Bible Study Podcast

In today’s Bible study we discuss what context means, why context is so important, and how to actually consider the context of a passage when studying the Bible. We also discuss the lens through which every passage of the Bible should be read. We hope you enjoy this Bible study. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

In today’s Bible study, we discuss what the New Testament says about singing and why many choose to sing a cappella in the worship assembly. But even more important than “how” we sing, we explore the biblical reasons for “why” we sing. We hope you enjoy this Bible study. This Bible Study was prompted by a message we received from a listener named Chelsea, who wrote: “I enjoyed listening to your podcast on rethinking our reasons behind why we don’t use instruments in worship. I had actually been wrestling with the traditional explanations of why we don’t, but at the same time remaining convicted that we shouldn’t use them in worship. Would you mind to do a follow up episode explaining why you believe we should sing Acappella in our services? Thank you for all you do through Radically Christian!” If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s Bible study revolves around the issues of justice, racial reconciliation, mercy, and forgiveness. These topics have been top of mind lately after the recent shooting of Botham Jean and the trial of former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger.  How should Christians think and talk about issues such as this? Should we stay silent? Should we speak out? Should we seek justice? Should we seek mercy? What does the Bible say? Wes and Travis are also joined by special guest, Rosalyn Miller. Rosalyn serves as one of the Children’s Education Directors at the church of Christ on McDermott Road and graciously shared her perspective on Botham’s death, the trial of Amber Guyger, and the Christian response. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript There is no transcript for this particular episode at this time.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s Bible Study revolves around an excellent question that was posted in the Radically Christian Facebook community. The question was, “Does the Holy Spirit speak to believers? I am being told by our brethren that the Holy Spirit was only for the apostles and only until the Word was complete. I am having difficulty understanding this. Please help me as I continue to read the Word and prayerfully seek to understand.” Does the Holy Spirit speak to people? Is “speaking” the best way to think about the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives? Listen as Travis and Wes discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s Bible study will dig deep on the word, “Gospel.” We talk about Gospel preaching, Gospel singers, the four Gospels, but what does this word “Gospel” actually mean? Is it about how to go to heaven when we die or is it something more? Let’s consider what the whole Bible, both New and Old Testament, has to say on the topic of the Gospel. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s Bible study will explore 1 Peter 3:21, where Peter writes, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Before we discuss baptism, we need to know what “save” refers to in the Bible. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s Bible study will cover the topic of being “spiritually dead.” What do people mean when they say a person is spiritually dead? Is the idea of being spiritually dead actually found in the Bible? Is there a different way, a more biblical way, to understand passages like Ephesians 2:1, “dead in the trespasses and sins”? If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216. We may play your message on an upcoming episode of the Bible Study Podcast. Full Transcript Click here for the full transcript of this episode. Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing the audio for us.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

There are some big changes coming to the podcast! Instead of the CrossTalk format, in which we typically have an informal conversation about “life and faith,” we will start having more in-depth Bible studies on topics and passages about which you’re curious. In today’s episode, Wes McAdams and Travis Pauley discuss why we are making this change and what you can expect in upcoming episodes. If you have a passage or topic you would like us to study, please send Wes an email or call and leave a short message at 707-238-2216.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

On today’s episode, I have an argument with myself about instrumental music in the Old Testament. A few years back, I wrote an article about the use of instrumental music in Old Testament worship, but reading that article today makes me cringe because I have changed a lot since then. Though I still believe it is best for churches to sing a cappella, many of my thoughts and arguments in that article were just wrong. So, on today’s episode, I sat down with my old article and argued with myself.           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s discussion about the Holy Spirit is a conversation I had with my friend Scott Elliott. Scott is doing a series of video interviews, called, “Five Questions.” He asked me to be a guest on his series to discuss five questions on the Holy Spirit. He graciously allowed me to share the audio of that conversation with you. Here are the five questions we discussed: * Who is the Holy Spirit? * Why are some Christians hesitant to discuss the Holy Spirit? * What is the danger in neglecting the Holy Spirit? * How does the Holy Spirit work in the life of Christians today? * How would you respond if someone said the Holy Spirit was leading them in a direction that contradicts what the Bible says? I hope you enjoy this conversation!           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

What does it mean for Jesus to have died for our sins? In this episode, my friend Stephen Scaggs joins me to talk about various “theories” of atonement. In other words, various ways theologians have understood the mechanics of how the blood of Jesus covers the sins of Jesus’ people. Some of the theories we discussed: * Ransom Theory * Christus Victor Theory * Recapitulation Atonement Theory * Penal Substitutionary Atonement I hope you enjoy this conversation!           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

