Grounded & Growing

What gives you joy? Is your joy as stable as your God, or does it rise and fall with your circumstances? In this episode we think together about what joy is, what it is grounded in, and how we can experience the kind of joy that persists no matter what.

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What is love? Is it a mindset, an emotion, or an action? Join us as we think about how God calls us to love Him and others with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

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Obeying God requires more than discipline and effort; we need the Holy Spirit's help. Listen as we talk about how we rely on God's Spirit so we are able to bear healthy spiritual fruit.

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How does God change us so we love Him more than we love our sin? Join us as we discuss how the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us through Scripture and renews our hearts so we can receive Him.

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Galatians 5 describes two possibilities for our lives. We can live according to our natural desires or according to God’s Spirit. Listen to learn why we need God's Spirit to change our desires before we can live in a way that pleases Him.

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Join us for this final episode in the What is an Anabaptist series as Julian, Nolan, and Bryce wrap up the series with a conversation about what we learned and how Anabaptists can continue that legacy of faithfulness.

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Join us for a discussion with Todd Neuschwander on the state of the Anabaptist church in the 21st century. We explore the movement's 500-year journey, from its Reformation-era origins and free church convictions to its development in North America. Todd discusses the enduring strengths of Anabaptism and gives practical wisdom for strengthening the movement by instilling biblical knowledge that reaches the heart.

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Join us for another conversation with Daniel Zimmerman as we discuss how Protestantism began and developed through the influence of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin. We talk about the core concepts of the Protestant reformers and how they relate to the Anabaptist movement. Where did the Anabaptists and Protestants agree and where did they part ways? We explore the good reforms the Protestants started, as well as the places where they didn’t go far enough.

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What core beliefs bound the various parts of the Anabaptist movement together? And how are these movements different? Join us for another interview with Marcus Yoder as we discuss the distinct streams within Anabaptism and how leadership, culture, and political developments shaped differing expressions. And hear how these convictions give modern Anabaptists a unique opportunity to share Christ's love in an increasingly divided world.

Cathedrals, Castles, and Caves: The Origins of the Anabaptist Faith by Marcus Yoder

Behalt Mural, Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center

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Join us for a conversation with Daniel Rutt as we discuss what Anabaptists believe about salvation, exploring the early Anabaptist view of the gospel and identifying contemporary imbalances. We talk about what makes the Anabaptist view of salvation different from Catholic and Protestant views. We discuss how Anabaptists connected salvation to living a new life of obedience, avoiding both cheap grace and works-righteousness.

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What does it mean to follow Jesus as His disciple? Join us for this insightful conversation with Anabaptist historian Daniel Zimmerman as we discuss the early Anabaptist emphasis on personal transformation and practical obedience. We discuss what discipleship is, what makes the Anabaptist view unique, and how every believer can grow as a disciple of Christ.

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What is distinct about the way the Anabaptists interpreted the Bible? In this episode, Paul Emerson discusses the particular value of Anabaptist hermeneutics through a commitment to the Bible’s ultimate authority and guide for all aspects of life, not just doctrine. We discuss Christ-centered hermeneutics, the interplay between the individual and the gathered church community, and the teaching and illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit.

What Is an Anabaptist? By Paul Emerson

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Join us for this engaging interview with Dean Taylor, president of Zollikon Institute, as we discuss how the early Anabaptists understood non-resistance, how their views aligned with those in the early church, and how views on non-resistance have developed since the Anabaptist beginnings in the 16th century. We also discuss distinctions between non-resistance, pacifism, and just war theory.

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Christians & Politics: A Challenge From History

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The early Anabaptists believed that they were called to follow Christ, and in following Him, to live lives separated from the world's methods, ethics, and values. Join us for this conversation with Todd Neuschwander on how the early Anabaptist convictions on non-conformity developed through the last five centuries, what factors shaped their applications, and how 21st century Anabaptists can avoid the twin challenges of assimilation and isolationism by believing and practicing the gospel of Christ.

