Disciple Dojo

The latest Biblical scholar to step into the Dojo is author of "Abraham's Silence" and "A New Heaven and a New Earth", J. Richard Middleton! We were finally able to connect and it was a wonderful discussion! Here are the timestamps for those who want to jump to a specific point...but you really should watch the whole episode! :) 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:19 - Our mutual friend Carmen Imes 00:03:17 - A white dude from Jamaica?? 00:09:24 - From Kingston to Canada to Upstate New York 00:11:56 - The Old Testament and Philosophy 00:13:47 - Teaching in academia before getting a Ph.D?? 00:20:37 - Lament Psalms, Reggae, Bob Marley, and common grace 00:30:44 - Glimpses of God in non-Christian art 00:31:51 - Why churches are terrible at corporate lament in worship! 00:41:02 - Biblical scholarship as spiritual formation 00:43:58 - Grappling with God 00:46:51 - Is the Sinai Covenant unconditional or conditional? 00:55:01 - Does God really "change His mind"?? 01:00:47 - Was Job a historical person? 01:05:48 - Jonah, Job, and literary genre 01:09:44 - Elihu, Behemoth, Leviathan, and "the satan" 01:21:58 - Baal or Anath: who killed the Sea Monster in Canaanite mythology? 01:24:34 - Ancient deities, Abraham's silence, and the "testing" by God 01:35:53 - Thoughts on English Bible translations and study Bibles 01:42:21 - Viewer question: What is the "Image of God"? 01:47:05 - Viewer question: Why does eschatology matter? (and bonus Hal Lindsay anecdote!) 01:53:52 - Viewer question: How do you see technology affecting Biblical studies in the future? 02:00:06 - Where to find Richard's work online and contact him Dr. Middleton's Books and Resources can be found at: Abraham's Silence - https://tinyurl.com/3x94apv6 A New Heaven and New Earth - https://tinyurl.com/zjn74thh The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 - https://tinyurl.com/249zfsm6 Articles and blog - https://www.jrichardmiddleton.com Seminary Now - https://seminarynow.com/ Related Dojo resources: Superhero Seminary: Daredevil Explains 'Lucifer' - https://youtu.be/NFVtIk9A_kw JM's Digital Bible Study Hack - https://youtu.be/f1cQ56GqdD8 Bible for the Rest of Us (video course) - https://www.discipledojo.org/bible Apocalypse Now?? (audio course) - https://soundcloud.com/discipledojo/sets/apocalypse-now ***BONUS*** Richard's Reggae Recommendations! "Some of my favorite Bob Marley albums are Exodus; Survival; and Confrontation. The Legend album (best of) is a great place to start for those who don't know his music. The song that the alternative to the Gloria Patri comes from is "One Love": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g I am also partial to the reggae-world music fusion of Third World, possibly the longest still running Jamaican reggae band - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World_(band) Some of their best songs are "96 Degrees in the Shade"; "Try Jah Love"; "Jah Glory"; "Satta Massagana (Give Thanks)"; "Now That We've Found Love." I also love the music of Burning Spear (Winston Rodney), although his lyrics tend to be very simple and the rhythm is hypnotic. There is phenomenal concert footage of the Spear performing in Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Ealg2s1jI ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely online. Please consider supporting this ministry if you benefit from the videos or podcast at http://www.discipledojo.org/donate

