THE CHARGE with Dennis Metzler
Theology, spiritualty, ethics, culture, history, and related pursuits
Episodes
Dr. Amos Yong discusses Acts as foundational in forming the church's understanding of witness and mission as well as the sending and activity of the Spirit in relation to the nature and life of the church. He talks about conversion as a two-way street and also considers hospitality and shared life as integral to the mission of the church. We also cover the Spirit's work in regard to other nations and end by comparing Yong's work wi...
Dr. Ross Hastings leads us through the Ascension of Christ, covering the biblical data, what happened to the body of Jesus, the relationship of the ascended Christ to God, its theological significance, its relationship to salvation and atonement, the nature of humanity, its relevance for the church, the intercession of Christ, Jesus as prophet, priest, and king, and its connection to the Second Coming.
I, Dennis, would love to hear...
Dr. Gupta looks at Greco-Roman culture, how the Romans saw Christianity, power in weakness, worship, sacrifice, priesthood, Spirit-led ethics, eschatology and ethics, orientation towards time, and more. The book also covers the radical hospitality of the Christian household, personal sanctification and holiness, the contrast with Roman values of masculinity, and the move towards equality.
Dr. George Guthrie and I take a look at 2 Corinthians including, background, the city of Corinth, structure, unity, purpose and the triumphal parade. The discussion continues with the contrast of old and new covenants, suffering as Paul's apostolic credential, his theology of power in weakness, the thorn in the flesh, the ministry of reconciliation, and Paul's boasting.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment...
Dr. Gary Habermas--likely the most qualified expert on the resurrection of Christ--takes us through related topics including the difference between Christ's natural body and his resurrection body, minimal historical facts including Jesus' death on the cross, the disciples experiences, the earliest proclamation of the gospel, the disciples' transformation, and the conversions of James and Paul. We also discuss known facts including ...
Alexander Venter of South Africa discusses his vision for the church, connected deeply to the Vineyard movement. He tells his story of apartheid era interracial intentional community along with his philosophy of ministry, the purpose of the church, the values of the church, and the priorities of the church. Venter then addresses the practices of the church and finishes ups with the issue of commitment to the congregation.
Dr. David W. Gill discusses four cover principles: love for God, love for others, freedom, and justice. He covers area principles for each of the ten commandments, showing how they are relevant well beyond their specific wording.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or email me at thecharge.info@gmail.com
Check out David Gill's website for more info on him and his work: davidwgill.org Check out his book "...
Bill Dyrness tackles the topics of cultural wisdom, creation theology, general revelation, artistic expression, ethical practice, and especially nonviolence. We also consider divine sovereignty and action, Ancient Near East parallels, wisdom in the OT, NT, and early church, Greek philosophy, and Charles Taylor's fullness, reform, and benevolence.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at thecharge.info@...
Simon Podmore discusses Kierkegaard's personal background, his relationships with his father, Regine, and the church, his thought on the individual before God, God's attitude towards humanity, Hegel's theology, truth as subjectivity, and nationalism. Podmore also considers Kierkegaard's understanding of Christology, the Incarnation, despair, sin, faith, reason, ecclesiology, spiritual struggle, God as totally other, and the fluence...
Dr. Gregory Boyd offers his original interpretation of passages in the Old Testament attributing violence to Yahweh. We cover the centrality of Christ and the cross, different approaches to OT violence, literary crucifixes, divine accommodation, the masks of God, Scripture as God-breathed, the face-value interpretation vs. deeper meaning, the cleansing of the temple, 'buy a sword', and cruciformity.
Dr. John Armstrong considers divine love in relation to Scripture, biblical narrative, theology, justice, incarnation, the cross, resurrection, and various misconceptions. We finish up with a look at how to experiencing God's love.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at thecharge.info@gmail.com
You can order The Transforming Fire of Divine Love: My Long, Slow Journey into the Love of God by John H. ...
Dr. Matthew Bates challenges the soteriology (salvation) of Protestants and Catholics alike as he considers the definition of faith, different stages of salvation, the gospel, the content vs. the benefit of the gospel, Catholic and Protestant understandings of salvation, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, election, regeneration, justification, the place of works, and the order of salvation.
Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove is a spiritual writer, preacher, and community cultivator. He serves as Assistant Director for Partnerships and Fellowships at Yale University's Center for Public Theology and Public Policy. Jonathon lives with his family at the Rutba House, a house of hospitality in Durham, North Carolina.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or email me at thecharge.info@gmail.com
Jonathon is t...
Denis Lamoureux discusses biblical objections to evolutionary creation as well as scientific objections, particularly the fossil record and intermediate species. Dr. Lamoureux considers Genesis 1-3, young earth creation, progressive creation, deistic evolution, teleological and dysteleological evolution, personal interventionism, personal providentialism, cosmological interventionism, cosmological providentialism, intelligent desig...
Dr. Paul Molnar considers such topics as homoousion, perichoresis, the filioque, immanent and economic trinity, Karl Barth, patriology, Christology, pneumatology, incarnation, logos asarkos, grace, nature, and Karl Rahner, liberation theology, and Chalcedonian Christology.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or send me an email at thecharge.info@gmail.com
Check out Paul Molnar's books that are the basis ...
Dr. Cornelius (Neal) Plantinga discusses sin as the "vandalism of shalom", corruption, perversion, and pollution in his book "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin". We cover the cumulative effects of sin as well as its parasitic, deceptive, and hypocritical nature--especially as it relates to societal norms. Next, we dive into "Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being" as we consider a grateful dispos...
Dr. A.J. Swoboda looks at desire from a theological perspective. Our discussion covers God's desire, human desire, Satan's desire, fleshly desire, undesired desire, ordering desire, duty and desire, and best practices as they relate to desire.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or send me an email at thecharge.info@gmail.com
Dr. A.J. Swoboda is professor of Biblical Studies and World Christianity at Bus...
Dr. Katherine Sonderegger discusses divine omnipotence in light of Scripture, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Barth, and process theologians. We look at omnipotence as it relates to God’s benevolence, theodicy, meticulous providence, sovereignty, God’s attributes, holiness, humility, weakness, the cross, the supernatural, “acts of God”, subjectivity and objectivity, the Trinity, and God’s mutable immutability.
Dr. Paul Metzger explains the nature and place of personalist ethics from a Christian perspective. We discuss his understanding of a person, his categories of faith and entangled ethics, hope and eschatological ethics, and love and embodied ethics as well as his metaphysical and methodological frameworks. Metzger continues with various contemporary ethical issues including disability, utilitarianism, marriage, sexuality, physician'...
Michael J. Gorman's Big NT Theological Ideas: Resurrectional Cruciformity, Missional Theosis, & More
New Testament Scholar Dr. Michael J. Gorman explains his views on significant theological concepts: Paul's narrative spirituality and narrative soteriology, kenosis, justification by co-crucifixion, participating in Christ, resurrectional cruciformity, missional theosis, early Christian ethics, non-violence, and new covenant atonement.
I, Dennis, would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or email me at thecharge.info@gmai...
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