Interviews

Jesus said, “Make disciples of all nations” (Mat 28:19). How are you doing on this? Are you currently mentoring someone in the faith? Are you under the impression that this work is only for pastors, those in church leadership, or those with the gift of evangelism? You may say to yourself, “I don’t have a Bible-college degree,” or “I don’t know enough to teach someone else,” or “I don’t even know where to start in discipling someone else.” These are totally understandable concerns and doubts. Victor Gluckin, lead pastor of Living Faith Christian Church in Rhode Island, has written a book called Follow the Way of Jesus to help you. Not only is this book easy to read (and enjoyable), but it’s also designed to enable you to disciple others. The idea is simple. Get the book and invite a friend, coworker, neighbor, or family member to work through it with you. Each of you take turns reading it aloud and answering the questions. It’s that simple. In what follows I ask Gluckin about this new practical Christianity book, including who he wrote it for and why he laid it out the way he did.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Get Victor Gluckin’s book, Follow the Way of Jesus Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Many Bible-believing churches are ridged keepers of tradition. They have a statement of faith, a historic confession, or old creeds that determine what people should and should not believe. There’s very little space for people to genuinely ask questions, investigate competing doctrines, and honestly change their minds over time. Today I’m speaking with Matt Lovegrove of New Castle, New South Wales. If you listened to the interview from last week with Paul Robson, he talked about Matt a bit, since he was the one that introduced Paul to a biblical unitarian perspective. Matt is a hardwired restorationist. You’re going to hear about his journey from one exploration to another. Sadly, it seems like each time he shed some falsehood and gained more truth, he ran afoul of church leadership. I think this episode is going to break your heart and make you angry–not at any one villain in Matt’s story, but at the system that continually crushes restorationists under its weight. Churches need to change. Rather than seeking to preserve the status quo at all costs, we need to seek truth whatever the cost.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Paul Robson was an upstanding Christian leader in a Bible-believing church when his friend upended his world by revealing that he no longer believed the Trinity was biblically true. Although Robson initially reacted negatively to such a departure from the norm, he eventually came to change his mind based on a thorough study of Scripture. What happened next was both tragic and all too common–he was asked the church where he was serving. Having left he is developing websites about doctrine and now has new Bible study app that can help you spot bias in translation.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is a follow up to our 5-part response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with a coworker, acquaintance, or family member trying to explain who Jesus is? Every wish there was a simple acrostic that could guide you through a brief yet thoughtful presentation of who Jesus is? Well, friend, you need look no further. After spending five weeks responding to arguments for the deity of Christ, Brandon Duke and I are going to do an entire episode focused on a positive case for the genuine Jesus of scripture. We’ll use the word GOSPEL to help you remember six main points about Jesus. We’re hopeful that this content will equip you to better share your faith with others. G – given life by his Father O – offered his life for us S – subordinate to God P – peccable yet sinless E – empowered by God’s spirit L – limited in knowledge   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Learn about the major different Christian theories of atonement Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is part 5 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Today in our fifth episode in this series critiquing the book, The Incarnate Christ and His Critics, we broach the topic of thrones. If Jesus sits on God’s throne, does that make him God too? If so, isn’t that two Gods? We’ll deal with these kinds of questions while examining throne texts, including Daniel 7.13-14; Psalm 110.1; Revelation 3.21; and Hebrews 1.3. In each case we’ll see how incredibly subordinationist the throne texts are.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Check out Will Barlow’s presentation: The Throne Room Problem Check out Susanne Lakin’s presentation: Biblical Anthropomorphism: Evidence of a Unipersonal God Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is part 4 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Only God has power over nature. Jesus walked on water. Therefore Jesus must be God. Right? Does that line of reasoning convince you? How about this one. Only God has power over nature. Elijah called down fire from heaven. Therefore Elijah must be God. Or how about this one? Only God has power over nature. Moses split the Red Sea. Therefore Moses must be God. Listen in to today’s episode to find out why this kind of argument doesn’t hold water as well as how the evangelists who wrote the Gospels intended Jesus’s miracles to be interpreted.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is part 3 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Today we get to the heart of the case for the deity of Christ to see if it holds up to scrutiny. In addition to considering whether the name “Jesus” and the title “son of God” implies divinity, we look at the 8 major texts in which the New Testament allegedly applies the title “God” to Jesus, including John 1.1, 18; 20.28; Romans 9.5; Hebrews 1.8; Titus 2.13; 2 Peter 1.1; and 1 John 5.20. In each we briefly explain why evangelicals take the passage to teach the deity of Christ and then show what it really means in its context. Over and over we find that these foundation texts are actually built upon the unstable sands of manuscript differences, translation ambiguity, and strained interpretations rather than solid bedrock.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— On John 1, watch What John 1 Meant by Dale Tuggy on YouTube Check out Jerry Wierwille’s Jesus “God and Savior”? Problematizing the Granville-Sharp Rule See episode 521 The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective (Sean Finnegan) to learn more about how ancient people thought about the word “god” Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This is part 2 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Most of us understand of what deity means. Generally we think to be God is to be eternal, uncaused, and indestructible. This gets at the word aseity, which is a fancy philosophical term for a being that doesn’t depend on anyone or anything else for existence. To be a se (from the Latin a = from, and se = self) is to be uncaused and non-contingent. This cuts to the very essence of what it means to be God in the proper sense of the word. So, if Jesus is God in the same way in which the Father is God, then Jesus, too, must have aseity. Right? We’ll see about that in today’s episode. But, here’s the thing. It’s actually even harder than establishing Jesus’s aseity. To claim Christ’s deity, entails claiming he has all the other divine attributes as well. Deity-of-Christ apologists like Bowman and Komoszewski know that this is a problem. In fact, in part two of their book, The Incarnate Christ and His Critics, they outline seven conflicting attributes between Jesus’s alleged divine and human natures. They say he is both eternal and born, immutable and able to grow, impeccable and tempted, omnipresent and able to walk, omniscient and not knowing something, omnipotent and capable of sleep, and lastly, immortal and mortal–all at the same time. Although they revel in such “paradoxes,” this list presents grave difficulties for the classic dual natures view from Chalcedon that we covered last week. In this episode we’ll consider several of these contradictions as part of our second episode on whether or not Jesus had the divine attributes.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out Andrew Perriman’s book, In the Form of a God for an in-depth explanation of Philippians 2.6-10 Read Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John by Dustin Smith for an excellent exploration of the prologue of John Also on John 1, watch What John 1 Meant by Dale Tuggy on YouTube Check out episode 503: The Dual Natures Controversy of the Fifth Century to learn more about the politics behind the development of the Chalcedonian definition of the dual natures of Christ Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is

This is part 1 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Today we&#8217;re shifting gears. We&#8217;ve had an eighteen-episode class delving into biblical and contextual study of 1 Corinthians. Then last time we had an interview with someone struggling with mental health. For the next several weeks we&#8217;re going deep into Christology. This is going to be a five-part series of interviews with Brandon Duke reviewing an important book that came out last November defending the deity of Christ from a trinitarian perspective. In what follows Brandon and I discuss the arguments they make and respond to them. Our hope is that this series will (1) build your confidence in your biblical unitarian faith, (2) train you to see the flaws in their approach, and (3) equip you with responses to these types of arguments. Together Brandon and I offer two complimentary lenses through which to analyze and respond. Whereas Brandon is well versed in analytic theology and the philosophical approach, I&#8217;m more specialized in the exegesis of biblical texts in their original languages and historical context. Together I think we make a great team to guide you through this journey. Today&#8217;s episode is about divine honors. Did Jesus receive honors only appropriate for God? If so, does that imply that he just is God? Listen in to find out.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Dale Tuggy&#8217;s Stanford Encyclopedia Article on the Trinity. Here&#8217;s a link to the subsection on Positive Mysterianism Here&#8217;s the link to the Chalcedonian Creed from CARM. Learn more about apophatic theology here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan&#8217;s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God&#8217;s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the <a href="https://restitutio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/603.txt"

Suicide is such a sad part of our world today. The latest stats from the CDC indicate someone dies of suicide every eleven minutes in the United States. 30 times more people attempt suicide than die from it annually. And a staggering 12.8 million seriously think about it. Sheila is one of these people who has attempted it and seriously thinks about it from time to time. But, here&#8217;s the thing, she doesn&#8217;t want to. She&#8217;s not trying to attract attention or crying for help. She&#8217;s broken from an abusive childhood, bad relationships with men, and a conman who kidnapped her. Now in her sixties, Sheila continues to attend church regularly and find relief from suicidality through an interconnected network that includes reading the scriptures and prayer, pastoral care, psychiatrists, psychologists, loving family and friends, and occasional trips to the psych ward when nothing is working. By hearing her tragic and larger-than-life story, you&#8217;ll not only gain important insights into this terrible affliction, but you&#8217;ll grow in compassion for those living with suicidality. Sheila is a member of my church and I have worked with her off and on for twenty years and I&#8217;m happy to say, she&#8217;s a fighter whose tenacity I find inspiring and hope you will too.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan&#8217;s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God&#8217;s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

As we left things last time, Vaughn Madsen of New Zealand had been on a quest for biblical truth that resulted in repeated rejection from churches and Bible studies. Apart from his kids, Vaughn was alone. He met a couple of random people in street evangelism who agreed with him about Jesus, but that was it&#8230; for years. Even his wife, Sharon, didn&#8217;t agree with him. No matter how much he tried, he couldn&#8217;t manage to convince her otherwise. He prayed and prayed. He waited. He was patient. Then in the last two years something changed. Today you&#8217;ll find out what that was as we listen in to the exciting conclusion of the story. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan&#8217;s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God&#8217;s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Vaughn Madsen was a simple kiwi farmer who subscribed to evangelical Christianity in New Zealand. No, he wasn&#8217;t farming kiwis. A kiwi is what you call someone from New Zealand. Anyhow, like I said, he was a devout member of his local church when he came across a presentation by Warren Prestige about the state of the dead. Although he had always believed his deceased loved ones were in heaven, this presentation provided extensive biblical evidence that the dead&#8211;both righteous and unrighteous&#8211;are asleep until the resurrection happens at the coming of Christ. Sometime later his brother prompted him to explore the Trinity. After looking through the scriptures on the topic, Vaughn concluded that the Father of Jesus alone was God. Still later, he came across Paul Washer&#8217;s preaching on repentance and adopted the view that obedience&#8211;not just belief&#8211;was necessary. At every stage of his journey he faced resistance, rebuke, and rejection and still, somehow, he kept going. Join me as we listen in to Vaughn&#8217;s incredible journey pursuing truth no matter the cost. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan&#8217;s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God&#8217;s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Cayce Fletcher is the host of A More Beautiful Life Collective, a blog, a YouTube channel, and a podcast. She releases a new show each week on making theology practical and developing a more beautiful life. As a wife, mother, and homemaker she appeals more to women than men, but I personally&#8211;as a man&#8211;have found much of her contact about lifestyle really helpful and I recommend it to you. In this interview, she shares about her journey of faith, why she made the show, systematic theology, and leading a good, true, and beautiful life. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean&#8217;s bio here &nbsp;

