Beyond the Box

Christian Anarchy

Steve — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 05:17:33 +0000

What comes to mind when you hear the word “anarchy”? Does it sound like something that is compatible with Christianity?

Well, there are some that say that “anarchy” can be defined in a way that actually makes the most sense of any understanding of the teachings of Jesus.

After a humble explanation of why it’s been so long since the last episode, and an update on an advancement in Steve’s music career, Ray and a slightly congested Steve discuss the concept of Christian Anarchy and how it relates to western evangelical Christianity’s quest for political power.

Thanks for waiting patiently for each episode. We appreciate each of you who are along for the ride!

Judgment: The Forbidden Fruit

Steve — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:38:53 +0000

Recent events in Haiti have resulted in a huge outpouring of support, donations, volunteers, etc. to help the needy country. However, as often happens with any major tragedy of the type suffered in Haiti, there are those who want to voice their negative opinions over the cause of such tragedy.

In the first BtB episode of 2010, Ray and Steve go head-to-head with the notion that God was judging the people of Haiti. They show some of the incredible fallacies in this line of thinking, and even tie it in to the original sin recorded in scripture–eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

A White Flag for Christmas Crusaders

Steve — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:31:40 +0000

It’s that time of year when evangelicals start complaining about a “War on Christmas”–the alleged attempt by the evil liberals to steal the baby Jesus out of the manger and replace him with a Richard Dawkins book.

Well, since it’s what evangelicals are doing, Ray and Steve have something to say about it! And thus, we present to you an episode very much appropriate to this time of year. Is there really a war on Christmas? Does that even make sense? Does it matter if someone says, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”?

Ray and Steve take a look at some of the ironic scenarios this all leads to. And with that, we bid our listeners a temporary farewell until early 2010. Have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate Christmas, a happy holiday if you celebrate something other than Christmas, or just a great time if you celebrate none of the above!

The Cult of Professionalism

Steve — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:03:22 +0000

Somehow, our western culture has become completely enamored with “experts”. Have a medical situation? Consult a doctor. Have a financial question? Consult an investment professional. Have a theological question? Consult a pastor.

In the midst of this progression over the last couple of centuries, we have gotten to the point where we seldom even give ourselves the opportunity to think things through for ourselves. We doubt our own ability to learn or find answers for ourselves.

Bouncing off the notion of WikiTheology discussed in our last episode, Ray and Steve explore the potential downside to elevating professionalism too high and putting too much stock in “expert opinion”. While largely a cultural issue, this topic has strong ramifications when it comes to theology, church, and the growth of individual Christians.

WikiTheology

Steve — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:46:46 +0000

Communication…dialogue…conversation — these are not necessarily words that are used in conjunction with understanding theology. Too often, theology is set into codes, creeds, confessions and formats that serve to squelch dialogue about the particular issues. While many would view this as a good thing, giving us a firm foundation for our faith, it can often be a hindrance to thinking through issues and discussing them.

Ray and Steve use their own experiences and conversations with each other to illustrate the benefits of discussion in community.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our listeners! We are definitely thankful to you all for joining us on this journey together.

Prayer As a Weapon

Steve — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:39:15 +0000

A rather recent news article about an unnamed school in the eastern US prompted this episode. Ray and Steve discuss the use of prayer as a weapon in public (not Christian-specific) settings, and whether or not prayer should ever be used in that form of making one’s point.

As often happens in the discussions on this podcast, there are some rabbit trails, but by and large, the questions and dicussion revolve around questions related to how we demonstrate our faith in public. Should Christians use public prayer as an evangelistic tool? Or should prayer be reserved for more personal settings (or at best settings which are denoted as Christian-specific)?

Forgive the out-of-date World Series discussion at the top, by the way. Things are not looking as good for the Phillies as Steve hoped when this was recorded.

Unedited, unscripted, raw discussion of life outside the box of institutional religion–the trademark style of Beyond the Box.

Atonement, Pt 4: Summary and Conclusion

Steve — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:57:54 +0000

After three episodes outlining various views of atonement theory, Ray and Steve conclude the series by wrapping up their thoughts on the subject and summarizing the views discussed.

We hope you enjoyed this series, and that it has sparked some thinking about the atonement and why it can be very important in our view of the Father.

Atonement, Pt. 3: Additional Theories

Steve — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:03:36 +0000

After devoting entire episodes to both of the two most widely-held theories, Ray and Steve present a potpourri of other theories in one episode. Four different views are presented in this discussion, including the third of the “top three” views of the atonement.

Far from being a dry topic, Ray and Steve infuse their own brand of humor into the discussion as much as possible, including the introduction of the first ever Beyond the Box drinking game!

Join us next week for a wrap-up discussion of the entire subject and the conclusion of this 4-part series.

Atonement, Part 2: Christus Victor

Steve — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:08:32 +0000

Continuing on in the series on views of the atonement, Ray and Steve turn their focus to what has been referred to as the “classic view”, allegedly held as the predominant view of the atonement for the first 1,000 years of western Christianity, and still widely held in the Eastern churches. This view, commonly called “Christus Victor” (after the title of Gustaf Aulén’s book first published in 1931), or “Christ, the victorious one”, views the life and death of Jesus as a package deal which redeemed mankind and, in fact, all of creation, from the curse of sin.

Despite the dry sound of the titles of this series, Ray and Steve spend some time attempting to explain the relevance of these discussions to the very nature of our relationship to the Father. Continue to stay tuned for the rest of the series as other views are discussed.

(Ray and Steve did a two-part series on this view of the atonement a year ago in a discussion entitled “God’s Punishment or Satan’s Defeat”. Here are links to part 1 and part 2.)

Feedback, as always, is welcome and invited! Even feedback contradictory to information presented in these podcasts.

Atonement, Part 1: Penal Substitution

Steve — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:23:11 +0000

Beginning first with a response to a listener question regarding the deity of Jesus, Ray and Steve then move into the first segment in what will be a multi-part series. In this series, they take a look at different theories of the atonement.

While that may sound less than exciting for many people, Ray and Steve try to present it in a way that is interesting and informative. The different theories of the atonement (what does it mean that “Jesus died for our sins”?) have pros and cons, including the way that they cause us to view our Father.

In this first segment of the series, Ray and Steve look at the widely-held view among evangelicals, the Penal Substitution theory.