Vox Podcast With Mike Erre

There is a saying that states that “The fastest way to become an atheist is to read the Bible.” In many circles, the conundrum that is the Bible has become a stumbling block for Christians and non-Christians alike. How do you reconcile things like violence and slavery inside? How do you approach a text written so long ago, to societies so unlike ours? Is the Bible outdated and harmful? How does one reconcile the odd and disturbing things within? Is the Bible the “Good Book?” Is it authoritative and what does that even mean? Today, we sit down with author and Pastor Dan Kimball to discuss his new book, “How (Not) To Read The Bible.” Dan talks to us about approaches and understandings that are needed before you open the text. The Bible can be confusing and challenging… You can pre-order Dan’s book at: https://www.dankimball.com/how-not-to-read-the-bible Follow Dan on social media: @dankimball As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodca

Today, we sit down with author and professor of Bible and Theology, A.J. Swoboda, to discuss his new book, ‘After Doubt.’ We have a great conversation on deconstruction: the natural elements of it; and what’s helpful vs. what isn’t. How can we rebuild after tearing down the faith that was handed to us? What role do dead authors and past theologians play in the lineage of our faith and doubt? What does the Bible have to say about questioning? Is there room for anger and hate? You can pre-order A.J.’s book at: https://www.ajswobodawrites.com/ Follow A.J. on twitter: @mrajswoboda As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Learn more about the VOX Podcast: Voxpodcast.com Subscribe on iTunes - apple.co/1Lla1Nj Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/voxpodcast Follow us on Instagram: @voxpodcast Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/voxpodcast Follow Mike on Tw

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 18 - “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Matthew 7:7-12. “Ask, Seek, Knock…” THE GOLDEN RULE. Again(!!!), another section of the sermon that has been taught a lot, but is often missing the point or full context Jesus was bringing. Discernment continues to be the word of the day (week, year, lifetime). Jesus is wrapping up the sermon here and is beginning to tie together all the threads he has laid out, in the most brilliant and intentional way. Who in this section is asking, seeking and knocking? What does it mean? How do these actions tie into the previous sections? How do these relate to our neighbors and how we should approach them? And, why? So much of this is about playing the long game with one another, how we coexist as humans and how to actually love our neighbors as ourselves. These threads are weaving a beautiful tapestry that speak to so much of how we are to be, both with one another and with God. Jesus is speaking with such intention that resonates so much with where we

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 17 - “Pearls, Pigs & Pushing Good Things on Others.” Matthew 7:6. “Do not give dogs what is sacred…” Again(!), another section of the sermon that has been taught a lot, but is often missing the point or full context Jesus was bringing. The word of the day (week, year, lifetime) is discernment. So much of what is said here is dismantling the place of condemnation the Church has taken. What is Jesus saying when using the terms ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs?’ Is it derogatory? What is sacred? What are the pearls? How are we to interact with those that need intervention? How does this section fit into and correlate with the previous parts of the Sermon? This thread is long, but Jesus is dissecting and confronting so much of how we interact and love as humans. How are we supposed to live life together both in community and in the world? We have much to learn from this section. Jesus understands the complexities of the issue, as well as the depth and uniqueness of each person listening. We at VO

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 16 - “The Judgment of Judgment.” Matthew 7:1-6. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Here we go with another passage that has been taught a lot, but is often missing the point or full context Jesus was bringing. What is judgment, really? What is ‘Krino,’ and how is it both good and bad? Is it a matter of how we judge or what we judge? How does discernment aide us in this? How is discernment made more palpable and effective? How can the ‘plank in our own eye’ teaching still be helpful and applicable for us if we have heard it so many times? Is there room for calling things or actions out in today’s world? There is so much to work through here. Jesus understands the complexities of the issue, as well as the depth and uniqueness of each person listening. We at VOX are committed to not only confronting all of this, first in ourselves, but also to wrestle with what Jesus would have for us in this time. We are committed to repentance and a pursuit of discernment. This is the secon

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 15 - “What We Can Learn From Flowers & Fields.” Matthew 6:25-34. Holy moly. Let’s dig into worry and anxiety, shall we? Today we sit down with some critical responses to our last few episodes and discuss the balance between calling out certain things while celebrating others. Where is the line? Then we head back to the Mount, to pick up where we left off with Jesus’s sermon. Despite topical heading breaks the editors of the Bible unfortunately inserted, Jesus takes us into a conversation on worry that runs directly out of the last piece on treasures. What is he doing here? How has this section been grossly misinterpreted and taught over the years? How does worry connect to where our treasures lay? Many of us have been shamed in our depression and anxiety over the years, being told that we shouldn’t worry or fret, that it was sinful to be feeling the way we were. This is not what Jesus is doing here. He is, again, helping us to reposture and to broaden our understanding. We at

