Last week Joshua Michael Smith began sharing his testimony from childhood to his college years when he changed his mind about Jesus’s identity. In part two he talks about cage stage unitarianism–where one seeks to confront everyone about this important truth regardless of their interested or antagonism. Smith shares how he matured while continuing to Read more about 559 Youth Ministry Matters (Joshua Michael Smith)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts It’s the holidays and many of us are seeing family members and coworkers and neighbors at parties. Sometimes the topic of Christianity comes up, and you may be having conversations about your beliefs. You may find yourself defending your belief in Jesus in general or even Read more about 526: The Role of Assumptions in Bible Conversations (Jeff Deuble)[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Have you ever read miracle stories in the bible and asked yourself, “I wonder if this happens today?” My guests today are Josh and Daisy Jones of the UK who share their testimonies of God intervening in and through their lives. Hear about Josh’s miraculous healing Read more about 517 Walking with God (Josh and Daisy Jones)[…]
Do you struggle with evangelism? Do you feel like you should tell others about the gospel and yet, you can’t seem to find a way to do that? If so, then this episode is for you. Part of our aim here at Restitutio is not just exploring the bible and church history to recover authentic Read more about 510 Hospitality Evangelism (Sean Finnegan)[…]
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)[…]
What is the gospel? No, I’m not talking about the biographies of Jesus or catchy music. I mean, what is the message of salvation that Jesus commissioned us to preach? Pastor Victor Gluckin of Living Faith Christian Church in Rhode Island masterfully explains what the gospel is and does. The gospel is not good advice Read more about 452 What Is the Gospel We Preach? (Victor Gluckin)[…]
In a world where self-identifying as a Christ-follower draws criticism, exclusion, and persecution, it’s important for us to remember the words of our Lord. He said we are salt and we are light. But, what does it mean to be salty and shining? In this message, my hope is that you’ll be challenged to stick Read more about 436 Salt and Light (Sean Finnegan)[…]
This is the last episode of our class, Why Christianity. We’ve covered so many different reasons why Christianity is attractive, makes sense, and is worthy of our attention. We’ve looked at scientific, logical, epistemological, social, psychological, and historical reasons for God’s existence, Christ’s resurrection, and the gospel’s effectiveness. Today, we consider three stories of changed Read more about 403 Why Christianity 16: Changed Lives (Sean Finnegan)[…]
We live in a challenging and draining time. The stock market is at a record high while many small businesses have closed permanently and those that remain are stymied by short staffing. Inflation is on the rise, supply shortages abound, and real-estate prices have skyrocketed. Additionally, societal problems continue to plague us from mass shootings Read more about Salt & Light[…]
One of the most enduring problems we have faced throughout human history is tribalism. From the Nazis to the Rwandan genocide, we’ve repeatedly seen the devastating results of group think and dehumanizing outsiders. Although some Christian groups have tragically fallen into this sin, we don’t have to. Christianity provides a better way. We can draw Read more about 399 Why Christianity 12: Inclusiveness (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timypaul Lupe came face to face with poverty, hunger, and even war. However, his relationship with God provided him with stability and strength through the hardest of times. In this interview, you’ll hear about what life was like in Africa, how Timypaul came to America as Read more about 383 Coming to America (Timypaul Lupe)[…]
Today in our fourth and final part of our series on postmodernism Pastor Jacob Ballard explains four key guidelines for cross-cultural ministry. Always change the language, but never change the message Exchange meta-narrative for personal narrative or community narrative Exchange certainty for humility, clues, hints, and mysteries Exchange absolutist morality for personal accountability and communal Read more about 373 Postmodernism 4: Cross-Cultural Conversations[…]
A woman driving on a bridge spots a man standing on the edge, getting ready to jump. Pulling over, she jumps out of the car and shouts, “Stop!” The man turns and says, “Why should I?” The lady asks, “Are you religious?” “Yes,” the man replies. “Me too. Are you Christian?” she asks. “Yes.” Walking Read more about The Power of Unity in a Polarized Time[…]
Although powerful preaching, serving the poor, and missionary work often take the lime light in Christian ministry, the truth is that home groups, churches, and especially denominations will fall to pieces without competent and consistent administrators. The job isn’t glitzy or glamorous and it is often beset with equal parts of tedium, stress, and failure, Read more about 359 Faithfully Serving the Church of God (David Krogh)[…]
We’re delving into a topic rife with controversy, polarization, and intense emotion. We’re asking the question, how should bible-based Christians respond to the Black Lives Matter movement. No doubt, some of you will answer that we should all be out marching in full support while others think BLM is itself racist and should be resisted. Read more about 358 A Christian Perspective on Black Lives Matter (Russell Brown)[…]
This is the sixth and final part of Joshua Anderson’s Announcing the Kingdom evangelism class. In this panel discussion Josh Anderson, Jerry Wierwille, and I discuss several issues before taking questions from the audience. Questions we cover include: How can we develop relationships with non-Christians? How should we handle rejection? What should we say when Read more about 320 Evangelism Panel Discussion (Josh Anderson, Jerry Wierwille, Sean Finnegan)[…]
We are living in an unprecedented time. As many of you know, I live in New York, the state with the most positive coronavirus cases in America. In my lifetime, I have never seen a disease spread like this all around the world. This pandemic is taking lives every day even if most of us Read more about 319 How To Get Better at Evangelism (Josh Anderson)[…]
This is part four of Joshua Anderson’s Announcing the Kingdom evangelism class. Francis of Assisi allegedly said, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” Sadly, many of us have taken this way of thinking as an excuse to remain silent. However, as Anderson points out, the scriptures specifically call us to open Read more about 318 Building Relational Credibility (Josh Anderson)[…]
This is part three of Joshua Anderson’s Announcing the Kingdom evangelism class. In the previous teaching we learned what evangelism is not as well as some ineffective methods to avoid. Today, we’ll hear about what evangelism is and one key to sharing your faith more effectively. Anderson also explains the history of how our culture Read more about 317 What Evangelism Is (Josh Anderson)[…]
Today we are gong to hear part two of Joshua Anderson’s Announcing the Kingdom evangelism class. His topic is “What Evangelism Is Not.” Evangelism is not forcing a decision, converting people, condemning people’s sins, or arguing endlessly. This material is critical for us to grasp so we don’t get frustrated or stuck in ineffective methods. Read more about 316 What Evangelism Is Not (Josh Anderson)[…]
How do you feel about evangelism? Do you have a heart for the lost? I know that for me, sharing my faith is pretty challenging, not because of a lack of commitment or a lack of knowledge, but because my culture makes it difficult. And that stinks, because I want to be faithful to Jesus Read more about 315 Why We Hate Evangelism and Why We Aren’t Doing It (Josh Anderson)[…]
Are you sold out for God? Would you move to a foreign land if he called to the mission field? Well, Stan and Pam Chee of Australia have done just that. In this interview, they share about their lives of service to God and Christ. They grew up in Australia but have been serving in Read more about 300 Christian Disciples with a Mission (Stan and Pam Chee)[…]
How did it become culturally rude to tell the others that Jesus is king? As Christians how do we show the gospel is not only plausible, but beautiful? How can we be more than faithful—but actually effective in evangelism? This seminar offers a theoretical framework that makes sense of why you probably hate evangelism and Read more about Evangelism Seminar[…]
This is part two of our series on God at Work in Kenya with a focus on Kingdom Life Ministries and Maurice Chahilu. In our last episode we saw how Maurice got started in his ministry. (If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go back and listen to it first). Today, we’ll hear about Read more about Interview 58 God at Work in Kenya 2 (Maurice Chahilu)[…]
God is doing something in Kenya and churches are forming and growing rapidly. Today we are beginning a series of shows on the work of Kingdom Life Ministries and the visionary who began the work there, Maurice Chahilu. A few weeks ago I went to Africa to visit Maurice and the churches he oversees. I Read more about Interview 57 God at Work in Kenya 1 (Maurice Chahilu)[…]
Driving off road in northwest Kenya is an exciting though challenging experience. The car bounces so much I’m afraid I’m going to hit my head on the ceiling. Once we even had to get out to lighten our little white Mazda so it could climb over boulders without scraping the bottom too much. In one Read more about Reflections on My Trip to Kenya[…]
In this lecture, you’ll learn what Jesus and the book of Acts have to say about conversion. From Jesus, we will examine his parable of the Sower with special focus on the good soil–those who hear the message, understand it, accept it, hold it fast, and bear fruit. Next we’ll work through all of the Read more about Theology 19 – Conversion[…]
What do you do when someone comes in who seems totally out of place? For example, if you see someone come into church for the first time and his hair is a mess or she is wearing a low-cut top, how do you respond? I can tell you my response. I embarrassed to say that Read more about Welcoming the Other[…]
Do not buy this book if you want to remain comfortable in your Christian walk! However, if you want fresh ideas on how to reach your neighbors in a post-Christian culture then Rosaria Butterfield’s The Gospel Comes with a House Key will change your life. In gripping prose, Butterfield lays bare her soul, providing an Read more about The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield[…]
Robin Todd has faithfully served as the director of the Worldwide Scattered Brethren Network for the last 10 years. He helps biblical unitarians find each other all over the United States as well as some other countries. In this interview, we talk about how he got started, what it takes to get on his list, Read more about Interview 41 The Scattered Brethren Network with Robin Todd[…]
In this concluding teaching of our apologetics conference, John Truitt gleans from Christ’s example key ways that we can imitate him in our own evangelistic efforts today. He begins by looking how Jesus was completely obedient to God and how he prepared himself (both in knowledge and experience). Next Truitt urges us to get moving, Read more about 148 Apologetics Conference: 6 Evangelism, Jesus’ Way (John Truitt)[…]
How do you know the difference between what’s right and wrong? Do morals have an absolute source or does society determine them? In this talk, Kenny Willenburg explains the classic moral argument as well as how we can use this approach to “turn the tables” when people object to Christianity on moral grounds. I’ve also Read more about 145 Apologetics Conference 3: Moral Argument (Kenny Willenburg)[…]
In the second presentation of this Apologetics Conference, we delve into a comparison of three major time periods: (1) the age of authority, (2) the age of reason, and (3) the age of authenticity. We look at how people practiced their faith in each as well as what criticisms apologists answered. For our post-modern time, Read more about 144 Apologetics Conference 2: A Strategy to Reach Our Postmodern World (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Today we are starting something new. I’m very excited to present to you in its entirety, the apologetics conference held in Paducah, KY last June. We’ve got a great line up of speakers for you including Jerry Wierwille, myself, Kenny Willenburg, Dale Tuggy, Kegan Chandler, and John Truitt. It was a wonderful time of meeting Read more about 143 Apologetics Conference 1: The Problem of Privatization (Jerry Wierwille)[…]
How much does truth matter to you? In particular, how should we think about Christians who hold very different views on key subjects? For example, I’m a biblical unitarian, someone who believes that we should take Jesus literally when he called his Father “the only true God.” Of course I believe Jesus is God’s only Read more about Interview 40: How Much Does Truth Matter? (Chuck Whitlock)[…]
Last weekend I participated in an apologetics conference at John and Lisa Truitts’ home in Paducah, Kentucky. It was a wonderful time of meeting people and working together to figure out ways of reaching the millennial generation with the gospel. As it turned out, a great majority of the presentations focused on understanding the post-modern Read more about 2018 Apologetics Conference[…]
Are you a missionary? Although we typically think of missionaries as those who travel to foreign lands to share the gospel with people, the simple fact is that we are all called to the work of sharing the gospel. Furthermore, as HeartCry Missionary Society points out, indigenous missionaries have huge advantages over foreign missionaries since Read more about 108 Indigenous Missionaries (Sean Finnegan)[…]
J. Dan and Sharon Gill are part of a growing movement of bible students who have concluded that the Father of Jesus is the only true God. They’re so passionate about this truth that in 2008, they launched their website, called Twenty-First Century Reformation (21stcr.org). To date they’ve received over 700,000 views on YouT ube, Read more about Interview 22: The 21st Century Reformation (J. Dan and Sharon Gill)[…]
What is the gospel of the kingdom of God? It’s not about Jesus dying for your sins or going to heaven when you die. In fact, Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom is not new at all; it’s the message the prophets of old proclaimed–that one day God was going to make everything wrong with the Read more about 98: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Kingdom of God 7)[…]
Sir Anthony Buzzard has led a fascinating life. He grew up in the Church of England in the 1930s and 40s. While at Oxford, he attended a “get saved” meeting and went forward. Next he joined Herbert Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God, but then left and studied with the Christadelphians, before joining the Church of Read more about Interview 21: Anthony Buzzard, Tireless Herald of Jesus’ Gospel and Creed[…]
Back in Interview 11, Joe Martin talked about how he was soon to step down from his leadership position at the Church of God (General Conference). In this episode, you’ll hear from Seth Ross, who has taken up the mantle and who casts his vision for the future. You’ll learn about his background, his twenty Read more about Interview 16: Church of God Vision (Seth Ross)[…]
Saint Patrick is one of the most courageous missionaries of Christian history. Although revelers mark his day with debauchery and drunkenness, he pursued holiness and risked his life to preach to the Irish barbarians. He held out to the ancient Irish tribes a promise of protection from their gods and demons, if only they would Read more about Podcast 76: The Real St. Patrick (Sean Finnegan)[…]
In this vintage message, Sir Anthony Buzzard makes the case that the gospel Jesus preached was about the kingdom. Although Jesus remains incredibly popular all around the world today, his message remains obscured even among many sincere followers. How can we call ourselves Christians if we are ignorant of Christ’s proclamation? The kingdom is not Read more about Podcast 71: What Good Is Jesus without His Gospel? (Anthony Buzzard)[…]
What is the gospel? Growing up, Jacob Rohrer heard about Jesus dying for his sins so he could go to heaven. However, he’s come to see that this way of thinking is not only wrong, but goes against what Jesus himself taught. Listen in to Rohrer as he explains the five elements of the gospel, Read more about Interview 12: Jacob Rohrer on the Gospel (Jacob Rohrer)[…]
We hear a particular narrative over and over: “Gay teen courageously comes out to Christian parents and faces consequences.” This is the hero’s journey of the early 21st century. From gay pride marches to hit songs to movies and TV shows, this story is ubiquitous in our culture. For example, I used to listen to Read more about Podcast 69: Teen Comes out as Christian to Gay Parents (Caleb Kaltenbach)[…]
Joe and Rebekah Martin have labored for twenty years in Africa to bring the gospel and humanitarian aid to some of the poorest people in the world. They minister primarily in Malawi and Mozambique, though the work in Kenya is now gaining traction as well. In this interview, you’ll hear how a single tract led Read more about Interview 10: Twenty Years of Missions in Africa (Joe and Rebekah Martin)[…]
What do you believe about hospitality? The scriptures lay out three major kinds: (1) hospitality to the saints; (2) hospitality to the needy; (3) hospitality to the unbeliever. As it turns out showing hospitality is an important Christian practice, even if it takes courage to invite others into our houses. In our present age, hospitality Read more about Podcast 46: Hospitality Challenge (Sean Finnegan)[…]
by Tim Keller What drives you? What is that one person or thing or dream that you couldn’t live without? What thing if you lost it, could mean that almost all significance and value would be drained out of your life? Whatever that thing is, the bible calls it an idol, a counterfeit god. Tim Read more about Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods (Tim Keller)[…]
This is part 1 of a series of posts called, “Identifying and Subverting Cultural Narratives.” Last week I learned how to surf at Jacksonville Beach in Florida. While I was in the ocean, I constantly battled the waves pushing me towards the beach and the undertow pulling me back towards the sea. However, it was Read more about Seeing the Filter[…]
by Victor Gluckin In this fantastic evangelism sermon, Victor Gluckin lays out a biblical case for why we should reach out and share our faith with others. His zeal is contagious, his reasoning cogent, and his passion inspiring. If you are anything like me, you need to be encouraged in this area of your Christian Read more about Podcast 24: Now Is Our Time To Speak (Victor Gluckin)[…]
This is part six of a series of posts called Habits of a Disciple. It was a warm sunny day when Sal, Jaired, and I went to Washington Park in Albany looking for someone to talk to about the gospel. It was Sal’s turn. He had watched me talk to some folks, but now he Read more about Habits of a Disciple: Evangelism[…]
I have already posted about how to invite someone to read the bible with you as well as what to do at your first meeting. In this post, I want to describe the COMA method for one-to-one bible reading. Whereas asking questions like “What struck you about the text?” or “What questions does this scripture Read more about Another Method for Reading the Bible with Someone[…]
In a previous post we looked at how to invite someone to read the bible one on one with you. What do you do at your first meeting? Before describing a typical meeting, I want to say a few words about setting up the meeting. First of all, you can’t ask someone to read the Read more about How to Read the Bible with Someone[…]
Have you ever thought of reading the bible with a non-Christian? The idea is simple yet profound. Do you have any friends, acquaintances, co-workers, or family members who are not yet believers, but that you think might agree to read the bible with you? Step one is figuring out whom you want to ask. Start Read more about How to Invite Someone to Read the Bible[…]
In reading David Helm’s excellent book, One to One Bible Reading, I came across the following statistic about how open young adults are to reading the bible with a friend: We asked a total of 1,000 twenty-something unchurched people (900 American, 100 Canadian), and we compared them to a sample of 500 older unchurched (which Read more about Young Adults Open to Reading the Bible with You[…]
Nathan Crowder fell asleep on November 24, 2015 in Sanford, Florida USA. He now awaits the resurrection in which he so passionately believed. In an effort to honor him, I have collected what works I have of his below: Christ–the Firstborn Head of the Universe (2007) Nathan Preaching to Strangers (2007) Evangelism Class (2008) TruthMatters Read more about Nathan Crowder’s Works[…]
Check out David Helm’s four-part, free, video course on reading the bible one to one here. The idea is a simple one. Find someone that you think might be interested and say to them, “Would you have any interest in reading the bible with me for a few weeks?” If they agree, then set a Read more about One to One Bible Reading Video Course[…]
Although, Tice’s book on evangelism leaves much to be desired, I found this quote sobering: When he sent his disciples out on their own for the first time to tell others about him, here’s how he described their mission: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” (Matthew 10 v 16) That’s what Jesus Read more about Rico Tice on Persecution and Evangelism 2[…]
“There may not be persecution, but we’re in a culture of growing hostility to Christianity. It’s not just apathy we face–it’s antipathy. Many people really don’t like the gospel. Sometimes they express that politely, sometimes not politely at all; but they don’t like it. This shouldn’t really surprise us. Think how incendiary much what we Read more about Rico Tice on Persecution and Evangelism[…]