Theology for the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

278: Was Platt Wrong to Pray for President Trump? [Part 2] Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

U.S. President Donald Trump appeared at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia on June 2, 2019 where prominent pastor and author David Platt serves as the primary teaching pastor. Eventually President Trump was invited on to the stage to be prayed for by Pastor David Platt.

Within hours there was plenty of backlash on social media, some of it hurled at Donald Trump, but much of it hurled at Pastor David Platt. Several days after this prayer, and after the social media uproar, Kenny posted an episode about the event (277: Was David Platt Wrong to Pray for President Trump?). Therein Kenny addressed whether or not it was appropriate for Platt to pray for the president as he did. Kenny explains the importance of being sensitive and tactful, however he also encouraged the listeners to remember passages of scripture such as 1 Timothy 2 that tell us to pray for our leaders.

After posting that episode, Kenny had multiple conversations and social media interactions with various people. Many people reacted with the attitude that asserted: “Of course it’s fine for Platt to pray for the president” which helped Kenny realized that many people are unaware of the trauma caused to some people by the current political climate.

After posting episode 277, Kenny also realized that many evangelicals (especially many white evangelicals) are not willing to be sensitive to those around them, and many of them make little effort to seek to understand the perspectives of other people (especially people of color). This prompted Kenny to address these concerns herein this episode.

277: Was Platt Wrong to Pray for President Trump? [Part 1] Jun 10, 2019

Show notes

On Sunday June 2, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump made an impromptu visit to McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. President Trump was there to honor the lives of those individuals that were killed in a shooting at the municipal center in Virginia Beach on Friday May 31.

Eventually Trump founds himself on stage being prayed for by Pastor David Platt. In this episode, Kenny addresses whether or not it was appropriate to do what Platt did, that is to pray for a politician (with such a “lightning rod” personality) publicly on stage during a church service.

Kenny explains the importance of being sensitive and tactful, however he also encourages the listeners to remember passages of scripture such as 1 Timothy 2 that tells us to pray for our leaders.

Kenny also reminds listeners that we live in an outrage culture, and that we ought to the more sober-minded than what our culture sometimes expects. He also points out that praying for a politician does not necessarily equal an endorsement. We ought to pray for all of our leaders, even when we disagree.

276: Should We Value All Opinions? Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Kenny answers the question, “Should we value all opinions?” Another way to answer this question is to say, “Are all opinions created equal?” or “Should we give credence to all positions and assessments?”

Kenny seeks to be diplomatic and gracious, but he gives some clear and bold thoughts about why not all opinions ought to be treated equally.

275: Living in an Age of Cynicism with Jason Duesing May 24, 2019

Show notes

We live in an age where cynicism runs rampant. How are Christians to live in such difficult times? Unique of all people, Christians are called to embrace a hopeful outlook on life.

In this episode Kenny interviews Dr. Jason Duesing about his most recent book Mere Hope which offers the core, Christ-centered perspective that all Christians share, and that Christians alone have to offer a world filled with frustration, pain, and disappointment. For those in darkness, despair, and discouragement, for those in the midst of trials, suffering, and injustice, mere hope lives.

The spirit of the age is cynicism. When our leaders, our families, and our friends let us down at every turn, this isn’t surprising. But we need another perspective; we need hope. Rather than reflecting resigned despair or distracted indifference, author Jason Duesing argues, our lives ought to be shaped by the gospel of Jesus—a gospel of hope.

Jason G. Duesing earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. He earned his M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as the provost at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.

Get a copy of Dr. Jason Duesing’s most recent book: Mere Hope: Life in an Age of Cynicism

Follow Dr. Jason Duesing on Twitter: @JGDuesing

274: How to Determine Who Are the False Teachers? May 10, 2019

Show notes

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode wherein Kenny talked about how to handle false teachers, even when we have been somehow benefited by those preachers’ teachings or writings. There is a lot of controversy in our modern Christian context about how we ought to our approach the topic of heresies and false teachings.

It seems like many people are afraid to discuss this. One reason some people feel uncomfortable with the topic is because they may not know how to determine if someone is a false teacher or not.

In this episode Kenny answers the question “How do we determine whether or not a particular preacher is a false teacher?”

