This season kicks off with a deep dive into the relationship between original sin and Darwinian evolution, suggesting a rich dialogue between science and theology. The hosts scrutinize various theories of atonement, revealing their historical evolution and implications on God's nature. They explore the Day of Atonement's symbolism and discuss the intricate bond between God and creation. Throughout, the conversation challenges traditional interpretations, inviting a blend of faith and scientific thought that promises both intrigue and reflection.
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insights INSIGHT
Atonement Defined
Atonement theology, rarely discussed outside religious contexts, addresses humanity's separation from God due to sin.
It explores how this separation can be overcome and the relationship restored.
insights INSIGHT
Seven Atonement Theories
Various atonement theories have emerged over time, each offering a unique perspective on the human-divine relationship.
These seven theories explore different mechanisms for achieving atonement.
insights INSIGHT
Moral Influence Theory
The Moral Influence theory suggests Jesus's death inspires positive change in humanity, making us want to follow his example.
His death wasn't a necessary mechanism but a consequence of challenging societal norms.
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Against Liberal Theology: putting the brakes on Progressive Christianity
Against Liberal Theology: putting the brakes on Progressive Christianity
Roger Olson
The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a portal fantasy novel that follows the story of four English siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - who are evacuated to the countryside during World War II. While exploring the large, old house of Professor Kirke, Lucy discovers a wardrobe that serves as a portal to the land of Narnia. In Narnia, they encounter various magical creatures and the evil White Witch, who has cast a spell to keep Narnia in perpetual winter. The siblings soon learn that they are part of an ancient prophecy to save Narnia, aided by the lion Aslan. The story is an allegory of Christianity, with Aslan's sacrifice and resurrection mirroring the story of Jesus Christ. The novel also incorporates elements from Germanic, classical Greek and Roman, and Celtic mythology.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is an epic high fantasy novel set in Middle-earth. The story follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. The Ring, forged by Sauron, holds the power to control all other Rings of Power and must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return. Frodo is joined by a fellowship of other characters, including Gandalf the Grey, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, as they embark on a dangerous quest across Middle-earth. The novel explores themes of good vs. evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle between fate and free will[3][4][5].
City of God
Augustine of Hippo
Written between 413-426 CE, 'The City of God' is a response to pagan claims that the sack of Rome by barbarians was a consequence of the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors. Augustine argues that Christianity saved the city from complete destruction and that Rome’s fall was due to internal moral decay. The book divides humanity into two metaphorical cities: the City of God, characterized by devotion to God, and the City of Man, characterized by self-love. It also outlines Augustine’s theological interpretation of human history, from the Creation to the Second Coming of Christ, and critiques paganism and pagan philosophy while presenting the true history of the City of God[2][5][6].
A sneak-peak at what’s in store for S6 …. and why!
Season Five ended rather abruptly, in part due to practical reasons (the Fall is always a busy time … teaching, hunting, shutting the property down for the winter). But there was also very much an internal, philosophical/theological thing going on: getting increasingly disheartened and disillusioned by things going on in the world. Western society seemed to be increasingly in upheaval (and that was months before what descended on us in January!?), the Evangelical world was getting more and more weird, social media becoming toxic, and we were struggling with re-evaluating what we still believed. Or didn’t believe. As we started the New Year, I [Luke] was resigning myself to the fact that I’d given up most of the Evangelical faith that I’d grown up in for fifty years, and was becoming more comfortable with the label “Liberal Christian.”
And then my social media offered up to me an article written by a highly-credentialed conservative theologian who had been THE Professor of Theology at the biggest Baptist university in the world, introducing his new book: Against Liberal Theology: putting the brakes on Progressive Christianity. Dr. Roger Olson described Liberal Christianity as not only unorthodox, but even heretical! It hit me like a slap in the face! Well, call me a sucker for punishment, but I felt I needed to talk to this scholar to see if my reasons for embracing Liberal Theology were solid and defensible. While preparing for that conversation, I discovered an equally highly-credentialed liberal theologian — Dr. Douglas F. Ottati — who wrote his own book: A theology for the twenty-first century. Well didn’t that title catch my eye!?
I contacted both scholars, and within hours … literally … both said they’d be happy to talk to us.
And thus, Season Six was birthed!
This episode sets the stage for that conversation with two titans on either end of the Christian spectrum. Scott and I discuss whether we need to re-brand: do we need to change the title of our podcast, given that we’ve given up on Evangelicalism? We polled our private Facebook discussion group about this and got a clearly decisive answer …. m’eh!? We also discuss whether the mission and trajectory of the podcast will be different in Season Six: we shared comments from our listeners, who see the podcast as a community, a support group, and providing role models, tools, and ideas. We’re going to lean more heavily into that.
We close out the episode with a sneak-peak at what’s coming down the Recovering Evangelicals pipeline. After we hear what Drs. Olson and Ottati have to say about Liberal Christian Theology itself, we’re going to hear from several people who themselves made the transition out of a Fundamentalist/Evangelical faith into something more liberal/progressive, but did so from very different perspectives: one as a professor in the Academy (Peter Enns) and the other as a pastor (Brian MacLaren).
As always, tell us your thoughts on this episode in the comment box below.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy several previous ones we referred to, covering the Gospel (#12), Atonement Theology (#19 and #20), a new understanding of Easter (#112), Jesus as the Jewish Messiah (#82) or Cosmic Divine Being (#83), as well as a collection of personal stories from listeners transitioning out of traditional conservative Evangelicalism.
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Recovering Evangelicals 
