Restitutio

This is part two of the Restoration Theology class. Restorationism–the impulse to restore authentic Christianity–is not new. Before diving in to learn how to build a proper restoration theology, we owe it to those who have come before us, to remember how we got here. Although we generally take for granted our freedom to dissent from the governing authorities and the unprecedented access to information we have today, our advantages are the result of centuries of struggle. Today we’ll contextualize modern restorationism as the climactic end of a chain of events stretching back five centuries, which I hope will give an appreciation for the pedigree of restorationism and inspire you to carry forward that work.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes from Restoration Theology Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is part one of the Restoration Theology class. How do you know what to believe? Have you ever been frustrated when hearing multiple perspective on a doctrine and weren’t sure which to believe? There are so many denominations out there, each with its own statement of faith and traditions. How can you be sure that the beliefs you inherited are really true? Will you be satisfied if I just say, “Trust me. I’m a pastor. I’ve been to seminary. Don’t trouble yourself with figuring out doctrine. I’m the expert; you’re the layman. Just believe whatever I say.” How would you feel about that? Maybe if you know me and you’ve been a longtime listener to this podcast, you might be fine with that. That is, until someone else, equally intelligent, equally credentialled, and equally as persuasive comes along teaching a contradictory doctrine. Call me a stickler, but topics as important as what to believe about God, yourself, and salvation are way too important to leave to blind faith. I’m not saying you need to become an expert or get a Ph. D., but you do need to know how the process works. Ultimately you are responsible for your beliefs not me or the thousand other podcasters out there. You. Welcome to Restoration Theology, my brand-new class designed to guide you through a comprehensive and systematic method to evaluate your beliefs. I’ve been working on this class for the last few months, but really, I’ve been preparing for this class for over two decades as I’ve pursued education in biblical studies, biblical languages, church history, and theology. I’m so excited to share with you what I’ve learned and guide you through the process of figuring out what to believe. My focus for this class is not on telling you what to believe, but on teaching you a method to figure out your beliefs for yourself.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes from Restoration Theology Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

One of the great concerns that many of us pastors have about our churches is the lack of community. So often people come, sit for a while, and leave without making any real connections with others who are present. In other cases, a self-centered, spectator mindset leads to cynicism and misery, which, in turn, degrades or divides the community. I originally delivered this sermon back in January of 2022 at a weekend event called Revive, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. It was a time of intense partisan politics, accusations of racism, and much civil unrest. Rather than focuses on what to do, I preached on what not to do. Hopefully you find it helpful.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— More messages from Revive here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Greg Cheney grew up in Texas where he joined the Independent Fundamental Baptists. In his twenties, he felt a call to ministry, which resulted in ordination and serving in three Baptist churches. After an unpleasant five years in ministry, Cheney found himself in the corrections industry. At this point, with no remaining institutional ties, he began questioning his beliefs on a variety of subjects. This is his story.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Follow Greg Cheney at his Love and Liberty Channel Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Is new creation here now or must we until Christ’s coming to experience it? If new creation is here now, what does that mean? How can you participate in it? Join me as we consider what it means to be in Christ today. We’ll see that not only has God created a whole new realm through Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, but also that this new creation spans both heaven and earth.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode 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 the child Isaiah prophesied about in the famous line, “For unto us a child is born”? Although most Christians see this as a reference to Jesus, we should first ask what this meant to Isaiah and his original audience seven centuries before Christ. When we do, we see that this prophecy was actually about deliverance from the Assyrian Empire and an unprecedented, miraculous military victory. Even so, Jesus also fulfilled aspects of this prophecy in his ministry, and I believe he will fulfill the rest when he comes again.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out Isaiah 9.6 Explained: A Theophoric Approach, which delves deeply into the Hebrew words to explain what they mean Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Today we’re promoting a couple of upcoming events in 2026. First up is the inaugural conference near Sydney, Australia for the Unitarian Christian Alliance. This will be a weekend of scholarly presentations as well as practical workshops. In what follows I chat with several of the organizers for the event, including Matthew Bradley, Jeff Deuble, Andrew and Vivienne Johnstone, Ali Steer, and Kerry Weinholz. After that we’ll hear some comments on recent episodes and then I’ll give information about our upcoming winter event here in New York, called Revive. I hope I can see you at one of these events, or some other time in 2026.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Registration information for the UCA Conference in Australia (March 27-29, 2026) Learn more about Revive held in Greenwich, NY at Christ the King Conference Center (January 9-11, 2026) Get your copy of Jeff Deuble’s Christ before Creeds Troy Salinger’s article about the Angel of the LORD Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