I couldn’t ask for a better wife than the one with whom God blessed me. My wife, Hollee McAdams, joins me on the CrossTalk Podcast to talk about marriage. We talk about our marriage, but also marriage in general. Together, Hollee and I responded to the following questions and topics, submitted by members of the Radically Christian Community: 1. Decide where to eat. 2. Making time for each other (including special occasions and celebrations). 3. Studying and praying together. 4. Having the same spiritual goals. 5. Which of our failures do we let our children see? Which marital disagreements? 6. How to keep your role as parents from diminishing your role as a spouse. I know these are not mutually exclusive but is it healthy when they become almost synonymous? 7. I find it very beautiful that the Lord uses marriage synonymously with Him and the church. 8. Francis and Lisa Chan, “Many people will tell you to focus on your marriage, to focus on each other; but we discovered that focusing on God’s mission made our marriage amazing.” I’d love to know your take on that thesis (if you’ve experienced it). * Tim Keller’s book on Marriage, The Meaning of Marriage 9. How do you improve communication in marriage?           Audio Book If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, you might enjoy the audio version of Wes’ book, Beyond the Verse: What I Discovered Reading the Bible One Book at a Time.  And if you’re new to Audible and choose this book as your first book, you can listen to it for free! Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

Today’s conversation is different than other conversations on this podcast. I typically have conversations on the show with Christians “about life and faith,” but today’s conversation is with my friend Brad Willett, who is not a Christian. In fact, Brad does not believe in God at all. He and I have been talking via email and social media for a couple of years and though we have a very different worldview and disagree with one another on fundamental questions, I am thankful to know him. In this conversation, Brad and I discussed how he became an atheist and some of his interactions with Christians since he stopped believing in God. We also discussed some of the myths Christians believe about atheists and how Christians can do a better job having conversations with their atheist, agnostic, and skeptical neighbors. I hope this conversation is beneficial to everyone who hears it.           Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams Transcription Generated by Otter.ai Wes McAdams 0:03 Wouldn’t it be great if Christians could talk about the Bible and various issues without fighting or arguing or name-calling? Imagine if we could just sit down, have a cup of coffee discuss and even if we disagree, treat each other with respect. That’s what this podcast is all about kind, loving Christian conversations. It’s not a sermon or Bible class. It’s just followers of Jesus talking about life and faith, and hope this show encourages you to have conversations like this with people in your life. I’m Wes McAdams, and I want to welcome you to the CrossTalk Podcast. Most of us have probably had conversations about atheists, agnostics and skeptics. But have we ever just sat down and talked with our unbelieving neighbors? Have we listened to them? Have we loved them? today’s conversation is a bit different from the typical conversation on this podcast. This is a conversation that I had with my friend Brad Willett, who does not believe in God, I think you’ll find this conversation insightful. Would you classify yourself as (I don’t guess I’ve ever asked you this question) but atheist, agnostic, something else? And then why? Brad Willett 1:10 Oh, yeah. So this is a not as simple question, right? Yeah. People think, right, because so atheists and agnostics need to be defined, right? So atheists essentially is essentially the negation of the theists’ position. So a theist has a belief in a deity and an atheist is the negation of that, so no deity. A “gnostic” position kind of connotates knowing, right. So an agnostic would be not knowing. So they’re, they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. So for me, I guess how to classify myself as both. So an “agnostic atheist.” I don’t, I don’t believe in a God. But I’m also not to the point where I’m just so certain that I can say there is no God, I’m just not convinced that there is one.

What are some of the encouraging things happening in Churches of Christ throughout the world? What is happening in Churches of Christ to promote racial unity? What are Churches of Christ doing to reach their community? Bobby Ross Jr., the Editor-in-Chief at The Christian Chronicle shares his thoughts about some of the positive things happening in churches of Christ across the nation and the world. Not only is Bobby Ross Jr. “an award-winning journalist who has reported from all 50 states and 14 countries,” he is a wonderful Christian brother with a unique perspective on what is going on in churches of Christ. Don’t forget to register to win a copy of my new book, Beyond the Verse. Click here to register to win. I hope you enjoy this conversation!           Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams

If you’re a Bible class teacher, a parent, or anyone who wants to share the truth of Scripture with others, have you ever considered how video might be a helpful tool for sharing the story of Scripture? This week I would like to invite you to listen to a conversation I had with two of my friends from Appian Media, Justin Dobbs and Stuart Peck. Appian Media also has a special giveaway exclusively for listeners to this podcast (available for a short time). Just visit AppianMedia.org/crosstalk. In this coversation, we discussed why video is a helpful medium for communicating biblical stories and biblial truth, how video can supplement discussion-style and lecture-style classes, and how Appian Media’s resources are making an impact on people across the world. I hope you enjoy this conversation!           Logos Bible Software You can help support this podcast by checking out Logos Bible Software. Logos has partnered with us to give our listeners a great discount. Just visit RadicallyChristian.com/logos. Connect: If you enjoyed this CrossTalk podcast, be sure to check out: www.facebook.com/radicallychristian www.facebook.com/theccmr www.twitter.com/wesmcadams