Upon This Rock

Stef, aka the wifey, aka the podmother, joins the show again and we reflect back on our first year living overseas. We talk share some of our struggles, stresses, victories, defeats, and some big news. If you want to find out more about what we do you can check out our IG: @thethomasfam5.

The Lord truly does work in mysterious color ways. On today's episode I had the pleasure of talking with Ben Kirby from the IG account PreachersNSneakers. We talk about the church's relationship with social media, celebrity pastors, and Ben gives me his Mount Rushmore of sneakers. Check out Ben's work at https://preachersnsneakers.com. 

What does it mean to be part of the Apostolic Church? And what is the Patristic Period? And why the heck to do they matter to me today? On today's podcast I chat with Dr. Michael Svigel of Dallas Theological Seminary about the first 500 years of the church why we should read the authors from that period. We talk about tradition, communion, baptism, Scripture, and where to start reading the the Church Fathers.  

"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man and Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread21 which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live for ever in Jesus Christ." - St. Ignatius 

“She broadly expands her rivers, liberally flowing, yet her head is one, her source one; and she is one mother, plentiful in the results of fruitfulness: from her womb we are born, by her milk we are nourished, by her spirit we are animated… He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother. If any one could escape who was outside the ark of Noah, then he also may escape who shall be outside of the Church." - Saint Cyprian of Carthage 

On today's episode I talk with Pastor Brian Zahnd. Brian is the founding pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph Missouri, the author of multiple books, and the biggest Bob Dylan fan you'll ever met. Brian and I have a vary open and candid conversation about what its like being a pastor, his sense of vocation and calling, and what he wishes the average congregant knew about being a pastor.  

In today's episode I talk to Greg Coles about how the Church should relate to culture. We speak about the culture wars, sexuality, Harry Potter, those awkward Youth Group "sex talks", and a more. I think you are going to enjoy this conversation. 

The is the final episode in our three part series on baptism being the foundational reality for the Church's identity. In today's episode we continue tracing to story of salvation by water from creation, to Noah, to Moses and the Exodus, to Joshua and the promised land, arriving finally at Jesus in the Jordan. All these stories, including our own, form one story, the story of one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one baptism, and one people in Christ.

If you've enjoyed this series please share them with others, post them to social, or leave a review and rating on iTunes. 

This is part two of three of our look at baptism being the foundational reality which shapes the identity of the Church. In the last episode we examined Matthew 28 and Genesis 1. Today, we tackle the story of Noah's flood, 1 Peter 3, and the age old question, "Does baptism save you?" (yes but now in the way you probably think). 

Over the next three episodes I want to dive deep into the idea that baptism is the foundational reality which shapes the identity of the Church; that to be the Church is to be the baptized people of God. For many baptism is not the first or fourteenth thing that comes to mind when we think about the identity of the Church, but I think we need to bring it to the top of our lists. 

In many ways the call of the Church, and of every local church body, is to model cruciform love and care for one another in a world built by Cain. But all us know that such an ideal is far from the truth. Sadly, in the church we still hurt each other, wound one another, and fail to be present with one another in times of pain and grief. This happens on a peer-to peer-level and also from the top-down with pastors, bishops, elders, and deacons inflicting pain on those they are meant to care for.

My conversation today is with Dr. Glenn Kreider about the reality of being hurt by the Church. Dr. Kreider teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary, travels the country speaking, and is the author of several books. 

NEW SERIES: This is the first episode of a new series on what it means to be the Church and how we live as the Church in the world. On today's episode I talk with Pastor Glenn Packiam from New Life Church in Colorado Springs about corporate worship. Our discussion ranges from a theology of corporate worship, worship as a way to retell the story of God, to lights and smoke and liturgy. 

Dr. Chris E.W. Green is back on the pod to conclude our series on misunderstood words as we talk about the power of God; our misconceptions about it, how we have formed movements around those misconceptions, and how the cross is a better lens through which we can understand what the power of God actually is and how it works in the world. 

Revival. The very word conjures up dreams of sings, wonders, and miracles overtaking cities and nations. But have we missed something else in the name of revival? Let's talk about revival and revival "culture". 

You can't talk about hell without eventually talking about heaven. Sadly, I think heaven is just as misunderstood as hell and that we have built a large portion of our spirituality on that faulty dualism. 

In this episode we continue talking about the word wrath by looking at the three primary metaphors the Bible uses to talk about God's wrath. In doing so I hope we can come to a clearer idea of what God's wrath is.

This is part one of a longer look at the wrath of God. In this episode we look at how wrath is generally thought about and analyze the first story in the Bible where God is said to get angry and want to pour out His wrath. Part two coming soon. 

Why do we care so much about the Bible? And why do we try so hard to understand it? In part, because we believe it is the inspired word of God. But what do we mean by inspiration? How does that actually work? I think if we can see how the Bible works we can better understand what it is actually saying.

To start reading the OT with new eyes you need to remember one word: repetition. This is how the OT works. The authors of Scripture repeat words, ideas, places, names, stories, images, etc. If you can pick up on those repetitions a whole new world opens up. To start reading the OT with new eyes you need to remember one word: repetition......wait did I already say that?

How did the early church read their Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament? And how do we see those reading habits built into their writings the New Testament? In this episode we continue our series on learning to read the Scriptures by looking at how the NT authors employ Scriptural echoes, allusions and "hyperlinks". Part of learning to read the Scriptures well is directly tied to recognizing how the authors constructed their stories, poems, and writings. 

In this special crossover podcast with the Rabbit Trails Podcast I talk with Barrett and Garrick about some of my personal journey, missions, and our call to live as the people of God wherever we are. After you listen make sure you go check out the Rabbit Trails Podcast! 

In this Deep Dive episode we look at two famous Old Testament stories which portray God as violent that are quoted by multiple authors in the New Testament in order to learn how to read even the most difficult texts in light of Christ. 

Reading the Bible can be puzzling to say the least, but the metaphor of a puzzle can actually help us tackle the daunting task. In this episode I argue that Jesus, as the image of God, is the picture on the "puzzle box" of Scripture and that He should inform how we read and interpret it. This means that we cannot read the Scriptures and come to see God as something other than the crucified and risen Jesus. 

One of the greatest tasks given to Christians is learning to read Scripture faithfully. Yet for many this is a point of burdensome frustration. In this series I want to have a series of conversations around becoming faithful readers of Scripture, how we do that, what obstacles do we face, what mistakes are often made, and what strategies we can employ, so that we can read the Bible well.  But first we need to admit two things. First, that the task of reading the Bible faithfully is hard. We've all probably admitted that to ourselves but many haven't ever felt permission to admit that to anyone else. Second, that the Church holds some of, I'd say the majority of, the responsibility in helping people become good readers of Scripture. Sadly, to this end the Church has largely failed. To many people grow up in the Church and are never shown how to read Scripture.  It's my hope through this series we can all grow as readers of God's word. 

During my life time there has been no greater political issue than abortion. It is the proverbial political hill most Christians will die on. But I believe that being pro-life, in a truly Christian sense, is much bigger than being against abortion. To be pro-life is to be against anything that brings death, fear, and oppression. I think we need to rethink what it means to be pro-life and all the implications of wearing such a label. 

Welcome my wife, aka the Podmother, to the pod! Are we morally culpable and responsible for who we vote for? And if so to what degree? We disagree and so we thought why not turn the mics on let you all join the conversation. 

 In this episode I talk about the problems with seeing Trump as a kind of Cyrus, America as a kind of Israel, and God as interesting in making sure America becomes "great again", whatever a person means by that. My hope and prayer is that we can in these times hold fast to the confession of our faith that Jesus is Lord and live in the world according to His politics, ethics, and example.  

In this episode and the next I want to explore the dangerous intersection and relationship between partisan politics and religion. In this episode we'll explore how America is just the latest in a long line of empires who baptize their efforts and desires to rule others in religious language so that God simply serves the purposes of the political powers. This is sometimes called civil religion or nationalism and the Bible has a lot to say about it. In part two of this episode we'll see how Trump and the MAGA movement welcome and run off of twisted Christian language and how the church has sadly joined in that project in order to maintain cultural power and influence in order to protect itself. In my opinion this may be the premiere theological crisis of the evangelical church in America today.  Have a follow-up question to something that was said? 

In the second to last episode in this series I want to examine the common claim that many regular churchgoers make, that they are not theologians. This claim is too often rooted in a false view of the Spirit and is employed as a kind of spiritual escapism that is rooted in fear, fear of not being smart enough, of not measuring up, or of not getting it right. However, Jesus calls us to love God with our minds, and when we do we actually open ourselves to a unique work of God's grace. 

I had the immense privilege of speaking to Dr. Chris E.W. Green for our very first Deep Dive episode. Dr. Green holds the title of Public Theologian at Southeastern University and has previously taught at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland Tennesee. He is also the author of numerous books including Surprised by God, which has a chapter on this very subject, Sanctifying Interpretation and Towards a Pentecostal Theology of the Lord's Supper.  The idea for this whole series stemmed from a sermon Dr. Green preached at Sanctuary Church entitled God Is Not In Control. At the core what we are attempting to talk about is the mysterious ways in which God's actions in the world relate to ours and how we understand the things that happen to us. Ultimately Dr. Green and I agree, we must always confess that God is always good, always against evil, and always at work in ways which are for my good and the good of those around me.  Have a follow-up question to something that was said? 

In episode 2 of our series Things We Should All Stop Saying in Church I want to talk about how we use the word religion. For some reason it has come to be a dirty word. We talk about "dead religion" or not wanting to be "religious" all the time, but I think that is the wrong way to think about religion because religion is not dead or alive it is true or false. We need new and more faithful ways to talk about our religion, so let's get talking!

To kick off our series Things We Should All Stop Saying In Church I want to examine the often prayed and exclaimed phrase, "We don't want church as usual". Although this sentiment is often rooted in the sincere desire to encounter God in His nearness it actually does the opposite by setting God off at a distance from us in a way that eventually leads to weariness and disillusionment. I want to argue for a better way to talk about the presence of God in our midst and the ways in which the Spirit works in our lives for our own good, the good of our churches, and the good of our communities. 

Welcome to Upon This Rock where we have and host theologically rich and reflective conversations around Scripture, church culture, and current events. If you want to contribute your voice to the conversation by requesting a topic, asking a question, or challenging an idea you can go to the link below and leave me a digital voicemail and you may just hear your own voice on the next episode of the podcast as we keep the conversation going. So thanks for stopping by and let's get talking!