In this episode Pastor Raef digs into 5 disciplines every person ought to develop in their life as they develop their faith, and reveals 3 traps that will keep you from the godly/disciplined life. A critical message for us as we head into the new year.
In this episode we take a look at a new bill that has already passed the senate titled the Respect for Marriage Act which legislates the redefinition of marriage to include Gay Marriage. We ask how Christians should engage in a culture that is wrestling with questions like these. We then jump into listener Q&A on topics such as Marriage, Divorce, and Contentment.
In this episode Pastor Raef and Josh discuss the fallout from the overturning of Roe v. Wade, particularly looking at heated exchanges that took place on a Social Media post Pastor Raef had on Facebook celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade, much of the heated exchange coming from other Christians. How should handle ourselves in those situations? How do we act and love like Christ? Additionally we'll deal with two user questions, one on the Lectio Divina , the other on translation questions. User Qu...
In this episode we look at a recent court ruling that gave life in prison, rather than the death penalty, to a person who killed many people in a mass school shooting. We'll discuss the idea of justice, and how we might answer whether or not the Death Penalty is just?
In this episode Pastor Raef and Josh Fried look at Ligonier Ministry's State of Theology, a bi-annual survey that tracks the theological convictions of Evangelicals. In the second half we ask a user question around how to navigate a family relationship with a transitioning sibling. See this episode for more info on the Transgender Conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374628/10317285-the-transgender-controversy-in-women-s-sports Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse: https://www.am...
Revelation is possibly the most questioned and misunderstood book in the entire Bible. In this episode, I try to walk you through the major ways to interpret Revelation. Ultimately, I challenge some of the more popular Futurist views of modern interpreters, and try to demonstrate why most scholars, theologians, and Reformers throughout history held to the Preterist view of Revelation. I'll then demonstrate why I hold to a view of Eschatology that I refer to as 'Optimistic Amillennialism.' Also k...
Last week the Southern Baptist Convention released a 288 page report detailing horrendous findings in their inquiry into sexual abuse allegations. We'll look at how God brings judgment first to the house of God. Then we'll look outward to culture as we try to wrestle with how Christians should respond during "Pride Month" in our cities.
In this episode Pastor Raef discusses the Bible, which forms the basis for Christian knowledge of God. The bulk of this content was originally taught during a Systematic Theology course in 2021 at Park Community Church. In it we discuss what the Bible is? How did it come to be? How do we know it is authoritative? When was it written? What are competing ideas about the Scriptures? All of this is aimed at deepening your resolve in Christ and confidence in the Word of God.
In this episode Pastor Raef looks at the news this week surrounding the leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade. We'll consider the news story itself. Then we'll look at the Biblical basis for life in the womb. And then we engage with some of the bigger challenges to the pro-life movement often posed by the pro-choice movement. Resources https://nypost.com/2022/05/02/supreme-court-has-drafted-opinion-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/ https://www.washingtonpos...
In this episode Pastor Raef has a conversation with Joel Settecase of the Think Institute around the challenges parents face raising children in our current culture. We expose the evils of culture's attempt to sexualize and draw our children away from God, and offer simple yet vital tools for parents to take back ground and raise children to know and love the Lord. Find Joel Settecase at: https://thethink.institute/ Support Joel's ministry at: https://thethink.institute/partner Resources Stop se...
The statistics are not great for Christian men. On the whole, women spend far more time in prayer and the word, are far more likely to attend church, and to lead in various ministries. In this episode Pastor Raef takes aim at the men of the Church and calls them up to godly manhood by looking at the example of Phinehas from Numbers 25. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/06/christian-women-in-the-u-s-are-more-religious-than-their-male-counterparts/
In this episode we discuss the recent headlines about Lia Thomas, the biological male who has been competing and breaking records in college women's swimming. How can we think biblically about this issue that is so pervading our current cultural moment? Resources Mark Yarhouse: Understanding Gender Dysphoria: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Gender-Dysphoria-Transgender-Psychological/dp/0830828591/ Carl Trueman: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individual...
In this episode, Pastor Raef interviews KJ Johnson of the C.S. Lewis Institute. We discuss issues facing the Church in regards to theology and cultural apologetics, as well as some of the biggest hurdles facing Christians today as they attempt to live as faithful ambassadors for Christ in our post-truth world. Visit the CS Lewis Institute Chicago website for more info about KJ's work and the Fellows Program mentioned in the podcast: https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Chicago Additionally, see the ...
In this episode Pastor Raef looks at the idea that the evidence of Christianity is written in human history. Many of the norms and standards of the modern world we live in have been gifted to us from Christians. No other worldview was able to develop systems like: hospitals, education, liberty and justice for all, women's rights, abolition of slavery, protection for infants, largescale charity, economic freedom, and more. Why was Christianity able to accomplish so much. Was it accidental? No, th...
I began writing a short book to help strengthen the resolve of the men and women in our Church on Apologetics. This episode walks through the premise of the book as we look at Five Approaches to supporting a strong conviction and courage in the Christians faith. The introduction to the book is posted on my blog here: https://raefchenery.com/2022/02/04/the-integrity-of-the-christian-worldview/ #Apologetics #Philosophy...