  Metaphysics Mike talks about his recent debate with Al Garza over the question is Jesus Yahweh. In the four-hour ordeal, two aspects of Garza’s unusual belief system made for a confusing and frustrating discussion: (1) Garza believes that Yahweh is not a name but an attributive title asserting eternality, and (2) he thinks the Syriac Peshitta and Aramaic Targums have primacy over the standard Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that virtually all Christians recognize as the foundation of our faith. In this debate review we talk about Mike’s experience and how he handled these curve balls and I give some suggestions of my own.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts Here’s the original debate video in all 4 hours of its glory. —— Links —— For more about Metaphysics Mike, see my interview with him here Check out Mike Temperato’s linktree here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

After graduating from Caltech with a degree in physics, Scott Sperling pursued computer science and ended up working in rocket science. He’s also been a Christian for decades and has applied his analytical mind to Bible study, especially on his website ScriptureStudies.com. In this interview I ask him about his paper, “A Hypothesis for the Mechanism of Bodily Resurrection” in which he explains how God can raise the dead on the basis of DNA and the neural connectome. He does not see any need for the existence of an immaterial soul or dualism to account for biblical resurrection.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See Scott Sperling’s studies at his website where you can also download his paper. Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Ezra stood at the precipice of history. God’s people had returned to the land after a traumatic seventy years in exile. They had begun rebuilding, but they had already–perhaps unknowingly–taken steps that would land them back into idolatry. Ezra’s stand for God changed the course of history. Not only was he a man of great faith who taught the Bible with clarity, but he also was a revivalist who inspired repentance and fidelity to God. In today’s episode, listen in to consider important lessons from Ezra’s life that can help you in yours today.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts   —— Links —— Get Kingdom Journey at the publisher’s website for half off with code CONFSHIP, available for the next week only Check out these other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series The book of Esther tells the story of a tragedy turned into a miraculous deliverance. But even more than that, it teaches us about courage. There are times in life when remaining faithful to God may cost you everything. What will you do if you find yourself in that kind of situation? I hope you will be like Esther who resolved to do the right thing “And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4.16). In this sermon, we continue our heroes of faith series by considering Esther, a true role model for us today.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts   —— Links —— Check out these other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series How does your faith affect you at work? Of course, there’s the classic verse about working heartily unto the Lord, but beyond working hard, how does your faith affect you at work? Today in part seven of our Heroes of Faith series, we’re going to look at the life of Daniel. Although he was a prophet of great significance, he also worked for the government in an incredibly difficult time. By considering how he navigated the workplace, we can learn much about how to live out our faith at work.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Sign up to come to the first UCA conference in Australia More information about the UCA regional conference in New Zealand here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Have you heard of the Disciple Collective? It’s a new website putting out free Christian courses. In this interview I talk with Pastors Josiah Cain and Levi Salyers about this new project, including whom the Disciple Collective is for, what courses are available, how they’re putting them together, and what motivated them to embark on such an ambitious project. This is something you’ve got to check out. It’s more than just videos–it’s a whole learning environment with quizzes, notes, discussion opportunities, and more.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Visit the disciple collective at disciplecollective.com Check out my Early Church History class More about my book, Kingdom Journey, on Amazon More information about the UCA regional conference in New Zealand here See Pastor Zach Mayo’s Living Hope Christian Church website Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Today is part 6 of our “Heroes of Faith” series. I hope you are enjoying it so far. Sometimes it’s good for the soul to be inspired and encouraged by heroic people in the Bible. Now we come to Hosea, one of the least read prophets in the Bible, though he has so much to say to us today. In fact, I would argue that for many of us our economic situation more closely resembles what Israel was like in Hosea’s day than any other in scripture. By listening to his message to the people and the gut-wrenching way he illustrated it, you’ll hear God’s heart through the prophet–and hopefully fall in love with him all over again.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Today we’re going to consider a triplet of three heroes of faith: Hagar, Abigail, and Jehoshabeath. Originally this sermon was called “Women of Integrity,” but I think it fits our current series on heroes of faith nicely. I find their examples inspiring because they went through serious hardships and yet they chose to do the right thing. Anyone can pursue righteousness when the sky is blue, the birds are singing, and all is right with the world. However, when the wheels fall off, that’s when you find out what you’re made of. Hagar, Abigail, and Jehoshabeath show us that even in the hardest of times you can still serve God with integrity.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Are you selling yourself short? Have you settled for the status quo? Is your faith too small? These are important questions to ask yourself from time to time. Is God calling to change something, move somewhere, or do something new? Today in our Heroes of Faith series we’ll look at the example of Elisha. He was a bold prophet who did extraordinary things for God in his lifetime. I find his example inspiring and I hope you will as well.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series With Hannah, we aren’t told what the cause was of her barrenness. We just know that it was a heavy load to bear in her time. Although in our time, many of us use contraceptives or go through procedures to ensure we don’t keep having children, Hannah’s time was different. Children were understood to be blessings from God that were absolutely essential for carrying on the family into the next generation. Join me as we learn from the life of Hannah to see how she navigated such a difficult situation. I think you’ll come away inspired.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Ruth was an extraordinarily courageous and loyal woman of God. In our society of disposable relationships, cancel culture, and cutting off parents, Ruth presents us with a challenge to stick with family even when calamity strikes and hope seems lost. As a Moabite, Ruth was unlikely to be accepted in Israelite society. Even the Torah itself codified exclusion of all Moabites. Even though she was likely to face unfair prejudice and racism, she still chose loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi, over her own comfort and security. In the end, she found the love of her life.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

Heroes of Faith Series Today we’re beginning a new series called “Heroes of Faith.” For each of these episodes we’ll focus on someone who stood for God. My aim with this series is to inspire and encourage you in your faith. Today we’re looking at Noah. Although often relegated to children’s stories, his story is rather macabre. Living in a time of spiritual and human rebellion, Noah pursued righteousness. Although he had none of the advantages that Christians enjoy because of the accomplishments of Christ, still, even back then, he could stand for God amidst incredibly strong social pressures.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the Heroes of Faith series Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.  

I’d like to dedicate this episode to my mother, Mimi Finnegan who fell asleep in death yesterday. It was such a surreal experience, standing by that hospital bed with my brothers and sisters and dad. We had so much confusion regarding her prognosis, but eventually it became clear that she had very little time left. We prayed for her, read scripture to her, played some of her favorite Christian songs, and said goodbye to her. But what really grabbed my attention was her smile. She kept smiling as she knew she was dying. She was quite alert and able to talk. When it came time to take her off the machines that were pumping medication with diminishing returns into her, she joyfully authorized their removal. I’ve never seen someone with such a firm grip on the hope of resurrection in the face of death. Honestly, it was inspiring. Christian hope is really important, really transformative, and really crucial during times of suffering. Just knowing that there is a resurrection and that I will be able to see my mom again is a lifeline I’m clinging tightly to right now. Anyhow, this is a sermon I preached about a year ago at our church, which is called Living Hope. I hope it will encourage you to recognize the power of hope in your life.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— More about Mimi Finnegan here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.