Podcast: Underground Sessions Podcast

As a follow up to the recent Spiritual Gifts Summit held at MBC, Pastor Bob Erbig and Pastor Dave Hentschel discuss the different views related to the supernatural, or sign gifts discussed in the Bible. The main scriptures related to spiritual gifts are 1 Corinthians 12 & 14; Ephesians 4; Romans 12. Bob and Dave serve at the Pastoral Leadership Team at MBC, a shared leadership model where both share leadership and preaching responsibilities. Bob received his MDiv from Denver Seminary, and Dave received his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. 

In this episode, Bob welcomes Dr. Rosette Adera to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. They discuss her story of leaving Rwandan during the genocide in the 1990s, as well as the hot topic of immigration. Dr. Adera is the Chair of the Business Administration Department at Pillar College where she enjoys infusing Biblical principles into curriculum design and instruction. She is a student of Management, Leadership and Organizational Behavior where she engages in the Christian’s response to the issues of identity, diversity and inclusion. She is also currently serving on the Board of Garden of Hope Foundation, an initiative that is lifting the lives of youth, women and children from the slums of Nairobi.

Resources:

Opioid Awareness Conference 2019

Pillar College-MOVE THE CHAINS CONFERENCE- November 14, 2019

In this episode, Pastor Bob talks with Tom Russo about local NJ politics, his book There Are No Politics In Heaven, and how Jesus Christ transformed his life. 

Mr. Russo currently serves as Town Manager in Newton, NJ, with over eleven years of dedicated service to the County Seat of Sussex County, NJ. Mr. Russo has over 21 years of experience in municipal and county government as well as the nonprofit sector. Mr. Russo previously served as an elected official in two NJ municipalities. He was a Committeeman in Bernards Township from 2014–2017. He served as a Councilman, Council Vice President, and Council President in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township from 1998–2005, earning the distinction as the youngest-ever elected Governing Body member in the history of the Township. Mr. Russo has a Certified Public Manager (CPM) degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University/State of NJ, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Seton Hall University, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in both Communication and Political Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He is an adjunct professor in the undergraduate LEAD program at Pillar College, Newark, NJ, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at his alma mater, Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on nonprofit management and leadership. He recently published his first book, a memoir of his life experiences and how he gave up New Jersey politics and found faith as a born again Christian. The purpose of his book, There Are No Politics In Heaven, is to help individuals work through their brokenness and improve their lives with Jesus as their cornerstone. He currently attends Grace Fellowship Chapel with his family in Bedminster, NJ and serves as a volunteer with Pause Mens Ministries in Basking Ridge, NJ, an organization committed to the recovery and restoration of men through biblical teachings and principles. He resides in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, NJ with his wife Patricia, Director of The Children’s Corner Preschool, the largest ministry of Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church. They have two college-age daughters, Ashley (The Pennsylvania State University) and Krista (Florida State University).

Resources:

www.nopoliticsinheaven.com

www.pauseministries.org

This episode was recorded at our live Underground Sessions event on October 5, 2019. The topic of the evening was Religious Liberty and The Disintegration of Social Discourse. This episode featured panel responses to audience questions. The panel was comprised on Dr. Doug Groothuis, Jesse Nash, and Dr. Rosette Adera. 

Resources:

www.DouglasGroothuis.com

www.denverseminary.edu

www.pillar.edu

This episode features a panel discussion from our live Underground Sessions event on October 5, 2019. The topic of the event was Religious Liberty and The Disintegration of Social Discourse. The participants of the panel were Dr. Douglas Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, Jesse Nash a local business lawyer, and Dr. Rosette Adera of Pillar College. 

Resources:

www.DouglasGroothuis.com

www.denverseminary.edu

www.pillar.edu

This episode was recorded as part of our live Underground Sessions event on October 5, 2019. The topic of the event was Religious Liberty and the Disintegration of Social Discourse. Our keynote speaker was Dr. Douglas Groothuis who spoke on the topic of “Christians, Religious Liberty and Loving Your Political Enemies.” Dr. Groothuis is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, where he heads the Apologetics and Ethics MA. He is the author of twelve books, including Christian Apologetics, Philosophy in Seven Sentences, and Walking Through Twilight. 

Resources:

www.DouglasGroothuis.com

www.denverseminary.edu

www.adflegal.org

In this episode, Pastor Bob talks with Aimee Huber about the current abortion debate and the work of crisis pregnancy centers. Aimee grew up as a pastor’s daughter and has attended MBC since she was 10 years old. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in Political Science. She has served at First Choice Women’s Resource Centers since 1990 and has had the privilege of seeing God grow their ministry in New Jersey from one to five locations. First Choice’s mission is to protect the unborn by empowering women and Aimee currently serves as the Executive Director. She lives in Warren, NJ with her husband and two children. 

Episode Resources:

First Choice Website: www.1stchoice.org

40 Days For Life Website: www.40daysforlife.com 

In this episode, Pastor Bob and Dr. Harish Radha discuss the hot topic of gene editing and GMO production. Dr. Radha offers some helpful insights into how Christians should respond to this fast moving and controversial field. Dr. Radha is a cell biologist who has worked in academia, the food and beverage industry and biotech. He received his Ph.D. in cell biology from UMBC in Maryland and did his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Harish was an assistant professor in biology at Georgia Tech from 1999-2005. He then worked at the Coca-Cola Company fro six years identifying new technologies for ingredient innovation before moving to New Jersey in 2011 to work for Chromocell Corporation. While there, Harish managed ingredient discovery projects with several multinational food and beverage companies. Harish went back to his first love of teaching and is currently teaching high school science at St. Vincent Academy, a private school in Newark, NJ. 

Episode Resources:

The Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH is a great resource for information on gene editing-

https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/what-is-Genome-Editing

This is a video by the inventor of CRISPR Cas9 technology, Jennifer, Doudna on TED Talks-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdBAHexVYzc

In this episode, Andi Williams shares her thoughts on the current opioid crisis and details the work of Community in Crisis.

Pastor Bob Erbig introduces MBCs New Podcast: The Underground Sessions