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Who gets to determine who are the members of the church? In the centuries before the Reformation, the gathered church typically included all the members of society. Against the Catholics and Magisterial Reformers, who assumed a level of cooperation between the church and the state, the Anabaptists believed that the church should be free from the influence of the civil magistrates and untainted by those who professed faith but lived unholy lives. The Anabaptists worked to maintain a pure church by practicing voluntary membership, church discipline, and a separation of the spheres of the church and the state.
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How did the religious, social, and political upheaval in 16th century Europe catalyze and shape the beginning of the Anabaptist movement? And what ideas define Anabaptism? Join us for this engaging conversation with Anabaptist historian Marcus Yoder as he takes us on a tour through pre-Anabaptism, the Peasant's War, and the Anabaptist takeover of Münster, on to the core beliefs that united the early Anabaptist movement.

Cathedrals, Castles, and Caves: The Origins of the Anabaptist Faith by Marcus Yoder

Behalt Mural, Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center

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God wants us to know Him and obey Him. Does the Bible tell us everything we need to know to experience this? Listen to learn about God's purpose for Scripture and how He has graciously provided everything we need through it.

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When God revealed Himself through Scripture, He did not mask Himself behind mysteries and riddles. Listen today to learn how the Bible helps us see God clearly and know Him truly.

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Where did our English Bibles come from? Join us to learn how our modern translations were developed, and how you can know and love Christ better through them.

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BIBLE STUDY TOOLS: biblearc.com, blueletterbible.com, stepbible.org

For a more detailed introduction to the preservation and translation of Scripture, see the book God’s Word Written by the Mennonite theologian and historian J. C. Wenger.

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God has providentially preserved the Bible ever since it was written. Listen to learn how familiarity with our copies of the Bible can increase our confidence in the  Bible's trustworthiness.

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For a more detailed introduction to the preservation and translation of Scripture, see the book God’s Word Written by the Mennonite theologian and historian J. C. Wenger.

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The Bible is a reliable witness to reality. Join us to learn about God's trustworthiness and why His character leads us to trust the Bible.

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Are the words of the Bible more significant than the words of any other book? Join us today to learn about God's authority and how He exercises His authority through the Bible.

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The Bible is God's word to us. Listen now to hear how God spoke to the biblical authors, and how He still speaks today.

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How do we know what writings should be included in our Bibles? Join us to learn the questions we need to ask to recognize which writings were spoken by God.

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Scripture is essential to all true faith. Listen today to hear how God reveals Himself through creation and through the Bible, and why it matters.

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Why does justification by faith alone matter? Because if we discard or downplay it, we are of necessity also discarding and downplaying grace. If our works are necessary to complete our salvation, then God’s grace isn’t sufficient to save. If our gospel is to be God-glorifying, it must be God-centered. And if it is to be God-centered, it must be grace-based. That is, it must be about what God has done to save sinners, not about what sinners have done to make themselves worthy of God. 

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Jesus does not require anything of us poor wretched sinners except that we come to Him in faith. His love is offered freely to all who are willing to receive it. This grace compels us to obey. As Isaac Watts expressed, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” This kind of love demands that we give everything—my soul, my life, my all. If we come to Christ with hearts brimming with love for Him, then we are ready and eager to hear these words in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

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What is the relationship between faith and works? The apostle Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works. If we are justified by faith alone, why does James say that Abraham was “justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” Did James disagree with Paul's gospel?

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Scripture speaks consistently of salvation coming to those who believe, those who have faith. That much is clear, but the bigger question is, “What is faith?” This episode answers that very question.

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The work of Christ by which He accomplished our justification is the linchpin of the gospel. Until our sin problem is dealt with—that sinful nature which we exercise in rebellion against God—the rest of the blessing of the gospel remain aloof. It is Christ’s atoning work on our behalf which provides not only justification but all of redemption. 

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To appreciate justification we must first realize who we are and where we are headed apart from Christ. Without God’s grace, we are: justly condemned to eternal judgment, under divine wrath, alienated from God, in bondage to sin and Satan, and captive to our hearts which prefer the darkness of sin to the light of Christ.

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 J.C. Wenger said it is a “queer notion that because the Anabaptists were vigorous in their demands for a life of earnest Christian discipleship, they were therefore unclear on grace and justification.” In the same context he references Menno Simons, who set forth a clear doctrine of justification by faith, one compatible with Reformed doctrine. Menno does, however, constantly emphasize that any true profession of faith with have with it works which confirm the claim. As we will see from the sampling of Anabaptist writers, justification by faith alone was certainly a part of their theology. 

