Switching Lenses Podcast

We conclude our series on forgiveness by looking at our desperate need for forgiveness in these times of tension we find ourselves in. What is the inevitable outcome of the cancel culture? Why do you think so many people today generate so much hostility towards people who think differently? We close out the episode talking about radical forgiveness and the impact it can have on the wrongdoer. 

 

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

We continue our discussion on how the Bible lays out forgiveness and what it asks of us. We begin my addressing some of the misconceptions of forgiveness. Should we be a "doormat" and let people walk all over us? What about the saying, "Forgive and forget"? Is reconciliation required for forgiveness to take place? We respond to all of these questions and more as we unpack what true, life-bringing forgiveness looks like.

 

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Mental Health America (MHA) from Pexels

Forgiveness doesn’t seem to come naturally to us. It can often seem like a challenge. Much like us, in the Bible Simon Peter thought of himself has a very forgiving person but Jesus was soon to correct him. Jesus proceeded to tell a parable that showed how humans can have a very illogical bitterness when wronged and then showed what true forgiveness looked like. He showed this level of forgiveness with a subtle reference to a little known passage in the Hebrew Bible.

But what about "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"? Why did Moses command this if we are to forgive? In this episode we discuss how Jesus taught us to forgive people, what that would look like, and the challenges associated it with it.

 

 

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

 

 

Episode Outline

1. Matthew 18:21-35 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+18&version=esv
   1. Peter seems to be coming off as “extremely forgiving” by asking if he should forgive 7 times.
   2. In typical Jesus fashion he challenges our assumptions by saying “not 7 times but 77 times.”
      1. The 77 times only appears in one other place in the Bible and that is during a poem from Lamech back in Genesis 4:23
         1. Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24 If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”
   3. Jesus tells the story about a king and his servant
   4. After the servant goes after his fellow servant he throws him in jail until he can pay back the debt
      1. How is he going to pay back the debt in jail?
      2. Therefore, what is the purpose of putting him in jail? Does this reflect the kind of response we see today when people are wronged?

(music break)

1. How should we handle situations where people wrong us?
   1. Some would say “What about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?
   2. Jesus shows us in the passage right above this one in verse 15

Many have been stunned by the findings of the investigation into the sexual assault claims made against Ravi Zacharias. We are left asking so many questions. In this episode we address some of the tough questions people are asking like "Should we read his books or listen to his old sermons?" Can we compare Ravi to David in the Bible and simply view him as just a fallen human? What level of trust can we place on evangelists, pastors, and other ministry leaders?

 

Find all episodes at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Alex Green from Pexels

We begin a new series called "The Profundity of Forgiveness" that flows from our previous series on justice. In this first episode we start by looking at unforgiveness. It might seem natural since forgiveness can seem illogical or irrational if self-preservation is the ultimate ethic. But does living in unforgiveness resolve or restore what was lost? What are the effects of unforgiveness on a person and on a society? 

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Evelyn Chong from Pexels

In part 4 of our series of "Defining Justice in a Fragile Society," we continue discussing the applications and conclusions of Biblical justice within the our current circumstances. What role must mercy and forgiveness play in order to justice that is righteous. What should be our attitude towards the marginalized and how do we identify them?

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Maurício Mascaro from Pexels

In part 3 of our series of "Defining Justice in a Fragile Society," we begin to describe and analyze the problems related to recent events involving claims of injustice. How do we recognize when injustices are taking place and how should we react when they do? How do we approach the system of law of enforcement we have in the US and objectively critique it devoid of any bias. 

All episodes can be found at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels

In the previous episode we established that the natural world is devoid of any justice and if we are looking for justice we are forced to look beyond the natural world and humanity. In this episode we take a look at what the Bible says about justice. The Hebrew word "mishpat" is translated as "justice" in English but it seems to go much further than our English understanding. It demands much more of us. 

All episodes can be found at switchinglensespodcast.com

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Sarwer e Kainat Welfare from Pexels

We are starting a brand new series called "Defining Justice in a Fragile Society." It not difficult to look out into the cultural and political landscape and see people making claims of injustice left and right. In this series we want to peel back the surface of these tensions and get to the heart of the matter and define the word "justice." In this first episode we want to take the natural world outside of humanity and see if there are any clues or any guidance that would lead us to defining what justice looks like and how to apply it.

 

All episodes found at switchinglensespodcast.com

Music produced by Brian Buchanan

Episode Image by Pixabay

In the final episode of the "Avoiding the Significant" series we hold culture under the microscope to observe its part in avoiding conversations and ideas of utmost importance. What kind of movements are we seeing that keep people at a distance from the God who desires them? How can we navigate through life with these kinds of ideas and influences right at our doorstep? You can find all episodes at www.switchinglensespodcast.com

 

Music by Brian Buchanan

Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels