The Narthex

The Narthex
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

For those on the cusp of faith, considering should you stay or should you go. Perhaps you’re ready to throw in the towel on this whole following Jesus thing because the suffering is too much to bear. This channel is dedicated to you ❤️‍🩹. Explore this middle ground between faith and unbelief.

  1. 19 hrs ago

    Clash of Beliefs: Gavin Ortlund and Jonathan Pageau Debate the True Church

    This episode reviews a discussion between Protestant Baptist Gavin Ortlund and Orthodox Jonathan Pageau about what constitutes the true church and whether Christians outside Orthodoxy are truly Christian. The presenter contrasts Pageau’s emphasis on Orthodoxy, salvation as personal transformation, and skepticism of justification by faith alone with a Lutheran/Protestant view that the church is found wherever the gospel of Christ crucified and raised is proclaimed, faith trusts His promises, and the sacraments are rightly administered across denominations. The script critiques institutional “church idolatry,” warns that progressive sanctification can become works-righteousness, and disputes Pageau’s claim that faith alone is heresy. It also debates evangelistic urgency, noting Pageau’s focus on personal holiness and quotations from the saints versus Ortlund’s appeal to Scripture, especially Romans 10 and the idea that faith comes by hearing. 00:00 True Church 01:10 Luther on the Invisible Church 02:37 Institutionalism and Tyranny Warning 03:23 Gavin Probes Salvation Boundaries 04:36 Salvation as Transformation 06:19 Decree vs Healing Salvation 07:51 Gospel Arrows Downward 09:01 Sanctification vs Justification 11:15 Who Gets Saved and Why Care 12:03 St Theophan Quote Reaction 13:33 Saving Others by Being Saved 15:24 Words vs Witness in Evangelism 17:38 Romans 10 and Mission Urgency 19:50 Calvinism and Evangelism Tension 20:59 Justification by Faith Alone Clash 21:45 Wrap Up and Final Takeaway

    24 min

  2. Jul 1

    Heated Exchange - Part 1: Protestant vs Orthodox

    Dr. Daniel Shaw, Lutheran pastor and New Testament professor, comments on a debate between Baptist Gavin Ortlund and Eastern Orthodox Jonathan Pageau about what constitutes the true Church and true Christianity. It contrasts Orthodoxy’s claim that full communion with Christ requires communion with the visible, institutional Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestant/Lutheran ideas of the church as “hidden,” defined by where the gospel is proclaimed, and sacraments are rightly administered. The narrator argues Orthodoxy emphasizes theosis and an ontological, visible reality of salvation that can turn into cooperation with God and uncertainty about “doing enough,” linking this to concerns about works, troubled consciences, and even purgatory. Highlighting a tense exchange, Ortlund says becoming Orthodox would feel like denying the validity of Protestant churches where he encountered Christ, while Pageau suggests Christ is among Protestants similarly to how he is among non-Christians, prompting Ortlund to press whether Protestants differ from Buddhists.00:00 Debate Setup and Stakes00:52 Hidden Church vs Visible Church01:22 Theosis and Salvation Process03:41 Institutional Communion Claims04:39 Where the Gospel Goes Missing05:33 Works Anxiety and Purgatory Logic07:34 Gavin Pushes Back on Exclusivism11:13 Pageau on Christ Among All13:32 Protestants Compared to Buddhists14:16 Law, Works, and James 217:18 Gospel Creates the Church20:03 Ethereal Answers and Final Critique

    22 min

  3. Jun 28

    Joseph's Final Journey | What His Coffin Reveals About Faith

    Dan Shaw explores this powerful biblical teaching on the lives of Joseph, Jacob, and Rachel. Gain perspective on enduring faith through these ancient narratives. This presentation examines key moments from scripture, focusing on the historical and spiritual significance of Joseph and Jacob. Whether you are deepening your personal bible study or seeking encouragement, this session connects traditional biblical stories to modern application. The message highlights lessons of perseverance and character that remain relevant for believers today. 00:00 Joseph Story Recap 00:49 Judah Changes Everything 03:05 Gods Promise Not Straight 04:22 Jacob Learns Joseph Lives 05:41 Reunion and Simeon Echo 07:53 Bethel Dream Points to Jesus 11:51 Rachel and Bethlehem Thread 13:37 Crossed Hands Unexpected Blessing 15:06 God My Shepherd and Redeemer 24:43 Idols vs True Blessing 28:22 Brutal Blessings 30:10 Judah and Shiloh 33:27 Burial and Faith 36:32 Guilt After Forgiveness 43:05 Absolution and Confession 47:09 Genesis Ends in Coffin 50:17 Creation to Consummation

    53 min

  4. Jun 24

    The Protestant Paradox: Who Gets to Decide?

    Dr. Daniel Shaw explains that sola scriptura means the Bible is the highest norm for faith and life, not the only authority, and distinguishes it from “solo scriptura.” Responding to a Roman Catholic apologist’s claim that Protestantism “makes zero sense” because private judgment isn’t scalable and requires a visible magisterial authority, the host argues that institutional consensus does not guarantee truth and that authority rests in the gospel message, not in particular leaders. He traces how the church began with Christ’s post-resurrection commission and Pentecost preaching before any New Testament existed, emphasizing that the preached word creates and sustains the church and later becomes codified in apostolic writings. He contends Scripture is the earliest, most reliable deposit of the apostolic “rule of faith,” critiques later doctrines not found in Scripture, and notes the “many denominations” objection to be addressed next time. 00:00 What Sola Scriptura Means 01:13 The Denomination Objection 03:57 Scalability and Illiteracy 05:30 Consensus Is Not Truth 06:49 Need for Visible Authority 09:54 Apostles Versus Message 10:26 Matthew 16 and Peter 11:55 Early Church and Bishops 12:42 Starting From Scratch 14:28 Gospel Before New Testament 16:12 Pentecost Creates the Church 19:00 Rule of Faith and Creeds 20:07 Why Scripture Comes First 24:03 Closing and Repentance

    25 min

  5. Jun 21

    Knowledge Puffs Up: The Apologist Problem

    Dan Shaw asks why Christian apologists are so often disliked, clarifying that apologetics means giving a reasoned defense of the faith (not “saying sorry”) and that anyone can be an apologist for many things. He draws on Helmut Thielicke’s 1962 book A Little Exercise for Young Theologians to argue that theological knowledge can puff people up into “Gnostic pride,” where truth and love are seldom combined, producing a possessive, superior posture toward others. Shaw highlights Thielicke’s warning that truth can be used for personal triumph or to “kill,” leading apologists, pastors, or theologians to disdain simple believers and even become destructive toward the church while treating empty pews as proof of correctness. He urges Christians to hold truth and love together, avoid hubris, and emulate C.S. Lewis’s humility. 00:00 Why Apologists Get Hate00:28 What Apologetics Means02:02 The Thielicke Diagnosis03:36 Knowledge Can Puff Up06:21 Truth Without Love09:49 Using Truth To Win10:55 Dont Be A Jerk11:57 Holding Truth And Love12:28 Final Charge Be Like Lewis

    13 min

  6. Jun 17

    Trent Horn & Bryce Crawford: A Deep Dive into the Eucharist

    Dan Shaw, host of The Narthex, plays and analyzes a back-and-forth from Bryce Crawford’s podcast featuring Catholic apologist Trent Horn, using it to examine what Christians should call the sacrament and what it truly is. He argues “the Lord’s Supper” best emphasizes that Christ hosts and gives the gifts, not that worshipers make it meaningful by their thanksgiving. Shaw contrasts symbolic views, Catholic transubstantiation, and the Lutheran doctrine of real presence (sacramental union), insisting the key is Jesus’ promise in the words of institution and Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11. He critiques importing Aristotelian metaphysics to explain the change and connects the Supper debate to Christology, presenting Communion as Christ giving his true body and blood with bread and wine for forgiveness, life, salvation, and personal assurance.00:00 What Do We Call It?00:33 Why Lord's Supper Matters02:27 Podcast Debate Setup03:48 Symbol vs Transubstantiation, Bryce Crawford06:21 Reformation Views Explained10:25 Catholic Metaphysics Analogy, Trent Horn13:39 Early Church Quotes15:28 Lutheran Promise Approach17:24 Christology and Real Presence21:42 Assurance and Redundancy24:58 Luther Catechism: Cling to the Promise

    29 min

  7. Jun 14

    Christianity and Deconstruction (feat. Rhett McLaughlin)

    Dan Shaw explores why people leave Christianity by probing a deeper issue beneath individual complaints: the search for certainty in a world that feels like an “earthquake.” Using Luc Ferry’s discussion of Descartes, it argues that radical skepticism and “I think, therefore I am” locate certainty inward, a pattern echoed in Greek options like Stoicism (detach to avoid pain) and Epicureanism (dive into pleasure). Dan contrasts this with Rhett McLaughlin’s deconstruction, in which losing the “appetite for certainty” felt liberating, and with his later claim that evangelical faith often demands certainty through assent to doctrinal propositions. The script concludes that certainty isn’t achieved by introspection or institutional authority but is bestowed from outside through the proclaimed gospel—“faith comes by hearing”—especially through Word, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. 00:00 Life On Shifting Sand 00:49 Why People Leave Church 01:23 The Monster Underneath 02:16 Descartes And Certainty 05:36 Radical Doubt Method 08:34 Doctrines And Doubt 11:42 Rhett On Deconstruction 15:06 Stoicism Or Epicureanism 18:34 Certainty Revisited 2026 21:42 Certainty Bestowed Not Found 23:26 Promises From Without 26:53 Given Christ In Sacraments 27:47 Final Word Of Assurance

    29 min

  8. Jun 10

    The Truth About the Lord’s Supper: Ritual or Reality?

    Rev. Dr. Daniel Shaw uses Flannery O’Connor’s line about the Eucharist—“If it’s a symbol, to hell with it”—to argue that a merely symbolic Lord’s Supper becomes a demand that worsens anxiety and despair rather than a gift for sinners. He points to the Words of Institution in Paul and the Synoptic Gospels, stressing the meal was given “on the night in which He was betrayed” for betrayers and troubled consciences needing assurance. Citing Luther’s emphasis on “This is my body,” he contrasts inward self-checking with an external promise spoken by God through bread, wine, and word, reinforcing baptism and working like absolution. Though bread remains bread and wine remains wine, Shaw says Christ is truly present “in, with, through, and under” them, giving forgiveness, certainty, and comfort.00:51 O'Connor On Eucharist01:51 What Symbols Do02:36 Why Jesus Gave It04:14 Betrayal And Assurance04:57 This Is My Body06:14 Hearing God's Voice07:12 Faith Looks Outward09:26 Real Presence Explained10:40 Despair Without Promise12:45 Certainty Through Word14:10 Absolution Thought Experiment16:07 Communion For You16:53 Wrap Up And Invite

    17 min
See All (111)

About

For those on the cusp of faith, considering should you stay or should you go. Perhaps you’re ready to throw in the towel on this whole following Jesus thing because the suffering is too much to bear. This channel is dedicated to you ❤️‍🩹. Explore this middle ground between faith and unbelief.

Information

  • Creator
    The Narthex
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Narthex
  • Show Website
    The Narthex

You Might Also Like