In this second long-form discussion here in the Dojo, I’m so happy to have as my guest Elder Mike Holloway from YouTube.com/ElderMikeYourUrbanChurch We had a great time talking about everything from often-uncomfortable racial issues, to cults and false teachers who prey on the vulnerable, which Calvinists you should read, to interpreting the OT prophecies, to the nature of Baptism and Communion. It was a joy to sit down with him (thanks to the miracle of modern technology!) and shoot the breeze with a brother in Christ. If you’re not already subscribed to his channel here on YouTube, do yourself a favor and go there right now! He’s got great content and does FREQUENT livestream teaching sessions! And DEFINITELY follow him on Facebook if you want to see some of the craziness we discussed for yourself! :) Here are the timestamps for those who don’t have time to watch the full discussion: 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:14 - What is an “Urban Apologist”? 00:04:35 - “Urban” as coded language for “black”? 00:15:48 - Learning from other Christian subcultures 00:19:12 - Pray for Detroit Lions fans! 00:20:30 - Elder Mike’s favorites (and why he cried watching Armageddon!) 00:25:35 - Is Batman the greatest superhero of all time? 00:26:46 - Who should Christians be reading right now? 00:28:06 - Arminians read Calvinists! 00:29:25 - What Elder Mike things white evangelicals need to take to heart… 00:35:24 - How can we critique church culture without condemning or being condescending? 00:39:31 - Are Christmas and Easter “pagan”? 00:46:24 - Linus’s mic-drop moment (and why JM cries watching The Charlie Brown Christmas Special!) 00:47:32 - Hebrew cults and the sacrificial laws of Torah 00:50:11 - Christians trying to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple and bring back the Levitical sacrifices?? 00:53:08 - How do we avoid “spiritualizing” prophetic texts in Scripture? 01:01:30 - Jesus and the “fulfillment” of prophecy 01:05:10 - Doing ministry on social media 01:09:14 - What is the most ridiculous nonsense Mike has seen masquerading as preaching? 01:12:45 - why the prosperity gospel is so infuriatingly evil! 01:17:38 - the importance of TEACHING rather than just ENTERTAINMENT and FEELINGS in the local church! 01:19:40 - “Teaching” vs. “Preaching” 01:24:03 - Elder Mike’s theological education 01:30:19 - The importance of Biblical languages! 01:34:04 - Fake “Hebrew Israelite” names on social media 01:35:18 - Viewer Question: If Acts 2:38 is not the plan of salvation, how were 3000 added to the church on Pentecost? 01:39:38 - Bible interpretation: PREscriptive vs. DEscriptive 01:42:14 - What is your view on sacraments (Baptism and Communion)? 01:51:47 - What is the best and most effective way to share the gospel with a nonbeliever? ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org   Subscribe to the Disciple Dojo podcast for more in-depth teaching and discussions:  SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/discipledojo   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/26BDZz70HmnT5eoD9BEKQ7   iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/disciple-dojo/id1002934837 Stitcher - http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=181458&refid=stpr   Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/uz8dbfet   Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely online. Please consider supporting this ministry if you benefit from the videos or podcast at http://www.discipledojo.org/donate

For our very first Disciple Dojo long-form interview, I am THRILLED to have my good friend Carmen Joy Imes, author of “Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters” and one of the most winsome Hebrew Bible scholars writing today! We had a blast and discussed so many important topics! This is a full-length podcast interview, so for those who can't watch the entire thing, the timestamps below will be helpful: 00:00:00 - Intro banter 00:00:17 - Why Dr. Carmen Imes had to be my first ever guest! 00:01:38 - How the Ph.D sausage gets made! 00:04:12 - Why Carmen owes everything to JM! (Not really!) 00:04:26 - Daniel Block is RIDICULOUSLY nice! 00:04:45 - Ph.D process in U.K. vs. Ph.D process in America  00:05:58 - How Ph.D work differs from college/seminary 00:10:22 - Who are the “Blockheads”? 00:11:26 - What are the language requirements for Ph.D in Hebrew Bible? 00:14:10 - The decline of German as the primary Bible scholar language 00:15:29 - How do you learn *HOW* to actually teach a college class? 00:19:40 - How Carmen chooses classroom reading assignment books 00:21:13 - Why Carmen chose OT over NT as a focus 0025:21 - How Carmen sees her work as "a bridge" 00:27:48 - JM and Carmen’s mutual love of Christopher Wright! 00:32:05 - Carmen’s favorite movie & TV show 00:33:32 - Carmen’s & JM’s thoughts on  @The Chosen  TV show 00:35:10 - Carmen’s favorite band/musician 00:35:54 - Carmen’s favorite novels 00:38:07 - Carmen’s love of Caramel  00:38:48 - JM’s deep dark Preacher’s Kid confession! 00:39:58 - Thoughts on Beth Moore, Esau McCaulley, and Sandra Richter 00:45:26 - Carmen’s most-recommended study Bible 00:47:29 - Carmen’s inside scoop on John Walton! 00:48:32 - JM & Carmen discuss women in ministry 01:09:52 - The growing number of women Biblical scholars 01:10:50 - Women’s Study Bibles 01:15:07 - The gift of women scholars who actually believe Scripture! 01:18:11 - Why the OT law is actually ALL ABOUT grace! 01:22: 28 - How do we honor the OT without keeping all the OT laws? 01:29:42 - Sinai as the center of the entire Torah 01:31:52 - The Priestly garments being an “inside out tabernacle” 01:34:57 - Carmen’s views on the date and location of the Exodus? 01:40:21 - Carmen’s thoughts on  @Dr. Michael S. Heiser  ? 01:45:13 - What is going on with the “bridegroom of blood” in Exodus 4??  01:57:09 - where people can find Carmen online 02:00:27 - Question from Carmen to JM: "Why didn't you do your Ph.D?" ------- Follow Carmen on Twitter: @carmenjoyimes Carmen's blog: http://www.carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com https://www.ivpress.com/carmen-joy-imes Carmen's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Joy-Imes/e/B07BNPY56Q Carmen's books can be found at: * Bearing God’s Name - https://tinyurl.com/v39syn5v * Carmen's published dissertation - https://tinyurl.com/48ab2uad * Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends - https://tinyurl.com/2xwtb4f4 Disciple Dojo related resources: * Superhero Seminary: Wonder Woman on being a 'helper' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQUHlNJAAaQ * Bible for the Rest of Us (video curriculum) - http://www.discipledojo.org/bible * Disciple Dojo review of the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNTdceIYvc&t=20s ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org

