The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

48: Measuring the Metrics for Success (with Shawn Manley) Part 2

What standard do you use to measure success?
In our money- and achievement-driven Western world, where success is measured in very quantifiable ways by our current society, this becomes a very important issue. 
You could, for example, be considered a huge success if you're wealthy, have a large house, several (expensive) cars in the driveway, or have a high-powered job moving fast up the corporate ladder.
On the other hand, you could be considered a total failure—that is, if you're being judged by certain current cultural standards.
Shawn Manley and I revisit this point in more detail in the second half of our conversation, and relate the metrics for success into the realm of the church also. 
Don't miss this conversation!
Resources 
"Measuring the Metrics for Success: Deconstructing Religion (Part 2)" article by Dr Clint Heacock
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47: Measuring the Metrics for Success (with Shawn Manley) Part 1

How do you measure success?
Depending upon the yardstick you use, the answer to that question can vary wildly. Pastors of churches, for example, can measure "success" by the number of members attending their church; how many are on church staff; or by the church's annual budget.
Others measure success by how much money they earn, or where they're at on the corporate ladder--which rung are you on?
"Success," however, is actually much more difficult to quantify than just by numbers alone. Measuring the metrics for success depends on which qualifiers you use to measure it.
In the first half of our conversation, Shawn and I discuss his experiences of being a church planter in Southern California, how that experience ended, and talk about our shared stories of church leadership. What constitutes "success," and how do you define it?
Find out in this episode!
Resources
"Measuring the Metrics for Success" article by Dr Clint Heacock
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46: The Legacy of Puritanism, Jonathan Edwards, & "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

What is the legacy of one, single sermon?
Even though Jonathan Edwards, the famous American theologian, preacher, missionary and pastor, is well-known in academic circles for his volumes of work, most people know him only from one sermon he preached in 1741: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
That this one sermon still resonates down through the centuries is testimony to not only its rhetorical power, but the after-effect on so many things: political and religious discourse, Calvinist theology as it developed in America, evangelism, missions, and revivals.
In this episode, I unpack the historical context of both the Puritans as well as Jonathan Edwards, the man. What led him to preach such a sermon, and what has been its legacy?
Find out in this episode!
Sources
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon, full text by Jonathan Edwards
"Rhetorical Influences on the Preaching of Jonathan Edwards" by Dr Clint Heacock (pdf)
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45: Surviving a Fundamentalist Upbringing (with Valerie Cunningham)

What's it like to grow up in a strict Christian, fundamentalist home?
The effects of growing up "sheltered from the evil world" can linger with people, long after they've grown up, left home, and are raising families of their own. Sometimes they never do get out, and are still within "the system." 
My sister Valerie Cunningham and I got together and recorded this episode sharing our stories of growing up, and surviving, a fundamentalist Christian upbringing. 
Valerie also shares her heartbreaking story of becoming pregnant at just 17, giving up her child for adoption, and dealing with the fallout of the many decisions that were made for her at the time.
If any of these issues relates to you, or describe your own journey, then you are not going to want to miss this podcast episode! 
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Email me if you would like to connect with Valerie Cunningham!

44: The Bad Jesus & New Atheism (with Dr Hector Avalos) Part 2

Did Jesus ever say or do anything wrong?
This is the major question explored by Dr Hector Avalos in his book, The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics, and this forms the basis of the discussion in Part 2 of this episode.
Perhaps the real question is this: can such a question even be raised without offending large swathes of Christians worldwide?
If Jesus was supra-human (both human and divine), as most Christians hold, then he made no mistakes and lived a sinless life–and should be viewed not only as the paragon of virtue, but also as a substantive base for ethical behavior.
If, however, he was human, then surely he must have had flaws–as do we all. Maybe, just maybe, he made mistakes, or wasn’t perfect in every way.
If, however, he was human, then surely he must have had flaws--as do we all.
Can you question this?
Don't miss this episode, as Dr Avalos and I explore these questions and more.
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Email
Dr Hector Avalos: havalos@iastate.edu
Dr Clint Heacock: preachersforum@gmail.com
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43: The Bad Jesus & New Atheism (with Dr Hector Avalos) Part 1

