Worldview Legacy | The Think Institute

The 2020 Election is history! As the votes continue to be counted and the new political reality sets in, The Think Institute is here for you with unvarnished, straight-shooting and thoughtful biblical worldview analysis. Join Joel and Pastor Raef for a very special Worldview Wednesday broadcast. Comment and question in real time.    The Think Institute Podcast and ministry continues to grow. Our mission is to equip believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message. Sign up to get tips and tools delivered to your inbox: https://thethink.institute/updates. Get the full show notes, when they go live, at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

It's election season in the US, the time when we citizens exercise our rights—rights that were hard-won by warriors on the field of battle, and which have been fought for and maintained through the valor and sacrifice of more warriors on more battlefields. And like our rights, those battles have come with a cost. For many warriors, the cost has been Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSd). Of course, PTSd is not limited to veterans, however. It can come from any life-threatening event, and it is accompanied by physical effects on the body and brain. The stark reality is that 7-8% of people will experience PTSd at some point in their lives. This means that we as Christians need to learn what the Bible says about it, and how to find hope and healing in the midst of it. To guide us toward a biblical perspective on PTSd is former USMC Infantry Officer Jeremy Stalnecker. Jeremy is the Executive Director of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, dedicated to helping America's military warriors and their families who are suffering from the unseen wounds of combat such as PTSd. He is an Iraq War veteran, former pastor, public speaker, husband to Susanne and father of four. Today he "works to reach the hurting and provide the healing found in Christ." Learn more about Jeremy Stalnecker's work with the Mighty Oaks foundation at www.mightyoaksprograms.org. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast

he Think Institute Podcast is here to answer impossible questions from a biblical perspective, and one of those questions is, "How should I engage in the world of politics as a citizen of Heaven?" To present to us his answer, and to help us know how to navigate that world, is Gabriel Rench, candidate for Latah, Idaho County Commissioner.  Gabriel Rench hails from Texas and currently resides in Moscow, Idaho, where he graduated from the University of Idaho. He has also attended Greyfriars Hall, the pastoral training program at Christ Church. Gabriel is a media and marketing consultant, Co-Founder of the Fight Laugh Feast Network, and one of the hosts of CrossPolitic Show and Podcast. He has has interviewed Senator Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson, Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro, and Alveda King, among many others. Gabe also serves as a Deacon at his church and serves on various non-profit boards. He lives on a "small" 10-acre farm with his wife, three children and a plethora of animals. [Disclaimer: this interview is not an endorsement of any political candidate or ballot measure. The political views shared are those of the speaker only, and are not necessarily the views of the Think Institute or Cru. The best guide for political thinking and action is the word of God, the Bible.] Catch CrossPolitic on NRBTV/Direct TV primetime on Friday nights at 8:30pm PAC time, streams live every Sunday night on Youtube and Facebook at 7pm PAC time, and podcast drops every Monday and Wednesday mornings. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

The Bible is relevant for all of life, which means that Christians need to learn how to study it and apply it to our situations. In this episode Joel answers a number of questions from viewers who tuned in live. There was no plan for the broadcast, but it seems God did have an agenda. Most of the questions and answers wound up centering on the idea of how to detect and defend against false teachings using Scripture. Along the way,  we got into questions about Roman Catholicism, Salvation, Sola Gratia/Sola Fide, and more. Oh, and there was a fun power outage in the middle of the broadcast, which we’ve trimmed and filled in with some filler music for you to basically divide the episode into segments. This episode is brought to you by the Christian Culture Builders Facebook Group. Get the full show notes here.

What is the Bible about? God's covenantal relationships with his creation? Israel? Jesus? All of the above? Something else? How you answer this question will affect your thinking  about God's word, God's world, God's people, and God Himself. On the ThinkPod we talk a lot about the importance of looking at the world through a biblical worldview, a biblical "lens." In the same way, we need to look at the Bible itself through a biblical lens and let Scripture define what Scripture is and what it's about. So today we're discussing the "lens" of New Covenant Theology, or NCT. We'll also talk about how NCT differs from its biggest competitors, Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism, and what the difference is between NCT and its sibling, "Progressive Covenantalism" (and which one is better). My guest today is A. Blake White. Blake is the Lead Pastor of South Side Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas. He is the author of a dozen books, including What is New Covenant Theology, God’s Chosen People, and The Law of Christ. He has a Masters of Divinity from SouthernSeminary and a Masters of Theology from Southwestern Seminary. Blake is married to Alicia and they have five children. And he joins us today on the Think Podcast Tuesday Twofer. Get more great content from Blake White at BlakeWhite.org. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

