Q: My husband and I are looking at the option of IVF in our fertility journey. Do you think that there is a biblical way to go about this process? Summary In this conversation, Dr. E and Hanna discuss the emotional and ethical complexities of infertility, focusing on whether there is a biblical way to go about IVF. They explore key questions couple…

Q: In regards to the Lord’s Supper, can you explain 1 Corinthians 10:14-17? That text has always been a conundrum for me. Summary In this conversation, Dr. E and Hanna address a question regarding the Lord's Supper, specifically focusing on 1 Corinthians 10:14-17. They explore the complexities of the passage, emphasizing the importance of understan…

Q: How did Pharaoh know to use his magicians and dark arts when Moses was coming to meet with him? Moses was basically dealing with “hostage“ negotiations to let the Israelites go free— seems like it would be a matter of negotiating terms rather than conjuring up the dark arts? Since the Old Testament is a foreshadow of things now, do you think tha…

Q: Growing up in the 80s and 90s, having Christian ideals was about as common as speaking English. Sunday lessons were “winsome”, and friends I invited usually came back. I never felt at odds with society, ever. It was much easier to be a Christian, even when a few disagreed. Those Sundays, Wednesday night bible studies, and church camps had a last…

Q: Dear Dr. E, I have often wondered about the meaning of Jesus’ parable in Luke 16:1-8, the shrewd manager. Can you explain? Summary In this conversation, Dr. E and Hanna discuss the parable of the shrewd manager from Luke 16, exploring its context, the actions of the characters, and the lessons it imparts about shrewdness and stewardship. Dr. E e…

Q: Are gifts of the Spirit as detailed in 1st Corinthians, chapters 11-13 still applicable or are they no longer relevant/needed in this day and age? Summary In this conversation, Dr. Michael Easley and Hanna Seymour discuss the relevance of spiritual gifts as outlined in 1 Corinthians, emphasizing their purpose and application in today's church. H…

Q: I am a minister of music, and I've been reading through the Pentateuch to study the foundations of the Israelites' worship... and I've hit a theme I'm curious about, application-wise, for the church today. In Deut. 7:25–26, God orders the pre-conquest Israelites to completely destroy the idols of the pagans when they overtake their cities, sayin…

Q: Hello Dr. E. I've always been taught that if you have professed your faith in Christ you could participate in the communion. But recently our pastor is preaching that we have to be baptized in order to participate in the communion! Summary In this episode, Dr. Michael explores the significance of understanding the gospel, the implications of age…

Q: Hello Dr. E. I've always been taught that if you have professed your faith in Christ you could participate in the communion. But recently our pastor is preaching that we have to be baptized in order to participate in the communion! Summary Dr. Michael Easley explores the complexities of baptism and communion in the church, focusing on the debate…

Q: I am studying to teach Matthew 14 and wanted to see if you could help me with this question: Was Herod Antipas (who had John the Baptist beheaded) Jewish? One of my commentaries said he was, but I'm not convinced. Please help! Summary Dr. Michael Easley delves into the complex legacy of Herod the Great and his son, Herod Antipas, particularly in…

Q: Who is the gatekeeper in John 10:3 who opens the gate for the Shepherd and sheep? Takeaways The identity of the gatekeeper in John 10:3 is uncertain. Parables serve as memorable teaching tools. Cultural context is crucial for understanding parables. Many modern interpretations miss key cultural insights. The good shepherd is a protective and gui…

Q: My Bible says that John 7:53 - 8:11 isn't found in the earliest manuscripts, so why are we including this in the Bible that we say is the inerrant word of God? Takeaways Inerrancy is a complex issue, focusing on original autographs. Manuscript evidence is abundant but requires careful analysis. Textual criticism helps us understand variations in…

Q: Hi Dr. Easley! I just don’t know which Bible translations to trust. I know reading your Bible is a vital part of having a relationship with God, but I don’t know if the version I have been reading is the most accurate, and I worry that I’ve been taking verses out of context my whole life. Takeaways Translations vary, but the core message remains…

