This week's episode explores the various throne room visions in order to locate Jesus Christ. While the early Christians were united in their belief that the risen and exalted Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, the Old Testament throne room visions offer a different picture. We examine the continuity and discontinuity between the Old Testament portrayals and the New Testament portrayals as we seek to discern whether Jesus was in heaven before his birth. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my ...
Dec 05, 2024•34 min•Ep. 360
This week's episode examines the Megiddo Mosaic that reportedly bears an inscription calling Jesus "God Jesus Christ." This mosaic, crafted around the year 230 AD, has been recently hyped for promotional purposes, but a lot of fiction is being reported about its meaning and significance. This episode separates the wheat from the chaff, sets the mosaic in its context, and discerns the meaning of all three inscriptions. We also ask the relevant question of what Christians in the year 230 meant whe...
Nov 28, 2024•36 min•Ep. 359
Does the Gospel of Matthew use typology to portray Jesus Christ as the new Jeremiah? When Jesus asked about what people were saying concerning the Son of Man, some responded that Jesus was like Jeremiah. This episode explores the extent to which Matthew deliberately illustrates Jesus in terms of the preaching, symbolic actions, and attitude towards the temple that the prophet Jeremiah exhibited. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nF...
Nov 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 358
This episode demonstrates that the Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ as thoroughly human--as a genuine member of the human race. Despite claims that the Fourth Gospel presents a high divine christology, the data indicates that Jesus is called a human being, he calls himself a human being, he has normal human limitations, and he dies the death of a human person. At no point in the Gospel of John does the narrator attempt to qualify this humanity as only partial or perceived. The Johannine Jesu...
Nov 14, 2024•27 min•Ep. 357
Is Jesus Christ fully God and fully man? Is the christology present in the creed of Chalcedon thoroughly biblical? This episode examines what it means to be "God" and what it means to be "human" in order to discern whether the doctrine of the two natures of Christ is logically coherent. Spoiler alert: it isn't. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https...
Nov 07, 2024•29 min•Ep. 356
This episode examines a clear, straightforward argument that demonstrates that the Apostle Paul was a unitarian Christian, believing and teaching his churches that God is only one person, the Father alone. We examine this argument within Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Galatians, noting that Paul is following Jesus himself, who identified God as "Abba, Father." Lastly, we note how Paul's unitary monotheism was conveyed to the pagans who converted in Thessalonica. Paul, clearly, did not possess any un...
Oct 31, 2024•25 min•Ep. 355
This week's episode explores the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy, which takes place when someone selectively gathers a pattern of data while at the same time ignoring all data that points to a different conclusion. This selective use of verses occurs often in arguments in favor of the Trinity and the full divinity of Christ, and we discuss some of the most common appearances of the fallacy. Finally, we offer four tips to avoid committing this logical fallacy in our own studies. Visit Amazon to buy yo...
Oct 24, 2024•32 min•Ep. 354
The Middle Ground Fallacy occurs when someone insists that, despite the evidence provided, the best solution is to meet in the middle of what both sides have presented. This compromise often occurs in discussions of christology, the Trinity, and the development of Christ in church history, but it is entirely fallacious. After examining several examples and familiarizing ourselves with the fallacy's error, we offer five tips to help avoid committing the Middle Ground Fallacy. Visit Amazon to buy ...
Oct 17, 2024•26 min•Ep. 353
This week, we discuss the Ambiguity Fallacy, which is also known as "equivocation." The ambiguity fallacy is committed when someone, knowingly or unknowingly, uses an ambiguous term or phrase in more than one sense within an argument, leading to confusion and incoherence by conflating distinct meanings. We discuss several ways that this fallacy gets committed in christological debates and discussions. We conclude by offering several tips to avoid mistakenly committing the ambiguity fallacy in ou...
Oct 10, 2024•28 min•Ep. 352
This week's episode discusses the genetic fallacy, which occurs when someone accepts or rejects an argument solely on the basis of the source or origin. We discuss how this fallacy occurs far too often in biblical studies, with interpreters blindly accepting the claims of their favorite theologian or dismissing all claims from those whom we deem untrustworthy. In both of these instances, the actual arguments, evidence provided, and logic are completely ignored. Finally, we offer several tips to ...
Oct 03, 2024•21 min•Ep. 351
This week's episode explores the False Cause fallacy, which occurs when it is assumed without evidence that one event caused the following event. After looking at several ways people get away with this fallacy in arguments about the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, we offer six helpful tips to help listeners avoid using it in daily practice. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg Please consider supporting this Podcast and futu...
Sep 26, 2024•23 min•Ep. 350
This week's episode explores the inner workings of the Appeal to Emotion Fallacy, which occurs when someone manipulates emotions in place of presenting valid reasoning to support their argument. We talk about common ways that this rears its ugly head, both in popular discourse and in debates about the Trinity. Lastly, we offer several tips to help avoid making this fallacious mistake. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg Please...
Sep 19, 2024•26 min•Ep. 349
The ad hominem fallacy happens when we attack someone's character or label them as a "heretic" rather than engaging their arguments. This week's episode will explore the ad hominem fallacy, discuss how it gets abused in christological debates (past and present), and offer several tips to help us avoid committing this fallacy ourselves. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg Please consider supporting this Podcast and future proje...
Sep 12, 2024•25 min•Ep. 348
This is my presentation from the 2024 Unitarian Christian Alliance conference in the UK. I discuss the Jewish principle of agency and its relevance and demonstrate how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as the authorized agent of the only true God. The video version of this presentation, which includes the Q&A that followed my talk, will be released on the UCA YouTube channel in a few weeks. A link to the paper I presented is in the show notes. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom ...
Sep 05, 2024•48 min•Ep. 347
This week, we are studying the fallacy of personal incredulity, which takes place when someone dismisses a claim simply because they are unable to understand it or find it difficult to believe. We examine several instances of personal incredulity fallacies in our modern culture, many of which are indeed complex, but are often dismissed because people do not take the time to examine the evidence themselves. We also survey many examples of this fallacy occurring in discussions about God, the Trini...
Aug 29, 2024•26 min•Ep. 346
This episode explores the Burden-of-Proof fallacy, which occurs when someone attempts to make an argument by shifting the responsibility of disproving a claim to the dialogue partner, rather than offering evidence and data to support the initial claim. We discuss how this fallacy keeps popping up in discussions about the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Finally, we offer five helpful tips to argue more effectively without falling prey to the Burden-of-Proof fallacy. Visit Amazon to buy your copy...
Aug 22, 2024•22 min•Ep. 345
The fallacy of the False Dichotomy frequently occurs in debates about Christology and the Trinity. This fallacy is defined as an argument that offers only two extreme choices, while simultaneously ignoring any other reasonable alternatives. This week's episode explores how the false dichotomy fallacy appears in modern culture before examining its common appearances in christological debates. Finally, we discuss various tips to help avoid falling prey to committing false dichotomies. Visit Amazon...
Aug 15, 2024•28 min•Ep. 344
This week's episode explores the logical fallacy of begging the question. This fallacy occurs when the premise is assumed in the conclusion, without offering any evidence or data to prove the conclusion. We examine common instances of begging the question in the culture and debates about Christology. Finally, we provide several tips to avoid falling prey to this fallacious form of argumentation. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nF...
Aug 08, 2024•30 min•Ep. 343
This week's episode examines the Anecdotal fallacy, which occurs when someone draws on personal experience or an isolated piece of evidence while neglecting the larger body of data on a subject. We discuss examples of this fallacy being committed, both in common practice and in discussions about God, Christ, and the history of the Trinity. Lastly, we offer several concrete ways to avoid using anecdotal evidence in your own research. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book Wisdom Christology...
Aug 01, 2024•22 min•Ep. 342
This week's episode examines the "No True Scotsman" fallacy, which commonly occurs in debates about christology, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity. We define the fallacy, show examples of it regularly appearing in biblical debates, and demonstrate why it is fallacious. Finally, we offer five tips to help our listeners avoid committing this logical fallacy, thereby improving the consistency of arguments and exchanges with others who think differently. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new bo...
Jul 25, 2024•23 min•Ep. 341
The logical fallacy "Appeal to Authority" occurs when someone points to the opinion of an expert, scholar, or institution without considering the merits of their argument. This week's episode helps readers identify when this fallacy takes place, especially in arguments about God, Christology, and the origins of the Trinity. We also discuss the difference between this fallacy and the consensus arrived at by modern scholars. Lastly, we offer several tips to avoid falling prey to this fallacy. Visi...
Jul 18, 2024•33 min•Ep. 340
This episode explores the Bandwagon Fallacy, which occurs when someone points to the popularity of a belief, issue, or person to the exclusion of evidence, reason, or logical arguments. We point to some of the most common expressions of the Bandwagon Fallacy, especially those used to argue for the Trinity. We also differentiate between the fallacy and a scholarly consensus, discussing why the two should not be confused. Lastly, we offer several tips to avoid committing the Bandwagon Fallacy. Vis...
Jul 11, 2024•30 min•Ep. 339
In debates and discussions about the Trinity and the identity of God, the fallacy of special pleading (or "moving the goalposts") often occurs. This fallacy takes place when one person changes the conditions or definition of their original argument when a counter-argument has met the original conditions, resulting in the original claim being moved farther away in order to avoid admitting the strength of the counter-argument. This week's episode offers several examples of the case of special plea...
Jul 10, 2024•31 min•Ep. 338
This week's episode begins a new series that examines common logical fallacies used in debates about God and Christ. The Straw Man fallacy occurs when one misrepresents, either intentionally or unintentionally, the argument of their opponent in a manner that makes it easier to knock down. This results in the actual argument getting ignored and the discussion stalling. We discuss common straw man fallacies that occur in christological debates and offer several tips to avoid committing this fallac...
Jun 27, 2024•29 min•Ep. 337
Having given sufficient attention to the Jewish Principle of Agency in the previous seven episodes, we can now turn and examine the role of agent that John the Baptist played in the four New Testament gospel accounts. This episode explores the many ways in which John the Baptist functioned as an authoritative agent of the God of Israel, including the fulfillment of scripture, offering forgiveness apart from the temple, and anticipating the soon-to-come Messiah. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of m...
Jun 20, 2024•31 min•Ep. 336
As we bring our study of the Jewish Principle of Agency to a close, we take the opportunity to examine the sixth and final tenet, a commissioned agent can authorize his or her own agents. After looking at the Jewish context and some examples of this tenet, we turn to the Gospel of John to better understand why Jesus, the agent of God, commissioned forth further agents. These agents include the original disciples, the Spirit, and the ideal readers of the Gospel of John. Visit Amazon to buy your c...
Jun 13, 2024•25 min•Ep. 335
According to the Jewish Principle of Agency, upon completion of his or her mission, the agent needed to return to the sender. This episode explores how Jesus functions as the agent of God in light of the context of this particular tenet, especially as it relates to the bodily ascension of Jesus. We consider why the Gospel of John has the most references to the ascension of Jesus, while also examining Jesus as the embodiment of God's personified word and wisdom. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of m...
Jun 06, 2024•26 min•Ep. 334
As we examine the fourth tenet of the Jewish Principle of Agency, we discover that the relationship between the principal and the agent requires an obedient posture. The one who is sent must obey the will of the sender, honoring the mission at the expense of his own interests. After situating this tenet in its Jewish context, we turn to the Gospel of John to witness several ways in which Jesus willingly obeys the mission for which God has sent him. The Johannine Jesus is not coequal with God. Vi...
May 30, 2024•28 min•Ep. 333
This week's episode explores the tenet in the Jewish Principle of Agency that recognizes the subordinate status of the agent (shaliach) of the sender (principal). We discuss the different agents that the true God uses in Scripture and their qualifications, and we even talk about who the most qualified agents were known to be. Lastly, we examine the Gospel of John's portrayal of Jesus as the human agent of the only true God to see how this subordination functioned. Visit Amazon to buy your copy o...
May 23, 2024•26 min•Ep. 332
As we continue our series on the Jewish Principle of Agency, we explore in this episode the ways in which the commissioned agent carried out the judicial roles and responsibilities of his sender. We look closely at how human judges function as agents of God, to the point where they are even called "God." Then, we dive into the Old Testament and New Testament to survey how human agents share in God's judicial role as the cosmic judge of all the earth. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book ...
May 16, 2024•28 min•Ep. 331