Kenny gives one thing he does not do, that we ought not do, that is we should not label anyone a heretic just because they disagree with our view. There’s more to it that that.

The Kenny gives us the six things he uses to help determine which preachers are safe and helpful versus the preachers that are harmful and dangerous. Those six things are:

1- The Bible

2- Early church writings

3- Ancient creeds and statements from the ecumenical councils

4- Confessions and catechisms from Reformation era

5- The opinions of wise pastors I Kenny trusts

6- Determine if the doctrine or ideology being taught is detrimental to the believers

273: Can People Grow By Listening to False Teachers? May 09, 2019

Show notes

There is a lot of controversy in Evangelical circles about our approach to heresies, false teaching, and erroneous teachers. In this episode Kenny answers the question “Can people still grow in their faith even though they are listening to false teachers or being influenced by some heresies?”

Kenny seeks to be diplomatic and gracious in this episode, but inevitably he makes statements that are sure to be offensive to some listeners. Kenny believes that there certainly Christians that have grown in their faith even though they have consumed content, sermons, and books from false teachers. Some Christians even feel as if they have been helped greatly in some ways by those teachings.

However, Kenny asserts that merely points to the grace and sovereignty of God. Just because a false teacher somehow helps a believer does not justify that false teacher or the content of his sermons or books. Kenny challenges listeners to be watchful, discerning, and cautious.

272: The Power of Lament with Aubrey Sampson Apr 13, 2019

Show notes

When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. You want to tie up pain in a pretty little package and hide it under the bed, taking it out only when you feel strong enough to face it. But grief won’t be contained. Grief disobeys. Grief explodes.

In one breath, you may be able to say that God’s got this and all will be well. In the next, you might descend into fatalism. No pretending. Here, you are raw before God, an open wound.

In the midst of some of those darkest times, you will discover that the thing that leads you back to a place of hope is lament. The Bible gives us great examples and models of appropriate lament.

In this episode Kenny interviews author Aubrey Sampson about her new book “The Louder Song” which deals with the value and models of lament. Aubrey serves on the preaching team and as the director of equipping and discipleship at Renewal Church in the Chicagoland area. She and her husband Kevin have three great sons.

Connect with Aubrey Sampson at: aubreysampson.com

Get a copy of her new book “The Louder Song”

Follow Aubrey Sampson on Twitter: @aubsamp

271: What is Apologetics? Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

In this episode Kenny discusses the concept of apologetics as being the defense of the Christian faith and the Biblical worldview. We are called to defend and give reasons for why we believe the Gospel and in the Bible and why we embrace the theological implications that come with both.

Then Kenny unpacks the two primary types of apologetics: classical and presuppositional. In classical apologetics we seek to give evidences for existence of God, the resurrection of Christ, and the authencity of the Bible. Often times these evidences comes from the worlds of science, history, philosophy, ethics, textual criticisms, and occasionally even politics.

Presuppositional apologetics is different in that rather than giving evidences, we seek to expose the flawed presuppositions that people have even before they begin a conversation about matters of faith. Both forms of apologetics are valuable if used rightly.

270: What About Intelligent Design? Feb 09, 2019

Show notes

In this episode Kenny discusses the concept of intelligent design, which asserts that the universe was indeed intentionally created and fashioned by some supreme creator or intelligent being.

Kenny also discusses the trends and philosophies which are a part of the intelligent design movement in North America today and how Evangelical Christians ought to respond to the movement.

269: What Genetics Teaches Us About Micro-Evolution? Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

There are various opinions about how we ought to approach our study of the origins of humanity. And there are various pieces of data coming from different genres of science that impact that studying. The world of genetics gives us more information about our origins than most genres of science and it helps us understand humanity and chunks of the created order around us.

In this episode, Kenny tackles two questions from listeners by diving into his understanding of human genetics and how that informs how we view evolutionary theory.

Kenny unpacks the differences between micro-evolution and macro-evolution, explains why this distinction ought to be embraced, and how the world of genetics bolsters the argument for such a distinction. This episode also includes several elementary metaphors to explain the position being asserted. He also answers the question as to whether we ever ought to embrace something that is not directly taught in the Bible?

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