That Won't Preach

Do Our Prayers Matter? - FINALE

Prayer is one of the most crucial parts of the entire Christian experience, offering an opportunity to connect with God, connect with others, and to make a difference in our world. But if God is perfectly good and perfectly loving, what difference do our petitionary prayers actually make? In this episode, Joel speaks with philospher Dr. Isaac Choi and theologian Dr. Thomas Jay Oord about the puzzle of petitionary prayer, open relational theology, and collaborative nature of the Biblical narrative. NEXT STEPS: Read Dr. Choi’s article “Is Petitionary Prayer Superfluous? [https://books.google.com/books?dq=%22Petitionary%20prayer%22%20christian&hl=en&id=MyfRCwAAQBAJ&lr=&oi=fnd&ots=CsgpKvSRb8&pg=PA32&sig=X0q-DasXkYqsTXwaa-y3CsqvLL4#v=onepage&q&f=false]” Read Dr. Oord’s book God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils [https://bookshop.org/p/books/god-can-t-how-to-believe-in-god-and-love-after-tragedy-abuse-and-other-evils-thomas-jay-oord/8402931?ean=9781948609128] Other books by Oord: Questions and Answers for God Can't [https://bookshop.org/p/books/questions-and-answers-for-god-can-t-thomas-jay-oord/15013588?ean=9781948609319] Open and Relational Theology [https://bookshop.org/p/books/open-and-relational-theology-an-introduction-to-life-changing-ideas-thomas-jay-oord/18074044?ean=9781948609371] Other helpful resources on prayer: Richard Foster: Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home [https://bookshop.org/p/books/prayer-10th-anniversary-edition-finding-the-heart-s-true-home-richard-j-foster/16592491?ean=9780060628468] Tim Keller: Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God [https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?amp%3Bitem_no=3108580&%3Bp=1162081&event=AFF] Scott Davison: Petitionary Prayer: A Philosophical Investigation [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/petitionary-prayer-9780198757740?cc=us&lang=en]

Can We Have Assurance in Our Faith? - ft. Dr. Jonathan Pennington

Matthew 7:21-23 Christians often pride ourselves on our “assurance of faith,” but there are passages where Jesus seems to call that notion into question. If people who performed miracles and wrote prophecies aren’t able to get into heaven, what does that mean for the rest of us? In this episode, Joel works through the larger themes of the Sermon on the Mount with Dr. Jonathan Pennington to better understand what Jesus really means when he says “depart from me; I never knew you.” NEXT STEPS: Read Dr. Pennington’s book: The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing. [https://bakeracademic.com/p/the-sermon-on-the-mount-and-human-flourishing-jonathan-t-pennington/41656] Check out the resources on JonathanPennington.com. [https://www.jonathanpennington.com] OTHER RESOURCES: BibleProject’s explainer videos [https://bibleproject.com/explore/category/sermon-on-the-mount/]on the Sermon on the Mount. They also have a podcast series [https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/sermon-on-the-mount/] that goes further in depth. Got a Bible passage that's been bothering you? Send a message my way by clicking HERE [https://www.joelseymour.com/contact]

Why Do Bears Attack a Group of Teens in the Bible? - ft. Dr. Brian Irwin

While it may sound like a joke, the story of a prophet sending bears to murder a group of teens is really in the Bible, and is really disturbing. Elisha curses the boys to death after they make fun of his bald head for seemingly no reason, making this story one of the most bizarre and uncomfortable scenes in the Bible. Is this really as petty of a move as it seems? In this episode, Joel sits down with biblical scholar Dr. Brian Irwin to discus his article “The Curious Incident of the Boys and the Bears.” During their conversation, they explore the context surrounding 2 Kings 2, the function of covenant curses, and the secret meaning hiding in this violent story. NEXT STEPS: Read Dr. Brian’s article: The Curious Incident of the Boys and the Bears: 2 Kings 2 and the Prophetic Authority of Elisha [https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/73609/1/Irwin-2%20Kings%202-TynBul.pdf] Read Leviticus 26 [https://www.stepbible.org?options=NVHUG&q=version%3DESV%7Creference%3DLev.26] and highlight important words. Then, refer back to that list as you read other passages and see how they connect back to those blessings and curses. OTHER RESOURCES: Read Dr. Irwin’s new book, After Dispensationalism: Reading the Bible for the End of the World [https://lexhampress.com/product/231112/after-dispensationalism-reading-the-bible-for-the-end-of-the-world] 1 & 2 Kings: An Introduction And Survey (Apollos Old Testament Commentary) [https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Apollos-Old-Testament-Commentary/dp/1783590319/?_encoding=UTF8&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pd_rd_r=b38fbee7-2ec8-46de-b68b-64cde28c9900&pd_rd_w=FVDIY&pd_rd_wg=tyTpF&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=134-9875492-3509543&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk] More episodes about violent passages in the Bible: Does God Command Genocide? [/https://www.joelseymour.com/preach/does-god-command-genocide-ft-dr-daniel-hawk] Does God Plan for us to Suffer? [https://www.joelseymour.com/preach/does-gods-plan-for-us-to-suffer-ft-bryan-beyer] Got a Bible passage that's been bothering you? Send a message my way by clicking Here [https://www.joelseymour.com/contact]

What is the Secret Meaning Behind the Psalms?

The Psalms are often used as a quick stopping point for when people need a quick word of encouragement, but the poems you find there are often much deeper than we realize. In this episode, Joel speaks on how studying chapters like Psalms 147 can be in itself an act of worship. Resources: Psalms 73-150 (Kidner Classic Commentaries) [https://bookshop.org/p/books/psalms-73-150-derek-kidner/10973371?ean=9780830829385] The Book of Psalms (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-psalms-rolf-a-jacobson/7292144?ean=9780802824936] Got a Bible passage that's been bothering you? Send a message my way by clicking Here [https://www.joelseymour.com/contact]

What Do We Do with the Bible's 7 Day Creation Story? - ft. Dr. Dru Johnson

Conversations surrounding the Bible’s opening pages have been completely overwhelmed with debates about creation versus evolution, creating a tense environment and alienating people on both sides of the cultural rift. are we destined to have this debate forever, or is there something we’re missing about Genesis 1-3? Next Steps: Read What Hath Darwin to Do with Scripture? [https://www.ivpress.com/what-hath-darwin-to-do-with-scripture?source=johnson-interview] Use promo code IVPPOD25 for 25% off your order! Other Resources: The Henry Center [https://henrycenter.tiu.edu] - A collection of many scholars with a variety of views exploring how science and Scripture are connected and how both can lead to wisdom BioLogos [https://biologos.org] - An organization of theistic evolutionists with insightful articles about their often overlooked perspective The Genealogical Adam and Eve [https://www.ivpress.com/the-genealogical-adam-and-eve] by Joshua Swamidass - A unique perspective that is simultaneously evolutionist and fundamentalist Bible Project Classroom: Adam to Noah [https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/adam-noah/] - An in-depth dive into the wisdom of Gensis 2-6 that we can easily miss in our cultural debates. Got a Bible passage that's been bothering you? Send a message my way by clicking Here [https://www.joelseymour.com/contact]