Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand Read more about 572 Isaiah 9.6 Explained: A Theophoric Approach[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Today my guest is Thomas Gaston who’s book is called Dynamic Monarchianism: the Earliest Christology? Dr. Gaston earned his Ph. D. from Oxford University and this book one of the fruits of that labor. In this interview we talk about the earliest Dynamic Monarchians, including Ebionites Read more about 528 Dynamic Monarchianism: The Earliest Christology (Thomas Gaston)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts For centuries heresy hunters have labeled those who deny the pre-existence of Jesus “adoptionists.” This ancient category was based on the idea some Christian groups denied the virgin birth, thinking instead that Jesus became the son of God at his baptism when God adopted him. Modern Read more about 523 Rethinking Adoptionism (Jeremiah Coogan)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Ignatius of Antioch lived in the first generation of Christians after the apostles died during the late first and early second century. Modern day apologists regularly point to Ignatius’ letters to prove the antiquity of the deity of Christ and one-bishop church governance (monarchical episcopate). But Read more about 522 Problematizing Ignatius of Antioch’s Middle Recension (Nathan Massie)[…]
Let’s face it the New Testament probably calls Jesus God (or god) a couple of times and so do early Christian authors in the second century. However, no one offers much of an explanation for what they mean by the title. Did early Christians think Jesus was God because he represented Yahweh? Did they think Read more about 521 The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Philippians 2.6-11 has generated an immense amount of scholarly literature such as journal articles and monographs not to mention blog posts, video lectures, and podcasts. What does the enigmatic phrase “in the form of God” mean? Did Paul intend us to think Jesus refused to grasp Read more about 520 In the Form of a God (Andrew Perriman)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts My guest today is Dr. Andrew Perriman of London who will discuss his recent book In the Form of a God, which is part of the Studies in Early Christology series. (Read Perriman’s helpful summary of the book here.) The focus for our conversation is looking Read more about 519 No Pre-Existence in Paul? (Andrew Perriman)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts We’ve all heard plenty of stories of Trinitarians who begin questioning their received teaching and eventually become Unitarian. However, today, we’re bringing you a story that’s a little different. My guest is Rick Naviello who held a biblical unitarian view of Jesus for decades before attending Read more about 518 Tried to Believe in the Trinity (Rick Naviello)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Recently Tom Huszti interviewed me for his YouTube channel, the Unitarian Anabaptist. We talked about the importance of geography, archeology, and Greco-Roman history for interpreting the bible, especially the New Testament. Next we delved into early church history, starting with the earliest forms of Jewish Christianity Read more about 516 Sean Finnegan on Restoring Authentic Christianity (Tom Huszti)[…]
Although he’s one of the lesser known Christian authors of the fourth century, Aphrahat is extremely important for our understanding of early Persian Christianity prior to the advent of Islam in the region. Amazingly a full-length book of his survives, called The Demonstrations. In today’s interview I ask about Aphrahat’s beliefs in general and his Read more about 514 Aphrahat and Early Persian Christianity (Sam Tideman)[…]
The Key of Truth is a fascinating book, written by a sect of Armenian Unitarian Christians in the 1700s. Originally under Muslim rule, this group of Christians migrated to Russian-controlled Armenia in the nineteenth century. Sadly, they faced investigation, persecution, fines, and probably exile at the hands of the Armenian Church authorities. Although lost to Read more about 505 The Key of Truth: A Monument of Armenian Unitarianism[…]
This is part 22 of the Early Church History class. This episode aims to wrap up our early church history class. We’ll cover relics and pilgrimage, emperors Zeno and Justinian, as well as the theological battles that continued to rage in the 5th and 6th centuries. Unsurprisingly the christological controversy of the 5th century did Read more about 504 Early Church History 22: Byzantine Empire from Constantine to Justinian[…]
This is part 21 of the Early Church History class. In the fifth century Christians waged a theological civil war that ended in a massive church split. The issue was over the dual natures of Christ. How was he both divine and human? Did he have a human soul and a divine soul? Did his Read more about 503 Early Church History 21: The Dual Natures Controversy of the Fifth Century[…]
This is part 14 of the Early Church History class. We’ve been learning about the controversy over Christ’s origins in the last couple of episodes. This battle raged between groups of Christians who agreed that Jesus pre-existed for sixty years. But today we are taking a break from that and looking instead at the early Read more about 496 Early Church History 14: Paul of Samosata and Photinus of Sirmium[…]
This is part 13 of the Early Church History class. Between the year 325 and 381 titanic shifts occurred that changed Christianity forever. Rather than ending conflict and ushering in a golden era of lasting peace, Constantine’s Council of Nicea ignited a theological civil war within Christianity that raged for six more decades. In today’s Read more about 495 Early Church History 13: Trinity Controversy in the Fourth Century[…]
This is part 12 of the Early Church History class. Today we begin a two part series on the Christological controversies of the fourth century. Our focus for this episode is the conflict between Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and his presbyter, Arius. You may be surprised to learn that Arius was not some youthful outsider Read more about 494 Early Church History 12: Arius and Alexander of Alexandria[…]
This is part two of a two part series refuting the opening statement of a debate on the question “Is Jesus Yahweh?” This week Brand Duke and I are going to critique Samuel Nesan’s opening statement in his recent debate over the question, “Is Jesus Yahweh?” Nesan has a Master of Christian Studies at Seminari Read more about 492 Refuting Samuel Nesan’s Case That Jesus Is Yahweh[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part one of a two part series refuting the opening statement of a debate on the question “Is Jesus Yahweh?” This week and next week we are taking a little break from our Early Church History class to do discuss a recent debate about Read more about 491 Refuting Kyle Essary’s Case That Jesus Is Yahweh[…]
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[…]
This is part 5 of the Early Church History class. Have you heard of the Gnostics before? Gnostics of different types claimed to have secret knowledge of humanity’s true origins and destiny. They were intellectuals who combined the philosophical thinking of their day with Jewish and Christian scripture to produce a compelling alternative to biblical Read more about 485 Early Church History 5: Gnostics and Valentinians[…]
This is part 4 of the Early Church History class. Our focus for this episode is the collection of second-century Christian literature known as the Apostolic Fathers. In total, there are 11 authors in this collection, 9 of whom we will briefly cover today. You’ll learn about the earliest Christian documents outside the New Testament, Read more about 484 Early Church History 4: The Apostolic Fathers[…]
This is part 3 of the Early Church History class. Today we begin to look at the second century. We’ll start by considering Jewish Christian movements, including the Nazarenes and the Ebionites. Next we’ll shift gears and explore the cultural pressure of asceticism and how it began infiltrating Christianity. We’ll briefly survey the influence of Read more about 483 Early Church History 3: Christianity in the Second Century[…]
When COVID first broke out many endeavored to put their extra time to good use. Tom Huszti began listening to podcasts. He was intensely curious about theology. Huszti came to question several key beliefs he had imbibed as a lifelong Anabaptist, living in rural Ohio. Eventually he saw that the church’s God and the bible’s Read more about 478 Unitarian Anabaptist (Tom Huszti)[…]
Dr. Steven Nemes is an analytic philosopher and theologian who uses a phenomenological approach to reading scripture and constructing theology. In this interview I ask him about his unique approach to evaluating doctrine, especially the Trinity, from a phenomenological perspective. We also discuss restorationism as a common ground and delve into Church history extensively. In Read more about 477 Questioning the Trinity (Steven Nemes)[…]
Last week Dale Tuggy discussed William Lane Craig’s theory about the Trinity for an hour. In one sense this was a momentous occasion when two heavy-hitting philosophers got into the ring to duke it out. In another sense, the limited constraint of one hour barely gave either much time to warm up or process the Read more about 453 Dale Tuggy Comments on Debate with William Lane Craig[…]
Whereas last time we examined 6 interpretations people hold for Hebrews 1.10-12, today we look at just one–the 7th. Jerry Wierwille is my guest again and in this episode he explains his take on Hebrews 1.10-12. He delves into wisdom christology to show how these verses speak of Jesus protologically as wisdom that created the Read more about 451 Wisdom Christology in Hebrews 1.10-12 (Jerry Wierwille)[…]
In our last episode, Dr. Jerry Wierwille led us through a contextual overview of Hebrews 1 and 2 in order to situate Hebrews 1.10-12. Today, we’ll consider seven interpretations of Hebrews 1.10-12, including: Father as referent, doxology Jesus as creator of Genesis creation Jesus as creator of figurative heaven and earth (referring to people and Read more about 450 Seven Interpretive Options for Hebrews 1.10-12 (Jerry Wierwille)[…]
Hebrews 1.10-12 is a confusing passage for many of us. It seems to say that Jesus created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. Today we are beginning a three part series in which Dr. Jerry Wierwille will address this important passage in context. Our first part is Wierwille’s presentation from last year’s UCA Read more about 449 Intertextuality and Interpretation of Hebrews 1 (Jerry Wierwille)[…]
This is part 2 of the class, Son of David. Today our focus is on Jesus. What do terms like “son of God,” “Christ,” and “messiah” mean? How does Jesus fit into the promises God made to King David a millennium before his birth? Victor Gluckin answers these questions through copious texts from the New Read more about 430 Son of David 2: Jesus the Christ, Son of David, Son of God[…]
This is part 1 of the class, Son of David. Today we’re beginning a new class called “Son of David,” which explores the rich biblical parallels between Solomon and Jesus. Our teacher is Victor Gluckin, pastor of Living Faith Christian Church in Warwick, Rhode Island. Over more than two decades of friendship, I’ve been repeatedly Read more about 429 Son of David 1: Davidic Covenant (Victor Gluckin)[…]
Did you know that scholars who work on Jesus divide starkly into two major camps? On the one hand, the evangelicals do such great work on the existence of God, the historicity of the resurrection, and the reliability of Scripture. But, then they read the Gospels through the filter of their theological commitments, always coming Read more about 428 Looking for the Historical Jesus between Evangelical and Liberal Scholarship (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Is the Son equal with the Father or is he subordinate? Thinking Christians have struggled over the tension between the traditional doctrine of coequality between Father and Son, on the one hand, and the dozens upon dozens of scriptures that either imply our explicitly teach the Father’s supremacy over his Son. Two ways of solving Read more about 426 The Father Is Greater Than I: Exploring Biblical Subordination (Sean Finnegan)[…]
This is part 13 of the One God Over All class. What happened in the fourth century? You’ve probably heard all kinds of rumors about Arius of Alexandria and his newfangled heresy. But, was Arius really a sinful outsider who tried to corrupt Christianity? Was his idea of a Son with a beginning even new? Read more about 423 One God 13: The Fourth Century[…]
This is part 12 of the One God Over All class. If the entire bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that there is one supreme God who is over all and that Jesus is his subordinate son, then surely we should find evidence of this idea in the historical writings of Christians after the New Testament Read more about 422 One God 12: Early Church History[…]
This is part 10 of the One God Over All class. We’ve looked at Jesus’ identity as Messiah, his relationship to God throughout his ministry, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. Repeatedly we’ve asked the question, if Jesus is not the one God over all, then how should we interpret him? Today we delve into his Read more about 420 One God 10: Christ’s Exaltation & Priestly Service[…]
