Bible Study Podcast

Today’s Bible Study Podcast is a bit different. Wes McAdams recently celebrated his twentieth anniversary in full-time ministry. To mark the occasion, his wife, Hollee, joins us to ask Wes some questions about his first 20 years in ministry. Wes and Hollee discuss questions like: * When did you want to become a full-time minister?* If you could back to 2001, what advice would you give yourself?* What have been your favorite aspects of ministry?* What have been your least favorite aspects of ministry?* In the next 20 years of ministry, what would you like to accomplish? Whether you are in ministry or you know someone is in ministry, we hope this episode encourages you and helps you encourage others. Links and Resources: * Video: Watch this episode on YouTube

Today’s Bible study discussion revolves around the question, “Was Jesus harsh with people?” This question was prompted by listener Randall Dickey. Should we perceive Jesus as a harsh person? Was he harsh, in general? Why did Jesus have moments, like the cleansing of the temple, when he was relatively harsh? Should we imitate Jesus’ “harsh” behavior? These are some of the questions we tackle in today’s Bible study and we hope this conversation is a blessing to you. Bible Passages Discussed: * Nehemiah 13:25* Judges 8:16* Matthew 12:14–21* Matthew 21:12–17* Philippians 2:1–11 Links and Resources: * Video: Watch this Episode on YouTube* TV Series: The Chosen TV Series* Article: Don’t Presume to Have the Authority of Jesus when Rebuking Others

Should we obey God out of love or fear? This is what listener Neal Cook would like to know. Neal asked about the contrast between Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, which says: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (ESV) And John 14:15, which says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 (ESV) Neal says, “In the first passage, we are told to ‘fear’ and obey. In the second, we are told to ‘love’ and obey. So, the question I’d like for you to address: Should we obey out of fear or out of love? I think the former, but I’d like to hear your thoughts. As an aside, as an earthly father, I much preferred my children obey me out of love, but, even if they didn’t, I still would have desired that they do the things I taught them. If it took fear of me to motivate them to do right, I think that’s still better than disobedience.” Wes McAdams and Travis Pauley discuss this very important question of obeying out of love or fear, getting to the heart of what should motivate the obedience of Christians. Bible Passages Discussed in this Bible Study: * Deuteronomy 7:21–22* Psalm 68:34–35* Deuteronomy 6:4–5* 1 John 4:16–18 Links and Resources: Watch this Episode on YouTube Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Android Subscribe on YouTube

How do we cope when spiritual leaders fall? Is it possible to keep them from falling? Can we ensure their fall doesn’t bring us down with them? Is there a way to prevent such people from becoming leaders in the first place? These are very difficult questions, but they are questions with which the church must wrestle. In this episode of The Bible Study Podcast, Wes McAdams and Travis Pauley respond to a question from one of our listeners: “I have had a hard time giving a satisfactory explanation to people when ministers, especially one here recently, sin. Especially sexual sin. One recently was accused of rape and other horrible things after his death. Even spiritual abuse was an accusation. I’d love to hear a way to help people who struggle when a spiritual leader turns out to be someone different than they proclaim. ‘Everyone sins and falls short’ is hard for people struggling with that. Thank you for all you do with this podcast. My family is blessed by it.”Ginny Hix Some of the Bible passages we study in this episode are: * 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 * James 3:13-18 * Philippians 1:15-18 * Psalm 147:3-6 * Ezekiel 34:4-6 Links and Resources: Watch this Episode on YouTube Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Android Subscribe on YouTube

Wes McAdams and Caleb Cochran discuss a question about sexual immorality, which was submitted by one of our listeners, “The bible references sexual immorality pretty often, but what does that mean exactly? I feel like that’s a vague term and would have a very difficult time explaining it to someone wanting to pursue Christ.” Special thanks to Brendan Anderson for that question. Outline of this Discussion: * When we look at the Law of Moses, what conclusions should we draw about sexual ethics?* What were the sexual ethics of Jesus and the early church?* How should we speak about sexual ethics in our modern context? Resources and Links: * Watch this episode on YouTube.* Caleb Cochran is the Evangelist at the College Avenue Church of Christ.* Resources for ministering to those who are same-gender attracted or transgender – Strength in Weakness* The Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender

Wes McAdams and Steven Cuffle discuss the issue of Christian unity. We all know that Christian unity is important, but why is it important and how can it be achieved? Christians have been arguing and fighting with one another for nearly 2,000 years. So, how can we be unified when we disagree on so many things? Is it even possible? When thinking about doctrine and practice, what is “essential” and what is a matter of “opinion”? Some of the passages discussed in this Bible Study: * 1 Corinthians 15* Ephesians 2* Ephesians 4* John 17* Romans 14 Resources and Links: Steven Cuffle preaches for the Brentwood Church of Christ. Watch this episode on YouTube by clicking the video thumbnail below:

