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God‘s story is the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But it‘s also humanity‘s story, the story of a world fallen and blown apart and of a world reshaped and restored. It‘s the beginning of all beginnings and the end of all ends. Join Brent Siddall and the Rev Ian ‘Reido‘ Reid as they explore God, time, salvation and the cosmos. Explore the stories of Western culture as they pivot and interact with the main narrative of salvation history.
Episodes
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Brent talks to Alastair Roberts of the Theopolis Institute in the States.
How is Nebuchadnezzar’s worship a parody of God’s Temple worship and who is the fourth man?
- (0:26) The conflict of Empires in Daniel;
- (4:10) What happens in chapter 3;
- (5:50) Nebuchadnezzar’s image and what it represents
- (8:17) Nebuchadnezzar’s confusion between God’s reign and human rule;
- (9:19) Nebuchadnezzar’s religious worship a parody of God’s Temple worship;
- (10:15) Humour and satire in Daniel 3;
- (11:50) The role of music in the chapter;
- (15:00) Nebuchadnezzar’s officials and the Levites in the Old Testament system;
- (18:15) Numbers in the text – 7;
- (19:45) Who is the fourth man?
- (22:45) Who is the Angel of the Lord?
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Saturday May 07, 2022
Saturday May 07, 2022
Brent talks to Harriet Connor, the content editor of ‘Growing Faith’ in Sydney, Australia.
What does the Bible have to say about families and what’s a covenantal view of family life?
Harriet’s book ‘Families in God’s Plan’ is out from Youthworks Media, Sydney.
- (0:50) Growing Faith magazine;
- (2:35) Harriet’s biography and interest in languages;
- (3:40) A biblical theology of the family;
- (10:27) The Bible’s big picture of the family;
- (12:42) How sin and the Fall affected families;
- (14:29) Our children are ‘image bearers’;
- (16:45) Different ideas of parenting;
- (22:10) The role of the covenants in family life in Scripture;
- (27:38) How we bring our children up to love Jesus.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Christian Parenting Tips, Advice, Articles & Resources - Growing Faith
Harriet Connor | Author of Big Picture Parents
Youthworks Media – Posts | Facebook
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Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
What shaped the mind of C.S. Lewis? Many of us know Lewis only through his ‘Narnia’ Chronicles but we might not know his work as a professor of medieval literature.
Brent talks with Jason Baxter, the associate professor of fine arts and humanities at Wyoming Catholic College.
Jason’s book ‘The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis – How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind’ is published by IVP America.
- (0:50) Lewis – a man of the medieval age?
- (2:19) C.S. Lewis and ‘climate’ in literature;
- (5:10) The medieval view of the planets. How the planets provide the ‘weather’ for the Narnia books;
- (7:10) The planets and music. The world as a symphony;
- (8:33) The role of the musician in the Middle Ages;
- (11:54) The medieval view of the universe and Lewis’s fiction;
- (14:19) Lewis and Modernism;
- (17:00) Lewis and a ‘long’ Middle Ages;
- (20:00) Lewis and worldview;
- (27:40) Lewis and the way ancient writers ‘foresaw’ Christ.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind
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Saturday Apr 30, 2022
Saturday Apr 30, 2022
Who is Jesus and what is the Kingdom of God?
Ian and Brent continue their exploration of Mark chapter 1.
- (1:50) The culmination of God’s story of creation;
- (2:30) Jesus as the culmination of the universe;
- (4:40) What is the Kingdom of God?
- (6:40) The Kingdom of God is being built through the church and God’s people;
- (8:23) Why were the first disciples fishermen?
- (9:00) Fishing imagery in the Old Testament;
- (12:00) Jesus the King;
- (13:30) Demon possession in the gospels;
- (14:45) Jesus’ kingdom and evil powers;
- (21:30) How each of the four gospels reflect different aspects of Jesus’ ministry;
- (24:20) The significance of the four gospels.
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Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Mark 1 Part 1
Ian and Brent begin a new series on the gospel of Mark beginning with chapter 1:1-13.
How does Mark allude back to the creation account in Genesis and why is Jesus a new Adam and Joshua?
- (0:35) What is a gospel?
- (1:00) Who was Mark?
- (2:10) The date of the gospel. Possibly the earliest gospel?
- (8:40) How Mark’s gospel picks up the whole Old Testament;
- (10:35) The title ‘Christ’;
- (12:50) Who was John the Baptist?
- (15:15) The significance of the Jordan River;
- (16:30) Jesus as a new creation. Echoes of Genesis 1;
- (18:10) More Genesis creation allusions;
- (20:20) Jesus a new Joshua;
- (23:30) Jesus the new Adam;
- (25:15) The Kingdom of God;
- (27:30) Positive thinking about the future and the church;
- (28:20) The 7 mountains mandate and how it conflicts with the gospel.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Palmerston North - Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
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Saturday Apr 23, 2022
Saturday Apr 23, 2022
Do you want to be part of a church that’s faithful to the gospel but isn’t judgemental or legalistic?
