Universal Salvation?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.


The question someone asked us to tackle this week is -

what about universal salvation?

  Is this something that worries you or makes you wonder?  Are you worried for someone specific?  Are you worried about whether in the end you are "right" or whether it matters at all?

How do we interpret verses like John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  and John 3:17:  "‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.'"
If you're still curious, there's a lot of overlap between this question and one we covered earlier - Is Jesus the only way?

Tune in and listen as we wrestle honestly with this one.

Join us Tuesday at Bowl of Good on Port Republic Rd at 7:00pm.  We can take this topic further or discuss this and other questions of faith...

Prophecy?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

An icon of the prophet Micah.

People are hungry for answers, hungry to know about the future.  So this week we're tackling the topic of prophecy and prophets - in scripture and in our day.  In scripture God gives revelations and words to the prophets.  We are about to begin a series of readings through Advent which will use themes of prophecy and apocalyptic in speaking of God's coming kingdom and how we wait in anticipation of God's reign.  

But what about prophets today? 

Predictions of the future and apocalyptic themes are popular - we don't have to look too far in movies or books . . .  The Left Behind series has captured a lot of attention and conversation, for one.  Street preachers speak of doomsday - are they prophets? 




Are there modern-day prophets?  Are prophets just opportunists who either after the fact assert "see, I predicted that!" or who use interpretation so loosely (like fortune tellers) that we read into it what we want? 
One documentary, Kumare, tracked this phenomenon that people are so eager to follow someone who says they have the answers.  The filmmaker created a persona of a (guru) prophet out of thin air, as an experiment to see if people would follow him.  And oh, how they followed . . .  He discovered the depth of this basic hunger for answers and acceptance - and then had to tell them he was false.

In any case, we wrestle with these questions in our conversation this week...  Listen in.  Share with a friend.  Join us Tuesdays at 7pm at Bowl of Good on Port Republic Rd for some conversation on these and any other questions of faith.

What about heaven?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

Is this a familiar image of heaven? 
(Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel)

What do you picture when you picture heaven?  Do you have questions about heaven? 
We've been asked in a couple different ways to discuss what we/Lutherans/the bible believes about heaven.  We've also been asked - if we believe in the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns and God reconciles the whole world - what's with all this heaven stuff?  What's heaven about?
How do we balance our beliefs and views of heaven and resurrection?

This is one podcast where we definitely give no "pat answers" . . . probably because ultimately there aren't any.  Whereas the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament speak very little about anything after death, the New Testament has many and various references to heaven.  We rest ultimately the words of Paul's letter to the Corinthians - "Listen, I will tell you a mystery. . ." 

Come explore the mystery with us.  Listen to the podcast, share with a friend, send us your questions!

What do we believe about healing?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

As we prepared for and led today's worship with a special focus and prayers for healing, it seemed timely that we take on a set of questions that often come up in pastoral care.  At least for us pastors, we are confronted often thinking: What do we actually believe about healing?
Why are some people healed and others seem to be overlooked?
What does healing mean?  What does it mean to be healed, well, whole???
Our culture and the self-help aisles and millions made in this industry seem to promote a self-help, self-healing model...  What does faith have to say to this?

Definitely no pat answers here.  Listen.  Reflect.  Share.  Give us some feedback - what do you think?

What role do I play?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

In a special episode of "No Pat Answers" we're joined in this episode by Bishop Jim Mauney, our bishop of the Virginia Synod of our denomination, the ELCA.  (He's seen below in the video below with an original rap at a synodical youth event.)  We had a lot of fun discussing together - and getting into this really important topic for Lutherans.  We're tackling a question we've heard a lot of different ways, and specifically in an email from a listener...


What role do I play in my own salvation? 
What role does acceptance play? 
Do I/we have to accept God's love? 
God reaches out, but we have to reach back. . . 
God gives the gift of salvation, but we have to unwrap it . . .

Listen in, let us know what you think, share a question, share this with a friend . . .

Join us Tuesdays at 7pm at Bowl of Good on Port Republic Road for small-group discussion with the pastors of this and any other questions of faith.  No judgments, all are welcome, no pat answers.

Why do we question our faith?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

Today, we're tackling part of another listener's question, who wrote:

Why do we question our faith?

We probably know people who are always wondering, questioning faith.  Likewise we probably know some people who seem to just be so solid and never question.  Where do you feel you fit?  Does doubt creep in occasionally, or is it a daily struggle?  Is doubt a curiosity, or does it lead to despair and frustration?

Pastors Bob and Brett are tackling some of these things this week - take a listen.  Let us know what you think.  Then share it with someone you know  - maybe someone who has their own questions . . .

Also, we're still taking questions for future podcasts.  Is there a question - about faith, God, church, life. . . which you'd like us to tackle?  Our promise remains - no pat answers.

We continue to welcome folks to join us at Bowl of Good on Tuesadays @ 7pm to continue these discussions in person.  We've had great small group conversations so far.  But, we will not meet next Tuesday, 10/15 as Pastors Bob and Brett will be out of town - we'll resume Tuesday 10/22 @ 7pm - join us!

Glory to God?

To play the audio, just click the play button above at left.  To download, click the "no pat answers" title in yellow in the box above, which will take you to a site where you can download it as an mp3 file.  If you see no image above or the audio will not play, click here for audio.

Here's the question that was emailed to us:

If our purpose is to glorify God (even if that's just one of multiple purposes), how are we to contextualize and understand that? Specifically, to understand it from a human point of view makes it grossly egotistical, if not egomaniacal and sociopathic ... any human being that would compel others to glorify him/her, worship him/her, would be rightly seen as a dangerous individual. If God creates us ultimately to glorify God, what's that say about God?

So - is God an egomaniacal overlord who created a bunch of mini-me's to bow down and glorify God's self?  
                     Does God need our praise? 

                                      Why do we worship? 
 
So we're tackling this - "we" this week being Pastor Brett and special guest, her husband, Pastor Evan Davis, of St. Jacob Spaders and Trinity Lutheran Churches.  Pastor Bob will be back for next week's edition - keep sending those questions. 

Enjoy our podcasts?  Hear something interesting or you think would be helpful?  Share it with a friend!

ALL are welcome to join us Tuesday nights at 7pm at Bowl of Good on Port Republic Rd.  We'll gather and discuss the question of the week, plus whatever questions of faith you might have.  No judgments.  No pat answers.  Just an open conversation about faith.  Come and grab a drink or something to eat, or just come join us.  See you then!