PlainSpoken

Rev. Dr. Ben Witherington has recently published a book on the historic notion of sola scriptura, which was a central contention of the Protestant Reformation. Though, as he reveals, its roots actually go back further than that. Witherington is eminently qualified in this subject as one who has been publishing on biblical interpretation since the 1980s. In this segment, we discuss the history of biblical interpretation, starting with the early church, also visiting the Methodist Revival. We speak to the present moment and the challenge of contemporary covenant bodies in adopting a right lens through which we read the scriptures. Links: "Sola Scriptura: Scripture's Final Authority in the Modern World" - https://a.co/d/2MM86aT Dr. Witherington's Website - https://www.benw3.com Dr. Witherington's Patheos - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

This series is aimed at helping local churches and their people to hunger and thirst for righteousness as our Savior directs. Once upon a time, there were fervent believers called Methodists who practiced holiness of heart and life, watching over one another in love. They effectively spread scriptural holiness across the land. Many of us aim to do the same thing today, but a reorientation is in order. We have learned the wrong ways, believed wrongly about a few things. Rev. Dr. Pete Bellini is helping to set me and my audience straight! Today's topic is on the "nature of true discipleship." We live in a counterfeit world with a lot of pretension and hypocrisy. We would like to think this stuff doesn't enter the church, but it does. How do we navigate and combat these things? Join us live as we speak with an audience (you) and seek God's truth together. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Have those of us in the Methodist tradition had the right theology around the sacrament of communion? Specifically, are we right to let anyone come to the table? A few today, including me, are of the mind that we would do well to reinvestigate this particular practice. I don't doubt the good intentions of those who welcome everyone to the table, but I have come to suspect that we are doing harm in this practice. Jarrod Neal is fellow Global Methodist clergy. He doesn't agree with me, but that's okay. We have communicated via text and now we're going to actually talk through some of these things face to face for the benefit of an audience. So join us with your questions and contributions as we go live here in a minute. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Empathy is generally seen as a universal good. Similar to love, we imagine it to be universally virtuous. Dr. Joe Rigney has recently published a book that questions this presupposition, arguing that empathy can be and has been used to co-opt and destroy institutions. In a recent development at Wheaton College, a rather innocent social media post resulted in a full blown crisis among the alumni. Rigney went viral on X when he was able to explain the mechanics of how this “steer” worked.Joe was kind enough to visit with me about the substance of his new book in reference to my former tribe, The United Methodist Church, which was effectively overtaken by those who use empathy as a wedge. I seek his insight about how it is that institutions can be wise to such weakness, and how it is that we can guard ourselves against future incursion by these spiritual forces. While Dr. Rigney represents a different strand of the Reformed tradition than I do, I found his contributions to this larger social question to be timely and helpful. How do we navigate a world of competing subjective interests without reacting towards sociopathy? How do we find a healthy and stable place in between the extremes offered? What does the ideal spiritual leadership look like? I hope you enjoy thinking through these questions with us, and that you might find helpful answers!Links: “Anatomy of a Steer” X Thread - https://x.com/joe_rigney/status/1888349456493404330Dr. Rigney’s Faculty Page - https://nsa.edu/contributors/joe-rigneyOrder The Sin of Empathy - https://canonpress.com/products/the-sin-of-empathy Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Anyone who has ever tried to help the poor knows that it is more difficult than it seems it should be. It becomes clear that many of our assumptions about problems and solutions do not really fit with reality. Many become discouraged and continue to apply bandaids to bullet wounds. Even worse, some give up altogether. James Whitford started a nonprofit a few years ago aimed at helping churches and other entities to care for the poor in a way that is both faithful and effective. In this segment, we talk about what True Charity does to equip churches, while also discussing at length the nature of the problems and solutions at hand. Anyone aimed at practicing biblical obedience to the poor is going to enjoy this conversation. True Charity Website - https://www.truecharity.us James' Book "The Crisis of Dependency" - https://www.truecharity.us/crisis/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Last week we talked about what is currently wrong and in need of correction. Today we will talk about what is right. When we are talking about scriptural holiness, what are we referring to? Does it involve a specific scriptural interpretive framework, or is there a lot of latitude in the interpretation of our Bible? What did scriptural holiness look like in the first generation of Methodism, and how much does that translate to today? Join us as we ask big questions and hopefully offer some helpful answers for local churches that are trying to get back to the main thing. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

