Rants with Reason

Eric Harrison Riddle

Rants with Reason is an ongoing collection of performance essays exploring Christianity, theology, philosophy, psychology, history, culture, and the questions that shape how we see the world. Through dialogue, research, and reflection, Eric Harrison Riddle examines ideas, challenges assumptions, and explores the beliefs behind the beliefs, with YOU. Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. Each episode is not a lecture, but an invitation into dialogue. So join the discussion!

Episodes

  1. Oct 10

    How Can We Know Transcendence? [RwRE16] (Q&A)

    If transcendence exists beyond our senses, how can we know it? A question from Alfred on Episode 16: Those Judgmental Christians takes us from subjective perspective and objective truth to analogy, simulation, general revelation, and Christianity’s claim that God entered the circle. If we cannot get outside the limits of our own perspective, perhaps something outside those limits must come in. The discussion closes with “My Friend,” written and performed by George E. Riddle, from Copyright Tapes — Riddle Recordings. What do YOU think? If something truly transcends our perspective, how could we recognize that it was communicating with us? I'd love to know your thoughts, and the world could use them. Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. Rants with Reason: https://www.RantswithReason.com Hope and Love Works: https://www.HopeandLoveWorks.org MUSIC “My Friend” Written and performed by George E. Riddle From Copyright Tapes Riddle Recordings Watch Episode 16 only on Youtube or Rumble, for now. Episode 16 was back when full episodes were recorded in 9x16 vertical format to encourage discussion. Since then, we've added captions, overlays, music & shoot everything first 16x9. Chapters: (00:00) How Can We Know Transcendence? (00:26) Yin & Yang and Subjective Morality (01:46) Reference, Recognition, and Analogy (02:35) A Perfect Simulation (03:27) Trace—or Speak (03:41) God Entered the Circle (04:49) Can We Know What Is Outside? (05:16) Escaping the Yin & Yang (06:18) “My Friend” — George E. Riddle

  2. Sep 25 ·  Bonus

    Who Decides for Everyone? [RwRE16] (Q&A)

    If every person is radically unique—different histories, experiences, relationships with God, perspectives—how can anything be right or good “across the board”? And who or what decides what is right? Corey asked that question after describing just how “unfathomably baffling” the uniqueness of one person to another can be— to the point that maybe each of us really is a “one of one.” In this Q&A we follow that question through objectivity, the limits of our own perception, Paul’s image of seeing “in a mirror dimly,” WWJD, placing Jesus in the scene, the Fruit of the Spirit, Charles Stanley’s reflection on the Vine and branches, and the strange logic of a faith that tells us to love even when there is nothing to gain. And I think Corey’s observation may actually point toward the answer. One Vine. Countless branches. No two branches exactly alike. And yet— you can recognize the fruit. Because it’s the same plant. Where do you agree?  Where would you push back? Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions,one discussion at a time. Chapters (00:00) Corey’s Question: “One of One” (01:10) Why Uniqueness Makes Objectivity Necessary (03:02) Our Perspective Is Partial (04:18) Jesus as the Reference Point (06:34) The Fruit of the Spirit (10:16) Jesus’ Standard: Love, Service & Sacrifice (12:09) Back to “One of One” (13:43) One Vine. Countless Branches. Episode 16 (Q&A): — Those Judgmental Christians: https://youtu.be/DplRYwMXsVY Letter referenced: Charles Stanley, From the Pastor’s Heart, In Touch Ministries, September 2026. Scripture referenced:1 Corinthians 13:12Galatians 5:22–23John 15:51 John 4:72 Corinthians 3:18Romans 12:2 Ending song: “Jesus Won’t Rock Or Roll” by George E. Riddle, from Copyright Tapes. Rants with Reason is an extension of Hope and Love Works, a faith-based media 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bringing hope and love to a world that desperately needs it. RantswithReason.com HopeandLoveWorks.org

