Think Deeper

Dr. Brad Harrub joins the show to discuss recent controversies in the churches of Christ and the back-room politicking that breaks unity. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Why discuss this? 09:04 - Why we must handle public division publicly15:36 - The tactics of the brotherhoodpolice23:55 - The need for love of the brethren32:40 - Does discussing this hurt the church's reputation?40:06 - How "I am of Christ" has been lost to institutional loyalty49:38 - How church autonomy helps, but doesn't completely solve the problem With Brad Harrub, Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join our Patreon at focuspress.org/plus and get access to tons of exclusive content, including the weekly Deep End episode Visit out sponsors at cobbpublishing.comJoin our email lists at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

Recent viral posts raised an interesting question: does conversion to Christianity remove the consequences of past sexual sin once you go looking for a spouse? We discussed the many issues surrounding this debate that set the internet on fire for a few days. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and reading the tweets07:18 - Why did this debate go so viral?12:27 - What should we teach our kids about who they marry? What "baggage" is there and what can it do?23:54 - The right way and wrong way to use testimony33:29 - Is it more spiritually mature to care about someone's past, or less?37:51 - Being honest with people without crushing their hope44:38 - A therapists' perspective on learning to handle your spouse's baggage49:49 - Evangelicalism's weakness toward young women and the toll on young men53:59 - Think Fast: Another Dugger Downfall Join us on Focus+ for the exclusive weekly Deep End episode and plenty more! focuspress.org/plus Check out our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com And, visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss the latest sordid headline about the Duggar family, including - The big family question- Why sin has to be dealt with COMPLETELY- How this will be twisted against Bible believers and more Tune into the full episode Monday: Does A Future Spouse’s Past Matter?

We apologize for the lack of our usually scheduled Monday episode, but we waited a day to go live and recap Jack's debate on baptism! Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and initial thoughts07:13 - Getting denominations to defend their "home court"14:32 - Debating like a Christian vs. taking pot-shots17:09 - Strongest and weakest points of the debate?26:36 - Jake Hisaw joins to talk the value of debates and the church of Christ's growing influence41:25 - Debate tactics and rhetorical posturing48:23 - The value and limitations of using Greek1:03:53 - Reformation vs. Restoration approaches Join us on Focus+ to get exclusive access to the weekly Deep End episode, Daily Devos, deep dive Bible studies, and more! focuspress.org/plus Check out Jake's work at https://www.youtube.com/@TheProgressivePrimitivist Follow us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

Youth faithfulness remains one of the biggest challenges facing the church. As we strive to boost our percentages in this generation of young people, we examine some of the biggest obstacles that can shipwreck their faith, and discuss how to avoid those obstacles. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and explaining our approach04:58 - Uninvolved parents12:15 - "Diversifying your family's portfolio"25:19 - Can they look "stupid" or "uncool?"31:23 - The hard work it takes37:17 - The social media pitfall44:24 - The pull of worldly pleasures starts really early48:41 - Dad and Mom's walk with God56:37 - Do we have vision? With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join us for the Deep End each Friday by becoming a supporter at focuspress.org/plus! Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com Follow us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss the viral post about bringing "loud kids" to church. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Reading and reacting to the viral post from Mt. Washington Church 05:15 - Are loud kids a distraction? 11:06 - Different policies for members and visitors? 14:57 - Leadership's role in setting standards 20:54 - How can churches help parents train kids in worship? 25:46 - Can churches give parenting critiques? 29:16 - The importance of approachability 36:35 - This isn't just on the moms 45:43 - Is children's church a reasonable solution? 53:55 - What about the church's response to children with special needs? With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Check out Jack's article on the issue at https://jackwilkie.co/p/on-loud-kids-in-church Visit our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com Follow us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

The command to observe a Sabbath day of rest as established in Exodus is not found in the New Testament... but can it still be a useful part of our spiritual lives today?What forms might that take? Join us for a discussion on the place of "Sabbath" in the Christian life. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - What do we mean by "Sabbath?"07:59 - Why discuss an idea that can't be bound?13:38 - The goodness of rest24:46 - The power of the Chick-fil-a approach31:55 - Bringing back the concept of "The Lord's Day"34:47 - What a "day of rest" may look like48:03 - Avoiding legalism in our personal convictions56:06 - THINK FAST: An Alarming Stat On Men’s and Women’s Wages With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join us for the weekly Deep End exclusive episode and plenty more at focuspress.org/plus Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com Follow us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss a report that links mens and women's wages to fertility rates and how the study correlates to Biblical gender roles Catch the full episode on Monday, where we discuss, "Can Christians Observe a 'Sabbath?' Should They?" focuspress.org jackwilkie.co

We continue our study on some of the Bible's difficult teachings with a look at Old Testament polygamy and the charge that the Word is unfair to women. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and recapping Bible controversies03:52 - Polygamy in the Bible12:01 - Reality of the time vs. God's ideal17:35 - The precedent of Jesus in Matt. 19, and hermeneutical tactics28:17 - How do we judge people of the past?38:17 - Did the Bible establish the mistreatment of women?46:52 - What non-religious charges of misogyny miss50:46 - When Christians are embarrassed by the Bible's teaching on women Join us on our Patreon, Focus+! focuspress.org/plus Check out our sponsors at cobbpublishing.comVisit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

There have been a number of controversies in the headlines recently, with Bad Bunny's halftime performance vs. TPUSA's, President Trump's video mishap, and the competing interpretations of the Epstein files. What's a Christian to make of it all? Are each week's headlines worth our time? If so, why, and what guidelines should we observe? CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and a survey of the events that prompted the episode04:00 - Finding balance in how much we consume12:49 - Principles for choosing what outlets to follow15:10 - The differing struggles for men and women27:22 - How to evaluate the time you spend online33:07 - The negative and positive impacts of posting about current events40:34 - How do you even find truth in all the slop?49:34 - Avoiding performative outrage With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com Check us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co Join our Patreon by going to focuspress.org/plus to get access to the weekly Deep End exclusive episode!

