Restitutio

We hear a particular narrative over and over: “Gay teen courageously comes out to Christian parents and faces consequences.” This is the hero’s journey of the early 21st century. From gay pride marches to hit songs to movies and TV shows, this story is ubiquitous in our culture. For example, I used to listen to the Moth podcast and heard story after story championing the gay lifestyle and supporting the choice to live “out and proud.” In the hundreds of stories I listened to, not once did I ever hear a story of someone who came to Christ, even though it is a much more common occurrence. It’s hard not to absorb the impression that LGBTQ folks are courageous and tolerant while Christians, especially bible-believing ones, are repressive and unloving. However, could it be that there’s an alternative narrative that few are hearing? Caleb Katenbach has an interesting story. He grew up with two moms and learned to hate Christians. However, when he unexpectedly became a Christian in high school, he had to “come out of the closet” to his moms. Were they supportive? Did they embrace his new sense of identity? Did they accept him for following his heart? No! They kicked him out and expressed intolerance. Of course, his story doesn’t end there. Listen to this fine interview between Darrell Bock and Caleb Kaltenbach to learn both how we as Christians need to repent as well a how we can reach the LGBTQ community. Notes and Links: Caleb Kaltenbach’s book, Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction, is available here Thanks to Darrel Bock for persmission to replay this episode. Check out his stimulating podcast, “The Table,” here Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.  

Dr. Joe Martin has taught at the Atlanta Bible College for over 25 years. He’s worked as an adjunct professor, full-time professor, academic dean, and the president. In this interview he talks about his favorite class to teach, his greatest challenge as a teacher, and his advice to those interested in going into ministry. He shares several stories about God’s mighty provision during his tenure as president, including one incident when he marched the staff around the building for seven days in prayer before a mighty miracle happened. His endearing spirit and passionate heart come through in this conversation along with his bold faith. “I will live and die by the simplicity of the word of God rather than orthodox credal systems.”  –Joe Martin Notes and Links: To watch Dr. Joe’s sermons and theological presentations, check out the 21st Century Reformation youtube channel or his own personal channel For more information about the Atlanta Bible College, see this website For more about Martin, see Interview 10: Twenty Years of Missions in Africa Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Did you make any new year’s resolutions this year? We are now three weeks into 2017 and I bet many of us have already reverted to our old ways. However, what I want to propose here is not a new habit or a trick to stop an old one. Rather, I want to encourage you to adopt a particular perspective. Whether you gain weight or lose it, whether you go to bed early or stay up late, whether you get consistent with flossing or not, everything you do can and should be done to the glory of God. What’s more, living with this perspective doesn’t mean you have to give up pleasure. In fact, just the opposite is true. When we live for God’s glory, we can enjoy our lives more than ever before. Notes and Links: “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever…4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.” — Jonathan Edwards (c. 1720) 1 Corinthians 10.31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) Q: What is the chief end of man? A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God,1 and to enjoy him forever. 1 Corinthians 10.31 Do all to the glory of God Judges 6-7 God’s whittling down of Gideon’s army provides us a prime example of how important it is to God that he receives proper glory for what he does. He could have worked with thousands, but then they would have thought they had won the victory because of their own military prowess. 1 Peter 4.11 In everything we should give God glory through Jesus Christ. This is not limited to when we are here on Sundays or at other fellowships, but our whole lives. Matthew 6.1-18 Jesus teaches us about doing righteous deeds for God not people pray to God in private fast secretly so God sees not people give to the poor secretly Romans 16.27 To God be glory forevermore Ephesians 3.21 To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus Philippians 1.11 Righteousness comes through Jesus to the glory and praise of God 1 Thessalonians 2.4 We speak not to please people but God who tests our hearts Jesus made his whole life about glorifying God Jn 5.41 “I do not receive glory from people” Jn 7.18 “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent me is true, and in him there is no falsehood” Jn 8.50, 54 “Yet I do not seek my own glory…if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’” Jn 12.43 “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” John 5.30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. How to glorify God in 2017: Love God and Love People! John Piper, “God Is

