In this podcast episode titled "Stepping into the New Creation Part 2: Living a Life That Invites Others to Follow Jesus," the host, Dr. Jeffrey D. Skinner, explores the concept of living a life that attracts others to follow Jesus. He begins by acknowledging that we live in a post-Christian world where biblical literacy is not as prevalent as before. The host highlights the disconnect between Christians who live by one worldview and the rest of the world that lives by a different story.
The episode introduces the concept of centered set theology as an alternative to bounded set theology. Centered set theology emphasizes movement towards Jesus and focuses on relationship rather than strict adherence to a specific ideology or set of beliefs. It encourages welcoming all individuals and gauging their proximity to Jesus as a measure of their faith, rather than creating boundaries and exclusions based on agreement with specific doctrines.
The host emphasizes the importance of living a life that reflects the love and acceptance demonstrated by Jesus, rather than trying to control or impose beliefs on others. He discusses the need for an atmosphere of hospitality within individuals and institutions, and the idea that the church should be missional and self-giving, following God's example of being sent into the world to save it.
The episode also touches on the boundaries and guidelines set by denominations, using the example of the Church of the Nazarene, which prohibits drinking alcohol and using tobacco. While these boundaries exist, the host emphasizes that they do not exclude individuals from attending or being part of the community, but rather serve as principles that those within the denomination agree to uphold.
The episode concludes by highlighting the goal of centered set theology, which is to become more like Jesus and experience abundant life through a close relationship with Him. It hints at a future episode where the concept of bounded set theology will be explored.


the Raw Transcript can be found here.