David Matthew
A Poke In The Faith SOUND FILES (mp3)
Individual chapter files in
mp3 format, for down-
loading and listening to
with any media player, such
as VLC.
The table gives the
chapter list and a summary of
each chapter’s contents. Click
to download.
You can email me by clicking here.
A Poke In The Faith - individual chapters (7th edn.)
Section
Title
Subject
Download
Title & prelims
Title
Title and preliminary details.
Introduction
Introduction
My background, reasons for writing, and aims.
Chapter 1
Tower of Faith
The disadvantages of an over-connected
system of beliefs, using the ‘tower of blocks’
game analogy. Putting Jesus before the Bible.
Chapter 2
The Place of the Bible
The danger of idolising the Bible. Examples of
how it is often confusing. How Bible-reading
for all caused divisions in the church.
Chapter 3
What the Bible is Not
It is not a manual of church practice, life skills
or even doctrinal correctness. It is not a
contractual document full of ‘promises’.
Chapter 4
More on What the Bible
is Not
It is not a history book in the normal modern
sense. And it is not a science textbook.
Chapter 5
What the Bible Is
It is primarily a story - a saga of God’s dealings
with humanity. And it is ‘wisdom’ literature. A
look at inspiration, infallibility and inerrancy.
Chapter 6
Evolution and its
Implications
Is evolution compatible with Genesis? The
nature of the Pentateuch, and of Genesis in
particular.
Chapter 7
Violence in the Bible
Facing the brutality in the Old Testament, which
God himself seems to command sometimes.
What is God really like?
Chapter 8
Bible Interpretation
The importance of hermeneutics in
understanding the Bible. Examples: slavery, and
the role of women in marriage and the church.
Chapter 9
Jesus the Interpretive
Key
Jesus as the subject of the whole Bible. His own
ethical hermeneutics and cherry-picking of the
Old Testament.
Chapter 10
Bible Interpretation and
Sexuality
How applying Jesus’ own hermeneutics could
lead to a different attitude to homosexuality
and gay marriage.
Chapter 11
More on the Bible and
Sexuality
Further insights into the topic of the previous
chapter, with real-life examples.
Chapter 12
Peering into Heaven
Questions on the ‘go to heaven when you die’
emphasis of traditional evangelicalism. A look
at ‘the rapture’.
Chapter 13
Rethinking Hell
Current proposals for seeing hell as something
other than ‘eternal conscious torment’. A look
at immortality and ‘the wrath of God’.
Chapter 14
Belief-Systems
Why we like belief-systems. Roman Catholicism
and Eastern Orthodoxy. A critique of Dispen-
sationalism and Calvinism.
Chapter 15
Challenges to Calvinism
Sovereignty versus love as God’s primary
attribute. Free will and the problem of evil. The
‘open view of the future’.
Chapter 16
God and Evil
Why doesn’t God, if he is both loving and
powerful, do more to stop evil? Kenosis and
uncontrolling love as possible reasons. Satan.
Chapter 17
Sinners by Nature?
Current questioning of the doctrine of original
sin. Its development from Paul, through Augus-
tine and Calvin.
Chapter 18
Gospel and Kingdom
What exactly is the gospel? Its relation to the
four Gospels. And what exactly in the kingdom
of God?
Chapter 19
The Atonement
Different ‘atonement theories’. Current reaction
to penal substitutionary atonement. Questions
about imputation and blood sacrifice.
Chapter 20
Justification and All
That
The New Perspective on Paul and its challenges
to the meaning of ‘justification’ and related
terms like ‘the righteousness of God’.
Chapter 21
Further Morphing Terms
New Perspective views on the meaning of
‘works of the law’, ‘faith’ and ‘Christ’.
Chapter 22
Us and Them
The fate of the unevangelised. Universalism
examined, plus the ‘wider hope’ and the
theology of The Shack.
Chapter 23
Separate for What?
The purpose of our being ‘separate’.
Sanctification and theosis. Attitudes to people
of other religions.
Chapter 24
Overstepping the Mark?
Some writers and scholars may have gone too
far in their questioning of some of the basics of
evangelicalism.
Chapter 25
Where Do I Go from
Here?
Suggested ways forward for those who have
jettisoned the ‘tower of blocks’ approach to
their faith.
Chapter 26
Categorising your Beliefs
In the interests of the unity Jesus prayed for, it
will help to recognise that not all your beliefs
are of equal importance.
Recommendation: listen to the whole book, since its chapters are interconnected and often
overlap. But if you just want to look up a particular topic, the following list of chapter-files will
at least start you off in the right direction.
Chapter 27 is entitled Tools for Digging Deeper. There is no sound-file for it as it is a list of books giving
further details on the above topics. Please consult the text edition of A Poke In The Faith.
