Houseform Apologetics

This episode begins a series of topical episodes following the end of our series on Leviticus. The topic for this episode is the controversial head covering reference in 1 Corinthians 11:13–15. The discussion summarizes the material discussed in a scholarly journal article published in 2004 by Dr. Troy Martin entitled, “Paul’s Argument from Nature for the Veil in 1 Corinthians 11:13–15: A Testicle instead of a Head Covering” (Journal of Biblical Literature 123:1 [2004]: 75–84). Martin summarizes his approach as follows: “This article interprets Paul’s argument from nature in 1 Corinthians 11:13–15 against the background of ancient physiology. The Greek and Roman medical texts provide useful information for interpreting not only Paul’s letters but also other NT texts.” The article (and the author’s subsequent responses to criticism, also published in academic literature) presents a compelling case and is, to Dr. Heiser’s knowledge, the only approach that provides a coherent explanation...

Dr. Hugh Ross — Skeptics Forum: Special Event | Sierra Madre Congregational Church | April 22nd, 2018

Dr. Hugh Ross — Creation in The Book of Isaiah: Part 5 | Paradoxes Sunday School Class, Sierra Madre Congregational Church | April 15th, 2018 Study Questions From Isaiah (.pdf file):  http://www.paradoxes.org/audio/Isaiah_study001.pdf

An evening in the listening room as Jordan Peterson and Matt Dillahunty question (and mostly oppose) one another on views of theism, skepticism, science, morality, and religion.

A great discussion with David Berlinski on the link between evolution, science, and progressivism. In short order, Dr. Berlinski points out a few scientific pretentions—and explains why those answers/theories are unsatisfactory.

Dr. Michael Heiser addresses questions related to social status and culture in the Bible—the role of wives, concubines, and so on.

What is the proper biblical relationship between faith and works? Do good works contribute to salvation? If not, then why should we care about the way we live? Personal holiness is something taught in Scripture, but the desire to please God in our lives often leaves Christians guilty when they fail. Believers begin to suspect God doesn’t love them any longer—or at least not as much. The result is that the clarity of the gospel gets muddled. This episode of the podcast aims to help us think clearly about grace, faith, and works in the Christian life.

Predestination and foreknowledge aren’t the same. Foreknowledge does not necessitate predestination. In 1 Samuel 23:1–13 it’s clear, God foreknew a possible outcome that never actually happens—foreknowledge does not command that it’s predestined to happen. In other words, the means by which God works are His own—God can predestine things if He wants, but we cannot conclude that everything that happens was predestinated.  We cannot exist as God’s own image if everything is predestined (Genesis 1:27). Free will (what we choose) matters, although we may not know how it matters exactly—God is omniscient and God will use it—only God knows such things. If everything is predestined, we would have no free will and we would simply be robots. This is why God does not eliminate evil just yet. In doing so, God would have to eliminate all of humanity as well as everything else in the spiritual world having free will. God is omniscient and knows what the cost is going to be. He would rather ...

The basic details of the Israelite conquest of Jericho are well known. The renewal of the covenant at Shechem, the miraculous crossing of the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, Joshua’s encounter with the supernatural commander of the Lord’s host, the sending of the spies to the city and their reception by Rahab, the weird battle instructions to march around the city and blow the ram’s horns, and the collapse of the walls have been retold in countless Sunday School classes and sermons. But virtually unknown is that many of these details have correspondences in a story from Ugarit, an ancient city state in Syria. That story is known as the Keret (or Kirta) Epic. In this episode we talk about the similarities and how an ancient reader might have processed such parallels.

Dr. Heiser elaborates on the Biblical connection to 2nd Temple period literature involving the origins of pre-flood giants / demons. Information you'll come across when studying Angelology and Demonology.

In 1 John 3:11–12 the apostle warned believers, “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.” Does this passage mean that Cain was fathered by Satan? The idea is indeed found in some ancient Jewish texts. Is there any evidence for that in the Old Testament account of his birth? This episode of the podcast answers those questions.

Dr. Hugh Ross — Creation in The Book of Isaiah: Part 4 | Paradoxes Sunday School Class, Sierra Madre Congregational Church | April 8th, 2018

Dr. Hugh Ross — He Is Risen | Paradoxes Sunday School Class, Sierra Madre Congregational Church | April 1st, 2018

Michael Heiser — Believing the Bible About the Supernatural | Exegetical Tools | April 8th, 2018 Should we take the supernatural elements of scripture seriously? Psalm 82:1 says, "God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment." Who are these gods? Why do so many interpreters gloss over this and other elements of the supernatural in the Scriptures? Travis asks Michael Heiser, expert in Ancient Near Eastern studies and author of "The Unseen Realm." Dr. Heiser is Scholar-in-Residence for Logos Bible Software, and he's also got some great advice for those who have been avoiding learning biblical Hebrew.

Dr. Michael Heiser interview on the “Are You Real?” Podcast | Feb 18th, 2018

Dr. Daniel Wallace’s highly recommended video course on New Testament textual criticism—there's really no better resource for learning about textual criticism. Textual Criticism remains today as one of the most overlooked disciplines in Biblical studies. In this collection, Dr. Daniel B. Wallace of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) teaches people from the lay to the scholarly level about the basic principles and practices of New Testament Textual Criticism (NTTC). Dr. Wallace defines New Testament Textual Criticism and discusses topics like identifying textual variants, categorizing manuscripts, and interpreting the available evidence. • What is New Testament Textual Criticism • An Embarrassment of Riches • The Practice of NT Textual Criticism Pt. 1 External Evidence • The Practice of NT Textual Criticism Pt. 2 Internal Evidence • External & Internal Evidence Combined Revelation 1:4 • External & Internal Evidence Matthew 27:16–17 • Anot...

This episode of the podcast raises a straightforward question: Does God ever deceive anyone? While listeners might think the answer must be in the negative, that actually isn’t the case. This episode considers several passages where God uses deception and suggests the same to biblical figures. We also consider related questions, such as: Is deception the same thing as lying? and, If God uses deception, how are we to think about that? Are there ramifications for personal ethics?

This episode welcomes Fern and Audrey back to the podcast. Fern and Audrey minister to trauma survivors, particularly those whose trauma resulted in dissociation (see Episode 68). The conversation in this episode includes Alexa, a client of Fern and Audrey’s Discovering Mercy ministry, and allows listeners to understand their ministry from a survivor’s perspective. Discovering Mercy ministry:  http://www.discoveringmercy.org/

Dr. Hugh Ross — Creation in The Book of Isaiah: Part 3 | Paradoxes Sunday School Class, Sierra Madre Congregational Church | March 25th, 2018 Study Questions from Isaiah.pdf