Worldview Legacy | The Think Institute

We all know words are important. But just how important is your speech to the course of your life? Can what you say today affect how you will live tomorrow?   In this episode, Joel and Parker (the Sons of Thunder) examine this question and Jordan Peterson's 10th Rule for Life: "Be Precise In Your Speech."   Listen in as the guys determine just how much of this concept is biblical and work hard to keep the conversation on track without veering off the rails into "The Secret"/Word Faith/Name-It-And-Claim-It goofiness.  Listen to Parker's new podcast, Parker's Pensees: https://parkersettecase.com. Get the full show notes here: https://thethink.institute/podcast.

Has Brian Sauvé lost his mind? His activity on Twitter is typically eye-catching, but something he tweeted recently really caught our attention, to the point that we knew we needed to get him on this show and interview him for Worldview Wednesday. What was the tweet in question? Sauvé said, "Wanted: Christians interested in building an institution-building church in Ogden, UT. Start businesses Flip houses Homestead Hire Christians Multi-generational legacy Build culture ...and generally make a holy ruckus. Oh, and we're starting a school in Fall 2021. Join us!" Doesn't he know that pastors are supposed to stick to overseeing their churches and *engaging* with culture, not *creating* culture? And yet, there he is, talking about actually creating institutions and "making a holy ruckus." Again we ask, has he lost his mind? No, he hasn't, but he his church are self-professed "cultural and theological maximalists. Along with a rising movement of Christian culture makers, they believe that Scripture, God's word, has direct implications for all of life, not only for Sunday mornings, but for "your emotional, mental, spiritual, social, political, relational, and physical self." He and his fellow elders (his church has a plurality of them) want to build a radical Christian culture in Utah... and did we mention they are starting a school? So who is Brian Sauvé? He is a pastor at Refuge Church in Ogden, Utah. He has been a Christian from a young age, and has been married since 2011 to Lexy (they met in the library in junior high), with whom he has been blessed with four children. Brian is an avid preacher and Gospel man, deeply concerned for exegetical and biblical theology, as well as the primacy of the Gospel. He co-hosts the Stump the Pastors podcast and writes on the topics of culture, theology, church life, philosophy, and more for Deeply Rooted Magazine, For the Church, and his personal blog, Mouse and Mane, as well as other outlets. Brian earned his Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies. And in what is perhaps his greatest honor, or at least perhaps not his greatest dishonor, Brian is our guest today on what is sure to be an engaging, educational, and inspiring episode of Worldview Wednesdays. Buckle up, but not too tight, because you're going to be on the edge of your seat the whole time. It's time to talk about Christian culture building, who's currently doing it, how to do it, and what the future holds for Ogden Utah and other Gospel outposts around the United States and beyond. Get the full show notes here: https://thethink.institute/podcast. Join the Christian Culture Builders Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/916055752253915.

Demons. Many use the word, but we seem to use it in different ways. We use it metaphorically, as when we say, "He's wrestling with his demons" about characters facing inner conflict. But demons as actual, spiritual entities crop up in various religions (including Christianity and Hinduism), and even in popular entertainment (e.g. the film, "Paranormal Activity"). Within Christianity, attitudes toward demons vary by denomination. Some pay them practically no attention at all, whereas others find demons under every rock and focus lots of attention on binding demons, casting out demons, etc. And then of course, if you listened to Christian hip-hop in the 1990s, you can probably remember many a track about fighting and slaying demons (T-Bone's "Demon Executor," anyone?).   So, just what exactly *are* demons, really? On this episode, my guest is Michael Heiser, and he's going to reveal the truth about what the Bible and history actually teaches about demons.   Michael S. Heiser is a scholar of the Bible and its ancient context. He earned his MA in Ancient HIstory from UPenn and his MA and PhD from University of Wisconsin- Madison (M.A., Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies). He's taught biblical studies for over twenty years, he's worked as the Scholar-in-Residence at Logos Bible Software, and is currently Executive Director of the School of Theology at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL. Dr. Heiser has written several best-selling books on The Unseen Realm, Angels, and topics like Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ. He has written a ton of other books, over 100 articles for Bible Study Magazine and several peer-reviewed articles in academic journals.  Dr. Heiser also hosts the Naked Bible Podcast and has a non-profit corporation, MIQLAT, which provides free translations of his biblical studies content in over twenty languages. As you can see, Dr. Mike Heiser is *the* perfect person to bring on to talk about this topic, and he'll be discussing his book, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness, with Think Institute Founder Joel Settecase. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