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Did the Anabaptists believe in justification by faith alone or were the Reformers alone in that view? While we often associate justification with Reformed doctrine, many early Anabaptists accepted justification as an essential gospel doctrine too.

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In our efforts to emphasize the importance of obedience, we sometimes hesitate to teach that justification is experienced apart from our works. We fear that, if people realize that they contribute nothing to their standing before God, they will consider themselves free to sin. If we are saved simply by believing, does that not free us to live however we want?

The opposite is most certainly true. Only when we understand the grace of God in Christ, offering us His righteousness apart from our works, will we apprehend the call to obedience. Minimizing grace does not result...

The nature of Christ’s atonement is becoming a common discussion. It’s an important one, since the atonement is a foundational tenet of Christian doctrine. The atonement is no secondary or tertiary issue. Christ's atoning work is essential to the gospel. His work on the cross is what makes it possible for sinful men to be reconciled to a holy God. Our salvation rests upon Christ’s atonement. So what we believe about it is of utmost importance.

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The authority of Scripture is unquestionably one of the fundamental issues of our time. Other presenting issues (such as the atonement, hell, sin, etc.) reveal the underlying issue. We don’t think of ourselves as operating under the authority of the Bible. Sure, we reference the Bible when it supports our view. We use it to validate our opinions, but we don’t allow it to shape them. Until Scripture is the absolute, unquestioned authority, we still have work to do. 

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This is part two of a presentation I did on Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Lancaster, PA. The presentation included an overview of CRT and a critique of CRT from a biblical perspective. And we had some quality Q&A with the attendees along the way. This is the second and final episode with material from that presentation.

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October of last year I had the opportunity to give a presentation on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to a retirement community in Lancaster, PA. The presentation included an overview of CRT and a critique from a biblical perspective. We also had some quality Q&A with the attendees.

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Persevering faith is not oriented inward, where we dig in, work harder, and do better. Rather, it is oriented outward. Our faith—our confidence—is in Christ. We are to hold fast our confession that Christ has accomplished salvation for us and that we will be saved if we put our faith in Him.

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Scripture reveals who we really are. It cuts through our facades, exposing our true selves. When it works on us, we are laid bare before God. Though we may be able to maintain a veneer of righteousness in our own efforts, Scripture peels it back and uncovers our sinful hearts. And in the final judgment, it will reveal our sin before the thrice-holy God. Not one thing can be hidden from Scripture’s razor scalpel. It “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

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In Christ we can rest from the toil of self-righteousness—our striving to be good enough, our attempts to atone for our own sins. True rest, gospel rest, is experienced when we come to Christ, believing in Him, trusting in Him, and receiving the good things God offers us in Him.

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Christians ought to be confident people. Not in ourselves and not in our works, that's self-righteousness and self-centeredness. Our confidence is never in ourselves; we are those who "put no confidence in the flesh." Our confidence is in Christ. We know, because God has said it is true, that Christ has accomplished salvation for us. Our confidence is in Him.

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In his call to faithfulness the author of Hebrews is careful to point us to Christ. We are to “give heed to the things we have learned,” not neglecting the salvation God offers us. But the all-important question is: where is that salvation found? In the law? In Moses? In some other historical figure? In some other moral code? No, but salvation is found in Christ. We confess Christ, our mediator, our High Priest, our Saviour. We must consider Him, see His person, see His greatness, and put our faith in Him.

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What we believe about the gospel is important. Actually, important is an understatement. The gospel is the very core of the Christian faith. What we believe about the gospel is one of the single defining realities of Christianity. In fact, what we believe about the gospel makes the difference between heaven or hell.

This feature episode is an in-depth look at six different views of the gospel, focusing especially on each view's concepts of justification and sanctification.

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God does not save because He has to; He saves because He wants to. And it is His joy. He does not save begrudgingly; God loves to save sinners. Hebrews says Christ went willingly to the cross. In fact, He rejoiced despite the shame. He wanted to save sinners, and He freely gave His life to redeem us.

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So then, does it matter what be believe about the inspiration of Scripture? I hope you see with me that it absolutely does. Our faithfulness in the gospel rests on whether or not we continue to live in faithful submission to Scripture. Whether Christianity will continue to the next generation—or even survive this one—rests on our commitment, with all true believers, to believe the Word of God and to live according to the Word of God.

