The Gary DeMar Podcast

Gary discusses a new movie being released from the Left Behind series of books, directed by and starring actor Kevin Sorbo. The lead-up to the movie has been pushing the Dispensational view of "antichrist," while neglecting the biblical view. Statements in the marketing like "the Bible claims the Antichrist is Satan’s counterfeit messiah" are completely misleading and run counter to what the Bible actually says about antichrist.

Gary discusses a post on Facebook recently where he was accused of sounding "popish" because of what he said about Mary. Protestants rightly discredit the Roman Catholic veneration of Mary, but we shouldn't discredit her actual biblical role and how she fits into the Gospel and the biblical narrative. Scripture calls her "blessed" and "favored" and so should we.

Gary responds to a recent radio program by Todd Friel about God's law and its application to society. Friel mentions NAR (New Apostolic Reformation), Christian Nationalism, and Christian Reconstruction, among others. While he admits that differences exist, he seems to be suspicious of all of them, while also condemning some who diverge from historic Christian morality.

Gary recaps what's been done, what's being worked on, and what's to come. As a donation-based ministry, American Vision uses your funds as efficiently as possible to further the Christian and biblical worldview in all areas of life. Lots of new projects were finished in 2022 and new ones were started for 2023. Tune in to hear all about them... Please consider giving a year-end donation to further the work and mission of American Vision here: https://donate.americanvision.org/

Gary discusses a recent article by Daniel Hummel about how concordances made Dispensationalism—and a "scientific" approach to Bible reading—possible. We take many of our modern study tools for granted, but each new help has brought with it challenges and unintended consequences to how we read and understand what we read in the Scriptures. Read the article here: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/december/concordance-context-bible-reading-dispensationalism-literal.html

Too much time and money, we hear, are spent on the public side of Christmas — the hustle and bustle of shopping, the lavish decorations, and the often insincere displays of seasonal piety. Meanwhile, the true spirit of Christmas gets left behind. Some even argue that all public displays of Christmas are inappropriate. Read the article on the American Vision website.

Gary summarizes the two recent interviews with Kim Burgess and what we can look forward to in ongoing discussions with him. While many people were enthused and appreciative of the interviews, others have taken issue with them. Gary explains his theological method of reading and interpreting the Bible on its own terms and some questions that arise from reading Scripture in light of Scripture.

Gary continues his interview with Kim Burgess about the complete story of the Bible. In this part, Kim likens systematic theology to dissection and biblical theology to vivisection. While both methods seek to understand what the Bible is saying, one works in bits and pieces, while the other works to understand the Bible as an organic whole. Traditional evangelical interpretations are too often informed by the dissection method and less by vivisection.

Gary has a much-anticipated interview with his long-time friend, Kim Burgess. The two discuss eschatology and how all the pieces of the Bible fit together as a comprehensive whole. Kim talks about the difference between systematic theology and biblical theology and how the Bible needs to be read and understood on its own terms. Part One of Two.

A reading for the first week of Advent in Lectionary A is from Matthew 24. In a devotional published on Christianity Today's website by Craig Blomberg admits that while it sounds like the events in the second half of Matthew's version of the Olivet Discourse are for Jesus' first century audience, they really can't be because the "cosmic" language was not actually fulfilled.