Nearly one year ago, we released a podcast in our Christ and Culture series called "Battle of the Gods." When it was released last year, some people struggled to see how modern people really did have these same liturgical practices of worship as people in ancient civilizations. I wanted to revisit that episode in light of the recent wave of statues and historical monuments being toppled and destroyed throughout the U.S. I believe these events and revived debates about appropriate postures of ado...
Jun 22, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 83
This week's guest is Bonnie Kristian. Bonnie is a contributing editor at The Week and has also been featured in Christianity Today , USA Today , Time and many other publications. She also holds a Master's in Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary. Bonnie has been studying the QAnon movement and the growing conspiracy theory culture which centers around Donald Trump as a messianic figure. This movement has been both influencing American Christianity and developing as its own religious cult. Check...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 82
Today's guest is Adam Russell. Adam is the Lead Pastor at Vineyard Campbellsville in Kentucky, National Director of Vineyard Worship, and host of The Ferment Podcast. In our conversation, we discuss transformative spiritual experiences and what we do as pastors when people ask us if psychedelic experimentation should be added to the list of normal Christian practices that open us up to God. Plus the deep theological connection between sex and Christian spirituality, 90's revival stories, and whe...
May 19, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 81
The Bible has strict prohibitions on creating & practicing idolatry but yet also sometimes seems to bless the creation of sacred, symbolic art like the ornate features found in Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple, so what distinguishes the use of art and symbol as being idolatrous from something blessed as a sacred? What deeper, existential implications may we need to consider about the role of symbols and how we are to interact with them? How are we not all that different today from anci...
May 11, 2020•49 min•Ep. 80
Andy Squyres is a singer-songwriter & pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina. He's got a new record coming out. You can hear the first two singles wherever you stream music or over at andysquyres.com To listen to Andy's first appearance on the podcast where he shared about his backstory and journey of faith you can go here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gvt9h-a550aa If you want to support this podcast and become a member of the Deep Talks Patreon Community, go to this link: https://www.patreo...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 76
In this week's Reconstruction Story, we'll hear from someone who grew up in fundamentalism, left to pursue New Age spiritualities and psychedelic exploration, and eventually became a holistic follower of the Way of Jesus. And yes, we have some extended conversation about psychedelic drugs because I know so many listeners who have questions on the subject. My guest today is Paul Risse. Paul is a husband, father, and a bit of modern Renaissance man. He's a business owner. He builds tiny homes. He'...
Apr 27, 2020•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 75
There's been a significant movement of "exvangelicals" over this past decade. In their process of deconstruction, they come to a point where they no longer see the Christian story they've heard as viable. Deconstruction can often turn to devastation, but is reconstruction possible? In today's episode, we'll meet Rick Guttersohn, a leadership consultant & licensed master social worker who grew up with me in our small, Charismatic church & school community. Rick went through a significant ...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 74
Maybe as you are stuck at home during this quarantine, you find yourself binging a lot more Netflix than you normally would. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are actually binging theology. In today's episode we'll explore why "cultural texts" like movies, tv, and even memes are all works of theology, and I'll give you some tips using Kevin Vanhoozer's Everyday Theology as a guide for how you can discern theological messages. If you want to support this podcast and become a member of the D...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 73
Today I recorded a short video to hopefully offer some "difficult encouragement" in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. This is the audio version of that encouragement, but if you want to watch the video too you can do so at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKsLbsqtj1I&feature=youtu.be If you want to support this podcast and become a member of the Deep Talks Patreon Community, go to this link: https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple P...
Mar 19, 2020•14 min•Ep. 72
As a global pandemic rapidly affects the way we do normal life, I have been thinking quite a bit about the 20th-century philosophical masterpiece by existentialist philosopher and author, Albert Camus. Long after our own plague subsides, there will be lingering questions for millions about God, meaning, & how one ought to live in this world that Camus' novel can help us explore. We'll discuss some of the basics of existentialist philosophy, and I'll take you through a short synopsis of the b...