  3. Sep 15

    Influencers & Educators | Myths We Share & Tell | Wheat & Tares | Thimble Crown [RwRE31] (Part II)

    Rants with Reason - Episode 31 [Part II] The stories we consume teach us what to fear, whom to trust, and who to become. Part II of “Influencers & Educators | The Myths We Share & Tell” turns the discussion inward: what is our attention forming within us? Following Part I's examination of Expedition Bible and ESOTERICA, we move into the everyday consequences of belief. Algorithmic repetition, novelty, and the promise of hidden knowledge can shape our desires before we recognize what has happened. We consider Christ's humility, God's unlimited attention, and an honest response to suffering and grief. Alcoholics Anonymous offers a practical movement through inventory, confession, surrender, amends, and service. The wheat and tares in Matthew 13 and the testing of work in 1 Corinthians 3 bring discernment, restraint, motives, and love into focus. The story behind my father's “Thimble Crown” asks what remains when an impressive life is tested. In “Confession Time,” we examine commercialization of the Gospel, structural Marxism, and spiritual fruit. The episode closes with George E. Riddle's recording of “Thimble Crown.” In this episode: • How attention becomes formation • Why novelty and repetition can feel like truth • Surrender, lament, and God's knowledge • Awareness, recovery, and honest inventory • Wheat and tares: discerning without appointing ourselves the final judge • Two passages, two subjects: people and their work • Mixed motives, love, and what survives the fire • The Timeless Hermeneutic and a fair hearing for Christianity • Ideology, power, and the Fruit of the Spirit Watch Part I: https://youtu.be/pEooYxkIje8 What do YOU think? What is one story you wanted to be true—and what helped you recognize how it was shaping you? I'd love to know your thoughts, and the world could use them. Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. If you've made it this far, why not? Share. Like. Subscribe. YouTube / Part I · Rumble · TikTok · Instagram · Facebook · X · Apple Podcasts · Spotify Written editions, transcripts, sources, and appendices: RantsWithReason.com Music: “Thimble Crown” — written and performed by George E. Riddle. Closing recording from “Copyright Tapes.” CHAPTERS (00:00:00) Attention Becomes Formation(00:00:39) Industrial-Scale Confirmation Bias(00:04:07) Novelty(00:05:25) Why History Repeats(00:07:36) The Allure of Control(00:09:35) The Power of the Cross(00:12:31) Does God Think?(00:14:20) In Real Life: Suffering and Lament(00:16:58) Bringing the Hidden Story into the Light(00:18:47) Awareness Is Not Redemption(00:19:32) Honest Inventory(00:20:10) Happy, Joyous, and Free(00:20:45) Wheat, Tares, and the Story Concealed(00:23:06) The Enemy Sows(00:24:26) The Parable Restrains Us(00:25:36) More at Work Than Can Be Seen(00:27:19) The Hope of Perfect Clarity(00:27:59) What the Fire Reveals(00:30:23) Thimble Crown: The Story Behind the Song(00:33:22) Mixed Motives(00:34:41) Size Is Not Substance(00:35:24) The Standard Returns to the Speaker(00:36:00) A Fair Hearing(00:39:02) The Timeless Hermeneutic(00:41:53) Confession Time(00:43:26) Babylon and Commercializing the Gospel(00:44:14) Structural Marxism and Power(00:46:24) First Principles and Spiritual Fruit(00:48:01) The Word of God(00:48:38) Take the Discussion into Your Life(00:50:00) Thimble Crown — George E. Riddle Rants with Reason is an extension of Hope and Love Works, a faith based media company, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to bringing hope and love to a world that desperately needs it. [HopeandLoveWorks.org] [RantswithReason.com]

