Exploring Faith, Pursuing Grace

E72: Rethinking ”Disfellowship” - Brandon Johnson

Brandon Johnson returns to the podcast for a conversation about a heavy, often painful topic; the withdrawing of fellowship from a fellow believer.
The topic of disfellowship (excommunication in some circles) is a heavy topic for many. The practice of disfellowshiping fellow believers happens far too often, many times for trivial reasons. Families, churches, and communities have been torn apart as a result of needless and flippant withdrawal of fellowship between Christians. While there is a time and place for withdrawing fellowship from a fellow believer, this practice is one that should never be considered lightly and should only be utilized as a measure of last resort. 
In this episode, Kevin, Brandon, and Lee discuss their experience with this practice in terms of being on both the 'giving' and 'receiving' end of disfellowship, what the Bible says about this practice, and how Christians can and should do better.
Questions? Comments? Email us! exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thanks for listening!

E71: Contextualizing Luke 9:23

"If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross daily, and follow me". 
These words spoken by Jesus in Luke's gospel are powerful indeed, and yet the meaning and force behind these words has been diluted over time and across generations. For many, 'taking up one's cross' is relegated to bearing with the annoyances of the day, or is a statement made by many to justify remaining in toxic, dangerous, or abusive situations.
What did Jesus mean when he uttered these words? How can we apply them in our day and time? Kevin and Lee discuss this passage in this episode.Email us with your questions or comments! We love hearing from you. exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thanks for listening!

E70: Kevin‘s Story

You've heard Lee's story and an update to Lee's ongoing journey of faith from Legalism to Grace, and while this entire podcast is an examination of Kevin and Lee's faith journeys from various doctrinal perspectives, we've yet to discuss much of Kevin's personal journey...
...until now. 
In this episode, Kevin steps into the way back machine and discusses his life, his career as a preacher, his legalism, and his journey out of legalism and into a Christ-centered, grace-centered faith.
 
Have questions? Comments? Give us a shout at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com.
 
Thanks for listening!

Holiday Special - Halloween

Halloween is one of the biggest commercial holidays in the modern era. Children and adults alike both enjoy dressing up in costumes and celebrating the festivities of the holiday with friends and family. 
Even so, there are Christians who believe celebrating Halloween is evil, that it is a holiday that celebrates darkness, wickedness, witchcraft, and Satan, and that participating in any shape or form is sin. Other Christians believe in limited participation, while others see nothing wrong with dressing up and begging for candy. 
What are the origins of Halloween? Is Halloween, as it's celebrated in modern times, truly a Satanic holiday? Kevin and Lee discuss the history of Halloween in this episode.
Have questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thanks for listening!

E69: Prayer

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” - Luke 11:1, NRSVPrayer is a fundamental aspect of practically every religious tradition, and it's one that is often overlooked, taken for granted, misunderstood, and even overemphasized in many ways within Christianity. What exactly is prayer? What is it's purpose? Why do we pray? Is prayer transactional? Does our prayer life relegate God to the role of a mere genie who exists to grant our wishes?
Kevin and Lee discuss these ideas and more in this episode which focuses on prayer.
 
Have questions or comments? Please reach out to us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com!
Thanks for listening!
 

E68: Calibrating Your Conscience

We all remember Jiminy Cricket's famous statement "Let your conscience be your guide" (technically it was the Blue Fairy, but Mr. Cricket tends to get the credit for that one), but is letting your conscience guide you really the right move? What if your conscience is 'miscalibrated'?In this episode, Kevin and Lee discuss why one's conviction should steer their conscience, rather than allowing their conscience to guide one's conviction.
 
Questions? Suggestions? Holler at us! exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thanks!

E67: Media Literacy - Chris Rosser

Kevin and Lee are joined on this episode by OC Faculty Chris Rosser to discuss media literacy; or, how do we go about parsing all the data that surrounds us and then make sense of it? Does the secret lie in the data we consume, or is the 'substrate' that receives this data more important? This conversation was deep, enlightening, and a LOT of fun! 
 
Have questions? Suggestions? Reach out to us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com. Thanks!

Q&A 9: How do I Overcome Bitterness When Leaving Legalism?

In this Q&A, Kevin and Lee discuss their experiences with bitterness, leaving legalism behind, and how to release bitterness in order to more fully love one another.
 
We'd love to hear from y'all! Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com.
 
Thanks for listening!