Truce - History of the Christian Church

Is Jesus eternal? There is a key word in the gospels and the Nicaean Creed: begotten. We don't use it much today, but some people take it to mean that Jesus hasn't been around since the beginning of time. Jehovah's Witnesses use it as proof that Christ was created by God. But does it mean that? No. Our special guest for this episode is Professor Gerald Bray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did we decide on the day we celebrate Easter? Believe it or not, it was decided 1700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea, which was called by the Roman emperor Constantine. There was some confusion as to whether or not it should be tied to the Jewish celebration of Passover. This is the third part in our series on Constantine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Modern Christians believe that Jesus is God, eternal. But some people in the early church didn't think so. So early leaders decided to call the Council of Nicaea. Today people like Dan Brown (the DaVinci Code) might see this as when Constantine decided to make Jesus divine. Is that true? Our guests are Professor Gerald Bray and Professor David Potter. This is the second of four episodes on the legacy of the Roman emperor Constantine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who was the first political leader to use Christianity to his benefit? We see it all the time today, but when did it begin? This is the first part in a series looking at the impact of the Roman Emperor Constantine on history. We're still dealing with this guy 1700 years later. He was a warrior, a murderer, and a pagan priest. He also may have saved Christianity. Our guests are Professor Gerald Bray and Professor David Potter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In part one we examined the history and economics of this maligned art form. Now let's understand the heart behind Christian filmmaking. If we're going to share the hope we have in Christ, then we need tools like this. We're joined by filmmakers Rich Christiano (Time Changer, Unidentified, Play the Flute) and Wes and Amanda Llewellyn (The Moment After I & II). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christians have many tools at their disposal -- Bible studies, tracts, sermons. But the punching bag of ministry tools has got to be the humble Christian film. We think of this as an upstart medium, but it's not. It's as old as filmmaking itself. In this two-part series, we examine the economics, the history, and the heart behind this much-maligned art form. We're joined by filmmakers Rich Christiano (Time Changer, Unidentified, Play the Flute) and Wes and Amanda Llewellyn (The Moment After I & II). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Southern Baptist Convention meets again next week. So, as a follow up to our curse of Ham story, we talked to Pastor Dwight McKissic Jr (@pastordmack) about his efforts to address racial issues within the SBC. A new resolution is on the table that would officially apologize for misusing the Bible to justify slavery and oppression. That resolution specifically calls out the so-called "curse of Ham". Genesis 9 tells the story of Noah and his sons after the ark. At first glance, it seems as though this is just a weird story. But it has dramatic ramifications for world history. You see, Noah places a curse on one of his descendants. His kids will be the servants of all the others. I.e. slaves. For years, organizations like the SBC taught that the curse was on Ham, whose offspring became the African people. The text tells a different story. It clearly states that Canaan, Noah's grandson, is cursed. The Canaanites settled in what would become Israel and were given the boot in the book of Joshua. But this lie has stuck around. Pastor McKissic and others will see that it is officially dealt with.Truce is a listener supported podcast. Donate at www.trucepodcast.com and connect with us on social media at @trucepodcast.Special thanks to Andy Huff for our beautiful logo. Be praying for the SBC and their meeting! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In April of 2018 @NPREmbedded produced a podcast episode about Scott Pruitt, the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Trump Administration. It covered, among other things, his record on the environment, and... his Christian faith. In this, the first episode of season 2, we take a look at Genesis 1 and ask what it can (and can't) tell us about our role in the environment.Special thanks to @NPREmbedded for their help. You can find our guests at @joewertz and @TomDreisbach. Our logo is by Andy Huff. This program is listener supported. If you'd like to donate, visit us at www.trucepodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Girolamo Savonarola was an inspiration to Martin Luther and an early martyr for the Protestant Reformation. He's also a controversial figure – more Old Testament prophet than humble friar. Our guest Samantha Morris (https://theborgiabull.com) discusses her book Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher and the history of the “mad preacher of Florence”.Think you could end a movement? Destroy some of the best art ever made? Nearly topple the Italian Renaissance? Of course not, but that's what one man tried to do at the end of the 1400's. He was a righteous man who fought against the evil of Pope Alexander the VI. But he we went too far—trying to make the world behave in a godly fashion instead of changing the hearts of Florence. In a time before the Bible was readily available in people's own languages, Girolamo Savonarola was put to death by the very superstition he tried to defeat.Truce is a listener-supported podcast. Leave us a comment on iTunes and be sure to visit us at www.trucepodcast.com. You can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/trucepodcast) and Twitter (@trucepodcast). Our host is Chris Staron, author of Cradle Robber and writer/ director of the films Bringing up Bobby and Between the Walls.Artwork by @andrewjohnhuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When churches face evil or unrepentant behavior we have to make a tough call. What does church discipline look like? It turns out that it involves several steps from talking to the person one-on-one to expelling them from the congregation. There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Jonathan Leeman from www.9marks.org joins us to talk about his book on church discipline.Our main text is from Matthew 18 where Jesus lays out a clear plan for disciplining a brother or sister in Christ. Though the process seems easy, it is not without disagreement. Some people argue that discipline is tied to church membership. If someone sins, take away their membership to the congregation. The only problem is that membership is not in the Bible. It is an invention of man. But so are many other cherished parts of the church-going experience: youth group, Sunday school, crosses as decoration, even holidays like Christmas and Easter are not specifically outlined in the Bible.Truce is a listener-supported podcast. Leave us a comment on iTunes and be sure to visit us at www.trucepodcast.com. You can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/trucepodcast) and Twitter (@trucepodcast). Our host is Chris Staron, author of Cradle Robber and writer/ director of the films Bringing up Bobby and Between the Walls.Artwork by @andrewjohnhuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices