Show Notes
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In this episode of God Is Not a Theory, Ken Fish sits down once again with Joel Taylor to discuss one of the most urgent issues facing the modern Church: Character formation in leadership. Against the backdrop of recent moral failures, burnout, narcissism, and public scandals within Christian leadership, Ken and Joel unpack the biblical and practical importance of dealing with “cracks in the foundation” before stepping into greater responsibility. The conversation explores: Why gifting can outgrow character The danger of being promoted beyond what your soul can sustain How hidden weaknesses become exposed under pressure The role of teachability, humility, and community Why the pastoral epistles focus so heavily on simple character traits And how God often develops leaders in hidden seasons before public ministry Drawing from Scripture, leadership experience, church history, and stories from figures like John Wimber, the episode offers a sobering but hope-filled reminder: The greatest threat to ministry is rarely lack of gifting—it is undealt-with character. This episode is a needed call back to: gentleness, faithfulness, purity, teachability, emotional maturity, and deep formation in Christ. Because in the Kingdom of God, who you are matters more than how impressive you appear. 🔑 Key Takeaways Leadership pressure exposes hidden cracks Gifting can outgrow character Teachability is essential for spiritual growth The Church often overlooks character in favor of visible gifting Paul’s pastoral letters repeatedly emphasize simple virtues Community helps reveal blind spots Hidden seasons are part of God’s preparation Modern culture pressures people to become “known” too quickly Refinement often feels like failure The goal of discipleship is becoming like Jesus
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More from God Is Not A Theory
Ken Fish and Joel Taylor welcome back Dr. Craig Keener—one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars—to discuss his new book, Spiritual Gifts Are for Today: A Biblical Case for the Continuing Work of the Spirit, co-written with Daniel Kolenda of Christ for All Nations. Written in response to the recent wave of hard cessationism, the book makes a thorough, scripture-saturated case that the gifts of the Spirit are for the church today. Craig and Joel walk through its boldest arguments: why the cessationist hermeneutic, applied consistently, would also throw out teaching, salvation, and the Great Commission; why 1 Corinthians 13 points to Christ’s return, not a closed canon; and the “apostles and oranges” confusion between apostleship and the writing of Scripture. In this conversation: Why Craig and Daniel Kolenda wrote the book now
Ken Fish and Joel Taylor are joined by Dr. Sam Storms—theologian, author, and longtime pastor—for a careful, substantive conversation about the doctrine of last things: what Scripture actually teaches about the fate of the unsaved. Together they define the terms and weigh the views: eternal conscious punishment (the historic position), annihilationism and its modern form conditional immortality, and universalism. Drawing on texts like Matthew 25 and Revelation 14, Sam makes the biblical case for the traditional view while engaging the strongest arguments on the other side with honesty and charity. The conversation keeps returning to a deeper root: nearly every theological error flows from a misconception about the nature of God—and much of modern theology has quietly turned into anthropology, exalting human feeling over God's revealed Word. In this conversation: Defining the terms: eternal conscious punishment, annihilationism, conditional immortality, universalism
Ken Fish and Joel Taylor sit down with Dr. Joshua Brown—neuroscientist, professor of psychological and brain sciences, and author of Proving a Miracle: Unlocking the Power of Prayer to Heal. Josh shares the story that set him on this path: at 30, days after his first child was born, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given little medical hope. What followed was a years-long pursuit of healing prayer—and, eventually, a clean scan. That journey turned a hard-nosed brain scientist into a careful investigator of divine healing, and this conversation models how faith and rigorous inquiry can work together rather than against each other. In this conversation: Josh's journey from a brain-tumor diagnosis to a clean scan
Ken Fish and Kady Taylor welcome back Jerame Nelson—revivalist, evangelist, and pastor of Rev Church, who has seen millions come to Christ in the nations—and a returning speaker at the upcoming Luminosity conference (Nashville, Oct 1–3, 2026). Register: https://kingdomluminosity.org/ Jerame shares from a year marked by revival, international crusades, and remarkable creative miracles, and senses another move of God stirring. But the conversation goes deeper than the miraculous. Against the backdrop of recent falls and exposures in ministry, Jerame and Ken talk candidly about responding rather than reacting, refusing hero worship, and why solid foundations, real discipleship, and consecration born of love—not legalism—are the way forward. In this conversation: A year of revival, international crusades, and creative miracles
Ken Fish and Kady Taylor welcome back David Taylor—a seasoned prophet, longtime friend of Ken's from their Fuller Seminary and Vineyard days, and a returning speaker at the upcoming Luminosity conference (Nashville, Oct 1–3, 2026). Register: https://kingdomluminosity.org/ With more than 50 years of prophetic experience, David brings hard-won wisdom to this year's theme of consecration and holiness. Reflecting on the recent shaking in prophetic ministry, he and Ken talk honestly about the temptations that derail prophets—fear of failure, insecurity, the craving for affirmation, and financial pressure—and the way back: the fear of the Lord, integrity, and relationships that keep us grounded. David also opens up about his own prophetic journey, the character-forging wilderness years, and the encounters that marked his calling. In this conversation: The temptations that derail prophets—and the way back to integrity