Renewtheology

The prophecies in Daniel 7 & 8 have been discussed and debated for hundreds of years. Some parts of these prophecies are widely agreed upon (those which refer to ancient empires), while others are disputed—mainly because many people connect these others to the end times. In today's episode, we walk through the most common interpretations of these passages and give you an overview of the widely-held beliefs.

If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile, you've probably heard us talk about the importance of studying the Old Testament—whether it was casually mentioned in an episode or during our 3-part series on the Old Testament. Either way, we're big proponents of studying the Old Testament! On today's episode, we have a conversation with Joe Hall, a leader in our local church, to discuss why and how we should study the Old Testament.

We revisit Catholic theology in today's episode, specifically discussing their beliefs about Mary (Mariology) and the saints. We explain how the Catholic Church views Mary's place compared to Jesus', what the deal is with patron saints, and why we as Protestants disagree with these beliefs.

On this week's episode of the podcast, we discuss the ins and outs of two popular atonement theories: penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) and Christus victor (Christ the conqueror). Which of these two views is the most biblical is a topic that has been debated for the last several decades, and we've seen both beliefs held in extreme ways. Which is most correct? Join us as we discuss the strengths & weaknesses of each view.

We have a double feature for you this week! We share about the lives of two early church fathers who lived in the second century AD: Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Justin Martyr is often referred to as the first Christian philosopher, and his follower Irenaeus is known for his defence of Christianity against the threat of Gnostic heresies. Tune in to hear more about these men of God and what they contributed to the Christian Church.Reminder: we will be posting episodes every other week for the months of June & July. This allows us to still bring you great content while getting a summer break. We'll be back to our weekly release schedule in September!

With some things, it's easy to see the black & white. But as believers, we are called to not only stand up for truth, but be wise and discerning in the "grey areas"—things that aren't so clear. How do we navigate these secondary issues with wisdom & love? Tune in as we discuss three "grey areas" and how we can give each other freedom in Christ with these issues.

Last week, we discussed the fact that the Bible was written by and for ancient Eastern cultures and how Western cultures often miss this when studying the Bible. Today, we're continuing our conversation with Bob Beasley of the Bible League of Canada as he offers insight into how we can interpret the Bible through an Eastern lens.

A blind spot for many Christians in North America is the fact that the Bible was written by and for ancient Eastern cultures. Bob Beasley of the Bible League of Canada joins us to discuss common passages that are misinterpreted or passed over when we approach them from a modern Western perspective.

In terms of a Christian worldview of how the world came to be, there are two distinct camps: those who believe the world was created literally according to the Genesis account and those who believe a more liberal view is required. Today, we go into detail and discuss the differences between these two views, as well as their shortcomings.

This week, we dive into the spiritual realm of angels and demons. We discuss what the Bible says about both angels and demons, what we do (and don't) know about them, and how they affect our lives as believers. Join us as we learn all about the heavenly host!

We're picking up where we left off last week and talking about how we ended up with the New Testament canon. We discuss why the New Testament manuscripts are more reliable than those of Plato & Aristotle, what the Council of Nicea was all about, and why some "gospels" were rejected from the canon of Scripture. Tune in to hear more!

Have you ever wondered if we have the right books in the Old Testament, or how we know they're reliable? Despite numerous challenges to the validity of the Hebrew Scriptures, we have solid grounds for the Old Testament canon. Tune in to hear all about how the Old Testament came to be!

We have another "heroes of the faith" episode for you! This week's spiritual giant is none other than C. S. Lewis. He is perhaps best known for his children's novel series The Chronicles of Narnia, but he was also an atheist-turned-Christian, an intellectual, a university professor, a husband, and a stepfather. Join us as we tell the story of C. S. Lewis.

Happy Thursday, friends! Open theism is a concept you maybe haven't heard of before, but it's becoming a popular belief in progressive Christian circles. In a nutshell, it's the idea that God doesn't know the future of all things, but rather only all of the different possible futures; what we will choose is unknown by Him. You may already see some problems with this, but go ahead and tune in to hear our breakdown of this belief and why it's a dangerous idea.

A couple weeks ago, we saw a Facebook post by a Florida ministry leader advocating that the coronavirus pandemic, along with Bob Jones' prophecy regarding the Kansas City Chiefs' recent Superbowl win, was a sign of spiritual revival and possibly the end times. This weirded us out, so we investigated. Does COVID-19 carry futuristic significance? And what's the Superbowl prophecy all about? We answer these questions and more in today's episode.

We break down the different views of Christian eschatology (the study of the end times). No need to panic: join us for an explanation of premillennialism, amillennialism, the rapture, and what Jesus Himself had to say about the end times.

Covenant theology says that the Church replaced Israel as God's chosen people, while dispensational theology says that Israel is still God's chosen people and will continue to be. Is one more right than the other? Each of these views are quite nuanced, so we did the research for you and packaged it together in this episode. Tune in to learn all about these two perspectives!

We go through the Bible and talk about the concept of tithing (or giving a tenth). Was Abraham commanded to give a tenth? Why did the Israelites have to tithe? And perhaps more importantly, what are we supposed to be giving now, as 21st-century believers? We answer all these questions and more on today's episode!

This episode marks our 50th episode of Thrive Theology! Have you ever wondered why some churches baptize babies and others do immersion baptism? We did the research for you! Join us as we discuss the theological differences between paedo- (infant) and credo- (believer's) baptism.

This episode is a bit more casual than most. Last week, someone posted on Instagram saying that female teachers should be teaching other women how to love their husbands & children, since it's our greatest calling as women. We take issue with this claim and examine the famous Titus 2:3 - 5 passage many Christian circles hold to as being the authority on a woman's role in the church and home. Join us as we explore different angles of this issue.