  4. Sep 5 ·  Bonus

    Why Didn’t God Abolish Slavery? [RwRE14] (Q&A) Part 1

    This began with a comment on an Episode 14 clip, that asked "why would I credit christians for abolishing chattel slavery when it was christians who started it?"Valid question. And one we explore in this video. If slavery is wrong (and it is), why doesn’t the Torah simply prohibit owning another human being? Leviticus 25 really does permit foreign slavery, and this Q&A does not attempt to explain the passage away. Instead, we examine ancient Israel in its own historical and legal world, the very different institutions grouped under the English word slavery, Jesus’ distinction between Mosaic permission and God’s created ideal, Paul’s treatment of slave and master, Gregory of Nyssa’s early Christian attack on slaveholding, and the moral trajectory toward equality in Christ. Christians practiced and defended slavery. Christians also drew from Christianity the principles by which slavery could be condemned. So this is NOT a defense of slavery: "Historical-cultural context does not make slavery good, it tells us what slavery we are talking about" (2 minutes 53 seconds) The difficult question is not whether slavery existed in the Bible. It is why the biblical story did not end there. In Part 2, we will explore slavery from an Israelite's point of view, faithful application of these difficult passages, and the abolitionist movement across human history. Difficulty isn’t contradiction. Context isn’t an excuse. And the abuse of a thing is not its essence. Rants with Reason - Episode 14: God Reveals Beauty, Cultural Christianity & The Capacity To See Check out the written version of Episode 14 on the blog: ⁠https://www.riddleruns.com/rants-with-reason/episode-14-god-reveals-beauty-cultural-christianity⁠ Follow RwR on other platforms, and let us know what YOU think in the comments below or ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Rumble⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠X⁠ I'd love to know your thoughts, and the world could use them. Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. Chapters (00:00) - If Slavery Is Wrong, Why Didn’t God Say So? (00:19) - Leviticus 25 Really Does Permit Slavery (00:43) - The Bible Was Written for Us, Not to Us (01:16) - “Slavery” Is Doing a Lot of Work (01:46) - Ancient Israel Was Not the Atlantic Slave Trade (02:29) - Warfare, Ḥerem, and Historical Categories (03:02) - Why Regulate Slavery Instead of Abolishing It? (03:21) - Jesus, Divorce, and the Hardness of Human Hearts (04:21) - Regulation Does Not Equal God’s Ideal (05:01) - Israel Is Called Somewhere Else (05:32) - Has Torah Reached the Final Moral Horizon? (05:46) - Christ Reverses the Logic of Power (06:32) - Neither Slave Nor Free (06:48) - Paul, Masters, and Onesimus (07:17) - The Moral Architecture Is Being Dismantled (07:55) - Christians Defended Slavery (08:13) - Gregory of Nyssa Condemns Slaveholding (08:49) - Why Credit Christianity With Abolition? (09:25) - So Why Didn’t God Abolish Slavery? (10:05) - The Story Has a Direction Rants with Reason Episode 14 (Q&A): God Reveals Beauty: Cultural Christianity, and the Capacity to See Rants with Reason is an extension of Hope and Love Works, a faith based media company, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to bringing hope and love to a world that desperately needs it. HopeandLoveWorks.org ⁠RantswithReason.com⁠

  5. Sep 2

    Influencers and Educators: The Myths We Share and Tell, Part I [RwRE31]

