Theology in the Raw

Preston is back in the basement answering questions.  What are Preston's thought on the Nashville Statement?  How do we answer the Problem of Evil? If God is good and all powerful why does he allow evil to happen?  Does Hell really exist?  What is purpose of Marriage and how do you defend it biblically?  The song at the end is "Heaven's Knife" by Josh Garrels.  Check out the small group study Grace/Truth at centerforfaith.com  Check out the video "Dear Church: I'm gay" Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Today Preston is talking to Matt Carter. Many of you know Matt as a part of the Bad Christian Podcast and a guitar player for the band Emery. Matt is talking with Preston about the Church, Christianity, Donald Trump, Charlottesville and the band.  You can follow Matt on Twitter @ZodCarter Check out the Bad Christian Podcast Check out Matt's own podcast Break It Down Podcast Follow the band Emery at @OfficialEmery The songs featured in today's show are Rock Pebble Stone and Thrash Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

What the heck is happening in Charlottesville? What did Donald Trump say? For more information about the events happening in Charlottesville, Preston recommends checking out The Ben Shapiro Show - Episodes 361, 362, 363.  What about polyamory? Is it only consent that is required for a moral sexual ethic?  What are some good resources that talk about reading the Bible in community? Check out The Bible Project.  Are Jehovah's Witnesses saved? Is it as simple as looking at someone's good works in order to determine this?  Open or closed communion? What does Preston mean by calling himself a "reformed mennonite"?  Are all Atonement theories valid?  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

How do I forgive abusive parents? What does it mean to forgive? Does forgiveness always mean reconciliation?  It's obvious to see that there are things God tolerates in the Old Testament and not in the New. How do we work through these issues and does this suggest Same Sex Marriage is accepted now through the New Testament? What does Preston think of Ken Ham's Rainbow Ark? Many progressive theologians suggest that God did not sacrifice Jesus, His son,  because that would be unloving and barbaric. However, how do we properly work through passages like Isaiah 53 and the teaching of John the Baptist. Preston points to an essay by Simon Gathercole titled "Defending Substitution" which provides a compelling argument for Substitutionary Atonement.  Can you be angry with God? How do we work through those real and raw feelings in a way that brings us closer to God?  Chris Sprinkle is also in to discuss her young girl's group and provide some helpful tips in order to start one in your area.  If you have more questions, you can email Chris at chris@prestonsprinkle.com. Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

How do you relate to children with Lesbian parents?  Are you pursuing a Ph.D. in Church History or Missions? What should you consider before you begin a Ph.D. program? Is recreational marijuana use okay for Christians?  If you have a desire to dive into a ministry that seeks to reach the LGBTQ community, here are some books Preston recommends before you get started: People to Be Loved, Two Views On Homosexuality, The Bible, And The Church, Homosexuality and the Christian, Washed and Waiting, Torn, Same-Sex Attraction and the Church, Love Is an Orientation, Us versus Us. Is that enough?   Who are some people to read and listen to if your struggling to believe in the existence of God. Preston recommends getting to know William Lane Craig, John Lennox, and Jordan B Peterson.  Is Preston a Universalist? Well, Preston is officially setting the record straight despite what you thought you read in Erasing Hell.  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston is in the basement answering your questions.  Looking for a church to attend? How should you decide what church you attend?  Is annihilation in opposition to the Apostle's Creed? Can you be an Annihilationist and affirm the Apostle's Creed? Is Open Theism heresy or not?  Is Penal Substitution the only 'biblical' Atonement Theory? What is Penal Substitution?  If you're interested, a couple of resources that Preston recommends on the topic of Penal Substitution are Joshua Ryan Butler's book The Pursuing God and Simon Gathercole's essay Defending Substitution.  How do you deal with political family disputes? A book Preston recommends on the subject is The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt.  If good fruit is being produced in same sex marriages, then why shouldn't we, as Christians, approve of this? A helpful blog post can be found at https://www.centerforfaith.com/blog/a-celibate-same-sex-couple . Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Can we trust that the New Testament gives us a true and accurate representation of Jesus? It is commonly assumed that Jesus probably spoke Aramaic when He was here on the Earth. The New Testament was written in Greek. Since this is the case how can we ever know what Jesus actually said and continue to build theological doctrine around those words? How do we read the book of Job? Whole sections of Job are full of bad theology; the original Hebrew is difficult to translate; the poetic nature is totally lost in the English language.  How can we have a perfect existence in heaven if we know millions of people are being tortured eternally in Hell?  If we move more toward home churches and withdraw from politics, are we being bad stewards of the gifts God has given us?  How do you prepare for a British Ph.D. program?  The Music - FoldingLights - Fear the Night - https://youtu.be/wHiqQ0681Ng Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston is in answering your questions. How do you retain your love of God and the study of the bible while in the long and challenging journey of academia?  What is a "biblical" divorce and does it allow for divorce over emotional abuse?  Lastly, do we need to attend a typical church service in order to be a faithful Christian? Can we devote ourselves to prayer, teaching and communion without the typical 21st Century church?  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston is live at AudioFeed 2017 and talking questions from the audience.  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Today Preston is talking to Skye Jethani. For many, Skye is known as the co-host of the Phil Vischer Podcast. He is also a "thought leader", pastor, and an author of the book What's Wrong with Religion? Preston are talking about (C)church. What is the model of the church today and how is that going to change in the future? How has technology impacted the way we "do" church and how we need to "do" church?  You can buy and learn more about Skye's book at whatswrongwithreligion.com You can follow Skye on Twitter Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Today in the basement Preston is talking to Keith Giles. Most recently he is the author of Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb. The book dives into the relationship of Christianity and politics and even suggests that "the greatest threat to Christianity is American Christianity". Keith is also a part of a house church that gives away 100% of all offerings to the poor in their community.  You can follow Keith on twitter @keithgiles You can check out Keith's Blog Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Today Preston is settling in the basement with a warm cup of coffee (soon to be cold)  for today's hour-long podcast and answering your many questions about the Bible.  Is the book of Jonah satire or a parody? Is it an actual historical book? What did the author intend for it to be? If God breathed stars into existence surely he can make a fish swallow a man.  Can the Bible really be infallible and inerrant when there is such a human element to it? Preston claims that are errors in the Bible yet it is still inerrant. Does Jesus actually correct The Torah (The Old Testament Law) or does He simply bring out the full intention of the Torah?  Is scripture inspired. Is it a salvific issue to believe in the inspiration and authority of scripture? Can Jesus really be understood apart from scripture? Was the Bible written directly for us today? How do we apply the Bible to ourselves when it was written to the Christians in the 1st Century?  Also, a question sparks a discussion on how we "do" church.  Is everything we read in the Psalms for today? Should we pray ALL the Psalms?  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston is working through all kinds of questions today on this hour-long podcast.  Did God really forsake Jesus at the Cross? Was the Masoretic text purposely distorted by the Jews? Are Affirming Christians heretics? Why would God create billions of people just for them to go to hell? If God is Sovereign, do I prayers really do anything?  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston is back from a busy few weeks and he is ready to answer your questions on this extended hour long podcast.  How does a mom navigate through the very complex issue of her daughter's gender identity?  What does Preston think of Rob Bell, Pete Enns or The Liturgists Podcast with Michael Gungor? Would you be surprised to hear that "Progressive Christianity" can often sound like Christian Fundamentalism? Preston is also answering questions about Bible translations. Why do we have so many and what do you find in each one? Is there a 'dangerous' version to stay away from?  What is Biblical Inerrancy? Preston gives 4 points to why he affirms Biblical Inerrancy. And lastly Preston talks about Church Diversity. Does your church reflect the ethnic diversity of your city?  Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Preston has been working to establish an organization that is theologically sound in their teaching and yet provides practical guidance on questions related to sexuality and gender. The Center for Faith and Sexuality website is up. Go ahead and check it out and be sure to sign up for the newsletter.  Learn more at centerforfaith.com Preston is also answering your questions. How do you engage with someone you greatly disagree with? Should you attend your Daughter's same sex wedding? Do I need to Tithe %10? What if I am in the ministry?  If you wrestling with the question of whether or not to attend a same sex wedding, check out the resources below.  www.centerforfaith.com/resources www.leadthemhome.org/get-resources/guiding-families-lgbt-loved-ones Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Connect with Preston Follow him on Twitter @PrestonSprinkle Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.