Michael McClymond

Episode 1529 Aired July 26, 2020

Every year it seems a new book or movie is released that recounts an individual’s brief tour of heaven. Are there any common threads that emerge when evaluating the history of these kinds of reports? What should we believe about the afterlife, and how do stories like these compare with what we find Scripture? On […]

Episode 1528 Aired July 19, 2020

For centuries Protestants have rejected the doctrine of purgatory, claiming that it’s taught nowhere in Scripture and that it actually undermines crucial doctrines related to Christ’s all-sufficient sacrifice. Because he suffered in our place and died for our sins “once for all” (Heb. 10:10), Christians have no need of any additional purging or purification. So […]

Episode 1512 Aired March 29, 2020

Not long ago, Netflix released a film about the life of Pentecostal preacher Carlton Pearson who stopped believing in hell after he claimed that God spoke to him and revealed that Jesus’ death on the cross saves everyone in the world, including unbelievers. In fact, in an NPR interview Pearson asked, “How can mercy … […]

Episode 1511 Aired March 22, 2020

In a recent issue of the New York Times, an article by David Bentley Hart raised the question, “Why Do People Believe in Hell?” In this article, the author claims that “no truly accomplished New Testament scholar … believes that later Christianity’s opulent mythology of God’s eternal torture chamber is clearly present in the scriptural […]

Episode 1437 Aired October 21, 2018

Why are mystical versions of Christianity so popular in our day among academic types or popular writers and celebrities such as Rob Bell or Oprah Winfrey? What is the history of this speculative view of God, and what are the implications of this approach on the way we think about heaven, hell, and ultimate redemption? […]