    Rants with Reason - Episode 31 [Part I] Two influential educators can stand before the same evidence and tell almost opposite stories. In Part I of RwRE31, we use the work of Expedition Bible’s Joel Kramer and ESOTERICA’s Dr. Justin Sledge to examine how artifacts become arguments, reconstructions, and stories about God, history, and ourselves. We journey from Soleb, the Shasu of Yhw, the Mesha Stele, Ketef Hinnom, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Asherah, and the Divine Council to Bethlehem, Panthera, Psalm 22, the Holy Sepulchre, Paul, the early resurrection tradition in 1 Corinthians 15, and the Jewish background of high Christology. The question is whether genuine evidence is being made to carry more weight than it can bear. Part II continues the discussion. In this episode: Why trusted educators can tell opposite stories from the same evidence Source, artifact, inference, reconstruction, and worldview What Soleb does—and does not—establish Yahweh, El, Baal, Asherah, and the Divine Council What materialist history brackets and cannot disprove Panthera: possibility versus attestation Psalm 22, the Cross, Paul, and 1 Corinthians 15 Jewish scriptural categories behind early high Christology Why every interpreter has a worldview What do YOU think? Was bias an issue in either presentation? How do we escape algorithmic echo chambers? I'd love to know your thoughts,and the world could use them. Dialogue is the aim.Truth is the goal. Gentle with people.Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions,one discussion at a time. If you've made it this far, why not?Share. Like. Subscribe. ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Rumble⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠X⁠ Written edition, transcript, sources, and appendix:https://www.rantswithreason.com Music: “Thimble Crown” — performed and arranged by Eric Harrison Riddle [currently unreleased]Written by George E. Riddle CHAPTERS(00:00) Influencers and Educators(00:22) The Discussion(01:59) How Information Enters Our Lives(06:00) Same Stone, Opposite Stories(08:23) When Obscurity Becomes Authority(11:03) The Danger of Partial Truth(12:50) The Timeless Hermeneutic(18:09) What the Stones Actually Say: Soleb(20:37) What Soleb Does Not Say(21:17) Chronology Is Not Identity(23:41) When Reconstruction Outruns the Stone(27:02) Evidence, Inference, and Reconstruction(31:51) The Mesha Stele: Later Evidence, Earlier Ambiguity(34:05) Continuity and the Archaeological Boundary(36:12) Yahweh Teaches the Method: The Canaanite Context(38:23) Yahweh and El(43:24) The Storm-Warrior Thesis(46:36) The Divine Council(48:17) Asherah and Israel’s Disobedience(51:27) The Hidden Premise(53:00) What the Method Brackets(54:09) What the Bible Is(56:17) Jesus Reveals the Stakes(59:48) Bethlehem(1:03:47) Mary, Joseph, and Panthera(1:06:26) John, Jesus, and Two Messiahs(1:09:16) The Cross(1:14:16) The Body and Ein Karem(1:19:33) Did Paul Create Christianity?(1:31:27) Sledge’s Storytelling(1:34:02) An Old Wound(1:37:02) Bias Isn’t All Bad(1:39:16) The Worldview Beneath the Method(1:39:34) Dialectical Materialism(1:42:07) When Power Replaces Truth(1:44:02) The Missing Vertical(1:44:42) Truth Is a Person(1:45:35) Part II: To Be Continued(1:45:46) “Thimble Crown” Rants with Reason is an extension of Hope and Love Works, a faith based media company, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to bringing hope and love to a world that desperately needs it. ⁠HopeandLoveWorks.org⁠ ⁠⁠RantswithReason.com⁠

  6. Aug 11

    God Reveals Beauty | Cultural Christianity & Why This Includes You [RwRE14]

