Sacramentalism, an Interview with Greg Gordon, An Ancient Worship Movement
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.
#17 Christus Victor: the DCW, Deuteronomy 32, and Victory over Cosmic Powers
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.
#16 Evangelism and the Kingdom Gospel
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.
#15 Jesus's Kingship
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.
#14 The Refugee Solution
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.
#13 Divine Rebellion
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.
#12 Human Rebellion–Genesis 3
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.
#11 The Gospel's Reliance on the Old Testament
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.
#10 The Gospel as Story
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.
#9 What isn’t the Gospel
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?
#8 What is A Gospel
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.
#7 More Giants–Giants ch. 2
In this episode, Cody Urban joins the conversation to discuss Greek giants and how they interface with the biblical storyline. We talk about Titans, gods, demigods, Hercules, Prometheus, and the giant wars of the Greek myths.
#6 BONUS: The Watchers and the Holy Ones
Syndicated interview with Chuck from Fire Theft Radio. How do we bring up the subject of fallen watchers and giants at church? Why is it even relevant to know about? Is this at all a subject worth discussing in bible study? Chuck has an amazing conversation with Pastor, Podcaster, and author Anthony Delgado on why this subject is filled with practical meaning and understanding of biblical history. I’ve always said, “The more you know your bible, the more you’ll know what you're doing here.” We discuss Anthony’s book (The Watchers And The Holy Ones) and how we can use this so-called weird knowledge in church, counseling, and even evangelism. Never be afraid to research biblical knowledge that might not fit your current paradigm. But if you do, ensure it’s grounded in biblical context. Anthony’s book creates that bridge for the evangelical community.
#5 Biblical Giants–Giants ch. 1
This episode addresses the biblical giants. It is the first in a series about ancient Giants that will culminate with an episode on 'Bigger Giants,' which addresses in greater detail how we should think about giants today. In this episode, we survey the most significant biblical data and analyze it in light of Christ.
#4 Christian Myth and Narrative
In this episode, we will discuss the construction of a Metanarrative and the narrative’s relationship to mythology, as well as Christian Mythology and the practice of Christian mythologization.
We have seen an increase in secularization (disenchantment) coming out of the modern period.
Today, we want to look at how the Bible’s macronarrative produces an enchanted metanarrative that is sounder than the demythologized dogma of many traditions of the modern period. I believe that the Bible answers societies' spiritual questions, but the church has largely lost its ability to answer those questions intelligently and biblically.
#3 The Bible as Story
In episode #3 we take a look at the concept of Bible as story. In the first part, we ask the question, "Why read the Bible as story?" and in the second part address, "How to read the Bible as story.
We saw an increase in secularization (disenchantment) coming out of the modern period. Today we are seeing an increase in spirituality (reenchantment) in the postmodern period, but the Western world is reenchanting in the wrong direction. (new or hybridized mythologies). Through the fundamentalist and evangelical movements, the church has largely reduced the Bible to propositional truths and lost the mystical nature of the text.
In this episode, we look at how the story can help us regain some of the imagination of the biblical authors.
#2 The reenchantment of the West
In this episode, we look at society’s response to secularism and disenchantment. God is not dead, as evidenced by the rise of spirituality in the Western world. How is conservative Christianity responsible, in part, for the rejection of organized religion? What can the church do to answer the spiritual questions greater society is exploring.
#1 The Disenchantment of the West
In this episode, we explore the concept of modernistic disenchantment and reenchantment in the postmodern world. The discussion revolves around the work of Christopher H. Partridge and his book "The Re-Enchantment of the West" from 2004. The speaker delves into different categories of secularization, including the disappearance thesis, differentiation thesis, de-intensification theory, and coexistence theory. Secularization is not solely driven by education but is influenced by social, political, and psychological factors. Additionally, we discuss the notion of secularization as a weapon and the role of feelings and desire in faith conversion.