

Restitutio
Sean P Finnegan
Restitutio is a Christian theology podcast designed to get you thinking about biblical theology, church history, and apologetics in an effort to recover the original Christian faith of Jesus and the apostles apart from all of the later traditions that settled on it like so much sediment, obscuring and mutating primitive Christianity into dogma and ritual. Pastor Sean Finnegan, the host of Restitutio, holds to a Berean approach to truth: that everyone should have an open mind, but check everything against the bible to see how it measures up. If you are looking for biblical unitarian resources, information about the kingdom of God, or teachings about conditional immortality, Restitutio is the Christian podcast for you!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 5, 2025 • 52min
616. Herod Antipas vs. Simon Peter (Sean Finnegan, Victor Gluckin)
Quick question: “If you lived in the Roman Empire who would you want to be?” Most of us answering this question would immediately think, “the emperor” or “a wealthy person of importance.” Herod Antipas was just such a person. A son of Herod the Great and ruler of Galilee and Perea, Antipas was an influential and powerful person in the time of Christ. He was part of the tiny percentage of people with wealth and access to the life of the Roman elite. He was a competent and clever person, but he was also the victim of circumstances. By contrast Simon Peter was a lowly fisherman from an unremarkable place, that is, until Jesus called him to be part of his inner circle. In this imaginative narrative double sermon you’ll see the contrast in perspectives between Herod Antipas (played by yours truly) and Simon Peter (played by Victor Gluckin). I hope you will enjoy our reconstruction and see the value of living for God’s glory instead of your own.
This dual sermon is from the Royal Family Reunion (now called Kingdom Fest), delivered on August 27, 2011 at Living Hope Community Church in Latham, NY.
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If you want to learn more about Herod, check out episode 27: Rulers in Christ’s World
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Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Aug 30, 2025 • 54min
615. Who Is the Real King of the Jews? (Sean Finnegan)
Peering into the very late first century BC we find the briefest overlap of two individuals, both of whom would claim to be the king of the Jews. On the one hand we see Herod the Great, a capable and fierce man, full of ambition and paranoia. On the other hand, we see Jesus of Nazareth, who taught love, sacrifice, and humility. I wonder, which do you consider to be the real king of the Jews? Of course, if you’re a Christian, you’ll say “Jesus,” but do you really believe his approach to life is effective? Let’s take a moment to consider and contrast these two kings of the Jews.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
—— Links ——
If you want to learn more about Herod, check out episode 27: Rulers in Christ’s World
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Aug 21, 2025 • 48min
614. God Is Moving in Our Time (Sean Finnegan)
Do you ever feel discouraged? Do you ever think, “Why has God allowed so many to get off track?” Has someone challenged you with the question, “If you’re right about Christian theology, then why in the world would God allow the majority of Christians to be deceived for so many centuries?” Join me as we look to Isaiah 41 to see how God worked with ancient Israel to encourage them when they were tiny minority of true worshipers living in a world brimming with idolatry. Even though Israel was an island of truth in a sea of error, God told them he was with them. He was moving and working, even when it seemed like a lost cause. Join me as we learn the lesson from this powerful text for the biblical unitarian movement today. Even just considering the last five or six years, we can see that God is mightily at work among us to publish the truth about him and his exalted son.
Originally presented at Converge 2025 on August 2, 2025 at Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, USA.
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—— Links ——
Check out the Converge website for more information about the event
Watch the other sermons on the Converge YouTube Channel
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Aug 15, 2025 • 1h 12min
613. Who Is Metaphysics Mike? (Michael Temperato)
Michael Temperato (aka Metaphysics Mike) shares about his journey of faith. He tells about his struggles with drug addiction, pornography, broken relationships, and even jail. After hitting rock bottom, he turned to God and has been on a quest to pursue truth wherever it leads. After getting the left foot of fellowship from a church for asking questions, he came to embrace Torah observance and doubt the Trinity doctrine. Over the past few years, his research has culminated in a strong repertoire of facts from the Bible, church history, and logic that he puts to use in debating Trinitarians on YouTube. I got to meet him at Converge 2025 and was impressed by his theological knowledge and social media and video skills. I’m excited to see how God will work with Metaphysics Mike to reach people with the truth about God and Christ.
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Check out Metaphysics Mike on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Link Tree
To support Mike you can get the “One God.” hat, shirt, and mug at onegodmerch.com or donate to him directly through Venmo or become a channel member on YouTube
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Aug 8, 2025 • 54min
612. Colossians 1.16: Old Creation or New Creation? (Sean Finnegan)
How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows I’ll name six problems with old-creation readings before laying out why a new creation approach makes sense. I presented this talk at the 2025 Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) conference in Uxbridge, England. Scroll down to see the full-length paper, audio podcast, and full video.
