Theology for the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

58: Why Is God Consumed with His Own Glory? Apr 07, 2016

Show notes

Sometimes people accuse God of being an egomaniac. People often wonder, “Why Is God Consumed with His Own Glory?” This is a great question that has a very simple Biblical answer.

In this episode, Kenny explains what it means to “glorify” something or someone by using a silly metaphor from his favorite Chik-fil-A sandwich. Then Kenny uses the recent Villanova University Men’s Basketball National championship as a metaphor to explain the absurdity of any being praising something or someone other than God; and this includes God Himself. It would be absurd to assume that we should be consumed with His glory, but expect God to be consumed with something other than His own glory.

Highlighted Passage:

Revelation 4:11 (KJV): “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

57: Why Do So Many Christians Disagree on Doctrine? Apr 06, 2016

Show notes

There are many different Christian denominations around the globe, with a variety of different theological perspectives. In response to a recent episode, Why Are There So Many Denominations?, one of our regular listeners asked about the fact that so many Christians disagree on doctrines.

The listener asked, “How can we read the same Bible and claim the Holy Spirit guides our interpretation of the meaning of Scripture and yet believe mutually exclusive doctrines?” This is a great question. In this episode, Kenny gives three reasons:

1) In some cases the people are not really Christians.

2) Humans are all incredibly biased and overly subjective.

3) Mass ignorance is rampant among contemporary Christians.

Kenny also outlines why it is important to always keep an open mind when studying theology and keeping quality dialogue open with other believers to guard ourselves against our own arrogance and biases.

Then Kenny pivots to explain closed-hand theology versus open-hand theology, with the understanding that there are only a few areas where the Bible is absolutely clear, and in those areas we happen to see a lot of agreement and unity among believers. Kenny then outlines why it is important that we do not allow our doctrinal differences to fracture our friendships and relationships.

56: If the Reformation Caused Division, Why Was it a Good Thing? Apr 05, 2016

Show notes

In a previous episode of the podcast, episode 35: Why Are There So Many Different Denominations?, a regular listener of the podcast made this comment: “[You described] the Reformation as being a significant benefit for mankind. How can splintering dogmas and denominations be beneficial for the church?”

This a great question that deserves a quality answer. If the Reformation caused so much division among Christians, how can we consider it a positive event in human history?

In this episode, Kenny makes the point that the positives of the Reformation far outweigh the negatives. The Reformation was started by a German monk and Catholic priest named Martin Luther. This event ushered in an era where hundreds of thousands of people all across Europe were reacquainted with the essential doctrine of justification; and the Reformation caused a mass revival, which has had incredible positive impacts on the world.

55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? with Dr. Corey Allan Apr 04, 2016

Show notes

Some of the most frequently asked questions asked by younger believers are about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity. In essence, does it really matter? Do my sexual choices today really have any impact on my life in the future?

In this episode, Kenny interviews therapist, speaker, author, and podcaster Dr. Corey Allan about the topic of sexual purity and sexual integrity, particularly about the impact sexual choices have on our future marriages.

Dr. Allan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has coached hundreds of people through issues related to sexual integrity. He makes it clear that all of our choices in life have impact later on, positive and negative, in every arena of our lives, but especially when it comes to the arena of sexual purity.

Connect with Dr. Corey Allan at www.simplemarriage.net

Follow Dr. Corey Allan on Twitter: @simplemarriage

54: What is Sin? Apr 03, 2016

Show notes

While it may seem like there’s an obvious answer to the question “What is Sin?” our podcast host Kenny feels that many people often miss the real definition of sin. Many people would define sin as “bad things.” While there is certainly an element of “bad” when it comes to our sin, the idea of sinning against God is much bigger than just doing something that might be classified as a bad thing.

In this episode, Kenny gives a clear, holistic, and Biblical definition of sin. In addition, Kenny explains God’s ultimate desire to have humans reflect His character and nature to one another, as well as the damaging effects on our lives when we fail to reflect God well.

53: Three Essentials to “Enjoying Jesus” with David Mathis Apr 01, 2016

Show notes

The now-famous Quaker author Richard Foster wrote a well-know book Celebration of Discipline to discuss the things that we can do to engage with God and grow in our faith. However, our guest on this episode of the podcast has a different perspective on how we grow in our faith.

Our interviewee David Mathis points to grace as the means for growth in faith. Grace is abundantly available to us each day, and it us by the grace of God that we enjoy Jesus. There are a variety of things we can strive to do everyday to enjoy Jesus, but so often as many of us seek those “things” we end up falling into legalism. Enjoying Jesus is not about doing something, but rather it’s about engaging with His grace.

There are three seemingly unremarkable principles that can shape and strengthen our Christian life:

1) Hearing His voice.

2) Having His ear.

3) Belonging to His body.

In his recent book, Habits of Grace, David Mathis talks about the importance of listening to God’s voice, speaking to him in prayer, and joining together with his people as the church. Though seemingly normal and routine, the everyday “habits of grace” that we cultivate each day in our lives give us access to these God-designed channels through which his love and power flow; and it is by engaging with these habits that we can truly know and enjoy Jesus.

– Get a copy of David Mathis’ book: Habits of Grace

– Follow David Mathis on Twitter: @davidcmathis

– Check out the great ministry of Desiring God

52: Why Do I Believe in the Resurrection? And Why Does it Matter? Mar 31, 2016

Show notes

The last several episodes of the podcast have been a mini-series on the doctrine of the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, including several evidences for the resurrection and responses to several common attacks from skeptics and liberal theologians. This is the capstone episode, bringing the mini-series to a close.

In this episode, Kenny answers the question: “Why do I believe in the resurrection of Jesus?” highlighting the eye witness accounts from the people who saw Him on planet Earth after He rose from the dead. And then Kenny outlines why this doctrine matters so much. Kenny asserts that the resurrection is the lynch-pin of the Christian faith, the foundation upon which our entire faith rises and falls. There is no doctrine more important to examine, critique, defend, and embrace than the resurrection of Jesus.

Recommended Books:

– The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona)

– Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (by N. T. Wright)

– The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell)

– The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer)

– The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona)

– Resurrected! (John Morris)

51: How to Respond to Three Common Attacks of the Resurrection? Mar 30, 2016

Show notes

Over the last several episodes, Kenny has been in a mini-series about the evidences for the physical resurrection of Jesus. There are three common theories used by skeptics and liberal theologians to attack the validity and credibility of the traditional resurrection story. Those three common attacks are:

1) The Swoon Theory

2) The Stolen Body Theory

3) The Wrong Tomb Theory

In this episode, Kenny explains the basics of all three theories and thoroughly explains why he rejects them. Kenny highlights several concessions made by skeptics that point to the credibility of the resurrection as well as outlining the reasons why these three theories are simply illogical, and in some ways they ignore several well-documented historical facts.

The most rational and most logical explanation for the events of the first century is the fact that Jesus did indeed raise from the dead.

Recommended Books:

– The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Josh McDowell)

– The God Who is There (Frances Schaeffer)

– The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Michael Licona)

Other Resources:

– “He Has Risen: The Worldview of Easter” DVD Series (by John Stonestreet and T. M. Moore)

– Chuck Colson’s Classic Commentary about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

50: How Is Paul’s Conversion Evidence for the Resurrection? Mar 29, 2016

Show notes

Can you imagine if the world’s biggest terrorist, all of a sudden, based upon an experience he claims to have had, changed his mind about his ideology? What if the biggest enemy of a particular group of people, all of a sudden, became their biggest advocate? Well, this is exactly what happened in the first century with a man named Saul of Tarsus.

In this episode, Kenny examines the conversion of a man named Saul and his transformation into becoming the Apostle Paul. Saul was the biggest enemy of the church; he was zealous and passionate about stopping the spread of Christianity. But he would later become the biggest proponent of the church and did more to spread Christianity than anyone else in human history.

Why did he transform? Because he saw the resurrected Jesus!

49: Were the Apostles Hallucinating When They Saw the Resurrected Jesus? Mar 28, 2016

Show notes

Some skeptics and opponents of Christianity will concede that the early Christians did in fact believe that they had seen the resurrected Jesus Christ, but that those early Christians were actually hallucinating. Some critical scholars will claim that the early Christians, led by the disciples, were so passionate about their movement that they began to see visions of Jesus after His death, and therefore they began to proclaim that Jesus had risen from the dead.

In this episode, Kenny examines this claim. When we rationally consider the facts surrounding the claims of the early Christians about the resurrection of Jesus, as well as what we know about how hallucinations take place, we begin to quickly see that this skeptical claim cannot be true.

Recommend Resources:

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Theology for the Rest of Us

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected