The church's under-discussion of the Old Law combined with the rise of popular online Bible study communities is leading many astray with regard to Law-keeping. We discuss the rise of Torah Observant Christianity and Messianic Judaism and how it misunderstands the place of the Law of Moses, including: - Why so many are feeling drawn to keep the Law - Why they believe what they do, and what the Scriptures say - Is Sunday the new Sabbath? - What ARE we supposed to do with the Mosaic Law? - THINK F...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min
We discuss the theological importance of hymn lyrics and how they teach us doctrinal truths - even when we don't realize it. Topics include: Is 'Just a Little Talk with Jesus' teach wrongly about salvation? Does 'The Old Rugged Cross' glorify the cross instead of Jesus? Should we sing about our 'Mansion Over the Hilltop?' How can we know what's a personal nitpick and what's a legitimate complaint with a song? Plus, blind ranking classic hymns! Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com And, vis...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 1 min
The winds of change are kicking up in the culture and the church, and a lot of positive developments are coming with them. However, correction always comes with the risk of overcorrection. We discuss: - Finding balance between feminism and an increasingly popular chauvinism - How rejecting "anti-racism" can turn into full-blown racism if we're not careful - The decline of Christian Gnostic tendencies and how the new perspectives can go wrong - Why older generations have to learn not to fight pos...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Jack and Joe break down the logical fallacies and bad arguments used to introduce false teachings and teach you how to spot them. Topics include: - The primary logical fallacy that has been used to bring in LGBT support, women preachers, and all kinds of other errors - How to represent an opponent's beliefs without building a straw man argument - How empathy gets weaponized against good-hearted Christians - When the slippery slope is a bad argument, and when it's a good argument and more! Check ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 1 min
We discuss the distractions in life that keep us from doing the things we know we should, including: How sports can dominate a family's life The way social media eats our time without us realizing it Why even church activities can be distractions What we can do to keep our priorities in line With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com, and visit us at focuspress.org...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 2 min
For 10+ years, "woke" views on race, sexuality, and more have dominated the culture and even infiltrated the church. But is the tide turning? We discuss: How bad did it get? What was the tipping point, and what factors have caused this turnaround? Is this a permanent change in direction, or is the ideology just lying low for a while? 3 ways Christians are likely to respond Join us at the benefit dinner! focuspress.org/benefit Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 4 min
With Valentine's Day around the corner, we discuss the Christian's path toward finding a spouse. Topics include: - Rating college, apps, events, and other places where people go to find connections - Dating, courtship, and hybrid approaches - Pitfalls to avoid - The place of attraction - The most important qualities to look for and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com And, keep up with all the latest by joining our mailing list at focusp...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Vice President JD Vance started a controversy recently when he stated that Christianity teaches a hierarchy of loves beginning with the home. We discuss: Are Christians supposed to love some people more than others? If there is to be a hierarchy of loves, what is it? How have "love your neighbor" and "love one another as I have loved you" been misunderstood? How does it affect the church when we get this wrong? Go to focuspress.org to shop, donate, or check out the latest content Looking for mor...
Feb 03, 2025•53 min
We continue the discussion on church finances. This week we look at: Are preachers paid fairly? Ways churches can help their preachers make a proper income, even if they don't have enough money Should elders be paid? How much is too much when it comes to spending on building luxuries or events? and more! For more, go to focuspress.org With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie...
Jan 27, 2025•54 min
We begin a 2-part look at church finances, including: - Is tithing an obligation, a good idea, or an outdated concept? - Can church efforts to care for the community be misguided? - Should we have a widow payroll like Paul discusses in 1 Timothy 5? - What is the place of missions in the church's budget? and more! Stay tuned for next week when we'll discuss paying elders, preacher salaries, church spending, and more. With Will Harrub, Joe Wilkie, and Jack Wilkie...
Jan 20, 2025•58 min
The home was mankind's first institution, and its health goes a long way toward determining a people's health - which is why Satan is so eager to tear it down. In this month's Think Magazine crossover episode, we examine some of the primary ways the home can be torn apart. Topics include: - The subversion of God's authority structure - When to involve the elders in a marital conflict - Divided loyalties caused by social media, peer groups, and other outside influences - The ripple effects of sex...
Jan 13, 2025•56 min
Sure, everyone wants to pray and read their Bible more in 2025. But beyond those two things, what are other actionable steps we can take to make an impact this year? We discuss: Upgrading your Sunday morning habits Ways to grow closer with your church family Ideas for drawing closer to God with your spouse and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Visit focuspress.org for more
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min
We review the biggest headlines from 2024, including: Luigi Mangione, Daniel Penny, and the online reaction to the two cases The wild Presidential election Hurricane Helene and the government's heartless response toward its own people, and what the church can learn from it Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health push vs. the growing adoption of Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro shots Diddy, Jay-Z, and the exposure of the entertainment industry's dark side and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Che...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 2 min
We get together to have some fun ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve, playing a few games and rating hot takes submitted by YOU! Topics include: - Blind ranking Focus Press stuff and some of our, um, "favorite" controversies - Listener hot takes on issues like Bible Bowls and ministry roles - Underrated/overrated, Bible edition and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Donate at focuspress.org/donate Follow us at facebook.com/thinkdeeperpod...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 6 min
In part 2 in our look at the left and right edges of the church of Christ spectrum, we turn our attention to the right side. Topics include: - The strengths and weaknesses of Command, Example, and Necessary Inference Bible application - Was this the intended end of the "Restoration plea?" - The slippery slope of legalism - How hyperconservatism kills growth and more With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min
There is a broad spectrum of doctrinal beliefs among the churches of Christ. This week we focus on the progressive end of the spectrum. Topics include: Defining our terms The strengths and weaknesses of the progressives The place for giving grace in doctrinal disagreements How academia and intellectualism often create a drift Are they the true continuation of the Restorationist Movement? Tune in for Pt 2 next week as we discuss hyperconservative churches of Christ! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie,...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Like it or not, many of the ideas we think we came to ourselves were placed there by some person or group of people. Ideas spread so rapidly and so subtly in our day that we can be influenced in ways we don't even realize. What does this mean for our Christian view of the world? Topics include: - The good and bad of the TradWife and Manosphere movements - Why (and how) secular people are finding truths that Christians have long been missing - Using online resources for inspiration without gettin...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 3 min
With each passing year, there's more discussion about the how difficult Thanksgiving and the holiday season are due to strained family relationships. Some even advocate skipping family gatherings entirely. We discuss: - What obligations do we have to our families? - How does the dysfunction of the American family parallel problems we're seeing in the church? - Are traditions really that important? - The impact of individualism and therapy culture and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe ...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Many members of the churches of Christ struggle to feel "good enough" and often lack understanding of God's grace. Is there something unique to the church's teaching that creates this uncertainty? We discuss: The benefits of our strong emphasis on doctrine and obedience Why the doctrinal precision in our fellowship's DNA can make members feel unsure of their salvation How much do we have to get right in order to be saved? How God's character can give us assurance even if we are falling short in ...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Dr. Brad Harrub joins the show to talk about 'Arrows in the Hands of a Warrior,' the new book on parenting he co-wrote with his wife, Melinda! Topics include: - The importance of parents admitting mistakes - Challenges previous generations of parents didn't have to face - Why discipline has grown so misunderstood - Navigating grandparent involvement and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Pick up the book at Focus Press or Amazon today! Join us on Focus+ for the Deep End bonus ep...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Just because we're spiritual, it doesn't mean we don't have to be grounded in the reality of the physical here and now. So many of the platitudes uttered in Christianity today come off as tone-deaf, totally unconcerned with the world around us. We discuss: How heaven is over-emphasized in modern Christianity and makes us look cold and uncaring about people's problems here and now What it looks like to be "so heavenly minded we aren't any earthly good" The gross misunderstanding of what "Jesus is...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 6 min
We revisit a long-running Think Deeper debate and discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding Halloween and the Christian. Topics include: Where we draw the line on Halloween participation The pagan influences surrounding the day "All Saints Day" and the value of recognizing death Whether Christians should consume Harry Potter and other magical fiction Horror movies and haunted houses THINK FAST: The Harding University controversies With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Sometimes the Bible can be intimidating and you don't know where to start. Other times it can feel like we know all the relevant information already and don't have a lot left to explore. This week we look at how to study the Bible more deeply and share some nuggets we've found that have helped the Bible come alive and drawn us into further study. We discuss: - Why Bible reading is underrated - The joy of Bible study - The right and wrong way to study topically - How to get started in deeper exeg...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 6 min
We have some BIG announcements to share on this one to go along with this week's episode on the importance of grasping Bible terms. Topics include: - Sacrifice and offering and how the new system isn't as different from the old as we might think - Justification and sanctification - Faith and works and whether we're saved by "faith alone" - Why repentance isn't just a "step" of salvation and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join us for Think Deeper Live on November 16! RSVP at ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 8 min
The Christian's war is fought on the philosophical level, and modern day philosophy has done a great job slithering into churches today, often almost entirely undetected. We discuss what this philosophy is and how it undermines God's Word, including: - The dominant philosophical tool of our day, its history, and how it presents itself - How this philosophy uses Christian terms to seem Biblical while directly undermining God's authority - How the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture are casuall...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 12 min
As young parents we don't claim to be experts in terms of how-to advice, but we do have goals for our families. Those are the focus of this week's discussion, and topics include: - Helping our kids learn to love the church - Differing goals for our boys and our girls - Lessons in self-discipline - How we want to break them of the individualism of today's world and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 9 min
We examine what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit and His work today. Topics include: - What the Spirit did in the Old and New Testaments - The charismatic, the indwelling, and the "only through the Word" camps - How indwelling works practically - Why this topic is so uncomfortable and more! With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 11 min
This week we look at traditions in the church, including: - Why traditions are important and necessary - When traditionalism can become overbearing - Navigating generational preferences for changing vs. maintaining traditions - Debating traditional church practices With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Personal conflict and confronting others is one of those inevitable parts of life that none of us enjoy. But how we do it makes a big difference. This week we look at how confrontation and conflict can be handled well, including: - How personal conflict brings us closer - Knowing when to speak up and when to let it go - The difference between confronting someone over their sin against you vs. a general sin in their life - How church leadership sets the tone for healthier confrontation and more W...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min
We pick up with part 2 of answering listener questions, including: - Should Christians decline cremation? - Does "leave and cleave" mean you shouldn't live near family when you get married? - Can men use Bible study material written by women? - Is rural life more conducive to faithfulness? - Is apostolic succession valid for church authority? and more!
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 2 min
