Anthony Delgado
Husband, Father, Pastor, Teacher, Writer, Podcaster
Biblical ReEnchantment Podcast


Humanity was created for communion with God but became estranged through Adam’s exile from Eden—a spatial and relational separation symbolized by eastward movement away from sacred space. This estrangement, inherited by all humans, frames sin not as the root problem but as the consequence of being spiritual orphans. Redemption is not primarily legal pardon but adoption—restoration to God’s family. Scripture emphasizes that not all are children of God by default; adoption into God's household comes only through faith and rebirth. The gospel begins with the Father's love, not law, and its ultimate aim is not moral improvement but restored relationship—a return home from exile, where humans are no longer the prodigal race but beloved sons and daughters.
The interview with Greg Gordon engages his book ‘An Ancient Worship Movement’ and explores his journey from evangelical house church movements to embracing liturgical worship through St. Thomas Church, emphasizing the richness of early church practices. The discussion covers sacramental theology, the integration of evangelical zeal with historical liturgy, and the spiritual depth found in ancient worship traditions. Gordon, along with hosts Anthony Delgado (Biblical Reenchantment Podcast) and Brandon Spain (Unrefined Podcast), reflects on the rediscovery of liturgical elements in modern Christian movements, the role of baptism, spiritual warfare, and the importance of unifying evangelical and sacramental expressions of faith. They also discuss the challenges of contemporary liturgical traditions, the need for revival, and the spiritual battle within worship, ultimately encouraging pastors and believers to reclaim a fuller, more historical approach to Christian discipleship.
This podcast episode explores the Christus Victor model of atonement, emphasizing Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and cosmic powers. We’ll look at the Deuteronomy 32 worldview (and DCW), which describes God assigning divine beings to rule over the nations, many of whom rebelled and led humanity into idolatry. We’ll look at the Divine Council, the Fall of the Watchers, and spiritual warfare, using passages from Deuteronomy, Psalms, Daniel, and other scriptures to illustrate the ongoing conflict between God’s kingdom and fallen powers. The episode highlights Jesus’ triumph over these forces through his crucifixion and resurrection, the implications for believers, and the eschatological hope of Christ’s ultimate reign.
In this episode, Cody and Anthony discuss the urgency of the Great Commission: proclaiming Jesus as King. They’ll examine how the Kingdom Gospel challenges us beyond simply ‘believing’ to actively bringing the nations under Jesus’s rule through discipleship. They also unpack what it means to center the Gospel on Jesus’s Kingship, explore the story of the criminals on the cross, and consider how this Kingdom-centered approach gives profound meaning and purpose to the Great Commission.
In this episode, Cody and Anthony discuss Jesus's kingship as ‘The Anointed One’ or Messiah. We’ll explore how Jesus fulfills the messianic expectations of the Old Testament, taking on the role of both divine Lord and Davidic King. We'll also unpack the significance of Jesus being called ‘the Christ,’ the weight of his authority over all creation, and how this title shapes our understanding of who Jesus is.
In this episode, Cody and Anthony discuss the concept of refugees in the Bible, exploring how the Bible portrays believers as spiritual refugees who leave behind the Kingdom of the World to seek shelter and citizenship in the Kingdom of God, where we will find some profound implications of God’s refuge, the scriptural background for this idea, and what it truly means to live as a refugee in Christ’s Kingdom.
In this episode, Anthony and Cody discuss the theme of divine rebellion, tracing the origins of sin and the influence of spiritual beings in biblical history. They explore how the presence of “serpents” in our world continually tempts humanity toward self-sovereignty and rebellion, drawing connections from Genesis through the New Testament. Together, they unpack the Hebrew Scriptures' portrayal of giants, demons, and the consequences of divine rebellion, emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility in resisting these influences.
