In his second letter, Peter vigorously asserts the inevitable return of Jesus. Instead of debating the question of when, Peter emphasizes the importance of living righteously and in accord with the Lord's teaching during the great Second Advent. From there, we get the concept of "Imitation of Christ." Our good friend Dr. Chris Curran, senior pastor of Southland Baptist Church, San Angelo, Texas, joins us for a discussion on what we, individually and as a Church, should be doing while waiting for the Second Coming. Rather than squabbling in the pews, perhaps we should modeling life in the Kingdom to come and nurturing the spiritual fruits Paul (who gets a shout out here from Peter) lists in Galatians. Perhaps there are expectations to be gleaned in Matthew 24 and 25. What do you want Jesus find you doing when he returns?

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do we mean by Bible inerrancy? We accept the Bible is essential truth, but is every passage and every story literally true? We talk about the authorship, history and authenticity of scripture, then we delve into our opinions about what's essential truth as opposed to literal and discover we have some different opinions. Did Adam live to be 960? Was there an Exodus? Was Jonah swallowed by a great fish? All this and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If this request brings you no dread, may God bless you. For most men, sharing their faith is a difficult ask, even though the Bible beseeches us to spread the Gospel. Trouble is, the traditional model tends to be the energetic preacher who regales us how, in the lowest point in his life, the sudden "bright light of Jesus" saved him. Believers all around shout "Hallelujah!" Who wants to follow that? We discuss different ways one can speak about their faith, sometimes by not speaking at all, but by just in the way they treat people. The fellows talk about the ways they have made their testimony their story, and some of the challenges they've had along the way.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A dedicated worker never stops learning, that's one of the tenets of the Ministry of Competence, the idea that as Christians, we should be mindful we are working for the Lord, not "the Man." But that's far from easy in jobs that can be dangerous, enervating or just plain boring. We discuss how men can witness for Christ simply by putting their best effort into their work, no matter what the job is. We also talk about finding meaning through working for something larger than one's self, something young people seek and a place where our religion may intersect with cultural trends.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If we accept that Jesus’ resurrection was the most important event in human history, why do the Gospels offer so little about those 40 days he walked the Earth? There are no accounts of miraculous healings, parables and sermons before crowds, or even large public appearances. The only miracle he performs is a massive catch of fish, a callback to an earlier miracle which led to the calling of Peter. Why did he never go to the Temple? And beyond the New Testament accounts, what can we as believers divine about “eternal life” from these short glimpses of the resurrected Jesus? 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our final podcast on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, we look at Psalms that praise God as the ultimate lord and king of creation. We also discuss the overall study, and question whether Bonhoeffer is too steadfast in his insistence that knowledge of Jesus is required to pray the Psalms correctly. Also, does the study, clearly intended as academic, fail to address the poeticism and passionate expression of faith the Psalms contain? Finally we look at how the Psalms can be a foundation for daily prayer and devotion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We examine Psalms that address the Law, the Holy History of Israel and look ahead to the promise of a Messiah as we continue look at at Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we continue our study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: Prayer Book of the Bible, we look at Psalms about Creation, Life and what Bonhoeffer sees as the Church, at least distilled through ancient Psalms about Jerusalem, Zion and the Solomon's Temple. We cover the much-loved Psalm 8, which Mike calls the "Astronomer's Psalm" and, beyond appreciating the poetry, we look at the ways Bonhoeffer says we should respond to these God-breathed songs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we look at psalms of suffering, confession and the difficult imprecatory psalms that call down God's wrath on enemies of Israel. All three groups express deep and fearful emotions. We look at how the pain of suffering and guilt are different, but that the psalms promise salvation from both. And how should we approach psalms that ask God to call down divine vengeance, sometimes in horrifying terms? These include Psalms 35, 58 and 137, one of the most notorious. Join us as we continue our discussion and debate on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christian perspective on these difficult psalms he offers in Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin a study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible with an overview of the Book of Psalms, what they are and how Bonhoeffer sees them connect with Jesus and the New Testament. Is the Lord's Prayer the 151st Psalm? The Psalms are prophetic, but we debate Bonhoeffer's assertion that we need Jesus' spiritual presence to pray them correctly. But we agree that Christians should take a renewed look at the Psalter and the breadth and power of both the emotions and faith expressed therein.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our panel gathers to mark our 400th installment with, what else, a clip show. We revisit some of our favorite podcasts, including our discussions on horror movies, faith and works, and whether you can commit adultery without sex, or even if adultery matters anymore (from our live show). All episodes featured are archived, awaiting your discovery.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.