    What shapes our ability to recognize beauty? We often say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But taste is not merely expressed—it is formed, refined, and developed. Beginning with Sinach’s “Enough for Me” and the grief of losing Phoebe, this episode asks whether beauty is purely subjective—or relationally revealed through truth, love, shared experience, and God. From there, we examine cultural Christianity as an inherited moral architecture: a framework that has shaped Western assumptions about dignity, justice, mercy, personhood, government, and truth—even among people who no longer believe in Christianity itself. We explore: the Christian roots of dignity and abolitionwhy the West reacts to Christianity personallyreligious abuse as distortion rather than essencehistorical Christianity and the Nicene CreedAlcoholics Anonymous and its early Christian inheritancecultural Christianity versus Christian nationalismdialectical opposition versus dialogical pursuitwhy goodness should not be confused with comfortwhy Christianity makes beauty, love, truth, and transformation coherent This annotated video edition includes animated captions, Scripture references, historical context, source notes, chapter cards, and a closing performance of “Light of My Life” by George E. Riddle. What do YOU think?  Is beauty purely subjective? Can society benefit from cultural Christianity without believing all of its claims? Where do our ideas of morality and taste come from?I’d love to know your thoughts,  and the world could use them.Let us know in a comment below!  Or join the discussion on one of the following platforms:  Youtube, Rumble, Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, or X Ask those closest to you too, what do they think? Dialogue is the aim.Truth is the goal. Gentle with people.  Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions,  one discussion at a time.  Written and performed by Eric Harrison Riddle. Read along with the full written version of the episode while watching on the episode blog:https://www.riddleruns.com/rants-with-reason/episode-14-god-reveals-beauty-cultural-christianity  Rants with Reason is an arm of Hope and Love Works Inc. https://www.RantswithReason.comhttps://www.HopeandLoveWorks.org Music and works referenced: • “Enough for Me” — Sinach feat. Sunmisola Agbebi• “Jesus Is the Answer” — Andraé Crouch• “With God on Our Side” — Bob Dylan• “Light of My Life” — George E. Riddle, from Copyright Tapes, Riddle Recordings Chapters: (00:00) God Reveals Beauty(00:19) “Your Presence Is Enough for Me”(01:36) Grief, Phoebe, and Seeing a Gift Clearly(04:17) Beauty Is Not Just in the Eye of the Beholder(04:33) Who Formed Your Taste?(04:46) Christianity as a Framework for Perception(08:01) What Is Cultural Christianity?(10:12) The Christian Roots of Dignity and Abolition(10:23) Effects Without The Cause(11:58) Why the West Reacts to Christianity(16:17) When The Foundation Is Gone(16:51) Historic Christianity and the Nicene Creed(16:54) Did They Really Reject Christianity?(21:06) Alcoholics Anonymous and Early Christianity(21:16) AA Tapped Into Something Ancient(23:47) Cultural Christianity Is Not Christian Nationalism(26:57) From Argument to Dialogue(28:12) Taste and See That the Lord Is Good(28:42) Good ≠ Comfortable(29:33) Why Christianity Makes Reality Make Sense(30:50) Confession Time: Relationship Over Agreement(34:33) Closing Song: “Light Of My Life” by George E Riddle

  7. Aug 8

    Paradise & Hell on Earth—As It Is in Heaven | Afterlife, Art & New Creation [RwRE29]

    When most people think about Heaven and Hell, they picture what happens after they die. But Jesus did not begin His ministry by saying, “One day, you will go to Heaven.” He began by saying: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” What if Heaven and Hell are not merely destinations awaiting us after death—but realities already beginning to shape what we love and who we become? In Episode 29, we explore the three dimensions of Heaven and Hell: their present reality, the intermediate state following death, and the final Christian hope of resurrection and renewed creation. Along the way, we consider: What Scripture means by Paradise, Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus, the Abyss and Abraham’s BosomPaul’s account of the “third Heaven”Near-death experiences and the limits of scientific explanationWhy Christianity’s final hope is resurrection—not escape from creationWhether genuine freedom will remain in the New Heaven and New EarthHow prayer, imagination and attention form usThe difference between art and propagandaWhether AI can create art—or only imitate its appearanceSelf-love, purpose, ego and the AccuserHow Heaven and Hell can begin shaping human lives nowHow eternity should transform the way we live today The episode closes with “Heaven on Earth,” written by George E. Riddle. CHAPTERS (00:00) — Paradise & Hell on Earth (06:27) — Why Does Scripture Talk About Heaven and Hell? (07:56) — Hell Begins Where We Let It (12:58) — What Happens When We Die? (14:47) — Paul’s Third Heaven (17:12) — Science at the Edge of Death (24:00) — Death Is Not the End (34:42) — The New Heavens and the New Earth (40:09) — What Kind of World Are We Living In? (47:46) — Art, Propaganda and the Image of God (50:56) — Art vs. Propaganda (57:34) — AI and the Soul of the Artist (1:02:11) — How Should We Then Live? (1:03:36) — Faith Is Another Kind of Sight (1:09:28) — Self-Love, Purpose and the Accuser (1:15:41) — Heaven and Hell on Earth (1:29:09) — The Whole Story (1:31:16) — Conclusion (1:33:43) — Confession: Heaven Has Sometimes Sounded Boring (1:40:20) — “Heaven on Earth” Read the full written edition: https://www.riddleruns.com/rants-with-reason/rants-with-reason-episode-29-paradise-hell-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven What do you think happens after death? Does the thought of the afterlife make you anxious—or hopeful? Have you encountered accounts of near-death experiences?  Do you understand them as glimpses of something beyond us, chemical events within the brain, or something else entirely? What do YOU think? YES, YOU! I'd love to know your thoughts, and the world could use them! Let us know in the comments below or ⁠Youtube⁠, ⁠Rumble⁠, ⁠Tiktok⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, or ⁠X⁠ Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people.Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. ***NOTE: Until Episode 30 full episodes were vertical orientation on Youtube and Rumble, to encourage discussion. Going forward they will be 16:9 horizontal orientation, so we can all save our necks.

