure texts which is not discovered to be said very plainly in another place. “ Augustine of Hippo The light of the scripture is bright enough to reveal all its truths to us. We are the problem. We have mud on our eyes. If we cannot understand – it is not because the sun isn't bright enough – it is because our eyes are caked with mud. This is the proper place of church tradition and traditional interpretation. Like I just did quoting Augustine, we can go back and see how the church has interpreted the scriptures. These traditions do not act as another authority, but they do help us to get past our 21st century western eyes to see the scriptures true meaning. This also validates ongoing extra biblical works to help explain scripture. But they are always subservient to scripture. Which leads us to… [Slide 31] 5.) Fifth and finally, we believe that the Scriptures are sufficient. We believe that in the scriptures God has given us all we need. That doesn't mean the bible speaks on every topic. We can't go to a bible verse to fix a broken leg. We can't go to the book of Jeremiah to get help for our Physics homework. But it does mean that all we need to be what God has called us to be, to believe, to walk in His ways – all has been given to us. There is no difficulty in life the scriptures do not address. There is no doctrine necessary unto salvation that the Scriptures do not plainly lay before the eyes of those who have been prepared to receive it. And this belief teaches us that as wonderful as church tradition, creeds, councils, catechisms, and confessions are – should they all burn up tomorrow and all that remains is the Word of God – we have lost nothing. It also teaches us that to understand the problems in this life, the difficulty and struggle, the heart of man, or the truth – we have do not need human psychology, philosophy, theory, or discovery. These too may help us understand our world and ourselves – but they are NOT the final authority especially when they contradict the scriptures. [Slide 32] And 6th – which is a bonus one – you're welcome. Because of all this – we believe that Scripture alone is absolutely, unequivocally, undisputedly, authoritative for all men, let alone for His people. What God says, is. We approach His word humbly expecting to be rebuked, reproved, corrected, and instructed. We expect to leave from His word different than we came. We expect His word not to return to Him void. Counter to our culture which tells us that we can live our truth expecting us to leave their truth alone. God's Word burns away such foolishness. God has said, and that is the final word. You can receive it, believe it, cling to it, or you can reject it… but no matter what YOU do with it – it does not change His Word. It stands forever as Truth from the mind of God. [Slide 33] My friends… If this is true… Why are our bibles not ragged? Why have we not memorized whole books? Why have we not read it all? You say, “You know every year I make it to numbers chapter 1. That's right I made it through Leviticus only to run right into numbers. I couldn't go on.” My friends. Every. Single. Word. In Numbers chapter 1… is from the God who holds the universe in His hands. It is from the God who knows how many hairs are on your head at any given moment. It is from the God who breathed His breathe of life in you so that you might receive faith in Christ. Every. Single. Word…. He has breathed. So that you might know Him. So that you might believe Him. So that you might live for Him. We have exactly 3… only 3 services at our church. Sunday morning, Foundations, and Wednesday night prayer group and bible study. They are all focused on the reading and study of the Word of God. We have added Sunday Night tonight in a study of Deacons. Which will be yet another study from… any guesses? The Word. My friends, it is not that you have no access to the Word. Of God. It is that you have so little time, energy, stamina, willpower, and commitment to pant for the Word. Of. God. Unlike a deer panting after water – our hearts pant after mountain dew, kool-aid, iced tea, and alcohol. But not water. Rarely water. The living water of God's Word. Is it any wonder we are oftentimes lost and rudderless with no answers? Is it any wonder we feel blind and unable to know which step is right? We must keep following the lamp of light… The dawn approaches. Don't be left in the dark.