For those listening to the audio, here’s a quick reference to Colossians 1.15-20
Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a)
15a who is (the) image of the invisible God,
15b firstborn of all creation
16a for in him were created all things
16b in the heavens and upon the earth,
16c the visible and the invisible,
16d whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities
16e all things have been created through him and for him
17a and he is before all things
17b and all things hold together in him
18a and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12]
Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20)
18b who is (the) beginning,
18c firstborn from the dead,
18d in order that he may be first in all things,
19 for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell
20a and through him to reconcile all things in him,
20b making peace through the blood of his cross
20c whether the things upon the earth
20d or the things in the heavens
Here’s Randy Leedy’s New Testament Diagram
Here are the slides in the original PowerPoint format
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To read the paper, simply scroll down or read it on Academia.edu.
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Check out these other papers by Sean Finnegan
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book,

Jul 31, 2025 • 53min
611. The Gospel of the Kingdom, Cross, and Resurrection (Sean Finnegan)
Today is part three of our summer mini-series on evangelism. We started two weeks ago with a focus on God’s heart for the lost. Then last week we heard how simple it is to find opportunities to speak to people. Still, we need to cover what the message is that we ultimately want to share with the lost. Today you’ll learn about the rich, threefold message of the kingdom, the cross, and the resurrection. Today’s sermon will equip you with what you need to know to share the full gospel with those you encounter.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
—— Links ——
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Jul 24, 2025 • 1h 1min
610. Everyday Evangelism Encounters (David Sowers)
Last week we began our summer mini-series on evangelism with a focus on why we should reach the lost. Today I’ve got a real treat for you. In this powerful message, David Sowers challenges believers to move beyond their comfort zones and share the gospel with the lost. His stories of everyday evangelism encounters will demystify the whole idea of telling people about Jesus. You don’t need to be exceptionally well-studied, full of charisma, or educated in psychology. All you need to do is open your eyes and step out in faith in little ways as God leads you. Get ready to be stirred, equipped, and sent with a fresh sense of purpose.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
—— Links ——
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Jul 18, 2025 • 50min
609. Do You Care about the Lost? (Vince Finnegan)
Many of us are annoyed by non-Christians. They mock our beliefs, criticize our way of life, and undermine us at every turn. If you’re honest with yourself, you probably would be happy to have a world with only Christians–real Christians–in it, right? However, this is not God’s heart–at least not right now. In today’s episode, my father, Vince Finnegan, reveals God’s deep, active loving compassion for humanity. No better example of God’s heart for the lost can be found than looking to his son. Jesus embodied that compassion, tirelessly ministering to the hurting, the outcast, and the spiritually blind. Rather than seeing the lost as an annoyance to be tolerated or–even worse–enemies to be defeated in a never-ending culture war, it’s time to see unbelievers as precious souls in need of grace. Listen in and be inspired to develop a heart that feels, sees, and acts like God’s.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
—— Links ——
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Jul 11, 2025 • 1h 7min
608. Six Quick Points on the Genuine Jesus (Brandon Duke)
This is a follow up to our 5-part response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics.
Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with a coworker, acquaintance, or family member trying to explain who Jesus is? Every wish there was a simple acrostic that could guide you through a brief yet thoughtful presentation of who Jesus is? Well, friend, you need look no further. After spending five weeks responding to arguments for the deity of Christ, Brandon Duke and I are going to do an entire episode focused on a positive case for the genuine Jesus of scripture. We’ll use the word GOSPEL to help you remember six main points about Jesus. We’re hopeful that this content will equip you to better share your faith with others.
G – given life by his Father
O – offered his life for us
S – subordinate to God
P – peccable yet sinless
E – empowered by God’s spirit
L – limited in knowledge
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—— Links ——
Support Restitutio by donating here
Learn about the major different Christian theories of atonement
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Jul 4, 2025 • 1h 12min
607. Did Jesus Really Sit on God’s Throne? (Brandon Duke)
This is part 5 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics.
Today in our fifth episode in this series critiquing the book, The Incarnate Christ and His Critics, we broach the topic of thrones. If Jesus sits on God’s throne, does that make him God too? If so, isn’t that two Gods? We’ll deal with these kinds of questions while examining throne texts, including Daniel 7.13-14; Psalm 110.1; Revelation 3.21; and Hebrews 1.3. In each case we’ll see how incredibly subordinationist the throne texts are.
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—— Links ——
Support Restitutio by donating here
Check out Will Barlow’s presentation: The Throne Room Problem
Check out Susanne Lakin’s presentation: Biblical Anthropomorphism: Evidence of a Unipersonal God
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.
Get the transcript of this episode
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.


