The Discernable Interviews
The Scandal of Grace with Bishop Paul Barker
1hr 47min
What is the core promise of Jesus Christ and Christianity? Rather than settle for common caricatures, we invited Bishop Paul Barker to take us to the very centre of the faith where he explained the scandalous claims it makes.
What is faith? Is it testable? Does it lean on any empiricism and science or is it purely a ‘leap of faith’?
What about social justice – is that the key message of Christianity?
What does ‘believing’ mean? Is it merely mental assent or something more?
Who is Jesus Christ? Does it really matter or is the rest of the Bible helpful without him?
How ‘good’ do you have to be to get into heaven? What about really bad people?
These are the questions that were in my mind approaching this interview, and I found it both surprising and refreshing to hear such a unique exposition of the Christian faith, instead of the strawman we hear in popular culture.
The second half of the discussion centred around cultural relevance, whether the world is devolving its standards, and whether all faiths will remain true to their sacred beliefs and texts or become secularised due to cultural pressure. We explored the failings of the modern church, and the loss of the core message of grace.
At Discernable we continue to explore different perspectives, beliefs, values and opinions by presenting them in their best light possible so you can make up your own mind.