488 Early Church History 8: Origen of Alexandria

This is part 8 of the Early Church History class. Origen of Alexandria is the man behind the curtain. Although few Christians today would recognize his name, most denominations are still on a trajectory he initiated eighteen hundred years ago. His influences in theology, christology, eschatology, apologetics, textual criticism, asceticism, hermeneutics, and Christian philosophy are Read more about 488 Early Church History 8: Origen of Alexandria[…]

The Father Is Greater Than I: Exploring Biblical Subordination

This weekend I am presenting a paper on subordination: the idea that the Father is greater than the Son.  Although this notion may seem obvious to many of us, it is little discussed in mainstream Christianity.  I believe this angle may be the thin edge of the wedge to open up discussion on the Trinity Read more about The Father Is Greater Than I: Exploring Biblical Subordination[…]

The Trinity before Nicea

Did the earliest Christians of the first three hundred years believe in the Trinity? This presentation works through the most quoted texts to show that they should not be used as proof of teaching the Trinity before a.d 325. Scroll down to see my conference paper. For more podcasts and videos challenging the Trinity see: Read more about The Trinity before Nicea[…]

104 The Kingdom Is Too Jewish (Kingdom of God 13)

This is part three of a series of three lectures on why some Christians ended up rejecting the kingdom message in the first few centuries of Christianity.  In this part, I work through the major differences between how Jews and Greeks read scripture.  What we find is that the Christians who didn’t like the kingdom Read more about 104 The Kingdom Is Too Jewish (Kingdom of God 13)[…]

102 The Kingdom Is Too Crude (Kingdom of God 11)

Now that you’ve seen the historical defenders of the kingdom faith, it’s time to turn our attention to those who fought against it.  Over the next three lectures you’ll learn the main reasons why Christianity rejected the kingdom message of the bible and replaced it with going to heaven or hell at death.  First up, Read more about 102 The Kingdom Is Too Crude (Kingdom of God 11)[…]

Rejecting the Kingdom 3: Too Jewish

by Sean Finnegan Why do so nearly all Christians today believe that the people of God will spend eternity living in heaven with God? Although the bible clearly and in many places teaches just the opposite, one is hard-pressed to find any Christians who believe that God intends to fix the planet rather than evacuate Read more about Rejecting the Kingdom 3: Too Jewish[…]

Rejecting the Kingdom 1: Too Crude

Presented at the 2013 Theological Conference Sponsored by Restoration Fellowship by Sean Finnegan From the earliest days of Jesus’ Jewish apocalypticism to Augustine’s authoritative City of God, early Christians have held a variety of views about the final home of God’s people. Already in middle of the second century, Justin Martyr reports Christians held opposing Read more about Rejecting the Kingdom 1: Too Crude[…]