Wow, I love this topic of participation. It's one of the aspects that draws me to the house church/micro church movement. I've never been in one but conceptually the community and interaction is really appealing to me.

You lost me with your picture of "Will Smith." Your question matters not when you use "the world" in attempting to attract Christians to your video. Very sad

Why in the world would you bring the "world" into this video before even starting it? I'm talking about the filthy mouth Hollywood actor comedian Kevin Hart. Why do many of today's Christian leaders feel the necessity to get their point across with worldly unbelieving actors, so-called celebrities, sports "heroes" etc.. That is not being a leader! It is quite the opposite! You would do well to take this video down until you correct it and get out of the world! You have that same responsibility to those you teach and preach to! Lead them out of the world!

❤

As I watch this video on social media 😂

When I learned the correct interpretation of Revelation.. ALL of my confusion from dispensationalism was IMMEDIATELY cleared up. Believing in that teaching causes mental illness. That is what I believe I saw in the spirit. It causes people to believe lies and conspiracy theories and demands a spirit of fear😢 It is dangerous for this country. As a 68 yrs old woman i know for a fact that we've already grown from out of a fascist leaning country since the early 1900's. May God help us.

Travis, I’ve been tuning in from time to time and still see your numbers are just not taking off…giving this much thought and am wondering if it’s due to your approach as the host. From my radio broadcasting classes in college, I remember our classes on doing an interview. My opinion would be that you might want to do some studies on How to be an interesting and effective interviewer. Your podcasts just seem to be lacking in this respect and just don’t seem to be drawing people in…me included. Hopefully this comes across as helpful and not critical.

Nik, why ever do you call buildings in America 'the house of God'? Aren't the only objects called 'house of God' in the Scriptures - the tabernacle (tent)? - the Jerusalem temple? - the bodies of believers? - the gathered believers?

Many fall into this category. Mark 4 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

My parents served as missionaries for over 50 years had no retirement plans and after they were forced retired at 75 by the mission they survived on Social Security and one or two churches, me, and a couple relatives who continued to support. When my mom passed her social security additional income was cut from my dad's income. Dad was renting and just forced to leave the house he was living in and is having trouble finding affordable housing. The problem is real. I don't live near his church or support circle so he didn't want to move. I'm single and have a one bedroom apartment and work from home so I couldn't take him as I don't have room and he's a fall risk.

So true a balance of social justice and the gospel of Jesus.

I am a big fan of Mark Nolls, so thank you for this interview. I was especially caught by Nolls’ comment of being: "nervous about making Lewis an icon pulled out of time." This has been a particular interest for me. In the early 1980s, I attended an evangelical college. The education I got there was very good, but I could hardly sit through a chapel service without one visiting speaker after another forcing in another a hands-down quote from C.S Lewis. I remember joking: "If one more chapel speaker quotes" C. S. Lewis, I'm going to scream." Of course, when the next chapel speaker again quoted Lewis, I didn't scream ;-) Ever since then, I have become sensitive to any iconization of Lewis that seems to be everywhere in the evangelical world. Personally, I have the greatest respect for Lewis, but I am put off by this. It seems to underline what Nolls calls "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind." You don't need to read the book. The title says it all. By the way, not many talk about a backlash to Lewis' work, a kind of anti-idol, especially with his Narnia tales. Everyone knows a few Christian parents who do not allow their children to read the Narnia tales because of Lewis's free use of witches, fauns, and other Occult figures. In fact, no one talks about that there are fringe right-wing Christian groups who, on their websites, actually decry writers like Lewis and Tolkien for being Occult practitioners. I find this mainstream/fringe estrangement of adoration and demonization fascinating. In fact, (drum roll) I have written a book about this engaging subject and have woven it into an intense fiction thriller called “A Witch in the Wardrobe.” It is being published by Wifp and Stock and is due to be released in a few months-www.ldwenzel.com. Updates can come, and I will appreciate all comments and likes.

Solu Israel, Miqedem, Aaron Shust, and Joshua Aaron are incredibly blessed in the art of bringing psalms to modern music

Ever want to test community maturity or "bar codeness," preach on "our great ambition" from 2 Cor 5:6-10. It can go very poorly.

Makes perfect sense. A christian historian on the desegregation of Dallas Theological seminary writes, "the commitment to biblical inerrancy ran across the color line...“We wanted to be well-trained in the Scriptures and our liberal friends were not offering us that opportunity, but our white segregationist friends were.”...In the end, black students enrolled for classes at the historically white school primarily due to their perception that the school was committed to biblical inerrancy" (Kidd, TGC). In other words, black theologians took the higher road historically to maintain biblical fidelity. This may explain how the descendant black church is more accustomed to the authority and engagement of the Scriptures we see waning in mainline churches of the west. It also means that black Christians are familiar with the high price of the cost of discipleship. In this country, we've always had to pay it.

Where to start with Tom's 90+ books? Read Surprised by Joy, The Resurrection of the Son of God is beside me now, with E P Sanders. I am coming out as a Christian, as a gay man it's almost as difficult as coming out as a Communist. N T Wright, C S Lewis, George MacDonald and (surprisingly) the sermons of John Wesley are bringing me to a Faith and Life I never knew was possible. I would love to hear Tom play St James Infirmary with Hugh Laurie, liked Collins and Wright Genesis...

In my opinion...people that I share with tend to tell me I just don't know Calvinism.... and while I see this as a different "gospel" ... and we are told that all of Scripture is God breathed and useful for training in righteousness and doctrine and even loving rebuke... We tend to elevate certain things held by humans that arent Jesus in a higher place of "essential importance"... like TULIP. What have you two experienced in your walks?

