In todays church culture there remains a fascination about the Holy Spirit. From traditional to the more charismatic, the church has long pondered over the identity, role and purpose of the Holy Ghost. What are we to make of the Holy Spirit? Are we to understand him as a ‘he’ or an ‘it’? A force or a thinking, responsible personality? Is he equal i…

Love it or struggle with it, research suggests that the Bible continues to be the world’s best-selling book, registering around 100 million copies sold every year! But what’s the attraction? For millennia people of all walks and persuasions have wrestled with the bibles’s reliability. Who wrote it? Why were some books included and others rejected? …

One of the key leaders of the Second Great Awakening in America, was the Presbyterian Charles Finney. It is no secret he grappled with the idea of sin. In one of his notes he wrote; “Moral depravity does not consist in nor imply a sinful nature” In contrast to Finney, Article 9 of the Church of England’s 39 Articles; ‘Of Original or Birth Sin’―iden…

Whether we understand it or not, statistically we live in a very religious-orientated world. Close to 85% of the global population, from around 188 countries, identifies with a religious group. This is close to 3.3 billion people (roughly 55%) of the world population. Of the 4,000 various religious groups, researchers often categorise them under fi…

Some years ago Time magazine featured a survey taken in the US in which 72% of the people believed in a literal heaven compared with 58% who believed in a literal hell. The most surprising statistic however was that of the 58% who believed in a literal hell, only 4% believed they were likely to go there. Heaven and hell have been topics of perennia…

It seems outside the walls of the church, the intuitive understanding held by many is that heaven is a place where good people go. People who have lived well, treated others fairly and tried loving and look after their family and friends. A place where, dare we say it, they deserve to go! But what is good? And how good do we need to be to possess a…

Prior to the Enlightenment science and religion were never seen to be in any conflict, if anything they complimented one another. In more recent times however, that has not been the case. With the surge of new atheism, many have come to the conclusion that there is little to no point at which the two meet, and especially in regards the question of …

In the current climate of controversial debate regarding the church's response to same sex relationships, the intuitive and considered compassionate response from traditional churches has become; 'We’re accepting but not affirming'. In this week's episode Theology for the Curious are in honest conversation with special guests Meka and George. Toget…

The intuitive reasoning amongst many in the church is that God longs to save you but will never violate your free will. As long as you resist and reject him, his hands are tied. He will always respect your free will. He has chosen to limited himself, only doing that which you freely allow him to do! This week Pete and the Curious team ask the quest…

Many people hold intuitively to an understanding that whoever you are, God loves you equally as much as he does every other human being. That divine love carries no distinction or particular preference. That he longs over every human, breaking his heart to help them if they would only just let him. But is that what the Bible really portrays? This w…

The new covenant was not simply another covenant in the line of covenants. The new covenant was not only the climatic and concluding covenant, but it was the culminating covenant toward which every other covenant, from the pre-creation covenant of redemption, through the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic; was foreshadowing and pointing.…

What is the covenant God made with David? How does it connect with that made to Abraham, to Adam? How does the events of 2 Samuel 7 connect in with Genesis 17:6? How did the kingly significance of David reflect the kingly office of Christ, and how does it speak into our understanding and daily lives as believers today? This week Pete and the Curiou…

Why was God’s covenant with Moses important? What did it tell us about ancient Near Eastern practices of suzerain and vassal nations? What does this covenant tell us of God’s character? And where does it fit into God’s developing purposes for his people? In this week’s episode Pete and the Curious team reflect on the mosaic covenant asking what rel…

Who was Abraham? Why did God single him out? What did the covenant mean to him? To his family? To the newly formed Israel? To the world? What significance did God’s covenant with Abraham bear on the overall biblical picture and on Jesus especially? What relevance was the particular promise of land and how ought we to understand that today? In this …

What was God saying through Noah, through the flood, and through the subsequent deliverance of Noah’s family and the animals? How did it parallel Eden and Adam? It what sense did the events around Noah and the flood mirror those around Adam and the garden? What significance does the events around the flood hold for us today? This week Pete and the …

What is the covenant of works? What really happened in the garden? What did God establish with Adam and Eve? Was there an agreement in place that would rebound to universal repercussions? How do we understand Adams actions? This week Pete and the Curious team take a look at the age old claim that God’s promise of life and His prohibition of eating …

