Many Evangelical churches today are "Bible-alone" communities. Or, or they think they are. In this theology uncorked episode I explain both why the Bible-alone perspective is not why the Bible was inspired, written, or preserved and why it is actually an impossibility. To make the case, I give examples. First, when I, in junior high, was beginning to read the Bible "for me." And second, from my time in Bible school when another student, reflecting on his devotional, said, "I learned that God is like a motorcycle." Then, from my time as a prof, I note how Calvary Chapel students especially (but not at all only) wanted to take a Bible-alone position; what they didn't know but what I knew was that they had made Chuck Smith into their new Pope, or their new Vatican. Let's think through why God gave us the Bible, and what is the role of the Bible's authority in both the Christian life and the Church community. Oh, and in the pod's opening I reflect on a biblical perspective concerning civilization; does God care or does he only care about who goes to heaven and hell?

First in a new series, let's uncork us some theology! Across the pod I will explain why "just the Bible alone" (Protestant) perspectives aren't possible, what are the time-tested definitions of theology (& why theologians like definitions), why reason plays a role in Christian theology, the long-standing interface between theology and philosophy, and the role of culture on and in theology. And then, what makes theology good, helpful, and edifying? What makes theology bad, destructive, and soul-poisoning? At the show's opening I work through—noting the Bible's own cues about government—the election debacle in Los Angeles. Come and enjoy a laugh along the way with me.

There's the faith of salvation and then there's the faith of daily life (two sides of the same coin). In this conversational episode Mark and I work through what it means to live by faith in our regular lives. For starters, Christian faith is submitting to the Lordship of Christ and his revelation, word, value system, and kingdom. Flowing out of that, faith means living toward something, or better toward someone. Along the way we rule out different things that Christian faith is not, those against common cultural and Christian sub-cultural assumptions. Just one of those "faith is nots" is pure subjective experience; faith is not reducible to a burning in a bosom. How? Why? What are both the objective and subjective elements of Christian faith? And then, do we balance or integrate the objective and subjective elements? Come and think about the Christian life with us in ways that run sometimes contrary to common assumptions.

Two things caused this episode: a) my reading of a Roger Scruton philosophy book, and b) my attendance at a local county sherrif's graduation ceremony. Together those two have had me reflecting, again, on the power of form, the role that aesthetics play in our lives, and the role that beauty-to-the-honor-of-the-living-God has had for most of two millennia. Scruton talks, among other things, about how public architecture was always designed with an eye toward both the future and the past, but how today's architecture pays no heed to either. Today we prefer fads and/or immediacy. Following those two fads, we serve a god whom I call "Lord Utility." Sadly, immediacy and Lord Utility both have infiltrated the early 21st century Evangelical culture. Let's think through this amazing topic of form, space, and beauty together; all unto the glory of the beautiful one himself, Jesus the Christ.

When one becomes a Christ-follower the common, if unspoken, expectation is that life will take a dramatic turn, even an amazing turn, for the better. But the truth is, Christians are people, too. And life is characterized by frequent stretches, seasons even, of boredom for Christians. What do we make of those stretches? Are long stretches of boredom the result of sin? Or, is it the case that boredom is actually a luxury? Mark and I think through boredom, this out-of-the box topic. The Scriptures don't say anything expressly about boredom, so what should a believer think? In the show's opening I also offer several suggestions for how Christians should go about processing the news of alien (UFO, UAP) intelligence and presences. What should we do with what may be unprecedented information?! Come laugh and think with us.

Is Donald Trump the anti-Christ? Church folk on the Left so say. To assess the possibilities I work through features of the anti-Christ found across the Bible. Along the way I also variously: give a personal health update, talk about a recent camping trip and what that made me think about, offer a suggested name for any angry new band, share my feelings about the current price of a gallon of gas, reflect on what is going on with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the impact that organization had on thousands of pastors, take a humorous look back at a now-more-common compliment I received, and think out loud about political-Christian hypocrisy. Let's both hone our thinking about anti-Christ and share some laughter together.