Is hell real? Is it eternal? Or is hell just Jewish symbolism for annihilation? To answer some of those questions we look at what Jesus had to say about hell, the terms he used, the contexts within which he spoke, and why he talked about it at all. Did he build on the Old Testament teaching or completely re-vamp that? Also, I discuss the Roman Catholic Church's ongoing sexual-abuse catastrophe.
Why does the Church teach about hell? I will note four reasons why I believe there must be a hell, although that doesn't always make me comfortable. What is the central reason Christians have believed in hell? Are there gradations of biblical teachings that are less and more offensive? If not, why? If so, what do we do with that? During an A.D.D. break I also review the movie, "Mission Impossible: Fallout."
Part 2 of a reflection on the Eschaton, this episode builds on both biblical teachings and foundational elements for human nature to imagine what life after the Resurrection will be like. How will it be new? Totally new? Will you still be you? Will we be able to grow in the afterlife, or will we be frozen by our current identity? Will we be creative? Will we work or play, or neither? And what about time? Will it be entirely eliminated by the eternity of God? What do I want to do for my first 1000 years there?
If Heaven (Intermediate state) is not our final God-intended goal, what is? Just what will resurrected life be like? Will we lose our memories? Will we lose our identities? Will we lose our friendships? What is God going to do with the earth? Will he destroy it? Where will there be continuity with this life? And, why will there be continuity with this life, this eon? Yeah, just what on earth is the Eschaton?! Come and—following the trail blazed by Scripture—think theo-logically with me about the future that awaits us!
When believers die do they immediately experience the resurrection? Is there a resurrection of the soul without the body? What is the intermediate state, is it purgatory? Does the bible teach about the intermediate state? Does the soul experience reincarnation? Is there consciousness after death? Will we be able to physically touch each other in the afterlife? What does the bible mean when it says those who are dead are "asleep"? Are the unrighteous punished before they go to hell?
Will you still be you in the resurrection? Or will you be completely different? Does the resurrection happen at the moment of death? What do the incarnation and resurrection say about how God's values our bodies? Is God trying to save us from creation or save us with creation? And I have a "super deep" A.D.D. reflection in this episode that you won't want to miss!
To a first-century Jew, what was profoundly mind-blowing about the timing of Jesus' resurrection? What does the New Testament witness to about Jesus' resurrection? Was his body the same? Did he appear only as a spirit? What does his resurrection mean for the resurrection of you and me? If the resurrection happens at the moment of death, what is going on with all the cemeteries in the world? Come and think with your brain such that your heart will be filled with hope!
The Old Testament was vague at best concerning the afterlife and what happens to the self. The Inter-Testamental period represents a significant shift thereon. Why? What changed? What was going on among the ancient Jews to cause such an enormous paradigm shift? Did Jesus believe more like an OT Jew or an inter-testamental Jew? Even more pressing, was God still at work during this "silent" period? Or, is God only at work when it concerns us and our era?
What did the ancient Hebrews believe about death and the afterlife? What was their emphasis? How does the Old Testament set the stage for what occurs in the New Testament? Was Jesus consistent with or divergent from the Old Testament when he taught on the afterlife? How did the Hebrews differ from their surrounding neighbors concerning death and the dead? This episode helps us to see how divergent Jesus was in his person, teachings, and actions.
This is episode #1 in a series on Heaven & Hell. Why don't Christians any longer talk about or imagine life following the resurrection? What caused believers to make the afterlife irrelevant? What did Jesus believe about the afterlife? Answering questions like those, we will also look at some Barna polling agency stats on American belief in the afterlife. And, of course, I'll mix in some of my dry and zany humor!
Some ramblings to celebrate my 50th episode. Includes my favorites: food, all-time church, Bible-passage, and thing to do. My reflections on society: why are some so angry? Why do so many want to be controlling? An assorted reflection on the existentially tainted nature of time. Plus, I'll tell you some jokes along with some strange "bird" stories. Also share some information about my highest and lowest downloaded episodes. Come and think with me!
If God knows everything what is the point of praying? Won't he just make things happen regardless? But, what if God built the universe such that prayer is an integral tool for us? After all, God is a being who loves to share. What if prayer is less about work and more about sharing? Me? I believe prayer is part of our God-given toolbox to complete both the cultural mandate (Gen. 1) and the Gospel (Mt. 28:19). Even more? Prayer is just good for your soul!
My fourth episode on beauty. Did God make commandments forbidding rituals? Why did the Devil “tempt” us with rituals? Why, for billions of people, and millions of Christians, do rituals work? (Why are rituals so wonderful and important?) Was Jesus in any way ritualistic? Can God communicate to us without using words? Is any beauty to be found outside of words? Come an think through this important aesthetic category with me.
500 years ago the Reformation took a big billy club to beauty, nearly eliminating beauty from the Christian way of life. Why did that happen? Was it justified? Was it a good thing? Oh, and, what are the effects of the Reformation on our practice of Christianity today? What should we take, and what should we reject, from the Reformation? Lacking art in our churches, are we contemporary believers any less guilty of idolatry than ages past? This is part 3 in my 4-part series on Beauty.
Whereas our society is superficial and loud, beauty comes in depths and peace. What are the benefits of enjoying beauty? Or, just what is beauty? Why do so many Christians ignore beauty? Is society right when it tells us that pretty and handsome are the same as beautiful? Why does the U.U. love beauty so much? How is beauty like God? Why would God have created the world with such beauty? Those questions are woven into my reflections here on one of the most overlooked gifts on the planet: beauty!
Beauty is a gift from God, but we tend to keep that gift in the closet. Why do we do that? Or, do we really do that? Is beauty an idol? Are art and aesthetic always idols? What possibilities are there for employing beauty in the Christian mission? The beginning of a series on beauty, this is a quick hitter, so come and think with me for 10 minutes.
What's it like to run a marathon? What's the point of running a marathon? What was involved in earning my Ph.D.? Or, more broadly, what has caused us today to want things to be so easy? Why should you ever do something difficult? Come and laugh and think with me about something we do our diligent best to avoid: hard work.
What makes one a Christian? Good works? Being nice? Humility? Love? What is the core, the center, of the Christian life? Today there are all manner of pretender answers to that question. Come and think deeply with me about your identity in the Lord.
Christians commonly believe that all sins are equal, but does the Bible teach that? Did Jesus teach that? Why does God command harsher punishments for some crimes/sins than others? Why did Jesus say there would be greater punishments in the life to come for some sins more so than others? In the eyes of God, is lust equal to rape? In Roman Catholicism, what are mortal and venial sins?
This is a quick hitter. Do only philosophers have a worldview? Or do religious people have one, too? Is it normal to not have a worldview? How does understanding one's worldview help one understand oneself? Christians, do you know why you believe what you believe?
