Luke 1: Zechariah, Gabriel, and why Mary wasn't silenced
- Why was Zechariah silenced for doubting when Mary asked basically the same question?
A host reads Luke 1:5-20 aloud — Zechariah chosen by lot to burn incense, Gabriel's announcement of John's birth, and Zechariah struck mute for doubting. Discussion: was Zechariah's doubt a faith lapse or a reasonable reaction? Why was Mary, who asked basically the same question, not silenced? Takes include God's sovereignty across forty years of temple lots, Herod rebuilding the temple Malachi pointed to, John being set up as a big deal precisely so he can point to Someone bigger, and the humor of a mute 75-year-old convincing his wife she's pregnant.
More on Doubt
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Midlife-crisis faith questions: when suffering gets close to home
- Which of God's promises can I count on as mine when people are free to refuse them?
The hosts name the first cluster of midlife-crisis faith questions: when the broken world's weight lands close to home, believers ask whether God is really good even when they cannot see it.
From No. 556 · A Christian Mid-Life Crisis
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Why people ditch God
- Why do people ditch God?
Reading a Christian Post article by Robin P. Shoemaker, the hosts work through three reasons people leave faith: bad events that wreck a life, bad representatives of the faith, and bad morals that collide with sexual freedom.
From No. 505 · Because of Fussy and Fuzzy
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Don't take macro action based on micro analysis
- Am I taking macro action based on micro analysis?
A host introduces his principle — 'don't take macro action based upon micro analysis,' or 'don't take broad action based upon narrow analysis' — and the room tests it across examples.
From No. 450 · Good News of Narrow Focus
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What would it take for you to stop believing Christianity?
- What would it take for you to think that Christianity wasn't true?
A host poses the question directly: 'Dan, what would it take for you to think that Christianity wasn't true?'