The Practice of Theology

In this episode, Tyler talks with Dr. Andreas Köstenberger about the topic of family, which is an important and urgent discussion since we are facing one of the greatest attacks on the traditionally held, biblical view of family and marriage in all of history. And if our understanding of the family is not firmly founded upon God's Word then we assume the danger of being swept away by the consuming tides of our culture. This conversation is a helpful and encouraging plea to embrace and fight for God's design and intent for the family, and covers a wide range of topics from a biblical definition of family to what appears to be a common pattern of polygamy in Scripture. With great scholarly depth and broad practical application, Dr. Köstenberger helps us to see why we believe what we believe, and why it's worth fighting for.

In this episode, Tyler talks with Dr. Tom Schreiner about the topic of spiritual gifts and how they relate to the church today. With such a wide array of views and practices regarding the spiritual gifts it may seem difficult to discern what's actually right and true—or whether or not it even matters in the first place. Informed by his years of New Testament scholarship and pastoral ministry, Tom helps us look at what the Bible has to say about the spiritual gifts, how we are to discern the manner in which they are to be practiced, and some of the dangers and shortcomings of a few of the widely held views of our modern day.

In this episode, Tyler talks with Dr. Jim Hamilton about the topic of biblical theology and why theology is vital to our right understanding of the story of the Bible. The word theology simply means “the study of God.” But to many, it really may not seem so simple. Between theological debates, theological shallowness, and theological abuse—many may be left wondering whether diving into theology is worth it at all. But theology is not just the study of God for greater knowledge and better arguments, it’s also the study of God for the purpose of growing in godliness. Jim  helps us to see how we can use biblical theology to better understand God's unfolding story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

In this episode, Tyler talks with Hunter Beless about the Christian and social media. Most of us are aware of the "side effects" of our virtual lives, but to what extent? As Christians, we are in just as much danger as anyone else when it comes to social media, and yet, we are called to "look carefully how we walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." But how do we do this? How do we "redeem the time" that we have, and so often, spend online? Listen in as Hunter helps us to think wisely and biblically about the way we view and interact with social media.

In this episode, Tyler had the opportunity to sit down with his friend and pastor, Brad Evangelista. For the past three years they’ve served as pastors together at CrossPointe Church. Since that time there’s been a pretty typical pattern of local church ministry, until March of 2020. It's likely the circumstances of 2020 have been some of the most consistently difficult and widespread that many of us have faced. And yet, Brad reminds us that God's goodness and faithfulness can be clearly seen and trusted, even—especially—in such a time as this. Join us as we talk about church planting, matters of doctrine and theology, ministry and shepherding during a pandemic, some potential negative effects of "virtual church" and pastoral encouragement to counteract them, and a bit about youth ministry.

In this episode, Tyler talks with Dr. Andrew T. Walker about the topic of religious liberty, and specifically, whether it is a right divested by governmental powers or by God. This is a particularly helpful conversation in light of all of the political turmoil over the past several years in the United States, and around the world. This isn't a conversation about left and right, Democrat or Republican—it's about something much greater than that—what are our God-given rights, and what constitutes an infringement upon those rights? Dr. Walker helps us to think through these questions and more with a biblically rich and pastoral tone.

In this episode, Tyler talks with Sam Allberry about what the Bible has to say about human sexuality, same-sex attraction, and homosexual sin. This conversation is a kind, thoughtful, and biblically rich look at an area in which the Christian church has historically fallen short. Sam helps us to see more clearly the Bible's teaching on human sexuality while guiding us to better love, encourage, and engage those struggling with sam-sex attraction.

The Practice of Theology exists to help the local church engage theology on a deeper level and learn how it applies to daily life. We’re thankful you’re here to join us, and we pray this podcast will be a help to you as you seek to grow in your faith for the glory of God.