Aaron Shelenberger who studied under Mike Licona at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares about his research on the historicity of the resurrection. In particular, his thesis tackled three main objections brought forth by popular author and anti-Christian Bart Ehrman. Now, I realize this episode and the next two that follow are a tad technical, so if that's not your jam, then you may want to skip them. However, what I've noticed in the past is that our most technical episodes tend to get lots of downloads. In our conversation today we discuss the importance of resurrection and how Ehrman's attack on the reliability of the Gospels fails to undermine the case for the resurrection. Also, I bring up Licona's somewhat controversial book, Why Are There Differences in the Gospels and get Shelenberger's take on it. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9xpP2c89E Here is Shelenberger's thesis for your consideration. —— Links —— Follow Aaron Shelenberger on his YouTube channel: Life and Beyond and on his blog: Abandoning the Trinity See Mike Licona's Why Are There Differences Between the Gospels? Check out Shelenberger's interview on the Trinities podcast (part 2 here) More information about Family Camp here. Support Restitutio by donating here Designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here.

Trump: Dogs are phony! Sean Parnell custody battle. "Sex in the City" actor MeToo'd. Sex before marriage? Women working?  The Hake Report, Tuesday, December 21, 2021: Kids in masks, SMH! // Biden welcomes German Shepherd "Commander" to White House. Trump says politicians getting dogs is phony. // Military veteran and would-be politician Sean Parnell drops out of Senate race, describes child custody battle. // "Sex in the City" male actor Chris Noth accused of "assault" by anonymous women. // INTERESTING CALLS: Liberal friends? Sex out-of-wedlock? Women working? // Liberal "Christians" rally behind "leader" Beth Moore who quit Southern Baptist and turned Anglican over Christian Trump supporters. //  MUSIC: Phil Hahn and Steve Johnson - "Mary, Did You Know?" // TrackTribe - "Turtleneck" - from YouTube Audio Library (selected by Chris) //  CALLERS Brandon from California gets a lil explicit about LGBTQ mess.  Zac from Michigan's black friend has a trans roommate, they've both turned kinda radical.  Joe from Portland, OR, at 54, wonders what's wrong with sex out-of-wedlock.  Mike from Michigan asks Hake's beef with Denzel and women working (esp. married mothers).  Justin from Fullerton, CA has a nice, brief call about Biden's warning to the unvaxxed.  William from California says a Bloods gang leader's leaving L.A.! Thanks, black mothers, etc.!  John from Kentucky tread into violent fantasy over an inappropriate(?) lynching joke. Still mad.  Also check out Hake News from today.  TIME STAMPS 0:00:00 Tue, Dec 21, 2021 0:02:01 Hey, guys!  0:03:36 Masked kids 0:08:08 Biden, Trump, dogs 0:14:37 Supers: Rap, guns, winter 0:17:10 Sean Parnell 0:31:41 Super Chats: Sean Parnell 0:34:46 BRANDON: GAY? 0:39:31 Chris Noth MeToo'd 0:53:24 ZAC: BLACK FRIEND 1:04:14 "Mary, Did You Know?" - Phil Hahn and Steve Johnson 1:07:06 Reading chat, Super Chats 1:11:58 JOE: SEX? 1:26:47 More Super Chats 1:29:31 MIKE: WOMEN WORKING 1:43:03 JUSTIN: BIDEN WARNING 1:46:30 Super: Silly callers! 1:48:06 Beth Moore, "Christian woman" 1:52:37 WILLIAM: CA 1:58:03 JOHN: BAN? 1:59:28 "Turtleneck" - TrackTribe HAKE LINKS VIDEO ARCHIVE: YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Odysee  AUDIO PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | Podcast Addict | Castbox | TuneIn | Stitcher | Google | iHeart | Amazon | PodBean  LIVE VIDEO: Odysee | Facebook | Twitter | DLive | YouTube* | Twitch* | NOT Trovo*  SUPER CHAT: Streamlabs | Odysee | SUPPORT: SubscribeStar | Patreon | Teespring  Call in! 888-775-3773, live Monday through Friday 9 AM - 11 AM PT (Los Angeles) https://thehakereport.com/show  Also see Hake News from JLP's show today.  *NOTE: YouTube, Twitch, and Trovo have all censored James's content on their platforms over fake "Community Guidelines" violations. (Trovo permanently blocked The Hake Report.)  BLOG POST: https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2021/12/21/122121-tue-attack-on-men-sex-in-the-city-accusations 