It is clear that holiness is the nature of the church, but it is not altogether clear at this moment what that needs to look like. What has been lost? What needs to be regained, reclaimed, revamped? Join Rev. Dr. Pete Bellini and Jeffrey Rickman as we attempt to lay a groundwork for reclaiming scriptural holiness in modern Methodism, and in Christianity more broadly. We will integrate audience questions and feedback while mining Dr. Bellini for his wisdom, having labored in this field for many decades.———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

St. Paul Methodist Church of Amarillo is not too far from West Texas A&M University in Canyon (Texas). Well, it's about a 20-minute drive. There are many churches that are closer. Yet a significant amount are not only making the drive to worship, but are actually integrating into the life and work of the church alongside folks of all ages. Young men and women are meeting and being married here as they learn to do adult things like assume responsibility like their own spiritual lives while managing money and starting families. In the midst of this, the church is being reinvigorated and growing in generosity.In this conversation, Bill talks about the prophetic words spoken over him and how they have come to fruition. The Lord brought Will to this church alongside many other peers who have been trained to lead within the body of Christ in the last few years. The Lord has endowed Will with a transformative ministry, partnering with The Wesley at West Texas A&M. In the process, he is learning a lot about what it is that the faith of Jesus Christ has to offer, or rather how it speaks, to young men and women.Consider spending some time with us to think through modern issues of discipleship, coed indoctrination, and intergenerational ministry. This one got a little spicy, so y'all will almost certainly enjoy it!Article About The Wesley at A&M - https://globalmethodist.org/the-wesley-at-west-texas-am-university/———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Case is one of these weird guys who just reads the Bible and then looks at the world and sees that some things are wrong. Of course, this is one of the primary functions of the scriptures. Yet most of us read the scriptures with blinders on, unable to see the ways in which we and our culture are corrected. Case is of the mind, and it turns out he isn't the only one, that the ways in which most churches today deal with money and copyrights is a real problem.How might churches augment our behavior around money such that we aren't compromising ourselves and our faith so profoundly? I myself was moved to change my monetization practice on my YouTube channel.Whether or not you come to share Case's conclusions, I would urge you to consider his ideas and to consult the resources he is providing (for FREE) online. The Lord doesn't need more closed-minded believers who think everything they do is basically great. The Lord requires that we judge ourselves so that on the day of Judgment we might be found faultless, covered in the blood of the Lamb.------------------Andrew's Website - https://hismagnificence.comAndrew's Spotify -Andrew's Podcast on Bible Translation - https://workingfortheword.com/Selling Jesus Website - https://sellingjesus.orgSelling Jesus Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sellingjesus.orgHelpful Partner Site - https://copy.churchThe Dorean Principle (book on theology of money) - https://thedoreanprinciple.orgFree Hebrew Course He & His Wife Teach - https://freehebrew.online------------------If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Dr. Lester Spencer is the Conference Superintendent of the Alabama Emerald Coast Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He served as the Lead Pastor at Saint James Church in Montgomery/Pike Road, Alabama for over 25 years. Lester has also served as the Senior Pastor at Gulf Breeze UMC in Gulf Breeze, Florida and as the Associate Pastor at Auburn UMC in Auburn, Alabama. All of these churches ranked among the top 100 largest congregations in the United Methodist Church. Under his leadership, one of the churches was ranked as one of the top 25 fastest growing large United Methodist churches in America.Lester has worked alongside his peers in the region for decades, seeking to build up disciples where he is and benefit disciples around the world. In this conversation, I learn some of his story, some of the ministries he cares about, and some of the ways that his conference is unique. My hope is that talking to him helps folks around the GMC connection to start feeling as though you know who a lot of the people in leadership are, what motivates them, and what the faith is that we hopefully all share.Rev. Spencer is an affable man of God, aiming his life and his people at reclaiming a tradition with many treasures. You'll do well to learn from him for a bit!Links:- Alabama-Emerald Coast Conference Website - https://aecgmc.org- Donation to Congo Mission - https://donorbox.org/congo-missions- Lester's Book "Free For All" - https://a.co/d/eRPoDfR- Compassion International (Lester's favorite charity to support) - https://www.compassion.com———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe