Podcast
Restitutio
Hosted by Sean P Finnegan · EN
Restitutio is a Christian theology podcast designed to get you thinking about biblical theology, church history, and apologetics in an effort to recover the original Christian faith of Jesus and the apostles apart from all of the later traditions that settled on it like so much sediment, obscuring and mutating primitive Christianity into dogma and ritual. Pastor Sean Finnegan, the host of Restitutio, holds to a Berean approach to truth: that everyone should have an open mind, but check everything against the bible to see how it measures up. If you are looking for biblical unitarian resources, information about the kingdom of God, or teachings about conditional immortality, Restitutio is the Christian podcast for you!
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
651. Translating the Holy Spirit (Sean Finnegan)
1w ago00:44:26Tap to summarizeHave you ever heard the expression “a smoking gun”? It comes from an earlier era of guns when black powder produced a good cloud of smoke each time someone fired the weapon. Originally a smoking gun referred to a situation when someone was caught with the weapon in hand, still emitting smoke. The implication of this is not just that the smoking gun is evidence of the person’s guilt, but that such is conclusive and undeniable evidence. Today were going to consider the topic of bias in our English Bible translations. I’m going to present to you four independent grammatical smoking guns of Trinitarian mischief in evangelical translations. In each case, rather than rendering the source language into the target language, we’ll see how translators tweak the translation to support the personality of the holy spirit. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts This talk was originally presented at a Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) event held at the Cantebury Christadelphian Ecclesia in Melbourne, Australia on March 21, 2026. Thanks to the Christadelphians for providing a venue and giving me access to the recording. —— Links —— Download the slides from this presentation Read the article that inspired this presentation Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
650. Restoration Theology 16: Restoration Theology Can Change the World
2w ago00:41:33Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. Today is our last episode in our Restoration Theology class. Believe it or not, not everyone thinks restorationism is great. In fact, most Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, are against restorationism, preferring the confessional approach. Have you started to face objections and dismissive language when you talk to others about restoration theology yet? If not, you will. Today, I want to familiarize you with the kinds of criticisms they make against us and give you some thoughts on how to answer them. Then we’ll transition our focus to consider three advantages of restorationism, including that it provides a stable identity, a way forward for unity, and evangelistic opportunities. In the end, I believe restoration theology is not just an excellent way to evaluate your beliefs; I believe it’s also the key to changing the world! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Register to attend the Will Barlow vs. Samuel Nessan debate on whether Jesus is Yahweh Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
649. Restoration Theology 15: A Method to Evaluate Doctrines
3w ago00:44:44Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. Today is the capstone episode of this entire class on Restoration Theology. We’re going to put together what we’ve learned so far into a twenty-question diagnostic. The purpose of this method is to evaluate any Christian belief or practice. You can use it on your own doctrines to refine what you believe, or you can apply it to others. In what follows I’m going to run through the method a total of three times. First, I’ll simply list off the twenty questions. Then I’ll take two theological books and run through the method twice more. My hope is that once I’m done with this, you will understand how to use the diagnostic. Ultimately, my prayer is that this method will provide Christians from all kinds of backgrounds a more systematic and comprehensive approach to figure out what to believe. This method is how we do restoration theology–how we restore authentic Christianity. I hope you will find it helpful. Here’s a link to the twenty-question diagnostic. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
648. Restoration Theology 14: Comparative Theology and Alternative Doctrines
4w ago00:48:29Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. About a year ago I was listening to a podcast that said black plastic cookware comes from recycled electronics. Such plastics are loaded with chemicals like fire retardants and should not be used in cooking. I was thinking about the black plastic spatula our family used regularly. I imagined how each time it was heating up, bad chemicals were leeching into our food. This information caused me to doubt something I had never thought of before. I did some looking around online and found that there were other options. There are metal spatulas, silicone spatulas, and even wooden spatulas. I weighed the merits of each and purchased one. When it arrived by mail, I threw out the old black plastic one. You probably employ this kind of reasoning all the time. However, when it comes to deeply cherished beliefs, we tend to be quite resistant to hearing criticisms or having doubts. We are often unaware of what the other theological options are. Most of us are underexposed to other Christian ways of thinking outside of our group. Today my goal is to convince you that looking at other options and evaluating your own beliefs over against them is worthwhile for you to do. Furthermore, I want to–as always–share a method that you can use to do this process on your own. I believe that when you have the courage to allow yourself to doubt your beliefs, you will benefit by either discarding falsehood or strengthening those that are true. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
647. Restoration Theology 13: Historical Theology and Doctrinal Precedents
Apr 900:44:34Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. As we continue through our survey of the major branches of theology, we come to the subject of doctrinal precedents. Who has believed a particular idea before? Were there any Christians who held position x in the past? Who were they? If the majority of the church no longer holds to a certain belief, what happened? When I was in high school, I thought history was terribly boring. Learning the names of dead American presidents or about European wars never appealed to me. You may feel this way too. However, right from my first time encountering Christian history, I felt different. Perhaps that was a gift of God. Or maybe it’s because Christian history is family history. I was learning about my ancestors in the faith–the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today you’re going to learn a method to do historical theology. This will empower you to test your beliefs in the laboratory of history and see who held them previously. Such an exercise is important in our quest for doctrinal truth. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan or Threads @sean.p.finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
646. Restoration Theology 12: Analytic Theology and Logical Evaluation
Apr 400:41:57Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. Restoration Theology is an approach that brings together good hermeneutics and good theology. We’ve talked a great deal about hermeneutics, which how to interpret the Bible well, and now we’re working our way through all the major branches of theology. In previous episodes, we’ve looked at biblical and systematic theologies and now we’re ready to see how analytic theology can help us evaluate our doctrines. Though analytic theology may seem intimidating at first–what with all the symbols and logical operators–it’s actually quite a commonsensical way to approach doctrine. If we boil it down, analytic theology is merely the application of reason to your belief. We all do this all the time. We look at some weird belief and say, “Well, that doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to believe that.” We come up against a different way of putting together scripture and we scrutinize the reasoning. We say, “Hey that argument doesn’t work because of this problem.” Analytic theology provides the tools to formalize this process. And I’m excited to share with you a method to harness the power of this field without having to do years of schooling or spend hundreds of hours reading dry textbooks. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
645. Restoration Theology 11: Systematic Theology and Biblical Coherence
Mar 2600:40:25Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. Whereas last time we focused on differences and development, today our goal is to perceive the final form of a doctrine. Because restorationists believe God inspired scripture, we recognize that amidst the diversity we can also detect coherence. Although there were many authors, there was only one God inspiring each of them. Today you’re going to learn about how to do systematic theology well. Rather than merely collecting a few texts that support your belief, you’ll also learn what other steps are necessary to put together a robust theological statement. You’ll also learn about the limitations of systematic theology. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
644. Restoration Theology 10: Biblical Theology and Progressive Revelation
Mar 1900:43:40Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, written by dozens of authors over centuries. It did not drop from heaven, nor did it arrive all in one generation. No, God slowly revealed the Christian scriptures over time. As a result, we find development within them, which is important to understand when building theology. While next time, we’ll focus on the final form of this or that doctrine, today our focus is on how doctrines change over time. This is nothing to worry about. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature! Afterall, our God is not a stone idol, but the dynamic living God who carefully shapes history to his sovereign ends, generation by generation. Today we’ll begin our first episode in a five-part series, covering all the major branches of theology. Enjoy! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
643. Restoration Theology 9: Applying Scripture in Your Context
Mar 1400:45:33Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. Although one of the most overlooked aspects of hermeneutics, figuring out how to apply scripture to your own context today is extremely important. If you interpret the Bible well, but never ask the question, “How does this affect me?” what good does it do you? Like the scholar of religion who is just curious, you can read the Bible and understand it correctly, but never experience the kind of change God wants for you. Let’s say you want to apply the Bible to your life today. How do you do it? It won’t do to just pick a verse here and a verse there–taking this one literally and that one metaphorically as you like. No, you need a method to help keep you honest and to make sure you’re not leaving anything critical out. Today’s episode is going to equip you to apply scripture to your life today in a methodical way, not only providing some clear guidelines of what to do, but also some problems to avoid. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →
642. Restoration Theology 8: Interpreting Scripture in Its Historical Context
Mar 500:37:41Tap to summarizeThis episode is part of the Restoration Theology class. There’s no getting around it. The Bible is a historical book. The events it describes occurred in history. What’s more, biblical history isn’t just limited to a single period of time. No, it stretches over thousands of years. As a result, it’s critical that you always remember that you’re reading something from another time and place. You’re reading about people who lived long ago in a place that is far away–at least for most of us. Now, if you’re anything like me, you found social studies, global studies, and history classes totally boring in high school. I never cared to learn much about American presidents or European wars. However, when I came to understand that the historical context was a major key for understanding the Bible, I discovered–to my surprise–a passion for history. Suddenly I wanted to learn about ancient empires and literature. I researched archeology, epigraphy, and paleography. I suppose my awakening occurred because I saw there was a payoff. I wasn’t just studying history to learn random facts about long ago. I was studying to learn how to understand the Bible better, and that made all the difference in the world. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Transcribe →