Wes McAdams and Steven Cuffle continue their discussion on how the Bible defines justice. In this episode, biblical justice is compared to four other theories. How do secular thinkers define justice and how do those definitions compare with the Bible’s definition? Is it possible that we, as Christians, have adopted a secular view of justice more than a biblical view? Following Tim Keller’s article, “A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory,” the four theories discussed in this episode are: * Libertarian * Liberal * Utilitarian * Postmodern On what points can we agree with our unbelieving neighbors? On what points must we disagree with them? What is the danger in Christians adopting a secular view of justice? Resources and Links: Last Week’s Episode, Justice (Part One) Steven Cuffle preaches for the Brentwood Church of Christ. Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Android Subscribe on YouTube

What does the Bible say about justice and how does the Bible’s definition of justice compare to modern theories about justice? This is the topic Wes McAdams and special guest, Steven Cuffle, will be discussing in this two-part conversation. In this first episode, Wes and Steven discuss the various aspects of justice in both the Old and New Testaments. These are the four aspects of biblical justice that are discussed in this episode: * Personal Accountability* Fairness* Collective Responsibility* Generosity How did God expect rulers and government officials in ancient Israel to administer justice? How did God expect ancient Israelites to practice justice in their daily life? And how does justice factor into our understanding of the Gospel and Christian living? Resources and Links: Steven Cuffle preaches for the Brentwood Church of Christ. The Bible Project’s video, Biblical Justice Tim Keller’s article, “Justice in the Bible“ Tim Keller’s article, “A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory“ John H. Walton’s, The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Android Subscribe on YouTube Beyond the Verse (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!

On this episode of the Radically Christian Bible Study Podcast, Wes McAdams and today’s guest, Luke Dockery, discuss the issue of fake news. One of our listeners submitted the following question: How do Christians combat the “fake news” phenomenon? For example, a friend might repost something on social media without checking the validity of the comment/article and it is really a false representation of the truth. Specifically along with this question is: how do Christians who are diligent and responsible when posting combat the non-Christian’s view that Christians are foolish and gullible because they believe in conspiracy theories, etc. This lessens people’s confidence in the truth of Christianity- how can you believe the truth coming from someone who also believes conspiracy theories? And the last piece of this would be, how can Christians educate other Christians without offending them? Luke Dockery is the Youth in Family Minister for the Cloverdale Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas and his blog is LukeDockery.com Today’s episode is also available in video format on our YouTube channel.           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

Wes McAdams and today’s guest, Luke Dockery, discuss the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the shrewd, dishonest, or unjust manager from Luke 16:1-13. What does Jesus mean by commending a dishonest or shrewd man? What does Jesus mean when he says, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth” (Luke 16:9)? Is Jesus being ironic or is Jesus teaching us how we should use money? Wes and Luke discuss both possibilities. Special thanks to John Shipley, one of our listeners, who submitted this question for discussion. Today’s guest, Luke Dockery, is the Youth in Family Minister for the Cloverdale Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: * Luke Dockery’s blog, LukeDockery.com * Can We Read the Unjust Steward in Luke 16 with Irony? * The Bible Project Podcast * The Bible Study Podcast’s Kingdom Parables Series If you would rather watch this conversation, you can also watch this discussion on our YouTube channel. We hope you find this conversation helpful and encouraging!           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

Wes McAdams and his wife, Hollee McAdams, discuss “cancel culture.” It is often assumed that cancel culture is something new. But in reality, every culture has canceled people for violating certain core values. Wes and Hollee discuss questions like: * What is cancel culture? * Is it always wrong? * What should be the goal of correction and discipline? * What does the Bible say about cancel culture? We hope you find this conversation encouraging! Special thanks to Beth Tabor for transcribing this episode for us: How Christians Respond to Cancel Culture           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

Our Bible study question today revolves around being justified by faith. Wes McAdams, Caleb Kirkwood, and Travis Pauley study through Romans 3 and discuss words like justice, righteousness, and justification. What does it mean to be justified by faith? What does God’s justice look like? What does it look like for justified people to do justice? We hope you enjoy this conversation. Thanks to Beth Tabor for Transcribing today’s podcast. Click here for transcription.           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 discussion was prompted by a listener, who asked, “What does the phrase, ‘washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit’ mean?” This phrase comes from Titus 3:5 and is the text that Wes McAdams, Caleb Kirkwood, and Travis Pauley discuss in this episode. We hope you find this conversation encouraging.           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

Wes McAdams visits with Travis Pauley and Caleb Kirkwood (who are both in their 20s) to consider their unique perspective on how worship attendance will fair in a post-covid world. Will young people return to worship after the threat of the pandemic has subsided? Will live streaming have negative long-term effects on the future of the church? These are some of the questions we discuss in this episode of the Bible study podcast. We hope you find this conversation encouraging.           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

Wes McAdams, Travis Pauley, and Caleb Kirkwood discuss the idea that there are only five acts of worship and that all five must be practiced each time we gather. This discussion was prompted by this question we received from one of our listeners, who said, “There have been a lot of talks about worship these days. Especially with everything going on with social distancing and virtual lessons. Some believe that since all five acts are not present, then it’s not worship. I personally have my concerns about the five acts. Shouldn’t God be worshiped everyday? Could you just explain a little what worship actually is? Thank you.”           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