Brent talks with Mark Baker, a professor of mission and theology at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary in Fresno, California.
Mark’s book ‘Centered-Set Church-Discipleship and Community Without Judgementalism’ is published by IVP America.
- (0:42) Why judgementalism is such a problem in the church;
- (1:35) Mark’s Christian journey. The problem of legalism. What is a centered-set church?
- (10:17) How relationship is important in a centered-set church;
- (13:56) The centered approach and loneliness;
- (15:26) Jesus’ centered approach in the gospels;
- (19:40) Church discipline in a centered church;
- (25:22) Evangelism in a centered-set church.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Centered-Set-Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgmentalism
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Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
What is Postmodernism? Is it a threat to Christianity and can Christians learn from postmodern thinkers and their critique of modernism?
Dr Crystal Downing is Co-Director of the Marion E. Wade Center and co-holder of the Marion E. Wade Chair in Christian Thought at Wheaton College, Illinois in the States.
‘How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith: Questioning Truth in Language, Philosophy and Art’ is published by IVP America.
- (1:00) What Dorothy L. Sayers would have made of postmodernism;
- (3:35) The problem with simplistic views of postmodernism;
- (5:00) Why Christians have responded to postmodernism as a threat. Postmodernism is not saying that everything is relative;
- (8:41) Does postmodernism actually deny truth claims?
- (10:51) Postmodernism was a reaction to modernism;
- (11:19) C.S Lewis and his dislike of modernism;
- (16:40) Problems with modernism in the arts and sciences;
- (17:44) Our positionality affects the way we see truth;
- (19:17) A football field with glass towers and different screens of language;
- (25:30) Postmodernism is not about inventing any kind of truth we want.
Links mentioned in today’s episode:
How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith: Questioning Truth in Language, Philosophy and Art
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Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Stressed by the business of life? Do you want to switch off? Do you want to take your prayer life deeper?
Rick Hamlin is an editor and contributor to ‘Guideposts’ magazine in the States and the author of 'Even Silence Is Praise: Quiet Your Mind and Awaken Your Soul with Christian Meditation’ is published by Thomas Nelson, a division of Harper Collins in the States.
- (0:51) What is silent prayer and Christian meditation?
- (3:40) The Christian mystical tradition;
- (4:48) Dealing with inner noise in silent prayer;
- (6:38) Noise as an opportunity for prayer;
- (7:08) How we ‘do’ contemplative prayer;
- (8:18) Finding God on the ‘A’ Train;
- (10:50) The New York subway and prayer;
- (11:52) How we use Scripture in prayer;
- (12:10) Lectio Divina;
- (13:56) How to deal with distractions in prayer;
- (14:55) Listening to our anger when we pray;
- (15:51) How we can use worry in prayer;
- (17:06) Why should we focus on death and dying in our meditative prayers;
- (18:28) Prayer and medical challenges;
- (19:44) What to make of unanswered prayer;
- (21:00) Dante and the Divine Comedy;
- (22:27) In what way is silence praise?
Links mentioned in this episode:
Even Silence Is Praise: Quiet Your Mind and Awaken Your Soul with Christian Meditation
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Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
How do we best do mission in the 21st century? How can our churches partner with communities in the world in co-development?
Hunter Farrell is the director of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Mission Initiative and co-author with Bala Khyllep of a new book from IVP America called ‘Freeing Congregational Mission – A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility and Co-Development’.
- (1:00) How mission is being short-circuited;
- (3:12) ‘Selfie’ mission;
- (4:00) The impact of short-term mission trips;
- (5:30) How short-term mission trips can be re-shaped to yield better results;
- (6:52) A theology of companionship in mission;
- (8:44) Colonialism and its impact;
- (13:16) Why co-development is important;
- (19:10) Co-development and what it looks like in the local church;
- (24:00) How effective are food parcels?
- (27:30) Some ideas for mission in the local church and neighborhood.
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Saturday Apr 09, 2022
Saturday Apr 09, 2022
What makes people lonely and what we can do about it?
Susan Mettes is a behavioural scientist with extensive experience conducting research for faith-based organizations including Barna Group, Thrivent Financial and World Vision.
‘The Loneliness Epidemic – Why So Many of Us Feel Alone – and How Leaders Can Respond’ is published by Brazos Press, a division of the Baker Publishing Group. .
- (1:30) Has the Covid Pandemic actually increased loneliness?
- (2:11) How we define loneliness;
- (3:30) Research on loneliness;
- (4:41) How researchers measure loneliness;
- (5:33) Why Christians in the States find loneliness embarrassing;
- (7:30) The New Zealand statistics;
- (8:16) Are some countries lonelier than others?
- (10:16) Do we need loneliness from time to time?
- (11:25) A ‘friendship’ crisis;
- (12:51) The church has a loneliness problem;
- (13:52) What the church can do about loneliness?
- (17:11) Social media impact on loneliness;
- (18:53) How we can protect ourselves from loneliness;
- (21:15) A cure for loneliness?
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Loneliness Epidemic: Why So Many of Us Feel Alone-and How Leaders Can Respond
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