WEBVTT 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:03.439 You can't do it now. 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:06.160 You can't do the intro after I made fun of you. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:08.080 Oh, it's so true. 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:10.480 Hey guys, welcome to Crash Course. 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:11.359 This is okay. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:12.640 So I'm sitting across from Madison. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:18.800 He was on our last episode, and he actually began by doing an impression of me saying the thing I say. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:23.359 Every episode of Crash Course, I say essentially the same thing. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:25.039 Hey, if case is your first time listening, blah blah blah. 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:30.640 And now that you're sitting in front of me, I'm like super aware of how I always say it, and I'm trying to think of a new way. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:33.920 Well, this was like in now I can't in middle school and high school. 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:34.880 You broke my brain. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:43.039 I've you were my youth pastor for so long that you would say the same stories, and so I would go over the same stories, like I would tell them to you like I was you. 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:45.280 And then you're like, I can never tell that story anymore. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:46.320 I did feel that way. 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:47.280 I know, I'm sorry. 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:48.560 That's just me being mean. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:55.679 You know, I'm sure you're aware of the show, but you probably didn't watch it. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:56.719 Boy Meets World? 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:57.359 What did I say? 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:58.240 Boy Meets Girl. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:00:59.280 It's Boy Meets World. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:00:59.600 Yeah. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:01.439 Now there's a show called Girl Meets World. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:02.320 Girl Meets World. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:03.920 And I just blended them in my brain. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:05.280 Um, so you broke my brain. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:05.760 I'm sorry. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:07.840 So there was a teacher named Mr. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:10.079 Feeney, and he was like their teacher. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:10.560 I know. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:11.680 Did you say have you seen the show? 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:12.719 Hannah loves the show. 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:13.200 Oh. 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:13.840 Okay. 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:17.760 I guess when you guys were really young, it was probably like one of those shows that was on all the time. 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:18.480 All the time. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:18.719 Yeah. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:19.760 Not targeted at yeah. 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:20.319 Right. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:20.799 So Mr. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:28.319 Feeney is an elementary school teacher when the show begins, and it follows this same boy all through his school years, and then he ends up being like his college professor. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:38.000 I remember being like, what degree do you get that allows you to be an elementary school teacher in a school teacher, college high school teacher, because he was all the way, and oh yeah, now I'm your college. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:42.799 And and I always felt bad because for your like specifically your age group here at our church, I was like your Mr. 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:43.359 Feeney. 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:43.680 Yeah. 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:51.359 That right when you graduated high school, I went from being the pastor to the lead pastor, and you're like, Can I have someone other than him teach me and tell me things? 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:56.000 But no, that's not your That's why the internet exists with lots of awesome resources. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:59.040 Oh, you go to you go to I go to other teachers. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:00.959 You've been cheat, you've been cheating on me. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.079 With other and this is all gonna stay in the podcast. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:05.599 We haven't even done the intro yet. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:07.599 No, no, no intro needed this time around. 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:10.719 So last time Madison was on, the last episode we talked about reading the Bible. 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:16.000 Madison recently, last few years, just developed a real passion for studying the word, studying scripture. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.639 Um does a great job teaching our kids that here at his hands. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:23.360 Um I want to talk for a minute, kind of, I mean, really just an extension of that conversation. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.520 How do you interpret the Bible correctly? 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:30.800 That's the the topic for for this episode, because the Bible is is powerful. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:40.639 You even if you don't believe in the Bible, as far as it being authoritative, as far as it being from God, you can't deny its power because it has been used to like shape history. 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:41.199 Sure. 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:45.120 And in some situations, it's been misused to shape history. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:45.520 Yes. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:53.599 So the its power is, I mean, it is undeniable because it has been a powerful force over the course of centuries. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:03:08.319 Um and a lot of people will have this attitude, I think, now, because they've seen so many different people use the Bible to basically make completely different and polarizing points, like, but still using scripture, that there's this idea of like, well, how do I know I'm I'm interpreting the Bible correctly? 