The Christian Optimist

In this episode, Pastor Raef jumps into one of the classic apologetics question, and frankly a question that many Christians often wonder about. After a survey of understanding what Christians believe about the Bible, we then dive into the four major categories of evidence that demonstrate the trustworthiness of Scripture.Resourceshttps://biblearchaeology.org/https://notthebee.com/article/joe-rogan-was-sad-that-theres-no-instruction-manual-for-human-existence-and-boy-do-i-have-good-news-for-him-

In this episode Pastor Raef discusses the tragic war that has begun in Israel, after they were attacked by the terrorist organization Hamas. We discuss how to think about this from a Biblical perspective, a historic perspective, and a prophetic perspective. ResourcesCNN Article: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-war-explained-mime-intl/index.htmlMichael Rydelnik Book: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Arab-Israeli-Conflict-Headlines-Havent/dp/0802426239/

In this episode, Pastor Raef interviews a member of the Church who shares his experiences with same sex attraction. We discuss how Christians ought to think about this topic, how it is connected to Original Sin, what our new nature in Christ has to say about it. And then, we have a brief discussion on our hyper sexualized culture and how the roots of what we are experiencing in culture today can be traced back to Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.

A powerful interview with a member from our Church, telling the story of how Christ delivered him from an addiction to Heroin. A story of hope, and a reminder of the power of the Gospel in every Christian's life.

In this episode Pastor Raef shares the audio of a powerful evangelistic encounter that took place outside of an abortion clinic in Chicago. Throughout the episode, we pause to examine the conversation and what we can learn about evangelism from it.

In this episode Pastor Raef considers June in America, what has now been labeled as Pride Month. We'll consider Pride Month in general, what happened to Target, a new law regarding homosexuality in Nigeria, and then we'll take Listener Q&A focused specifically on navigating LGBTQ issues in the workplace.Articles Discussedhttps://wng.org/opinions/welcome-to-pride-month-christian-1654083759https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65034343https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/business/target-lgbtq-merchandise-pressure-trans/index.html

In this episode Pastor Raef digs into one of the core divisions between Catholics and Protestants, the doctrine of Justification.This episode correlates to a blog post that Pastor Raef wrote on this topic that can be found here: https://raefchenery.com/2023/05/24/justification-the-great-division-between-protestant-catholics/RESOURCESAre We Together?: A Protestant Analyzes Roman Catholicism by RC Sproul https://www.amazon.com/Together-Protestant-Analyzes-Roman-Catholicism/dp/1567692826/

In this episode Pastor Raef interviews his wife Sara Chenery as they discuss the topic of adoption. Raef and Sara have two adopted daughters through Chicago's foster care system, and Sara Chenery oversees Park Community Church's Adoption Fund. They discuss they're own journey with adoption and foster care, challenges and blessings throughout the process, practicals of what it looks like to be involved. And of course, a bit of Roman history to balance it all out. :)For more information on Park Community Church South Loop, visit http://parkcommunity.church/south-loop

In this episode Pastor Raef sits down with Mike Rolfes, the President of Renew Chicago, to discuss politics in Chicago and the priorities of our new mayor.rewewchi.org

In this episode, Pastor Raef first discusses an apologetic response to the problem of Evil. Then takes Listener Q&A on the topics of Artificial Intelligence, Becoming All Thing to All People, and Male Headship in the Home.To learn more about Park Community Church South Loop visit: https://parkcommunity.church/south-loopTo visit Pastor Raef's blog visit: https://raefchenery.com/

In this episode Pastor Raef interviews Juan Riesco who leads a ministry in Chicago called Love Life Ministries aimed at caring for women with unplanned pregnancies. We discuss his conversion to Christianity, how Christ led him away from homosexuality, his remarkable story of how he tried to make much of Christ when the organization BLM violently and criminally shut his successful business down through threats and persecution, and his current work with Love Life.ResourcesTestimony of Former Abortion Provider, Dr. Anthony Levatino: https://youtu.be/j0tQZhEisaEPaint the Wall Black: The Story of Nini's Deli: https://youtu.be/4OJIucA3zschttps://lovelife.org/