We begin a look at some of the Bible's more controversial topics, focusing this week on genocide like the flood and the Canaanite conquest, and slavery in the Old and New Testaments CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro, and the importance of wrestling with difficult questions04:46 - Genocide and God's character15:19 - Was it solely about the Nephilim?23:55 - Slavery - chattel, indentured servitude, or both?34:15 - How cultural contexts impact the discussion38:16 - Why isn't this situation ethics?45:38 - Christ's impact on the world51:45 - Is it a sin? When did it become a sin?54:41 - THINK FAST: Newfound optimism for the churches of Christ? With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com Check us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We continue our list of the biggest challenges facing the church this year! CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and the Rising Threat of AI10:28 - A looming confrontation over gender roles21:55 - Political division in the church37:08 - We're correcting errors of the past, but...47:14 - The biggest problem continues to be...01:03:41 - Recapping our Top 10 list With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

4 years ago we listed what we considered to be the biggest threats facing the churches of Christ in 2022. With so much happening since then, we thought it would be a good time to revisit our lists and update them for 2026. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and the need to get serious08:27 - Are we impacting the culture?24:40 - Uniting the highly divided generations37:08 - Plugged-in leadership47:47 - The lack of decisive leadership54:21 - Honorable mentions and previewing part 2 With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.comCheck us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss perhaps the one facet of Sunday church life we have yet to cover: the Bible class. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro04:04 - The history of Sunday School10:03 - The pros and cons of age-segregated classes18:21 - When do youths need to graduate? Can women teach a baptized boy?26:16 - How can we maximize the usefulness of kids' classes?33:38 - What is the best format for adult Bible classes?43:12 - How can you get more out of a class as a listener - even if it's dry?50:19 - Should any topic be off-limits in Bible class?55:48 - Does "Women keep silent in the churches" apply in Bible class settings? With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

Old friends Titus Anderson and Daniel Mayfield join Jack for a discussion on 6 different interpretive approaches you can use when studying your Bible! CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro, and reading vs. studying 05:41 - The Bible as storybook 13:48 - The Bible as "true myth" 20:16 - "Love letter" vs. Rule book 42:46 - Zooming in (exegesis) vs. zooming out (typology) 55:40 - Practical tips for using these approaches in your Bible time With Jack Wilkie, Titus Anderson, and Daniel Mayfield Follow us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co Join us for the Deep End by going to focuspress.org/plus

We begin 2026 with a look at an issue that is rapidly becoming one of the most important of the decade. Across religious, political, and generational lines, views on Israel and the Jewish faith and people are wildly misaligned. We discuss the lay of the land, what is out of bounds, and how to entertain these difficult conversations. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro and statistics05:44 - Kanye, October 7, and how we got here09:34 - Generational and religious differences15:03 - The complicated relationship between Judaism and Christianity27:38 - 5 major views within churches40:58 - Where we can agree to disagree, and where we can't54:10 - Think Fast: The Somali Daycare Scandal With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.coJoin us for the Deep End and get plenty of other subscriber benefits by going to focuspress.org/plus Referenced:The Growing Divide Over Israel - https://jackwilkie.co/p/the-growing-divide-over-israelPew Research: Views on Abortion - https://www.pewresearch.org/chart/views-on-abortion-by-race-and-ethnicity/Pew Research: Religion and Views on LGBTQ Issues - https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religion-and-views-on-lgbtq-issues-and-abortion/

We discuss the allegations of mass fraud perpetrated by Somalians running government-funded day cares in Minnesota and other states. Tune in Monday for the full episode of Think Deeper: Israel, Judaism, and "Jewish Influence" With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We recap the year that was and count down our top 10 storylines, touching on topics such as Charlie Kirk, Israel, the new pope, youth culture (6-7!), sports betting, and more. With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join us at focuspress.org/plus to catch the exclusive Deep End episode each week. Check out our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com And, join our mailing lists at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss the hot controversy regarding whether parents should tell their kids about Santa Claus. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro, and why we're doing an episode on the topic05:30 - History of St. Nicholas and Santa Claus08:52 - Is it a lie?27:32 - Taking it too far: making Santa God, and manipulating behavior37:40 - Taking it too far: parents overdoing it49:16 - Romans 14 and disagreeing charitably With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit our sponsor at cobbpublishing.comVisit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.com

"We don't go to church, we ARE the church." Well, kind of. On this episode, the crew discusses whether the church is the people who go there, the institution, or something in between. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introducing the question06:58 - Is the church just the people?11:32 - "It's not an organization, it's an organism" - true or false?16:25 - The church requires purpose31:25 - The community church to Catholic church pendulum36:54 - The house church question42:22 - When church leadership goes wrong, and when to leave a church50:04 - When the members go wrong, and what leadership should do55:17 - Think Fast: Is it lying to tell your kids Santa is real? Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com Check us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.com Join us for the exclusive Deep End episode each week by going to focuspress.org/plus