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 71
Christians make unique claims not only about Jesus being the Son of God, the Savior of the World, fully God and fully human, etc but they also hold to the unique belief that Jesus is the supreme example for how we are to live in the world. If this is true, why are there such diverse opinions among Christians about how we are to live in the world? In America alone, you bump into MAGA/Trump-loving Christians and Woke Progressive Christians with preferred pronouns. How can this be? At least one fac...
Mar 03, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 67
In today's episode, we'll do a deep dive exploration into one of the more troubling books of the Bible - Ecclesiastes. Is everything meaningless? We'll explore both Biblical scholarship and insights from psychology to help us unpack how this book can help us in our own crisis of meaning. Thanks to Deep Talks Patreon Member, Nathan for this week's excellent question. If you want to support this podcast and become a member of the Deep Talks Patreon Community, go to this link: https://www.patreon.c...
Feb 20, 2020•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 66
One of our Deep Talks Patreon members, Sam, asked a great question about 1 Corinthians 3 and whether the Apostle Paul believed in purgatory. Is Paul teaching "salvation by works" here? To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Deep Talks Patreon Community https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast Become a member of the Deep Talks Patreon Community to...
Feb 09, 2020•56 min•Ep. 65
My guest in today's episode is Justin Brierley. Justin is the longtime host of Unbelievable? , an award-winning show in the U.K. where skeptics, atheists, historians, scientists, theologians, and philosophers exchange meaningful conversations about God, Christianity, philosophy, and the big questions of life. Along with Unbelievable?, Justin also hosts Ask N.T. Wright Anything . In our conversation together, I talk with Justin about how he began this program and what he's learned in nearly 15 ye...
Feb 02, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 64
In our last episode in this series, we explored how Molinism attempts to solve the problem of evil; but in today's episode, we will explore some of the objections to Molina's creative theodicy. How might Hitler and the Joker get us to reconsider whether this theodicy does what it sets out to do? Plus, how did the evil and suffering perpetrated by "Christians" in the 16th-18th century lead to the beginnings of secularism? What is natural theology? How did the scientific revolution lead to its pop...
Jan 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 63
Jen Meyerson is the Director of Relief for Preemptive Love , an NGO that focuses on disaster relief in some of the most war torn places on the planet. Jen has worked extensively in places like Iraq & Syria, bringing medical relief, education, and support to those most tragically effected by the devastations of war. Jen has also worked for the United Nations serving those experiencing the horrors of war, genocide, and famine. In today's episode, I ask Jen to help us understand the conflicts i...
Jan 13, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 61
Luther and Calvin both made a strong case for evil as the "alien acts of God." Calvin made an especially strong argument that the implications from the theology and metaphysics of people like Augustine and Aquinas should lead to a belief in God's predestination of all things. His argument was so strong that it forced people to reassess the "classical" doctrines of God and the metaphysical beliefs about the nature of reality in order to try and find a way to maintain a belief in libertarian free ...
Jan 05, 2020•44 min•Ep. 60
The era known as the Protestant Reformation is among the most important eras in recorded history. Most Christians who aren't Catholic or Eastern Orthodox can trace their theological influence directly back to Martin Luther and John Calvin. Luther and Calvin are not only a couple of the most important theologians who have ever lived, but they are among the most controversial... even within Protestant circles! Luther and Calvin both believed they were reclaiming historic Augustinian Christianity f...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 58
In part 6 of The Problem of Evil we head into Europe's Middle Ages, a time of horrific moral and natural evils. From plagues to crusades, many superstitious explanations abounded for why these evils occurred. Simultaneously, this was an era filled with significant advancements in the arts and education. Arguably the greatest medieval philosopher and theologian, Thomas Aquinas believed that the existence of God was not threatened by the philosophical and theological challenges that evil and suffe...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 56
In part 5 of The Problem of Evil , we explore the theology of Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine in the 4th-5th Century. These two men would become pillars of the Christian traditions of the East and West. It's really important to have listened to Part 4 where we discussed Plotinus and Origen in order to make sense of the theology of both of these men. We'll see in today's episode how Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine answered questions related to the problem of evil such as: - How do we define "evil"?...