Re-release: On many major issues, there are increasingly two opposing sides coalescing. Although our context, 21st Century America and the West, is new, it turns out that these two sides are not new; in fact they're very old. And they've been in opposition to one another for centuries, on any number of issues. And one of those issues, the one we're going to discuss today, deals with how we view children. So in this episode Joel and Pastor Raef are going to talk about what these two colliding worldviews (and their competing views on children)are, how they've played out in history and religion over the centuries, and how we're seeing the effects of them being acted out today, especially in headlines related to the state of California, and the recent heroic actions of the U.S. Marshalls.   This is the Think Podcast. It's Worldview Wednesday. For the full show notes, visit https://thethink.institute/podcast.

According to a recent survey, one third of those self-proclaimed Evangelicals believe Jesus is not God. What does this say about the state of "Evangelicalism" and the unbiblical ideas that have crept their way into it? In this Tuesday Twofer episode, Alisa Childers explains the decentralized movement known as Progressive Christianity. She discusses how its teachings have influenced many churches (maybe even yours), how to spot it, and what you can do about it. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

Everybody wants to talk, and nobody wants to listen. But you're not nobody. You're *somebody*, and you're on a journey. You hope that journey takes you to some good places and that you acquire wisdom along the way. So you're not going to only run you're mouth (although you're going to speak up when the time is right)—you're also going to commit yourself to listening to others. As Jordan Peterson's 9th Rule puts it, you're going to "Assume the other person knows something you don't." But whom should you listen to, how should you listen, and when *should* you speak out?    Joel and Parker (the Sons of Thunder) dissect these questions and JBP's 9th Rule for Life in this episode. Watch live and leave your comments and questions for the brothers to answer in real time. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute.podcast.

The world's problems are big, and you're just one individual. It's a terrifying thing to think about entering into the fray, to bring some of the into order long enough to get someone's attention and share the Gospel with him or her. It's a lot safer not to stick your neck out (at least for the time being), but is this what God wants? Didn't Jesus send his disciples into the world to "disciple the nations" (Matthew 28:19)? So what does it look like to get your piece of that Great Commission? Where does God want to use you right now? In this episode, Joel and Pastor Raef discuss how to make a difference with what you have, where you are, right now. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast

Christians talk a lot about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and rightly so. Those are important doctrines, and they are vital to understand, if we're going to be sharing our faith with others. But what do we say when someone asks us where Jesus is now, and what he's doing? He went back to Heaven, and the Bible says that he sat down on the throne, but is he just... waiting to come back? He's interceding for us, but what does that really mean? To everyone who could use some help answering these questions, my guest, Dr. Patrick Schreiner, is going to help us out. Dr. Schreiner is associate professor of New Testament language and literature at Western Seminary. He is the author of The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross and Matthew, Disciple and Scribe, as well as The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine, which we are going to focus on today. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

A wide-ranging selection of issues covered today as Joel Settecase attempts to answer viewer questions live in real time on this Q&A.  *Subscribe to the Think Institute YouTube channel for more thought-provoking content.*   (Shout-out to GotQuestions.org for allowing Joel to quickly reference information on Cessationism!) Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

On this not-so-fast Friday episode, here's what we're talking about:  Our mission, given by Jesus Christ, is to disciple the nations (Mt. 28:19). This means going to foreign nations, as well as working within the nation where we are today. In every nation, God has established three distinct spheres of government.   In this *FAST FRIDAY* episode we're talking about the household sphere, and how to lead your household toward greater participation in Christ's mission of making disciples. Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.