Q: Was the garden of Eden really “perfect”? I read this in some bible study notes recently: When the first man and woman disobeyed God, sin disrupted God’s perfect creation. But was it perfect? Satan was in the garden. How can that be perfect? Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected].…

Q: When God so loved the world, why would He take the offering of His Son on earth with such a horrific suffering and death? I understand it is the ultimate to sacrifice the offering of something so valuable to show that love, but still it is conflicting. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected].…

Q: A friend of mine and I were talking about discipleship. She said that the scripture never uses the word. The only mention is as a noun: disciples. She said that churches don’t really need to disciple Christians because we can read the Bible and God will guide us on our own. Can you talk about this? My opinion is that new Christians SHOULD be dis…

Q: Hi Dr. Easley! I listen to your show each week with my mom. I am a 19 year old freshman in college. My question is does the bride have to take the husband's last name according to the Bible? What is the significance of the husband's last name and not the bride's last name? I look forward to hearing your response! Call or text us your question at…

Q: Hi Dr. E! During communion, does the bread and wine change into Christ’s body and blood? If not, why do Catholics believe that? Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Q: My 7 year old son wants to be baptized. How do I know he’s ready? Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Dr. E responds to a recent comment made by Pope Francis. On Sept 13 Pope Francis to students in Singapore at an interreligious meeting at Singapore's Catholic Junior College said, "God is God for all, and if God is God for all," he said, "then we are all sons and daughters of God. All religions are paths to reach God," said Pope Francis. "They are—…

Full Question: Hey Hanna and Dr. E. I love your podcast. I have a quick question. Do we pray to God, do we pray to Jesus, or do we pray to both? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: My name is Samuel and I’m taking an evangelism class. One of our assignments was to role-play a believer and unbeliever with someone. I was playing the believer, and the lady playing the unbeliever asked me, ‘What does it mean that Jesus is the Lord of your life?’ I didn’t know how to explain that without using ‘Christianese’ like ‘g…

Full Question: Acts 15:5 says: “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” Since these ‘believers’ thought that salvation came by faith in Christ plus being circumcised and following the Law, were they really saved? To read the show…

Full Question: How is it possible to lie to the Holy Spirit? Are true believers even capable of this? What does scripture say about it? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: What do you think about Christian families raising their kids to believe in Santa? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: I’ve started studying the temptation of Christ, focusing on the Scripture Jesus uses to rebuke Satan. The first verse, from Deuteronomy 8:3, was longer than I expected and includes more than just the reference to bread. However, I’m really stuck on the second verse Jesus quotes: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shal…

Full Question: Deuteronomy 17 mentions not taking many wives so we are not led astray. Where does it direct to have just one wife? It seems in the Old Testament that men are allowed to have more than one wife but women must be monogamous. To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at question@michaeli…

Full Question: I have chronic pain from chemotherapy damage to my nerves. Is there one thing that you learned in your three-year study of Job that helped you with chronic pain? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected].…

Full Question: Was Mordecai “out of the will of God?” In a current study of Esther, one commentary described Mordecai as ‘out of the will of God’ because he stayed behind in Babylon. I have never heard this take on the uncle/cousin of Esther. Your thoughts, Dr. E? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or …

Full Question: Who are you voting for and how should Christians vote? What does the Bible tell us about making wise political decisions? Links Mentioned: Dr. Jeff Myers on inContext Jason Yates on inContext Dr. Cal Beisner on inContext David Closson on inContext Dr. Brian Baugus on inContext To read the show notes, click here.…

Full Question: Should Christians participate in Halloween? Are we making a big deal out of nothing or are we engaging something that is evil? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: Messianic Judaism puzzles me. You have Jewish religion, you have Christianity, then you have something created in between the two in the 1960’s with that said is messianic Judaism a valid thing--this is all weird to me. Didn’t all the apostles that were Jews convert to Christianity (believers in Christ)? Am I right in saying that the…

Full Question: A work colleague of mine, and Church of Christ preacher on the side, often debate theology. The biggest debate topic is the idea of that musical instruments do not belong in the church; a well known tenant of the Church of Christ. I ask him what about David and his harp? And he quotes Amos 6:4-7. He says there is no mention of instru…

