Theology for the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

118: Why Did God Declare Pork Unclean and Then Clean? Jul 12, 2016

Show notes

In the pages of the Old Testament, we see God declare pork (and several other foods) as unclean. Any person that ate these foods would be labeled “unclean” meaning that he/she would be unfit for worship. But when we fast forward to the New Testament, we see God declare pork clean. Why?

In this episode, Kenny dives into understanding why God declared pork unclean in the Old Testament but then declares it clean in the New Testament.

Kenny reminds us that we must consider why God told them to refrain from eating pork in the first place. The Old Testament mandates do not apply to New Testament believers, however when we examine God’s purposes and motives in these matters, we learn valuable lessons that do indeed apply to the lives of New Testament believers.

117: What’s the Importance of World Missions? with Jonathan Ferguson Jul 11, 2016

Show notes

God cares deeply about the world. As Christians, one of our greatest desires ought to be to see the Gospel proclaimed in every place on Earth. In order to do so, we need to engage people-groups all around the globe.

In this episode, Kenny interviews missionary Jonathan Ferguson about the theology of world missions and the importance of all believers engaging in world missions.

116: What About Churches that Use Video Preaching? Jul 03, 2016

Show notes

Since the late 1990’s, the concept of multi-site/multi-campus churches has grown is great popularity across North America. One model for church “scalability” has been the idea of “video campuses” wherein one campus of a church has a video feed or prerecorded sermon played during the teaching time of a Sunday morning service in lieu of a live communicator. Is this sinful or wrong?

In this episode, Kenny dives into this topic and gives us his thoughts about this specific model of church growth. Kenny makes it clear that he does not necessarily believe it is wrong or sinful for a church to have video preaching, but Kenny asserts that he believes that it is not necessarily the ideal scenario.

Kenny makes it abundantly clear that he does not think that the video campus model is inappropriate, and he concedes that in some cases it can maybe even be a useful tool, but Kenny gives us three reasons why he believes that the video campus model is not the ideal scenario; one practical reason tied to preaching style and tempo, one philosophical reason tied to contextualization, and one theological reason tied to the regulative principle.

115: Are Tattoos Wrong? Jul 02, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, our host Kenny answers the question “Are Tattoos Wrong?” He reminds us that God did indeed command the Jewish people in the Old Testament to refrain from tattoos, but Kenny makes the point that New Testament Christians are no longer under the mandates of the Old Testament. We can reasonably state that there is no Biblical argument against tattoos for modern Christians.

However, Kenny reminds us that we must consider why God told them to avoid tattoos in the first place. Old Testament mandates do not apply to New Testament believers, however when we examine God’s purposes, we learn valuable lessons that do indeed apply to New Testament believers. In addition, Kenny closes the episode with some quality practical advice for youth and young adults that may be seeking to get a tattoo.

114: Is It Okay for Women to Wear Pants? Jul 01, 2016

Show notes

While it may be rare in our modern Western world, there are some Christian communities and church leaders that hold to a more strict and more conservative view on women’s fashion and modesty.

Some church leaders prescribe what types of clothing a woman should or should wear in her everyday life, and sometimes that may include the claim that women ought to never wear pants or jeans. Again, this is a rare assertion, but it does exists in some contemporary church circles.

In this episode, Kenny talks about how modesty shifts dramatically from culture to culture, therefore specific prescriptions as to what a women should or should not wear misses the more important Biblical value.

Ultra-conservative specific prescriptions on women’s fashion or clothing miss the grander point of how we ought to approach modesty in our culture in a way that points people to the Gospel; and Kenny goes as far as to say that making any such specific clothing prescriptions certainly leads Christians into the burdensome category of legalism.

Kenny makes it clear that he is far more concerned with how you determine what you wear than the actually outfits themselves. He then gives listeners four reminders to consider as we approach the topic of modesty:

1- Be different than the society in which you live.

2- Be more modest or more conservative than others in your culture.

3- Be careful that your clothing doesn’t cause the opposite gender to lust.

4- Make sure you spend more time on your heart and character than on your outward appearance.

113: Should Christians Date Non-Christians? Jun 27, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Kenny addresses a question that he has been asked many times over the course of his ministry experience. Often young Christians have asked him whether or not they should jump into dating someone who is not a Christian? Kenny makes it clear that, if you understand the purpose of marriage, then you will know that it us unwise for Christians to date non-Christians.

112: Is It Okay to Skip Church and Just Watch the Live Stream? Jun 24, 2016

Show notes

Along with the expansion of new technologies and new media forums, has also come the availability of new Christian media too. One of the forums that has grown in popularity and availability over the last ten years is the live streaming of church services and sermons.

So this begs the question: Is it okay for me and my family to just skip attending church services, and just watch the live stream at home?

The other related topic involves how much I ought to rely upon preaching and teaching from sources such as YouTube or Podcasts? In this episode, Kenny dives into the question about live streaming as well as listening to sermons from other media platforms. Kenny makes the point that attending church and worshiping with people that you know and are “living life with” is a vital part of the Christian life.

Kenny also highlights the New Testament markers for church gatherings: corporate worship, preaching/teaching, and the sacraments.

111: How Can Ordinary People Change the World? with Tony Merida Jun 24, 2016

Show notes

We live in a world filled with people in need; people facing difficulties such as hunger, poverty, educational needs, advocacy, injustice! One very simple way to serve people is to meet these needs with a Gospel focus.

In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor, author, professor Tony Merida about the importance of “mercy ministry.” In the interview Tony challenges all “ordinary” people to change the world by meeting the needs of others; both here in the USA as well as abroad and across the globe.

Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC. He also serves as Associate Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He is the author of several books including his most recent book Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down and eight volumes in the new Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series (B&H), of which Tony also serves as a general editor, along with Danny Akin and David Platt. Tony Merida is happily married to his wife Kimberly; they have five adopted children.

Visit Tony’s website: TonyMerida.net

Recommended Resources:

Orphanology (by Tony Merida and Rick Morton)

Ordinary (by Tony Merida)

The Locust Effect (by Gary Haugen)

110: Why is Jesus Called the “Son of Man”? Jun 16, 2016

Show notes

Multiple times in the Gospels, Jesus is called the “son of man.” In fact, it seems to be Jesus’ favorite term to use when referring to Himself.

In this episode, Kenny dives into the importance of the term “son of man” and its reference to Jesus’ humanity. The term also refers to a Messianic symbol found in the book of Daniel. When Jesus uses this term to describe Himself, He is indeed affirming that He is the Messiah that will “stand for the saints of the Most High.”

109: Why is the “Fruit of the Spirit” Important? with Matt McAfee Jun 14, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Kenny interviews pastor Matt McAfee for a second time. In this interview, Kenny and Matt dive into a conversation about understanding the “fruit of the Spirit” and why that is more important than seeking the “gifts of the Spirit.” Matt makes two great points that all of us need to consider:

1- The fruit of the Spirit is how we judge the Christian life, not the gifts of the Spirit.

2- Only those people with the fruit of the Spirit can truly be trusted with the gifts of the Spirit.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Theology for the Rest of Us

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected