Dear Timothy, A father's final words to his son.

The apostle Paul is often considered to be a rather cold-hearted man. On the occasions when I have asked different women if they would have appreciated being pastored by him, it has been met with a resounding “No!” I suspect this is because Paul is similarly perceived as a male-chauvinist due to his various comments about women needing to be quiet in church and not permitted to teach a man. If this is your opinion of Paul, it is my hope that you might come to soften your view of him after completing this study of what are his final surviving epistles before he was executed at the command of Caesar Nero in AD 64.
 In addition to this negative opinion about the apostle Paul there are those who see him as a bigot and fundamentalist who has no place in shaping the Christianity of the current times. It is my hope that I can demonstrate that what Paul wrote in these epistles was indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit to a person and audience around AD 62 but still has divinely ordained relevance to our times. In fact, what I hope to demonstrate is that God largely used Paul to pen around 70% of the New Testament as the culmination of what I will suggest was the progressive revelation of the Bible. That is, the written truth of the God’s revelation to all mankind was given over time in a way that each stage of the unfolding revelation of God progressively built upon the previous revelation. 
To download the Bible Study series, Dear Timothy, go to - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/bible-studies-for-small-groups/Dear-Timothy/
The title of these small group Bible studies, ‘Dear Timothy’, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that the Apostle Paul had over several decades with his young protégé whom he considered to be his son. Some people have the perception that Paul was a cold-hearted man - but cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.
-Dr. Andrew Corbett

Dear Timothy, Part 1, Premium edition

To download the Bible Study series, Dear Timothy, go to - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/bible-studies-for-small-groups/Dear-Timothy/
The title of these small group Bible studies, ‘Dear Timothy’, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that the Apostle Paul had over several decades with his young protégé whom he considered to be his son. Some people have the perception that Paul was a cold-hearted man - but cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.

Dear Timothy, Part 2 - Wage Good Warfare - Radio Edition

Dear Timothy, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that he had over several decades with a young man whom he considered to be his son. Cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.

Dear Timothy, Part 3 - First of all, Pray! (Radio Edition)

To download the Bible Study series, Dear Timothy, go to - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/bible-studies-for-small-groups/Dear-Timothy/
The title of these small group Bible studies, ‘Dear Timothy’, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that the Apostle Paul had over several decades with his young protégé whom he considered to be his son. Some people have the perception that Paul was a cold-hearted man - but cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.
-Dr. Andrew Corbett

Dear Timothy, Part 4 - Paul's Attitude About Women - Premium Edition

Dear Timothy, Part 5 - Elders and Deacons, radio edition

Increasing numbers of people in our society are starting to become aware of the real dangers of pornography – not just for the users of it, but also for the women who are often enslaved within the industry. Yet why are so few speaking up about it? In culture that is often passionate about justice issues why does this not get the attention it should? 

In this episode of Pod of the Gaps, Aaron, Andy and Michael seek to address that gap by taking an honest look at this issue. How can Christians speak out without sounding prudish or anti-sex? And how can we best help those enslaved by it (the ‘users’ and the ‘used’)? As ever, we explore this pressing cultural issue with the usual mix of theology, wit, and wisdom.

Some of the resources mentioned on the show:

Nicholas Kristof, 'The Children of Pornhub', New York Times (4 December 2020) — online at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html

Abigail Shrier, "Irreversible Damage: Teenage Girls and the Transgender Craze" (London: Swift Press, 2021 [2020])

William Struthers,"Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain" (London: IVP, 2009)

Episode 19 - The Pornification of Culture

To download the Bible Study series, Dear Timothy, go to - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/bible-studies-for-small-groups/Dear-Timothy/
The title of these small group Bible studies, ‘Dear Timothy’, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that the Apostle Paul had over several decades with his young protégé whom he considered to be his son. Some people have the perception that Paul was a cold-hearted man - but cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.
-Dr. Andrew Corbett

The apostle Paul is often considered to be a rather cold-hearted man. On the occasions when I have asked different women if they would have appreciated being pastored by him, it has been met with a resounding “No!” I suspect this is because Paul is similarly perceived as a male-chauvinist due to his various comments about women needing to be quiet in church and not permitted to teach a man. If this is your opinion of Paul, it is my hope that you might come to soften your view of him after completing this study of what are his final surviving epistles before he was executed at the command of Caesar Nero in AD 64.
 In addition to this negative opinion about the apostle Paul there are those who see him as a bigot and fundamentalist who has no place in shaping the Christianity of the current times. It is my hope that I can demonstrate that what Paul wrote in these epistles was indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit to a person and audience around AD 62 but still has divinely ordained relevance to our times. In fact, what I hope to demonstrate is that God largely used Paul to pen around 70% of the New Testament as the culmination of what I will suggest was the progressive revelation of the Bible. That is, the written truth of the God’s revelation to all mankind was given over time in a way that each stage of the unfolding revelation of God progressively built upon the previous revelation. 
 Therefore, the title of these Bible studies, Dear Timothy, is meant to convey an immediate warmth of relationship that he had over several decades with a young man whom he considered to be his son. Cold-hearted people are rarely characterised by long-term relationships. The fact that Timothy was just one of the many long-term friendships that Paul had with various men and women should tell us something important about the man who wrote to Timothy. Paul’s concern for his young lieutenant also involved his concern for the Ephesians. The issues that he addresses to Timothy were really the issues that the church at Ephesus were grappling with. And it is my third hope that we come to see that these are the same issues we are also grappling with as a church today.
-Dr. Andrew Corbett

DEAR TIMOTHY

Dear Timothy, Part 9, Why I Suffer As I Do

This is the podcast, Audio the Matters, where I take the ancient truth of God's Word, explain it, and show how it is relevant for today. I blog. I write. I  eBook. I am currently undertaking another doctorate where I am researching the work of C.S. Lewis in regard to his theological contribution to our understanding of the imago Dei.

Dear Timothy, Part 9, Why I Suffer As I Do

Dr. Andrew Corbett

Related tracks