Deeply Spiritual but Rather Uncertain - with Skip Collins

The Big Five of the Bible - Mission Episode 14

This week we wrap up our series on the Big Five themes of the Bible and we talk about Mission.  At the same time we wrap up Season 1.   I am going to regroup a bit, spend some time with my Houston grandkids who are coming to visit and then spend some time planning and working towards Season 2.

But today we talk about Mission and how I certainly see it in pretty much every page of the Bible.  Enjoy!

The Big Five of the Bible - Redemption

At what point in my spiritual journey am I actually forgiven?  Are we born inherently evil - totally depraved?  Did God's wrath actually have to be appeased by killing his own son?  These are questions that have plagued me for a long time. 

In this weeks episode, we will explore the big picture of redemption which includes things like salvation, atonement justification and other theological words.  The bottom line is why did Jesus die?  Did he die to save me from my sin or was there something bigger at play here?   

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the theme of Justice in the bible.  We explore the Hebrew word for righteousness as well as the Greek word in the New Testament that is used for both justice and righteousness.  If that sounds boring then how about this...  We are going to be talking about racism as well as the refugee crisis that exists in our world.  It's an important discussion!   

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 1

Without a doubt, if you are talking about the major themes of the Bible you have to talk about justice.  It comes up over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments.  The word Misphat which is Hebrew for justice shows up more than 200 times in the Old Testament.  The word in Greek that is translated justice or righteousness, dikaiosunei s spoken of 86 times in the New Testament.  

Justice is a theme that has been often completely ignored in many evangelical churches, but there is no question that as followers of Christ we are called to justice.

This episode is not trying to put anybody on a guilt trip or make you feel more worthless then you already do about yourself!  It's about understanding God's heart for justice and our seeing all of life and the Bible through that filter.  

The Big Five of the Bible - Grace

If you had to pick the five major themes of the Bible, what would you say?  Of course, we know that the answer to that is very subjective.  There really isn't a right or wrong answer.  But I thought I would have a shot at what I think they are.  Grace, Justice, Redemption, Mission and Jesus.  For the next 4 weeks, we will be unpacking these themes.  In this episode, we'll talk about Grace.  So often we tell people that grace is a free gift - but when you read the fine print you find out it's actually not.  So is it actually free or do I have to earn it?  

Resources mentioned in the Podcast:

• Cross Vision by Greg Boyd 
• Reknew

Is the Bible Inspired? Authoritative? Episode 9

Following on from last weeks episode we look the question of Is the Bible inspired?  If it is, what the heck does that mean?  Do I actually have to do everything it says?

Further reading material:

The Bible Tells Me So - Pete Enns

What is the Bible - Rob Bell

Inspired - Rachael Held Evans

Is The Bible Inerrant? - Episode 8

Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible is without fault or error in its original teaching. It's what I believed and even preached for much of my life.  It has been at the bedrock of modern evangelism for a very long time to the point that some would question your Christianity if you don't believe in Biblical inerrancy. 

But in our post-modern times, those ideas have come into question.  What if the Bible has errors and contradictions?  Does that negate the whole thing?  Does it give us free reigns to do whatever we want?

That's our subject this week.  You don't want to miss this one!

If you want to interact on the subject you can find me wandering around social media.  

Facebook - www.facebook.com/skip.collins.927

Instagram - skipcollins

Twitter - @skipinsa

 

Glimpses of the true character of God in the Old Testament - Episode 7

Hebrews 1:1 says,  God, who gave our forefathers many different glimpses of the truth in the words of the prophets, has now, at the end of the present age, given us the truth in the Son. (JB Phillips)  

Last week we talked about some of the violent images if God that we see in the New Testament and how we reconcile that with the fact that the true character of God is found in Jesus.

In this episode I want to share 3 stores in the Old Testament that are some of the glimpses of truth that the author of Hebrews speaks about.  

Anger, Vengeance and Wrath, O My - Episode 6

Have you ever been disturbed by the amount of violence that there is in the Bible?  Have you ever run across passages where God commands the genocide of entire nations, including innocent children?  When you read those passages do you cringe just a little bit?  

This week we are going to explore some of those passages in the Old Testament and compare them against the character of God that we see in Jesus.  

Is God Inclusive or Exclusive? Episode 5

Is God/the Gospel/Christianity inclusive or exclusive?  Is Jesus the only way to God or are there other ways? 

I grew up in the era of the Jesus Movement in the '70s.  While "the world" was using the peace sign (2 fingers raised in the air) the Jesus People used just their index finger signifying "One Way".  I think I even had a bumper sticker on my car that said "One Way". Were we right, or might it not be that simple? 

In this podcast, we will explore ideas like pluralism and exclusivism.  We will ask questions about Bible verses that claim that Jesus is the only way.  And we will see that the life lived by Jesus was radically inclusive in every way.