Legalistic Christians vs. Liberal Christians. How do you navigate the gray of what a Christian should and shouldn't do? Listen to this eye opening message from 1 Corinthians. Navigating the Gray: Law, Liberty, & Love Sanctuary Family Worship Center Pastor Heath Harris 7.11.21

Liberal Christians — a sermon on Acts 15:1-21 by Resurrection MPLS Sermons

Watch Pastor Ben's recent messages at: https://www.youtube.com/freedomfamilychurch/ or at https://www.facebook.com/ffcsilercity/videos/ Find out more about Freedom Family Church - Siler City: http://lovesiler.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/amen-ben/message

We decided to react to the very controversial video "Reaction to "Liberal Christians vs Conservative" by Jubilee. Topics include abortion, the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, and the inerrancy of the Bible. Let us find truth in the midst of humanity's confusion. Jubliee Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/jubileeProject Liberal Christians vs Conservative Christians YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tYxnt3gCyI

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Welcome to Part 2 of the Christmas Bonus Episode! If you haven’t already listened to the first part, I would suggest checking that out as it helps to frame our discussion in part two. In this episode, we spend a lot of time discussing why Christians who share the same fundamental beliefs can disagree so strongly on various issues and why that can actually be a good thing! Let us know what you make of our analysis - none of us are trained psychologists so please let us know if we got anything wrong. At the end of the show, we get into freedom of speech and argue over whether the American Dream (and by extension the Canadian Dream) is a Christian idea or not. Hopefully you find this episode to be enjoyable, at least mildly informative! Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts. As mentioned on the previous episode - if you’re interested in advertising on Real Talk, please contact us using the email listed below.  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedReal... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrea... We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends! Research Links: One Christian Thinks: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... CRT vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... CRT article: https://shenviapologetics.com/crt-and...Jordan Peterson Course: https://courses.jordanbpeterson.com/personalityBig Five Traits (OCEAN): https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ 

Liberal Christians Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

Liberal Christians Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

Liberal Christians Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

Liberal Christians Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

This week I wanna do something a little different than usual and a little fun too. I recently listened to an episode of Trinity Radio where the host, Braxton Hunter, answered questions in a BuzzFeed video called "Christians have for other Christians". So, I thought I would answer a few of them as well.Watch the video here:www.youtube.com/c/gospelovergimmicksVisit the website:www.gospelovergimmicks.orgBuy a T-shirt:https://teespring.com/stores/gospel-over-gimmicks-storeBecome a Patron:www.patreon.com/gospelovergimmicksSend me an email:gospelovergimmicks@gmail.comBuzzFeed video used for today's episode:https://www.buzzfeed.com/kelseypjones/questions-christians-have-for-other-christians

This week I wanna do something a little different than usual and a little fun too. I recently listened to an episode of Trinity Radio where the host, Braxton Hunter, answered questions in a BuzzFeed video called "Christians have for other Christians". So, I thought I would answer a few of them as well.Watch the video here:www.youtube.com/c/gospelovergimmicksVisit the website:www.gospelovergimmicks.orgBuy a T-shirt:https://teespring.com/stores/gospel-over-gimmicks-storeBecome a Patron:www.patreon.com/gospelovergimmicksSend me an email:gospelovergimmicks@gmail.comBuzzFeed video used for today's episode:https://www.buzzfeed.com/kelseypjones/questions-christians-have-for-other-christians

White Oak Baptist Church of Stratford, CT is a loving, Christ-centered Church engaging our community in a powerful way. To learn more about our church and how you can connect, please visit http://www.whiteoakbc.org

What is the intersection of progressive revelation and orthodoxy? We talk about the often shunned group of individuals known today as "Liberal Christians". Although many would say there is biblical truth to both sides of the argument we try our best to break down what it means to be a liberal christian and some of the topics that are often discussed when having conversations with someone who considers themself a liberal Christian. We also address the fact that Nolan and Jesse are not part of the "cool kids" of christianity. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/biblical-lenses/support

