Faith in the Folds

Today's episode comes from a lecture I gave at Harding University's 2025 Inspire Lectureship. The theme for the entire conference was Oneness: An Ancient Vision for Unity, drawing on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In this lecture I address Paul's use of "predestination" language in Ephesians 1.

Today's episode is a lecture I gave at the 2025 Inspire Lectureship at Harding University. The topic for this lecture was "Unity in the Body," going along with the theme for Lectureship, Oneness: An Ancient Vision for Unity.

We recently celebrated our first anniversary of being in Searcy ... but for vacation we went back to Corpus Christi where I preached at our old church. This last year has been filled with both blessings and challenges, and in my sermon I talked about how God sometimes calls us simply to endure well.

Internationally respected author and New Testament scholar Craig Evans joins me on the podcast today to talk about the current state of research into the life and teachings of Jesus.

Are the gospels legendary accounts of a normal person blown up to mythical proportions? Are they entertaining novels about a beloved teacher? Or, are they reliable accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth? What we think about the literary genre of the gospels matters for how we interpret them. In today's episode I discuss some of the work by Richard Burridge who argues that gospels are not just legends but biographies of a real person.In this episode I also discuss the work of Michael Licona. I highly recommend his book Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? published by Oxford University Press.

Today I share some thoughts on David Lipscomb's use of Scripture in his classic work titled Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation to It. Although this book is well over a hundred years old, it is surprisingly relevant today as Christians wrestle with how to understand the Bible and how to apply it.

Today I talk with Reverend Dr. Drew Holland, pastor of the Shaeffer's Chapel Global Methodist Church in Mississippi. Drew and I discuss his upcoming book, A Place for the Past, where he argues for the value of studying the Bible from a historical perspective.

On March 18, 2025, Brad East wrote a short but powerful post for Christianity Today in which he argued that the Church has taken too light a view of baptism for too long now. I respond to East's article here. "Baptism in Not Optional" by Brad East: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/03/baptism-is-not-optional-theology-church-salvation/

If you believe in the kind of predestination that rejects free will, I don't think you can take seriously Jesus's call to repent ... nor any other command in the New Testament.

What is the number of the Beast in Revelation 13? In today's episode I discuss the ancient practice of gematria and its relevance for uncovering one of Revelation's most intriguing mysteries.

Today I sit down with Casey Coston, Campus Missionary for the University of Delaware, with Blue Hens for Christ. Casey has been in campus ministry for 20 years, and he talks with me about how God has worked on him through the years to make him who God wants him to be. You can find out more about Casey and his new book Made Competent here: https://www.reflectmissions.org/made-competent

Alex Bernardo of The Protestant Libertarian Podcast joins us again, this time to talk about the inherent similarities of Christian Nationalism and Progressive Christianity. Check out his insightful article from the Libertarian Christian Institute: https://libertarianchristians.com/2023/10/09/progressive-christian-nationalism-left-right-authoritarian/

The podcast has been mostly dormant for a few months because we moved out of state and I started a new career. But now we're back! Today I share the twenty-year journey of how I got my dream job of teaching college Bible.

Today I had the great pleasure of talking with one of my favorite YouTubers, Sam of the channel Master Samwise. He is an insightful film and TV critic, and has created several video essays on the virtuous masculinity of some of my favorite fictional characters: Aragorn and Samwise Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings and Iroh of the Fire Nation from Avatar: The Last Airbender. You can find Master Samwise's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@master_samwise And check out this one on General Iroh: https://youtu.be/IzINu0wezWU?si=8qDO-oYY1Fp3DruJ We referenced this video early on in the interview: Why Men Need Male Heroes: https://youtu.be/DkKcc-71fIU?si=vWYi3CQQ61wQglxC

Dr. Steve Cloer joins me today to talk about a new and exciting Memphis-based venture with Harding University, the Center for Church and City Engagement. Steve's extensive urban ministry experience and his work with Harding School of Theology's Doctor of Ministry program provide the ideal combination for raising the next generation of city-based ministry.

Do the gospels really contradict each other? What does it mean for the Bible to be "inspired"? Michael Licona joins me again on the podcast to talk about these issues and his new book Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently (Zondervan Academic, 2024). You can find Mike's personal ministry Risen Jesus here: https://www.risenjesus.com/ Mike's new book Jesus, Contradicted is available from Zondervan Academic: https://zondervanacademic.com/products/jesus-contradicted Or you can find Mike's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0darIKx

Joining me again on the podcast is Smith Hopkins, a longtime friend and a church planter in the University district of Memphis, Tennessee. Smith works with Oikos Church, a church plant in partnership with Highland Church of Christ in Cordova, TN (greater Memphis area). Smith and I talk about the challenges of church planting in an urban area, and what he has learned in almost three years of working with a church plant. It was a joy to catch up with Smith and to hear about the good things God is doing with Oikos. You can find more about Oikos Church here: https://www.oikosmemphis.org/

Joining me on the podcast is Dr. Benjamin Shaw, President of CORE Apologetics and Adjunct Professor for Liberty University and Colorado Christian University. Today Ben and I talk about his interest and work in apologetics, a Christian ministry dedicated to helping others find meaningful answers to their questions about faith, God, Jesus, evil, reality, and so much more. CORE Apologetics, https://www.coreapologetics.com/ Ben has several publications to his name which are linked below. Coming July 30, 2024 from InterVarsity Press, Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament, https://a.co/d/29ZJd1z For more of Ben's work, you can follow him and his associates here, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Shaw-3

In February of 2023, something extraordinary happened at Asbury University: worshippers stayed in the Hughes Auditorium, and students began to sing and pray non-stop for the next few weeks. Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary, wrote of the events while they were taking place: “Several people have commented on some of the differences between these sacred days and the more well-known outpouring which took place in February of 1970.  A lot has been said about the impact of social media in telling the story, or about the focus on worship.  However, a deeper look at this outpouring reveals that it has the same elements which are found in any authentic revival:  people repenting of their sins; people being filled with the Holy Spirit; men and women finding reconciliation with God and their neighbor; people capturing a renewed love for Jesus, the gospel and the Holy Scriptures.  All of the above has been happening here day after day.” (http://timothytennent.com/thoughts-on-the-asbury-awakening/)On the one-year anniversary of the 2023 #AsburyRevival, I speak with Timothy Tennent to ask him to reflect on last year’s outpouring and to comment on what fruit has come in the year that followed. He spoke of many students’ repentance, as well as the deep prayer life that many have developed since then. 

Four years ago, an EF 4 tornado devastated the I-40 corridor from Nashville, TN and eastward. While the physical damage was largely contained to Middle Tennessee, the loss of life was felt the world over. Four year old Hattie Jo Collins passed away when the tornado swept through Cookeville, TN. In the aftermath, Matt and Macy Collins began The Magnolia Foundation, a non-profit organization for helping families who have lost children. You can find The Magnolia Foundation here: https://www.themagnoliafoundation.com