This is part 9 of the One God Over All class. If Jesus is not the one God over all, then how should we interpret his death and resurrection? How does his death pay for our sins? What does the resurrection tell us about Jesus? Unlike medieval Christianity that taught God the Son united himself Read more about 419 One God 9: Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection[…]
This is part 8 of the One God Over All class. Does the bible call Jesus God? If so, how many times? This seems like such a straightforward question, but it’s pretty hard to answer. We’ll examine three types of texts in which Jesus might be called God, including those with manuscript issues, translation issues, Read more about 418 One God 8: Jesus Called God?[…]
This is part 7 of the One God Over All class. In the bible we encounter a strange phenomenon. Sometimes beings other than Yahweh are called Gods. How can we square that with monotheism–the idea that the Father is the only true God? Although most Christians are aware that the bible calls Jesus God a Read more about 417 One God 7: Jesus, God’s Agent[…]
This is part 6 of the One God Over All class. The bible routinely recognizes the subordination of the Son to his Father. Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus repeatedly and unapologetically taught, “The Father is greater than I” (John 14.28). Further, after his exaltation, Jesus remains dependent on the Father as his superior (1 Read more about 416 One God 6: Jesus, God’s Subordinate Son[…]
This is part 5 of the One God Over All class. Last time we looked at what Jesus taught about God. Although this class is called “One God Over All,” it’s also important for us to talk about Jesus. If the Father alone is the one God over all, then what does that mean about Read more about 415 One God 5: Jesus, God’s Messiah[…]
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[…]
Nearly a year ago, I interviewed Pastor Jeff Deuble from Sydney, Australia about his journey of discovering the genuine Jesus of the first century. At the close of that interview, he mentioned that he had written a book that makes a case for his understanding of the biblical Christ. Well, I’m happy to say that Read more about 408 Christ before Creeds Book (Jeff Deuble)[…]
At the 2021 Greek & Hebrew for Life Conference, William Varner of The Master’s University asserted that one reason why New Testament scholars and students should care about and study the Apostolic Fathers is because they provide evidence for the Trinity prior to Nicea. He mentioned a professor, “one of our own,” who claimed the Read more about A Response to William Varner’s Claim that 2 Clement 1.1 Proves the Trinity Existed Prior to Nicea[…]
Sam who asked me not to use his last name for fear that he will get kicked out of his current church, tells his story of navigating evangelical Christianity as a biblical unitarian. He shares two sad stories of excommunication from a college ministry and a local church. As you might suspect, this harsh treatment Read more about 367 Excommunicated for My Beliefs (Sam)[…]
Pastor Jeff Deuble of the Churches of Christ in Sydney, Australia shares his journey to uncover the genuine Jesus from scripture alone. After his brother Greg challenged him to understand Christ from a Jewish perspective, Jeff set out on a quest, reading through all of scripture to see what it really said about the Messiah. Read more about 366 Who Was Christ before the Creeds? (Jeff Deuble)[…]
Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man more than any other title in the Gospels. Though this title was most familiar to Jesus, nevertheless it remains the most obscure to modern readers. Opinions vary on just what Jesus meant by calling himself the Son of Man. Some believe the title refers to an Read more about Jesus, the Son of Man[…]
Now I realize we are in the middle of our theology class, but I thought this would be a good time to take a quick break and put out my recent presentation from Restoration Fellowship’s 2019 Theological Conference, titled, “The Trinity before Nicea.” Next week we’ll get back to theology and build up a biblical Read more about 175 Did Christians Believe in the Trinity before 325 (Council of Nicea)?[…]
Although later Christianity interpreted the handful of texts that call Jesus God as evidence that he shared the same rank, substance, and age as the Father, a more Hebrew-sensitive reading of these same verses yields more organic fruit. Instead of bringing in complex Greek philosophy to distinguish person from being and divine from human natures, Read more about Theology 13 – Jesus, God’s Supreme Representative[…]
