Kitchen Table Theology

Why isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible?

The Gospel of Thomas includes sayings attributed to Jesus, but it wasn’t included alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What criteria did the early church fathers use when recognizing the closed canon, and why didn’t this text meet those standards?

In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston examine the Gospel of Thomas through the questions the early churc...

Who added chapters and verses to the Bible? 

Imagine trying to find a Bible passage without chapter or verse numbers. The Bible wasn’t originally written with the numbered divisions we use today. So who added them, why were they created, and could they sometimes affect how we interpret Scripture?

In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston uncover the history behind Bible chapters and verses. They explain why t...

What does it mean to say that God is the author of Scripture? Did He dictate every word? Can new books ever be added to Scripture? Ready to test how well you know the Bible?

In this bonus throwback episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton put their knowledge to the test with a 12-question true-or-false quiz on the doctrine of Scripture. Listen along, keep track of your score and let’s see how many you can get right! 

Chapters:

0...

Did church leaders decide which books belong in the Bible, or did they simply recognize what God had already inspired?

Tiffany and Pastor Jeff explore how the 66 books of the Bible became recognized as Scripture. They explain what the biblical canon is, the principles the early church used to identify inspired writings, and why church councils didn’t create the Bible. They address common claims that powerful men edited Scriptu...

The Bible contains 66 books written by around 40 authors across 1,500 years, yet it tells one unified story centered on Jesus Christ.

Tiffany and Pastor Jeff explore how God inspired human authors to write Scripture and how the early church recognized which books belonged in the biblical canon. They address the “lost books” of the Bible, explain how Scripture was faithfully preserved, and show why Christians can confiden...

Through our study of the Patristic Period, we’ve seen how the earliest Christians followed Jesus, defended the truth, structured the church, and lived out Scripture. 

Tiffany and Pastor Jeff reflect on the most important themes from the historical theology series and how the faith of the early church continues to speak to Christians today. 

They also introduce the questions that will guide the next series: Where did S...

The Roman world couldn’t figure Christians out. They weren’t pagans, they weren’t exactly Jews, and although they lived ordinary lives, there was something remarkably different about them. So, who were these early Christians, and what did they actually believe? 

In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston discuss the Letter to Diognetus, one of the earliest Christian writings addressed to a nonbeli...

How should Christians approach an early church writing that is valuable, influential, and sometimes theologically troubling?

The Shepherd of Hermas was one of the most widely read Christian writings of the 2nd century. Through visions, commandments, and parables, it called believers to repentance, holiness, generosity, and faithfulness in a culture that often pulled them in the opposite direction.

But the book also raises serious The...

When you think about what you believe as a Christian… where did those beliefs come from?

For many, the trail leads back to the apostles, the earliest followers of Jesus, and church leaders like Papias of Hierapolis.

Papias was connected to the Apostle John, knew Polycarp, and helped preserve early Christian teaching during the generation after the apostles. Though most of his writings have been lost, what remains gives us valu...

The Epistle of Barnabas is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, offering a glimpse into how believers shortly after the apostolic age understood Scripture, Jesus, and the Christian life.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany explore what the Epistle of Barnabas is and why the early church valued this document without recognizing it as Scripture. The letter reads the Old Testa...

Polycarp lived at a time when the early church was facing pressure from Rome, false teaching from within, and the growing challenge of preserving the message handed down by the apostles. 

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany look at the life of Polycarp of Smyrna, one of the Apostolic Fathers and a direct link to the Apostle John. They discuss his role as bishop of Smyrna, his influence on Irenaeus...

Irenaeus lived at a time when the church was being attacked from the outside by persecution and from the inside by false teaching.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany look at the life of Irenaeus, one of the early church’s most important defenders of the gospel. Connected closely to the apostles through Polycarp, Irenaeus helped preserve apostolic teaching, confront the rise of Gnosticism, an...

Ignatius of Antioch lived so close to the time of the apostles that his life serves as a bridge between the New Testament church and the generations that followed.

In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston introduce listeners to Ignatius of Antioch, an early church leader whose courage, writings, and final journey to Rome continue to challenge and encourage Christians today.

Ignatius was arrested for being a Christian a...

Long before church history became filled with councils, creeds, and formal traditions, early Christians were already learning how to live as faithful followers of Jesus.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff Cranston and Tiffany introduce the Didache, one of the most important early Christian writings outside the New Testament. They explain how this ancient document helps us understand the worship, discipleship, chu...

284 Intro Historical Theology: Why Church History Matters

After the apostles died, the church did not disappear. It continued to preserve, defend, and pass down the truth once delivered to the saints. 

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff Cranston and Tiffany continue their historical theology series by introducing Clement of Rome, one of the earliest Apostolic Fathers. They explain why Clement matters, what hi...

Historical theology is not history for history’s sake. It helps Christians ask an important question: Do we believe the same truths the church has always believed, or have we created something new?

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff Cranston introduces historical theology and explains why it matters for every follower of Jesus. Historical theology traces how believers throughout the centuries have understoo...

When does obeying the government become disobeying God?

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff Cranston and Tiffany continue their series on Christians and civil government by addressing the tension between submission to authority and ultimate allegiance to God. Using Romans 13:1-7 and Acts 5, they explain why Christians are generally called to obey civil laws, respect governing authorities, pay taxes, and live as fa...

How should Christians honor the government without giving it blind approval? The Bible gives clear direction for how to live faithfully as citizens while keeping our highest allegiance to God.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany continue their conversation on Christians and civil government by walking through five biblical responsibilities believers have toward earthly authority. They discuss what it m...

What does it mean to live faithfully under earthly authority while belonging first to the kingdom of God? For many Christians, government can feel confusing, frustrating, or deeply divisive, yet Scripture speaks clearly about the believer’s responsibility in the world.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Jeff and Tiffany begin a new series on Christians and government by exploring why civil authority exists at all and w...