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

"Saved by works or saved by faith?": It is one of the oldest debates in Christianity (albeit not the most helpful). By now, I hope it is becoming clearer that the idea of "being saved" refers to far more than simply one's fate after death and relies neither on obedience to a divine law nor […]

Before we can understand Paul's letters, we must first understand the man: the Pharisee, the zealot, the convert, the missionary and indeed the church's greatest theologian. In this episode, we examine Paul's early life, his fervent commitment to Judaism and the extraordinary humility he demonstrates in his willingness to be wrong. Saul of Tarsus […]

So what now??? What happens after the Messiah has been raised from the dead?!? Is this when God comes to establish the fullness of his Kingdom of earth? Is Easter – the day of Jesus's resurrection – also the day of judgment? No. No? Really…? Because from what we know so far, it kinda seems […]

At last we put all of the pieces together, and I offer my explanation of the atonement – how it is that Jesus's death and resurrection fulfills the covenant with Abraham and accomplishes the salvation of the world. It was not by satisfying a wrathful God (as though God was saving us from himself!). Nor was […]

The most distinctive act of early Christian worship was participation in sacrament of Communion. Sermons, scripture readings, the singing of hymns and psalms were indeed a part of the church's worship, but much of this was done – originally – in the synagogues on the Sabbath. Christians would gather again on Sunday – in celebration of […]

Why was Jesus crucified? Was the cross an act of God (to satisfy the divine wrath)? Was it simply the inevitable result of Jesus's challenge to the Sadducees and Pharisees? Was he betrayed by followers who felt he had failed his promises to deliver a political kingdom? Or was this an act of sin itself […]

No symbol is more associated with Christianity than the cross. And for good reason. As we will see, the cross is indeed where God's salvation is accomplished. But too often the cross has been interpreted mainly in terms of Jesus's physical suffering – as though the means of salvation is the physical torture of the Messiah. […]

One of the most troubling images in Jesus's teaching is the sorting of the sheep and the goats (the "sheep" being the "righteous" who are rewarded with eternal life, the goats the "unrighteous" condemned to punishment). At first glance the stakes appear to be "heaven" and "hell," with our human actions the determining factor in […]

While Jesus certainly gave some famous speeches, most of Jesus's public teaching was done by means of parables. These short, fictional stories were intended as both calls to action and as a means of offering a vision of an alternative reality- the kingdom of God. Yet they are more than illustrations, stories to be distilled down to their […]

This episode is guaranteed to make you SMILE! And, if you'll let it, it might just change your life. Because today we hear the story of one, self-described "ordinary guy" who decided it was time to make the world a better place. That guy is Todd Miller, co-founder (along with his lovely wife) of Global […]