Dear LFTP: 'Dr. Last Name' and more Jesus, less church
- An executive corrected my 'Mr. Last Name' to 'Dr. Last Name or, more correctly, Professor Last Name' — is that really a big deal?
A second Dear Live from the Path letter: an administrative assistant addressed a partial company owner as 'Mr. Last Name' and was corrected to 'Dr. Last Name or, more correctly, Professor Last Name.' The hosts debate whether the correction was a joke or arrogance, riff on titles (would Dan go by 'Reverend Dan Hudson'? honorary doctorates from the show), and land on giving the man no more of their time. The discussion detours into a Catholic Church revamp story ('more Jesus, less church'), denominational fragmentation, and Saved on Sunday Ministries' cross-denominational vision of the church working as one body under the tent.
More on Humility
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The New Testament case for human shaping
- What does the New Testament actually say about spiritual authority and submission?
Ben walks the New Testament texts: Hebrews 13:17 ('obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls') presumes a soul-watching laborer, not a rule-maker;…
From No. 600 · Rage The Elephant
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How to tell your voice from God's: the Bible test and leniency
- How can you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking?
Ella distills the question: how do you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking? Her first answer: we have a Bible — what God is telling you is probably already in it ('Ben's gonna have a proud papa moment').
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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Evaluating the event: Elijah, Josiah, the sign of Jonah, the donuts test
- How do we tell whether a church element has become the thing itself rather than pointing to Jesus?
The hosts work through evaluation tools for curated experiences: Elijah didn't ask God to repeat the fire, and Jesus refused to repeat signs for the Pharisees ('you get the sign…
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Dear LFTP: the untidy grandchildren's home
- How can I tell my son's family that visiting their untidy home increases my anxiety without offending them?
Mike reads a letter from a grandmother anxious about her son's untidy home; the hosts diagnose persnickety-vs-oblivious wiring (Ben's sock-on-the-floor example, Martha), advise…
From No. 589 · There Must Be A Reason