Q&A#43 How Should We Understand Formal Leadership Within the Church?
September 9, 2018

Alastair Roberts
Today's question: "What is "ordained", formal, leadership in the Church? How do you understand the NT's "episkopoi" and "diakonoi"? What is the connection between these offices/roles/functions and both preaching and liturgy in worship?"
If you have any questions, you can leave them on my Curious Cat account: https://curiouscat.me/zugzwanged.
If you have enjoyed these videos, please tell your friends and consider supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged.
My new Soundcloud account is here: https://soundcloud.com/alastairadversaria. You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.
More From Alastair Roberts

Q&A#44 Thoughts on the Social Justice Statement
Alastair Roberts
September 10, 2018
Today I am responding to the various people who have asked for my opinion on the recent Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (https://statemento

Q&A#45 Paedocommunion?
Alastair Roberts
September 11, 2018
Today's question: "Do you hold to paedocommunion? If so, how would you reconcile this with Paul's warning in 1 Cor 11:29, and that chapter more genera

Q&A#46 What Does Baptism Do For a Person?
Alastair Roberts
September 12, 2018
Today's question: "What does baptism do for a person?"
If you have any questions, you can leave them on my Curious Cat account: https://curiouscat.me

Summary of John Hughes 'The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism'
Alastair Roberts
September 8, 2018
Within this video, I discuss John Hughes' exceedingly stimulating book, 'The End of Work'. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy: https

Q&A#42 What is the Case Against Women's Ordination?
Alastair Roberts
September 7, 2018
Today's question: "How would you summarize the argument against the ordination of women?"
If you found this video interesting, you might be intereste

Q&A#41 Are Young Elders a Contradiction in Terms?
Alastair Roberts
September 6, 2018
Today's question: "What are your thoughts on 'young elders' in the church? Is there an age restriction for the office of elder?"
If you have any ques
More on OpenTheo

Isn’t the Covenant in Scripture Explicitly with Israel and Not the Gentile Nations?
#STRask
March 12, 2026
Questions about what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited the Jews’ covenant with God if Scripture explicitly says it was with Is

Is This an Argument for Relativism?
#STRask
March 16, 2026
Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courag

What Is Wrong with Wokeness? With Neil Shenvi
Life and Books and Everything
January 19, 2026
In this timely interview, Kevin talks to Neil Shenvi about his new book (co-authored with Pat Sawyer), entitled “Post Woke: Asserting a Biblical Visio

Is Greg Placing His Faith in the Wrong Thing?
#STRask
February 12, 2026
Questions about Greg placing his faith in his personal assessment of which truth claims best match reality rather than in the revelation of God in Jes

Why Are So Many Christians Condemning LGB People Just Because of How They Love?
#STRask
January 15, 2026
Questions about Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love, how God can expect someone to be celibate when others are free to marr

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Life and Books and Everything
March 10, 2026
If you don’t like freewheeling conversation, laughter, and banter among friends, then this may not be the episode for you. But if you are interested i

Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1
Risen Jesus
March 11, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and

Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
#STRask
March 9, 2026
Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and ho

How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
#STRask
March 5, 2026
Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, an

Prove to Me That Jesus Is Not a Created Being
#STRask
January 26, 2026
Questions about why we should think Jesus is not a created being, and what it means to say God became fully human if part of being human means not bei

Does God Hear the Prayers of Non-Believers?
#STRask
February 26, 2026
Questions about whether or not God hears and answers the prayers of non-believers, and thoughts about a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just

Why Is It Necessary to Believe Jesus Is God?
#STRask
February 19, 2026
Questions about why it’s necessary to believe Jesus is God, whether belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, and why one has to believe in the

Sense, Sensibility, and Adam Smith with Jan Van Vliet
Life and Books and Everything
February 16, 2026
This year is a special anniversary for the United States as Americans celebrate 250 years of independence. But 1776 was an important year in more ways

Would You Say God’s Primary Object Is to Not Be Found?
#STRask
March 19, 2026
Questions about whether God’s primary object is to not be found, how one can say God doesn’t make mistakes if the percentage of Christians in the worl

Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?
#STRask
December 11, 2025
Questions about whether references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament are literal, how to talk to young children about ghosts, an
