Forging Ploughshares

The Cosmic Trial in John and the Confrontation with Evil

Jim, Matt, David, Janice and Paul discuss the trial motif in the Gospel of John and the trial of Jesus as it directly confronts the problem of evil. The focus of discussion becomes the question of the nature of evil and its defeat in Christ.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

Sermon: The Lost World of Origen’s Gospel Metaphysics

Paul Axton preaches - Origen, following Paul, held that the relation between the Father and the Son found in the incarnation is the eternal truth about God and creation. There is no other biography of God than that found in Jesus Christ, yet this simple Gospel understanding has been obscured in part due to the condemnation of Origen's development of it. 

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

The Cosmic Trial and Universal Redemption

Matthew, Jim, Brian, Matt, Tim, Janice, and Paul, consider the book of John in terms of a cosmic trial in which Judas and all who hand Jesus over are witnesses for the prosecution and Jesus and all those who witness on his behalf throughout the book are witnesses for the defense. The verdict has cosmic implications.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

Sermon: Recapitulation: The Hermeneutic that Saves

Paul Axton preaches - Paul, in Ephesians, says all things are summed up in Christ. This doctrine of summing up or recapitulation, according to the church father Irenaeus, is at once the salvation and hermeneutic that constitutes the Gospel. 

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

An Apocalyptic Reordering: Life Displacing Death

Jim, Matt, and Paul discuss the apocalyptic shift of Christ as truth and life. The tomb of Christ becomes the true ark of the covenant collapsing hades and sheol. The lamb who takes away the sin of the world, John's theological summary, is focused on the power of life as inherently defeating death, and this is the meaning of the two goats of the day of atonement.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

Sermon: Who Do You Say That I Am?

Paul Axton preaches - The identity of Christ (the Gospel), is inclusive of the presence of Christ in the one answering the question of identity. The identity of Christ is the primary authority, not the authority of history, Scripture, or Church, which derive their authority in his identity. Like early heresies, missing the identity of Christ, is to miss his presence in the inner person answering the question.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

The Experience of Abiding in Christ

Matt, Brian, Jim, Janice and Paul discuss our after death experiences and the experience of abiding in the peace and presence of Christ, and how this ties in to the doctrine of salvation in John, and the picture of Christ as true Temple and true abiding place.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

John’s Theology of Salvation: The Fusion of Passover with Atonement

Tim, Matthew, Janice, Brian, Matt, and Paul discuss John the Baptists phrase "Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" as an interpretive frame for understanding the nature of salvation, the meaning of the cross, and the problem of darkness as presented in John's Gospel.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

Sermon: The Analogy of Faith as a Rule of Peace

Paul Axton preaches - The rule of faith refers to apostolic authority, the canon or rule determining scripture, the rule which the apostles applied to one another and the Hebrew Scriptures, and the ethic and mindset the Christian. The Christian is to put on as the mind of Christ and the mode and goal of this rule or mindset is peace - the unity of the faith.

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.

The Scandal of the Cross as Hermeneutic Key

Mathew, Jim, David, Matt, Brian, and Paul examine how the Jewish and Greek worldview and sensibility is undone in the crucifixion of Christ. The return to a premodern understanding allows for Christ as foundation. Specifically, crucifixion was the destiny of Haman, the curse of the wicked, the annihilation of personhood and Christ's crucifixion and harrowing of hell empties out Jewish and Greek absolutes and establishes an alternative frame of understanding (escaping the modern dilemma).

Become a Patron!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider donating to support our work.