Truth Matters

Between the Left Behind movie series, big selling apocalyptic books, and end-of-the-world Christian radio pundits, the Christian notion of the rapture has become fantastically popular. No one would guess that this upstart doctrine is only 179 years old. Now that may seem like an antique to some, but in light of the fact that church history spans twenty centuries, a 19th century doctrine is a spring chicken. But, just because the idea that Christ will come to rapture the church to heaven for seven years is young, does that automatically make it wrong? Of course not. Ultimately, as Christians, the Bible is our source for making such determinations, though we would have to admit that any doctrine that eluded the church for eighteen centuries should be subjected to the most rigorous testing. Author and speaker, Delroy Gayle of London is our guide to discuss the history and biblical support for the pre-tribulation rapture. He has done his homework, and confidently explains where the idea came from, why it is incorrect, and what we should believe instead. Tune in to this show and you too will become equipped with what you need to know in order to distinguish between the hype and the truth.

Matt Elton is a senior at Glens Falls high school in upstate New York and he has recently been accepted into Messiah College in Pennsylvania. He intends to major in communications and concentrate in film and digital media. He attends Living Hope Community Church and is the co-founder of Plasma Productions, a Christian videography studio, which has produced several short documentaries and promos for Living Hope. Their latest video addresses the greed that is at the root of the current economic crisis. This show focused on Matt's high school experience with Christianity. Today's schools emphasize tolerance and pluralism in an effort to provide an atmosphere that is non-sectarian and peaceful. However, in Matt's experience, this thinking has produced a religious climate which really just favors agnosticism while looking down on anyone who has firm convictions in anything. In our discussion, we address the issues of timidity and its polar opposite--coercion--in order to find the biblical balance between standing up for our faith without stepping on others.

Greg Deuble was born in Queensland, Australia. He graduated from the Churches of Christ N.S.W. Bible College in Sydney and had pastoral ministries in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Greg has conducted many evangelistic meetings in a wide variety of settings in all of the Australian states except Western Australia. As he searched the Scriptures he became increasingly convinced that the gospel he and others were preaching didn't sound like what Jesus preached in the Gospels. As a result, he embarked on a journey that led him to peer under every doctrinal stone and repeatedly carry out the Berean exercise in order to discover the truth. In this episode we focus on what one needs to believe in order to become saved. Is the gospel solely a matter of believing in Jesus' death for our sins? Is it solely about God's dream to redeem the whole world when his Son returns? Greg shares with us what he has discovered in this inspiring and biblical conversation, or as he would put it, "chin wag."

Mary Ann Yaconis has a Bachelor's in education from Indiana University of PA, a Master of Science degree from the University of Maryland in Family Counseling, a Master of Arts degree from Regent University in Counseling, and she is currently a Ph.D candidate in Pastoral Counseling at Loyola College in Maryland. She was a high school teacher for many years in Fairfax County, Virginia, and now volunteers at Living Hope Community Church as a licensed mental health counselor. Mary Ann tells her story of how different beliefs about salvation affected her relationship with God throughout her life. She started out with a fairly typical "churchianity" background where she and her husband participated in the church a lot but didn't really experience God in a profound way. Then, she joined another group in which she was taught the doctrine of permanent unconditional salvation. During this time she grew a lot regarding faith and walking with God, but her conscience kept pestering her about her sin. Even though the leadership kept telling her that she was saved no matter what, and that all she had to do was ask for forgiveness, she couldn't help feeling distant from God. Then, by God's grace, she learned about repentance--that sin was not to be forgiven alone but that corresponding life-change was necessary. As time went on she found herself moving steadily closer to God as she partnered with him to overcome sins one at a time. Since then, Mary Ann has been very active in counseling ministry and she shares some deep insights into the barriers we erect between ourselves and God.

Rev. Vince Finnegan is not only the founding minister of Living Hope Community Church, but he is also my father. We had an engaging Bible conversation on the subject of salvation. Out of all the programs on this show, I think this one is the most densely packed with Scripture. Text after text was discussed in order to debunk the myth of unconditional salvation and instead share the biblical idea of salvation by grace through faith that expresses itself in obedience. Furthermore, the theme of perseverance featured in our dialog. Listen in as we discuss "The Grace Trap" in this ongoing series on salvation.