Anthony and Cody delve into Genesis 3 to explore the theme of human rebellion and the origins of sin, revisiting the distinction between the meganarrative and metanarrative in biblical theology, and examining how sinfulness begins with Adam and unfolds throughout Scripture. Building on the last episode, which highlighted the importance of the Old Testament for understanding New Testament theology, this episode looks closely at how the ideas of original sin and rebellion carry through to our understanding of the church as a refuge from the world. By the end, we'll see how the Old Testament shapes these crucial theological concepts.
Anthony and Cody explore the New Testament's reliance on the Old Testament, emphasizing how early Christian teachings were rooted in these scriptures. They also discuss the historical dangers of "New Testament-only" sects, like Marcionism, which rejected the Old Testament, leading to theological distortions. Finally, they explain why understanding the Old Testament is essential for framing the New Testament, rather than treating it as an entirely new movement.
In this episode, The Gospel as Story, Anthony and Jami discuss the narrative elements of the Gospel. We’ve already talked about what the Gospel isn’t and what a Gospel is. In The Gospel as a story, we unpack some of the ways that the Gospel is presented in the scriptures and the Church Fathers and comment on the differences with the way the Gospel is presented today.
Anthony and Cody discuss what is NOT the Gospel, specifically looking at the Romans Road, the 4 Spiritual Laws, and the ABCs of the Gospel. These methods for sharing the Gospel often take the place of the Gospel in the thinking of modern Christians. What is missing is the story, the narrative of Christ’s work. What’s at stake when we jump to theological extrapolation and methodology and leave the core of the Gospel behind?
Anthony and Cody discuss the word gospel and the context of gospel in the Ancient Near Eastern Setting. Before we can understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to first understand how the word Gospel was used in the biblical world and how the genre of gospel contributed to ancient society, both in the Hebrew context and in the Pagan/Roman world.
Biblical ReEnchantment Books
Biblical Theology Videos
This interview of Anthony Delgado regarding the Gospel Coalition’s critique of Matthew Bates’ book Beyond the Salvation Wars, hosted on the YouTube channel What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You, offers an extended theological response to claims made against Bates’ gospel-allegiance model. The discussion centers on whether Bates has presented a revisionist gospel or deviated from orthodoxy, particularly in doctrines such as original sin, justification, and the bondage of the will. Delgado argues that Bates’ model does not deny salvation by grace through faith, but rather positions justification as an effect of the gospel, rather than the content of the gospel itself. He maintains that allegiance, properly understood, is not a “works-based” approach but a holistic response of loyalty and trust. Throughout, Delgado defends Bates’ use of biblical and early Christian sources, critiques the Gospel Coalition article's lack of scriptural grounding, and challenges the assumption that confessional Reformed positions are the singular standard of orthodoxy. He also emphasizes the importance of cross-tradition dialogue, the diversity of theological perspectives in the early church, and the need for humility and clarity when defining doctrines such as original sin and salvation.
Gavin Ortlund’s video on annihilationism raises important theological and pastoral questions about the nature of final judgment, which are explored through distinctions between annihilationism and eternal conscious torment (ECT). Annihilationism is well within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy, while some alternative views are not. Scriptural language about destruction, death, and perishing is highlighted as the dominant imagery for divine judgment, challenging the assumption that ‘eternal’ always implies consciousness. Key passages like Matthew 10:28 and Revelation 14 are evaluated carefully, with particular attention to genre, context, and apocalyptic tradition. Philosophical reflections on life, death, and ontology underscore the coherence of annihilationism, especially in light of God as the source of all being. While recognizing that some texts may support ECT more naturally, the overall argument calls for interpretive humility, lexical precision, and a pastoral posture that affirms both God’s justice and the need for salvation.