Joe and Rebekah Martin have labored for twenty years in Africa to bring the gospel and humanitarian aid to some of the poorest people in the world.  They minister primarily in Malawi and Mozambique, though the work in Kenya is now gaining traction as well.  In this interview, you’ll hear how a single tract led to one believing family, which eventually resulted in more than 450 churches, 20 years later!  In addition, the Martins share several stories of what they’ve seen God do in the missionary field.  They’ve run missions trips virtually every summer with other pastors and students.  I went myself (with Ruth) back in 2004.  Now that they’ve reached the age for retirement, they’ve purchased a house in Malawi so they can spend even more time there each year. Notes and Links: If you would like to get in touch to contribute to their work (financial or volunteering), you can reach Rebekah at rrebrn@yahoo.com For more about the Lord’s Harvest International (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference, visit their website or like their facebook page. For more information about the Atlanta Bible College where Joe Martin teaches, see this website Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Martin Luther King Jr. day is on Monday, so I thought this would be a good time to replay a phenomenal debate on the question of whether or not Christians should use violence or participate in the military.  Peter Kreeft and J. Daryl Charles defend the classic just war position while David Bercot and Dean Taylor advocate for the Anabaptist view.  The debate is cordial and the recording is top-notch.  What’s more the speakers are evenly matched and the debate moves right along.  If you’ve ever wondered about whether or not Christians can use violence, this debate will give you a window into how sincere Christians on both sides explain their positions. Notes and Links: Thank you to Followers of the Way for permission to rebroadcast this debate.  You can watch the full video on youtube as well. Check out Podcast 15: A Theology of Nonviolence, which includes both the audio of my presentation at the 18th Theological Conference as well as the full text of my paper. For more research and resources on Christian pacifism, visit loveyourenemies.wordpress.com Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Let’s say you are sharing your faith with a friend and they say to you, “Well, I’m glad that Christianity works for you, but it sounds like no fun to me.”  How would you respond?  Is Christianity no more than a set of restrictions we set on our lives like a straitjacket?  Listen in to this episode as we discuss how following Jesus is an exciting adventure worth pursuing. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Overcoming Objections to Christianity: Is Jesus the Only Way to God? Christians Are Hypocrites Why Does God Allow Suffering? The Bible Is Too Antiquated Christianity Is Lame Check out Shane Claibourne’s book, Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Pastor Victor Gluckin of Living Faith Christian Church (Warwick, RI) shares about his journey of faith. He was Mr. Popularity in High School; everyone loved him.  However, he was spiritually dead and lifted up with pride.  His breaking point came when he left his small town and attended George Washington University in DC.  He planned to study political science before launching a career in public service, eventually culminating in his election as the president of the United States.  However, when he got to GW, he discovered that he was just one of many ex-high school presidents with big dreams.  God humbled him and showed him the truth about his heart.  Listen to this episode to hear the rest of his story as well Gluckin’s appeal to you to consider your own life. Notes and Links: You can find more sermons by Victor Gluckin on his church website and on youtube For another episode with Gluckin, check out Podcast 24: Now Is Our Time to Speak Check out his classes Son of David and Kingdom Story You can follow him on Twitter @vgluckin Listen to more testimonies here Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The youngest part of the bible is nearly 2,000 years old.  How can such an ancient book have any relevance to our complex and technologically advanced world?  How would you answer this objection?  It’s certainly undeniable that our world is so much different from the nomadic shepherds of three millennia ago.  However, science, political innovations, and technology have failed to generate a golden age of tranquility and prosperity.  Our world is just as fragmented and fraught with dysfunction and injustice as ever.  The internet has enabled us to access an unprecedented amount of information from all around the world quickly and cheaply.  However, the net effect has led to information overload as searchers find themselves paralyzed by all of the “authoritative” perspectives and “experts” clamoring for attention.   