Rev. Bob Mathieson has been serving as the pastor of a congregation in Newark, Delaware for the last twenty years. When he was in his twenties he first accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and learned theology from an ultra-dispensationalist perspective. As a result, for the first thirty years of his Christian experience, Bob believed and held firmly to the doctrine called, "once saved, always saved." However, in the last four years or so, Bob has been researching the topic of dispensationalism and salvation and has come to a better understanding. Throughout this conversation, Bob not only shows the errors of dispensational theology, but he also lays in its place the foundation for a holistic view of Scripture. In our discussion on the possibility of someone losing his or her salvation, Bob remarked: "Many people are concerned about this, and I understand their concern initially, because they have made themselves feel good about the fact they could never lose it--it scares them. Someone says, "Are you telling me I can lose my salvation?" My response to that is, "That's the wrong way to put it. You lose your car keys; you don't lose your salvation. You forfeit your salvation; you walk away from your salvation. You don't lose it. It not something where you are going to be surprised. This is a deliberate saying, "I'm going to do what I want to do with my life, I'm not going to continue to make Jesus Lord, and I'm going to continue on in some kind of sinful way." The only thing left then, is a fiery judgment that God will judge." Listen in to hear a masterful and balanced presentation of a subject that in the hands of less skilled exegetes has crumbled into either "easy believism" or "works salvation." Is their a third option? Tune in to find out.

Jason Benedict grew up in the church but went through a period of rebellion all too common among those in college. Then after he observed a massive life-change in his brother, which included some convicting preaching as well, Jason chose to repent and accept the forgiveness available through Jesus Christ. But, his story doesn't end there, from that time he embarked on an extremely zealous quest to earn God's love which eventually led to burnout and despair. Even so, God did not leave him there, but sent a messenger, Jason's cousin, to share truths about Jesus which opened Jason's eyes and brought his relationship with God to the next level--where he could accept God's love without feeling a need to work for it. Through his story Jason Benedict talks about how his perception of salvation shifted from one side to the other and what the biblical balance is between grace and responsibility. Listen in to this lively conversation as we embark on a series of shows to address the critical subject of salvation. Jason pastored a home church for a number of years and now contributes at Living Hope Community Church as one of the teachers for our Biblical Education Classes.

Dr. John Roller has served as an interdenominational youth evangelist, as a pastor of churches in Illinois, Florida, and West Virginia. He has a Ph.D. from Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, Alabama, where he specialized in tracing the early christian history on the afterlife and the doctrine of hell. Dr. Roller has written an e-book, The Doctrine of Immortality in the Early Church, which is available for free upon request by emailing him (johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com). More information about John Roller can be found at www.JohnRoller.com. In this show John articulates with lucidity the shift from the biblical notion of annihilation to the pagan mythology of eternal torment. From the earliest days Christians believed that at death one was asleep until the resurrection when Jesus returned to establish his kingdom. Only then would hell exist as a means by which God would destroy the wicked and rebellious. However, through the late second century influence of Athenagoras of Athens, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian of Carthage, the hell doctrine combined withe the Greek philosophic idea that souls are immortal into the grotesque abomination that is so popular today. Join us as we delve into the history of hell to document the remarkable shift that occurred in the second century.

Rev. John Cortright brings thirty years of biblical teaching experience to bear on the critical subject of hell. Most Christians believe that hell is the place that one goes to immediately at death if he or she is unsaved. In hell a person is supposedly tormented without relief, not for ten, twenty, or thirty years, nor even for a million years, but for all of eternity. This grotesque mythology has grown out of exaggerations by people like Dante whose imaginations, no doubt, got the better of their exegetical powers. John demonstrates from the Scriptures that the dead are in Sheol (also called Hades) where they are unconscious ("asleep") until Jesus comes to resurrect. Even so, after the millennial rule, a great white throne will be set up and the final judgment will occur. At this time everyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire (gehenna) to be burned to death. John shows that the idea of gehenna (the word translated hell in the New Testament) came from an actual place--the Valley of Hinnom. What's more, John has actually been there--to the Valley of Hinnom--in modern day Israel and he describes it with chilling detail. Furthermore, John shares what took place there historically so that it became the prototypical way of talking about God's fiery judgment to be delivered in the last day. If you have ever questioned the typical view of hell, and have been at a loss to reconcile the belief that God will torture people forever with the notion that "God is love," then this show would be well worth your time.

Pastor Steve Taylor has extensive ministry experience, having served as the pastor of churches in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia prior to moving to Arizona. Over the past thirty years of his ministerial career he has had a lot of time to research Bible topics including Heaven. Steve shares with us a truth that many are coming to realize: that at death Christians are unconscious until the resurrection when Jesus returns to establish God's kingdom on the earth. Steve draws not only from decades of Bible study, but also from his vast experience in ministry as he has counseled with those who have lost loved ones. Listen in to hear what the Bible really says about the afterlife.

