After a short break due to a mission trip we are back with our discussion on Soteriology! It is important to the discussion of such a dense theological subject to know and have a working understanding of the terminology that surrounds the myriad of dynamics within this domain. Therefore, we spend today's discussion going through the foundational nomenclature that will be exhausted throughout the rest of our study of this important theological concept.

Due to this past weekend's world events our discussion has shifted to the world around us rather than soteriology. In today's MMCS, we discussed the Administrations decision to cancel its contract with Anthropic over AI programming and guardrails. We then move on to the discussion of the global geo-political stage and the current military conflict with Iran. Enjoy!

The statement to “walk by faith” is not born from a vacuum but is instead the fingerprint of a faith that is informed by the nature and character of God. Our faith is informed not ignorant.

In this introductory episode to our new subject, soteriology, we examine the breadth and depth of the theology that seeks to understand the purpose, mechanics, and necessity of our salvation. We begin our conversation today with examination of a classical philosophical problem in theology: "theodicy" or the problem of evil. We examine the ultimate, proximal, and effective causes of evil which brings us to some uncomfortable conclusions.

We are very tempted to define our life by what is immediately present and right in front of us. This approach to how we live produces instability, fatigue, and has the propensity to introduce habits into our life that are exceptionally hard to reprogram. Christians are called to set our eyes not on the conditions of this present life but to, “walk by faith,” with our worldview, purpose, and priorities defined by eternity.

It is easy to be a Christian when everything is great, it is easy to worship when we have no opposition, it is easy to give in abundance, and it is easy to be obedient when it costs us nothing; but how do we practice our faith in the face of adversity and loss? Paul challenges the Corinthians, and us, to decide now whom we will serve!

In this final episode on demonology we discuss the establishment of exorcism rites in the Catholic Church starting from 1615. We examine its development and evolution to the final rite published in 1999.

Our next topic of study for Monday Morning Coffee Study will be "Soteriology" or the theology of salvation. We will examine the theology, mechanics, and answer some of the hard questions surrounding our beliefs of salvation.

Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t easy; in fact, the consistent testimony of Scripture is that when we say “yes” to Jesus we also invite struggle into our lives because we are no longer a part of the world. The hard part for us is not enduring or overcoming, that is a gift of the mercy of God; no, the hard part is resolving that we will be ALL IN through EVERYTHING…even when it will cost us dearly!