This is part two of my conversation with Bob Carden who served as the lead pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship for decades before retiring. (The church is now called Align Ministries, led by Garrett Bova.) Continuing on the topic of healing and deliverance from last week, we begin by talking about evil spirits and pornography addiction. Next we spend a good deal of time discussing how Align Ministries enables holy spirit activity during their weekly services. Carden ends with a challenge, saying, "Put yourself out there for God. Don't be afraid to attempt something the Bible says you should be able to do." Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts &nbsp; —— Links —— Learn more about Bob Carden at Align Ministries Get Carden's book, One God: The Unfinished Reformation Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

People need the touch of God in their lives. People are broken, wounded, and sick. Jesus Christ has already come and made available deliverance from sin and its consequences. He did this throughout his ministry and continues to bring healing through his church today. Bob Carden shares about his own journey of faith from Catholicism to the Way Ministry to pastoring a non-denominational church in Naperville, IL. Now retired, he relates his decades-long pursuit of the miraculous, especially deliverance and healing. Now I realize this can be a controversial subject, which is why I'm so thankful for how Carden's kind and compassionate tone comes through in this conversation. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Learn more about Bob Carden at Align Ministries Get Carden's book, One God: The Unfinished Reformation Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Seneca Harbin became a Christian later in life through reading the Bible. However, when he was attending a megachurch in Indianapolis, he starting hearing the pastor preach about Christ in a way that seemed bizarre and unbiblical. To his surprise Seneca discovered that the vast majority of Christians held to these extra-biblical speculations about multiple persons in the godhead and dual natures of Christ. This set him on a quest to find others who, like him, preferred to stop where scripture stops and understand Jesus as the Messiah not a God man. After relating his own spiritual journey, he talks about his recent book, The Cost of Truth, which adds in the testimonies of several others, including Bill Schlegel, Will Barlow, Johnny Barnes, Seth Ross, Susanne Lakin, Candise Tuggy, and Ryan Russell. I believe this book will fire you up. It's easy to get complacent, but this little book of testimonies shows us that God is not done yet. He's reaching people in our time, calling them out of darkness and confusion into his marvelous light. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Pick up your copy of The Cost of Truth Check out these other podcast interviews about leaving the Trinity. Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Last week Dustin Smith and Sam Tideman discussed the intermediate state--what happens after death but before resurrection on the last day. Although most Christians affirm the folk idea of going immediately to heaven or hell at death, Smith and Tideman argue that the Bible teaches the dead are in Sheol or Hades. However they disagree on what's happening there. Smith holds to soul-sleep while Tideman believes the dead are conscious. We went through many scriptures last time, but today we'll discuss two critical texts on this subject: the witch of Endor and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/B42ZendSYJU —— Links —— More about Dustin Smith here More about Sam Tideman here Check out these other episodes discussing the intermediate state Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Dustin Smith and Sam Tideman discuss whether people are conscious in the intermediate state (between death and resurrection). Interestingly, neither of them think the deceased are currently in heaven or hell. Smith affirms the sleep of the dead, seeing all the dead, whether good or bad, as unconscious and unaware of the passage of time. Tideman puts forward the idea that the souls of the dead are in a semi-conscious dreamlike state in a chamber called Sheol or Hades. Today is part one of their discussion in which both lay out their positions and then discuss Ecclesiastes 9.10 and Isaiah 14.9-11. This is part one of their conversation. Stay tuned for part two next week. Dr. Dustin Smith currently serves as a New Testament scholar at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina. Smith has authored or edited six books, including the 2024 monograph, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John. He is also the weekly host of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast. Sam Tideman is a Harvard educated data scientist at Google who has keen interests in biblical studies, theology, and especially church history. He hosts the YouTube channel, "Transfigured," which has a total of nearly 250k views with interesting guests like Tim Mackie, Alister McGrath, and John Vervaeke. https://youtu.be/v6IBqLHlzQ4 Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— More about Dustin Smith here More about Sam Tideman here Check out these other episodes discussing the intermediate state Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Last month the Unitarian Christian Alliance put on the first conference in Europe. A mixture of British and American speakers presented on various aspects of unitarian Christianity. In today's episode I speak with Daisy Jones, one of the main coordinators of the event as well as Mark Cain who assisted in planning and in recording the presentations. They share some highlights from this year's conference as well as what they are planning for next year. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/bG62n-JyEv8 —— Links —— Find out more about the Unitarian Christian Alliance as well as about future events Listen to the interview with Josh and Daisy Jones: Walking with God Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Last week Joshua Michael Smith began sharing his testimony from childhood to his college years when he changed his mind about Jesus's identity. In part two he talks about cage stage unitarianism--where one seeks to confront everyone about this important truth regardless of their interested or antagonism. Smith shares how he matured while continuing to work within Assemblies of God and Baptist churches in Tennessee. Then we broach the topic of youth ministry. Smith explains why it is so important and what he hopes to accomplish as the new youth ministry coordinator at Living Hope. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmk5_q7Lh9w —— Links —— Visit Guthrie Grove in Pelzer, SC (Aug 11-14) Sign up to come to Kingdom Fest at Living Hope near Albany, NY (Sep 13-15) Register to attend the UCA conference near Little Rock, AK (Oct 17-19) Check out these other interviews about people leaving the Trinity to embrace a biblical unitarianian understanding of God. Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Joshua Michael Smith grew up in northern Florida in a Baptist church. In this interview he shares his journey of faith, including how came to Christ as well as how he ended up in ministry training at Word of Life before earning a bachelors at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. While there, he began questioning his received doctrinal package based on the Bible. As a result, he came to discover the human Messiah of scripture and courageously embraced this new understanding despite the consequences. This is part one of his story. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/bMDi7DMGPsE?si=ABYRX2wrLdNbiOFv —— Links —— Check out these other interviews about people leaving the Trinity to embrace a biblical unitarianian understanding of God. Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Many believe there is 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament. My guest today is Professor George Athas, director of research and senior lecturer in Hebrew, Old Testament, and Early Church History at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He's the author of Bridging the Testaments, which covers four major periods, including Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Roman. By studying the four centuries before Christ you can gain key insights to help you understand both the Old and New Testaments. You will discover that God was still speaking all the while. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aWT83oT2ts —— Links —— More about George Athas here Check out his book: Bridging the Testaments Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Christians have approached the first chapter of Genesis differently over the centuries. There are those who hold to young earth creationism, day-age theory, gap theory, and progressive creationism, just to name a few. Oftentimes defenders of a particular view will provide biblical, scientific, and historical evidence for their position. Our focus today is on the use of church history to find witnesses for this or that view.  Rather than cherry picking a quote here and quote there, it's better to read ancient Christians in their own context to be sure we are interpreting them correctly. My guest today is Dr. Andrew Brown, a lecturer in OT and Hebrew at Melbourne School of Theology. He did his thesis on the creation week in Genesis 1 and 2 and has written a book called Recruiting the Ancients for the Creation Debate. In today's episode he shares his concerns and recommendations for handling our historical sources wisely. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX2P-ksSIHw —— Links —— More about Andrew Brown here Check out his book: Recruiting the Ancients for the Creation Debate Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Scholars and pastors regularly point to specialized "technical" language in Paul's epistles to make the case that Paul was intentionally subverting Roman power by applying to Jesus terms that the ancients commonly applied to the Caesars. My guest today has done the hard work of analyzing the inscriptions, coins, and material remains of several key ancient cities to see how they talked about the Roman emperors in the New Testament period. In our conversation he shares his own journey to become an independent scholar as well as how his research offers a corrective to what many are saying about imperial divine honors. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErL9D90JL7k —— Links —— More about Clint Burnett here Check out his book Paul &amp; Imperial Divine Honors Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Something is going on in New Zealand...and I'm excited to tell you about it. In today's interview I speak with Zach Mayo who along with his wife, Kayla, were serving as youth pastors at an evangelical church when they came to change their minds on the doctrine of the Trinity. Now they're organizing a conference to unite one-God believers in New Zealand and invite folks from Australia and beyond to come. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/U27POf3dKnI —— Links —— To register for the upcoming conference, use this link Get in touch with Zach Mayo at [email protected] See other testimonies of people who left the Trinity and came to believe in the biblical unitarian Jesus Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

Kermit Zarley was a professional golfer who had an interest in studying the Bible about the end times when he came across a disturbing verse. Reading Jesus's words in the Olivet Discourse, he noticed that only the Father knew the day and hour of the end. Neither the angels nor the son of God were privy to it. As a good trinitarian evangelical, Zarley was familiar with the dual natures idea, but just couldn't square that with the scripture. If Jesus was God in his being, he knew everything. Why did he say he didn't know the time of the end? Surely, Jesus couldn't be lying! This conundrum set Zarley down a path of research and investigation for many years until he slowly uncovered a different way of understanding Christ. Although he knew going public with his new belief would result in ostracism and rejection, he went ahead with it anyhow. This is his story. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/3bZ7t2Z-ql8 —— Links —— Take a listen to my previous interview with "Servetus the Evangelical" from 2009 Get in touch with Kermit at kermitzarley.com Read his blog at Patheos Check out his books on Amazon See other testimonies of people who left the Trinity and came to believe in the biblical unitarian Jesus Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

From her childhood in a Jewish family to a 7-year stint with the Jehovah's Witnesses to attending evangelical churches, Susanne Lakin never felt comfortable with the doctrine of the Trinity. She signed up to attend Phoenix Seminary, a conservative evangelical school, thinking they would help her finally get to the bottom of it. She was willing to agree to the idea, thinking, surely, studying with scholars like Wayne Grudem, the prince of evangelical systematic theology, would answer her questions and settle the issue for her once and for all. Amazingly, the opposite happened. This is her story. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/W35IRYHjfP8 —— Links —— Get in touch with Susanne at livewritethrive.com Check out her theological book about annihilationism: Hell No Get Leeland Ryken's book, God's Word in English See other testimonies of people who left the Trinity and came to believe in the biblical unitarian Jesus Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean's bio here

As the dust continues to settle from last week's debate between Dale Tuggy and James White, reviewers are coalescing on a rather exciting conclusion. Tuggy handedly won the debate! Rumor has it that James White has even requested a rematch! We'll have to wait and see if anything happens on that front, but requesting a rematch is not something the winner typically does. In today's episode, I bring on Dr. Dustin Smith of the biblical unitarian podcast to respond to James White's arguments, not only in his opening statement, but also in his rebuttal, cross-examination time, and conclusion. Yes, he introduced new arguments in every single phase of the debate. One wonders why he didn't respond to any of Tuggy's arguments. Let's see what Dustin Smith has to say. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Watch the original debate between Dale Tuggy and James White Check out Dale Tuggy's review of the debate See Sean Finnegan's paper and video presentation "The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective" See the video responses of Dustin Smith on Hebrews 1.10-12, Sean Finnegan on 1 Peter 3.15, Jerry Wierwille on Philippians 2.6-11, and William Barlow on John 12.41 Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

We're taking a break this week from our class on Reading the Bible for Yourself. By the way, did you know that there's a separate podcast just for classes without any interruptions like this? You can find it if you search your podcast app for Restitutio Classes. Anyhow, I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Dale Tuggy about his recent debate with Dr. James White and wanted to share that conversation with you now rather than waiting until the end of this class. On March 9, 2024 in Houston Texas at the First Lutheran Church, Dale Tuggy debated James White on the question, "Is Jesus Yahweh?" White affirmed and Tuggy denied. Just to give you a little background on these two scholars, James White is a professor of Apologetics at Grace Bible Theological Seminary and has a bachelors from Grand Canyon University, a masters from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a doctorate of ministry from Columbia Evangelical Seminary. He has participated in over 180 public moderated debates and has written the book The Forgotten Trinity in which he presented his case that the Trinity is biblical. Dale Tuggy is an Analytic Theologian who has a bachelors from BIOLA, a masters from Claremont School of Theology, and a Ph.D. from Brown University. He's the chair of the Unitarian Christian Alliance and the author of What Is the Trinity?, which explains the major Trinity theories and the problems each faces. In what follows, I ask Tuggy how he thought the debate went. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts The debate lasted over two hours and is accessible on YouTube. The format of the debate was as follows: Opening Statement (25 min each) Rebuttal (10 min each) Cross Examination (10 min each) Concluding Statement (5 min each) Audience Questions (20 min total) Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky2SaHscSIo —— Links —— More interviews with Dale Tuggy here Visit Tuggy's website at trinities.org Check out his books on Amazon, especially <a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Trinity-Thinking-Father-Spirit/dp/154677260X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._mRE5Xjh5HXTnQHe9hsbntNJUVBi5EVIUmJWJTO1NaNuQVtYpUb8Atcni9iEsrbgyZUgc5b7h2oG2Y7ZbzkqZ8aXIZKL1MluwHzYIyS73bfXotqcpfo9zYpg7qMNEmC7zknGFoGDwKJ_-AXJRO1SIbkEyZAs

I've been putting out podcast episodes on Restitutio since 2015. I've interviewed many authors in that time. However, I've never been interviewed as an author. That changed a couple of days ago when Sam Tideman of Transfigured had me on his show to talk about my new book, Kingdom Journey.We discussed the biblical idea of God's kingdom coming to earth for well over an hour. It was an awesome chance to share about the central theme of scripture and the clear emphasis of Jesus's ministry. Although it breaks my heart that so much of Christianity still clings to heaven as their home and destiny, I'm optimistic that the word will get out about the biblical vision of a renewed world with everything wrong with it made right. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/lsykGsETgNw?si=HAxsK7x4W02aqJNp —— Links —— Get your copy of Kingdom Journey today! It's available as a hardcover, paperback, and e-book. See these other episodes with Sam Tideman More episodes about the kingdom of God Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Today my guest is Thomas Gaston who&#8217;s book is called Dynamic Monarchianism: the Earliest Christology? Dr. Gaston earned his Ph. D. from Oxford University and this book one of the fruits of that labor. In this interview we talk about the earliest Dynamic Monarchians, including Ebionites and Theodotus as well as how logos incarnational christology took off under the influence of Middle Platonism in the writings of Justin Martyr and his doctrinal successors. Dynamic Monarchians affirm the supremacy of the Father as the only true God and that Jesus was miraculously conceived, but did not pre-exist. The term more or less refers to what we today call &#8220;biblical unitarians,&#8221; but typically applies to Christians that held this view in the second, third, and fourth centuries. —— Links —— Get Thomas Gaston&#8217;s book on Amazon Follow Thomas Gaston at his website: Thomas-Gaston.com Check out Theophilus Press, the publishing arm of the Unitarian Christian Alliance Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here &nbsp;

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Should Christians celebrate the birth of Christ? If so, where should we draw the line with respect to ancient pagan customs like bringing an evergreen tree into our houses or  giving presents to each other? How much pagan practice is too much? My guest today is philosopher Dale Tuggy, the host of the Trinities podcast and the chair of the board of the Unitarian Christian Alliance. However, in this episode we're not talking about analytic theology or Christology. Instead we're discussing Christmas and how Christians should think about it. Tuggy argues that Christians have the freedom to celebrate or not celebrate Christmas. "Cultural appropriation is the birthright of the human race."- Dale Tuggy "How would the medieval pagans be so powerful that they could just eternally corrupt pine trees or wrapping gifts up in pretty paper and exchanging them or having a feast? They just don't have that much power. They're just people like us."- Dale Tuggy —— Links —— Follow Dr. Tuggy at his website, Trinities.org See Dale Tuggy's "What John 1 Meant" See Dustin Smith's "The Incarnation of Wisdom in Pre-Christian Judaism" Check out the Restitutio podcast on YouTube Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts It's the holidays and many of us are seeing family members and coworkers and neighbors at parties. Sometimes the topic of Christianity comes up, and you may be having conversations about your beliefs. You may find yourself defending your belief in Jesus in general or even trying to convince trinitarian loved ones and friends to understand who he really is. In today's episode Jeff Deuble explains how powerful and important presuppositions are in these conversations. Additionally, he recommends the approach of asking good questions to open the door to changing people's minds. Jeff Deuble is a retired pastor who has served in the Churches of Christ in Australia in various capacities for four decades. He's also the author of the book, Christ before Creeds: Rediscovering the Jesus of History. A book that has a conversational and friendly approach which in my opinion makes it a more effective tool at winning people over. —— Links —— Check out these other podcast episodes with Jeff Deuble Get Christ before Creeds (English) or Cristos ante los credos (Español) Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here &nbsp; &nbsp;

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Do the Gospels give you the impression that the kingdom of God is about to arrive? My guest today is Troy Salinger who wrote an interesting article called, "The Postponement of the Kingdom – A Response to Preterists and Anti-Missionary Rabbis." His idea is that the kingdom of God is a political restoration of the kingdom of Israel to one of David's descendants--and that this kingdom could have come during the time of Christ. However, because the Jewish people, especially the leaders, rejected Jesus as their Messiah, God postponed the coming of the kingdom until a later time. Salinger lays out four points: John and Jesus said the kingdom was about to be established The establishment of the kingdom was contingent. The Jewish leaders and most of the people rejected Jesus as their king  After the ascension, Christians are still waiting for the kingdom to come —— Links —— See Troy Salinger's blog here and read his article, "The Postponement Of The Kingdom – A Response To Preterists And Anti-Missionary Rabbis" Read Salinger's three-part series of articles on the kingdom of God Check out my class on the kingdom of God here Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts For centuries heresy hunters have labeled those who deny the pre-existence of Jesus "adoptionists." This ancient category was based on the idea some Christian groups denied the virgin birth, thinking instead that Jesus became the son of God at his baptism when God adopted him. Modern scholars such as Bart Ehrman and Michael Bird employ this term to describe several early unitarian Christian groups. My guest today is Dr. Jeremiah Coogan, a scholar of the New Testament and early Christianity. He's written a really helpful journal article analyzing the early so-called adoptionist groups. His conclusion? None of them actually qualifies as adoptionists. https://youtu.be/zPL25MPwvbM —— Links —— Read Jeremiah Coogan's article here Visit Professor Coogan's faculty page More episodes on adoptionism See also my class on early church history Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Interview Questions —— - Today I'm interviewing Dr. Jeremiah Coogan. He is the Assistant Professor of NT at the Jesuit School of Theology. He has a PhD from Notre Dame in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity. Welcome to Restitutio, I'm so glad to talk with you today.- Today we're talking about your article "Rethinking Adoptionism: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category," published in the Scottish Journal of Theology early this year. In this article you argue that the label of adoptionism is a problematic anachronism. To make sure everyone is up to speed on this issue, could you briefly describe what adoptionism is?- Describe the problem with modern scholars retrojecting Nicene controversies into earlier Christian history.- You argue that though there may have existed adoptionists somewhere in the ante-Nicene period, we have no evidence for them. What about Cerinthus?- Let's talk about the Ebionites? Weren't they adoptionists?- Do you think there's a connection between the Christian community of James in Jerusalem and the Ebionites?- What about Theodotus? He and his followers are often cited as adoptionists, but they affirmed the virginal conception of Christ, right? - Let's move on to Paul of Samosata. I see you cited Paul Sample. I got a hold of his dissertation from Northwestern a little while ago and was impressed to see he had collected and translated so many sources about Paul. What do you make of Paul of Samosata's christology?- So your conclusion after analyzing the evidence is that none of these auth

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Ignatius of Antioch lived in the first generation of Christians after the apostles died during the late first and early second century. Modern day apologists regularly point to Ignatius' letters to prove the antiquity of the deity of Christ and one-bishop church governance (monarchical episcopate). But did you know that Ignatius' letters have survived in three different versions or recensions? Although most scholars and textbooks recognize the middle recension as authentic Ignatius, rejecting the shorter and longer versions, my guest today, Pastor Nathan Massie, says otherwise. He argues that the shorter recension is the most authentic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUUesuqB0pw —— Links —— Support Pastor Nathan Massie to go to grad school at GoFundMe Check out these other episodes that mention Ignatius of Antioch Take our Early Church History class on the web, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Philippians 2.6-11 has generated an immense amount of scholarly literature such as journal articles and monographs not to mention blog posts, video lectures, and podcasts. What does the enigmatic phrase "in the form of God" mean? Did Paul intend us to think Jesus refused to grasp at equality with God or that he refused to exploit the equality he already had? What does it mean that Jesus emptied himself? Today we are getting into the weeds in order to understand what Philippians 2 is all about. I don't want to say too much before you get a chance to listen, but I can at least tell you this: Dr. Perriman does not believe it's about a pre-existent being becoming a human. "Morphe is never used of the one living God, the one true God, for the simple reason that it always has reference to the external appearance of an object or a person or a god." -Andrew Perriman My guest today is Andrew Perriman who has a degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford as well as an MPhil and PhD from the London School of Theology where he currently works as an Associate Research Fellow. He teaches New Testament and works with graduate students on biblical interpretation. See also the previous episode on the other texts in Paul's epistle that traditional Christians think teach Jesus pre-existed. https://youtu.be/pLBX_DA1acQ —— Links —— Follow Andrew Perriman at his postost blog Get In the Form of a God from Wipf &amp; Stock or from Amazon Check out these previous episodes about pre-existence Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts My guest today is Dr. Andrew Perriman of London who will discuss his recent book In the Form of a God, which is part of the Studies in Early Christology series. (Read Perriman's helpful summary of the book here.) The focus for our conversation is looking at the subject of pre-existence in Paul's epistles. The question before us is whether Paul taught or assumed that Christ had a literal prehuman career prior to his birth. In this interview we'll cover five of the six major texts, including Galatians 4.4, 1 Corinthians 8.6, 1 Corinthians 10.4, 2 Corinthians 8.9, and Colossians 1.15-16. Next week we'll tackle Philippians 2. Andrew Perriman has a degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford and an MPhil and PhD from the London School of Theology where he currently works as an Associate Research Fellow. He teaches New Testament works with graduate students on biblical interpretation. https://youtu.be/KfuCJCGVY00 —— Links —— Follow Andrew Perriman at his postost blog Get In the Form of a God from Wipf &amp; Stock or from Amazon Check out these previous episodes about pre-existence Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts We've all heard plenty of stories of Trinitarians who begin questioning their received teaching and eventually become Unitarian. However, today, we're bringing you a story that's a little different. My guest is Rick Naviello who held a biblical unitarian view of Jesus for decades before attending evangelical churches and really trying to believe in the Trinity. He did everything he could to convince himself it was true. He thought he had succeeded until... Well, I don't want to give away the punchline, but let's just say he's more convinced of his biblical unitarian faith than ever. (And church history was involved.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiKgnzXcOes —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode More testimonies here Check out the Early Church History class to learn about the development of the Trinity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Have you ever read miracle stories in the bible and asked yourself, "I wonder if this happens today?" My guests today are Josh and Daisy Jones of the UK who share their testimonies of God intervening in and through their lives. Hear about Josh's miraculous healing from asthma, Daisy's baptism when a Muslim spoke in tongues, and various adventures walking with God both at home and abroad, especially in Israel. They also talk about their interesting journey to unitarianism as well as their plans to organize the first UCA (Unitarian Christian Alliance) conference in the London area in the summer of 2024.   —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode For more about the Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) see unitarianchristianalliance.org. Check out episode 500 The Gifts of the Spirit in Early Christianity See also our 7-part series on the Holy Spirit, covering various major views of the manifestations of the spirit, especially speaking in tongues. Take a listen to episode 310 Are Gifts of the Spirit Available Today? with Sam Storms Lastly, check out these previous episodes on healing Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here &nbsp;

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Recently Tom Huszti interviewed me for his YouTube channel, the Unitarian Anabaptist. We talked about the importance of geography, archeology, and Greco-Roman history for interpreting the bible, especially the New Testament. Next we delved into early church history, starting with the earliest forms of Jewish Christianity in the first and second centuries. We talked about the Jerusalem church, the Nazarenes, and the Ebionites. Next we considered the persecution many Christians faced at the hands of the Romans for their unwillingness to give their ultimate allegiance to Caesar. The conversation was wide ranging, but what came through over and over is the importance of studying the bible and history in order to restore authentic Christianity and live it out today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KefOimH6ZU —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode For the trip to Greece and Turkey with Jerry Wierwille, see the itinerary here and the map here. Follow Huszti's YouTube Channel, the Unitarian Anabaptist Check out episode 478 Unitarian Anabaptist (Tom Huszti)  Get the free class on Early Church History here. Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts I'm so delighted to present you with an interview I did with Professor Nancy Pearcey, an author whose books have significantly helped me understand and live out my faith better. Today we're talking about masculinity. Have you noticed the critical and uncharitable tone in our culture towards men? Although our society celebrates women and girls who excel at sports, education, and business, men and boys often receive nothing but criticism, even outright hostility. Some even say masculine men are the cause of all the problems with the world. Listen in as I ask Pearcey about her recent book and how Christians should approach the whole issue of masculinity both biblically and historically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOmzSm2_4RI Here are my 8 myths about masculinity that Pearcey responded to in this episode: Bible-believing Christians are slightly more likely to divorce than non-Christians or liberal Christians. Bible-believing Christian men are more likely to be harsh and abusive to their wives and children The Bible's endorsement of male patriarchy causes toxic masculine behaviors. Women initiated the suffragette movement in America because they wanted to be treated as individuals of equal value. Our time is the first when women in America have publicly accused men of toxic behavior. Men have traditionally worked outside of the home and have been the breadwinners. Traditionally women focused on keeping the home and raising the children rather than contributing economically. Blocking or limiting men's testosterone will solve the problems our society has with badly behaved men. Professor Nancy Pearcey is the author of The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes,as well as Love Thy Body,The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and Total Truth. She is professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. She's been quoted in The New Yorker and Newsweek, highlighted as one of the five top women apologists by Christianity Today, and hailed in The Economist as "America's preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual." —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Get The Toxic War on Masculinity here More about Pearcey at NancyPearcey.com Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by <a href="https://soundclo

Although he's one of the lesser known Christian authors of the fourth century, Aphrahat is extremely important for our understanding of early Persian Christianity prior to the advent of Islam in the region. Amazingly a full-length book of his survives, called The Demonstrations. In today's interview I ask about Aphrahat's beliefs in general and his christology in particular. My guest today is Sam Tideman. Other than a master's degree from Harvard and working full time for Google as a data scientist, Tideman is also the host of Transfigured, a Youtube channel and podcast that covers a wide range of Christian topics, including church history our topic for today. He's had all kinds of guests on his show, including many notable scholars. Jordan Peterson even shared a clip of Tideman's conversation with John Vervaeke on social media a while back. But, today our focus is on the research Tideman has done on Aphrahat. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/8QpqvZYkI4E —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Have you heard of the quests for the historical Jesus? This has been going on for two and a half centuries. It has produced a massive amount of literature and occupied the minds of some of the most impressive biblical scholars over the years. What's all this about? Why do we need to search for the historical Jesus? Isn't he right there in the Gospels that we find in the New Testament? My guest today is Craig Blomberg whose new book, Jesus the Purifier lays out a thorough yet accessible survey of the four quests for the historical Jesus. He also explains why bible-believing Christians should care about critical scholarship. Lastly, he describes how his own work on the Gospel of John has revealed some exciting insights that challenge the Church today. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/gJtEbv56xNg —— Links —— Get the transcript of this episode Check out Craig Blomberg's books on Amazon Listen to Blomberg's presentation on handling money in 4: A Biblical Theology of Finance Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

We continue in our conversation on the topic of healing from bullying. This episode applies not only to those who suffered in school, but also should prove helpful to any who have suffered abuse later in life as well. Jon Nessle taps into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to gain practical advice on what to do to find wholeness. In particular, he went into much greater detail about forgiveness and praying for one's abuser. Once again, Nessle's example and personal testimony help illustrate how these principles work in real life. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://youtu.be/QwLAXO_T_B8 —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Were you bullied in school? How did you deal with it? Do you still harbor feelings of bitterness and vengefulness in your heart towards those who mistreated and abused you? Today my guest is Jon Nessle who faced ruthless ridicule and physical abuse from kindergarten to the tenth grade. He shares seven points to help you get the healing you need to let go of past trauma and experience God's healing. You have value; you are special. Find something you're good at and invest in that, especially education. Sublimate your emotional urges into good outlets. Don't allow rage to build and blow. Get help. Tell you guidance counselor or pastor. Cast your cares upon God. Pray. Forgive the bully. Refuse to seek vengeance for yourself. Pray for your enemies. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-VuEBrWPTE —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Today we are continuing where we left off with part 2 of my interview with Kegan Chandler. In our last episode we spent most of our time talking about UAPs and the evidence that has come to light for their existence as well as non-human origin. Today, we are shifting gears to focus on the faith question. If aliens exist, what would that mean for Christian theology? What biblical categories exist to think about non-human intelligences (NHIs)? The answers Chandler provides may surprise you. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See other episodes with Kegan Chandler Follow Chandler on Adademia.edu Check out his books on Amazon Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— 5. You seem to be pointing to a potential overlap between science and what religions have been saying. How do you see this information impacting the ongoing discussion about “faith” versus “science”?  &#8211;    History of separation of methodological categories &#8211;    a convergence of discussion with scientific or non-religious institutions &#8211;    example of Bohr, etc. (short answer) 6. Do you think this is a difficult topic for Christians in particular to investigate?  &#8211;    Explain (long answer)  7. Are Christian theological discussions about the existence of NHIs something new, or something that’s been motivated only by recent events in the news? Have Christian theologians been interested in this topic before?  &#8211;    Brief history of this discussion in Western thought &#8211; Greek philosophers &#8211; anthroposolism vs. cosmic pluralism &#8211;    The Church Fathers &#8211;    Modern “exotheology” (CS Lewis, etc) &#8211;    Contemporary Evangelical UFO/Alien demonological and eschatological literature (short answer)  8. In what ways have theologians imagined that the existence of extraterrestrial life or NHIs could affect Christian theology? &#8211; soteriology &#8211; Christology/The Incarnation &#8211; doctrine of creation; evolution (medium answer) 9. What are some interpretive options for UAPs/NHI from a Christian theological perspective? Most important: a realization of our current category problem.  “Aliens” vs. “angels.”&lt;&#8211; explain in detail &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Christians already believe in NHIs.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt; (!) From here, the options: &#8211;    “Demons” or “fallen angels” (negative) &#8211;    “good angels” (positive) &#8211;           Or a mixture of the above &#8211;    The “gods” as referred to in the OT and in ANE literature; or the “divine council” &#8211;    Simply other creatures of god who aren’t referenced in the Bible (long answer)

Last month, the US Congress held a hearing with three whistle-blowers who provided testimony about UFOs. Yes, I just said UFOs. No, I haven&#8217;t lost my mind or started subscribing to the tabloids. This is a topic that has moved from the fringes of conspiracy land right into serious public hearings in the US government. In today&#8217;s episode I&#8217;m interviewing Kegan Chandler who has been seriously thinking about this subject for many years. Kegan Chandler is a historian of religion currently working on his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town where he is researching monotheism in Japanese religions. He also holds a Master of Theology degree from Campbellsville University. He is the author of several books and articles and currently writes for his blog, Exploring Religion. Now, I know this is a Christian theology podcast, but we need to talk about this subject, and Chandler is the guy to guide us. He&#8217;s intimately familiar with the evidence and has thought this topic through. I think you&#8217;ll agree that there are significant theological implications if it turns out non-human intelligence is behind these unexplained flying objects. But, before we get to that, we need to first talk about the evidence and different theories for what these objects are. &nbsp; Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See other episodes with Kegan Chandler Check out his books on Amazon Follow Chandler on Adademia.edu Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— 1. What are UAPs and NHIs (non human intelligences)? Where did these terms come from and why are people using them now? 2. What are the possible explanations of UAPs?  &#8211;    Prosaic hypotheses (incl. advanced human technology) &#8211;    Extra-terrestrial hypothesis &#8211;    Crypto-terrestrial hypothesis &#8211;    Ultra-terrestrial / Inter-dimensional &#8211;    Time-traveling humans hypothesis &#8211;    Jacque Valle’s Control System hypothesis &#8211;    Reverse Engineered technology hypothesis &#8211;    Warning: fallacy of oversimplification 3. Why is the mundane explanation that these are experimental craft of terrestrial origin problematic? Explain. &#8211;    Government studies – some still “unexplained” &#8211;    Reported flight capabilities/characteristics &#8211;    Near-peer adversaries? &#8211;    Older reports &#8211;    Credible sources’ testimony 4. We sometimes hear that news of “aliens” would somehow negatively affect religion on planet earth. What impact do you think widespread acknowledgemen

Today we are picking up where we left off with Dr. Steven Nemes. We've been talking about communion (also called the eucharist or the Lord's supper). He's been presenting a case for memorialism. Today we begin with the words of institution, which Jesus gave at the last supper. What did he mean when he said, "This is my body?" Next I ask Nemes about church history and what he's learned there. He talks about the Didache, Ignatius of Antioch, and Cyril of Jerusalem. Then I ask him how we should engage with the eucharist today. His answer may surprise you. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See other episodes with Steven Nemes Check out Nemes’ personal website, blog on substack, and YouTube channel Follow Nemes on Twitter @snemes2 Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

What do you think happens during communion? In my interview today, Dr. Steven Nemes provides a biblical, historical, and theological defense for memorialism--the idea that the eucharist memorializes what Christ has done (and will do) for us rather than actually becoming Christ in some metaphysical sense. Thus, the bread and wine signify or represent Christ's body and blood without mystically becoming them. I think you'll appreciate not only Nemes' argument, but also his clear and logical approach. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oCivff4ujQ —— Links —— See other episodes with Steven Nemes Check out Nemes’ personal website, blog on substack, and YouTube channel Follow Nemes on Twitter @snemes2 Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here