Double Take

What? Yes! Even more than that, we as believers are to have no consciousness of sin at all. Join us as we make our case: the freedom we have been given makes sin irrelevant!

Can God tell you something different than what He tells me? Does that necessarily make one of us wrong? Is it even a question of right and wrong? What if we are in different places in life and we are exactly where He wants us to be right now?

Do – or should – all believers think alike? Is there such a thing as Christian groupthink? We see a lot of meanness on social media, and a lot of it comes from believers towards other believers. Whether it’s a political argument or a theology one, we think it’s possible to find common ground and stop the religious hatred.

Why do we as Christians “shoot our wounded?” We see a fellow believer struggling with an addiction or harmful behavior and we think we are helping them by calling them out. Sometimes, depending on the “sin” we withdraw from them, either individually or as a church body. Do we deserve the reputation of being judgmental? How can we better love people like Jesus did?

In Part 2, we dive into more consequences of the lie of legalism, such as an identity of performance, need for control, and even abuse.

If you believe salvation is by grace alone, but sanctification (holiness) comes by one’s own efforts to be a good Christian…you might be a legalist! Legalism can be subtle, but it always causes obvious damage. Things like shame and anxiety. On today’s episode we explore some of these.

Today we continue with this topic and talk about the implications of complementarian beliefs on both women and men in the institutional church today. Abusive marriages, sexual abuse among church leaders (of all denominations), spiritual abuse – could they be connected to patriarchal teachings? For more on this subject we suggest The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr, On Purpose by Julie Zine Coleman, the work of Marg Mowczko, and Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Great Sex Rescue.

We have just read Beth Allison Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood, and it has both blown our minds and confirmed what we always knew in our spirits. The marginalization of women in the church and in marriage never seemed to fit the character of Jesus and how He engaged with the women around Him. Turns out, there were reasons for that. We explore some of them in part one. We also draw from On Purpose by Julie Zine Coleman, the work of Marg Mowczko, and Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Great Sex Rescue.

Bill Gothard’s IBLP is no longer what it was, but on today’s episode we talk about how so much of the beliefs can still be found in much of evangelical Christianity.

The Amazon documentary is the starting point for this podcast. Back in the day, Rick was actually involved for a time in the Bill Gothard movement, and so has a personal perspective. In Part 1, we go over the seven principles that are the foundation of IBLP, and how they can sound good in theory, but in reality caused damage to so many of the people involved.

Did we save the best for last? Hard to tell… Kim Francis – author of His Banner Over Me is Pursuing Love, blogger/teacher at www.hisheartsdesireministries.com  Eric Brindley – The Way Bible Church in Virginia Will Farley – pastor at The Way Bible Church in Virginia (www.thewaybiblechurch.com) (also you might be familiar with his brother, author Andrew Farley)

We had a spirited conversation with Tracy Levinson us at the convention. She is the author of Unashamed – Candid Conversations about Dating, Love, Nakedness, and Faith. Tracy is spontaneous, transparent, fun, and loves Jesus a lot! We talked about the realness of God’s presence, and love, for a former atheist, and chased a few rabbits along the way.

Back to the beautiful people from Network 220! Jake Bushka – deacon at The Way Bible Church in Virginia Larry Eiss – blogger, preacher, and encourager at 3E with Larry Eiss (larryeiss.com)

In today’s episode, we look at men in the Bible who we tend to think of as passive. Adam – he just stood there while Eve ate the fruit, then joined in! Lot – you know the story of what happened in Sodom, right?  Eli the priest – his sons were out of control! And Timothy – he seemed a little weak, didn’t he? Let’s go a little deeper and see.

What is a passive man? Do you know a man who is passive? Is he aware he is one? If you’re married to a passive man, how does that even work? Rick, a former passive man, literally wrote the book on it: Double Souled – Exploring Passivity in Men. This subject is seldom discussed, and mostly misunderstood. Today we define passivity, where it comes from, how pornography can be involved, and how wives can help, and love, their passive husbands.

More wonderful people from our time in Dallas! Sean Rensel – from Denver CO Shane Moore – Iowa, now OKC – tells his story of struggling with mental illness Trey Etheridge – MPACT men’s ministry in Florida (mpactministries.org)

Today we introduce you to our first group of terrific people we talked to at the recent convention in Dallas!  They are:  Bob Stacy - Christ Life Ministries in North Carolina Joshua Sills – worship leader for the 220 weekend, and each Sunday at The Grace Church (thegracechurch.org) Steve Marth – Midnight Cry Community Fellowship in Washington state Ron Fox – pastor at Berean Bible Church, Denver CO Richard Coe – investment advisor and author from Wichita KS Pam Erickson – whose amazing sister brought her for a deep dive into grace!

The word “grace” is spoken from pulpits, in songs, and by believers in Jesus. It’s a common word in Christian circles. But when you realize grace for what it is, everything changes. In this episode, we share how He led each of us to a deeper realization of grace.

Yes, we love Jesus, and no, we do not attend a church. An astounding number of believers have been leaving organized religion/church for quite some time. Whatever your thoughts may be about this, it is happening. How do we deal with this reality, whether you are still in a church or not? Today we talk about why we, and so many others, have decided that, at least for now, this is what God has for us. Books we recommend on this subject: Church Refugees by Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope, Beyond Sundays by Wayne Jacobsen, Pagan Christianity, Reimagining Church, and Insurgence all by Frank Viola.

Is there such a thing? Yes! And it happens when we begin to grasp our own oneness with God. How does that help? How do we break old harmful habits? Is it ever too late to find oneness together?