Reasonable Theology Podcast

All believers experience roadblocks in their prayer life at one time or another, and many Christians find growing in the area of prayer to be one of their greatest challenges.On this episode, our guest Kevin Halloran discusses common roadblocks we face and provides us with five practical on-ramps to a joy-filled prayer life.As Kevin says, "A more joyful prayer life may be closer than you realize, even if you have no idea how to get there. God wants us to enjoy Him in prayer, and sometimes all it takes is a small on-ramp of truth to take us to the highway of joyful prayer and deeper communion with God."In This Episode We'll Learn:Common roadblocks that keep us from enjoying our prayer livesHow overthinking, guilt, stress, and improper motives can hinder our desire to prayThe value of community in developing the discipline of prayerFive on-ramps for getting your prayer life back on the right trackPractical steps we can take to improve our joy in prayerFor more resources and information, see the show notes at ReasonableTheology.org/Episode12Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

Piecing together a chronology of the Apostle Paul’s life is not as easy as the maps in the back of your Bible might make it seem.This brief outline of Paul’s life and missionary journeys helps us gain a better understanding of the apostle's history and a better appreciation for the importance of external evidence in developing a reliable chronology of Biblical events. Although it is within the New Testament, Acts can be considered an “external source” of sorts to Paul’s own epistles.Finding corroboration between these two allow us to compare the accounts to extra-Biblical information such as the Gallio Inscription. It is clear that even without distinct chronological markers in Paul’s epistles we can determine with a high degree of confidence a chronology for the major events of Paul’s life and ministry.Learn more and find additional resources at https://reasonabletheology.org/life-of-paul/Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

God is not silent on the issue of abortion. On this episode of the Reasonable Theology podcast we look at what God’s Word says about the value of human life and whether the unborn count as human life. Along the way we will see that there is one central question in the abortion debate that must be addressed: Is the unborn a human person? As apologist Greg Koukl rightly frames the issue: “If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate.” In This Episode We'll Learn:That God is not silent on the sanctity of human lifeThat God is not silent about the status of the unborn as human lifeHow to use the SLED test to show someone that the unborn is a distinct, valuable, human personThat God is not silent about the availability of forgiveness to those who have had or have supported abortionThat God is not silent about the right Christian response to abortionFor more resources and information, see the show notes at ReasonableTheology.org/Episode11Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

What are the Five Points of Calvinism and what do these doctrines teach us about salvation?The Five Points of Calvinism are: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.You have likely come across the acrostic T.U.L.I.P. as a memory aid for these doctrinal positions. Let's go over each doctrine one at a time.Learn more and find additional resources about the Doctrines of Grace here.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

In this episode of the Reasonable Theology podcast we tackle an important question:"Why do Presbyterians baptize infants (paedobaptism) while Baptists only baptize professing believers (credobaptism)?"Rather than present the arguments that each side give for their position, I want to help you understand the reasons behind the two positions.As we'll see, baptism is not the central difference between Baptists and Presbyterians. Instead, the different conclusions reached on this issue are the result of different understandings of God’s covenants.These denominations hold to their different views of baptism because they have come to different conclusions regarding the covenants of Scripture—specifically the Covenant of Grace and the New Covenant.In this episode we’ll discuss:Why understanding the Covenant of Grace and the New Covenant is crucial for understanding the baptism debateHow the Presbyterian view of these covenants lead to their views on baptizing believers and the infant children of believersHow the Baptist view of these covenants lead them to baptize only professing believersWhy comparing the Westminster Confession of Faith and the London Baptist Confession is useful in understanding the two positionsSee the Show Notes for Additional ResourcesGet a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

The Old Testament contains 39 books that are categorized as books of the Law, history, poetry, wisdom, and prophetical books.Despite its diverse contents, it is much more than a simple anthology. It is tied together by a successive string of five major covenants that God made with His people.Here is a quick look at the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and the New Covenant. For a written version of this content, visit ReasonableTheology.org/5covenantsSupport the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

Life-expectancy worldwide is twice what it was a hundred years ago. And because of modern medicine, many of us don’t often see death up close. That makes it easy to live as if death is someone else’s problem. It isn’t. On this episode of the Reasonable Theology podcast we sit down with Matthew McCullough, a pastor and author who recently published a book called Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope. When we ignore our own mortality, we lose out on much of what Scripture has for us to learn. As McCullough states, "When the reality of death is far from our minds, the promises of Jesus often seem detached from our lives."In this episode we'll discuss:The reason that death is, for many of us, like a foreign countryCultural changes that have occurred that allow us to 'forget' the reality of deathThe negative consequences of death becoming tabooWhat believers miss out on when they forget deathThe benefits of remembering our mortality (and why it's much more than carpe diem)How our view of death impacts how we respond to the promises of ChristPractical (and non-morbid!) steps we can take to remember deathFor more helpful resources, see the show notes at ReasonableTheology.org/Episode9Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

In every relationship conflict is bound to occur - and relationships within the church are no different. Whether your church is experiencing conflict now or is simply hoping to avoid it later, there are biblical keys to resolving church conflict and preserving unity.Listen as our guest Pastor Curt Heffelfinger discusses how we can create a culture of peacemaking within our churches and how pastors, elders, and church members can work towards preserving unity within the church.We'll discuss:The danger of disunity within the church bodyThe importance of maintaining peaceHow we can cultivate a culture of peace within the churchWhat church leaders can doWhat those in the congregation can doThe benefits of being a church that guards and preserves church unity.About Our GuestCurt Heffelfinger has served in pastoral ministry for more than thirty years. He is the author of The Peacemaking Church: 8  Biblical Keys to Resolve Conflict and Preserve Unity. He and his wife, Jan, are the parents of six children and have nine grandchildren. See the show notes at ReasonableTheology.org/Episode8Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

Since we all have thoughts about God, we are all – to some extent – thinking theologically. As RC Sproul famously said, “The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones.”On this episode of the Reasonable Theology podcast, our guest Dr. Scott Swain provides guidance on how we can strive to be good theologians.View the Show Notes for this episodeGet a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE

Just because the Puritans didn't have Netflix doesn't mean they can't help us be discerning when it comes to the type of shows and movies we watch.On this episode of the Reasonable Theology podcast, your usual host Clay Kraby is actually the guest on another program. Listen as we talk about a popular article Clay wrote titled "Watching Netflix to the Glory of God: A Puritan’s Advice."In this episode we'll learn how Puritan Richard Baxter's advice for choosing what to read can help guide our decisions for what to watch on Netflix, TV, and other sources of entertainment.Read the Original Article HereGet a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and ClearlyA Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church HistoryAudio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to EnjoyA Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your LibrarySUBSCRIBE HERE