Ask Better Bible Questions with Garrett Best

 Ask Better Bible Questions with Garrett Best

https://youtu.be/kgCQkOy08RQ

Feb 5, 2025 Radically Christian Podcast = This episode of the Radically Christian Bible Study Podcast continues the series on becoming a better Bible student. The conversation centers on how to ask better questions of Scripture and how cultural and generational trends affect biblical interpretation.

The discussion highlights the importance of moving beyond a "what's in it for me?" mindset when reading Scripture. Garrett Best encourages humility in reading Scripture and emphasizes group Bible study for broader perspectives. Key concepts include the value of questioning, wrestling with the text, and seeking transformation rather than simply acquiring knowledge.

Garrett Best, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Bible and Ministry and the Chair of the Department of Bible and Ministry at York University. Garrett has degrees from Freed-Hardeman University, Harding School of Theology (MDiv), and Asbury Theological Seminary (PhD Biblical Studies). He is passionate about helping students discover the depth and beauty of Scripture while fostering transformative learning experiences.

The Problem with Proof-Texting the Bible with Boo Scott

The Problem with Proof-Texting the Bible with Boo Scott

https://youtu.be/-MYjaJ8hLxk

Jan 29, 2025  Radically Christian Podcast = This episode of the Radically Christian Bible Study Podcast is part of our, “How to Be a Better Bible Student” series. Today’s episode addresses the issue of proof-texting. What is proof-texting is? Why is it problematic? And how can we all approach Scripture with greater humility and accuracy.

The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding Scripture within its original context—recognizing historical, cultural, and literary factors. The conversation also touches on the need for humility when interpreting and teaching the Bible. Examples like Philippians 4:13, Jeremiah 29:11, and Hebrews 10:25 highlight how verses are often misused. The episode encourages readers to move beyond shallow interpretations and engage deeply with the broader biblical narrative.

The guest, Boo Scott, preaches for the National Park Church of Christ in Hot Springs, Arkansas. With over a decade of ministry experience in youth and campus ministry, Boo brings a deep passion for preaching and teaching the Word of God. He emphasizes equipping others to be better Bible students and approaches ministry with humility and authenticity.

Does the Bible Mean More than the Authors Intended? with Jared Saltz

https://youtu.be/SGOeEk1pCPs

Feb 19, 2025  Radically Christian Podcast = In this episode, Wes McAdams and Jared Saltz explore the significance of authorial intent in biblical interpretation. They discuss whether the meaning of a biblical passage is limited to what the human author originally intended or if the Holy Spirit inspired meanings beyond the author’s understanding. They also consider how modern readers can responsibly interpret Scripture without imposing personal biases.

The conversation highlights the balance between respecting an author's intent and recognizing the fuller meaning that is the result of divine inspiration. They examine scriptural examples where biblical authors, prophets, and apostles interpreted past writings in ways that pointed to Jesus. They emphasize that while context and historical understanding are crucial, Scripture’s ultimate meaning unfolds through Christ and the broader story of God’s covenant people.

Jared Saltz is the preacher at the Smoky Hill Church of Christ in Denver, Colorado. Previously, he was a bi-vocational minister and a Bible teacher at a Christian college. Jared has the unique ability to approach biblical studies from the perspective of an academic and a minister, making biblical interpretation accessible to everyday believers.

Greek Alphabet Song (Koine Pronunciation) | Logos Bible Software

 

How Could A Loving God…?

Our thanks to Phil Eichman for sharing the following article with us on the problem of suffering.  Dr. Eichman teaches at SouthArk Community College and is one of my good deacons.
 
Thanks, Phil, for sharing this “good stuff” with us!
 
Dan Williams
PREACHER STUFF RESOURCE EXCHANGE
College Avenue church of Christ
1817 North College Avenue
El Dorado, Arkansas 71730
www.cacoc.org
 

HOW COULD A LOVING GOD…?

