Click here to text us your thoughts and questions!

In this second of our two-part series with writer Kurt Parton, the Curious Team continue their intriguing conversation around the idea of Christian universalism, ultimate reconciliation. In this episode the team explore those biblical passages that seem to clearly indicate judgement, death and hell. They reflect together on the rich man and Lazarus in (Luke 16), and Jesus‘s warning of the ‘unquenchable fire’ and ‘undying worm’ in Mark 9. How are we to understand the ‘fiery furnace’ of Matthew 13? The narrow and a broad ways Jesus spoke of? And what are we to make of the graphic imagery both Paul and John employ when they speak of an ultimate accountability for all mankind, especially those who reject Christ? Is post-mortem repentance really a biblical possibility?

Join the team this week for what promises to be a second and final fascinating instalment into this highly controversial theme...

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a couple of articles that compliment this episode….

Book Review: The Evangelical Universalist - RethinkingHell.com

ChristianUniversalism.com

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

Curt Parton — Until the Last One’s Found: An Introduction to Universal Reconciliation and Restoration

Ed. Robin Parry and Christopher Partridge — Universal Salvation?: The Current Debate

James B de Young — Exposing Universalism: A Comprehensive Guide to the Faulty Appeals Made by Universalists

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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What if the final word of history is not separation, but restoration? In this thought-provoking two-part conversation with writer Curt Parton, the Curious team step into one of the most daring and controversial theological questions in the Christian tradition: ‘ultimate reconciliation’.

Is it truly possible that no one is finally lost—that every prodigal, every rebel, every hardened sinner ultimately finds their way home? And what do we do with the sobering imagery of judgment woven through Scripture—fire, outer darkness, exclusion, destruction—especially in passages like Gospel of Matthew and Book of Revelation? Do these texts point to eternal conscious torment, annihilation, or something far more mysterious? Could divine justice and divine mercy converge in ways we have not yet imagined? And stretching the question even further—if reconciliation is truly ultimate, is it conceivable that even fallen angels, even Satan himself, could somehow be caught up in redemption? Or does such a vision compromise holiness and moral accountability?

This episode doesn’t settle for easy answers; it invites you into the tension—between warning and hope, judgment and mercy, freedom and sovereignty—and asks whether the story of salvation ends in everlasting division… or in a reconciliation so vast it reframes everything we thought we knew about hell, justice, and the heart of God.

Further Reading

Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a couple of articles that compliment this episode….

Book Review: The Evangelical Universalist - RethinkingHell.com

ChristianUniversalism.com

What we’re reading?

As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

Curt Parton — Until the Last One’s Found: An Introduction to Universal Reconciliation and Restoration

Ed. Robin Parry and Christopher Partridge — Universal Salvation?: The Current Debate

James B de Young — Exposing Universalism: A Comprehensive Guide to the Faulty Appeals Made by Universalists

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

Support us on Instagram @theologyforthecurious
Find us on TikTok: @theologyforthecurious

Click here to text us your thoughts and questions!

Two thousand years ago, a man from the margins of the Roman Empire stepped onto the stage of history—and somehow split time itself. Why has Jesus of Nazareth been singled out above every other prophet, philosopher, or spiritual guide? Why do Christians dare to echo his staggering claim—“I am the way”—as recorded in the Gospel of John? Is that conviction a mark of arrogance… or allegiance to something that actually happened?

In this episode, the Curious team are joined by prof. Stephen Wellum as together they seek to probe the unsettling possibility that the uniqueness of Jesus is not rooted merely in moral teaching, but in identity and action—that forgiveness required more than sentiment, that salvation required more than insight, and that pluralism, however generous, must still wrestle with a tomb that Christians insist was empty. Did humanity truly need a Saviour? Who was this first-century Jew who compelled worship rather than mere admiration? And what did he accomplish that no other religious figure even claimed to do?

Step into a conversation that doesn’t offer easy clichés, but instead invites you to reconsider whether the most controversial claim in history might also be the most consequential.

Further Reading

Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a couple of articles that compliment this episode….

The Uniqueness of Christ in a Postmodern World and the Challenge of World Religions - Lausanne.org

Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God? - CSLewisInstitute.org

What we’re reading?

As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

Stephen Wellum — Christ Alone: The Uniqueness of Jesus as Saviour

N T Wright — Simply Jesus

C. S. Lewis — Mere Christianity

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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Did Adam actually exist? Were Adam and Eve literal people living in a literal garden of Eden? How do we understand the first 11 chapters of Genesis? How do they align with so many other origin narratives from the Sumerian King List to the Eridu Genesis and Gilgamesh? Does it really matter whether we literalise our Genesis understanding or not?

How does science on the other hand, understand the origins of human life? Is it possible that all humankind originated from the seemingly narrow gene pool of two people? How does modern genetics understand the biblical claim of an historical Adam and Eve? Could it be that Adam was alone in being created first, or was he simply a Chieftain representing a far larger number of people?

Understanding the historical and theological relevance of Adam has always posed a great struggle for Christian thinkers and theologians. This week the Curious team are joined by Professor Jack Collins as they reflect on his book, “Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?” Together they examine all the difficult questions from an historical Adam, confronting origin narratives, and the age of the earth. To how we understand monogenesis and the genetic challenge. They also reflect on the implications our conclusions bring to bear on the broader understanding of the fall, theology and redemption

Join the team this week for what promises to be a very enlightening and fascinating conversation.

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included some articles that compliment this episode….

Understanding the First and Last Adam - Crossway.org

Four Views on the Historical Adam - TheGospelCoalition.org

Why I Think Adam was a Real Person - Biologos.org

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

C. John Collins — Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? Who They Were and Why You Should Care

Ed: Matthew Barrett and Ardel Caneday — Four Views on The Historical Adam

William Lane Craig — In Quest of The Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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Click here to text us your thoughts and questions!

