David Pratt has been a Lutheran high school teacher for twelve years. In his theology classes, no matter the course title, he constantly sprinkles apologetics into the lesson plans. After listening to episodes 22 and 29 of Reconnect, which both explained and critiqued the use of various approaches to Apologetics, he had a lot of feedback to provide. In this episode, David shares his commentary on those episodes, correcting what he thought was not always an accurate depiction of presupositional apologetics in those episodes. Hopefully, you’ll learn as much from his feedback as I did. His explanation and use of presuppositional apologetics has certainly given me a much better understanding of the usefulness and tactful approach to take with presuppositional arguments for the purpose of sharing both the Law and Gospel of God’s Word. – Andy Wrasman
Show Links:
Episode 22: Mixed Martial Apologetics with J. Warner Wallace
Episode 29: What’s up with Presup? with Andy and Ben
David’s School: Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School in Las Vegas
Andy likes to surf the New Age shops to see the new lingo and directions of the oneist, pagan lefties. He discovered a sticker that read, “Christianity Has Pagan DNA.” Andy snatched one (after purchasing it) and used it as a centerpiece for a small group church discussion guide. Ben and Jonathan join Andy for this episode of Reconnect to discuss this sticker. Hopefully you like the conversation that ensues and if so be sure to go to Episode 54 at www.andywrasman.com to access the guide Andy created so you can have this same discussion with your local small group Bible study, Sunday school class, or youth group.
Christianity Has Pagan DNA! Questions
Who is a pagan? What’s paganism?
Does the Bible give any indication that there is pagan DNA within Christianity?
Even if there are real and intentional connections to pagan mythology and beliefs in the Bible do these connections in any way discredit the Christian message?
Do you we have any pagan practices, imagery, or carry-overs from pre-Christian culture within modern day expressions of Christianity? How do you respond to these?
What do you think this sticker means by pagan DNA within Christianity?
Show Links
Christianity Has Pagan DNA Sticker Group Discussion Guide
Episode 43 of Reconnect: Jesus’ Plagiarized Resurrection Myth
Episode 12 of Reconnect: Faith, Hope, Love, and the Club
Episode 13 of Reconnect: God is Too Big to Fit into One Religion
Christians believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Eyewitness testimonies attest to the truth of this belief, testimonies that are reliable on account of the witnesses’ willingness to die for their claims, as well as the solid physical evidence of the empty tomb with a corpse that was never found. However, many non-Christian skeptics assert that it is more likely these eyewitnesses were lying, or that we have no eyewitness testimonies at all, but instead the New Testament is simply plagiarized by the apostles or imposters in the second century who applied resurrection narratives of other gods to the man, Jesus of Nazareth.
This episode of Reconnect presents both sides of the arguments through the use of multiple audio clips downloaded from Youtube with Andy giving commentary throughout the show.
The central claim of Christianity is that Jesus died for sins, was buried, and rose from the dead for our salvation. Episodes 50 and 51 of Reconnect shared 14 evidences that indicate that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead confirming his claims to be God in the flesh, the savior of all men.
When faced with these evidences, not everyone comes to the conclusion that Jesus did rise bodily from the dead. Alternative theories are thus offered to naturally explain the evidences. Sometimes these theories offer evidence also. This episode looks at an elaborate explanation for the empty tomb of Jesus that involves the theft and reburial of Jesus’ corpse in a different location, a location that that is speculated to have been found by the discovery of a family tomb that contained an ossuary with the name, “Jesus, Son of Joseph”, inscribed on it.
This theory was put forth by The Lost Tomb of Jesus, documentary that was produced by James Cameron. Andy Wrasman plays audio clips from this documentary and offers rebuttals to the documentary’s claims.
If Jesus rose from the grave, Christianity is true. If Jesus did not rise from the grave, Christianity is false.
To make a case that the resurrection of Christ occurred, it needs to be shown that Jesus died, was buried, his tomb was found empty, and people interacted with him alive again.
Robert Bowman of Credo House made a list of fourteen evidences to support the resurrection claim of the apostles and early Christian Church. This episode of reconnect focuses on the last seven evidences Bowman listed. With the help of Ben Fisher, Andy Wrasman provides details to flush out Bowman’s brief summaries of these strands of evidence.
Evidences for the Resurrection 8-14
8. Paul and Luke’s Independent Testimonies
9. Cleopas and that Other Guy
10. Brother James
11. John’s Eyewitness Testimony
12. Ancient Skepticism
13. Paul’s Conversion
14. Paul’s Mission to the Gentiles
Go back to Episode 50 to hear evidences 1-7.
Visit www.andywrasman.com and see the show notes for this episode.
If Jesus rose from the grave, Christianity is true. If Jesus did not rise from the grave, Christianity is false.
To make a case that the resurrection of Christ occurred, it needs to be shown that Jesus died, was buried, his tomb was found empty, and people interacted with him alive again.
Robert Bowman of Credo House made a list of fourteen evidences to support the resurrection claim of the apostles and early Christian Church. This episode of reconnect focuses on the first seven evidences Bowman listed. With the help of Ben Fisher, Andy Wrasman provides details to flush out Bowman’s brief summaries of these strands of evidence.
Evidences for the Resurrection 1-7
1. Jesus’ Existence
2. Jesus’ Death
3. A Crucified Messiah
4. Joseph’s Tomb
5. Women Witnesses
6. Ancient Theories
Tune in for Episode 51 to hear evidences 8-14.
Show Links
Robert Bowman’s “14 Evidences for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ”
Reconnect Episode 7 – “Did Jesus Fulfill All Messianic Prophesies?”
Reconnect Episode 31 – “Tattooing and Flying Drones for Jesus”
Chad Williams – “Proof the Bible is the Word of God” Video
Free Excerpt Featuring 25% of Andy Wrasman’s Book, Contradict – They Can’t All Be True
Total depravity is a divisive doctrine within the Christian Church. This doctrine teaches that since the Fall of Man, all of mankind is in a state of complete corruption by sin. Our minds, bodies, spirit, emotions, desires, will, relationships – OUR EVERYTHING – is ruined by sin. The wreckage is so great that we can do nothing whatsoever to please God, draw near to him, or to please him. We are truly dead in our sin.
If we can do nothing to accept God, then that must mean our salvation is purely a gift. Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8) Most Christians recognize that grace is pure gift, but total depravity necessitates that the faith of believers must also be solely a gift, the work of God alone.
If faith is a gift of God, then why are some saved and the multitudes damned? Did God not love them? Did Christ not die for them? Did God not choose to save them?
These questions and many more rightly flow from a proper understanding of the doctrine of total depravity. Before addressing these questions, we must ask, “Does the Bible teach total depravity?” If this teaching can’t be found in Scripture alone, we should reject the doctrine. But if total depravity is in Scripture, we must address the questions of predestination, and we must do so from Scripture alone.
1 out of 6 adults will experience depression at some point in their life. Depression affects about 16 million Americans every year. Christians are not immune. For those who haven't suffered with depression, the many devastating symptoms aren't known or even understood when they are.
Adam Cumpston shares his bouts with depression and anxiety and how out of desperation, after trying all other options, he turned to God for healing, and he was healed.
Adam does a good job of taking his experience and making it applicable to everyone, since we all will face some sort of "storms" in our lives. Scripture speaks volumes to what Christians can gain from difficult times of sufferings and how even if we don't experience healing in this life, God's grace is sufficient for us.
As a take away for Reconnect, since this podcast is dedicated to sharing and defending the Good News of Jesus Christ, Adam spoke about the importance of memorizing Scripture so that we can defend ourselves against the lies of Satan with the truth of God's Word. Typically, when we think of defending the Gospel, we might run to historical arguments, archaeological discoveries, philosophical arguments, or in-depth exegetical studies, but Adam reminds us that defending God's Word can simply be knowing God's Word so well that we can quote it when lies from our sinful nature, the world, and devil assault us.
Show Links:
Adam's book, 30 Days to Overcoming Depression and Anxiety
Are religions falsifiable? How would you go about testing a religious truth claim? They typically aren't observable or repeatable? So the scientific method is out. In fact, most of life's important realities aren't subjectable to the scientific method. However, we aren't limited to the scientific method for gleaning knowledge and discerning truth. We also have historiographic testing. Andy reads Chapter 4 of his book, Contradict - They Can't All Be True, to explain the historiographic method and it's three tests.
Andy closes by sharing listener feedback for the past four episodes.
Ben Fisher riffs on "12 Arguments Evolutionists Should Avoid" that he shares with his high school class. Answers in Genesis created the list of bad arguments. Do you agree? Are these bad arguments that evolutionists should avoid?
Show Links:
12 Arguments Evolutionists Should Avoid
"Busting a Myth about Columbus and the flat Earth" by The Washington Post
Is government redistribution of wealth stealing?
Show Links:
"A Fork to Feed, a Scapel to Heal, or a Sword to Protect?" by Wes Bareford
Martin Luther's Large Catechism - "The Seventh Commandment"
"A Voter's Guide to the Ten Commandments" by Bryan Wolfmueller
Virtue in the Wasteland - a podcast co-hosted by Wes' professor for Theology 565, Jeff Mallinson.
"How Do I Know I am a Christian?" - Reconnect Episode 19 with Wes and George
Wil Hunemuller wrote a blog post entitled, “Smoking to the Glory of God”. I shared it to my Facebook page, Contradict – They Can’t All Be True. The comment section exploded! Many Christians on my page argued that smoking is a sin. The arguments that smoking is addictive and harmful to one’s health were the two most recurring arguments to support the sinfulness of smoking.
The verse that was often cited for smoking being a sin due to the bodily harm it is known to cause was 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
No verse was supplied by the commenters who said smoking was sinful because it’s addictive. The verse I think that shows us that addiction can be sinful is 1 Corinthians 6:12, which says, “"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but I will not be mastered by anything.” I believe the closing line about not being mastered by anything can describe what occurs when a person has an addiction.
Do these two verses put the nail in the coffin that smoking is sinful and no Christian should partake in any smoking, at any time, for any reason, unless he or she sins?
To address the addiction argument, I ask the question, “Are all addictions sinful?”
I would also state, “Just because something is addictive, that doesn’t mean a person must be addicted to whatever that thing is.”
Are any of us not addicted in some way? Aren’t we all addicted to sin? I mean, can any of us stop sinning? Even when we really want to stop? Isn’t that the definition of addiction? And if you say, you don’t have that problem, I’m afraid you are deceiving yourself.
To the argument that smoking is sinful because it causes harm to one’s body, I simply ask the question, “Do we really want to go down that route?”
As the discussion was unfolding on my Facebook page, I received a message from Joel Oesch, a guy who I have played basketball with and who now teaches Theology at my Alma mater, Concordia University Irvine. He shared with me an article he had just published on his blog entitled, “Thank you for smoking!”. Joel’s arguments for Christian smoking were similar to Hunemuller’s, namely, smoking can serve as a means to build authentic Christian community. Such a concept will likely come as a shock to many Christians, so for this episode I invited Joel to respond to the arguments posted about smoking being a sin.
Joel does a great job of bringing us to see the problem that is bigger than smoking – our sinful nature. He also does a great job explaining our current difficulty of being a part of embodied community – you are after all reading this online! Smoking helps bring us into embodied community and it breaks down all sorts of social barriers – have your doubts? Please give a listen to this episode and hear Joel out. He provides great arguments and explanations. Listen with an open mind and Bible. We visit 1 Corinthians 6 and look at the context of those two key verses at the top of this post, and we also take a look at Romans 14. We unpack an important word that describes the “sin” or “not sin” debate concerning smoking and other issues like it that are divisive in the Body of Christ and how we should navigate them together –adiaphora. If you don’t know what adiaphora is, then you must listen!
I welcome all feedback in the comments section. If I don’t reply, I apologize, but I will read it.
Show Links
“Smoking to the Glory of God” by Wil Hunemuller
“Thank you for smoking!” by Joel Oesch
Fishing for Leviathan – Joel’s Website
The Bible teaches that God created all things. The Bible also teaches that his existence is known by everyone from what he has made, but men have exchanged this truth for a lie. (Romans 1) The beauty and design evident within nature screams for there to be a Creator. Looking beyond intelligent design, observation tells us that life does not come from non-life. There must be a God.
Primal Pastures is a family run farm in Murrieta, CA. They are one of many farms that are growing crops and raising livestock following God’s plan for farming. Andy’s guest for this episode, Paul Greive, one of Primal Pastures’ farmers shares more about this design for growing food that God has built into his creation.
Since Reconnect is a podcast dedicated to sharing and defending the Good News of Jesus Christ, there is a connection to sharing the Christian faith that Paul shares often arises on Primal Pastures’ farm tours.
Show Links:
Primal Pastures
Paul Greive’s Concordia University Irvine Bio and Primal Pastures Article
Primal Pastures’ Online Store
Primal Pastures’ Resources Page
Polyface Farms
Articles Against Theistic Evolution:
Articles For Theistic Evolution:
Analysis Questions:
There are in fact twelve days of Christmas. In the Western Church calendar, the twelve days of Christmas start on Dec. 25th and end on January 5th. A break down of the days are as follows:
Dec. 25 - Christmas
Dec. 26 - The Feast of Stephen
Dec. 27 - John the Baptist’s martyrdom
Dec. 28 - Feast of the Holy Innocents
Jan. 1 - Feast of the Name and Circumcision of Jesus
Jan. 5 - Day of the Magi
This means that the famous song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is connected to the Church calendar, and some people have certainly made some deeper connections to the meaning of the gifts from the "True Love" of the song by finding Biblical parallels. Was this song intentionally written as code to teach the Christian faith? And even if it wasn't, can these Biblical connections add a new sense of wonder to the song and help remind us that we have way more to celebrate and remember in the Church calendar for the Christmas Season? I think so. Listen and find out more!
Show Links:
12 Days of Christmas Show Notes
The Force Awakens this Friday, December 18th. Star Wars will likely dominate many families' Christmas gatherings. With this in mind, Andy sought advice from Pastor Rob Mrosko, who has been a fan of Star Wars since seeing Episode 4 in 1977 when he was six years old.
Pastor Rob shares why he thinks the Star Wars franchise has been so popular before sharing ways that the series connects with Biblical themes that Christians can use in conversations to share the Gospel.
Pastor Rob also addresses two approaches Christians often times take when approaching secular films like Star Wars: approaching it just as entertainment with no discernment or avoiding it all together due to certain elements that oppose Scriptural truths.
Andy also asks if the Star Wars series has a Christ-like figure and who the hero actually is since it appears that the Dark Side has a popularity in toy and clothing marketing and products.
Finally, Pastor Rob gives some pastoral advice for Christians to consider when entering into this new trilogy.
George and Andy apply the Reconnect theme of sharing and defending the Gospel and apply it to the Christmas season.
Together they answer the following three questions:
1. Do you have any ideas for sharing the Gospel during the Christmas season?
2. Any particular Christmas movies that you think do a good job of sharing the Gospel message?
3. What's your response to this year's Starbucks red cup and the "movement" that was attempted by Joshua Feuerstein?
Show Links
Linus Explains the Meaning of Christmas
Bad Religion's Christmas Songs
Merry Christmas Starbucks in the News
Andy, Wes, and Jesse take an online quiz to find out what Christian denomination they should be. This is all the more fun because Jesse doesn't have a denomination!
Take the quiz for yourself here: http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=christiandenom
For this episode of Reconnect, Andy is sharing an episode of Cross Defense, in which he joined host Rev. Rod Zwonitzer as they discuss the different opinions people have of Jesus… A Myth? A Liar? A Lunatic? A Pantheist? From The Future? A Prophet, but Not God? A Demon? or the Messiah?
For more Cross Defense episodes, click here.
Andy and Wes take a quiz to find out what Christian denomination they should join, but Andy mistakenly had a quiz that asked "What Kind of Christian are You?" instead, so they don't hear what denomination they should be, but they hope you still get some good doctrinal insights from this episode. Sticking with the Reconnect theme of sharing and defending the Gospel, they share how they think different answers could affect what the Gospel message really is. Enjoy.
Take the quiz if you dare:
What Kind of Christian Are You?
George interviews Andy about his MA research project, THE USE OF CHINESE LITERATURE AS A CULTURAL STARTING POINT TO PRESENT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
Abstract
Common methods of Christian evangelism present a list of facts about man’s depravity and God’s act of salvation for mankind. These methods are problematic in today’s mostly postmodern world that does not accept absolute truths. These methods also use terminology and concepts unknown outside of the Christian faith, furthering the difficulty of communicating the Gospel. This research project then seeks to find a well-known piece of Chinese literature that Christians can use as a cultural starting point when presenting the Gospel in China, eliminating the problems of a facts-based presentation of the Gospel.
Key List of Words
Chinese folktales, Chinese literature, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, monomyth, and storytelling evangelism.
Many religions teach that the soul is eternal and that it passes on from one life to the next, being incarnate in a new body each time. This teaching is called reincarnation. It contradicts the teaching of resurrection that says this life is the only life humans have before a bodily resurrection of all the dead at the final judgment of the Lord.
Mike Shreve of Shreve Ministries shares why he used to believe in reincarnation, how he used to teach others about reincarnation, how the Lord saved him and brought him to embrace the resurrection of Christ and the future bodily resurrection of all the dead, and how he explains that reincarnation isn't logically consistent.
Show Links:
Shreve Ministries
Free Download of Mike's Testimony: Encountering God
Website for Mike's Book, In Search of the True Light: The True Light
A 2005 Gallup poll revealed that 37% of Americans believe houses can be haunted and 21% believe they can personally communicate with the dead.
In a 2009 Pew Research Center survey, it was discovered that 29% of the American population believes they have been in touch with the dead. Among those who identify as Christians, the percentage was the exact same! 18% of Americans claim to have had a ghostly experience (17% among Christians).
In light of such results, is the Church ready to respond to an increasing population that embraces a paranormal worldview? This is a drastic shift from countering the typical Atheistic naturalism. There is a cultural shift occurring in which the non-religious are open to a reality that exists beyond our natural world. However, are Christians prepared to address the many facets of this growing belief system and fascination with the spirit world?
In the first Reconnect Halloween Special, Andy interviews Daniel Jenkins, a Christian paranormal investigator. Daniel has been on 1000s of “ghost-hunts” as a member of a Christian paranormal investigation team. As a Christian team interacting with non-Christian investigators and scared home-owners who thought their homes were haunted, Daniel and his team were able to share the hope of the Gospel, give explanations to what was being experienced, and personally pray for those who were scared and in need of God’s love and truth.
Questions Answered:
How did Daniel get involved in the paranormal world?
What makes a Christian paranormal team different from any other team?
What does the typical investigation consists of?
Is there usually a natural explanation found through the investigations?
What has Daniel experienced that couldn’t be explained naturally?
What does the Bible say concerning ghosts? Are they just demons, or could they be the spirits of the dead?
How has Daniel been able to share the Gospel through his involvement in paranormal investigations?
How has Daniel’s paranormal involvement been received by other Christians and his pastors?
Show Links:
Cris Putnam’s site: The Supernatural Worldview
Daniel Jenkins’ employer: Lutheran Hour Ministries
Men’s Network from Lutheran Hour Ministries
WhatDoesThisMean.Org: "Ghost Stories" by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
Jake Wells is a Flesh Pilot. He's a tattoo artist and a DIY RC POV Helocopter enthusiast.
Tattoos are taboo in most Christian circles. Jake is covered in them and he covers others with them too.
Remote controlled helicopters are a booming hobby, though a controversial one due to the fact that most people call them drones and some pilots fly them in illegal spaces or over private property while filming from them!
Despite the controversy, Jake uses his job as a tattoo artist to share the Gospel and he has been dubbed the "world's first RC (Remote Control) Christian Minister".
Andy interviews Jake to find out more about how he became a Christian and how he shares Christ through his work and hobbies in the hope that Jake's boldness to share the Gospel through his every day endeavors will excite others to do the same in their jobs and recreational pursuits.
Show Links:
Jake's Ministry Site - Flesh Pilot
Jake's Coptor Frames for Sale - Black Arm Workshop
VICE's Motherboard Article on Jake - "The Born-Again Christian Who Flies a Drone for God"
Nadov Assor's Documentary with Jake - "Lesson on Leaving Your Body"