Where Coffee, Conversation, and Theology Meet. During my 40 years in ministry, I’ve developed an increasing burden for what I sense to be an increase in biblical illiteracy, not only among those in our churches, but also in the young men and women entering the ministry. Conversely, I am hopeful, because I also sense a hunger from people to learn and know biblical truth and the things of God has revealed to us in Scripture. Our Kitchen Table Theology team has developed a list of over 150…
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297 Bonus Quiz: How Well Do You Know The Bible?
What does it mean to say that God is the author of Scripture? Did He dictate every word? Can new books ever be added to Scripture? Ready to test how well you know the Bible? In this bonus throwback episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton put their knowledge to the test with a 12-question true-or-false quiz on the doctrine of Scripture. Listen along, keep track of your score and let’s see how many you…
Did church leaders decide which books belong in the Bible, or did they simply recognize what God had already inspired? Tiffany and Pastor Jeff explore how the 66 books of the Bible became recognized as Scripture. They explain what the biblical canon is, the principles the early church used to identify inspired writings, and why church councils didn’t create the Bible. They address common claims…
295 How We Got Our Bible: God's Word Through Human Hands
The Bible contains 66 books written by around 40 authors across 1,500 years, yet it tells one unified story centered on Jesus Christ. Tiffany and Pastor Jeff explore how God inspired human authors to write Scripture and how the early church recognized which books belonged in the biblical canon. They address the “lost books” of the Bible, explain how Scripture was faithfully preserved, and show why…
294 How We Got Here...And Where We're Going Next
Through our study of the Patristic Period, we’ve seen how the earliest Christians followed Jesus, defended the truth, structured the church, and lived out Scripture. Tiffany and Pastor Jeff reflect on the most important themes from the historical theology series and how the faith of the early church continues to speak to Christians today. They also introduce the questions that will guide the next…
293 The Letter to Diognetus: Explaining Christianity to the Roman World
The Roman world couldn’t figure Christians out. They weren’t pagans, they weren’t exactly Jews, and although they lived ordinary lives, there was something remarkably different about them. So, who were these early Christians, and what did they actually believe? In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston discuss the Letter to Diognetus, one of the earliest Christian writings addressed…
292 The Shepherd of Hermas: Wisdom, Warnings, and a Window into the Early Church
How should Christians approach an early church writing that is valuable, influential, and sometimes theologically troubling? The Shepherd of Hermas was one of the most widely read Christian writings of the 2nd century. Through visions, commandments, and parables, it called believers to repentance, holiness, generosity, and faithfulness in a culture that often pulled them in the opposite direction.…
291 The Patristic Period | Papias of Hieropolis: Lost Writings, Living Voice
When you think about what you believe as a Christian… where did those beliefs come from? For many, the trail leads back to the apostles, the earliest followers of Jesus, and church leaders like Papias of Hierapolis. Papias was connected to the Apostle John, knew Polycarp, and helped preserve early Christian teaching during the generation after the apostles. Though most of his writings have been…
290 The Patristic Period | The Epistle of Barnabas: Seeing Jesus in All of Scripture
The Epistle of Barnabas is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, offering a glimpse into how believers shortly after the apostolic age understood Scripture, Jesus, and the Christian life. In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany explore what the Epistle of Barnabas is and why the early church valued this document without recognizing it as…
289 The Patristic Period | Polycarp of Smyrna: Faithful Unto Death
Polycarp lived at a time when the early church was facing pressure from Rome, false teaching from within, and the growing challenge of preserving the message handed down by the apostles. In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany look at the life of Polycarp of Smyrna, one of the Apostolic Fathers and a direct link to the Apostle John. They discuss his role as bishop of…
288 The Patristic Period | Irenaeus: Guarding the Gospel
Irenaeus lived at a time when the church was being attacked from the outside by persecution and from the inside by false teaching. In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology , Pastor Jeff and Tiffany look at the life of Irenaeus, one of the early church’s most important defenders of the gospel. Connected closely to the apostles through Polycarp, Irenaeus helped preserve apostolic teaching, confront…