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Today we are starting a brand new class called "One God Over All!"  My plan is to work through scripture to build a biblical theology of the one true God and his Son, Jesus the Messiah. This class will cover both texts supporting God's exclusive oneness as well as misunderstood verses that seem to teach otherwise.  Additionally, we will briefly explore how Christian theology developed from the New Testament period to the Trinity's full articulation at the Council of Constantinople in a.d. 381. This is part 1 of the One God Over All class. Who is God?  Let's begin in the beginning with Genesis 1.1. We encounter the word elohim and ask ourselves, "What does this word mean?" and "Why is it plural?"  Even more to the point, was this what ancient readers would have fixated upon?  In this first class session you'll learn all about the word elohim, what God's name is, and how singular and plural pronouns tell us how many God is. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/tSO106waGnA —— Links —— More one God resources and posts available here, including "Five Major Problems with the Trinity" and "The Trinity before Nicea" If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here.

Have you heard about the upcoming Unitarian Christian Alliance conference (or as I like to call it, UCA-con)?  It's going to happen next month from October 15-17.  My guest today is Dr. Dale Tuggy, the chairman of the board of the UCA.  Listen in as he discusses what's on the docket for our inaugural UCA conference as well as a teaser for what he will be saying about John 1 in his presentation.  (By the way, if any of you Restitutio listeners make it to the conference, stop by and say "hello" and get your free Restitutio sticker while supplies last.)  We also spend some time talking about the newest UCA publication, a reprint of an interesting book by Thomas Emlyn from the year 1702.  Dale Tuggy and Kegan Chandler worked hard to modernize the old English, provide lots of helpful footnotes, and include an excellent introduction. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/lFPjQDRfG3g —— Links —— Get more information about registering for the UCA Conference (October 15-17, 2021) held near Nashville, TN Get the Thomas Emlyn book at Theophilus Press Watch Tuggy's latest talk, "Who Do You Say That I Am?" on YouTube Check out these other Restitutio episodes with Dale Tuggy Follow Tuggy at his Trinities website, on Twitter @DaleTuggy, on Instagram @hermanootics, and on TikTok @Dale_Tuggy If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

When was the last time you heard a sermon about singleness?  Married people have lots of sermons, classes, books, and conferences dedicated to them, but singles are largely ignored.  Today, Matthew Elton, himself a single millennial, shares what Jesus and Paul have to teach us about the incredible advantages of singleness for God's people.  Far from second class citizens, singles have much to offer the body of Christ. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZqXEJw4u7Y —— Links —— Check out podcast 154 Spiritual Friendship: Celibacy as a Call to Love by Wesley Hill More podcasts and posts on singleness If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Nearly a year ago, I interviewed Pastor Jeff Deuble from Sydney, Australia about his journey of discovering the genuine Jesus of the first century.  At the close of that interview, he mentioned that he had written a book that makes a case for his understanding of the biblical Christ.  Well, I’m happy to say that this book is now available, published by Living Hope International Ministries.  In what follows, I ask Deuble about the content, purpose, and tone of the book. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Get your copy of Christ before Creeds on Amazon (USA) or Amazon (Australia) today! Here’s the previous interview with Jeff Deuble from November 2020 Also see the interview I did with his brother, Greg Deuble, back in December of 2018, called They Never Told Me This in Church More podcasts and posts covering biblical monotheism here If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

How should those of us committed to a biblical sexual ethic treat those who are same-sex attracted or who identify as the opposite sex?  In our polarized world, it seems like only two options are available to us: (1) we accept, approve, and celebrate LGBT+ lifestyles or (2) we deny, denigrate, and dismiss them.  Either we reject scripture or reject love.  Surely, there must be a better way.  Can we show love without compromising our morals?  In this episode, we’ll take a look at what the bible says about sexual ethics before asking how we can be like Jesus in loving outsiders without betraying our own code of ethics. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— For a very helpful book on transgenderism, see Preston Sprinkle’s Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say. This is the book that contained the story of Leslie that I quoted from in this message. Check out these other podcasts and posts about same-sex attraction Listen to Becket Cook’s interview “A Change of Affection” where he describes his own walk as a Christ-follower with same-sex attraction If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library  