Last week Sam Smith & Petra's performance of their song 'unholy' was performed on live TV at the Grammy's in what was some kind of tribute or celebration of Lucifer. In this episode Pastor Raef considers this cultural moment and explores what possible good can come of something as overtly Satanic as this. We'll explore a bit of the nature of spiritual warfare and how Christians are called to "stand firm."https://nypost.com/2023/02/06/sam-smiths-satanic-grammys-performance-slammed-on-twitter/https://babylonbee.com/news/horrified-satan-distances-self-from-grammys

In this episode, Pastor Raef Chenery navigates different questions that have been submitted to the podcast over the last few weeks. The topic range for theology to pastoral care.Quotes from Charles Hodge Systematic Theologyhttps://www.amazon.com/Systematic-Theology-Charles-Hodge-ebook/dp/B00EB9XBY8

In this episode Pastor Raef digs into a new front on the sexual revolution, that of Polyamory (when a person has one or more romantic partners at the same time, with the enthusiastic consent of everyone involved). What should Christians think about this? And what are the Gospel implications? Article Referenceshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/four-parents-who-all-fell-in-love-open-up-about-their-polyfamory/ar-AA16LtTMhttps://www.instyle.com/lifestyle/polyamorous-relationshiphttps://www.aol.com/news/mom-dad-mom-dad-one-234521185.htmlhttps://www.today.com/parents/parents/spouse-comes-out-gay-rcna19118https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/202212/polyamory-as-an-adaptive-strategy-in-an-unstable-worldhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/polyamorous-dating-tips-from-feeld-s-ana-kirova/ar-AA15bJ3Ohttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/nuclear-family-still-indispensable/606841/

In this episode we look at a recent scientific study that concluded, "Females on Average Perform Better Than Males on a ‘Theory of Mind’ Test Across 57 Countries." Are men and women wired differently? And if so, why? What purpose does God have in the differences between men and women? A brief intro video to Complementarianism I taught at a Systematic Theology class a few years ago. https://youtu.be/E8BDZg5_ra4?t=752https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/women-more-empathetic-men-study-210406085.htmlhttps://neurosciencenews.com/cognitive-empathy-females-22139/

In this episode Pastor Raef digs into 5 disciplines every person ought to develop in their life as they develop their faith, and reveals 3 traps that will keep you from the godly/disciplined life. A critical message for us as we head into the new year.

In this episode we take a look at a new bill that has already passed the senate titled the Respect for Marriage Act which legislates the redefinition of marriage to include Gay Marriage.  We ask how Christians should engage in a culture that is wrestling with questions like these. We then jump into listener Q&A on topics such as Marriage, Divorce, and Contentment.

In this episode Pastor Raef and Josh discuss the fallout from the overturning of Roe v. Wade, particularly looking at heated exchanges that took place on a Social Media post Pastor Raef had on Facebook celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade, much of the heated exchange coming from other Christians. How should handle ourselves in those situations? How do we act and love like Christ?  Additionally we'll deal with two user questions, one on the Lectio Divina, the other on translation questions.User Questions Begin at 43:12

In this episode we look at a recent court ruling that gave life in prison, rather than the death penalty, to a person who killed many people in a mass school shooting. We'll discuss the idea of justice, and how we might answer whether or not the Death Penalty is just?

In this episode Pastor Raef and Josh Fried look at Ligonier Ministry's State of Theology, a bi-annual survey that tracks the theological convictions of Evangelicals. In the second half we ask a user question around how to navigate a family relationship with a transitioning sibling.See this episode for more info on the Transgender Conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374628/10317285-the-transgender-controversy-in-women-s-sportsUnderstanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Gender-Dysphoria-Transgender-Psychological/dp/0830828591/