Theology For the Rest of Us | Quick Answers to the Questions About God and the Bible

Many people pray, not just Christians. But to whom are they praying? And are their prayers effective? In response to a recent email that Kenny received from a regular listener, that does not profess to be a follower of Christ, Kenny tackles a sensitive but important topic about the prayers offered up from those whom do not believe. Does God answer (or even listen to) the prayers of those people who are not Christians? If not, to whom are those non-Christian people praying? Is there anyone listening?

The Bible says that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Does that mean He is stuck only in one place? And if so, does that mean Jesus is not omnipresent? Can Jesus be every where at one time? Or is He limited to one location? In this episode, Kenny answers these questions by highlighting the fact that Jesus has two unique and distinct natures. The human nature of Jesus is not omnipresent, but His divine nature certainly is fully omnipresent.

Jesus claimed to not know the day or hour of His return to Earth, but yet historical Christianity claims that Jesus is God. How can Jesus be God if He doesn't know everything? Is Jesus Christ omniscient? In this episode, Kenny responds to a regular listener that brought up these questions.  

In response to a recent email, Kenny makes clear what the first century Jews believed about reincarnation, specifically in regards to a prophecy given by the prophet Malachi about the idea of "Elijah" being sent back to Earth "before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes."

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are growing in popularity throughout Western cultures. In this episode, Kenny address the ideology behind euthanasia and the "culture of death" that is promoted when euthanasia is allowed. Humans are created in the image of God, therefore any killing of human beings, no matter the scenario, is an assault on God himself.

One of the more unique events of the life of Jesus takes place on a mountainside and is often referred to as the "Transfiguration of Jesus." In response to two recent emails from regular listeners, Kenny talks about the importance of this event and why were Moses and Elijah the two Old Testament prophets selected to be there that day to be witnesses to this event. Kenny also addresses how Moses and Elijah were able to be transported from their eternal state to that spot for this event.

The idea of sending people, money, and resources to other nations in hopes of proclaiming the Gospel is known as "missions" and it has been a big part of the Church since its inception. Why should Christians today care about missions?

The Christmas season has many traditions. One of the most famous traditions in the United States is the Santa Claus myth. This is begs the question: Should Christian parents raise their own kids to believe in the myth of Santa? Why or why not? And if not, how do we handle this with our kids? In this episode, Kenny tackles the importance of being prayerful and intentional whenever we make decisions as to what elements of our culture we engage with and which elements we choose to abstain from. Kenny gives two compelling reasons as to why parents ought to seriously consider abstaining from the practice of raising kids to believe in Santa. And gives us some thoughts on how to handle this character with our children.

Podcast Update (Dec 7, 2016)

In this episode, Kenny answers a question from a regular listener about talking to friends who may be a part of a church that is preaching heresy or being unfaithful to Biblical texts. In essence, how do we talk to a friend about their church's bad theology? How do we tell a friend or family member that their church is not Biblical? Kenny tackles this topic by reminding us that we must be gracious and kind, but we must not be afraid to be bold to stand up for Biblical convictions.

Some Christians claim it is sinful to make any statue or image of Christ because it is a violation of the second commandment. Some might even say that this applies to movies that depict Christ. Recently, a regular listener asked Kenny about this topic. In this episode, Kenny answers why he believes such statues are not necessarily a violation of the second commandment, but it depends on the motivation behind why the statues were created in the first place.

In episode 183, Kenny answered the question: Were There Any Writings From God that Are Not in the Bible? In that episode, Kenny mentioned the Letter to the Laodiceans that is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 4:16. In response to some of those comments, Kenny received a critique by email from a regular listener. In this episode, Kenny responds to the critique from the regular listener about the Letter to the Laodiceans. Kenny expounds upon his thoughts about the letter and why he believes it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Suicide is a sensitive and sobering topic. Many people know someone who has committed suicide. Many Christians have asked, if someone commits suicide, will they go directly to hell? Or is there a chance they are in heaven? In this episode, Kenny points out that there are two different manners to answer this question, depending on the motivation of the person answering the question. Kenny tries to answer both motivations in the most sensitive and most Christ-honoring way possible. Related Episodes 43: Is Judas in Heaven or Hell? 71: Is Mental Illness Caused by Demons?

Two of the most well-known non-orthodox faiths in American today are the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Most evangelical Christians would label these faiths as "cults" and would deny their orthodoxy. Is this a fair assessment? In this episode, Kenny explains the definition of a cult and why he treats these two faith groups differently than other cult-like groups.

Many people are fascinated with the concept of talking to angels or corresponding with other spiritual beings beyond our dimension. This is nothing new. And many of the celebrity psychics in our world take advantage of this fact. Some of these supposed psychics even claim to be able to correspond with angels. Is this true? Can certain psychics or spiritual mediums talk to angels? If not, who are they corresponding with? In this episode, Kenny answers this question by giving us a clear understanding of the Biblical purpose for angels.