Mina grew up in a poor village in South Korea in the 1950s. She faced many hardships due to her abusive alcoholic father who loaned her to another family to work as a servant. Although Mina escaped from that situation, she found herself in something much worse. She got entrapped by sex traffickers and forced Read more about 667. How God Healed Me from the Shame of Prostitution (Mina Hacker)[…]
Jeremy Martin is a complicated man. Although raised in a Christian home, he chose a different path. At eighteen years old, he embraced the party lifestyle of drinking alcohol and using drugs of various kinds. Before long, he found himself sucked into a criminal lifestyle, including an eight-year stretch where he earned his living from Read more about 666. I Quit Weed and Video Games to Serve God (Jeremy Martin)[…]
Greg Cheney grew up in Texas where he joined the Independent Fundamental Baptists. In his twenties, he felt a call to ministry, which resulted in ordination and serving in three Baptist churches. After an unpleasant five years in ministry, Cheney found himself in the corrections industry. At this point, with no remaining institutional ties, he Read more about 633. Baptist Pastor Finds Biblical God (Greg Cheney)[…]
Michael Temperato (aka Metaphysics Mike) shares about his journey of faith. He tells about his struggles with drug addiction, pornography, broken relationships, and even jail. After hitting rock bottom, he turned to God and has been on a quest to pursue truth wherever it leads. After getting the left foot of fellowship from a church Read more about 613. Who Is Metaphysics Mike? (Michael Temperato)[…]
Suicide is such a sad part of our world today. The latest stats from the CDC indicate someone dies of suicide every eleven minutes in the United States. 30 times more people attempt suicide than die from it annually. And a staggering 12.8 million seriously think about it. Sheila is one of these people who Read more about 602. Abused, Kidnapped, and Suicidal—Finding Hope After a Lifetime of Trauma (Sheila Kalpakidis)[…]
As we left things last time, Vaughn Madsen of New Zealand had been on a quest for biblical truth that resulted in repeated rejection from churches and Bible studies. Apart from his kids, Vaughn was alone. He met a couple of random people in street evangelism who agreed with him about Jesus, but that was Read more about 583 Not Alone Anymore (Vaughn Madsen)[…]
Vaughn Madsen was a simple kiwi farmer who subscribed to evangelical Christianity in New Zealand. No, he wasn’t farming kiwis. A kiwi is what you call someone from New Zealand. Anyhow, like I said, he was a devout member of his local church when he came across a presentation by Warren Prestige about the state Read more about 582 Kiwi Farmer Pursues Biblical Truth (Vaughn Madsen)[…]
Seneca Harbin became a Christian later in life through reading the Bible. However, when he was attending a megachurch in Indianapolis, he starting hearing the pastor preach about Christ in a way that seemed bizarre and unbiblical. To his surprise Seneca discovered that the vast majority of Christians held to these extra-biblical speculations about multiple Read more about 569 The Cost of Truth (Seneca Harbin)[…]
Joshua Michael Smith grew up in northern Florida in a Baptist church. In this interview he shares his journey of faith, including how came to Christ as well as how he ended up in ministry training at Word of Life before earning a bachelors at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. While there, he began questioning Read more about 558 Courageous Baptist Seeks Biblical Truth (Joshua Michael Smith)[…]
Something is going on in New Zealand…and I’m excited to tell you about it. In today’s interview I speak with Zach Mayo who along with his wife, Kayla, were serving as youth pastors at an evangelical church when they came to change their minds on the doctrine of the Trinity. Now they’re organizing a conference Read more about 554 Biblical Unitarian Christians in New Zealand (Zach Mayo)[…]
Kermit Zarley was a professional golfer who had an interest in studying the Bible about the end times when he came across a disturbing verse. Reading Jesus’s words in the Olivet Discourse, he noticed that only the Father knew the day and hour of the end. Neither the angels nor the son of God were Read more about 553 Pro Golfer Turned Christologist Tells All (Kermit Zarley)[…]
From her childhood in a Jewish family to a 7-year stint with the Jehovah’s Witnesses to attending evangelical churches, Susanne Lakin never felt comfortable with the doctrine of the Trinity. She signed up to attend Phoenix Seminary, a conservative evangelical school, thinking they would help her finally get to the bottom of it. She was Read more about 552 Seminary Convinced Me the Trinity Is Wrong (Susanne Lakin)[…]
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 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)[…]
Have you heard of the Integrity Syndicate? No, not a crime syndicate, the Integrity Syndicate–the online ministry of Theophilus Josiah, my guest today. Abused and neglected by his parents and raised in a California orphanage, Josiah met God in his youth resulting in a new course for his life. Through a series of providential events, Read more about 435-Holistic Biblical Unitarian Christianity (Theophilus Josiah)[…]
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)[…]
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)[…]
I love hearing people’s stories–especially people of faith. In this episode you’ll get to know Bob Jones, a professor at the Atlanta Bible College. He’s equally adept teaching chemistry or physics as he is Old Testament or Systematic Theology. Now in his seventies, Jones looks back on his life to see how God led him Read more about 360 The Making of an Old Testament Professor (Bob Jones)[…]
How much control should Christian groups exercise over their people? Should people be free to research and diverge from past ways of thinking? In this interview, I talk with William Barlow who grew up in the Way International, but ran into problems when he started suggesting changes to the administrators at the Way Corps leadership Read more about 313 Questioning Way International Doctrines (William Barlow)[…]
I’ve got a fascinating interview for you with Becket Cook. Now some of you may recognize his name from the interview I did with him two years ago (Interview 18). In that episode Cook shared his amazing testimony of how he went from a committed gay production set designer in Hollywood to experiencing God in Read more about 292 A Change of Affection (Becket Cook)[…]
Greg Deuble grew up in the Church of Christ in Australia, went to N.S.W. Bible College in Sydney, and spent fifteen years serving as a pastor and evangelist. One day he attended a meeting during which Anthony Buzzard challenged him on his belief in the deity of Christ. Rattled, Deuble began on a quest to reassess Read more about Interview 49 They Never Told Me This in Church (Greg Deuble)[…]
For more than a decade, Sam An has faithfully served as an administrator and teacher at the Korean Extension of the Atlanta Bible College. In this interview, you’ll learn about his own story of faith as well as what God is doing through his ministry to touch Koreans both in America and in South Korea. Read more about Interview 48 Korean Ministry (Sam An)[…]
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)[…]
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)[…]
Bill Schlegel, professor and cofounder of The Master’s University extension program in Israel (IBEX), was studying the phrase “Son of God” and came to understand the term did not correlate with the traditional “God the Son” teaching, but instead meant God’s heir, the king he has designated to rule the world. Although he had taught Read more about Interview 31: Master’s University Prof. Finds Son of God, Loses Job (Bill Schlegel)[…]
How do you deal with difficult people? Jesus teaches us that there’s nothing noteworthy about showing love to those who love us. Rather, he says we are to be like God who sends rain on the just and the wicked. He calls us to love annoying people, boring people, monopolizing people, vengeful people, shallow people, Read more about 131 Love without Limits (Victor Gluckin)[…]
John McCave has faithfully served God as a minister for 36 years. In this interview he shares his story of how God brought him from a hardened tough guy to a humble servant, motivated by love. McCave also shares key insights he’s gained along the way, especially with regard to his wife, Mary without whose Read more about Interview 29: God’s Faithful Minister (John McCave)[…]
Sid Hatch, a former Baptist minister and graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary explains his reasons for questioning the Trinity. Ultimately he concluded the bible does not teach that Jesus is “God the Son” but that he is “the Son of God.” In this presentation, he discusses various key texts including John 1.1 and Philippians 2.1-9 Read more about 109 Five Reasons I Changed my Mind about the Trinity (Sid Hatch)[…]
Sean Holbrook was attending a typical evangelical church when he heard a series of sermons teaching the Trinity. Ironically, these very messages, designed to bolster faith in the doctrine, ended up inspiring Holbrook to question the age old dogma. As a result, he set out to study the topic more and watched James White debates Read more about Interview 25: Studying the Trinity, Discovering God Is One (Sean Holbrook)[…]
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[…]
Nicholas Hlifka grew up as an atheist until a Christian teacher shared his faith with him in high school. While attending the State University of New York at Fredonia, he took a class with Dale Tuggy. When he found out that Tuggy was a biblical unitarian, he was immediately wary of such a heretical belief. Read more about 96: Nicholas Hlifka Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
After a bad divorce, Chad Hoffman became a Christian. He attended a number of different churches and something didn’t sit right at each. In 2006, he was diagnosed with a inoperable tumor on his brain stem. After some treatment it shrank and grew back. During this tumultuous time, he started considering what he believed about Read more about 95: Chad Hoffman Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
Steve and Phyllis Carouthers have attended many churches throughout their Christian journey. A couple of years ago Phyllis was researching the gifts of the spirit and came across an article on the Truth or Tradition website and saw that they were biblical unitarians. Initially she found this quite disturbing as she associated all unitarians with Read more about 94: Carouthers Family Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
Even though he grew up in the Calivinist Reformed tradition as a pastor’s kid, Jouke Elsinga was not sure he believed in God’s existence. After reading Frank Turek’s I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, he came to believe in God and started searching for apologetics. He came across my apologetics class on Read more about 93: Jouke Elsinga Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
Danny Tanner grew up in the Lutheran Church and later got heavily involved with the Brethren in Christ group. He’s served as a worship pastor, an associate pastor, and an executive pastor. Currently he’s involved in a church plant. Over the years he’s questioned his faith, but never let himself dive in deep enough to Read more about 92: Danny Tanner Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
While working in a casket factory as an upholsterer, one day Jeremy Bowders reflected on the fact that he would be in one eventually. He began asking the big questions about his life’s purpose. He began reading the bible and became a Christian. In the course of researching open theism, he read an article by Read more about 91: Jeremy Bowders Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
Having overcome his desire to remain in the background, Jonathen Favors boldly shared his testimony of coming to understand who God is. After a severe football injury, he had a lot of time to spend time with and think about God. While attending BIOLA University, he had learned that the title “Son of God” is Read more about 90: Jonathen Favors Faith Journey (2017 Theo. Conf.)[…]
Jackie Hill-Perry used to dress like a boy to go out and pick up girls. She ended up in a long-term relationship with another woman, but then she came to a sudden realization that she was living a lie. She’s completely changed her life and now embraces her femininity and even got married to a Read more about Podcast 81: My Life as a Stud (Jackie Hill-Perry)[…]
The Case for Christ, a classic apologetics book that provides evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, is now a movie! The film follows the lives of Lee and Leslie Strobel, a happily married non-religious couple in the Chicago area. One night out a restaurant, their daughter begins choking on something and nearly dies. However, at the last Read more about Case for Christ Movie Nails It[…]
Meet Becket Cook. He’s a very well-connected gay fashion set designer who has traveled the world, attended the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, etc., and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood’s A-list actors. One day he saw Christians reading their bibles in a trendy coffee shop in LA and engaged them in conversation. One of them invited Cook Read more about Interview 18: God Woos Fashion Set Designer from Gay Lifestyle (Becket Cook)[…]
Claudia Scott is one of the pillars of our church, a woman of faith who carries herself with dignity and poise. Growing up, she’s been an example to me of faithfulness and passion for God. Having only known her over the last twenty or so years, I was clueless about how much she had been Read more about Interview 15: Healing from Abuse and Abandonment (Claudia Scott)[…]
What do you believe about baptism? In this interview, I ask Ken LaPrade, a house church pastor in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, to share his baptism journey. Coming from a Way International background, LaPrade learned that spirit baptism had replaced water. As a result he had interpreted the water baptisms in Acts to Read more about Interview 14: Ken LaPrade’s Baptism Journey[…]
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)[…]
Dr. Joe Martin has taught at the Atlanta Bible College for over 25 years. He’s worked as an adjunct professor, full-time professor, academic dean, and the president. In this interview he talks about his favorite class to teach, his greatest challenge as a teacher, and his advice to those interested in going into ministry. He Read more about Interview 11: Joe Martin, Looking Back on His Service at the Atlanta Bible College[…]
Pastor Victor Gluckin of Living Faith Christian Church (Warwick, RI) shares about his journey of faith. He was Mr. Popularity in High School; everyone loved him. However, he was spiritually dead and lifted up with pride. His breaking point came when he left his small town and attended George Washington University in DC. He planned Read more about Podcast 66: What I’ve Been Saved From (Victor Gluckin)[…]
Kegan Chandler grew up as a bible-believing Christian in Texas. His grandfather, Pat E. Harrell, was a leader within Church of Christ who founded their Restoration Quarterly publication. As a result of his grandparents’ and parents’ passion for God, Chandler grew up in a family steeped in bible study and theological reflection. One day the Read more about Interview 8: A Restorationist Discovers the God of Jesus (Kegan Chandler)[…]
In this interview with philosopher Dr. Dale Tuggy, I ask him questions about his personal spiritual journey. Dr. Tuggy is an analytic philosopher who works on world religions and the doctrine of the Trinity. He’s a tenured professor of philosophy at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Furthermore, he runs a popular website Read more about Interview 6: Dale Tuggy’s Journey[…]
Last week I attended a youth camp in Indiana called FUEL. They assigned me the text on the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). As I pondered and prayed how I should approach this powerful parable, I sensed God wanted me to interweave my own story in with the prodigal. As a result, I decided to share Read more about Podcast 42: My Testimony (Sean Finnegan)[…]
by Joel Hemphill In this short but revealing testimony, famed southern gospel singer Joel Hemphill tells his journey from oneness to one. Growing up in the “Jesus only” movement, he preached and sung about Jesus as God until the Father began to show him the light. His transparent honesty comes through as he narrates of Read more about Podcast 14: My Story, His Glory (Joel Hemphill)[…]
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[…]
I had a great time at Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference last May. Here is a video of Pastor Jeremy Drake and the crew at Center Pointe Church and their story of coming to see that the Father is the only true God. Enjoy!
by Keith Daniel Hailing from South Africa, Keith Daniel is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard. His unmitigated passion and lived experience colors his biblical exposition in a way that urges the listener to be better for God. This sermon is not really a sermon but a biography of his father. In it Read more about Podcast 6: My Godly Father (Keith Daniel)[…]