The pro-life movement has been building momentum since the Roe v. Wade SCOTUS case in 1973, but the tragic reality is that abortion is still very much legal in the U.S. Is it possible we've been doing something wrong? And is there a way we can take action, through governmental and legislative processes, to actually end the scourge of abortion in our time?    Our guest today is Dennis Sarfate, and he's going to reveal the answers to these questions.   Dennis is the President of Red State Reform since August 2020. He has been a member of Apologia church since 2014. He has volunteered across multiple platforms within the church and wants to devote all his time to ending abortion.   Dennis Sarfate played professional baseball for 20 years. He played 10 years in MLB with Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore. His last 10 years he played in Japan. He is currently with the Softbank Hawks, where he holds many records, including single season save leader.  Dennis has been married to Jada for 13 years. They have 3 girls and reside in Chandler, Arizona.  We're going to get into it today. We are about to tackle this impossible topic from a biblical perspective. This is Worldview Wednesday.   Find out more about Action For Life here.   This episode is brought to you by the Christian Culture Builders Facebook Group: Believers in Jesus optimistically working to create Great Commission hubs for the propagation of the Gospel, the furthering of Christ's kingdom, and the emergence of robust, fruitful, Christian culture. We work through the three spheres of authority: the family, the church, and the state.  Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by the Christian Culture Builders Facebook Group. Believers in Jesus optimistically working to create Great Commission hubsfor the propagation of the Gospel, the furthering of Christ's kingdom, and the emergence of robust, fruitful, Christian culture. We work through the three spheres of authority: the family, the church, and the state.  Check out Group: go to facebook.com/groups/christianculturebuilders In the marketplace of ideas and in the business marketplace, it helps to have a competitive edge. When it comes to ideas, a competitive edge means having a solid basis for what and why you believe, and innovative ways of communicating that. In the commercial marketplace, a competitive edge often means being up on the latest technology. So today get ready for a collision of the intriguing ideas of Christian apologetics and the exciting world of tech development, as we discuss how to use technology to fulfill your piece of the Great Commission. Joel's guest for this episode of the Think Podcast is Tim McCabe. Tim is a software developer at Accountable2You, the designer and developer of the God Contention website, a self-professed armchair theologian (he writes on the topics of theology and apologetics on his website), and he's also the developer of the TheoTab app, an unbelievably comprehensive tool for Christian apologetics, which we're going to talk about today. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

As Christian parents, we have been entrusted with making disciples of our kids, and that means "teaching them to obey everything [Christ] has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)." If truly free thinking is possibly only when is built on the solid foundation of His teaching (Matthew 7:24), then Christian parents had better learn how to instill a Christian worldview in their children, and there's no time to lose.   Elizabeth Urbanowicz earned her B.S. from Gordon College in Elementary Education and Spanish, her M.S.Ed in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and spent a decade as an elementary teacher at a Christian school. She's the author of the Foundation Comparative Worldview Curriculum, and her work has helped to equip countless children and families with the knowledge and skills to disciple children in the biblical worldview. In this episode of the Think Podcast, she joins Joel Settecase to discuss her curriculum and how to powerfully prepare your kids to reason in a biblical way.    Even if you don't yet have children of your own, you won't want to miss this.    Check out powerful tools and resources from Elizabeth Urbanowicz at foundationworldview.com. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

When the verdict came in on the Breonna Taylor case, major cities were bracing for yet another round of protests and, potentially, riots and looting.  This raises the question: what is the biblical teaching on law and order? Should Christians protest? Should we ever turn to rioting as a legitimate response to what we see as the violation of justice? And what do we do with men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who didn't exactly riot, but who nevertheless sought to take justice into his own hands?    Join Joel and Pastor Raef for a brief, biblical, thoughtful discussion on law and order, government, and the Christian's role in all of this. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

On today's Tuesday Twofer, Joel Settecase is joined by philosophy professor, Christian apologist and international speaker Dr. Khaldoun Sweis. Dr. Sweis is a Jordanian American and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago and serves as tutor in philosophy with Oxford University in England. He has taught philosophy and apologetics for over a decade and spoken at conferences both nationally and abroad. He has authored three books and is a member of the American Philosophical Association and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Dr. Sweis is also the founder of the Socratic Project, which hosts debates and discussions on critical issues of our time and addresses the ultimate questions of life. Today he joins Joel to talk about the institutions that serve as pillars of society—what are they, who controls them, and how can Christians influence them in today's world? Check out Dr. Sweis's apologetics content at logicallyfaithful.com. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.