Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

While some (distorted!) strains of Christianity seek to escape this age (cf., Gnosticism, Docetism, etc.), others dream of a comfortable life within it. Divine blessing takes the form of safety and secular - from protection against disease to owning luxury jets. This is "the prosperity gospel," and while it is hardly new, it has made quite a resurgence lately, especially in the US. Here, Ian Farrell looks at the promise of divine blessing and a love that does not always lead to luxury. The texts used in this sermon is: Psalm 23 (NRSV)   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What must I do to be saved (by Jesus)? Is there a prayer that must be said? A doctrine that must be affirmed? A morality that must be adopted? Good deeds that must be done? The classical Protestant answer is: Grace alone! (...Which is generally followed by a prayer that must be said, doctrines believed, sins avoided and charity done.) It is all part of the church's historic struggle with Semi-Pelagianism - the belief that we are saved by grace....mostly, with just a little extra effort required.   The (unusually high number of) texts used in this sermon are: John 12:44-47, Matt. 7:21-27, Rom. 4:1-5, James 2:18-24 and Acts 16:25-34 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We seem to be experiencing a shift in contemporary western politics away from a competition of ideas in pursuit of the best solution to our problems and towards a tribalism that seeks power for its own sake and is more and more willing to regard (some) people as a means to a larger political end. In this special sermon - preached 24 June 2018 - we examine again the meaning of kingdom citizenship and the allegiances it demands - particularly our loyalty to Jesus his command to compassionate love.   The texts for this sermon are: Deut. 24:14-22 and Matt. 25:31-46 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Why should Christians regard themselves as bound to any sort of moral law? After all, the full defeat of sin has been accomplished in Christ. And our personal salvation is by grace alone. So why, being set free from the law, would one choose to still to obey it? Indeed, might it not be a surest sign of trust in Jesus's sin boldly, proving my confidence in his love and power??? This is the antinomian (Gk: against-law) debate and it not only raged in the early church, but is alive and well today...   The texts for this sermon are: Romans 3:19-26 and 6:15-23 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

How are we to understand the forgiving and compassionate ministry of Jesus against the backdrop of Torah and some of the harsh punishments demanded by God of sinners? An answer offered by Marcion of Sinope (2nd cent.) was simply that there exits 2 deities - essentially a harsh God of the Hebrews and a more compassionate God of Jesus. And while most of us would quickly reject Marcionism when presented this way, it turns out many of our views of salvation - and indeed our worship - are quite Marcionite! The texts for this sermon are: Lev. 24:10-23 (NRSV), Matt. 5:38-48 (NRSV) and Rom. 7:4-25 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When and where did evil begin? And is God responsible for it (if God created everything...)? In this episode we look at one attempt to preserve God's innocence and the unintentional heresy that results from it: Manichaeism (the argument that good and evil have always been present, forces locked in perpetual combat). What we discover is that such an attempt to get God off the hook only distorts our understanding of sin - what it is and how it must be defeated.   The text for this sermon is Gen. 1:26-2:3.   Want to support the podcast?  CLICK HERE for ways to help! Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  When the going gets tough, the faithful get...incredibly tempted to build golden calves (i.e., to call upon pagan deities). Like Israel at Sinai, we don't intend to abandon the covenant God of Israel entirely. We just...want some immediate help and think another, more local deity might be willing and available. In this episode we examine the heresy of syncretism - the mixing and matching of various deities to serve our purposes. If you've ever worn your luck socks, you know what I mean. ;-) The text for this sermon is Exodus 32:1-6 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast? For 3 key ways you can help, CLICK HERE! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here. or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If the church has a favorite heresy, it is likely that of gnosticism - the belief that the main problem with the spiritual life is that we have bodies. They seem to be forever getting in the way of pure spiritual pursuits, dragging us back into the baser elements of our nature. If only we could rid ourselves of the flesh! It was an idea first offered by Plato and has been incorporated into the church nearly from the beginning. In this episode we look in depth at gnosticism and why it is so dangerous.   The text for this sermon is Colossians 2:6-12 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast? For 3 key ways you can help, CLICK HERE! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here. or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

One of the best ways to learn good theology is to study historically bad theology - to see where we tend to go astray (after all, there are really only about 10 true heresies, we just manage to repeat them in every generation). In this episode, I give a short introduction to the idea of "heresy" and then examine the first official heresy of the church: Arianism. It was the debate over Arianism (325 AD) that led to the Nicene Creed and the first formal doctrine of the Trinity. The text for this sermon is Luke 24:44-53.   Want to support the podcast by giving to Canvas? Here's a quick link to give online. Donations in any amount are a huge help to us and tax-deductible (in the USA) to you! Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here. or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Gospel of Luke ends with a series of new beginnings. First, Jesus's reveals his resurrection to his disciples in a manner that would have constituted certain proof in the ancient world. It is also a sign that the age of salvation has begun, and with it, a new mission for Jesus's disciples. Where once they were followers, now they are witnesses sent to every corner of the earth - a mission, it turns out, was always part of the plan of salvation! And it is a mission to which we, too, are called. The text for this sermon is Luke 24:36-53 (NRSV).   Want to support the podcast by giving to Canvas? Here's a quick link to give online. Donations in any amount are a huge help to us and tax-deductible (in the USA) to you! Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here. or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.