Vox Podcast With Mike Erre

Unified - Part Four: Earning the Right to be Heard. Today, Mike continues ‘church discipline’ via the Centered set (as first explored by Paul Hiebert, via Mark Baker). Jesus and Paul both make it clear that we must do more than simply avoid bounded practices, we must also confront and challenge them. Galatians, for example, is not a reaction to loose moral living but to bounded-church line drawing; Jesus repeatedly exposed and challenged bounded group religiosity. In challenging the bounded approach, we must attack the power of the paradigm rather than the people. We paint the picture of the possibility of being liberated from bounded ways. We seek to liberate people from a view of God that contributes to their bounded ways of judgment against others and themselves. If they see God as an accusing eye in the sky, then no amount of centered intervention will help. We must love extravagantly both through gracious embrace and concrete actions of accompaniment. We must embody centered values: relationship building

Unified - Part Three: Treating Symptoms & Roots. Mike continues with the concepts of ‘Bounded, Fuzzy & Centered’ sets (as first explored by Paul Hiebert, via Mark Baker) and how they pertain to Church Discipline and leaving behind the judgment of Bounded Churches. Critiquing a Bounded Church is not a critique of boundaries; boundaries are often healthy expressions of care - without limits children do not thrive. While boundaries are good things, a Bounded Church twists and misuses them. A Bounded Church is one whose identity is defined by the boundary line and who uses the boundary line to self-righteously divide the included from the excluded. Discipline in Bounded Churches: Focus is boundary. Not much grace for failure and the focus is on externals, not internals. Exclusion and Shame. Discipline in Fuzzy Churches: Avoid most judgment altogether (except for the people who do draw lines). Avoid making someone else feed bad. Discipline in Centered Churches: Deal with each case individually. Deal w

Unified - Part Two: If I Should Fall Behind. Today we broaden the conversation on unity and what it means to be ‘unified.’ Mike continues the concepts of ‘Bounded, Fuzzy & Centered’ sets (as first explored by Paul Hiebert, via Mark Baker), but furthers it to how they relate and manifest in the Church. Bounded churches: One’s status in relation to the boundary line is communicated in a variety of ways. “We don’t believe/do that”; silence and shunning. Even hearing how others are talked about (unstated lines are no less real!!!!) Fuzzy Churches: Whatever-ism – People refrain from confronting someone else in regard to hurtful actions, but rarely describe beliefs and action as inappropriate. Centered Churches: The center is Jesus; Jesus is the focus, not the boundary line. To whom does the person offer their worship or allegiance? Are you living in the new creation? Are you trusting God for your security rather than rituals? Which direction are you heading? As always, we encourage and would love discuss

Unified- Part 1: Lines and Erasers. This is the first episode in a longer conversation on 'Unity.' We have received many questions about how we can have unity with people we vehemently disagree with... Here, Mike and Tim first discuss how we define unity, or what it means to be unified. Then, Mike walks us through different "sets" we use (as first explored by Paul Hiebert, via Mark Baker). What is a 'Bounded Set,' and how do we relate to and understand that way of living? How has a 'Bounded Set' been realized in our churches and communities? The next is a 'Fuzzy Set.' How does this relate to 'Bounded?' How might we overcorrect from one and land in the other? Lastly, Mike walks us through the 'Centered Set.' How is this characterized? How might we restructure our communal dynamics to better embody this mindset? How does all of this relate to deconstruction and leaving the Church? There is so much to unpack here, hence the beginning of a longer conversation.  Mike also reads a few more listener 'deconstruc

A Conversation on the Death Penalty. Today, Mike and Tim are joined by new friend Renee Monzon. Renee is a public defender in Ohio who represents people on death row and is a part of our Voxology community. Along with her work in the law, Renee has a heart to educate, inform and tell people’s stories. What is the definition or heart of justice? How has this system fallen apart? Who is the most affected? Where does the Church lay historically within this conversation? Why? As a people who believe in the power of redemption, why are we so much more in favor of the Death Penalty? What can we do? What would Jesus have us do? It’s a tough and controversial topic, but one we need to be having. Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy, can be found HERE  Tim’s record of imprisoned men’s stories, Letters From Lancaster Prison, can be heard HERE  As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Fac