This is the third and final part of our series on conditional immortality with Warren Prestidge.    Although most Christians today believe hell is a place where the dammed suffer eternal conscious torment, the bible teaches that the lost will perish.  For example, the most famous verse in the bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life" (John 3.16).  Did you see the two options there?  On the one hand, those who believe will have eternal life.  On the other, those who do not believe will perish.  Now, considering that eternal life contrasts with perishing, we shouldn't envisage perishing as also having eternal life, but of a much less pleasant variety.   But, if this "annihilationist" perspective is true, then what do you do with the handful of texts that seem to imply that the lost suffer continuous and unending torture?  My guest today, once again, is Baptist pastor Warren Prestidge of Auckland, NZ.  He will help us work through a few key texts to make sense of everything, including Matthew 25.41, 46; Mark 9.47-48; Revelation 14.11 and 20.10; and Luke 16.19-31 (The Rich Man and Lazarus).  What you'll see is how Prestidge's careful reading explains what these verses really mean in their context without reading in medieval assumptions about infernos and torture chambers.   Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts     —— Links —— Order Prestidge's book: Life, Death, and Destiny (paperback on Amazon, ebook on Lulu, or pdf on Afterlife.co.nz) Many more resources available at The Conditional Immortality Association of New Zealand More episodes about annihilationism If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Last time Warren Prestidge walked us through a case for conditional immortality.  Today, we'll delve into some of the key texts that proponents of natural immortality employ to make their case, including these four texts: Luke 23.43; John 14.2-3; 2 Corinthians 5.8; and Philippians 1.23.  In each case, Prestidge appeals to the context of the passage and basic logic to make his case.  If you've ever wondered about what these verses mean, this episode will equip you to understand them from a conditional immortality perspective.   Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts     —— Books —— Freeman Barton, Heaven, Hell, and Hades Warren Prestidge, Life Death and Destiny George Carry, I Believe in Man Oscar Cullman, Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection Murray Harris, Raised Immortal Joel Green, What about the Soul Paul Elthouse, The Theology of Martin Luther "Eschatology" in New Bible Dictionary —— Links —— Order Prestidge's book: Life, Death, and Destiny (paperback on Amazon, ebook on Lulu, or pdf on Afterlife.co.nz) Many more resources available at The Conditional Immortality Association of New Zealand More episodes about conditional immortality If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

What happens when you die?  This is such a big question for all of us.  Do we go somewhere like heaven or hell? Do we stay on earth as a disembodied spirit?  Or are we unconscious? My guest today is Warren Prestidge of New Zealand, who contends that we should embrace the biblical language of the sleep of the dead.  The idea--often called conditional immortality--is that immortality is not automatic or innate, but conditioned on resurrection.    Prestidge is a retired Baptist pastor, living in Auckland, NZ. He has degrees in English and Theology. As well as pastoring churches in Auckland for over 30 years, he has lectured at the Bible College of NZ and Tyndale College. He has also served as a pastor in UK and, for two years, as a Bible college director in the Philippines.  He has been married for over 50 years and has three sons and six grandchildren. He continues to preach and also to work with the Conditional Immortality Association of NZ.   He has had an impact on me through his book, Life, Death and Destiny, which both lays out a biblical case for the sleep of the dead and offers solid explanations for confusing texts.   Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts     —— Links —— Order Prestidge's book: Life, Death, and Destiny (paperback on Amazon, ebook on Lulu, or pdf on Afterlife.co.nz) Many more resources available at The Conditional Immortality Association of New Zealand More episodes about conditional immortality If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

This is the last episode of our class, Why Christianity.  We've covered so many different reasons why Christianity is attractive, makes sense, and is worthy of our attention.  We've looked at scientific, logical, epistemological, social, psychological, and historical reasons for God's existence, Christ's resurrection, and the gospel's effectiveness.  Today, we consider three stories of changed lives.  The proof, they say, is in the pudding.  Can Christianity deliver healing, forgiveness, and purpose for real people in our world today?  What about people who are deeply entrenched in atheism, partying, or gay activism?  Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 16 of the Why Christianity class. https://youtu.be/iCxsuTKrKB4 —— Links —— See other episodes of Why Christianity More episodes about defending your faith here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library —— Notes —— God Has Power to Change Lives- Titus 3:3-7- sometimes our faith is too little- we are too easily intimidated Lee Strobel- 1 Peter 3:1-2- 1 Corinthians 7:13-16 - Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus- both a book and a movie Brian Welch- lead guitarist for Korn- Matthew 11:28-30- Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story David Bennett- A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus- David recounts his dramatic story, from his early years exploring new age religions and French existentialism to his university experiences as an activist. Following supernatural encounters with God, he embarked on a journey not only of seeking to reconcile his faith and sexuality but also of discovering the higher call of Jesus Christ.

Although many throughout the Western world are quick to criticize Christianity, Jesus remains well-liked.  In fact, one of the most obvious answers to the question, “Why Christianity?” is “Jesus.”  To this day, reading the Gospels  draws the reader to Jesus’ magnetic and compelling way of life.  What’s more, the less satisfied we are with our own society, the more we find ourselves drawn to counter-cultural forces.  Jesus of Nazareth is just such a person.  He spoke truth to power and challenged the religious status quo of his own day.  He remains counter-cultural, and this just may be a strong reason for unbelievers to consider him today. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 15 of the Why Christianity class.   —— Links —— See other episodes of Why Christianity More episodes about defending your faith here More with Daniel Fitzsimmons Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow us on Twitter @RestitutioSF If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here or designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library —— Notes —— • Countercultural forces and revolutions appeal to people because they’re different than what has been done or experienced before. • Rejection by the established political and cultural norms can greatly heighten that appeal. • True countercultural forces/revolution substantially affect culture going forward. • Countercultural forces are often co-opted, first through mainstream acceptance, then by assimilation and appropriation. • Jesus Christ’s ministry was revolutionary and counter-cultural, as evidenced by his radical message, rejection and ultimate execution by those in power. • We are to live as examples of Jesus to a desperate and dying world, presenting the message of the gospel as the true alternative to other life-defining – yet ultimately empty – belief systems.