What did Jesus mean in Luke 22:29 when he said; “and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me a kingdom”? What do we mean by covenant of redemption? Was there a plan made amongst the trinity prior to time and creation that would ultimately determine what was done in time and creation? Where in the bible does it speak of our salvation as a coven…

This week the Curious team begin a brand new series! We're investigating the covenant themes throughout the bible, otherwise known as covenant theology. What is a covenant? Why is it important? Why is it in the bible? What do covenants tell us about God? and about humankind? Stay tuned to unravel this incredibly interesting topic that is weaved thr…

What happens when we die? Where do we go, and for how long? What does the bible mean when it speaks of believers experiencing a sense of glorification? When does that happen and by what means? This week the Curious team unearth some of the biblical understanding of the afterlife. Facing up to such questions as; what happens when we die? Where do we…

When Jesus said of his church, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28); what level of assurance was he expecting us to live with? How safe is safe? This week the curious team examine the pro’s and con’s of the doctrine historically known as, ‘the final perseverance of the saint…

The need for and process of change, especially for the better, has become something of a universal fascination the world over. But when we speak about sanctification is that all we are really emphasising? Is sanctification nothing more than a theological word for ‘changing for the better’? Is faith a means of climbing the ladder of self-improvement…

What does the Bible have to say about sonship? What does it mean to be part of the family of God? What are the differences between general, national and particular sonship? What does the New Testament say about our being adopted? What does it say about our status before God? How does it affect our future? And what does it say about our ongoing rela…

What do we mean by justification? Why was it such a contentious issue in the reformation? Does justification put anything in us or does it simply declare something about us? Is justification a permanent thing or is it a gradual thing? Do we become something in justification or are we declared to be something? This week the curious team will take a …

When Jesus spoke of conversion as a ‘turning’ (Matt. 18:3), what was he implying? What does it mean to turn, change, convert? Is it turning over a new leaf, starting over, making new commitments or better decisions? How does conversion happen and why is it so fundamentally essential? This week the Curious team examine the place, nature and importan…

How do we consider faith? Is there a difference between general faith, believing faith, and in particular saving faith? How do we identify real faith from counterfeit? Does everybody have faith, and is it sufficient to transform their lives? This week the Curious team take a look at the understanding of faith. What is ‘saving’ faith? Is it somethin…

What do we mean by repentance? Is there a sorrow which doesn't save? Is there such a thing as sincere but counterfeit repentance? Why does our human nature find repentance so difficult? What does God need to do insider to bring us to a place of genuine, salfivic repentance? This week Pete and the Curious team will discuss the place and significance…

How irresistible is God's calling? What does it involved and how does it impact our lives? Why is it effectual? What does it say about each of us as individuals. What do we mean by having a natural ability without a moral ability? Why is calling more than simply God's invitation? In what way does it portray the power of God? This week the Curious t…

How do we understand regeneration? How much in our life experiences real change? How complete is that change? Why do some things feel as if they never change? What does the Bible mean by new birth? Is it more than simply turning over a new leaf or developing a fresh commitment? What is the New Testament idea of regeneration? This week the Curious t…

The Curious team preview their new upcoming series 'The Greatest Journey' - uncovering the elements of life's greatest journey, the journey of salvation. Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com Support us on Instagram @theologyforthecurious Find us on TikTok: @theologyforthecurious…

The return of Jesus is an understanding that has tested theological minds down through the centuries. Dividing thinkers in terms of premillennialists, dispensationalists, postmillennialists, and armillenialists. But what the Bible is never divisive or uncertain about, however, is the fact and surity of Jesus's return. In this week's episode, the Cu…

What do we mean by the two states of Jesus? How do we define both his humiliation and exaltation? What has the resurrection of Jesus got to say about the covenant promises of God? How is it relevant to our salvation? How does it impact the end times? and what does it say overall about the present and future government of God? The resurrection of Je…

In this episode the Curious team continue their examination and reflection on the atonement; with particular reference to what is understood as Christus Victor and Penal Substitutionary Atonement. They will take on the misunderstandings of both, outlining the place of the devil and the dark spiritual powers within the atonement, as well as the many…

From the atonement understanding of recapitulation propounded by Irenaeus the second century Bishop of Smyrna, to the theory of satisfaction expounded in the eleventh century by Anselm of Canterbury, the biblical understanding of atonement has not been without its fair share of exponents. In the ensuring years from Irenaeus, there has been theories…

What was the significance of death on a cross? Could Jesus have equally been stoned or beheaded? What does the New Testament mean when it speaks of Jesus “bearing our sins”? How are we to understand Jesus’s sense of dereliction on the cross as he cried; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—how could God have forsaken himself? Did a fracture …

What do we mean when we talk about the Kingly office of Jesus? How do we understand the authority and rule of Jesus? How is the resurrection connected to that? What does the governance of Jesus look like in our day-to-day living? How does his Kingly office relate to his prophetic and priestly office? This week Pete and the Curious team will take a …

What is meant by classifying Jesus as priest? Does he understand our shortcomings and problems? Is he still in touch with all the difficulties we experience? How is the idea of priesthood relevant to my life now and my continued daily walk in faith? This week Pete and the Curious team investigate the priestly office of Jesus. How it relates to the …

Is the teaching of Jesus only to be found in the gospels? What differentiated Jesus from the prophets? Why was his teaching so unique above that of any others? Why can we never simply take or leave Jesus’ teaching, what makes it so compelling? This week the Curious team will be reflecting on the teachings of Jesus. They will be broadening the net a…

Books have been written and lectures given in an attempt to describe just what exactly happened in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Some say that a boy named Jesus came into existence, but is that exactly true? Some say it was God becoming human, but did he? Some say Mary gave birth to a remarkable amalgamation of divine and human, really? Where others i…

What did Jesus mean when he said, “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58)? How was Jesus different to angels, divine beings, anointed prophets? Why did the Arian’s cause so much trouble back in the fourth century? And what did Athanasius insist upon that turned him into the worlds most wanted man at the time? This week Pete and the Curious Team…

The Curious team preview their new upcoming series 'The King' - looking at the nature and work of Jesus Christ. Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com Support us on Instagram @theologyforthecurious Find us on TikTok: @theologyforthecuriousOleh Pete Goulding

There are those who think that possessing faith is little more than wishful thinking. A nice, hopeful, positive thought to a reality very unlike what it represents. If wishful thinking amounts to little more than the imagining of unlikely events, of things that might possibly one day happen; thinking founded on no objective truth, historical accura…

How are we to understand the idea of a personified evil? Is the devil merely a principle of evil, an ideology, an historical manufactured being? Or is he something far more tangible and scarily realistic? In this episode the Curious team span through the medieval writings, from the hugely influential Dante’s Inferno from the twelfe century, to the …

What exactly is prayer and why is it so important? Is it really heard by a personal God, or is it simply some form of therapeutic exercise, a cathartic activity? And if God already knows what I am asking for, what is the point of praying for it? Equally so, does God need my prayers? Is his will and intentions frustrated if I forfeit praying? And wh…

With so much injustice in the world, coupled with the prevalence of crime and the ascendancy of war, how can we really speak of a God who is just and fair? Why do we suffer what feels like meaningless tragedy and pain? Why can’t God just do something to lessen its intensity or dominance? Fairness is a complex issue. Asking how we might define ‘fair…

As much as we would like, we cannot escape the negative press that emerges about the church. Time and again we read articles of adultery, abuse, embezzlement and so on. It leads many outside of the faith to condemn Christians as hypocrites! This week the Curious team will be trying to come to terms with the hypocritical aspect of Christianity. Who …

When we consider the rising tide of evil and destruction; the constant presence of wars, and pressures of crime, alongside the violence humanity inflicts on itself; is it only fair to ask, is God really in control? Wouldn't things be different if he was? And if he is not, then where does that leave us as a planet? In this episode the Curious team w…

How can a document that is thousands of years old, has been through countless translations, and carries some 400,000 variations, truly be trusted, let alone claimed to be the sacred, holy, infallible Word of God? In this episode Pete and the Curious team take a deep dive into the validity of the Bible. What does the history say? How did we get our …

What lies at the heart of the Christmas story? Who was Jesus? Was he the product of Joseph and Mary coming together or was he something far more profound? What do we really mean by incarnation? And how are we to understand Jesus as both God and man? In this festive episode, Pete and the Curious team ponder the message, the theology and the deeper, …

What is the church? Why is it important? Can you be a Christian and not go to church? What are the real benefits of being part of a church? Has Christianity always been intrinsically linked to church attendance? These are just some of the many questions that are asked whenever we think about the church. They are questions that come from either side…

How do we understand the term Christian? Does it relate to something that you believe strongly, or simply in living a good life? Is there an element of exclusivity about it? Or is it more true that everyone in one Way Or Another, is Christian? How does the church define what a Christian is? How does the secular culture define what a Christian is? I…