In this episode of Ring Them Bells, Anthony Delgado is interviewed about his book ‘The Gospel is Bigger than You Think.’ The conversation centers on reclaiming the gospel as the announcement of Jesus’ kingship and the restoration of God’s rule over all creation. Rather than treating the gospel as merely the message of personal salvation or forgiveness of sins, the discussion emphasizes the kingdom narrative rooted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Christ. Delgado explores how many churches functionally ignore the Hebrew Scriptures, creating a theological disconnect that weakens understanding of Jesus’ mission and authority. Drawing from biblical theology, Second Temple Jewish context, and the Divine Council worldview, he explains that the gospel includes Christ’s victory over spiritual powers and the reunification of heaven and earth through his reign. The discussion critiques the elevation of atonement theories as the gospel itself and urges a return to the broader biblical narrative, where allegiance to Jesus is the proper response to his enthronement. Themes of covenant loyalty, political idolatry, and the cosmic scope of redemption are woven throughout, culminating in a call for Christians to ground their identity not in national politics but in the kingship of Christ, living as ambassadors of a different kingdom in a polarized world.
Articles by Anthony Delgado
Clowns embody contradiction and inversion, acting as cultural symbols that expose the boundaries and hypocrisies of human systems through humor, discomfort, and absurdity. Though often feared, their purpose is not malevolence but revelatory: clowns function as sacred fools or prophetic tricksters who disrupt social order to reveal truth. Historically rooted in the role of the jester, the clown occupies the space between order and chaos, revealing hidden realities and confronting tyranny by returning overextended structures to a state of potential. The clown’s unsettling presence reminds us of the wilderness beyond the city—unformed but filled with potential—where God's dominion is meant to extend. Unlike the Nephilim, who represent fallen power structures rooted in underworld tyranny, clowns challenge tyrannical structures by embodying disorder in the hopes of divine renewal. They are not evil but disruptive, meant to provoke discomfort that leads to growth in wisdom, endurance, and insight. In a world of inverted values, the clown is the only archetype meant to turn things right-side up.
Churches take many different forms. Some of the differences between churches arise from a cultural expression of biblical teachings, while others reflect theological convictions shaped by particular traditions, congregations, or teachers. Sacramentalism, as will be further explained, is a theological position that emphasizes ordinances established by God’s word, followed by faithful obedience through sacrament, resulting in divine activity. In contrast, churches that follow a Normative Principle of Worship (to be defined further) may, through well-meaning human creativity, inadvertently drift from God’s design for his church as revealed in Scripture. Sacramentalism guards against this by emphasizing a degree of regulation in Christian worship and practice, rooted in God’s revealed will. This article will explore some of the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of sacramentalism and argue that a return to a historically Protestant sacramental theology offers the most faithful vision for the life and worship of the church.
Some Protestants are fascinated by the Pope, while others—understandably, given church history—want nothing to do with him. While I don’t think fascination with the Pope is healthy for Protestant Christians, I do believe that meaningful dialogue between Catholics and Protestants is increasingly necessary. The reasons behind the Protestant Reformation remain essential, but they do not mean there is nothing we can learn from one another. With that in mind, I would like to consider three lessons that Protestants can take away from the 2025 conclave—lessons that will hopefully bolster our understanding of leadership and succession within our own traditions.
Andrew B. Perrin aims to reconnect readers with the ancient yet continuously evolving narrative of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), clarifying misconceptions and emphasizing the scrolls’ enduring significance for biblical interpretation and textual criticism. The book challenges traditional assumptions and highlights how recent research, including technological advancements and exposure of forgeries, reshapes our understanding of biblical texts in their historical contexts. Perrin encourages readers to engage with the scrolls not merely as artifacts but as windows into Second Temple Judaism, demonstrating the diverse religious environment that birthed the New Testament and early Christianity. His approach reflects the ongoing, dynamic conversation between ancient findings and contemporary scholarship, advocating for a thoughtful reassessment of biblical tradition through the lens of this extraordinary archaeological discovery.
Small variations in prompt wording can significantly change the course of AI-generated theological research, as exemplified in the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism. Shifts in phrasing shape the model’s assumptions, research patterns, source selection, and final conclusions in ways that often go unnoticed, revealing how easily bias can be loaded into the process without realizing it. AI models tend to prioritize systematic theological structures, emphasize textual coherence over narrative development, and reinforce the framing presented to them, making truly objective theological analysis difficult to achieve through artificial intelligence.