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The Bible is not another book we leave to collect dust on the shelf. It is categorically distinct, a level above every other book written since it is the only one written by God. When we read the Bible, we hear directly from the Lord of the universe. We see His great work through history and His magnificent grace given in the gospel. The Bible is God’s Word to us.

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Does inspiration apply to every part of Scripture? Just the “spiritual” parts? Just the New Testament? Just the gospels? The biblical view says that all of Scripture is inspired.

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We believe that when Scripture speaks, God speaks. Scripture is not a lesser revelation than if God were to show up tonight and speak directly to you or me. Scripture comes from the mouth of God.

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As Anabaptists, we typically think of the conservative/liberal paradigm in terms of outward appearance; we need a paradigm adjustment. Liberals look just like the rest of us.

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We must be stalwart in our defense of the biblical view of hell. Not necessarily because we like it, nor because it is the most attractive, but simply because it’s what God has said in His word. 

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We need to deal with some of the key words used in Scripture to describe hell. If we believe that God inspired the very words of Scripture, we must be concerned with the specific meanings of those words. Three Greek words most stubbornly resist Conditional Immortality, and thus must be redefined by Conditional Immortality proponents to make room for their viewpoint.

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Psalm 37:10 reads, “Yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.” Conditional Immortality scholars interpret this as conclusively teaching that the wicked will be annihilated in the judgment. But is that what it means?

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Many things can be fit into Scripture that do not arise from it. Truly biblical Christianity is not built upon that which is compatible with Scripture, but instead on that which Scripture asserts—that which is most plainly taught within the very pages of Scripture. The first fundamental flaw of Conditional Immortality is that it injects into Scripture what could never be deduced from Scripture. 

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Conditional Immortality agrees with the majority of what I’ve laid out so far. Those who hold to conditional immortality maintain that all these things are true: hell is real, it is the destiny of sinners, and it is terrible. The point of departure is not the reality of hell. Rather, it is the eternality of hell, or more specifically, the eternality of the human soul.

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Hell is not as common in our conversation as it was 500 years ago, 300 years ago, or even 60 years ago. Because we don’t talk about it, many of us don’t understand it as we should. We haven’t been as faithful as we ought to have been guarding the theological door, and it’s starting to show.

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True or False: Experiencing God is more important than knowing about Him. What do you think?

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Hebrews 2 shows us just how necessary it is that Christ be made like us in all things. He takes on humanity to save us. He takes on flesh to show His mercy. He becomes one of us so He can bring us back to God. Christ’s incarnation—God in the flesh—is crucial to the gospel. Without His incarnation, our faith is in vain. But through Him, we are restored to God.

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The verse before us today teaches us much about God’s sovereign designs in salvation. God, the master architect, has orchestrated salvation for us. He who made the world sent His Son into the world to suffer for mankind and save man from His sin. He who deserves all glory has brought us to glory through Christ.

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The astronomer Carl Sagan said, “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” He spoke as a sceptic, knowing the magnitude of the universe but unwilling to believe in the Creator. Though he may be right that science gives no reason to believe redemption will come, God says otherwise. God came to us. Jesus was made lower than the angels. He became like us. He became one of us. And He died for us t...

When you think of Hebrews you should think of two words: Christ, and better. Hebrews is supreme in the New Testament in its treatment of Christ’s person and work. Specifically, how He has fulfilled all that the Old Testament law predicted. For this reason, He is better. And He brings the better covenant and better promises through His better mediation and better atoning sacrifice.

The author has this gospel in view when he begins in chapter two to urge his readers to heed the gospel. Though he is preparing to explain the gospel to them in fu...

In this seventh and final episode we will look at the close of the canon. Should Christians today expect personal revelations from God? Should we expect  divinely inspired writings to be composed or discovered? How we answer this question may be more important than you think. Confusion about the close of the biblical canon opens us up to ideas that run contrary to God’s will for His people.

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The next episode is being delayed one week due to a miscarriage.

One of the toughest questions relating to the canon of Scripture is that of the extent of the canon. How do we know that the books we think are Scripture are actually from God? Have we missed any? Answers vary. We are continuing the discussion of the canon of Scripture by taking a look at some of the disputed writings. 

