Search — Theology Explorer

sexual ethics biblical clarity sin

Sin concerns specific bedroom behaviors, not identity, orientation, or the relationship as a whole

Winger clarifies what he means — and what the Bible means — when calling homosexual behavior sin.

Romans 1:26-27 exegesis sin homosexuality

Romans 1:26-27 — the New Testament's clearest condemnation of homosexual behavior

Winger begins a brief but direct survey of key biblical passages on homosexuality, starting with Romans 1.

Genesis Matthew 19:4-6 marriage exegesis Genesis

Why Jesus didn't address homosexuality directly — and what he did say about marriage

Winger responds to the argument that Jesus' silence on homosexuality implies it's not a serious issue.

Matthew Vines Romans 1 hermeneutics eisegesis false teaching

Matthew Vines' approach to Scripture is driven by a prior commitment to affirm homosexuality, not honest exegesis

Q&A question about advocates like Matthew Vines who try to make homosexuality fit within Scripture.

Mike Winger idea 2018-12-17

What makes something a pagan custom vs. a neutral one: the test is whether it is meaningfully tied to worship of a false god

Q&A: viewer asks how to distinguish pagan customs from neutral ones

Idolatry Liberty of conscience Judging fellow believers

Mike Winger idea 2018-12-17

Closing: Check the context — the primary safeguard against Scripture misuse

Final exhortation before signing off

Jeremiah 10 Proof-texting Hermeneutics Jeremiah 10

Paul the Apostle epistles genre of epistles vs. gospels

Epistles are not biographies — they don't need to quote Jesus extensively

Before diving into scripture, Mike explains why Paul's letters don't contain extensive biography of Jesus and why that doesn't undermine their historical value.

Galatians 4:4 Galatians 4:4 incarnation Paul the Apostle

Galatians 4:4 — Paul affirms Jesus was a human being born of a woman, born under the Law (i.e., Jewish)

First in a series of scriptures Mike walks through to show what Paul knew about the historical Jesus.

Deuteronomy 25:4 Luke 10:7 1 Timothy 5:18 Deuteronomy 25:4 Luke 10:7 laborer deserves wages

1 Timothy 5:18 quotes Luke 10:7 alongside Deuteronomy 25:4 and calls both 'Scripture'

The author of 1 Timothy introduces two quotations with 'the Scripture says' — one from the OT and one from Luke 10:7 — implying canonical status for Gospel material in the first century.

Galatians 1 James (brother of Jesus) 2 Peter Galatians 1 Peter (Cephas) James (brother of Jesus)

Paul's apostolic authority confirmed by Peter and James; 2 Peter calls Paul's writings Scripture

Q&A: question about how Paul went from persecutor to authoritative apostle.

Christian ethics sinlessness of Jesus Temple cleansing

Jesus overturning tables in the Temple — anger is not inherently sinful, but it creates temptation to sin

Q&A: question about whether Jesus's table-turning in the Temple constitutes sinful anger.

Mike Winger idea 2018-12-19

Mike's framing: this is not an attack on Catholicism but a search for what Scripture actually says

Mike sets ground rules before engaging the topic

biblical authority gospel Catholicism

Mike Winger idea 2018-12-19

Mike's verdict: Vatican II is not actually clear on Ben Shapiro's specific case

Summing up the Vatican II analysis

biblical authority Ben Shapiro Robert Barron

Mike Winger idea 2018-12-19

Bishop Barron's theology of conscience: conscience is 'the aboriginal voice of Christ'

Mike identifies a second major theological claim Barron makes beyond Vatican II

conscience Robert Barron voice of Christ

faith Christian apologetics reasonable faith

The 'faith = belief without evidence' definition makes Christians appear foolish and concedes the epistemic ground

Mike explains the rhetorical and theological consequences of accepting this definition.

hermeneutics faith apologetics methodology

Methodology: test the definition of faith against Scripture first, then the dictionary

Mike outlines his approach for the rest of the session.

Acts 18:27-28 Apollos typology evidence-based faith

Acts 18:27-28 — Apollos vigorously refutes Jewish opponents using Scripture to show Jesus is the Christ

New Testament example of evidence-based persuasion in the early church.

John the Baptist John 5:31-39 resurrection evidence-based faith John the Baptist

John 5:31-38 — Jesus presents three specific evidences for his identity: John the Baptist, miracles, and Scripture

Mike analyzes Jesus's own self-defense in John 5 as a model of evidence-based persuasion.

John 5:39 evidence-based faith messianic prophecy John 5:39

John 5:39 — the Old Testament scriptures testify of Jesus as a third category of evidence

Continuation of the John 5 analysis; the Father's testimony through Scripture.

Hebrews 11:1 Romans 1:19-20 John 20:24 apologetics methodology Hebrews 11:1 Romans 1:19-20

Pivot to objections: addressing 'but what about?' passages that skeptics use to support the faith-without-evidence definition

Mike transitions from positive case to handling counter-passages.

Hebrews 11:1 hermeneutics faith Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 is a description of what faith looks like, not a definition of why or how we believe

Mike's core exegetical argument about the nature of Hebrews 11.

John 20:27-28 resurrection evidence-based faith Thomas

Jesus gives Thomas evidence first, then commands belief — a model of evidence-based faith

The climax of Mike's Thomas analysis.

John 20:24-29 resurrection Thomas Matt Dillahunty

Thomas's rebuke was for ignoring available evidence, not for demanding evidence — modern believers have the same pre-appearance evidence

Mike draws the application of the Thomas story to contemporary Christian faith.

personal testimony faith spiritual apprehension

Dictionary definition of faith: Google's two definitions — 'complete trust or confidence' vs. 'strong belief based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof'

Mike moves from Scripture to the dictionary to examine the secular definition of faith.

personal testimony evidence-based faith comparative religion

Evidence for Christianity spans multiple disciplines: Scripture, philosophy, history, science, and personal experience

Mike summarizes the scope of Christian evidential resources before moving to Q&A.

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.

Mike Winger idea 2019-01-23

Christian call to defend the fatherless — abortion as a moral mandate for Christians regardless of eschatological timeline

Q&A — question about whether abortion can be abolished given worsening culture as end times approach

cultural engagement eschatology Christian ethics

Mike Winger idea 2019-01-23

Heaven and miscarriage — Scripture does not specify the state or 'age' of those who die before birth

Q&A — question about the state of aborted or miscarried children in heaven

Ephesians Ephesians abortion heaven

Torah observance Hebrew Roots Movement Salvation by works

Hebrew Roots Movement is not monolithic — four distinct subgroups identified along a spectrum from optional Torah-keeping to rejecting Jesus entirely

Mike breaks down the internal diversity within the movement to caution against a single label.

1 Corinthians Ephesians Colossians 1 Corinthians Ephesians Colossians

119 Ministries chosen as the representative case study for this video because they engage actual scripture

Mike explains his research methodology and why he selected 119 Ministries as his primary dialogue partner.

Sola Scriptura 119 Ministries Rhetorical manipulation

119 Ministries invites critique of their teaching and claims their commentary is subordinate to Scripture — Mike calls this partially manipulative

Mike plays clips from 119 Ministries where they invite correction and claim their own commentary is worthless.

Paul rejection 119 Ministries Rhetorical manipulation

119 Ministries asks "can truth become not-truth?" — Mike identifies this as a misleading question that conflates truthfulness with universal applicability

Mike quotes and critiques a rhetorical question 119 Ministries poses to destabilize the traditional Christian position.

John 1 Hebrews 13:8 Law of Moses 119 Ministries Logos

119 Ministries' core philosophical claim: Jesus is the Word, therefore Jesus is the Bible, therefore obeying Jesus means obeying OT law — Mike calls this irrational

Mike introduces the central pre-Pauline argument of 119 Ministries: equating Jesus (the Logos) with the written Bible.

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.

Hebrews 13:8 Genesis 12 Abraham 119 Ministries Old Testament application

119 Ministries uses Hebrews to argue Jesus does not change, therefore the Bible does not change, therefore you must obey OT law — Mike dissects this logical chain

Mike traces the logical steps of 119 Ministries from the immutability of Christ to the conclusion that Torah-observance is mandatory.

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.

Hebrews 11 John 5 John 6:53-63 Abraham Hebrews 11 John 5

John 6:53 — "eat my flesh and drink my blood" is symbolic, not a basis for the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist

Q&A: an ex-Catholic questioner asks whether John 6:53 has legitimate Hebrew roots or is scripture-twisting in support of the Eucharist.

Hebrew Roots Movement love your enemies Law of Moses

Christian response to opponents: love and bless those who persecute

Mike addresses how he and his viewers should respond to those who may have gotten the video removed.

1 Corinthians 13 prophecy word of knowledge 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13 "the perfect" does not refer to the completed canon — cessationism refuted

Q&A question about whether 1 Corinthians 13 latter half refers to the completed canon of Scripture.

faith in Christ Hebrew Roots Movement Law of Moses

Hebrew Roots Movement: Should Christians uphold the Law of Moses?

Q&A on whether Christians should uphold the Law as Jesus did, since he was sinless in following it.

Catholic Church mandatory celibacy priestly celibacy

Catholic Church mandatory celibacy for priests and nuns is unbiblical

Mike addresses the Catholic sex abuse scandal as it relates to mandatory celibacy.