Gombis stops by for a conversation on a theological response and reflection on the last couple weeks. Gombis, a Pauline scholar and seminary Professor, walks us through his thoughts and how Paul might have addressed the church in this time. Where should the outrage have begun? How do we process an Evangelical pursuit of power? How can we effect change in our communities? How can Matthew 25 fuel our understanding of politics? How has the Church's imagination been taken hostage? Who did Andre the Giant and King Kong Bundy wrestle at Wrestlemania? There is so much to sift through as we, collectively, try to look forward. We at VOX are committed to not only confronting all of this, first in ourselves, but also to wrestle with what Jesus would have for us in this time. We are committed to repentance and a pursuit of discernment. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on here and Instagram.  Learn

We are still processing the events of last week, as we’re sure many of you are as well. It feels like too big of a moment to gloss over, so we decided to crack it open. This is, again, raw and in real time, recorded this morning. We answer a question dealing with an undecided nature involving Church, and Nationalism spouted from the pulpit. How long do you stay in a Church that you feel is Theologically off-center? How has that rhetoric fueled what we saw last Wednesday, January 6th? Is this a false Gospel, a false Jesus? Is this Christianity, radicalized? Is it divisive to call all of this out? We at VOX are committed to not only confronting all of this, first in ourselves, but also to wrestle with what Jesus would have for us in this time. We are committed to repentance and a pursuit of discernment. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on here and Instagram.  Learn more about the VOX Pod

This is raw and in real time. We sit and have a conversation about the insurrection at the Nation's capital yesterday, January 6th, 2021. We, like all of you, watched in horror and anger, trying to process what we were seeing and how we as followers of Jesus are supposed to navigate the wreckage. All of it is emotional and wandering, but it is real. Yesterday was the Day of Epiphany, the closing of the Christmas season and a reminder of Herod the narcissist and his kingdom being threatened by the hope of the coming Christ. We lament with the Nation and the Church as both have become fractured. How do we best love the Lord and our neighbor in this coming season? As always, we appreciate walking this road with all of you.

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 14 - “A Singular Devotion.” Matthew 6:19-24: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…” We’re picking back up the Sermon on the Mount in the new year! Today, we discuss the widely taught on but rarely enacted section or the sermon, dealing with money and possessions. While recognizing anger and lust seems easier and more well established, we tend to struggle a bit more in understanding the role our ‘treasures’ play in our Kingdom living. How does Jesus frame the conversation? What does He mean by “The eye is the lamp of the body?” What is the “mine-ness” of something? How does He structure parallel concepts to strengthen His illustrations and point? Is it a matter of selling all our possessions or is Jesus getting at something deeper? We also spend time discussing our anger and frustrations with Sean Feucht and the worship concerts he has continued to hold around the U.S. during the pandemic, what he and others consider a form of protest agains

A Requiem for 2020. What a year… In many ways, 2020 was apocalyptic as it unveiled and revealed much about society, the Nation and the Church. Today we talk a little about Christmas and what it looks like without the bows and garland and we answer a question in response to Gombis’s episode on Capitalism and the Church (Episode 273). Where do we go from here? How do we fix this mess we’re in? Should people still give to the Church? What does transparency look like for the Church? How can it become more trustworthy and renew its reputation? We’re excited to close out this difficult year and look to new things in 2021. A new name for the Podcast! New communities and connections with y’all! May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and in these days, may He give you peace. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to

This one is fun! Today we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Dr. Amy Jill Levine and discuss some of the theology and ideas behind her new book, “The Bible With & Without Jesus.” Dr. Levine, who is a University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, and Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, presents a way for people with differing faiths to interact and learn from one another while not compromising their own beliefs. Is it possible for a Christian to grow a more robust faith and understanding of Jesus by interacting with the Jewish tradition? How can we re-approach scripture and tradition? How does context change understanding? How did Jesus’s Jewish heritage effect his teaching? How does interpretation, translation and even mood effect our reading and understanding of text? This was such a fun and enlightening conversation. You can purchase Dr. Levine’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Without-Jesus-Christian

Today we sit down (virtually, from all over the country) with old friend of the Pod Tyler Chernesky and new friend Bridget Eileen Rivera, for a conversation on Purity Culture, the Church and being a Gay Christian. Tyler is a pastor of City Church OTR in downtown Cincinnati, a church that strives to be a safe place to be honest and feel supported. Bridget Eileen is an author, speaker and advocate, who speaks and writes on issues of faith, sexuality, and justice. Bridget and Tyler both share their stories of growing up in purity culture. What is a folk devil and what role does it play in society? How has Bridget’s study of criminology linked to her experience in Purity Culture? How has the conversation on sexuality consumed and pushed aside other topics in the church? This was a brilliant and heartfelt conversation. Bridget Eileen Rivera can be found at: https://bridgeteileenrivera.com/ and on Twitter @TravelingNun Tyler Chernesky can be found at: https://www.tylerchernesky.com/ and on Twitter @tylerchernesky A

We’re taking a little break from the Sermon On The Mount today to talk about a few conversations that are currently being had. Today we sit down with brother of the pod, our good friend and scholar Dr. Timothy George Gombis! The conversation begins with the Southern Baptist declaration that “Critical Race Theory (CRT), Intersectionality and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message.” Heyo! What is CRT? What functions does it perform? Why is there opposition to it? We segue from there into everyone’s second favorite Thanksgiving dinner topic, Capitalism. We wrestle with how Capitalism has made its way into the church and what the Bible has to say about it. Gombis has some thoughts… It’s a wild ride! As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. The Southern Baptist Statement: https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter 13 - “The Lord’s Prayer." Matthew 6:9-14. “This, then, is how you should pray…” Jesus walks us through a framework on how we might enter into prayer. The prayer itself is short, but as always, it is layered and nuanced and packed with so much. As we talked about last week, Jesus approaches God as ‘Father.’ What does he mean by in ‘Heaven?’ What does ‘hallowed’ imply? How does Jesus continue to use the ‘now and not yet’ structure? What does the ‘daily bread ‘ link to? Debt and debtors, temptation and delivery from the evil one… Jesus covers a ton. How then should we pray? If this is a framework, how does it apply and direct us? Brick by brick, the foundation of the Kingdom is being laid. Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday,” a day during this season to support non profits, like VOX! You can do so at: www.voxpodcast.com This is the second section of the Sermon on the Mount. We’re excited to walk this road with you all. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always f

Sermon on The Mount: Chapter Twelve - "Asking, Seeking & Knocking." Matthew 6:5-8 & Luke 7:7-12. Today, we wade into the waters of prayer, an often misunderstood, confusing and difficult facet of the Christian faith. How does Jesus frame our relationship with prayer? What is our role? How should we approach God? How does Jesus set up the model for prayer? How does asking, seeking and knocking fit in to what Jesus is saying in the sermon on the mount? Remember the through line Jesus has been laying out during the entirety of the sermon, and where prayer fits into it as a whole. Brick by brick, the foundation of the Kingdom is being laid. This is still the beginning of the second section of the Sermon on the Mount. We’re excited to walk this road with you all. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the VOX Podcast: www.voxpodcast.com Subscrib

Sermon on the Mount: Chapter Eleven - “Keeping Up Appearances.” Luke 12:1-7. Today we’re further unpacking Jesus’s teaching on hypocrisy and how we are to live in it. How does Jesus define it, in totality? What examples does he give and what are the implications? What role does faith play? How does the metaphor of marriage play into this? What was Jesus’s instructions to the layperson regarding the Pharisees? What impact does this have on American Evangelicalism and how many of us were raised? And more importantly, how can this change for future generations of Jesus followers? How can the Kingdom be manifested and known now and going forward? What is our role as citizens? This is still the beginning of the second section of the Sermon on the Mount. We’re excited to walk this road with you all. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on here and Instagram. Learn more about the VOX Podcast: www

Sermon on the Mount: Chapter Ten - Election Cliches, Hypocrisy & Evangelical Politics. Matthew 6:1-4. This is the beginning of the second section of the Sermon on the Mount. In this episode we discuss phrases such as ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and how they are used during tumultuous times such as these. Are they helpful or even accurate? How do they reflect action and here & now Kingdom of Jesus? This section starts with hypocrisy. How does Jesus define it? What are the implications? How are we to navigate service and spiritual disciplines? As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the VOX Podcast: www.voxpodcast.com Subscribe on iTunes - apple.co/1Lla1Nj Support the VOX Podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/voxpodcast Follow us on Instagram: @voxpodcast Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/voxpodcast Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Musi

Tomorrow is Election day, 2020. It has been a long year of rhetoric and talking points, promises and accusations. Part of the Sermon on The Mount, part of what Jesus has been showing us, is to adopt the discipline of discernment. Today we have on friend and frequent guest of the show, Skye Jethani. Skye, who is a co host of the Holy Post podcast, recently released a video on Abortion. In the video, Skye presents the data and statistics from the last 40 years, as to what has and has not had effects on abortion rates. How has Roe v. Wade effected abortion numbers? Does a conservative President really lower those? What about the Supreme Court? What are we called to outside of voting every four years? The sensitivity of this issue is not lost on us and we hope this conversation can be encouraging and thoughtful, not divisive. The sensitivity of this issue is not lost on us and we hope this conversation can be encouraging and thoughtful, not divisive. You can see Skye’s video on abortion here: https://www.youtube.

Today we have on author Kaitlyn Schiess, to discuss her new book ‘The Liturgy of Politics.’ Kaitlyn, a self described ‘Theology Nerd,’ has written for the New York Times, Relevant Magazine and Christianity Today. We have a great conversation about the tenuous relationship between faith and politics. What is liturgy? How do you define politics? How are we and the Church shaped by our habits and practices? We talk about recognizing how formative the political entities around us are, and how we may grow and reconcile them with who we are in the Kingdom. Kaitlyn is currently finishing up her ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary. You can purchase Kaitlyn’s book here: https://www.ivpress.com/the-liturgy-of-politics As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Always feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on here and Instagram. Learn more about the VOX Podcast: www.voxpodcast.com Subscribe on iTunes - apple.co/1Lla1Nj Support the VOX Podcast on Patreo