Can We Have Unity Amidst Opposing Ideologies? Dr. Gombis drops in to revisit a conversation on unity in the Church. We're one year removed from the events of January 6th at the Capital. As people within the Church continue to polarize, can we find unity with folks who have ideologies we radically disagree with? Are there two sides? What are we to do with doctrine or beliefs that have been made hollow? Where is the point to break communion? How are we to conduct ourselves within a polarized community? Are we to call out racism, misogyny and nationalism that uses the Lord's name in vain? It's a difficult topic. First, Mike and Tim respond to a few more emails of listeners experiences with Christmas being demonized. The Michael Heiser podcast episode on Christmas that was referenced is perhaps HERE  ‘Shoutin’ in the Fire,’ by Danté Stewart, the book referenced by Gombis, can be found HERE  As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hel

Santa, Satan and the Unforgivable Sin. Happy New Year! This episode, Mike and Tim read and discuss more listener deconstruction stories that have been emailed in. Many have reached out to tell their stories and others have responded that they've found hope hearing like minded folks who are struggling with similar things. Then, Mike and Tim answer some big questions: what is the 'Unforgivable Sin?!?' How is it framed? What is the context? Has it caused dread for others? How are we to interact with this piece of scripture (remember, Dan Kimball talked to us about not reading one verse by itself, out of context)? Then, a couple listeners wrote in asking about Tim's dislike of Christmas and his love of Halloween as well as whether or not Christmas is evil?!? Big topics, big convo. 0:00 - Seth Intro.  3:40 - Thank yous and Mike's booster delirium. Tim recaps crazy dog adoption story.  13:00 - Listener stories. 43:00 - Listener Question on the Unforgivable Sin. 50:18 - Mazzy Interruption. 58:00 - Lister Q

Focus on Jesus. This episode, Mike and Tim read listener emails discussing personal experiences with deconstruction. What are the common threads? What part of it is 'sexy?' Then, Mike takes us all on a journey with Mary, Jesus's mother. How can we relate to some of her story? Have we left Jesus behind at the temple? And for how long? As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Deconstructing Deconstruction: The End. Let's wrap this up, shall we? This episode, Mike presents six different categories that could be causes of someone deconstructing. Mike and Tim discuss how unhelpful it is to make a blanket “you’re deconstructing” condemnation of folks who could be found in any of these places. What are these different causes or places? How do we allow for journey and nuance in this? Is it more helpful to sit with someone in their doubt or questioning, rather than defining it for them? The six categories to consider, other than just Deconstruction: Disillusionment / Discipleship / De-conversion / Redefinition / Doubt / Disorientation. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This episode, Aimee Byrd calls in to discuss her book, “Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose.” Aimee shares about her journey in the church and what brought her to write the book. What inconsistencies did she find in the church? Where did the theology break down? How does she reconcile how she’s told to posture herself within the theology she was learning? How does the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” help to illustrate Aimee’s theme? What exactly is she challenging? 00:00 - Mike & Tim Discuss the file cabinets in their heads. 03:18 - Tim’s daughter Mazzy crashes the party. 06:16 - Mike and Tim read off the submitted names for Tim’s new segment regarding good things the church is doing. 21:08 - Aimee Byrd joins to discuss her book, “Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.” Aimee Byrd can be followed HERE and on TWITTER Her book can be found HERE “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins

Deconstructing Deconstruction. In what has become a miniseries of its own, today, Joshua Ryan Butler sits down with Mike and Tim to discuss his article for the Gospel Coalition on the causes and cures of deconstruction. How does Josh define deconstruction? Did he talk with anyone about their deconstruction while writing it? Who was the article written for and to serve what purpose? Has he himself ever deconstructed? This is a long chat but well worth the time. 00:00 - Mike’s son Nate sits down with Mike and Tim to discuss his lack of presence on the podcast. 08:49 - Tim kinda repents of his “Troubled Times,” and asks for help in naming a new segment that highlights the good things the Church is doing in the world. If you come across stories of the Church fulfilling it’s calling to serve the World, email them to hello@voxpodcast.com. 20:00 - Joshua Ryan Butler joins Mike and Tim to answer listener questions and broaden his thoughts on his article: “Four Causes of Deconstruction.” Josh can be followed on Twitte

Deconstructing With Friends & Family. This episode Mike and Tim interact with listener emails discussing different experiences and understandings of deconstruction. They also have a special guest: Mike's daughter Hannah! Hannah offers us a teenage perspective on what she is hopeful for and frustrated with. Also, Seth is back! It's friends and family day at Voxology. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

What Causes Deconstruction? In this episode, Mike and Tim respond to Joshua Ryan Butler's article for the Gospel Coalition called "4 Causes of Deconstruction." In the article, Butler lays out four different causes for deconstruction: 1. Church Hurt 2. Poor Teaching 3. Desire to Sin. 4. Street Cred. Each section is broken into a symptom and a cure, ie. "Poor Teaching" is cured by "Good Teaching." Is it wrong to deconstruct? Is it dangerous? Is it selfish? Can deconstruction be broken down this simply? Do we all fall into one of these categories when deconstructing our faith or culture? Is it all as simple as "symptom" and "cure?" If not, how are we to approach this all? As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Josh's article can be read HERE Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotif

The Limits of Church Unity. Gombis joins us this week to talk about Church unity. We discuss the article "THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IS BREAKING APART: Christians must reclaim Jesus from his church," by Peter Wehner in the Atlantic, which looks at the fragmentation of the Church and how we arrived here. For the most part we all see the brokenness of the Church on a macro level... what about on the micro level, within our own communities? How do we approach this topic? What duty do we have on both that macro and micro level? What does the Bible have to say? How do we un-disciple the last few hundred years that built this model? How do the "Powers & Principalities" play into the equation? Gombis is here to sort through the mess with us. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Pod

Understanding the Bible: Part Twelve. Interpretation. This is the end… for now. Today, we wrap up the series on understanding the Bible with a conversation about interpretation. So much of every aspect we’ve already covered ties into today’s conversation: Inerrancy. Genre. Context. Accommodation. How do we build the foundation necessary to begin a fresh pursuit of understanding? What role do we play own this divine conversation? Where do we begin with re-discipling? As always, the complexity of the text is on display and it’s asking us to wrestle with it, to marinate in its mystery and wonder at God’s intentional back and forth with all of us. It’s beautiful in all of its chaos and intricacy. You can find Richard Hays book HERE  As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podc

How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. This episode is a conversation we've been looking froward to for a long time. Dr. Beth Allison Barr stops by the podcast to discuss her book "The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth." Dr. Barr talks to us about her upbringing and how she came to challenge the traditional understanding of women's roles in the Bible and in the modern church. How has culture influenced translations? What does the Bible, Jesus and even Paul actually say about male headship and the role of women? What can we see when we dive into the history of it all? If the teachings and translations on this topic are inaccurate, how do we have them and why? It's a long and messy topic.  Dr. Barr can be found here: bethallisonbarr.com and on Twitter Her book can be purchased here: www.indiebound.org/book/9781587434709 Sign up for our newsletter to take the survey here: voxologypodcast.com As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursu

Knowing "God's Will" For My Life. Today we spend time talking about some oft used Christian rhetoric: What is God's will for my life? God gave me a 'word' for you... God told me... I've been called by God to do such and such... We've all heard them. We've wrestled with them. We've probably even said these phrases (Mike and Tim are both guilty). But what do they mean, being so rooted in our Christian lexicon. Where do these come from? Does God have a 'will' for us? Is it individual? Is it communal? How does Jesus speak about this? How does Paul? How are we to discern God's voice form our own? Is that even the right question?  This topic becomes very touchy as it is very rooted in our beliefs and decision making. How can we best build from here in a responsible and intentional way? What is it that God has actually called us to? And what role does wisdom play? As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage th

Understanding the Bible: Part Eleven - Inerrancy. Today, we're jumping back into our series on the Bible to discuss everyone's favorite buzzword: Inerrancy. What does it mean for something to be 'inerrant?' Where did the term come from? How do we qualify something to be inerrant? What are we to do with this in our pursuit of understanding the text? How does genre, context, interpretation etc. play into the inerrancy? How does the human  / divine dance play into this conversation? There is a lot to unpack in here... As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timoth

Midnight Mass. SPOILER ALERT! Today, we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Kaitlyn Schiess to discuss the Netflix show "Midnight Mass." Full SPOILER WARNING, we talk about the whole series. Midnight Mass is a horror show on Netflix that deals with some heavy theological ideas and has a heavy commentary on Christianity and religion. Kaitlyn, Mike and Tim dive in and pick at themes of grace, prayer, communion and more as revealed in the show. It's a fun conversation as we enter into the Halloween season. Have you watched? We'd love to hear your thoughts. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Kaitlyn can be followed here on Twitter The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Fa

Cruciform Church. Mike and Tim have a conversation on what it means for the church to be "cruciform." What does and embodiment of the cross, and Jesus's life before it look like? How are we to navigate the world and our communities?  To begin that conversation, both Mike and Tim react to recent criticism they've both received via email to previous episodes. Tim apologizes for using Woody Guthrie lyrics out of context and offers a bit of the larger conversation and Mike talks a little about 'right and wrong' theologies and whether or not one can take a firm stance on an issue or understanding of the text. How does time, reading, generational influence, intent etc. dictate or influence our reading? How should it? Can there be good readings or scholarship on differing sides of an issue? As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on here and Instagram. The Voxology Spotify channel can be f