The Freed Thinker

SERMON: More Sure Than The Mountain Top

Here I present a sermon preached at my home church during a series on the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. In this sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21, I present Sola Scriptura and it's importance to the Biblical witness and the history of the church following the Reformation. 

 

Enjoy!

Who Durst Defy the Omnipotent to Arms - Jezebel in the Eye of the Beholder

In this episode I present my paper dealing the way that critical scholarship specifically from the Feminist Biblical Scholarship camp, has attempted to recast the role of Jezebel as a heroine of feminism. Enjoy the show!

Seriously... WTH?! - Part 1

In this episode I begin my long overdue treatment of the theological position known as Annihilationism or Conditional Immortality (Conditionalism). Part one of this series deals primarily with hermeneutical, verbal, and textual issues related to the case made by major proponents of the view.

 

Enjoy the show!

 

Major Sources:

For Conditionalism -

Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism, ed. by Date, Stump, Anderson, and Grice

The Fire that Consumes by Fudge 

Papers avail on request

 

Against Conditionalism - 

Hell Under Fire ed. by Morgan and Peterson

"On Banishing the Lake of Fire," in The Gagging of God by Carson

Papers avail on request

Freed Byte - Bad News Bears?

I this episode I discuss a well known passage used by atheists and skeptics the world over to protest to Biblical Christianity. That is, the passage where they say the prophet Elisha murders a bunch of little kids for making fun of his baldness by calling some bears to attack them. But, is that really what the text says happened? 

The Noetic Affects and Effects of Sin and Grace

In this episode I present my paper dealing with the Noetic Affects and Effects of Sin and Grace and explore the ramifications of sin for the breakdown of what Brunner called the “I-Thou” paradigm. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Listen in and you will!

 

Enjoy the show!

 

For the full text of this paper including footnotes, citations, and bibliography please visit:

http://rts.academia.edu/TylerVela

I Got 144,000 Problems but Revelation Aint One

In this episode I review an article by Clint Archer dealing with the issue of the 144,000 found in the book in the Revelation. This article is a good case study in the differences of hermeneutics between Reformed and Dispensational Christians. 

You can find the text of this article here: https://www.academia.edu/32930724/144_000_Cattle_on_144_000_Hills_A_response_to_Clint_Archer_on_the_meaning_of_the_144_000_Sealed_in_Revelation_7_and_14

You can find Archer's artlce here: http://thecripplegate.com/why-144000-means-144000/

Enjoy the show! 

Violence Worthy of Worship

In this episode I present my research paper on Psalm 137 (one of the so called Imprecatory Psalms) where I explore how it is to be understood and applied within it's historical and textual context, the Christian canon and should be applied to the Christian church despite its violent imagery.

 

You can find the paper HERE.

the Trial by Ordeal in Numbers 5

In this episode I present the content of one of my MABS research papers dealing with a rather strange law found in Numbers 5 - The Trial by Ordeal of the woman suspected of adultery. 

 

This is a confusing passage for so many and I hope this episode helps many to think more clearly about it. I do not read the passage in the episode so please read it before diving into the content. 

 

Enjoy the show!!

Bible Atrocities - Jephthah's Vow

In this episode we explore Judges 11 and the objection that here the Bible "endorses child sacrifice" and try to better understand what is happening with Jephthah and his vow.

 

Enjoy the show! 

Trimming the Fatuous - Discerning the Discerners

In this episode I do something a little different. Some good old fashioned Biblical exhortation and encouragement to brotherly love in the podcast.