In this episode Pastor Raef Chenery discusses the Joe Rogan podcast and the current controversy surrounding the call to have him cancelled. Resources https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/592240-can-joe-rogan-save-free-speech https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/08/my-joe-rogan-experience/594802/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYDk29ZKbQE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5nyyupLskI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnL6wIwhizw...
In this episode Pastor Raef looks at Bill C-4, a Canadian Bill that recently became the law of the land in Canada that criminalizes "conversion therapy" in conversations on issues pertaining to LQBTQ. This bill puts many parents and ministers who want to stand on the Word of God potentially at risk of criminal consequences. Resources https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/want-to-respond-to-bill-c-4-as-a-church-here-is-one-way-to-do-so/ https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/bill...
In this episode Pastor Raef digs into the heart of what is commonly referred to as Presuppositional Apologetics. The benefit of this methodology for discussing and defending your faith is that you do not need to be an expert in any particular field to "prove" that Jesus is Lord. Rather, you simply just need to actually believe the Word of God, stand on it confidently, and help expose the inconsistencies in other worldviews.
As season 3 opens up we dig into two issues. First Chicago Teacher's Union is asking for classes to be shut down in Chicago due to the fast spreading Omicron variant. And second, we consider last month's Dobbs case that had oral arguments before the Supreme Court last month. We consider its significance for the moral landscape of America. [Please Note: The second section on Dobbs vs. Jackson was recorded shortly after the Oral Arguments before the Supreme Court at the end of 2021, which is why I...
In this episode Pastor Raef Chenery brings you into a powerful evangelism encounter he had with a young muslim man attending a large music festival in Chicago. Throughout the episode commentary is provided to give a bit more education and understanding on the differences between these two religions.
In this episode Pastor Raef engages the old religion/science debate by defending the position that it is actually the Christian worldview that not only gives rise to a pursuit of science but also is the necessary framework to seriously engage with science. We then look at some of the more modern controversial subjects such as Evolution and Global Warming to show how there is a rampant 'anti-science' mindset when it comes to these conversations. Resources https://youtu.be/FyxUwaq00Rc http://www.p...
In this two part episode Pastor Raef discusses two important topics. First, a dive into the status of Christian Persecution around the globe, highlighting an article from Christian Post reporting that 140 Christian students and staff were kidnapped in Nigeria. Secondly we review a controversial video put out by the San Fransisco Gay Men's Choir titled 'We'll Convert Your Children.' Resources https://www.christianpost.com/news/nigeria-more-than-100-students-abducted-from-christian-school.html htt...
#Apologetics In this episode Pastor Raef interacts with a post made by a one time Christian attempting to demonstrate how the existence of five animals disprove God. Raef takes a few of his claims and demonstrates that in fact the shoe is on the other foot. The existence of these animals and "issues" discussed, only prove the cogency and cohesive worldview of the Bible. Resources 5 Animals That Disprove God Video: https://youtu.be/lO-GjEFrCd8
In this two part episode Pastor Raef jumps into some a bit of reflection on his first reading of the Iliad and the Odyssey and encourages us to be deep readers. Then in part two a discussion on Planned Parenthood's recent flyer aimed at encouraging 11 year olds to have sex. Resources Planned Parenthood sex-ed flyer telling 11-year-olds they could have sex, as long as the partner isn't older than 13, distributed in WA public school Sexting, Mental Health, and Victimization Among Adolescents: A Li...
Last week the famous children's show Blues Clues ran a video featuring Drag Queen Nina West celebrating Pride Month by singing to the children about all different kinds of sexuality. How should Christians think about this? Resources Blues Clues Clip: https://youtu.be/d4vHegf3WPU Book: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp Book: Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse...
In this episode Pastor Raef walks through the big idea behind the book The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, and explores how the internet is quite literally rewiring our brains for the worse, and then poses five simple Christian Disciplines that we can implement to counter this rewiring and honor the Lord. Resources The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. https://www.amazon.com/Hardcover-Shallows-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/B0084QS92S/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=what+the+internet+is+doing+to+our+brains&q...
In this special episode we take a dive into a recent class on Systematic Theology that Pastor Raef taught at Park Community Church on the topic of Death, the Intermediate State, and Glorification. Many false ideas float throughout the modern Church on the topic of what happens when we die, and why that is important to our life of faith here on this Earth. In this episode we piece together the passages of Scripture that paint a clear picture for us of death in order to give every Christian a deep...
The LA Times released an article titled, 'Biden pledged to end an abortion funding ban. Will he start with his budget?' In this episode we discuss the History of the Hyde Amendment and the evils of the abortion industry. We challenge Christians of all political leanings to strengthen themselves with Biblical courage to speak up against the Abortion Industry and to act with Christ like sacrificial love for our neighbors. LA Times Article: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-04-07/biden-ab...
It is an unfortunate truth that not many Christians have ever engaged in Evangelism. But why is that? In this episode we dig into what evangelism looks like and we'll equip you with a few tools to go practice on your own. Be sure to check out the Youtube Page for regular videos of Evangelism Encounters in Chicago
In this episode Pastor Raef engages with a video posted on youtube asking prominent atheists and scientific thinkers the question, "Is there life after death." We'll go through portions of a number of the responses and demonstrate why these non-Biblical worldviews are unable to provide cogent logical responses to this question, even in their best efforts. Youtube Video Credit: https://youtu.be/ipiewC3QP-k