Rather than hating religious people what is happening is people are becoming indifferent. In the world people are just drifting away. In Australia were I live 80% of people do not get married in a religious ceremony or have a religious funeral. The age structure of the Catholic clergy is 73. Most people who attend worship are in heir 60s. It is not hate it is a drift into irrelevance

How can you follow a first century Jew you have never met? According to the narrative, Jesus was a doomsday preacher who was executed as a criminal by the Roman and Jewish authorities. His followers wrote fantastic stories about a miracle working godman which became the New Testament.

"Christianity did not become a major religion by the quality of its truths, but by the quantity of its violence." - Michael Sherlock

Very glad you reached out to Dr. Presley for this interview. Really got my mind racing…in a good way.

Jerks, but only the conservative evangelicals. They're salesmen for mythology, fight against things that are true, and want to take away the rights of those that are different than them. No one has a problem with non-proselytizing Christians because they're not going around telling others how to live.

When you understand that Jesus never condemned anyone. If you need to say that you dont want to judge, then you are already judging. The only people Jesus condemned was the pharissees and the scribes. To illustrate, when I got saved I didnt even feel like I have done anything wrong in my life. I did not have to confess anything He came to me saved me. Jesus was hated because of His love, not because of Him condemning people. In short, condemnation creates guilty feeling in another person. Christians think they have moral superiority because they know God exists. If you preach like that, you will be hated and not because of the good reason.

Being jerks. Apologetics is just a fancy word for lying. It's make believe cos you have to make yourself believe it. And you're adults, sheesh!

Jerks for Jesus ;-)

I'm dwelling on this one and am working my way through "The Other Half of Church" planning to apply it in my corporate contexts.

what STUPID questions!! disgusting

The Catholic leader Tom Wright referred to in the last two minutes was Francis cardinal George of Chicago.

Yes the world is facing major problems with tyrants like Putin & Xi.

It's not my mother's faith I hate, it's her attitude and condemnation of others... and her deification of Trump.

Yay! The full interview! Love this man! Just listened to the whole thing. Convicting and encouraging.

It’s mainly because y’all are holding back societal progress by using Iron Age superstitions as justification for your actions.

Ahhh classic persecution complex. Christianity is the largest religion in the world and always falls back to oh woe is me. Nobody hates you because you’re so “good” or because you’re “Christian”. You guys exaggerate the level of “hate” you endure. Modern humanity wants to progress towards more communal living, social fabric that provides food, housing and education to those in true need. Yet in America so many Christian conservatives cry out against socialism because Marxism because communism. And none of them want to notice that perhaps blending socialism into our society is truly Christian.

Christians love to fantasize about how "the world" hates them, and how they're just like the early christian martyrs. Ridiculous. Yes, Christians are being persecuted, particularly the Copts in Egypt, but evangelicals in the the western countries would rather not talk about the real persecution that goes on in Egypt and other Islamic countries. It's just more fun to think you're being persecuted in your own democratic country. And underneath the persecution complex lies a superiority complex: I'm better than you because my faith is better than yours (and I'll get more brownie points for it in heaven).

We need the full version! This is very challenging stuff.

Most times its the latter. No use pretending its the former

Her books are fantastic! Deep reading.

The world has never been fond of religious people killing other people for god, the Roman's never adopted Christianity, they invented it, the early Christians weren't Christians they were jews, these stories about martyrs are as fictional as the ones about Jesus, Christians are not the good guys, all one has to do is look at all the torture devices used by the church, and you'll realize who was doing the persecuting.

I ONLY hate Xtians when they insist that Governments and Schools MUST teach the Christian FAIRY TALE as Science and Morality. You are entitled to belive in any FAIRY TALE that you like. JUST KEEP IT OUT OF SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT.

Seriously: dear Podcasters and KZfaqrs, can you PLEASE balance the two microphones. I have to turn it up to hear Tom Wright, and get my ears blasted out when the host chimes in, particularly with a shrill laugh I will have to turn this off if it Continues; either turn your mic down, or turn his up. And stop the raucous earspliting laughter- it's like a spike I an old ear. 17:11 Im off to find another discussion with better SOUND

It’s the latter. The sooner Christians recognize this, the better the world will be. Enough of the persecution complex and salesmanship; there needs to be more charitable living, where you are actually loving others and respecting others' rights.

i do have a question about that though. In Acts, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized right after his profession of faith in Jesus. So did many others. Is it because they already had a belief in the one true God and biblical practices, or something else? Great discussions by the way, Definitely makes you think things through! Planning to get Dr. Presley's book.

Mostly I would say it comes down to the militant ignorance.

No one cares. No one. Believe what you want. Believe nothing. People hate jerks. If you're pushy, judgy, annoying, and busy bodies, people will hate you. You can be a Muslim, Jew, atheist, Christian, and no one cares. People dislike jerks, religion is irrelevant.

Personally, I don't dislike or hate people for their beliefs, I resent those who attempt to impose their unfounded beliefs on others and victimize themselves when others reject those unfounded beliefs.

They don’t even know our name

You make some interesting points. One observation of a lot of apologetics is a sense of victimhood and also hatred of those outside the bubble. Some of the people I admire most are Christian. One guy is the smartest person I have met. Yet a good deal of what he does is to read obscure books by religious figures and spend time at Church round easter and other religious holidays. He is a deeply religious person but this does not stop him operating in the secular world. He can be funny wise and committed. The other person I know is one of the most decent people I have ever met. She works as a lawyer and spends her time with the less fortunate. She fights as hard as anyone I have seen to protect those people. Sometimes she is the one thing which can lead others back from the brink to living a normal life. By comparison large numbers of apologists I see online are biter people who struggle to understand others or to operate in any setting except the protected one of their own community