#51 Catholic Conspiracy with Father Hightower

This week we do a special Advent podcast with a man who is known for understanding the incarnation with the best of them. Father Kenneth Tanner talks about his journey, but most of all the importance of what the incarnation of Jesus actually is. In the evangelical tradition, it has been missed by a large portion of them, but the church fathers knew exactly the implications of the birth of Jesus Christ. May this podcast fill you with cheer, but also a deeper wisdom and appreciation for God becoming man.

This episode was one like no other. We set out to interview Jonathan Mitchell and his wife Linda, who after 60 years of studying Greek, realized something was off with our translations. Not that the translations were wrong per se, but they weren’t giving us the big picture. However, that’s not where this conversation went. We believe in the freedom of the Spirit, and obviously it wanted us to go a different direction. If you want to feel encouraged that you are feeling the right things, this is your podcast. We will have him on again to talk about this translation, but this is an important podcast for the weary.

Author and Pastor Brian Zahnd was ahead of Zootown Church in this reformation by about 20 years. Like us, it cost him dearly to return to the “faith handed down to us” and the message of the truly Good News. In this interview we cover a lot of topics, and Brian covers them with grace and compassion.

Dr. C. Baxter Kruger is a world-renowned theologian who specializes in his knowledge of the Trinity and the idea of no separation from God. Growing up in the Bible Belt, Baxter says he always knew there was more to this gospel he grew up with and the missing piece was the relationship between the Trinity. Dr. Kruger has gone on to write many books, but today we talk about the idea that union with Christ is the most important aspect of the human condition.

For the last 500 years there has been a rift between the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church. Both think they’re right and both think the other are the heretics. The problem is there have been a lot of misconceptions when it comes to what Catholics actually believe and the history of the Church split. Pastor Scott sits down with local Missoula priest Father Hightower to talk about these differences in a fun yet informative way.

Our guest today is David Artman, who is the host of another podcast called “Grace Saves All.” This ancient Christian theology was advocated by prominent Christian leaders in the early centuries of the faith, and it is now enjoying a modern revival. It understands grace to be the effective saving presence of God in the lives of all people, and it anticipates that all persons will finally experience union with God.

Scott brings Archbishop Alexander Golitzin on the podcast to talk about the relationship of Israel in the Old Testament to the church now. Western theology has mixed up views on what Israel being “God’s chosen nation” actually means, and it has caused disunity within the evangelical church. Bishop Alexander is an archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America and is a master of the Old Testament, so we are excited to hear his thoughts!

(Disclaimer: There were some tech issues during the Zoom call, so the last few minutes of the recording may sound a bit…different.)

In this episode of the Zootown Podcast, Pastors Scott Klaudt and Bryce Dick talk about the reformation happening within the Church, as well as the good, the bad, and the ugly of evangelicalism.

Father Samuel Davis was not always a Greek Orthodox priest. He was in the Air Force, UFC training, and grew up Assemblies of God before he became Orthodox. Father Samuel has a unique understanding of the similarities and differences of Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy, and in this episode he breaks down why he chose Orthodoxy.

Pastors Scott and Bryce combine two of the most divisive issues right now in America - abortion and guns. In this podcast, they break through the noise and give actual statistics, and show how both sides not only make very similar arguments, but also won't budge because they are afraid of losing all the rights with it if they do.