What does an ancient Hittite military ritual have to do with a really weird passage at the end of the book of Isaiah where God tells Israel that their sacrifices are in his eyes like “breaking a dog’s neck” or “offering pig’s blood”? I’m glad you asked! *Some great resources on situating the Hebrew Bible within the world of the Ancient Near East: “Readings from the Ancient Near East for Old Testament Study” by Bill Arnold & Brian Beyer - https://tinyurl.com/2p9yptf4 “Ancient Near East Themes in Biblical Theology” by Jeffery Niehaus - https://tinyurl.com/yncwnhty “God at Sinai” by Jeffery Niehaus - https://tinyurl.com/4zfhb9b4 “The Archaeological Study Bible” (sadly out of print…but available used or digitally) “The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible” - https://tinyurl.com/yrkssjf5 “The Lost World of Genesis One” by John Walton - https://tinyurl.com/mscn5t9k “Against the Gods” by John Currid - https://tinyurl.com/39xc8j33 “The Image of God in the Garden of Eden” by Catherine McDowell - https://tinyurl.com/muhxsv7m “Old Testament Ethics for the People of God” by Christopher Wright - https://tinyurl.com/fr7849xd **The DiscipleDojo sessions mentioned in this video can be found at: Animals & End Times - https://youtu.be/rf5QhyxWzTM Superhero Seminary: Do Animals Have Souls? - https://youtu.be/Jfjq9EnagPI ***Become a monthly Dojo Donor at - https://www.discipledojo.org/donate ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org Subscribe to the Disciple Dojo podcast for more in-depth teaching and discussions: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/discipledojo Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/26BDZz70HmnT5eoD9BEKQ7 iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/disciple-dojo/id1002934837 Stitcher - http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=181458&refid=stpr Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/uz8dbfet Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely online. Please consider supporting this ministry if you benefit from the videos or podcast at http://www.discipledojo.org

The book of Revelation pulls back the curtain on reality and gives us a glimpse of how things REALLY are from Heaven's perspective. But that sometimes gets lost in the sensationalism of popular "End Times" teaching and preaching. In this message given at Open Arms CLT church, we 'pull back the curtain' and see the world from a totally different point of view... [Note: The audio was recorded live via Zoom. Please excuse the quality drop at times due to the filter settings that were used!]

This playlist consists of a series of 4 sessions at Gordon's Chapel United Methodist Church outside of Athens, GA on August 8th-11th.

This playlist consists of a series of 4 sessions at Gordon's Chapel United Methodist Church outside of Athens, GA on August 8th-11th.

This playlist consists of a series of 4 sessions at Gordon's Chapel United Methodist Church outside of Athens, GA on August 8th-11th.

This playlist consists of a series of 4 sessions at Gordon's Chapel United Methodist Church outside of Athens, GA on August 8th-11th.

One of the most disturbing stories in the Bible is found in 2Kings 2:23-25! What kind of God would send bears to tear apart dozens of innocent little laughing children?!? In this episode, we take a look at why this is actually not at all what actually happened... Video of this and other episodes is available at www.youtube.com/user/discipledojo/videos ------- Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely online. Please consider supporting this ministry if you benefit from the podcast at http://www.discipledojo.org All donations are 100% tax-deductible.