Faith without religion.
Navigating Prayer, Trinitarianism, and Depression: Exploring Biblical Questions with Shawn and Delaney McCraney
Paul, Gentiles, Corinth
In a recent episode, Shawn and Miss Delaney tackled a variety of thought-provoking questions from their audience, ranging from biblical interpretations to personal faith practices. One listener, Sterling, inquired about the interpretation of Matthew 8:11-12, pondering whether the verses address new believers from the Gentiles and the implications for the nation of Israel. Shawn affirmed Sterling’s interpretation but admitted that some aspects remain speculative.
Another listener, Charles, asked about the nature of prayer and how to align one’s will with God’s. Shawn emphasized the importance of a personal relationship with God, suggesting that prayer is less about following a formula and more about aligning one’s will with God’s through open communication.
The discussion also touched on the necessity of baptism, with Shawn asserting that baptism, whether by full immersion or otherwise, is not a requirement for faith, as Jesus has already accomplished everything necessary for salvation.
A question from Christian about the Trinity led to a discussion on the strongest arguments for Trinitarianism. Shawn acknowledged the traditional view of the Trinity as three distinct persons but expressed his belief in a more unified representation of God.
The episode also addressed the topic of depression among Christians. Shawn reassured listeners that depression is a common human experience and not a reflection of one’s faith. He emphasized that the closer one draws to God, the more they may feel the weight of the world, making depression a natural part of the Christian journey.
Throughout the episode, Shawn and Miss Delaney encouraged listeners to continue asking questions and exploring their faith, highlighting the importance of personal understanding and relationship with God.
Podcast Transcript:
we are here we are here welcome back
it’s been a little bit since we’ve had a
episode posted but thanks for your
patience thank you and we’re going to do
a few more answers to questions before
we get back into the verse by verse um
or verse by
verse I’m getting it all mixed up here
all
right um this question is from
Sterling I sense some conflict
between Matthew wait have we read this
one damn it sorry we start
some wait sorry should we restart the
recording no sorry everyone okay does it
go without saying that in
Matthew 8
11-2 where it says many will come from
east and west and recline at the table
with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the
Kingdom of Heaven do do you know what
I’m referring to yeah okay does it go
without saying that in those verses the
add the addresses are partly the new
Believers from the Gentiles but on the
other hand the people with the Sinister
I’m so sorry I have such a hard time
reading these questions
okay does it go without saying that
these verses the addresses are partly
the new Believers from the Gentiles but
on the other hand the people with
Sinister prospects are the able majority
of the nation of Israel who would pay a
heavy price of the last day I think it
goes without
saying God I’m sorry to the oser of the
question no Sterling it’s good it goes
without saying yes I think you are dead
on the follow-up question might repeat
it but or could these verses refer to
the castle walls of the New Jerusalem
that divide the resurrected Souls sure
oh man’s deep that’s all speculation I
don’t know okay no answer okay possible
keep asking them though these are
Gooding a deep thinker he he he’s got
his stuff
man okay we’ll go to a question from
Charles um hi Sean and Miss Delaney the
question I have is about prayer and how
to speak to God prayer is the greatest
power God has given us in Matthew 6
Jesus taught us how to pray but I don’t
but I do not believe the word words to
say rather it provides a structure to
follow if I find it hard to pray is it
because I don’t have a a relationship
with God in in John
18:1 Jesus shows the relationship he has
between him and the father saying father
the the hour has come glorify thy son
that thy son Also may glorify thee
returning to the Lord’s
Prayer there’s much we can explore but
the main thing I want to know is this
Jesus instructs one to pray that God’s
will be done over our own how do we know
what God’s will is is it always within
the Bible should we pray like this
example father your word says ABC I have
this situation XYZ in my life therefore
I stand on scripture and bring XYZ
before you you get the
question well for me personally it’s far
far far less
formulaic to me it’s uh you we often
just pray to to me we pray so that our
will will be in harmony with his will uh
thy kingdom come thy will be done on
Earth as it is in heaven I don’t I don’t
see to pray to try to get our wants done
because in the end we walk by faith and
we want to agree with his will in our
