Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham

DESCRIPTIONJack discusses the big picture of our choices here on this Earth where God set our lives. He demonstrates that basically, we have two choices, and can pretend more. The Script for This Episode When faced with a reality in which your spirit was created by God and will have to give an account for … Continue reading Episode 51: These Are Your Choices →

DESCRIPTION: Jack is a guest on the Your Church Friends Podcast, with Muireadhach (“Murdoch”) and Chris. The discussion is about how God wants us to think about the Bible, and how good we naturally are as thinkers.

DESCRIPTION: Jack reads an essay called How’s It Going At Church?. It tackles the question of whether the church member views his own church in some idealized way—as he thinks the church is supposed to be—or whether he sees it as it actually is. It raises lots of important issues and questions that you may … Continue reading Episode 49: How’s It Going At Church? →

DESCRIPTION: Jack explores the question of whether any or all of the Bible-times miracles still exist on Earth today—and more importantly, why it is that so many Christians today don’t seem to really want the question to be settled. He looks into why many would want more of a mystical religion than a straight-forward, fact-based … Continue reading Episode 48: Have the Miracles Really Ceased?—And Why Many Don’t Really Want to Know →

DESCRIPTION: This unusual episode consists of nothing more than a recording of Jack reading a piece he wrote on the Christmas Truce of 1914—a most peculiar event in World War I that raises the question of just what Jesus had in mind for his true followers. Jack debuted the piece at the Montana Christmas! concert … Continue reading Episode 47: The Christmas Truce of 1914 →

DESCRIPTION: Jack asks why there is so much fear that typifies the Christians and their fellowships today, when Romans 8 paints a picture of the Christians being delivered from slavery to fear. It’s a hard-hitting episode, positing a question many will be tempted to ignore. In this episode, I’ll be reading from a recent blog … Continue reading Episode 46: Who Can Explain the Fear? →

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses Malachi 2:16, where some translations say that God hates divorce. He asks whether divorce is the only thing God hates, and whether there might not be some very serious issues that concern God at least as much as divorce does—and whether those other issues are being given the same weight in the … Continue reading Episode 45: Is Divorce the ONLY Thing that God Hates? →

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses the common problem of people hoping to fill up their internal emotional voids, and how Jesus’ “Golden Rule” may just provide a lot of the answer to this problem. A professional therapist told me once that most everybody’s got an emotional void inside, along with some level of drive to fill it. … Continue reading Episode 44: The Golden Rule and Who Is Responsible for Filling Up the Emotional Void You Naturally Have Inside →

DESCRIPTION: Jack reads and discusses an article from his blog (jackpelham.com) about how so much of Christianity today is dysfunctional, with believers not turning out very much like Jesus.

DESCRIPTION: In this episode, we deal with questions that frequently arise, and that are rarely answered well. Why doesn’t God answer our prayers as we might think he should? Why are we in this world in the first place? Why is there so much suffering here? Scriptures used in this episode will be posted soon.

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses eight possible ways Jesus could fix the mess that is ailing America. It raises the question of just what we’re expecting when we pray for God’s help. Scriptures Used in this Episode Korah-style judgment. Numbers 16: 28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to … Continue reading Episode 41: Eight Possible Ways Jesus Could Save The United States of America →

DESCRIPTION: Harry Potter spent the first eleven years of his life in the care of the unloving Dursley family, who had little concern for Harry, and very low expectations for the outcome of Harry’s life. In this episode, Jack draws several parallels between the follower of the whole-and-true Jesus and the general church culture of … Continue reading Episode 40: Surprising Parallels Between The Harry Potter Saga and Authentic Christianity →

DESCRIPTION: A great deal of confusion exists in the churches today because of the careless attention that is given to the various roles that people played in the First Century ekklesia (“church” to most). Without careful attention, it’s easy to assume upon ourselves roles and promises that were given to someone other than us. This … Continue reading Episode 39: You Are Not An Apostle. →

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses various things, including a great and relevant interview The Bible Project did with Dr. John Walton, regarding interpretations of Genesis 1. Jack mentions the Jack, Anne, and George Problem (Hector Levesque) from Cognitive Science, and how it has such a crucial lesson for us with Bible study. (The lesson is to consider … Continue reading Episode 38: Recommending an Interview with Dr. John Walton at BibleProject.org →

DESCRIPTION: Jack continues discussing several ideas about what makes for good Bible study attitudes and techniques. It ends with a discussion of how having a high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is not necessary for good Bible study, where having a high RQ (Rationality Quotient) is. Jack’s Points (continued from Episode 36) 23. The (Protestant) Bible has … Continue reading Episode 37: Jack’s Considerations for Good Bible Study, Part B →

DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses several ideas about what makes for good Bible study attitudes and techniques. It ends with a discussion of how having a high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is not necessary for good Bible study, where having a high RQ (Rationality Quotient) is. Jack’s Points Good Bible study should be done with a mental attitude … Continue reading Episode 36: Jack’s Considerations for Good Bible Study, Part A →

DESCRIPTION: Throughout the history of humankind, there have been several distinct phases in how God has run things on the Earth. And every human is born into just one of these periods, and our lives rarely span across more than one or two of them at the most. But what if we don’t like what … Continue reading Episode 35: Would You Approve of How Jesus Would Run His Kingdom? →

DESCRIPTION: In this lengthy episode, Jack discusses the gradient of faith that exists between mere mental assent to the statement that “Jesus is Lord”, and the opposite extreme at which someone is fully persuaded that the Image of God is good, and wholeheartedly invests him- or herself to living in that Image. He tells several … Continue reading Episode 34: Authentic Faith Will Swim Against the Tide →

DESCRIPTION: Jack begins the exploration of baptism, starting with John’s baptism. There seem to be four types of baptism discussed in the New Testament: John’s baptism, baptism into Jesus’ name, baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the metaphorical use of “baptism” by Jesus to describe the ordeal he was to undergo. Scriptures Used in this … Continue reading Episode 33: Understanding Baptism: Part A: John’s Baptism →

DESCRIPTION: This is Part B of a 2-part episode. Jack continues the discussion of the “salvation” language in the New Testament, and in this part, gets into the “children of God” and “sons of God” passages, too. SCRIPTURES READ IN THIS EPISODE Here are the “children of God” and “sons of God” passages in the … Continue reading Episode 32: The Already-But-Not-Yet (ABNY) Salvation Language in the New Testament, Part B →