5th Gospel Podcast
The 5th Gospel Podcast reexamines the teachings of Jesus through Scripture, history, and the lens of Agapē—self-giving love. Matthew and Ritah challenge familiar assumptions and explore what it means to genuinely believe, live, and reflect the way of God.
Episodes
11 episodes
5th Gospel Ep. 11 - "The Parables: Judgment Seen Through Agape"
How will we be judged? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, the Parable of the Talents, and Matthew 7, Matthew and Ritah explore how conscience shapes our lives, why God judges with our circumstances in view, and what it really means to be bo...
5th Gospel Ep. 10 — What Does It Mean to Believe?
Is belief about what we confess or how we live? We start with why critical thinking protects faith from manipulation, then turn to Jesus' Parable of the Sower. The path, the rocky ground, the thorns, and the good soil reveal that genuine bel...
5th Gospel Ep. 9 — Divine Identity: One God, the Father and the Son
If the Father is God and the Son is God, is that two Gods? Matthew and Ritah dig into John's Gospel, including monogenēs, the prologue of John 1, and John 5, to explore how the Father and Son can be distinct yet perfectly united. The conclus...
5G Podcast Ep. 8 — Who Is Jesus? The Son of Man and the Authority of the King
If human interpretation is limited, what makes Jesus different? We trace how the New Testament presents Him: Psalm 110, the Son of Man in Daniel 7, the King and Judge of Matthew 25, and the self-emptying Christ of Philippians 2. We also touc...
5th Gospel Ep. 7 — Interpretive Authority (Part 4): The Perfect Song, Imperfect Musicians
The Gospel writers were witnesses and interpreters, not stenographers. We look at first-century apocalyptic expectations and the differing resurrection and ascension accounts, and ask how much confidence each claim deserves. Matthew offers a...
5th Gospel Ep. 6 — Interpretive Authority (Part 3): Greek Reason and Hebrew Revelation
What makes the Gospels read like real history rather than myth? We look at the modest, working-class portrait of Jesus, then explore how Greek and Hebraic thought shaped the way we read the Bible, including the often-overlooked African roots...
5th Gospel Ep. 5 — Interpretive Authority (Part 2): How Can We Say God Is Perfect?
Can we say God is perfect without simply saying "the Bible tells me so"? We walk through a reasoned case: from God as the self-sufficient source of all things, to creation as an act of generosity, to perfection as moral character. Then we re...
5th Gospel Ep. 4 — Interpretive Authority (Part 1): Who Gets to Say What the Bible Means?
If everyone interprets Scripture through their own lens, who do we trust? Matthew and Ritah tackle interpretive authority, why the differences between the Gospel accounts actually strengthen their credibility, and what scholars call the "cri...
The 5th Gospel Ep. 3 — The Spirit of God: Breath, Wind, and the Life Within Us
Why did so many ancient cultures use the same word for breath, wind, and spirit? We explore what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, from Genesis to the Paraclete in John, and how to recognize the Spirit's leading in daily life. Plus: what...
5th Gospel Ep. 2 — Divine Agency: The Angel of the Lord and the World Jesus Entered
To understand Jesus, we first have to understand the world He stepped into. Matthew and Ritah explore divine agency, the way ancient Israel understood God's presence on earth. We look at the mysterious Angel of the Lord, figures like Wisdom ...