         When we ourselves are hurting, when we see the pain and suffering of others, or when we hear of some type of tragedy, we are often left with questions.  Often these questions are directed at God.  We may, for example, hear people say:  “Why did God allow this to happen?” or “Where was God when this happened?”

         Left unanswered, such questions can seriously affect a person’s faith.  J. B. Phillips has pointed out that the “problem of evil” and the “problem of pain” are “the most serious problems which face anyone of intelligence and sensibility.” He further points out that when faced with suffering or tragedy, people may ask:  “If there is a God of Love...how can he allow so much suffering in his creation, how can he permit natural disasters such as earthquakes, and how can we possibly reconcile the existence of evil with the idea of an all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving God?” (God Our Contemporary, Macmillan, 1960).

         What is suffering?  Suffering could be described as any physical or emotional pain.  Such a description, however, may be too simplistic.  Some pain, such as that resulting from an illness or injury, may be very intense but only last a short time.  Suffering would seem to indicate a more long-term process, resulting from something such as a serious or terminal illness, death of a loved one, a divorce, an accident, or a natural disaster, for example.

         At one time or another we have all experienced pain and may have also experienced some type of suffering in our lives.  Pain and suffering are universal.  No one is exempt.  All of us hurt from time to time, even Christians.  Different people approach the problem of pain a suffering in various ways.  The way in which a person approaches the problem will depend to a large extent to how he or she views God.  Here are some examples of how people view the problem of pain and suffering.  (Adapted from “Why Would a Loving God Allow Pain and Suffering?” by Jay Lynch, M.D., <http://www.leaderu.com/common/terror/lynch.html>.)

        There is no God.  This is the conclusion of scientism with its naturalistic explanations. It is also the result of reductionism that views everything within the universe as simply the result of chemical and physical processes and random events. Pain or suffering just happen and nothing can be done about it.  It is more a result of “bad luck” than anything else.  Individuals with this view would not necessarily blame God for pain and suffering in the world.  They may, however, use pain and suffering as an argument against God’s existence.

        There is a God but he is not good.   This is not as common in Western culture, but is very common in cultures with animistic religions in which the world is seen as being filled with evil spirits.  It is possible, however, for a person to be angry with God and question his goodness in a time of pain or suffering.  Thus, this response is not as remote as it may seem at first. 

         I recall such an incident when I was a teenager.  A young woman in our congregation was killed when her car was struck by a freight train.  The following Sunday morning a man went to the front of the congregation to lead the closing prayer.  He began the prayer, but stopped, turned and walked out the door.  As far as I know he never returned.  He indicated to those who talked to him that he was unable to believe in a God that would allow such a thing to happen.  For him God was not good.

           Pain and suffering are not real.  This is a common response in Eastern religions that see the material world as a delusion.  Thus, pain is seen as an illusion--something that is not real.

          God is all-powerful and all loving, but he uses pain and suffering to punish us for wrongdoing. This is a common response to pain and suffering and is the main subject of the book of Job.  Even today it is common for a person to say:  “Why did this happen to me?” or  “What did I do to deserve this?”  This is the type of thinking that concludes that good things should happen to good people and bad things should happen to bad people.

        God is good, but he is not all-powerful.  This is the view expressed in the popular book When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner.  Although this leads to a rather weak view of God, this is probably more popular than we realize.  For some people it is evidently easier to believe in a weak God who cannot prevent pain and suffering, than an all-powerful and good God who still allows pain and suffering to exist.

        God is good, all-powerful, all knowing, and all loving and he will eventually make things right.  The view expressed in the Bible is that God presently allows pain and suffering in our world, but there will come a time when he will bring an end to pain and suffering and make all things right. 

         This is not necessarily an easy answer to our questions about pain and suffering.  It will, however, point us in the right direction. We will still often struggle with the existence of pain and suffering in our world, but as Christians we can do it with the hope that God will eventually make things right.

                                                                                                       Phillip Eichman

College Avenue church of Christ

El Dorado, Arkansas

Metaphor in Biblical Poetry

Word Study: Avon - "Iniquity"

Mobilizing People For Prayer

Mobilizing People For Prayer — God is a loving Father who listens at a moments notice and always answers as quickly. The field of prayer is so vast that it would be difficult to catalog all the varieties of prayer, the rules of prayer and the methods of prayer known to Christian people. But prayer works; we must believe that. Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline said, "We are working with God to determine the future. Certain things will happen in history if we pray rightly." Remember the scripture from James: Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and it didn't; then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. James' presumption is that history would have been different if Elijah had not prayed. So what does it take to help us as individuals have a superior lifestyle of prayer? Let me list four rules.

1. The first rule is praying with faith. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). The more certain we are that what we are praying for is God's will, the more faith we can have.

2. The second rule of prayer is praying with a pure heart. We must constantly be on guard that the motives behind our prayers are the right motives. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3).

3. The third rule of prayer is praying with power. All spiritual power we have comes through God's Word and the Holy Spirit. "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?" and then He immediately adds: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).

4. The fourth rule of prayer is praying with persistence. Praying about something just one time is not enough; we must pray for it again and again before we see the answer we are expecting. The persistent widow in Luke 18 is a great example of how each of us need to continue to pray persistently and fervently.

More Blessed to Give!

No Need to Preach the Long Sermon

Bible Reading

Hard Questions

How Could a Loving God Command?
by Jim Baird



Is The Bible Reliable?
Jeremie Beller



Why Is There a Hell?
by Jim Baird



Why Would God Allow Slavery?
Jeremie Beller



Does The Bible Really Condemn Homosexuality?
by Jim Baird



Did Jesus Really Have to Die on a Cross?
by Jeremie Beller

Links to my other blogs

I continue to work on and add to each one of these to keep them active and up to date. Constantly adding my old material and adding fresh content.

Title: Click on the title below to go to blog	Brief description of each blog
Off-The-Church-Walls	Humor blog
Real Life Quotes	Growing Quote collection.
Real Life Enrichment	Practical information for everyday life.
Parable	Inspiring devotional illustrations
Preacher Points	Place for sermon outlines and resources
Kevin Rayner's Ministry to God @ The Edmond Church of Christ	Many current resources currently being used at the Edmond Church of Christ
Edmond Oklahoma SAM's	Information for helping Seniors
Rayner Resources	Hub for my information online
Magnify Jesus	A look at the Christ's life and teachings
Christ's Church	Reflecting on the followers of Christ
Real Life Conversion	How lives are changed by Christ
Oaks of Righteousness	Where to focus on becoming more fully devoted followers of Christ
"Overtime Church"	More challenging thoughts for the disciple that is most serious about Jesus. Theology for the night owl, weekend worker, or Bible student who wants to learn more.
Kevin's Komment	Online commentary and resources to better understand scripture.
Real Life Servant Maker	For the Christian growing with a Christ-like servant attitude toward others.
Becoming Great Neighbors	Encouragement to love and serve your neighbor
Edmond Church of ChristHospitality	Helping each Christian become more hospitable.

Memory

Click below to listen to the audio file about memory.

"Overcoming Hypocrisy"

"Overcoming Hypocrisy"
by Neal Pollard

Abundance

Spiritual Abundance

An uneducated man, on his conversion, wished to learn to read, so that he might read the Bible for himself.  He started, and made such good progress that he soon began to read the New Testament through.  A Christian friend, meeting him one day, asked how far he had got in his reading.  He replied that he was now reading in Romans.  "And how do you get on with that?" was the question.  "Well," answered the man, "there is a great deal I can't quite understand, but whenever I come to a 'therefore,' I get a blessing."  He could not comprehend all of those great arguments, but Paul always sums up with a "therefore," containing the sum and substance of his theme, which even the simplest by faith, will have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

Not Too Late

Note Too Late: Just Do It -- Now

Not Too Late: To Ask For Help
Not Too Late: To Say I'm Sorry
Not Too Late: To Start Over
Not Too Late: To Make a Difference

Can You Prove God?