  8. Aug 4 ·  Bonus

    Does God Force Heaven or Hell Upon Us? [RwRE29] (Q&A)

    A commenter responded to our discussion of the afterlife by arguing that, after death, God forces humanity into one of two horrible places against our free will—and that therefore there is no hope for humanity. But is that actually what Christianity teaches? In this bonus Q&A following Episode 29, we examine the relationship between Heaven, Hell, freedom, judgment, and the Christian hope. The biblical picture of Heaven is not one of humanity being forced into a celestial prison. It is resurrection, restoration, creation healed, humanity reconciled to God, and death finally defeated. Jesus invites: “Come to Me.” “Follow Me.” “Whoever believes.” “Whoever is thirsty, let him come.” An invitation can be accepted. It can also be rejected. Love cannot be forced, and the moment it is, it ceases to be love. But freedom does not mean freedom from consequences. Choices matter precisely because they lead somewhere—and our repeated choices help form the people we become. We also consider: Whether anyone consciously chooses HellWhether freedom will remain in the resurrectionWhy perfect freedom does not require the ability to destroy ourselvesWhy judgment is necessary if evil truly mattersAnd why the Cross announces hope rather than abandonment Christianity does not claim that humanity can save itself. It claims that humanity has not been abandoned. God entered the world we broke, accepted the consequences of our rebellion, defeated death from the inside, and opened the way home. The invitation remains open—not because there is no hope for humanity, but because Christ is humanity’s hope. This Q&A expands upon: Rants with Reason — Episode 29Paradise and Hell on Earth As It Is in Heaven Dialogue is the aim.Truth is the goal. Gentle with people.Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions one discussion at a time. Chapters (00:00) Does God force Heaven or Hell? (01:02) The Christian hope (01:32) Would God force Heaven on us? (02:11) Freedom and consequences (03:24) Does anyone choose Hell? (04:38) Will we remain free in Heaven? (05:59) Hell, judgment, and disagreement (06:39) The Cross and humanity’s hope (07:17) Why judgment still matters (08:19) The invitation remains open

  9. Aug 3

    Jesus Among Other Gods, Angels & Ancient Aliens: Who Gets to Define Jesus? [RwRE30]