Nov 18, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 54
In part four of The Problem of Evil , we continue on in church history into the 3rd Century where we'll explore how controversial theologians Tertullian and Origen attempted to address the problem of evil. Plus we'll take a look at one of the most important Greek philosophers of that era- Plotinus. How does Tertullian attempt to reconcile the seemingly different explanations in the Old Testament and New Testament for the causes of evil and suffering? What made Origen's theodicy so controversial?...
Nov 04, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 52
In part 3 of "The Problem of Evil", we'll explore the first two centuries of church history where Gnosticism and Marcionism provided a challenging alternative to genuine Christianity. One of the significant appeals of these movements was how they answered the problem of evil and explained the causations for suffering. In the face of these challenges and the threat of martyrdom, early church leaders like Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus provided crucial responses to these ...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 44
This is part 2 of an extended series exploring the problem of evil. In today's episode, we'll explore perspectives contained in the Old Testament and New Testament for why there is evil and suffering the world and how to respond. We'll examine several possibilities for why there seems to be a stark contrast between the Old Testament & New Testament on who causes these things. We'll also explore books written between the Old & New Testament found in the Dead Sea Scrolls which were importa...
Oct 14, 2019•56 min•Ep. 43
This is Part 1 of an extended series exploring the problem of evil. Few things call into question our beliefs about God & challenge our sense meaning & purpose like experiences of evil, suffering, and injustice. In this episode we'll introduce the historic challenges to Christian understandings of God that the problem of evil presents. and then we'll dive into a detailed examination of the book of Job in the Old Testament. What insights does Job give us as we wrestle with the problem of ...
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 42
To Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159 John Mark McMillan is a Platinum-selling songwriter & artist best known for his songs How He Loves, Future/Past, & King of My Heart . In today's conversation, I talk with John Mark about our shared experiences in the Charismatic tradition, his journey of holding on to the best theology of his past while searching for a more complete picture of God, and makin...
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 41
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul is in one of the premier cultural centers of the ancient world- Athens. While preaching in Athens, he's called to share his message on the God of War's Mount. This is one of the best examples of cultural theology that we have in the Bible, so after spending quite a bit of time in our Christ and Culture series this year I thought I'd shared a sermon I gave on this famous scene in Acts. Also out this week is our new Patreon Q & A episode where I try to answer some ...
Sep 23, 2019•36 min•Ep. 40
If one treats the Bible as inspired and authoritative in their life, are there better or worse ways of reading the Bible that could produce good or bad results in one's life? Dr. Jeannine K. Brown is a New Testament Scholar, NIV Biblical translator, author and professor. She has taught at Bethel Seminary (Paul's alma matter!) for over 20 years. In today's episode, we discuss: -How to figure out what the Scriptures mean when we read them -Are there good and bad ways to read the Bible? -What are s...
Sep 16, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 39
Today's episode comes from a conversation I had with Paul Vander Klay for his YouTube Channel and Podcast. I first had Vander Klay on my podcast back in Episode 18, and he wanted to bring me on his program to discuss possible insights from my background and experiences into the "meaning-crisis." It's a subject we are both passionate about helping others navigate thru. Vander Klay somehow pulled out of me some stories about my experiences deep in the Charismatic & Pentecostal tradition that I...
Sep 09, 2019•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 38
Is there a problem with our theology if it doesn't make us more Christ-like? That question lead my guest, Bruxy Cavey, on personal and theological journey into the Anabaptist tradition. Bruxy is the senior pastor at The Meeting House in Ontario, Canada which is one of Canada's largest churches. An Anabaptist mega-church? Yes, that is a unique as it sounds. Bruxy is also the author of the best-selling books Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, & Sinners and The End of Religion...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 37
MAKE SURE TO GO TO THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE CHART THAT I REFER TO THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hang-on-to-this-29402721 In this episode, we'll discuss some reasons why many people go through an intense period of reevaluating & questioning their Christian faith. It's been popular recently to call this experience "deconstruction," but what causes deconstruction? Is it a normal part of intellectual & personal development? Are there ways of doing it that are more he...
Aug 26, 2019•59 min•Ep. 36