Text: Ps 14, Heb 11:6

Proving existence of God.    Psalm 14

                             ==================
                             CAN YOU PROVE GOD?
                             ==================

    I. Does God really exist?                                 Hebrews 11:6

   II. Who needs him, anyway?  The view of skeptics.
        A. We don't need a god to explain things.
        B. Other faiths cancel each other out.
        C. Why do so many believe in God, then?

  III. Existence of God cannot be proven scientifically.
        A. Science can only prove repeatable things.
        B. Consider the alternative:  existence without God.
        C. Skeptics cannot be compelled to believe.

   IV. Reasons to believe He really is there.
        A. Human history.
        B. Philosophical arguments.
        C. Order and design of universe.
        D. Truth of Bible.
        E. Personal experience.

    V. What kind of God do you believe in?

Creation Or Evolution?

Text: Gen 1:20-26...

Darwinian evolution.    Genesis 1:20-26

                          ======================
                          CREATION OR EVOLUTION?
                          ======================

    I. Did God really create everything?

   II. Inner tensions.
        A. Truth of Bible - but Science also tries to establish truth.
        B. Some Christians have made dumb statements concerning science.
        C. Faith and facts.

  III. A theory that has changed the world.
        A. The voyage of the "Beagle" in 1859.
        B. Theory took society by storm.
        C. Unintended consequences.

   IV. Problems with Darwinism.
        A. Improbability of random mutations.
        B. The "missing links" are still missing.
        C. Macro or micro?

    V. Varieties of Creationism.
        A. Theistic evolution.
        B. Young earth creationism.
        C. Ancient earth creationism.*

   VI. People are special.
        A. Darwinian-ism and the human animal.
        B. Bible is adamant that humans are special.
        C. Are you related to your Creator?

Do We Have A Monopoly On Truth?

Text: John 1:9-14, John 14:6

Truth, as evidenced by Jesus.  John 1:9-14

                      ===============================
                      DO WE HAVE A MONOPOLY ON TRUTH?
                      ===============================

    I. A politically-incorrect Christmas.
        A. "Merry Christmas" is taboo.
        B. Satellite dish religion.

   II. The need for toleration.
        A. There is much good in other faiths.
        B. Inadequacies in our own faith.
        C. Tolerance doesn't mean agreement.

  III. Is there any such thing as objective truth?
        A. Modern society is hungry - for something.
        B. The gospel avoids asking for mere intellectual agreement.
        C. What is demanded is conversion, detoxification, being born again.

   IV. The real meaning of Christmas.                           John 1:9-14
        A. Most don't recognize Jesus.
        B. Truth became a man.
        C. "Peace on earth" was not for everyone.                 Luke 2:14

    V. Truth doesn't convert, but it can lead to Jesus.
        A. Our problem with the gospel is moral more than intellectual.
        B. Love works better than arguments.

What Happens When We Die?

Text: 2 Cor 5:1-7, Phil 1:23

The hope of heaven.    2 Cor 5:1-7

                         =========================
                         WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
                         =========================

    I. What happens when we die?

   II. Misconceptions about heaven.
        A. Heaven is boring.
        B. Heaven is escapism.

  III. What heaven will be like.
        A. It is more than puffy clouds.                        Rev 21 & 22
        B. Dramatic changes in nature.                          Isaiah 11:6
        C. Expansion of human activity.                         Rev 21:24
        D. Christians will be changed to be like Jesus.         Phil 3:21
        E. The presence of God will be focus of heaven.         Rev 22:3-5

   IV. When do we go to heaven?
        A. Nighty-night view.               1 Cor 15:51-51; 1 Thess 4:13-14
        B. Right away view.                 Luke 23:43; 2 Cor 5; Phil 1:23

    V. Most important question:  Are you going to heaven?
        A. Many people think they are.
        B. We cannot get there on our own.                      John 14:1-6
        C. Death is a victory for Christians.