Just before America struck Iran killing Qasem Soleimani, President Trump launched his Evangelicals for Trump coalition in Miami, Fla. This was on the heels of an editorial Christianity Today denouncing his Presidency. We are watching living through the beginnings of a civil war between Evangelical and Liberal Christians in America as evangelical leaders such as Jimmy Bakker’s comments concerning believers salvation in connection to their acceptance of Trump as "God Sent". Trumps spiritual advisor Paula Whites commentary concerning Trump being surrounded by "Godly People", is only a microcosm of a divide that has been brewing for years.Listen as NaRon Tillman shares insight on this most important topic and subscribe now so you will never miss a show.Spreaker: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-SpreakerSpotify: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-SpotifyIHeart Radio: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-IHeart-RadioItunes:http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-ItunesDreezer: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-DreezerFor Location of our Sunday Service, Prayer Request or General Information about the One Ministrieshttp://bit.ly/OneMinistriesLet's get social like our FB Pagehttp://bit.ly/NaRonTillmanFBPageHelp us to keep the work going by donating now to One Ministrieshttp://bit.ly/Support-The-Ministry-HereorOn Cash App $oneministriesFor Booking email toTillman@oneministries.church

Just before America struck Iran killing Qasem Soleimani, President Trump launched his Evangelicals for Trump coalition in Miami, Fla. This was on the heels of an editorial Christianity Today denouncing his Presidency. We are watching living through the beginnings of a civil war between Evangelical and Liberal Christians in America as evangelical leaders such as Jimmy Bakker’s comments concerning believers salvation in connection to their acceptance of Trump as "God Sent". Trumps spiritual advisor Paula Whites commentary concerning Trump being surrounded by "Godly People", is only a microcosm of a divide that has been brewing for years.Listen as NaRon Tillman shares insight on this most important topic and subscribe now so you will never miss a show.Spreaker: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-SpreakerSpotify: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-SpotifyIHeart Radio: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-IHeart-RadioItunes:http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-ItunesDreezer: http://bit.ly/Podcast-On-DreezerFor Location of our Sunday Service, Prayer Request or General Information about the One Ministrieshttp://bit.ly/OneMinistriesLet's get social like our FB Pagehttp://bit.ly/NaRonTillmanFBPageHelp us to keep the work going by donating now to One Ministrieshttp://bit.ly/Support-The-Ministry-HereorOn Cash App $oneministriesFor Booking email toTillman@oneministries.church

The poor bastards are joined by long lost Poor Bastard this week, while they try and stack as many illicit substances as possible and talk about men who beat up women, another round of DayZ nostalgia, Liberal Christians, and human garbage.

Introduction: Several years ago now I had an email exchange with a Muslim in Saudi Arabia. It ended badly with him phoning me from Saudi and swearing at me for blasphemy and wishing cancer on me and my family. But during the exchange it was very interesting to see the ways in which he tried to disprove Christianity, he attacked the manuscript reliability of the NT, and put a question mark over the Canon of the Bible. It amazed me to see how intimate his knowledge was of the early transmission of the various manuscripts and his familiarity with the various theories about how the Bible was copied. He did this in an attempt to show the superiority of the Quran to the Bible in terms of the reliability of its transmission. This however was a false comparison, it was a case of comparing apples and pears. The Bible is an ancient manuscript and the Quran is a medieval document. There is over 500 years difference between them and to compare transmission techniques would be like us comparing our ways of copying with Shakespeare. That said, the Quran has a terrible history of control that shows a lot of centralised interference with the transmission process unlike the natural process of the Bible. Secondly, the modern Muslim apologist is very reliant upon Liberal theories for their critiques against the Bible. In other words, the Muslims use the scholarship of Liberal Christians against Christianity. Today I would like to talk about the manuscripts that we have that make up our Bibles and the transmission process and their preservation. Contrary to popular belief the Bible has the best pedigree of all ancient manuscripts and is more reliably known than any other ancient document. I do have to stress the point of these manuscripts... Read More Source

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II writes for über liberal online rag medium.com about how Christians treat the wrong people like crap. We need to treat Trump supporters like crap. I dissagree with him.