Daniel Fitzsimmons is currently a senior at the University of Albany where he studies investigative journalism with a concentration on international relations. Dan shares about what it means to live out the kingdom lifestyle in a college environment. When I asked him, "How does the kingdom affect your lifestyle?" he replied, "It doesn't affect any part of your life, it is your life. Everything is different." Throughout the course of our discussion Dan was courageously transparent in sharing his own past experiences with the college lifestyle and how God has helped him to realize that following Jesus needs to be taken as a serious priority. Furthermore, Dan makes an emotional appeal to those who grew up Christian but now rationalize their belligerent rebellion by saying, "I have time to change; God will forgive me." A primary theme that resurfaced several times was how being a kingdom citizen should affect how we live here and now, even before Jesus returns to establish God's kingdom on earth. Listen in to this show to hear not only a stimulating theological discussion but also how belief in the kingdom can affect our daily lives in radical ways.

Sir Anthony Buzzard was born in Surrey, England and educated at Oxford University and later at Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago. He holds Master's degrees in both languages and theology. He came to the USA with his wife and daughters in 1981 and has taught Bible at Atlanta Bible College since then. He has a number of books including The Coming Kingdom of the Messiah and Our Fathers Who Aren't in Heaven. The gospel preached in churches usually only includes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. However, Jesus never even mentioned his death and resurrection until the 16th chapter of Matthew, yet he and his disciples were out preaching the gospel tirelessly prior to this. So, if the original gospel did not include the information about Jesus' death for our sins, then what was he preaching about? Sir Anthony Buzzard shares from his vast biblical knowledge to help us uncover the missing foundation of the Christian gospel--the kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus (like John the Baptist) was a kingdom gospel preacher. Then after he died and was raised, this new information was added onto the existing gospel of the kingdom. Sadly, in modern Christianity, there is an endemic tendency to jettison the foundation of the gospel by solely focusing on Jesus' death for our sins. Thus, we are left with a gutted gospel. Listen in as we probe the Scriptures (and the Gospels in particular) to sort out the whole saving gospel. If you would like to contact Sir Anthony Buzzard, you can email him at this address: anthonybuzzard@mindspring.com

Dustin Smith has his Bachelor's in Theology and is currently working towards his Master's of Theological Studies at Bethel College in Misahwaka, Indianna. Currently, he serves as the pastor of Timberland Bible Church in South Bend, Indianna (the home of Notre Dame). In this show Dustin explains several verses that are typically used to contradict the idea that the kingdom of God is a future, political, realm to be established on earth at the second coming of Jesus the Messiah. First, Dustin summarizes what the kingdom is, and then I ask him to explain several key texts. Throughout our conversation, Dustin repeatedly emphasizes that the kingdom should not be understood as solely future nor should it be "spiritualized" into a personal experience, rather the kingdom is something yet future even though it was somehow present in Jesus' ministry through his gospel proclamation, teachings, miracles, and deeds. Throughout this show the following texts are explained in detail: [1] Matthew 12.28; [2] Luke 17.21; [3] John 18.36; Furthermore, Dustin answers why should we even be concerned about what the kingdom of God means. The show concludes with a discussion of how we as ambassadors of the kingdom are meant to bring forth signs of the kingdom in order to testify to God's magnificent plans for the future of his creation. We are God's restorative agents to give people a foretaste of the kingdom by reaching out to everyone with cross-shaped love, truth, justice, and forgiveness.

Victor Gluckin expertly navigates through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation stopping at critical points along the way in order to elucidate the primary theme of all Scripture: the kingdom of God. Victor has a B.A. from the University at Albany (SUNY) in history and Judaic studies. He also attended Atlanta Bible College where he studied theology. Now he serves as one of the pastors at Living Faith Christian Church in Warwick, RI. Victor talks about the twin pillars of the Old Testament without which one is sure to lose his way while journeying through the pages of Scripture--the promises made to Abraham and David. To Abraham, God swore that his descendants would receive the land. To David, God made a covenant, that one of his lineage would sit upon the throne and rule forever. These two grand promises converge when one arrives at the first verse of the New Testament--Matthew 1.1. Jesus the Messiah is descended from Abraham and David and is God's chosen one to ruler over the land, which he calls "the kingdom of God." Listen to this podcast to discover the missing link which joins together both Old and New Testaments, both the prophets and Jesus, both the messianic Psalms and the epistles into one coherent whole, one grand narrative of paradise lost and how God through the course of redemptive history plans to at last make everything wrong with the world right.

This inaugural show divides roughly into two sections. The first part Richard Wilkinson talks about why biblical truth is important by telling his story of conversion. While at medical school in Scotland he was educated in chaos and despair and found himself at the end of his rope. Then he took drastic action--he moved to the USA to be near a Christian community. Even then, it would take several years before God finally got his attention and incontrovertibly revealed himself so that Richard found himself unmistakably transformed. This testimony serves as the background to our discussion about biblical truth. The second half of the show taps into Richard's forensic science background to give some insight into how one can investigate competing biblical interpretations. Since he is studying forensic science at the University of Albany (SUNY), he is able to bring a unique perspective to sniffing out deception and exonerating truth. Listen in as we discuss how to discern biblical doctrine from deception.