Theology and Culture
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380 Shotgun—What is 'Flesh'?, Systemic Machine vs. Populism
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Twenty-first century folk define flesh as being about the body. So the human body, in popular Christian thought, gets paired against the spirit. But that's not at all what the apostle Paul meant by flesh (sarx) in the book of Romans. He was being nuanced, technical even. He wanted to establish a comparison that remains critical even for believers t…
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379 Shotgun—BIPOC Plagiarism, Is Evil really so Evil?
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Following a 16-part series it's time for a happy-break! In this Theology-and-Culture shotgun I work through the following: a famous racist's plagiarism, a quote by the Chinese ancient Laozi, why I love Spudlandia culture (and why you won't want to move here!) (and why KS is angry at the I.D.!), how an embrace of divine determinism theology makes ev…
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378 Reformed vs. Arminian (16) Why So Chosen?
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Protestants focus, almost exclusively, on Salvation. (Who's against salvation? Not me! Praise God for salvation!) But that pressure-driven focus causes Protestants to look at every Bible passage or story as a matter of soteriology (salvation, pertaining to salvation). So we end up making the Bible say things it wasn't trying to say. And to that poi…
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377 Ref. vs. Arm. (16) Romans 9 and Divine Determinism
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A classic prooftext for Divine Determinism is Romans 9. Especially verse 13, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated," is a pet verse for those who favor Divine Determinism. Across the last 500 years that verse has particularly been cited as an example of predestination: God chooses some for salvation and some for damnation. But is that what Pau…
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376 Ref. vs. Arm. (14) God Hardened Pharaoh's Heart
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Significant to a notion of Divine Determinism is the Exodus. In chapters 7-12 we watch an ongoing interaction between Egypt's Pharaoh and Yahweh (via Moses and Aaron). What does that running exchange reveal to us? What does it reveal to us about freedom from slavery? About freedom of religious expression? About human agency? About how God deals wit…
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375 Ref. vs. Arm. (13) God's Motive—Glory or Love?
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The Reformed's Westminster Shorter Catechism, point #1, "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." That's a solid claim! I don't disagree, except it doesn't explain a deeper-still question, why did God create? What motivated Him? Was there a need in God to be glorified? Did God have a lack He neede…
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374 Ref. vs. Arm. (12) Randomness in Life
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God created the universe, and planet earth, with an inherent quality of free-play. Free-play is where energies, gravity, animals, weather and more all have their ability to move and be and impact reality. Given that, is life a matter of chance? Still more, is life a matter of unruly randomness? Both the Reformed and the Arminians have a high emphas…
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373 Ref. vs. Arm. (11) Prior Grace vs. Human Agency
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Across my last five or so episodes I've put enormous weight on human agency in understanding a biblical theology. This cast O' the pod, following Reformed vs. Arminian constructions and the priority of prevenient grace, emphasizes both the 'that' and the 'why' of God's revelation (the Gospel) being the premise of salvation. We cannot save ourselves…
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372 Ref. vs. Arm. (10) Grace: Common & Mundane
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The Reformed doctrine of Total Depravity rather necessitates their doctrine of Common Grace, or better, common graces. When I was in seminary I realized that most other Christians talked about life in terms of grace, whereas my tradition spoke about life in terms of God's Spirit. What are the benefits of each? What are important biblical frames for…
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371 Reformed vs. Arminian (9) Can You Lose Your Salvation?
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The P of TULIP is Perseverance of the Saints. And so the question rises, "can you lose your salvation?" Just asking that question will get you kicked out of many in-home bible studies! Nevertheless, the Reformed and the Arminian Protestants answer this in ways that we note and unpack. And then me? The UU? Who takes Trinity (and so personhood, and a…
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370 Reformed vs. Arminian (8) Grace vs. Works (Meh!)
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Is the grace of God resistible? Can the Holy Spirit's efforts be frustrated? When does the new birth (regeneration, justification) happen in time? In their historical context, why do Protestants, both Reformed and Arminians, so resist having works be involved in salvation? Those questions are all plowed-through in this eighth episode in this series…
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369 Reformed vs. Arminian (7) God and the Problem of Evil
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Probably like me you hear it all the time, "everything happens for a reason." More than likely? Those who say that do not realize they are espousing Reformed theology, or drawing on Reformed sensibilities. But really, does the Bible teach that everything happens for a reason? And if so, doesn't that make God the author of evil, and so make him a mo…
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368 Reformed vs. Arminian (6) For Whom Did Jesus Die?