Michael Heiser understood Christ’s atonement as a multifaceted reality best described as a kaleidoscope, where various theories—Penal Substitution, Ransom, Moral Influence, Governmental, Recapitulation, Christus Victor, and potentially others—each offer legitimate insights into the work of Christ without needing to be synthesized into a single system. He affirmed substitution as biblically essential while rejecting the notion that God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus in a punitive sense. Heiser emphasized biblical theology over systematic formulations, preferring to let the text speak in its own diversity. Among the models, he notably favored Christus Victor, seeing Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension as the defeat of spiritual powers and the beginning of cosmic restoration.
Demons are real, and their origin traces back to the Nephilim—the giant offspring of rebellious divine beings and human women—whose disembodied spirits now roam the earth in defiance of God. These unclean spirits emerge from ancient cosmic rebellion and continue to corrupt, deceive, and oppose God’s purposes in the world. They promote false teachings, exploit human institutions, and wage spiritual war against humanity. Yet their influence is not ultimate; through Jesus, the Kingdom of God has broken in to confront and overcome their power.
A recent article posted on the TGC website by Harrison Perkins claims to be a review of Matthew Bates’ recent book, Beyond the Salvation Wars, but only succeeds as a ‘hit piece’ intended to highlight the specific theological camp encouraged in the TGC community. Perkins claims that “Bates’s gospel and his arguments for it have several significant flaws.” Perkins does not list the flaws by number, but I’d like to address five specific criticisms he makes of Bates before providing some concluding thoughts. I’ll pose these as questions to be answered as I do not believe the claims accurately represent Bates’ positions.
In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul asks, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” When read from the Divine Council worldview (DCW) perspective, the question tugs at several biblical-theological threads that influence the view of Christ’s people in the eschaton and their participation in divine governance. As Paul’s rhetorical question indicates, followers of Christ will, in some way, participate in the final judgment of angels, understood under the DCW as fallen spiritual beings (the consummation of the Psalm 82 judgment as revisited in Revelation 20:11-15). Scripture presents the saints as co-rulers with Christ, as seen in Revelation 2:26-27, where Jesus declares, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” Likewise, Revelation 5:10 affirms that those belonging to Christ will be made “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Paul assumes a seemingly general knowledge of the day, that “believers, having been exalted with Christ who rules over all powers, will play a role in the final judgment of those powers.”
Dragons, beasts rising from the sea, armies of locusts, and rivers of blood–the Book of Revelation contains some of the Bible’s most terrifying imagery. I had been a pastor for many years when it occurred to me that many Christians avoid reading Revelation because they fear its apocalyptic visions and are confused by its complex symbolism. But despite its challenging content, Revelation has always offered Christians hope and truth, essential for the Christian life. What follows are seven reasons why I think everyone should carefully read this fantastic book.

Anthony Delgado
Anthony Delgado is a pastor and author from Southern California with nearly two decades of experience in Christian leadership and Bible teaching. He studied Christian Reason at Sterling College and holds an MABTS from Knox Theological Seminary. He sees the Bible as a single story of God’s redemption that pervades the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and seeks to unearth that narrative through the various threads woven throughout.
Anthony is the author of The Gospel is Bigger than You Think (2024) and The Watchers and the Holy Ones (2023) and hosts the Biblical Reenchantment Podcast, available at AnthonyDelgado.net. While his dedication to ministry and writing keeps him busy, he treasures time outdoors with his wife and three kids, biking, kayaking, hiking, and enjoying God’s creation.
Lead Pastor
Palmdale Church
Palmdale Church is a multigenerational, multiethnic Christian community devoted to following Jesus and sharing Jesus’ love with our communities in Palmdale and in the Antelope Valley. Palmdale Church gathers for popup church services in different public locations.

Palmdale Church, Popup Worship Service @ Yellen Park, 10-10-21