In this week’s episode, Catholic Hospitals will get a reward for keeping those “no jews or Irish” signs in the basement for a reason, Alex Jones continued his slow, non-surgical tracheotomy by talking again this week, and Seth Andrews of the Thinking Atheist podcast will be here to rock for the king. --- To see the whole Citation Needed crew live in Chicago, click here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/citation-needed-live-in-chicago-tickets-45942658729](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/citation-needed-live-in-chicago-tickets-45942658729) To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: [http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheist](http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheist) To buy our book, click there: http://www.amazon.com/Diatribes-Godless-Misanthrope-Scathing-Presents-ebook/dp/B00J53FZFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396141562&sr=8-1 To check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticrat To check out our sister show’s hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-movies To check out out half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/ --- Guest Link: Hear more from Seth here: [http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/](http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/) --- Diatribe Links: Project Blitz seeks to inundate legislatures with Christian bills: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/opinion/project-blitz-christian-nationalists.html and http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/05/28/project-blitz-is-the-christian-nationalist-plan-to-merge-god-and-government/ and http://cpcfoundation.com/first-freedom-coalition-project-blitz/ and https://www.salon.com/2018/04/29/onward-christian-soldiers-right-wing-religious-nationalists-launch-dramatic-new-power-play/ --- Headlines: Christians freak out over Irish abortion referendum: http://theliberal.ie/dublin-priest-tells-congregation-during-sermon-if-you-voted-yes-you-have-no-business-receiving-holy-communion/ and https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/catholics-who-voted-yes-should-consider-confession-says-bishop-1.3511127 Rick Wiles says we need demon control, not gun control: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/05/23/we-dont-need-gun-control-we-need-demon-control-christian-broadcaster-says/ "Laughter Revival" pastor says you're going to Hell if you make fun of him: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/05/24/pastor-if-you-make-fun-of-my-holy-laughter-revival-youre-going-to-hell/ Also he has proof that Luciferians run the planet and drink blood: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/05/23/christian-pastor-i-have-proof-the-luciferians-who-run-the-planet-drink-blood/ Liberal Christians march to White House to "reclaim Jesus": https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bishop-michael-curry-joins-christian-march-to-white-house-to-reclaim-jesus_us_5b07261ae4b0fdb2aa51b060 Alex Jones says Boy Scouts of America is a "pedophile induction center": http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/alex-jones-the-boy-scouts-of-america-is-a-pedophile-induction-center/

