christian podcast – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Understanding the Bible 35: The Community of Radical Inclusion

July 18, 2014July 16, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

It is one thing to be declared “family,” and quite another to live out the relationships implied – particularly when new siblings come from communities deeply divided with one another. And yet this is the first work of the church. Those who have been called to bear witness to love’s triumph, to carry on Jesus’s ministry of reconciliation, must first be reconciled to one another. This means that old categories of “us” and “them” must be shattered, categories that indeed no longer exist because of the deeper unity found in Christ.

In this episode we look at the call to radical inclusion that the gospel places upon the church, recognizing it is a call we have yet to completely fulfill…

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), May 18th, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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Jesus at 7PM – Live Audience Q&A in Irvine, CA

November 12, 2013November 12, 2013Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Honest answers to sincere questions are essential to the work of love. Indeed the lessons that have been most formative in my spiritual life have not come from books and lectures (important though they are!), but from the candid conversations that came at the cafe or in the parking lot after the formal lesson was over.

My hope is that these live Q&A events can offer something of that same experience in the digital age – thoughtful, candid answers to the questions that are weighing upon you.

The responses are unscripted (and therefore quite imperfect). And this first foray into the world of live theological conversation includes a mea culpa (and some edits) for an answer I wish had been more complete.

Topics include:

A very brief look at the biblical perspective on homosexuality,
A look at the Apostle Paul’s advice to avoid marriage if possible (and the idea that even the biblical perspective can evolve),
The two creations stories in Genesis and how to interpret them,
A discussion of how we think about the “authority of scripture” and its “accuracy,”
Canvas (the church where I am pastor in Irvine, CA) and what it means to be a part of the Fresh Expressions movement (what defines a “fresh expression” and how that differentiates us from “traditional church”),
The influence of American Christianity on the global church, and
How to interpret Genesis 6:1-4, that nearly indecipherable passage about the Nephilim (the favorite term paper topic of every Old Testament professor in the world).

The next Jesus at 7PM event is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 (location TBD – hopefully a cool bar or pub in the OC!). Know a spot???? Let me know!

Understanding the Bible 02: Sin in the Garden of Eden

October 7, 2013December 31, 2014Kirk Winslow3 Comments

Central to the biblical story is the conviction that something has gone terribly wrong. The world as we experience it is not the world as God intended.

In this episode we turn to the biblical explanation why – how humanity moved from the Garden of Eden to a cosmos in which “thorns and thistles” are part of our daily reality.

This story of “the Fall” is told in highly symbolic language and revolves largely around two trees: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. By understanding these images, we come to a much clearer understanding of both biblical theology and basic plot of the Bible. Along the way we will construct a basic definition of sin and get glimpse at what “salvation” will require.