Christ, Culture, & Coffee

Reaching our culture for Christ is an objective that Jesus Himself left us with prior to ascending into heaven. But how do we go about reaching our specific culture? How do we reach the sub-cultures within our culture? When it comes to Gen. Z, we need to know how they think, what they value, and the ways that their experiences have shared them, in order to reach them for Jesus. In this episode, we are joined by Jordan Francis of Real Talk, and Josh Girgenti of Grace Community Church, to discuss how the can most effectively reach Gen. Z. We hope this episode will give you good methods and insights into how you can intentionally evangelize, disciple, and care for this next generation of young people. Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christculturecoffeeinsiders/

In this politically-charged season, it is very easy for us to vilify those on the opposite side of the political spectrum. So often we justify bad behavior toward our perceived enemies with excuses like, “They deserve it,” or, “They are animals.” As Christians, our Lord has given us different instructions on how we are to treat our perceived and our actual enemies. Jesus tells us to love them and to pray for them. This goes for our next-door neighbor, as well as our political, and spiritual authorities. This episode focusing on how important good Christian character is for the advancement of truth. We must stand for truth (and not back down), but we also must do so in a gentle, respectful, and winsome way. This week, in light of the election, we encourage you to go out and intentionally do something kind for a person who you know disagrees with your position. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors, and also those who disagree with us. Let’s show our culture what followers of Christ are capable of,

What does the Bible have to say about different types of sins? Is the statement true that “All sin is equal in God’s eyes”? In one sense, yes, and in another sense no. Sometimes, Christian cliches can have consequences that we did not intend and are actually not Biblical. For this special episode, we were asked by Northwest Christian School to record in front of a live audience. NCS invited their student’s parents to come and hear how we can help our children to have a Biblical Worldview, in a world that is relativistic, self-centered, and opposed to the things of God. We hope that this episode will help you to navigate culture as well as inform your Christian friends and family on what the Bible teaches about ethics and objective truth. Books Mentioned (paid links): “Christian Ethics: Contemporary Issues and Options” by Norman Geisler https://amzn.to/35jVZOL “Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality” by Nancy Pearcey https://amzn.to/2HoIZz8 “True for You, But Not for Me: Overcom

Christianity is not to be lived out in isolation. We need each other. The Bible refers to Christians as the body of Christ and implores us to work together, encourage one another, and bear each other’s burdens. How do we go about developing deep spiritual friendships with others who will help us in our walk with the Lord? What does good Christian friendship look like, and how is it beneficial? In this week’s episode, we discuss Christian friendship with AJ Enfield, of the InkleDeux coffee and podcast. AJ is a great thinker, a true friend, and a coffee enthusiast! We know that this episode will be an encouragement to your soul as you seek to develop good, biblical friendships with those closest to you. InkleDeux Website: https://inkledeux.com Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christculturecoffeeinsiders/

There is a growing worldwide movement, that many Christians are unaware of called the New Apostolic Reformation. This movement believes that the office of Apostles and Prophets is needed within the modern-day church. What does Scripture say about this? Are Apostles and Prophets a hierarchical structure, or are they a type of gifting for the Church? In this episode, we talk with Holly Pivec, who has been following the N.A.R. movement over the past 14 years. Holly helps us to understand what the N.A.R. is and also why their teachings are damaging to Christians and to Churches. Be sure to educate yourself on this topic, because it is very widespread and you most likely know of N.A.R. influenced organizations. We hope that this episode will help to deepen your understanding of Scripture, and also help you to spot false doctrine, even when it is popular. Holly’s website: http://www.spiritoferror.org Books mentioned (paid links): “A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement" by Do

What if there was a way to engage public high school students in theology and apologetics 5 days a week? That is exactly what our guests Bob Dunn and Mario Delgado are developing at Rock Point Church and for all of Arizona. In this episode, we take a look at public school release hour and how we can utilize it to help disciple students. If you work with students or are interested in starting a Seminary at your church, please reach out to Mario and Bob to get equipped at impacting the upcoming generation. Bob Dunn: youthlink1@gmail.com Mario Delgado: mario.delgado@rockpointchurch.com Instagram: @may24ito Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christculturecoffeeinsiders/

What is Faith? It is a word that we often talk about, but it can be very misunderstood. Some make the claim that Christian faith is blind and in the face of contrary evidence, Christians blindly believe in mythological fairytales and hope that they are correct. In this episode, we investigate what Christian faith is from a biblical perspective. What was Jesus’ opinion of Faith? Did He view it as something to blindly follow in spite of good reason? We hope that this episode will encourage you to be an investigative Christian. One who looks for evidence and reason in order to grow in your faith and bolster your beliefs. Christian faith is not blind, and we need to be the voice that changes this misconception. Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christculturecoffeeinsiders/

Are there new things to learn about Jesus that can help us establish his historical existence? Was Jesus actually who the New Testament claims that He was, or are these legendary developments? On today’s show, Tom Gilson joins us to discuss his new book “Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality”. Tom has unearthed some amazing discoveries in the text of the New Testament that shed more light on who Jesus actually was. His approach was to look at the things Jesus didn’t do and didn’t say in order to understand his identity. This episode will be an encouragement to you as a Christian, and if you are a skeptic, these arguments will challenge you to reconsider who you think Jesus actually was. Check out Tom Gilson’s ministry at: https://www.thinkingchristian.net https://stream.org “Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality” by Tom Gilson https://amzn.to/3m8esFx Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg

Is abortion ever a permissible act? In this episode we make the case that the unborn is a human person and that it is not permissible to kill innocent human beings. We cover tactics that you can use when discussing abortion with your pro-choice friends. We need to be prepared for arguments such as: “I believe in a woman’s right to choose”, “What about cases of rape or incest?”, “I do not believe that the unborn is a human person”. Proponents of the Pro-life movement must be equipped to intelligently answer these objections and help others to see that their arguments do not justify the killing of the most vulnerable people in our society. We hope to encourage and educate you with these pro-life apologetic arguments, in hopes that you will be an ambassador for those who have no choice or voice in the matter, the unborn. Jesus came that we might have life, and life abundantly. As people who have been given physical and spiritual life, we must champion and fight for the lives of others. Books Mentioned in this

Is being a single issue voter a bad thing? Well, it depends on what the issue is. When it comes to abortion, how should Christians in the United States use their vote? This episode is about exploring the moral reasoning behind if and when Christians should allow one issue to dictate how the vote. Certain moral issues are more important than others, but how do we decide which take precedent over the others when presented with a moral dilemma. As Christians we need to be salt and light. We need to vote for the greater moral good, and we need our voice to be effective. We hope this episode will be a challenge to you and an encouragement about being an effective citizen, not only of our country, but more importantly, for the Kingdom of Jesus. Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christculturecoffeeinsiders/

Christianity is Pro-Life. The Bible is clear about the sanctity of human life, that murder of the innocent is a heinous offense to God, and that we should do justice and uphold the truth that all life is precious. In this political season, Christians must be clear on the biblical worldview and know that voting pro-choice (pro-abortion) is not acceptable. For this reason, we are thankful that Seth Gruber joined us on this week's episode. Seth is a pro-life apologist, who has dedicated his life to protecting the unborn. In this episode we discuss politics, the biblical principles surrounding the abortion debate, and how to give reason and evidence against pro-choice arguments. Please consider how you can play a role in saving the lives of the innocent unborn in our culture. Please Follow Seth Gruber at: https://www.sethgruber.com/ UnAborted Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unaborted/id1471076523 Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to

How does the Old Testament Law relate to New Testament believers? What of the 613 laws in the Torah should Christians observe? What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the Law, but didn’t abolish it? In this week’s episode we dive into these questions with R.L. Solberg, author of the book, Torahism: Are Christians Required to Keep the Law of Moses? With more and more Christians falling into the Hebrew Roots Movement, and other similar groups, we need to clearly understand how the Law of Moses does, and does not apply to Christians today. In our discussion with R.L. Solberg, we look into why the Sabbath does not need to be observed on Saturday, why Jewish feasts and holidays are not mandatory, and how we can lovingly show those involved in Torahism what Scripture says and how Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law on our behalf. Books mentioned in this episode: Torahism: Are Christians Required to Keep the Law of Moses? https://amzn.to/3iUkS8K Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/U

My atheist friend, Dallas Wade, recently made a video asking Christians to answer ten important questions. This is my response to his ten questions. As Christians, we should take the time to think through questions like these and seek good answers to them. Also, as followers of Jesus, we must be kind and respectful when we engage those who fundamentally disagree with our worldview. Dallas has been a friend of mine for some time and I want to publicly say that he has always treated me with respect, kindness and thoughtfulness. I appreciate his quest for truth and I hope to emulate the same desire to discover what is objectively true. Check out Dallas's video here: https://youtu.be/syFl8GSrUII Check out my response videos here: pt. 1 https://youtu.be/aDZvtSP0p_g pt. 2 https://youtu.be/-VWj5gE4TyA

Did the Exodus actually happen? The story of the Israelites leaving Egypt is a fantastical story, and many people do not believe it was an actual historical event. Is there evidence that the Exodus actually occurred? On this week’s episode, we discuss this issue with Archaeologist Dr. Titus Kennedy. He has dedicated his life to looking into archaeological evidence and seeing where it leads. There is tremendous archaeological evidence that actually favors the Exodus being a historical event. We hope this episode will be an encouragement to you that the Bible does, in fact, depict actual history. We also hope that you will be able to share this information with your friends, to help them see that the Christian faith is not wishful thinking, but it is based in history. Books mentioned in this episode: Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries That Bring the Bible to Life by Titus Kennedy https://amzn.to/3fM2D3l Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg

Who chose which books should be considered Scripture when it came to the New Testament? Was it a church council, early church fathers, the apostles? Who is responsible for deciding that the New Testament should consist of the twenty-seven books that we find in our Bibles? This question of canonicity is important for us as Christians to understand and to be able to explain to those who are skeptical about the New Testament. In this episode we are going to talk about the criteria for books to be consider canon and how the canon of the New Testament developed in the first few centuries of Christianity. Do we have the right books in the New Testament? What about the Gnostic Gospels, other early Christian writings, and even epistles of associates of the Apostles that are not included? Why were these excluded and why were the twenty-seven books in our Bibles included? Books mentioned in this episode: Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism edited by Elijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry https://amz

Has God protected His Word, and do we still have it today? In this episode we look into how God has preserved the original words of the New Testament, and how we can be prepared when Mormons, Muslims, and Atheists make the claim that we have a corrupted Bible. If the Bible is the Word of God, we should know how to defend its legitimacy and also be able to show why we believe it has been transmitted correctly. Through textual criticism, historical analysis, and manuscript evidence, we can, in fact, show that God has been actively preserving His Word through the method of Biblical Transmission. This episode will encourage you by showing that we can be confident in the Word of God. It will also equip you to be able to discuss this issue with your friends and neighbors who do not believe that the Bible is a legitimate source from God. How do we refute the claims that the Biblical text has been corrupted through many translations and many Church Councils? Check out this week’s episode to find out. Resources: ht

How do we know what should and should not be included in our Bibles? As Christians, we need to be aware of important textual variants in the Bible, and we need to know what we believe about them. There are three major textual variants that most likely were not a part of the original New Testament manuscripts: Mark 16:9-20, John 7:53-8:11, and 1 John 5:7-8 (in the KJV). This may come as a shock, but do not be alarmed! In this episode we will walk you through the arguments and the textual evidence for these three passages not being original. Additionally, we will look at one textual variant that scholars are undecided on whether or not it is original. After looking into these textual variants, we will assess how important they are for Christian faith and practice, and if they deeply effect any doctrines of Christianity. Our hope is that this episode will be an encouragement to you and that your confidence in Biblical transmission and translation will grow. Also, our goal is to equip you to be able to talk with

How can we know what the original New Testament documents said? We do not have the original autographs of the New Testament authors. This has caused many to claim that we cannot know what they originally wrote and that the New Testament has been lost through many translations and transmissions. However, the science of textual criticism has much to say about how confident we can be in our modern New Testament containing what was originally written. In this episode we go through the manuscript evidence, the textual variants within the manuscripts, and the percentage of accuracy that we have for the New Testament. The evidence for our modern New Testament being accurate with the original is overwhelming and as a Christian, I am sure it will strengthen your confidence in Scripture. Just because the New Testament has been accurately transmitted, does not necessarily mean that what it says is true, that’s a different argument. However, we can be confident that we have what was originally written with 99% accuracy.

In addition to the New Testament, there are many Non-Christian sources that document Jesus' life and the existence of the early church. In this episode we investigate ten Non-Christian sources from the ancient world and compare what they say with what the New Testament says. This is an important aspect of discovering historical authenticity. The idea is that if the enemy of a certain cause agrees with things that their enemy says, there is good reason to believe that those things are reliable. Typically enemies do not carelessly agree with each other. So, when there is agreement, we can conclude that the accounts agreed upon most probably actually occurred. This is called Enemy Attestation and it is important for evaluating historical reliability. We hope that these sources will be an encouragement to you that Jesus actually existed, did many of the things that the New Testament claims, and that the Church spread across the Roman Empire within the 1st Century. Books mentioned in this episode: The Baker Ency

What clues are there that the New Testament was written by eyewitnesses? In this episode we investigate the internal evidence of the New Testament documents to see if we can make the case that they had to be written by people who experienced the events they explain. There are many embarrassing portions of Scripture, historically accurate depictions, and interlocking details that seem to indicate first-hand knowledge of the events recorded in the New Testament. Many skeptics have claimed that the New Testament documents fabricate history. Some even claim that the New Testament is full of legendary accounts that were written decades after Jesus death and that they cannot be taken as historically accurate. Christians need to know how to defend allegations made by skeptics and why we can have confidence that the New Testament is reliable and trustworthy. Check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1ScpZNFou4QP1UY7qnBzg Make sure to join our Insiders Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/gro