Sometimes, what we need betrays our theological box. So the box has to go. That is, we find ourselves facing a circumstance where we DESPERATELY need God to shine… yet it doesn’t fit the way we’ve been told He moves…. Physical healing is one of these areas. It’s a box we create, and a box that can’t withstand the pressure of reality.  My experience…  In the past I came in contact with two groups on two different extremes that theologically didn’t believe in physical healing. It didn’t fit their “intellectual system.”  On one hand, Christian fundamentalists assumed that Jesus healed, and that the disciples healed. But, healing passed away once we had the Bible. We no longer needed miracles to “know” how God is since we could just read about Him in print… Say what?! Yeah, that’s what they said.  Some of the leaders in this movement even said that when we see healing- or other miracles, or prophecy, or speaking in tongues- then it’s a safe bet to assume that’s actually the devil himself trying to deceive us. (You can read their blogs on the Internet, or you can run down to Barnes & Noble and grab their books!) I know. That point-of-view doesn’t fit with places where Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy.” Then- “I, on the other hand, have come to give you life to the full” (John 10:10).   It’s like these people were more confident in the devil’s ability to trick us than they were the Holy Spirit’s ability to love and empower us… There’s another side, though. On the other extreme were “Christian” liberalists… those who decided that the miracles in the Bible didn’t actually happen (i.e., no Resurrection, no flood and Noah’s Ark, no Jonah in the whale). The logical outcome for this mental head game is, of course, no miracles back then = no miracles now.  In other words, no healing, either. Here’s what’s odd: both of these groups can’t stand each other, yet the practical application of BOTH of these groups is actually the same (what they believe is different; how they live it out is eerily similar!). You accept your lot. You pray. You grin and bear it… But that doesn’t work, does it? Regardless of what theological system they come from, when people NEED a miracle, they suddenly BELIEVE in the possibility of miracles. Sure, there’s some hesitancy… issues of worth and value and merit sometimes creep in…. But grace…. Grace is always bigger.  And better… And the end result is… well, everyone can be healed. Everyone.  Fundamentalist Christians can be healed. Liberal Christians can be healed. Spirit-filled Christians can be healed. Non-believers who don’t identify as Christians can be healed…  ___________________ In this episode we reference two previous talks (download + stream both https://www.overflowfaith.com/p/podcast) Episode 7: No Faith Required Episode 8: Two Kinds of Healing Also, download the free Redemption eBook at https://www.overflowfaith.com/p/redemption-e-book   

Liberal Christians like the Presbyterian Church want congress to pass more restrictive gun control because all life is precious and killing is antithetical to the will of God.  But like Jesus's call to take the log out of your eye before pointing out the speck in your neighbors, they fail to recognize that their argument for life when it comes to guns directly contradicts their position on other forms of life.  Ballistic Minute - With all the divisions and classifications in IDPA it can be confusing for a beginning. Sgt. Bill gives us a rundown on choosing a gun, a division, and gear for IDPA. Fundementals of Defense - Aaron Israel committed an act of truck-on-deer violence in remote west Texas last week and he shares some lessons learned from his efforts to improvise a repair to get back to civilization. Mia's Motivations - Mia Anstine shares more information about the gear she found at SHOT Show, specifically carry bags from Galco Gun Leather. Clinging to God & Guns - Pastor Bennett could not be with us this week, but Lloyd takes on a sermon from the Presbyterian Church USA, written shortly after the George Zimmerman verdict, and illustrates the church's gross hypocrisy on the issue of guns and life. Prayer of the Week - O Lord, we implore You favorably to hear the prayers of Your people that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness, for the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. www.ArmedLutheran.us/alr-episode-57/ www.armedlutheran.us/reformation-gun-club/ www.CooksHolsters.com  

Cass Midgley and Dr. Bob Pondillo interview Amber Cantorna.  Amber was raised evangelical Christian and home schooled. Her father works for Focus on the Family and has for 30+ years. At age 27 she came out to her parents as gay and they disowned her, regarding her as dead—sounds like a practice they borrowed from Sharia Law. Today she is 32, married to her wife, and they both are Christian.  Amber’s book, “Refocusing My Family: Coming Out, Being Cast Out, and Discovering the True Love of God” is set to release in early 2017. As an ex-Christian myself, I find that my sense of how comfortable I am being around Christians has a lot to do with the doctrines they personally hold to. It’s been said that Progressive or Liberal Christians have more in common with us atheists than they do with fundamentalist Evangelicals, and I think that’s true. Many of us who have rejected Christianity are able to look back at the damage it did to us. I see many damaging effects of Christian doctrines on society, to name a few: The concept of eternal life diminishes a person’s ability to be present and concerned with reality The concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife inhibits people’s ability to grow up, to think for one’s self, to determine one’s own personal ethics, and contributes to a divisive sectarian view of others, thus enhancing the potential for judgment, superiority, violence and an “us versus them” mentality. In other words, an asshole. Hell forces one to suppress and compartmentalize one’s natural sense of connectedness to all things in order to be okay with human beings being tortured forever. This hardens the heart and numbs one’s innate sense of compassion. It narrows one’s capacity to empathize with all humans by removing empathy from those outside one’s tribe. It promotes in-group loyalty and out-group derogation. The concepts of Heaven and Hell falsely satisfy the innate human need for justice, inoculating one’s ability to acknowledge that, in reality, life is not fair; it is random chaos, and justice rarely happens. This harsh reality is too much for some to bear and they hide under the delusion that God is someday going to right every wrong, further postponing their maturation. To quote Psychologist, Scott McGreal, “…belief in Hell at a national level is probably associated with greater support for retributive policies such as capital punishment and torture, as well as with prejudice against people who violate religious norms such as gays. Aside from being an extremely cruel thing to believe in, the idea of Hell may have done more harm to society than good. So perhaps you can understand why I am apprehensive to build a friendship with a person who believes in Heaven and Hell. They can admire the teachings of Jesus, hold loosely to the Christian doctrines and I find I’m not as suspicious or nervous around them than if I know that deep down they’re okay with a God who tortures those who reject him and trains his followers to be servile, infantile, and void of agency. Not all Christian doctrines are toxic, but some of the most fundamental core tenants are deeply damaging to the individual who buys into them and to the societies where a majority of the population adhere to them. The most violent countries are the most religious, and the least violent countries are the least religious. These jealous god’s abhor the goodness and freedom of humans to find their own path without the aid of a celestial dictator, thus their followers distrust and deny their own innate sense of morality and thereby turn morality on it’s head—calling evil that which natural humans regard as good, and calling good such things as ignorance, stupidity, and servility.   Knowing this about Christianity can be the difference in religiously-mixed couples staying together or divorcing.  A couple like the Thompsons, featured on episode 111, get along because neither are radical fundamentalists of their own beliefs. This is one reason I like to elevate the agnosticism that all humans share. Certainty, rigidity, and fear are destroyers of relationships. If one or both parties are, as Peter Montoya put it in episode 130, “0% capitulation and 100% capitalization,” then they are at an impasse. Sometimes the Christian accuses their Atheist partner of being intolerant of their Faith, and this may in fact be happening when the atheist attacks their partner’s Christianity on purely judgmental terms, like, “you have to be stupid to believe.” However, if the atheist is positing that the beliefs their Christian partner hold to are immoral and have lowered the character and integrity of that partner, that’s a much more robust argument for establishing irreconcilable differences. Remember, one thing that it’s okay to be intolerant of is intolerance itself. Meaning we’re all free to believe what we want, but if one or both parties deem the other’s beliefs as depreciating the value of the relationship or in fact disgusts one or both of them, then no covenant or promise we made at an altar years ago should lock anyone into a situation that is draining the life out of them. Here again, though, Christianity can foster a lack the agency on the part of the Christian to protect their own pursuit of happiness and oblige them to a higher power to stay in a toxic environment. Not so with the free-thinker. So there’s my thoughts on whether or not I can respect or be friends with a Christian. Rigid, immutable beliefs in toxic ideologies limit, if not eliminate, my desire to spend time with that person. If they believe in a literal Hell or are even hesitant to take a stand on it, that’s a deal-breaker for me.   Okay, back to our interview with Amber. Amber is an activist, author and speaker with a heart for people who find themselves at the intersection of their faith and their sexuality. She strives to bridge the gap between two seemingly opposing communities. She has been featured in Huffington Post’s Religion column, as well as on Liberal America and other writing mediums. We taped this conversation on November 21st, 2016. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, give it 5 stars, and/or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Our show is available on most podcast platforms.  Also, you can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge one dollar per episode through Patreon; that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. The smallest contribution is greatly appreciated. Credits: "Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack Johnson The segue music is on this episode performed by Sam Maher on a handpan in the NYC subway.   Thanks for listening and be a yes-sayer to what is. Amber’s website Belief in Hell: Does it Benefit or Harm Society? "Untangling the Mess" by Kathy Baldock https://www.facebook.com/Beyond.AmberCantorna/