lives so I have always and I don’t do
much formulaic praying like this is the
time I’ll pray I just talk I just talk
cuz he’s in us it’s a relationship so I
don’t do the formal prayer praying like
I used to when I was religious it’s just
more talking and I don’t have a a set
way of doing it you might have noticed
that when um Grady prais this Dad he
it’s he’s the same way it’s just a
relationship so all the formulaic stuff
of the New Testament I think maybe had a
place then and there but I’m not sure
anymore do you feel like it’s the
practice itself of just talking to him
is what aligns us with his will sort of
I think it helps us too and you know it
and it doesn’t mean that we’ll
get it it doesn’t mean we’ll agree with
him you
know you know it’s like he knows all
things he’s going to do his will he’s
Sovereign then why are we asking him
it’s all these questions to me it’s just
like I trust that you help me to be in
your will help me and if you were to
describe that will you’re you started in
job this week and like that will is kind
of maybe different than what I thought
yeah because we don’t know it we you
know I mean everybody wants their whole
family to grow up safely but his will is
sometimes and they pray every day for
that and his will is sometimes no so I
don’t know what to say to
that I don’t think we know as well I
think he’s mysterious and he does what
he needs to do and we either accept it
or we don’t do you think his will is
set no he’s going off of yeah and this
is how I significantly differ with
evangelicals is I believe that because
he is love his will uh and actions
change according to our lives you know
it’s like when you girls were young my
will was something as you grew up and
you started making decision ision in
different ways my if my will it would
have been no we’re going to stay Mormon
and you’re going to no but as an
apparent you change with where your kids
are going and I think God does that more
than anybody that’s how he’s changeable
yeah and that’s how he’s not this I am
this fire you come to me and be burned
or not no he’s extending constantly
changing his mind that that’s pretty
cool because it gives more
motivation in my opinion to like open it
up for him yeah like if if the will was
already established then what you’re
going to do is what you’re going to do
and like you can’t do much else but like
it encourages you to push a little bit
yeah
yeah okay good question Charles very
good question
Charles he has another but let’s get all
the different questions going first so
Anonymous says do we really need to be
fully immersion baptized no we don’t
need to be
anything we don’t need to be anything
because Jesus did it all he had the
faith he had the love we dis believe you
know and depending on how you’re moved
then everything else Falls in but no we
don’t have to do anything do we need to
be baptized at all no where where did
the idea of full immersion baptism come
from well I mean it’s there’s a lot of
things that are happened like where did
Jesus go to be baptized Jordan because
there was much water there why do you
need much water couldn’t you just take a
cup in the city I see so that you know
and so well there’s much water so you
can be immersed why because Paul says
we’re supposed to be buried with Christ
through baptism and raised to New Life
so you put all the pieces together and
people say yeah I think immersion is the
best way
but we also want to make laws out of
everything so we say yes you must be
Baptist and it must be by immersion
right and if you’re pinky comes up
you’re not b and and immersion is not
even a word in the
Bible he dipped him it’s really he
dipped
yeah well this person who’s asking might
not know who you are so or know where
your opinions come from so it’s helpful
Okay
Christian says hi Sean what do you think
is the strongest argument for
trinitarianism I followed your ministry
in 2014 as an 18 19yearold and heavily
considered your viewpoint on the Trinity
over the years I’ve come to embrace the
Orthodox view of the Trinity as the
essential truth but I’m always listening
to other
viewpoints well I mean the the best view
of the Trinity is there are three and
they’re mentioned father
Holy Spirit there’s your strongest
support there are three
Expressions right but if you want the
best support for the Trinity as it’s
been credy
described
uh no idea what’s the what’s
the thing that people like hang their
argument on when they fight you on your
view of the Trinity a true trinitarian
fights me on me saying I don’t believe
that were three persons oh yeah I see
yeah they that’s like part and parcel
three persons and like persons existing
Before Time sort of thing okay that make
up the one God okay that’s that’s
their that’s their best argument then
That’s essential trinitarianism there’s
three persons and so they will be a
sickler if you say and the hly Holy
Spirit it they’ll say not it the Holy
Spirit
he they will yeah oh yeah if they’re if
they know trinitarianism yeah they’ll
correct you no no no the Holy Spirit he
the holy spirit’s a male yes is it a
person yes it’s not an it they’re big on
that I think the spirit is the spirit of
the father and the son and I think that
two is a far more representative
configuration in scripture than three
and who where do they base the the
preexistence of these persons on like
what vers when Jesus will say something
like before Abraham was I am then he has
made himself I have no problem with uh
the be the being Jesus as God uh having
a pre-existent state yeah they and they
all say what they do is they say if
you’re not a trinitarian you deny the uh
deity of Christ they automatically just
say that and that’s not true with me
yeah at all yeah but I don’t I don’t
make him a a little person next to his
dad next to the Holy Spirit the cousin
who are three persons like they have the
only claim to deity of of Christ yeah
yeah they they get they’re the only ones
because our way and they just they’re so
blind to it they can’t see that huh okay
yeah cool yeah thank you you’re welcome
and you too
Christian we’ll do a few
more um where are we at oh 11 minutes
we’re getting through them just goes
like that when you’re with
Delaney this is from not this is from
world christianfaith.org
oh my
gosh um does exodus
21236 allow for marriage that is
premeditative planned to last a
temporary duration and not a lifetime to
be considered ethical in some
situations does the employer give an
employee a woman to marry in such a
manner that they are no longer married
when the employment ends oh my goodness
Way Beyond my pay grade I have to be
looking at the text and my study of it
to even respond and having gotten Exodus
okay I am not equipped to answer that
all I can say is marriage is a is a
central figure in all that God does okay
he uh they refer to a lot of different
verses so if you ever want to check that
out check that out all right man when
are you going to hit Exodus is that
after after jobian you’re doing okay
stay tuned for his when he gets to
Exodus 21 in 7
years um okay let’s
do one maybe two more Mr Sean this
question focuses on depression and being
Christian the Bible is full of passages
about depression as well as anxiety and
sorry and stress the three major mental
health
concerns uh he cites Proverbs
12:25 and me
that it mentions depression directly
anxiety in the heart of a man causes
depression but a good word makes it glad
um and even our lord Jesus who while
praying In The Garden of Gethsemane was
overwhelmed with sorrow Charles Spurgeon
is a well-known preacher for the 19th
century also struggled with depression
he wrote my spirits were so low I could
weep by the hour of a
child by the hour like a child and yet
not know what I wept
for I think it’s fascinating that the
Living Word knew this as being a major
concern is depression considered a sin
because a Believer cannot admit
it they think that they think that would
be admitting a spiritual problem because
he cites Proverbs 15:13 saying a merry
heart makes a cheerful countenance but
sorrow of the heart the spirit is
broken as a Christian how should we deal
with
depression is the final sentence sorry I
mean I don’t think any of those passages
can be used as you know uh a
prescriptive thing on whether
depression’s okay or not look at first
of all the Psalms and Proverbs Song of
Solomon Ecclesiastes pro pro job they’re
all they’re all speaking about The Human
Condition how much of that’s inspired
how much of it’s true there’s a lot of
stuff in in there that is just not
applicable once Christ came and did what
he did so I think the human condition is
full of difficulty depression included
and I don’t think it has anything to do
with your being Christian I think your
depression will affect your faith it
will affect your love but bottom line go
back to the main thing we stand on Jesus
did it all and now through him we might
be able to get some reprieve
from some of those things but maybe not
I get depressed I get depressed all the
time no one can tell me because I get
depressed because of my chemicals that
I’m lesser of a Christian than someone
who doesn’t so like you pointed out in
your letter or your email Jesus got you
know bummed out everybody gets bummed
out you know this is a bummed out place
so and actually the more you know about
him and the closer you draw to him the
more bummed out you get because this
place offers you less and less so I
think actually to be honest I think
being depressed is more of a description
of a Christian than it is of the
exception yeah I wanted to ask if
they’re like actually correlated yeah oh
yeah that’s why Spurgeon I think was
when you’re dying to your flesh that
gets to be really a bummer
yeah yeah I noticed that here there’s
waves of depression when you especially
with like the idea of fulfill hel and
stuff oh yeah very hard very
hard thank you for that
question um okay maybe we can call it
there calling it and on to the next one
all right