Are you prepared to deconstruct your faith, beliefs and presuppositions? 
If so, then you won't want to miss this episode, as I talk with Dr Hector Avalos, professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University. Dr Avalos is a "New Atheist"--one who isn't trying to disprove the existence of God, but rather seeks to warn people about the dangers inherent within religion--and religionism.
In this first episode, Dr Avalos discusses what it means to be a New Atheist, biblical literacy and society at large, and ethics based upon any ancient text. These and other topics that we discuss will challenge some of the things you think you believe and know about God and the Bible.
This is the aim of MindShift--critical thinking about God, the church, and spirituality.
Resources
"Exploring 'The Bad Jesus' and New Atheism" (Part 1) by Dr Clint Heacock
Second Wave Manifesto of the New Atheism 
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42: Preaching with a Bias (with Gary Hayes) Part 2

What kind of an impact can a single sermon have on the lives of people? Not much, or a great deal?
Historically, in 1095 AD Pope Urban II preached a sermon in Clermont, France, that launched the bloodshed of the Crusades to the Holy Land. Not only were hideous atrocities committed, the legacy of that sermon resonates down through the centuries. Even today, Christians, Jews and Muslims alike are still living in the shadow of the actions caused by--one sermon.
In the second half of "Preaching with a Bias," Gary and I examine in more detail the sociological impact of sermons on the lives of ordinary churchgoers, and how the use--or abuse--of Scripture can lead to a lot of toxic theology that does incredible damage in the lives of people.
We'll also take a look at the legacy of fundamentalist preaching and interpretation of the Bible, and how certain theological and interpretative commitments work themselves out in the real world.
Sources
MacArthur, John. "The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: Expository Preaching." The Master's Seminary Journal (Volume 1, Number 1): 1990.
"Preaching with a Bias: Exploring the Legacy of Fundamentalist Preaching." by Dr Clint Heacock
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Social Media Contacts
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41: Preaching with a Bias (with Gary Hayes) Part 1

What effect does listening to years of sermons have on a person's psyche, behavior, and mental health? In this episode of the newly-named "MindShift" podcast (formerly "The Preacher's Forum podcast"), Gary Hayes and I tackle the subject of preaching, and its effects on people.
If you're a preacher, then you will benefit from this episode! Question your biases, presuppositions and hermeneutical commitments.
If you are a listener of sermons in churches, then you will also benefit from this episode! Deconstruct your beliefs in God, the Bible, and what you hear regularly from the pulpit.
Believe it or not, there's a lot of toxic theology, bad teaching, sloppy exegesis, and slanted preaching out there.
All of this has an effect on the way people think, live, and treat others. Join myself and Gary Hayes for the first half of this episode as we deconstruct preaching and its all-too-often negative effects on the listeners.
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Show 40: MindShift: "The Wisdom of Your Heart" (with Marc Alan Schelske)

Overheard in church: "God doesn't have emotions...and neither should you!" What constitutes a good Christian, anyway? Someone who is spiritually mature, is the common answer. But what if that person is emotionally immature? What then?
This is precisely what I and Marc Alan Schelske, author of The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-Given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions, discuss in this episode.
Should you trust your emotions, or ignore them? Treat them as fickle and frivolous? The fact is, though, that most of us are not truly in touch with our emotions. We've come to exalt human reason over emotions, but the fact is that without emotions, reason is crippled.
Don't miss this thought-provoking and challenging episode! 
Resources
Check out my article: "Exploring The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-Given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions" on preachersforum.com
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Show 39: MindShift: Leaving the Church...to Find God (with Gary Hayes) Part 2

Reflect on the irony of the statement, "Leaving the church...to find God." And what is the church, after all, but a collection of individuals striving to do just that--find God? To find themselves, to discover their own humanity?
It's hard to separate out, however, the oftentimes sordid history of the church in the past, and also what it has become today. In the midst of the formulaic religion, the rote performances, and the whole affair of "going through the motions," God can get lost in the mix.
Therefore you may find yourself contemplating the radical--and ironic--notion of "leaving the church...to find God." He's not in the black-and-white, bullet-point doctrinal statements or theological tomes; he's not even to be found in the pages of Scripture. He's a real, living person, with whom we can actually have a relationship. But sadly, so many people have to leave the church...to find him.
Join Gary and I for the second half of this thought-provoking and challenging episode!
Sources 
"Leaving the Church...to Find Myself" on The Preacher's Forum website
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