The believers relationship with Church is often fraught with great hazards and difficulties. Despite the friendship, use, joy and blessing that comes from connecting to a community; there is also the unfortunate experience of disappointment, manipulation and in some cases even abuse. There are Christians who love the church but will not attend, and those who have been hurt by the church who have found their way back. For all its greatness, and at times misery, the local church remains God’s idea, his ordain means of transforming lives, and his chosen vehicle through which He touches and revives a dying world.

This week the Curious team take an honest look at the place of church in the individual Christian’s life; it’s meaning, it’s struggle, it’s beauty and it’s significance. They explore how the church matters more than we think. That 2000 years of church history has shown that no individual Christian has ever thrived and developed in complete isolation. Yet they also recognise the failure and the abuse and the struggle that many have suffered at the hands of the church. In spite of remaining God‘s plan A, his divine intention; the church has nevertheless been placed into the hands of failing humans.

Join the team in this weeks episode as they explore the thinking of Christian writers and reformers, reflecting on the beauty as much as the ugliness of Church.

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a couple of articles that compliment this episode….

Why the Church is Vitally Important for Every Christian - Crossway.org

Why God Made You for Membership - DesiringGod.org

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy!

Barnabas Piper & Ray Ortlund — Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another

Robert H. Thune — The Gospel-Centered Community

Megan Hill — A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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Every Christian knows the reality of the battle within. Paul defines as the flesh fighting against the spirit, the old you, combating with the new you, under grace. But how aware are we of the nature of this inner beast? How serious should we take it? How ferocious and proactive is our darker nature? What sinister potential does it hold of totally destroying us? And how are we to get any kind of guarantee that we will eventually end up on the winning side?

The battle of personal holiness is a lifelong struggle from which there is no relief. In this weeks episode the curious team take the unusual step of drawing wisdom from a 400 year-old book written by perhaps one of Britain’s most outstanding Puritans of the 17th century. John Owen was 40 years of age when he wrote, “The Mortification of Sin” in 1656, as a means of teaching young ministers. The great emphasis of this classic work was, in Owen’s words, “be killing sin , or it will be killing you”

In the four centuries that have passed since the book, there have been few if any that have rivalled Owen’s insight, pastoral observations and spiritual encouragement in terms of our battle with inner sin. Taking a number of principles from Owen’s thinking, the Curious team unpack what it means to understand sin, to renounce it, to develop a right perspective of it, and to embrace the power of God’s Spirit in the conquering of it. Join them this week for a very insightful and challenging episode.

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a couple of articles that compliment this episode….

The Mortification of Sin - TheGospelCoalition

On The Mortification of Sin - DesiringGod.org

Mortification of Sin - APuritansMind.com

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode…enjoy! (We’d strongly recommend all three of Owen’s outstanding trilogy below)

John Owen—
The Mortification of Sin in Believers
Of Indwelling Sin in Believers
Of Temptation

Kevin DeYoung—
The Hole in Our Holiness

J. I. Packer—
Rediscovering Holiness
Keep In Step With The Spirit

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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Click here to text us your thoughts and questions!

What happens when lines of communication break down between us and God? How do we reconnect when such lines die? Is there always a way to reconnect beyond our ability to discern such paths? What role does grace and God’s Spirit play in steering us back to a better understanding and commitment?

This week, the Curious team take a look at how we disconnect from God. Looking at the deteriorating effects of busyness, of , neglect, of the things we do not confess, of the unanswered and misguided reliances; all of which feed into separating us from the conscious awareness of God’s blessing. The team also take a deep dive into what Jesus meant when he said “abide in me”; and how that works out in day-to-day life. En route they also reflect on the difficulty and yet power of seasons of dryness that inevitably can lead to rediscovery.

Join the Curious team this week as they look at the dangers of disconnecting and some practical steps to reconnection and personal restoration

Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a few articles that compliment this episode….

Strategies to Reconnect with God When You're Feeling out of Touch - Crosswalk.com

How I learned to Reconnect with God - IBelieve.com

How to Reconnect with God - AVirtuousWoman.org

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode… enjoy!

Matthew C. Bingham — A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation

Dane Ortlund — Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

Sinclair B. Ferguson — Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

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Click here to text us your thoughts and questions!

Resolutions and commitments are commonplace this time of year. But the idea of restarting, or starting over, is often a difficult one. Perhaps it is because it is never easy. Is progress in the Christian life really down to just trying harder, making better choices, and having a stronger willpower? Or is there an empowering and a shaping that grace offers to the individual life?

How do we understand the cultural myth of self reinvention in light of developing a better us? Can we start over from scratch? Is our identity self-made as opposed to inherited? Is transformation always and endlessly possible, and do we owe nothing to the old story about us? How does 2 Corinthians 5:17 feed into this understanding? What does it mean to say that the “old has passed” and the “new has come”?

In this episode, the Curious team examine what it means to restart and to get our lives back on track. They examine the understanding of ‘reset’, we can fix it; and ‘rebirth’, God remakes it. The discussion examines the role of repentance, of small acts of obedience, of God’s endless mercies, and the need to engage in the vital elements of grace’s provision.

Join the team this week as they examine kickstarting our spiritual journey for 2026


Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a few articles that compliment this episode….

4 Ways to Approach the New Year with Jesus - TheGospelCoalition.org

New Year's Resolutions for God's Glory, Not Our Own - Ligonier.org

New Year's Bible Verses - ThePioneerWoman.com

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode… enjoy!

Jared C Wilson — Gospel Wakefulness

Kevin DeYoung — Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will

Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.com

Support us on Instagram @theologyforthecurious
Find us on TikTok: @theologyforthecurious