Episode 468: Once more we turn out attention to the enigmatic text 1 Peter 3.18b-19 with an eye toward 4.6. I challenge the traditional view, offering a more consistent and coherent understanding of this tough text. Christ is risen, Christ is Lord, the angelic powers are subjected to Him, and this is good news for the church!
Category Archives: Podcast
Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits, pt. 1
Episode 467: 1 Peter 3.18b-19 can be an enigmatic mystery. The traditional view sees Jesus going to the hadean realm and preaching the gospel to dead people for a posthumous opportunity at salvation. In this episode, I cut through the fog, approaching the text linguistically and exegetically for something a bit more coherent and consistent.
Walter Scott on Election, pt.2
Episode 466: I continue to explore the development of the doctrine of election within the Restoration Movement by working through Walter Scott’s essays on election published in the Millennial Harbinger in 1829. Tune in as I takedown the arguments.
Walter Scott on Election, pt.1
Episode 465: As mentioned in the previous episode, development must have taken place with Alexander Campbell concerning the doctrine of election. Perusing the archives of the Millennial Harbinger, I found four (4) articles on the subject of election. However, they were not written by Campbell, but by Walter Scott, his right hand man. Nevertheless, Campbell & Scott were sympatico and Scott elucidated the doctrine of election as understood by the Restoration Movement in the late-1820s. After a brief recap of Campbell’s 1817 “Views” essay, I begin working through Scott’s essays on election.
Alexander Campbell on Election & Reprobation
Episode 464: In 1817 Alexander Campbell wrote a circular letter for the churches within the Red Stone Baptist Association. Surprisingly, it contains a high view of divine sovereignty in election and reprobation. Also, there is a denial of Arminianism, as well as an implied agreement with John Calvin. Tune in as I read from this letter and get a sense of Campbell’s view on these biblical doctrines.
Jim Palmer’s Fallacies
Episode 463: Ex-Christian Jim Palmer (not the baseball player) makes noise on social media. A couple of his lists came across my radar recently (14 Ways Christian Jesus Wrong, 15 Things the Misguided Religious Establishment Does Not Want You to Know). First, I demonstrate what is wrong with the one. Then, I demonstrate how he comes to the conclusions he does in that list. Finally, I expose the fundamental errors of deconversion through deconstruction as it relates to the Bible.
Free-Will According to Calvinism
Episode 462: I review Tracy Dugger’s article for Seeking the Old Paths, “Free-Will According to Calvinism.” I was hopeful for a definition (finally) of “free-will” within the framework of churches of Christ. Unfortunately, this article disappoints in several ways. Tune in as I work through the assumptions and shortcomings of this article while also providing an (Edwardsian) accounting of the will.
Alistair Begg’s Trans-Wedding Advice
Episode 461: Alistair Begg has come under fire in recent days because of comments he made wherein he advised a grandmother to attend her grandchild’s wedding to a transgender person. Naturally, this rankled the feathers of not a few Christians (which is good). In this episode, I give my take on Begg’s comments and review some of his remarks in response to his critics.
Psalms of Solomon, part 2
Episode 460: I continue to breakdown the Psalms of Solomon, unpacking what is in them. This episodes looks specifically at chs. 9-18 before concluding with comparison/contrast between the message of these psalms and the New Testament. What, if anything, do these 1st century B.C. poetic works have to do with the NT? Tune in as I conclude my research into the Psalms of Solomon.
Psalms of Solomon, part 1
Episode 459: The last script I was working on for the SwordPlay podcast was on the Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 poetic works sometimes found in Septuagint translations. What are these psalms? What is contained in them? Why were they “banned from the Bible”? In this episode, I begin to eliminate the mystique surrounding these psalms, explaining what they are, where they came from, and what is in them. They are not nearly as sensation as they might be made out to be.
Live from the Pulpit 