Search — Theology Explorer

John 13:2 omnipotence Satan spiritual warfare

Q&A: Can Satan, as a non-omnipotent being, put thoughts into people's minds?

Viewer question from Joy Chintons.

John 3:36 obedience hermeneutics faith and works

Q&A: Connection between belief and obedience in John 3:36 — belief leads to obedience; lack of obedience implies lack of faith

Viewer question from Jacob Englet about John 3:36 and James 2:14-26.

hermeneutics biblical interpretation contextual reading

Q&A: How to know you have the proper interpretation of Scripture — hermeneutics and contextual reading

Viewer question from Eric Seagardia.

epistemology evidence apologetics methodology

Q&A: Distinction between 'evidence' and 'proof' — Mike is skeptical that they must be rigorously distinguished

Viewer question from Martin Gradwell.

Romans 1:19-20 personal testimony Romans 1:19-20 natural theology

Q&A: Personal testimony — Bradley Wilcox found God through science and history; Mike shares friend Travis's conversion testimony

Viewer comment on creation as evidence; Mike illustrates with a personal conversion story.

evidence-based faith faith trust

Closing summary: faith is simply trust; the reasons for faith are a separate discussion from the nature of faith itself

Mike's concluding definition and summary of the session.

internal contradiction abortion safe legal rare

Critique of 'keep abortion safe, legal, and rare' — internal contradiction if the unborn is not a person

Mike uses Hillary Clinton's famous phrase to expose inconsistency in the pro-choice position

human development embryo Scott Klusendorf

Scott Klusendorf's argument: 'You didn't come from an embryo — you once were an embryo'

Philosophical distinction between origin and identity as applied to embryology

abortion human rights embryo

The unborn has three qualities shared with all humans: Living, Human, and Whole

Mike's three-part framework for establishing the moral status of the unborn

human development embryo Bernard Nathanson

The 'Whole' quality of the unborn — Bernard Nathanson (NARAL co-founder) confirms the embryo is a unified whole, self-directed, and distinct from the mother

Mike's explanation of the third quality of the unborn, backed by a prominent pro-choice source

abortion SLED acronym human value

SLED — E: Environment does not determine human value

Third SLED argument addressing the claim that location (inside vs. outside the womb) determines moral status

abortion Roe v. Wade Scott Klusendorf

Pre-Roe abortion death statistics were radically overstated — Scott Klusendorf cites approximately 70 deaths in the year before Roe

Q&A — claim that Roe v. Wade stopped women from dying from botched abortions

Planned Parenthood rape exception abortion statistics

Rape and incest exceptions fail logically — Guttmacher Institute data: less than 1% of abortions involve rape or incest

Mike revisits rape and introduces incest as claimed exceptions to the pro-life position

consistency argument abortion SLED acronym

Overpopulation argument fails — if it justifies killing the unborn, it justifies killing anyone

Q&A — claim that overpopulation justifies abortion

abortion human rights right to life

The right to life supersedes bodily autonomy — the most fundamental human right

Closing argument summarizing the rights-based case against abortion

John 1 Malachi Moses Torah Logos

Mike gives five arguments for why Jesus is not the Bible

Systematic refutation of the 119 Ministries claim that Jesus = the written Word.

Hebrew Roots Movement World Mission Society Church of God God the Mother heresy

Comparison of Hebrew Roots reasoning to Mother of God cult — both use oversimplified philosophical principles to override Scripture

Mike broadens his critique to identify a general pattern: movements that start with a simplistic principle and then force-fit Scripture to it.

Torah Paul rejection 119 Ministries

119 Ministries: "you cannot choose which parts of the Messiah you like" — Mike critiques this as circular reasoning that makes Torah-rejection equivalent to rejecting Jesus

Mike plays a clip where 119 Ministries equates partial Torah-rejection with rejecting part of the Messiah himself.

1 John 2:3-10 1 John 3:23-24 John 15 Law of Moses 1 John 2:3-10 1 John 3:23-24

Reading 1 John in context: the commandment John has in view is love and faith in Jesus Christ, not the Mosaic law

Mike does a sustained contextual reading of 1 John 2 and 3 to determine what John meant by "commandments."

John 15:10-12 Love command Commandments of Jesus Walking as Jesus walked

John 15: the commandment of Jesus is to love one another as he loved us — Mike applies this to the "walk as he walked" question

Mike reads John 15:12 as further confirmation that the commandment Jesus gives is love, not Torah-keeping.

Torah observance Gentile believers Sola fide

Torah-observant Christians who hold sola fide — Mike's gracious but firm assessment

Q&A question: what about Torah-observant believers who genuinely hold that salvation is by grace through faith alone?

Hebrew Roots Movement Paul rejection Dietary laws

Pastoral counsel for those with family members in the Hebrew Roots Movement — distinguish unnecessary restrictions from the deeper spiritual danger

Q&A: a viewer's mother is deeply in the Hebrew Roots movement; asking if the movement is the way to be close to Jesus.

Romans 8 Revelation 2 Peter Romans 8 sons of God eschatology

Book of Revelation and the new heavens and new earth

Q&A question about what Revelation says about the new heaven and earth.

evangelism apologetics Josh McDowell

Recommended apologetics resources: websites and books

Q&A asking for top suggested books and sources for apologetics and evangelism.

1 Corinthians 7 calling 1 Corinthians 7 marriage

1 Corinthians 7: Singleness is better than marriage for kingdom service

Q&A on Christian celibacy and the Catholic Church sex scandal involving nuns.

worship vain worship non-believers in ministry

Non-believers in a worship band constitute vain worship

Q&A on whether it is okay for a non-believer to sing or play in a worship band.

Revelation eschatology Revelation once saved always saved

Open theological questions Mike personally still has

Q&A asking what theological questions Mike still has unanswered.

New Testament generational curses deliverance ministry

Generational curses: Mike does not believe in them as commonly taught

Q&A on whether generational curses are biblical.

Mark unforgivable sin rejection of Christ blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: not accidentally saying a wrong phrase

Q&A on the meaning of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

apologetics fulfilled prophecy divine inspiration of Scripture

Fulfilled prophecy as evidence for God

Q&A asking for apologetic reasons to believe in God.

apologetics resurrection of Christ evidence for God

Resurrection of Jesus as evidence for God

Mike lists the resurrection as a second major apologetic argument for God.

apologetics evidence for God ontological argument

Ontological argument: God's existence is necessary

Mike lists the ontological argument as a third apologetic reason for God.

apologetics monotheism cosmological argument

Kalam Cosmological Argument for God's existence

Mike presents the Kalam Cosmological Argument as a fourth reason to believe in God.

apologetics evidence for God personal experience of God

Personal experience of God and common sense as evidence for God

Mike closes his apologetics list with experiential and intuitive arguments.

Mark 13:32 second coming Trinity Mark 13:32

Mark 13:32 — Jesus not knowing the hour does not threaten his deity

Viewer question about the Trinity and whether Jesus' limited knowledge in Mark 13:32 undermines his divinity

Acts 1 resurrection kenosis omniscience

Acts 1 implies Jesus's limitations were lifted after resurrection and glorification

Continuing discussion of Jesus's limited knowledge before vs. after resurrection

Proverbs 2 Corinthians 6:14 marriage sanctification Proverbs

There is no single "the one" person to marry — biblical principles guide spouse selection, not divine designation

Viewer asking whether there is only one possible spouse and how that relates to free will

John 3:13 Moses divine authority Elijah

John 3:13 — "No one has ascended" does not necessarily contradict Elijah's translation

Viewer asking about John 3:13 and its apparent contradiction with Elijah ascending

salvation sanctification forgiveness

Mike's personal testimony: heard the gospel at 12, found relief in forgiveness

Viewer asking about Mike's salvation experience

healing spiritual warfare authority of Christ

Authority over evil spirits and sickness comes from Christ's authority, not the believer's own

Viewer asking about Christians' authority over evil spirits and sickness

Christian apologetics Gospel historicity reasons people leave the faith

Introduction: purpose of the stream and why the historicity of the Gospels matters

Mike opens the Tuesday livestream and frames the day's topic as important for faith retention.

Bart Ehrman community tradition view oral transmission

Bart Ehrman's telephone-game argument against Gospel reliability

Mike quotes and plays audio of Bart Ehrman presenting the community tradition / oral telephone-game view of Gospel transmission.

Gospel historicity community tradition view oral history view

The two competing models: community tradition view vs. oral history view

Mike introduces the framework for the rest of the lecture.

Bart Ehrman Jesus Seminar Son of Man

The Jesus Seminar and the consequence of rejecting eyewitness origins

Mike explains what is at stake if the Gospels are not rooted in eyewitness accounts.

eschatology Papias Eusebius

Eusebius preserves Papias but personally dislikes him due to eschatology differences

Note on the transmission of Papias's writings and the reliability of Eusebius as a hostile witness.

Richard Bauckham Josephus historical method

Ancient historians' three-tiered hierarchy of sources: first-person, interrogated eyewitness, written account

Historical methodology framework used by ancient historians, applied to understanding Papias.

Richard Bauckham eyewitness testimony Papias

Bauckham's interpretation of "living and surviving voice" in Papias — literal, not metaphorical

Clarifying what Papias meant by preferring a "living voice" to written sources.

Richard Bauckham Jesus Seminar community tradition view

Bauckham's argument: Papias assumes oral tradition's value depends on derivation from living eyewitnesses

Theoretical implication of Papias's framework for evaluating the community tradition view.

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity eyewitness guarantors

Bauckham's theory: named individuals are living eyewitness sources the author is appealing to

The positive explanation for why some individuals are named in Gospel accounts.