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We’re going to pick up in this episode where we left off last time, continuing into the New Testament canon.

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We are continuing our series on the canon of Scripture. Before us today is a discussion of how the Old Testament canon came to be. Why do we consider the 39 books of the Old Testament to be Scripture?

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The question of canon is, “How do we know which writings speak for God.” This question assumes that God has spoken, and that He has done so through a written word. How are Christians nearly 2000 years removed from the writing of the New Testament to know that we have everything God intended us to have and nothing more? Today we will look at the principles of canon, the tests by which we can recognize which books are truly from God—and which are not.

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Duration: 00:32:06

The doctrine of the canon of Scripture addresses the question of how we can know what is included in the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Scriptures. All Scripture is God-breathed, but how do we know which writings are from God and which have been contrived by man? Certain principles can be used to gauge whether or not a historical writing deserves a place in the biblical canon. In this second episode we will be talking about the general principles that frame our understanding of the canon of Scripture.

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God’s written word is fundamental to Christianity. What we believe and how we live are defined by the Bible. We have no starting point for knowing God, for knowing the gospel, or for being equipped for Christian living without what God has made known to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible.

But there’s the question. How did these particular writings become a part of God’s word? Why these writings and not others? How can we know that we have everything God intends for us to have? These are the questions addressed by the do...

Critical Race Theory purports to provide a helpful framework for recognizing racism, exposing injustice, and providing effective solutions to promote equality and justice. In previous episodes we’ve discussed some of the reasons why CRT fails to accomplish its purpose. Does CRT really exceed God’s way of reconciling all people through the gospel? 

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The history of the United States is marred with racism. Like it or not, racism was protected and promoted by the social and legal structures of its past. Have those issues been eradicated? How should Christians understand this history, and what should we do about it? Is social justice the answer? Political activism? Gospel love? What does God expect of His people? Sword and Trumpet held a conference this spring to discuss these issues.

In each of these episodes we will review selected snippets from one of the main sessions, with brief commentary. Full recordings of each...

How should biblically informed believers think about the contemporary call for social justice? How should we think about Critical Race Theory, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing use of CRT terminology within the church? What is—and is not—biblical justice? Sword and Trumpet held a conference this spring to discuss these issues.

In each of these episodes we will review selected snippets from one of the main sessions, with brief commentary. Full recordings of each of the main sessions, along with a round table discussion and an audience Q&A, are available on the Swor...

Critical Race Theory. Social justice. Black Lives Matter. Wokeness. These ideas are floating around in our culture and increasingly in our churches. How should biblically informed believers think about these things? Sword and Trumpet held a conference this spring to discuss these issues.

In each of these episodes we will review selected snippets from one of the main sessions, with brief commentary. Full recordings of each of the main sessions, along with a round table discussion and an audience Q&A, are available on the Sword and Trumpet website bookstore.

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Hebrews is unmatched in the New Testament in its manifestation of the glories of Christ. It tells us of His deity and His humanity, of His work as our High Priest and His offering of Himself as our effectual atonement, of His supremeness above all creation and all created things. From the outset, the author intends to set our minds on Christ.

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A production of The Sword and Trumpet Ministries.

To learn more about The Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com.<...

On this episode we will be discussing the word of God. Specifically, our need for God to speak to us, and the value of God speaking through a written word. We’ll follow that up by looking at the attributes of Scripture and its effects on those who read it.

Support the show

A production of The Sword and Trumpet Ministries.

To learn more about The Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com.

What motivates us to minister in the church, or share the gospel, or help those who suffer, or care for people’s needs? Why do we try to do what God asks us to do? Why do we obey Scripture? Why do good works?

Support the show

A production of The Sword and Trumpet Ministries.

To learn more about The Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com.

Why Hebrews? There is perhaps no better account of the character and work of Christ than this epistle. Hebrews provides a comprehensive explanation of who Christ is as God and man, of what Christ has accomplished as our High Priest and our Atonement, and of the effects of salvation in the lives of believers.

Support the show

A production of The Sword and Trumpet Ministries.

To learn more about The Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com.

Since theology is a part of the name of this podcast—Theological Touchpoints—we’re going to start things off by briefly defining the term “theology” and discussing its significance.

Support the show

A production of The Sword and Trumpet Ministries.

To learn more about The Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com.