    What if an intelligence older than our civilization appeared, performed signs and wonders—and then claimed humanity had misunderstood Jesus? In RwRE30 we ask who has the authority to define Jesus? This performance essay moves through other gods and created spiritual powers, Deuteronomy 32, the divine council, Babel and Pentecost, UFO religion, private revelation, Christian nationalism, holy war, the apostolic witness, and the Cross. The task is neither credulity nor fear. It is discernment: power is not goodness, luminosity is not holiness, and a miracle is not the Gospel. What do YOU think? YES, YOU! I'd love to know your thoughts, and the world could use them! Let us know in the comments below or Youtube, Rumble, Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, or X Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with People. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. CHAPTERS(00:00) Opening(00:20) What would change your mind about Jesus?(10:49) Christians can remake Jesus too(12:58) The Bible was not written to us(19:03) Deuteronomy 32 and the nations(25:46) Cosmic geography(34:59) Partial truth and other religions(43:50) Not one more god(51:02) Babel reversed(58:40) Holy war(01:04:02) The modern test(01:09:35) Test the spirits(01:13:12) The historical test(01:19:05) Would you crucify Him?(01:25:42) The paradox of the Cross(01:32:44) Not conquest—homecoming(01:36:23) Would we recognize Him?(01:46:13) “Trust Jesus” by George E Riddle APPENDIX (in order of appearance) Angel / mal’akh / angelos — “messenger”; often a function, not a species.Elohim — אֱלֹהִים — H430 — used for Yahweh and other spiritual beings; no other elohim is Yahweh.Eloah — אֱלוֹהַּ — H433 — singular term related to elohim.Biblical monotheism — one eternal, uncreated Creator and rightful object of worship.Michael S. Heiser — Hebrew Bible scholar known for the divine-council worldview.Masoretic Text — Hebrew textual form behind most modern Old Testaments.Qumran / Dead Sea Scrolls — ancient Jewish manuscripts with early biblical witnesses.Sons of God — biblical designation for members of the heavenly host.Septuagint / LXX — ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.Textual variant — different wording preserved among surviving manuscripts.Divine council — heavenly assembly; Yahweh presides as Creator and judge.Cosmic geography — lands and nations associated with spiritual powers, without confining Yahweh.Naaman — Aramean commander healed through Elisha; requested Israelite earth.Dagon — Philistine god humiliated before the captured Ark.Ark of the Covenant — sacred chest marking Yahweh’s covenantal presence, not a magical weapon.Zarephath — Phoenician town where Elijah was received by a Gentile widow.Why Hermon? — Caesarea Philippi stood at its foot; the connection is a geographical inference.Hades — ᾍδης — G86 — the realm of the dead in the New Testament.Map — Paneas/Banias was Caesarea Philippi; Batanea broadly corresponds to Bashan.Watchers / 1 Enoch — heavenly title in Daniel; 1 Enoch places the rebels’ descent at Hermon.Og / Rephaim — Bashan’s giant king; Rephaim can refer to ancient giant clans and the dead.Table of Nations — Genesis 10: seventy in Hebrew tradition, seventy-two in Greek.Babel / Pentecost — scattering answered by communion across languages.Law of One / Ra — channeled system of cosmic unity and spiritual evolution.Three tests — Jesus, gospel, fruit.John → Polycarp → Irenaeus — short chain into second-century Christianity.John Michael Talbot — “Would You Crucify Him?” (1976).Tetelestai — Τετέλεσται — G5055 — “It is finished.”Christianese — insider church language that can obscure meaning. Full video, essay, transcript, and expanded appendix: https://www.RantswithReason.com Hope and Love Works: https://www.HopeandLoveWorks.org Music: “Trust Jesus” — George E. Riddle, from Copyright Tapes, Riddle Recordings.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Rants with Reason is an ongoing collection of performance essays exploring Christianity, theology, philosophy, psychology, history, culture, and the questions that shape how we see the world. Through dialogue, research, and reflection, Eric Harrison Riddle examines ideas, challenges assumptions, and explores the beliefs behind the beliefs, with YOU. Dialogue is the aim. Truth is the goal. Gentle with people. Relentless with ideas. Setting fire to presuppositions, one discussion at a time. Each episode is not a lecture, but an invitation into dialogue. So join the discussion!

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Harrison Riddle
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Eric Harrison Riddle
  • Show Website
    Rants with Reason