Last time we considered Jesus’ identity as God’s messiah. Today, we’ll look at a number of texts that are sometimes misunderstood to teach that Jesus is God. We’ll go through three classifications of verses: (1) those with manuscript issues, (2) those with translation issues, and (3) those with interpretation issues. Here is the breakdown. Manuscript Read more about Theology 12 – Challenging Jesus’ Humanity[…]
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[…]
Have you joined the Restitutio facebook group? The idea behind the group is that its a place where anyone can start topics for discussion. So, please join if you’d like to see what’s going on. What is the defining title for Jesus of Nazareth? Although he kept it mostly a secret during his ministry, Jesus’ Read more about Theology 11 – Jesus the Messiah[…]
In this presentation you’ll learn about the core creed of the bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, the Shema, and how that relates to the smattering of texts in which Jesus may be called “God.” If Yahweh alone is God then how can Jesus be God too? Are there two Gods or is Read more about 163 Jesus, God’s Agent[…]
We continue our refutation of Michael Brown’s opening statement by addressing a whole smattering of texts, including Isaiah 9.6, John 20.28, Colossians 2.9, 2 Peter 1.1, Romans 9.5, and 1 John 5.20. We explain and debunk Brown’s unusual singular verb argument from 1 Thess 3.13, 2 Thess 2.16-17, and Rev 22.3-4. We briefly touch upon Read more about 162 Refuting Michael Brown’s Case for the Trinity 4[…]
We continue our refutation of Michael Brown’s opening statement by addressing some alleged pre-existence texts in John 17.5, John 12.41, Philippians 2.6-11, and Matthew 23.37. (See previous episodes here.) Lastly we spend some considerable time working through Hebrews 1, giving special attention to verses 8 and 10. To help you follow along, here is the Read more about 161 Refuting Michael Brown’s Case for the Trinity 3[…]
Are you curious how Michael Brown thinks he did on the Trinity debate last weekend? In this post-debate interview I ask him about his strongest points as well as what he thought Dale Tuggy’s strongest points were. We talk about his reticence to use traditional trinitarian language in light of his own unique heritage and Read more about Interview 50 Michael Brown Post-Debate Review[…]
Last night Michael Brown (PhD NYU) and Dale Tuggy (PhD Brown U) debated the question, “Is the God of the Bible the Father Alone?” Tuggy affirmed while Brown denied. Both scholars recognize the inspiration and the authority of scripture over tradition. Both made an effort to found their beliefs using the bible, reason, and history. Read more about 158 Dale Tuggy vs. Michael Brown Debate: Is the God of the Bible the Father Alone?[…]
Have you heard of the Christian Disciples Church? They are a biblical unitarian group scattered throughout Asia primarily. In this episode Calvin Chan, who has been with the disciples since the beginning, will tell you the story of how this group got started as a student disciple movement. He also shares about how the founder, Read more about Interview 47 Christian Disciples Church and the Only True God (Calvin Chan)[…]
In parts one and two, we examined ten misunderstood verses in the Gospel of John. In part three, we’ll examine seven more texts from the rest of the bible: Genesis 1.26 Isaiah 9.6 Matthew 2.2 Matthew 28.9 Matthew 28.19 (cf. 2 Cor 13.14) Romans 9.5 Acts 20.28 Repeatedly, Bill Schlegel calls us back to understand Read more about Interview 45 Misunderstood Texts about Jesus 3 (Bill Schlegel)[…]
Born to Italian immigrants, Daniel Calcagno grew up in Canada, near Niagara Falls and attended a Pentecostal church. After he began taking his faith seriously, he started researching the Jewish people–especially those who believe in Jesus. Over time he founded Messianic Niagara, a local home group with a website that promoted audio teachings. However, Read more about Interview 34: From Pentecostal to Messianic Unitarian (Daniel Calcagno)[…]
Here is a short 30 minute explanation of Bill Schlegel’s understanding of what the phrase “son of God” means in the bible. He explains that this term has nothing to do with deity, but instead refers to the descendant of David whom God anoints as king. Rather than impose on scripture the philosophically freighted ideas Read more about Bill Schlegel’s “Son of God in the Bible”[…]