The Dialog

In 1979, a sightseeing flight from New Zealand to Antarctica flew into Mount Erebus, an active volcano. The flight's coordinates had been changed by two degrees. Everyone on board died.

One or two degrees doesn't feel like much at the start. Over a long enough distance, it puts you into a mountain. I think tradition works the same way. It's always one or two degrees off truth.

My co-host Nick Surface and I ask what church should be. God gave the Levites an exact blueprint. For the New Testament church, He gave a mission and left the method to us.

How does an opinion become dogma?
The Greek word δόγμα (dógma) means that which seems good, an opinion. Things start as δόξα (dóxa): what appears right. The trouble starts when everyone after says "this is the way it always has to be done."

Should Christians call out other churches online?
When Paul wrote about false teachers, he knew them. They were in the congregations. When I judge another church's motives from a distance, I'm saying I'm better than you.

Is deconstruction the answer?
A lot of deconstruction just replaces one dogma with another. G.K. Chesterton: don't take down a fence until you know why someone built it.

What's the one essential?
The Great Commission. Are we discipling people? Be a Berean: weigh everything you're told about God against His word.

Scriptures
1 Peter 2:11-15 · Mark 7:6-13 · Matthew 28:19-20 · John 9:6 · John 12:4-6 · Romans 9:20-21 · Romans 13:1 · Acts 17:11

Chapters
0:00 Cold open and show intro
0:52 Bible college in England and house churches
3:38 Constantine, Nicaea and the Catholic Church
5:26 Three church governance models
6:21 Where did the idea of a pope come from?
12:54 "Only as valuable as the price paid to form it"
14:48 The Levites got a blueprint. The church didn't
15:33 Christians slamming churches in the comments
16:48 The industry of calling out false prophets
19:01 The clay and the potter
21:04 Why would God allow evil leaders?
24:44 1 Peter 2: submit to every human institution
26:27 What is dogma?
28:25 Why this is The Dialog, not The Debate
28:58 How doxa becomes dogma
31:19 Deconstruction swaps one dogma for another
33:59 "That's exactly what Judas said"
36:36 Jesus, mud and the Sabbath
39:02 Mark 7: tradition above God's commands
39:38 One degree off course
42:05 The 1979 Mount Erebus disaster
44:06 Tradition is one or two degrees off truth
45:40 Be a Berean
47:29 The megachurch model as the new tradition
49:55 Chesterton's fence
50:36 What's essential? The Great Commission
52:07 Why small groups often miss on discipleship
56:00 Building a church that aligns with truth

Previous: 1.11 / Should Christians believe in Santa? The real St. Nicholas
Next: 1.13 / Judge the fruit, not the motive

New episodes most weeks.
Follow Nick on IG / https://www.instagram.com/nicksurface1/
Follow me on IG / https://www.instagram.com/joshuakcraft/
Go to my website / https://jkc.is

What is The Dialog?

Ancient philosophers used the dialog to find answers to life’s greatest questions. The Dialog is a search for truth in modern life through the lens of ancient philosophy, history, and theology. This podcast will challenge your assumptions, change your thinking and show you how to master modern living.