Continuing a mini-series on themes from early church history, we look at Jesus' prediction that Christians might be persecuted for believing in him and how that unfolded over the first few centuries of the church. We discover how the church emerged from periods of persecution as a changed institution. Was that a good thing?
We finish our conversation discussing whether the text of the New Testament is reliable by diving into some examples of accidental copying mistakes as well as more deliberate changes that a scribe might make when copying texts.
In this two-part episode we begin a conversation about the discipline of Textual Criticism and what it can tell us about the New Testament that we read today. Is it reliable? How strong is the evidence behind it? Can we ever know how close it is to the original?
We kick off a new 3 part series on aspects of church history and start by exploring the Christian practice of baptism from the early church, through the Middle Ages and beyond. How and why does it change over time, and does it matter?
Ever wondered what it was like to be part of one of the earliest Christian communities in the 1st century church? Follow along with a thought experiment attempting to place a 21st century consciousness into the body of a 1st century Christian! We explore the where, when, what and how of a Christian gathering around 65AD, which builds towards a conversation about which aspects of Christianity should be protected from change, and where we should be flexible.
The meaning of life is the stuff of song lyrics. But it's also the big question of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. At first reading the author of this book seems to be concluding that life is meaningless, but there's more than meets the eye, all of which leads (surprise!) to Jesus and his resurrection.
The book of Revelation closes with God's victory and it seems so violent. Will it be as warlike as the language sounds? And what could the wonderful imagery of New Jerusalem actually mean in reality?!
When Jesus said "I and the father are one", what was the context? Our discussions lead us to understand that the phrase shouldn't be a theological battleground but is part of an intensely profound and practical theme for the lives of believers in Jesus which weaves through all parts of the New Testament.
What should we make of the dragon, the beast of the sea and the beast of the earth in the book of Revelation? We uncover a subversive message for Christians in the 1st century and relevant for any age of history. And yes, we talk about the mark of the beast and the number 666 - finally!
We talk about practical ways of getting to know Jesus even though we only have written accounts in the Gospels to work with. Just as we change when we know and love someone really well, knowing Jesus should change us too.