Power is powerful, and the world is intoxicated with it. And for no other reason than that, we must be terribly careful how we handle it. Turns out the struggle for power and misunderstanding the nature of God's Kingdom is something that's been going on since Jesus' time on earth. Join us as we continue our series on what it means to be a Christian dissident. Along the way, Pastor Chris also gave some examples of turning points in recent Christian history when believers were tempted to use the tactics and tools of the world to try and advance the Kingdom.

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Power is Powerful

What is soft totalitarianism? Dr. Ellen Koehler was in the studio to talk about an upcoming retreat, "Live Not By Lies," with author Rod Dreher, and gave some surprising insights into that intriguing question. Join us for a conversation about what it means to be a Christian dissident and how we can identify some of the ways that soft totalitarianism creeps into everyday life.

Soft Totalitarianism and Christian Dissidents

Worry will strangle you! Do you know about the roots of the word "worry"-- and did you know that there is a biblical antidote? Join biblical prayer counselor Brenda Zamorano and Pastor Chris as they have a conversation about the strangling effects of worry in our lives.

The Antidote to Worry

On this Sunday we explore James 5:13-20 where we are instructed to participate actively in prayer, praise, accountability and fellowship. But… fear, worry and the chaos of life often disrupt our ability to stay in this zone. Thankfully, the Bible provides practical “spiritual life hacks” that enable us consistently to be salt and light to a broken world.

4 Biblical Hacks to Stay in the James 5 Zone

In this final installment of a series, Pastor Chris walked the congregation through a focused, intentional time of naming and getting rid of fears. The congregation had a special guided litany, a supplement to their morning worship liturgy, that we want to make available to you, too. Take some time to listen to the first three in the series of fear sermons, then use this podcast recording to confess and get rid of your own fears. Here is the print-ready booklet version of the litany (Print front and back and use landscape setting). And here is a one-page-at-a-time view (use portrait setting).

Letting Fears Go

Biblical Prayer Counselor Brenda Zamorano was the guest on this edition of Ancient-Future Faith to talk about fears. What are you afraid of? And where does fear come from, anyway? Join Brenda and Pastor Chris as they talk about the Goliaths that we all face and how to kill them-- all with the help of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Declaring War on Fear

Part three of our short series on fear took a close look at Sarai and Abram. Is it possible that fear can sometimes mask itself as righteous? It is possible that we can do something, or approach something, in a way that seems noble but that is actually fear-based or fearful. Join Pastor Chris for a lesson from the life of Sarai.

Fear Masking as Righteousness

We continued a biblical look at fear with a short survey of a rightly-ordered fear of God-- then contrasted it with the upside-down bad kind of fear. Where does fear first show up in the Bible? And just what was on the minds of the prophet Isaiah, and then Jesus, when they were looking into the future at the new heavens and new earth. It's encouraging! Join us.

Where Fear First Shows Up

Pastor Chris began a series of sermons focusing on fear with a close look at a pivotal moment in the story of the Children of Israel. Along the way, we discovered six things about fear: it begins subtly, it can seem reasonable, it is contagious and lies, it divides, it spreads and can become hysterical, and it has consequences. We ended ended our time with a reading from the Passion translation of Psalm 91.

Fear: Six Things to Know about Fear

A close look at the armor of God helped us finish up our series comparing present day philosophies and movements with Scripture. In this final installment, we examined each piece of armor along with Paul's ultimate admonition to stand. What might Ephesians 6 have to say to Critical theory, intersectionality, or social justice?

Critical Theory and Scripture, Part 4: Put on Christ and Stand

Pastor Chris continued his comparison of philosophies and movements of our present day with Scripture. In this sermon, we look at a component of Critical Theory called Intersectionality and examine its definitions of wisdom and knowledge. Along the way we also looked at the metanarrative that Intersectionality offers in comparison to the big story of God.

Critical Theory and Scripture, Part 3: Wisdom and Knowledge

Cornel Mich was back with us for this edition of Ancient-Future Faith. Cornel, a former Christian dissident in Romania, talked with us about how everything went so badly in that country-- how it all got started-- and along the way talked about his friend and former Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs and about whom the movie "Tortured for Christ" was made.

A Conversation with Cornel Mich: How Things Got Started

Pastor Chris continued his comparison of philosophies and movements of our present day with Scripture. In this sermon, we look again at Critical Theory and its consequences for the definition of terms, even truth itself, and it's compatibility with Kingdom values. What is truth? And where does it come from? Pilate once asked Jesus about truth, and what the Roman leader did afterward is a picture of where we are today.

Critical Theory and Scripture, Part 2: What is Truth?

Dr. Dianne Collard was back in the Ancient-Future Faith studio to talk about her latest missional efforts with art and artists. Join us for a wonderful conversation about what makes us creative, how the arts are making a comeback in the church, and what it's like to minister to and with artists.

Artists Leaving a Part of Themselves Behind…

Pastor Chris began a comparison of philosophies and movements of our present day with Scripture. In this sermon, we lay a foundational look  at Critical Theory and its basic incompatibility with Scripture and Kingdom values. Division is the primary topic, but along the way we also looked at the person and work of our ancient adversary, Satan.

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