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:09.840 How do I know I'm applying it? 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:19.599 Um I think that becomes especially important when we butt into values in the in scripture that are completely different than the values of our culture today. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.680 And so is it like, oh, is that part of the Bible no longer accurate? 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:24.080 Right. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:25.039 Is that so? 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:30.400 I just wanted to talk for a little bit about how we uh accurately interpret scripture. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:37.599 What what like if some kid comes to you, you're you're a youth pastor, so you got a high school kid, he starts to read the Bible, he reads something, he's like, this does I don't agree with this at all. 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:40.400 What would you what would you say to him on that topic? 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:46.960 The first filter, I mean, there's three filters, but there's actually the fourth filter, the first one, is reading it humbly. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:04:04.080 So like saying, like, I know I'm not God, and if God really has like inspired this, if God really has had his hand in revealing himself through this, then I'm gonna surrender to maybe like wrestling with things, but saying, like, God, I really want to know what you actually say about this. 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:04.400 Okay. 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:09.360 Because a lot of uh teenagers they'll say, like, yeah, I follow Jesus, but not even know what Jesus actually did. 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:11.120 Oh well, uh a lot of people do. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:13.840 So as someone I don't I've seen no difference in Sure. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.839 And and some of the things Jesus says and does are are frankly shocking. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:19.920 And you're like, wow, I don't understand. 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:21.439 Some of them were intended to be shocking. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:21.920 Right. 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:27.199 Like we're we're talking about it tonight with the youth group, why Jesus says, eat my flesh and drink my blood. 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:29.120 It's a very intense thing to say. 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:36.720 Um but you have to understand that you have to be humble when you're reading it and not say, like, I dictate the rules and I'm gonna put these rules on top of the Bible. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:47.439 Yeah, I'm glad you say that because um now now obviously you know we're we're we're targeting this podcast to people who have decided they believe in Jesus. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:48.959 Or maybe you're you're new in that. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:50.720 It starts with the relationship with Jesus. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:51.199 Right. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:59.680 But but even if even if you're someone who is sort of seeking and wrestling, and by the way, God gives us the green light to wrestle with him, and and and what that means is quite literally in some cases. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.240 Yeah, in the Bible, there's actually a story of yeah, of Jacob. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:05.759 But um but that means that we we have the freedom with God to question him. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:09.199 We have the freedom with God to go, I don't get this, this doesn't make sense to me. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:15.920 But I you you what you said I think is so important because there are a lot of people who and it is pride. 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:16.319 Yeah. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:27.439 It is pride that the second the second that they uh that they read something in the Bible that doesn't agree with their own perspective, the instant assumption is that the Bible is wrong. 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:37.279 Yep and I would say the humble thing is even if you're just checking this out, even if you haven't maybe decided exactly where you stand with God and on certain issues and scripture or whatever, just just ask yourself this question. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:42.240 Could it be that maybe my perspective is off? 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:42.800 Right. 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:49.680 And even if you can just humbly go, yeah, it it could be possible that what I something that I strongly hold on to, right? 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:59.120 I've been misled, I've been mistaken, um it's possible like entire generations have been mistaken on some pretty big issues in history. 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:11.360 Uh so when you read it and and you say, Okay, I'm probably gonna encounter something that challenges me in the way I think, before I just reject this and go, well, I don't like this, right? 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.120 Maybe I'm wrong. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.199 Maybe I need to have my perspective challenged. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:17.759 And I think if you have that humble attitude, like you said, just being open to that. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:19.360 Just being open to that, you're in you're in a good spot. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:19.759 Yep. 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:25.680 And then so the second filter would be the context in which the piece was written. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:31.839 So like who wrote it and who did they write it for, and what is the purpose of that in that historical context? 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:41.439 Because there's a lot of situations where the people that are reading this are pretty barbaric people, and like Israel is supposed to be set apart from these pretty barbaric people. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:50.959 And so understanding that the the culture of the time dictates a world that looks completely different from ours, yeah, and it's asking for behaviors that are going to be completely different from that culture. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:51.600 Absolutely. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:07:07.439 I was I was listening to a podcast, it was one that you you turned me on to, um, and he was talking about in Ephesians when Paul mentions slavery, and he mentions it kind of passively, like, oh, by the way, those of you who are slaves, because in in Roman culture, slaves made up a massive percentage of the population. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:14.079 And and it almost seems if you read it in a certain light, it almost seems like Paul doesn't have a doesn't have a problem with slavery. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:14.480 Right. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:14.879 Right. 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:27.600 But the point that that you know the the person in the podcast made, uh Tim Mackey, um Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast, I think I mentioned it the last episode, is that we're we're reading that through the lens of our experience thousands of years later. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:39.279 Well, and and through the lens of a of a generation that has witnessed a previous generation that had the opportunity to change it. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:48.000 In in like in Rome, if Paul had said, okay, guys, the slavery thing has to go, so Christians, I want you to go protest, like Christians wouldn't be around anymore. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:56.079 No, like they would have just killed There was no mechanism, there was no mechanism in Roman culture to defy the emperor and the way of things. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:06.000 So Paul in in his con in the context of what he was writing to, these were not people that have it was an imperial rule. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.199 There was no, you know, I think we're gonna change some things. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:11.759 Like Paul was talking about there's no such thing as civil protests. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:12.079 Right. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:16.959 So his context was not changing the the the culture, the culture at large as far as politically. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:25.199 His context was hey, those of you in this culture, yeah, let's talk about how to live rightly and live well and with love in the context of our situation. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:33.360 Yeah, and there's I mean, talking about the slavery thing, just to finish that point, the the book of Philemon is all about forgiveness and letting a slave go. 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.000 And it's towards someone specifically that has a slave. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:41.519 So we also see Paul pretty like directly negate, like, hey, let him go. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.879 He's he's a Christian, and you guys are supposed to be equals in this. 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:46.159 And so that's pretty cool. 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:48.080 And that's a slave who had stolen from him. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:48.399 Right. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:48.879 And run away. 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:49.600 And run away. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:49.919 Yeah. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.120 So yeah, no, absolutely. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:52.240 So context, right? 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:53.759 You need to understand the context. 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:56.799 And and and by the way, there's a lot of great tools out there to help you with that. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:58.480 Finding a person who's really knowledgeable. 00:08:58.720 --> 00:08:58.960 Yep. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.080 Okay, so that's so filter one is is humility, filter two is context. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:19.600 Context, and then the whole of scripture, so like the entire book of the Bible, which is is a lot to say because uh you wouldn't pick up like I don't know, a Charles Dickens book and just open to the middle and start reading and expect to know what has happened before and what will happen at the end. 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:19.840 Right. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:27.519 But we've actually been given a lot of resources to to know, like, oh, where does the book of Exodus fit into the story that the Bible is trying to tell you? 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:30.000 Where does the book of Galatians fit into the story? 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:34.960 Because those are vastly different times in history, written for vastly different people. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:44.080 So understanding uh where the book falls in the entire like story of us and God and Jesus and having that understanding. 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:59.919 Well, I think it's really important too, because a lot of times what people will do is you, like you said, you'll you'll open it up to a section, maybe it's the middle, maybe it's you know, the third end, whatever, and you'll read something, and it's something that maybe God is even doing, yeah, and you're like, whoa, right, I don't like that, you know, and and we've kind of talked about that. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.759 But if you don't know why God is doing it, it won't make any sense. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:19.679 I like an example for my life is yeah, I grew up playing sports, and so um, you know, if if you walked into my varsity high school basketball practice on like day two, our coach, this was like conditioning time, yeah, right? 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:23.440 Yeah, our coach isn't even letting us use a basketball yet, right? 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:23.759 Right? 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:26.799 Just running, running us till like we're puking. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:27.200 Yeah, yeah. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.960 And you would look at that guy and go, he is cruel and harsh, and this is horrible. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:33.759 But if you would have asked any of us, we would have been like, no, he's a good coach. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:41.600 Um, but but if that was your if that was your entry point and you didn't know why he was doing it and what was coming up next, that he needs us to be really well conditioned. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:52.159 And but if you would have come to a practice, you know, uh toward the end of the season, you would have been like, wow, these guys are just crazy fast and athletic, and like you wouldn't have even seen all that he had to do to get us to that point. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:57.120 The point being, sometimes we we do that with God where we we don't understand the whole of scripture. 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:06.000 We take one thing from one spot and we make a snap judgment, but we don't understand what has happened before and where it's going after, right? 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:10.399 And the the idea that God is always doing something because he's moving things to a certain place. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:16.799 And if you don't get that, then it you won't understand, you'll you'll you'll misjudge God, you'll misjudge what's happening. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:25.600 Yeah, and uh I guess that the third filter kind of folds right into understanding the like whole of scripture and where that falls in is the person of Jesus. 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.279 So is that filter three or four? 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:28.960 Filter four, I guess. 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:32.960 If humble is I feel like humble is like you just kind of live your life like that. 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:34.080 No, let's let's do that. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:34.480 I like that. 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:35.120 I like that filter. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:35.759 So humble? 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:40.879 Yeah, so so humble, humble the whole, yep, and now the person of Jesus. 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:47.279 Because everything in the Old Testament is leading up to and pointing toward Jesus, it's like forecasting Jesus. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.799 Tomorrow is a cloudy day with a chance of Jesus. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:57.759 Yeah, no, you're well, Jesus himself said to the Pharisees, you search the scriptures because you think they'll bring you eternal life, but the scriptures point to me. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:58.080 Yeah. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:01.840 And when you actually see Jesus for who he is, you have it's this strange thing. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:06.320 It's like it's like watching a movie like the sixth sense, when you know what the the twist ending is. 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:08.480 Yeah, like once you know what the twist ending is. 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:09.679 The clues are so obvious. 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:12.879 You watch it again and it's like, oh, oh, oh, but you never you wouldn't have missed it. 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:13.360 Right, right. 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:27.919 And then everything that happens in Jesus' life, it's like that's the pinnacle, and then everything afterwards in the New Testament is extending from the life and acts of Jesus through his Holy Spirit and as a consequence of what Jesus did for us. 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.360 So um the person of Jesus, that's the fourth and final filter. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:36.240 Okay, so um fourth filter, so filters, read it humbly, right? 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:40.879 Assume that maybe there's things that you believe that are off, and God maybe wants to challenge those. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:41.120 Right. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.600 Number two, uh, the context. 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:50.960 Number three would be the whole of scripture, and just to kind of add on to that, I a lot of times people like, especially people that are being critical of the Bible. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:52.879 There's plenty of those people out there. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:58.159 Um, and fine, the Bible has held up for all these years because if we believe it's true, it should stand up to criticism. 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:02.559 We say in his hands all the time that anything that is is good should stand up to scrutiny. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.679 And the Bible has been scrutinized unlike anything else, and it has stood up. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:11.039 But like people will take one thing from the New Testament, one thing from the Old Testament, and go, like, see, clearly contradiction doesn't match. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:21.679 But like I could tell you, okay, I live in the United States of America, and uh let let's let's say that I let's say that that you know today, today here in Georgia it's pretty cold actually. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.279 Um but somewhere else in the United States, like Los Angeles. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:27.039 In Los Angeles, maybe it's a really warm day. 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.759 And so someone could go, not the same country. 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:31.840 Yeah, that country like a total contradiction. 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:34.480 You say you live in the US and it's cold, you say you live in the US and it's warm. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.080 It's like, well, yeah, we live in different places. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:36.399 Right. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.960 There's a lot of space in between Los Angeles and Georgia. 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:45.200 Well, there's a lot of space between Exodus and and like you know, Paul's letter to the the early churches. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:45.679 Right. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.600 So if you don't know all the in-between, it it doesn't it doesn't line up. 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:55.360 So yeah, so there, and then the fourth filter being the person of Jesus, you know, the Bible says in the book of Hebrews that Jesus is the exact representation of God. 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:57.279 That's a verse we use a lot here at his hands. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:00.240 It just basically says that Jesus gives us a clear picture of God. 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:05.759 And when you look at any scripture through those filters, you can interpret it, in our opinion, really accurately. 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:11.519 And and I'll give you one like one way that we we do that kind of practically, an example, okay. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:14.240 Um, and this is kind of a controversial example. 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:19.279 Well, it shouldn't be, but it has been throughout history, is is the role of women in church. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:20.159 Okay. 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:23.600 Um so we have a woman on our teaching team, Elon. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:25.840 Um she speaks, she's speaking this Sunday, actually. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:34.639 And you know, 50 years ago, the traditional church culture would say that is irresponsible at best, and it's like downright blasphemous at worst. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:37.039 And they'd say that because they'd reference scripture. 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:41.200 Uh Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that women should be silent in the church. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:49.679 Okay, so we have a woman on our teaching team, Megan, my wife, is a pastor and she um teaches often on you know events and other things like that. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:53.039 Well, okay, it seems like we're doing something that's contradictory to scripture. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:53.200 Right. 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:54.720 And I've had people ask about that, by the way. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.399 I've had people that have emailed me and said, you know, they're mad about it, whatever. 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:06.000 But then you have other people who are like, I think women should should teach in in church, you know, but it's more because that lines up with today's cultural values. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:08.960 It's a response to and it's popular in culture. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:23.519 And then and and hey, cool, but that's there are a lot of things our culture values that don't line up with scripture, and I'm not just gonna be a I don't it wouldn't be good to be a follower of Jesus who's just licking your finger and seeing which way the wind is blowing, and that's how you're yeah. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:25.200 So how do we justify that? 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:28.399 And it really is the filters you've talked about, especially the the last three. 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.039 So when it comes to the the context, okay. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:34.559 The context of Paul's writing was he's writing to the church in Corinth. 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:37.600 Corinth was an extremely interesting place. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:44.159 Um the main worship in Corinth up to that point had been worshiping at the temple of Aphrodite, that's where the temple of Aphrodite was. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:57.120 Um, women ran the Temple of Aphrodite, and the women who ran the Temple of Aphrodite were temple prostitutes, and the way you would worship at the Temple of Aphrodite is you would go and you would pay money, and then you would sleep with these temple prostitutes, and they they kind of ran the show. 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:01.279 And so now you have this context where you're Paul, these people are all becoming Christians, right? 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.799 They're professing a faith in Jesus. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:15.679 Some of the temple prostitutes who would have been called priestesses, right, by the way, not prostitutes, these temple priestesses, they are also converting, they're now in the church, they're used to being the ones running the show. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.039 So it's a weird mix of cultures. 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:27.759 And it's like there's that, there's the fact that in that world, and it's it's sad but true, but in that world, women were not educated, right? 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:36.159 Um, and education is valuable because the more you know, hopefully, the less susceptible you are to being kind of misled by out of ignorance. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:40.399 So there's all these cultural things going on, and in that context, it made sense for Paul to say what he said. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:43.519 Okay, but let's look at the whole of Scripture, right? 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.120 That's that's the context. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:53.519 Well, number one, Paul said in Ephesians, now because of Jesus, there's neither slave nor free, there's neither Jew nor Gentile, there's neither male nor female. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:56.240 In other words, he's saying there's no longer a division of importance. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:56.559 Right. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:57.519 So we're equal. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:04.079 In the whole of scripture, we have situations where women were in complete leadership roles. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:04.319 Right. 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:08.480 God used, it was Esther that God put in place to save his people. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:08.799 Yeah. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:17.920 I mean, literally, this woman was placed by God in a very difficult situation, um, or God rescued her from that situation, however you want to have a look at it. 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:19.359 Judges of Israel have them. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:24.960 Deborah was a judge of Israel, and that was before Israel had a king, so the judge was the person in charge of the nation. 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:26.319 That's old Old Testament. 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.480 So in the whole of Scripture, we have women who are in leadership roles. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:31.119 Okay. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:35.039 And honestly, in a time when that wouldn't have been a good idea. 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:36.240 That would have made sense early. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:37.920 Any other culture would have been like, no. 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:39.599 So God was way ahead of that one on the. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.880 And then you look at the person of Jesus, and I think this is where it becomes the most clear. 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:46.880 So on the specific subject of like, should women be able to preach in church? 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:47.599 All right. 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:55.039 If you boil down preaching in church to its core, it means you are giving the gospel, which is the message of Jesus. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:02.079 If you boil the gospel down to its core, that is the proclamation that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, that he is the Messiah. 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:05.839 The very first person that Jesus asked to give that message was a woman. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:06.400 Yep. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:09.599 So the women visited the tomb, and you might say, Oh, well, that's that was an accident. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:10.400 No, okay. 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.200 I think Jesus was pretty picky with how he did things. 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:16.640 And even still, the men were afraid to leave their locked room. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:18.000 The women were like, we don't care. 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:18.559 We're gonna go. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:20.720 Jesus shows up in there and freaks him out. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:31.200 So Jesus shows up, he's risen from the dead, and he tells Mary, this woman who followed him, he said, Go back and tell my disciples what you have seen that I have risen from the dead. 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:38.559 So the very first eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus was a woman, and the very first person to ever be entrusted with the news that he was risen was a woman. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.400 If you're playing a game of telephone, the first person's pretty important. 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:42.799 Right. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.519 Because if they mess it up, there's no chance. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:46.160 Right. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:58.160 If Jesus Christ, the founder of our faith, could entrust a woman to deliver the most important message in the history of our faith, the very first person to deliver that news, I think it's okay. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:58.480 Yeah. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:18:58.799 Right? 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:02.720 And so, but but here, that's not just us saying something willy-nilly like just because we want it. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:04.960 Because we want it because it fits with culture, it's palatable. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:07.440 Because otherwise, I don't want to hurt someone's feelings or I don't want to be. 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:11.119 I don't want to seem I don't seem like we're old time, like we're not with the times. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:14.319 It's it's looking at the Bible with the right filters in mind. 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:19.039 And and in those filters, we are totally comfortable with women speaking in church. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:23.680 If if it's the right person and they know their stuff and they're gifted, and we and we have a ton of that. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:29.039 In fact, there's more female pastors, people there's more females in pastoral roles that we have, or at least as many as the men. 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:29.599 Right. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.799 So that is but that's us interpreting scripture. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:44.000 And I think that when you run into something difficult and hard, and and especially stuff that doesn't line up with our cultural values, ask yourself okay, I'm I'm gonna go through those filters. 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:44.880 I'm gonna be humble. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.759 I'm going to I'm gonna look at this. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:49.279 And it takes a little bit of work. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:50.640 Like that's what's hard about it. 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:52.079 In discussion, yeah. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:53.680 This isn't something you just like snap your. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.640 There's not like a uh an app that you just put an issue in and it's like and everyone agrees, yeah. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:01.680 And these are filters, by the way, that we've sort of developed over time. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.359 We feel really confident about them. 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:06.640 Maybe you've got different filters, but these for us seem to really hold up. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:07.119 Yeah. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:16.319 Um, and so you know, there's a lot of other issues, there's a lot of controversial issues that we as a church, like we don't agree with culture on. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:16.799 Right. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.640 And it's because it doesn't fit, it doesn't make it through those filters. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:20.880 Yeah. 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:28.880 And so we go, okay, well, this is where we stand on this, and it may not be a popular belief, but these are the filters that we go by, and yeah, we think that this is what what scripture points to. 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:34.480 So and that's all about that humble of like, are you willing to sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of truth? 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:37.759 Are you willing to sacrifice your own ideas for the sake of God's ideas? 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:45.839 And so I think that's what it most of it boils down to that, and then understanding the history, Jesus, and the the whole scripture is good. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:46.240 Cool. 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:46.640 All right. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:48.640 Well, that's gonna do it for this episode of Crash Course. 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:49.359 Thank you guys for listening. 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.359 I think this was like a super helpful thing to talk about. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:51.599 Yeah. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:58.559 Um, so you know, think through those filters and and you know, if there's other filters that you've learned or or someone's given you, then then that's fine. 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:08.640 I I I just think that it's gotta go with context, it's gotta go with the whole of scripture, it's gotta fit the person of Jesus because he is the he is like the the the hinge that everything swings on. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.480 And if you have that humble spirit, that humble attitude, um, then you're teachable. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:13.200 So cool. 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:14.400 Thanks, Madison, for being here. 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:15.200 Thank you guys for listening. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.240 We will see you soon.