Full Question: I am currently reading through Judges and came across the passage in 9:23 “Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem, dealt treacherously with Abimelech,” Since we have all sinned in the sight of God and are deserving of punishment, does this verse give credence to people who believ…

Full Question: Was Simon the magician in Acts 8 saved or was his faith fake? Can we know for sure? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: When reading about “the new heavens and a new earth,” in Isaiah 65:17-25, I read, in verse 20, about the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.” I wonder if this is support for the idea of a millennial kingdom, or does this refer to some other time? Bec…

Full question: I send out a weekly email with 1 Bible verse, 1 quote, 1 question each week…. Recently I sent out an email that included Mark 1:35 and I wrote a little commentary that said: If the God-man (remember He was FULLY God and also fully man) needed to get up early in the morning, get away from all the people, and spend time in the presence…

Full Question: How do I know that I love God? I read the Bible daily, I pray, practice spiritual disciplines, do all the things a Christian “should do” but how do I know that I really love God and am not just doing all those things because I know I’m supposed to or because I’m trying to earn His favor? To read the show notes, click here. Call or te…

Full Question: What form is God the Father? If Jesus is the bodily man form, the Spirit is the spirit form, what is God the Father’s? Does He also have a body? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Question: A friend of mine went out with a guy who believes that books like the book of Enoch and the suffering of Moses should be read along with the scripture and thus be treated as inerrant. Is this a new thing or have people always tried to include these books in scripture? Obviously in Catholicism they add books to the bible, so I’m guess…

Full Question: Michael, thanks for doing everything you do. Was curious to get your thoughts on AI. I’ve used Chat GPT and it’s almost like having a smart personal assistant. It’s also terrifying. I also see trailers for movies about robots taking over the world and it’s like... the warning signs are there - what are we thinking by moving forward e…

Full question: Can Satan and the demonic forces read our minds/hear our thoughts or are they limited to what we speak and do? I cannot find definitive evidence one way or the other in the Bible... So naturally I’ve heard teaching in churches leaning on both sides. To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or …

Full Question: I have always understood that, since God loves us, He gives us free will to choose Him or not choose Him. For those of us that go to heaven, will we still have free will there? If yes, what happens if, over trillions of years, someone decides to reject Him? If not, what is the nature of God in heaven? To read the show notes, click he…

Full Question: I have several friends who are gay and profess to be Christians. How does that work? How do I ask them, or do I ask them, how they reconcile being gay and Christian with the Bible? Can someone be gay and be a Christian? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at question@michaelincon…

Full Question: Can you discuss the revival issue? I’ve just seen it happening even in the small town I live in, to kids I know and love, and I have no clue how to approach it (and them) with love. Ultimately, Biblical revival is shown over time by the fruit it bears (if any), yet this generation seems obsessed with pop culture/IG/Tik Tok ‘theology’…

Full Question: Do you believe you go to heaven after you die? I’m just curious. I noticed you have been using “new heaven and new Earth” and such and I was just curious if you believe you go to heaven right after you die. To read the show notes, click here.By Michael Easley

Full Question: My question is about ghosts. In Luke 24, Jesus says he is not a ghost because ghosts (or spirits) do not have flesh and bones. I wondered what or who the ghosts are that Jesus is referencing? I have respected Christian friends who believe that they’ve seen ghosts of their loved ones. I’ve heard others who say these encounters are all…

Full Question: Do Jews, Muslims, and Christians all worship the same God?” It is challenging for me to understand the answer to this topic, especially when we talk about the definition and nature of God - believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who is eternal with God and IS God (but Muslims and Jews do not believe the same). So, how could we a…

Full Question: My question is if a man or woman is not married and looks at another person lustfully did he/she commit adultery? To read the show notes, click here. Call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at [email protected] Michael Easley

Full Q: Recently a young man in our Men’s Bible Study Group asked a good and relevant question — “ How do I discern or determine what spiritual gift(s) I have”? I supplied him with one of my historic books from 40 years ago but that got me wondering if inContext has discussed this issue in past podcasts or — if not, could Dr. E discuss and recommen…