Increasingly people are turning to ancient analog faiths for answers in our digital age.  The luster of virtual reality has worn off for many as they find their souls empty and isolated after binging on the dainties of television shows and social media.  Many are looking for something real, something tried and tested, something with substance.  This is where the bible has fresh appeal for our age.  When we compare the scriptures to other historical books, they stand head and shoulders above them in that they are better preserved, more accessible, and more practical than the others.  Timeless moral principles, powerful motivation, and encouraging hope make the bible an elixir to the soul’s of countless readers worldwide.  Listen in as we discuss how the bible remains relevant and powerful in our time. Notes and Links: Check out our Off Script episode on Progress where we talk about chronological snobbery and the invisible fictive force many believe is moving us towards a better world. More podcasts and resources on Apologetics available here. Episodes in this series on Overcoming Objections to Christianity: Is Jesus the Only Way to God? Christians Are Hypocrites Why Does God Allow Suffering? The Bible Is Too Antiquated Christianity Is Lame Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Apologetics 15: Gender and Sexual Ethics (Objection 3) This lecture covers some basic Christian sexual ethics, including marriage, divorce, pornography, homosexuality, cohabitation, and adultery.  Sadly, since this was the last lecture, time did not permit a thorough analysis of these subjects.  Even so, I touched on each briefly and biblically in an effort to stake out a Christian position on each and give some evidence to equip you to give an answer to those who critique us. If you would like to take this class for credit, please contact the Atlanta Bible College so you can register and do the necessary work for a grade. Notes: on all of these controversial issues comes down to whether or not the bible is true and authoritative how to interpret the bible statistics of success/failure reason from creation (again depends on scripture) remember Satan is working on culture to make it hard to understand the gospel (Mt 13.19) and to blind people’s eyes from seeing it (2 Cor 4.4) Marriage live together before marriage divorce of you don’t get along God invented sex for marriage who do you think designed our genitals, packing them with a ridiculous concentration of erotogenic nerve endings? God’s vision of the world included: naked vegetarians living in a garden making lots of babies God proclaimed the first two people married (Gen 2.23-24) Jesus speaks on divorce & remarriage “whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Mt 19.3-9) Paul speaks on singleness vs. marriage (1 Cor 7.1-17) good to be single wife does not have authority over her own body..husband does not… don’t deprive each other of sex except for a time of prayer otherwise Satan will tempt you b/c of your lack of self-control remain single better to marry than burn (with passion) Lord says: wife should not separate from her husband if she does anyhow, she should remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband if spouse is unbeliever, don’t divorce him/her spouse is made holy by believer (and kids too) if unbelieving spouse separates, let it happen marriage represents relationship between Christ and the church (Eph 5.31-33) three views of marriage western: it’s good so long as I’m happy or at least not miserable the individual is at the center of the western cultural view towards marriage traditional: it’s good so long as it helps the family/clan biblical: my marriage is a living illustration of Christ and the church Sex Outside of Marriage God designed sex for marriage in the beginning. Thus, sex within marriage is godly and holy and enjoyable and not shameful. problem is when someone takes sex out of this boundary it’s like a nuclear reactor so long as it is contained behind a lead barrier w/ plenty of cooling systems functioning all is well and this immensely powerful reaction does good but take it out from that protected system and you have Fukushima or Chernobyl Jesus on sexual purity Mat 5.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Mat 5.27-30 don’t look at a woman w/ lustful intent same as committing act of adultery need to be extreme here (gouge out eye, cut off hand): he’s really talking about lust! Paul on purity 1 Thessalonians 4.3-8 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you

We take a break from our normal Off Script format to share some seasonal reminiscences and lighthearted banter about Christmas past and present.  In this somewhat silly episode you’ll learn what Christmas song Rose hates, Dan’s most cherished childhood present, and Sean’s Christmas-eve meal preference.  Other exciting topics discussed in this podcast include: why Handel’s Messiah is awesome, how to poach a Christmas tree from state land, and when it’s ok to start listening to Christmas music.  Additionally, Rose will reveal an ethnic secret about herself that you won’t want to miss.