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The New Testament, from the Gospels to Revelation, proclaim Jesus to be the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." But how do the Reformed and the Arminians process the effective nature of Jesus' atoning death? I explore the logic of each divergent camp's theology. What does John Piper teach? What did John Calvin teach? What interesting…
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367 Reformed vs. Arminian 5 Election
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The Reformed and Arminians agree that God predestined the elect, but they don't agree together who the elect are. They also don't agree on what God decreed about the reprobate (unbelievers). Frankly, they don't agree on several important things: God's power and whether He can (or does) limit himself; the levels of mystery at work in life; or the th…
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366 Reformed vs. Arminian (4) Predestination
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Predestination: it's a big topic of controversy. The Reformed and Arminians each emphasize predestination in varied ways. Why did God predestine? Whom did God predestine? I also explore the very common sentiment, "but, I only want to believe what the Bible says!" That sentiment has historic (and, gulp!, philosophic) roots that those who assert it d…
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365 Reformed vs. Arminian (3) Total Depravity
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The Reformed and Arminians (R'n'A) seldom agree. But they do agree on the doctrine of total depravity. In this episode I work through what that means, respectively, to the R'n'A. What did Sproul say about it? What did Wesley assert? Then I ask questions about what it means to be human: a) do we still, after the fall, exist as the image of God? b) d…
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364 Reformed vs. Arminian (2) Hiking with Decrees
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"God seeks glory." That is critical and foundational to both a Reformed and an Arminian theological perspective. But the two camps diverge on how it is, principally, that God seeks glory. And it finally comes down to a matter of premises. It's sort of like when you go hiking: you get to the trail head and you have a choice between different trails.…
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363 Reformed vs. Arminian (1) Meet the Families
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Let's compare the Reformed with the Arminians (no, not Armenians!). What are their emphases? Where, at surface level, do they disagree? Who are the famous leaders on each side? I'm betting that my listeners will be surprised to learn that the Arminians started out in the Reformed branch of the Church. One way (not the only way, as this series will …
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Because I taught college for 25 years I'm tracking the devolution of Pro-Hamas rallies on university campusi. But it wasn't that which provoked this show's one-off reflection. No, instead it was a couple articles in my denomination's quarterly ministers' magazine that smacked me upside the head. They accepted the premise. Accepted the definitions a…
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361 Soaking in Spirit 12 Ware—Carrying the Spirit
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In this, the last, episode of my series on God's Holy Spirit I present the theology of Kallistos Ware. A bishop in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Ware emphasizes that God's Spirit is encountered especially through other people. More particularly, through holy fools and seasoned soul-guides. What are those two types? How do we, might we, encounter suc…
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Soaking in Divine Spirit (11) Welker—Justice, Mercy, Knowledge of God
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In the theological component of this episode we examine the unique contributions of Michael Welker to Pneumatology (God's Spirit). Why does Welker land where he does? Why does his presentation seem to take itself apart? What are his foundational commitments? Do they align with biblical commitments and teachings? Along the way I also unpack the sign…
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359 Soaking in Divine Spirit (10) Pinnock—More than an Ornament of Piety
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He came through a resolutely Baptist upbringing. In that context he was taught that the gifts of God's Spirit ceased with the time of the Apostles. So he was shocked when, attending a revival meeting at the Toronto Airport Vineyard, Clark Pinnock was dramatically healed of an eye affliction. It spurred him to go on and write an entire systematic th…
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358 Soaking in D. Spirit (9) Pannenberg—God as Force Field of Life?
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How is God present in and for His creation? Traditionally, that has been addressed through Christological categories. Our theologian for this episode, Wolfhart Pannenberg, presses us to consider that it is God's Spirit who is immanent (in, with, for, to) regarding creation. What does that look like? Is it biblically based? We also examine Pannenber…
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357 Soaking in Divine Spirit (8) Moltmann—Life and Experience!
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While he was a young man Jürgen Moltmann was conscripted into the Germany Air Force. After an Allied bombing of his city Moltmann then spent 3 years in a Scottish prison. While there he encountered the Gospel. But his own dramatic experience became foundational seedbed for his own theological career. What did that mean for his theology? What did th…
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356 Soaking in Divine Spirit (7) JR Williams—The Overwhelming Spirit
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Christianity is grounded in God's revelation, and so in theology, and so in doctrine. But Christianity is not mere doctrine. It is a life, a life that can be felt and experienced. J. Rodman Williams was a Presbyterian theologian who experienced the profound presence of God's Spirit. He articulated what that meant for believers. I explain the whats …
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