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Free Online Resources https://thatsjesus.org/church-of-christ-links-and-restoration-movement-links/ Description In Episode 15 of Why I Left the Church of Christ, Bob Baulch steps away from proof-text debates and hands viewers something more powerful - the keys to the actual historical record. This episode explores the free online libraries and digital archives that preserve the history of the Restoration Movement, including the writings, journals, debates, and doctrinal development that shaped the Churches of Christ over the last two centuries. Bob explains why these archives matter, why the documentary record begins after 1800, and why that raises major questions about the claim that the Church of Christ is simply the unchanged New Testament church. He points viewers to resources connected to Abilene Christian University, Pepperdine, Restoration Library, the Firm Foundation archive, the Gospel Advocate, the Millennial Harbinger, and classic Restoration Movement texts by Thomas […]

Is the Church of Christ a Cult? The Honest Answer (Episode 14) Description (YouTube) The word "cult" gets thrown around in YouTube comments like a grenade. But if you have ever been hurt by a controlling church, you deserve more than a lazy label. In this episode of Why I Left the Church of Christ, I answer the question I get constantly: Is the Church of Christ a cult? My answer is no, and I explain why using one of the most widely used tools for evaluating high control groups, the BITE Model: Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control. We walk through each category and talk honestly about what can go wrong inside autonomous congregations, while also explaining why the mainstream Churches of Christ do not function as a coordinated high control system. Then we get to the part almost nobody knows. To tell that story, we have to talk about the Crossroads discipling system, Kip McKean, the International Churches of Christ, and a remarkable irony involving a Church of Christ […]

Why I Left the Church of Christ - Episode 13: Why Good People Stay Description (YouTube) Leaving a church is not morally superior to staying, and I need you to hear that from me. In Episode 13 of Why I Left the Church of Christ, I make a genuine case for the good people who remain in the Churches of Christ. I talk about why the roots go deep, why the good is real, and why reform from within can be a legitimate calling. I also speak directly to those who left and went back, and why that choice should not be mocked or pitied. Using Jesus' wheat and weeds parable as a lens, I share why every tradition has both wheat and weeds, and why the real question is whether faith in Jesus is being nourished. This is pastoral, personal, and meant to bring freedom to anyone who has been pressured to believe that leaving is the only honest option. Scripture references include Romans 8:1, Romans 8:38-39, and Galatians 5:1. WILT - Part 013 - Why Good Peop… Keywords and phrases (comma separated) […]

Part 12 - Why I Left the Church of Christ - The Germany Moment Description Episode 12 is a personal turning point. It is the story of one moment in one place that forced me to separate two things I had treated as the same thing for decades: the authority of Scripture, and the authority of my tradition's interpretation of Scripture. In Germany, I encountered a Church of Christ congregation that loved Jesus and took the Bible seriously, but did not fit the rigid service shape I assumed was commanded. That moment started a thread I could not stop pulling. This episode walks through what I thought I knew, what I saw, what I searched for in the New Testament, and why confusing tradition with command can quietly turn sincere people into gatekeepers without realizing it. What to expect in this episode * The service pattern I grew up believing was the New Testament blueprint and why I defended it so strongly * How the military exposed me to Churches of Christ outside my non-institutional […]

Part 11 - Why I Left the Church of Christ - What the Founders Actually Believed Description In Episode 11, I walk you through a discovery that stopped me cold after I left the Churches of Christ. I had been taught that salvation hinges on getting a precise sequence of steps exactly right, with baptism as the boundary line that decides who is and is not truly Christian. Then I started reading the Restoration Movement founders in their own words. Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, and Barton W. Stone all addressed who counts as a Christian, and what they said does not match what many of us were taught the movement stood for. This episode is a primary source walk-through, plus a Scripture-centered conclusion about faith in Jesus, baptism, and who gets to draw the lines. What to expect in this episode * A clear summary of what I was taught about salvation in the non-institutional Churches of Christ. * Primary source quotes from Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell (including the […]

In Episode 10 of my Why I Left the Church of Christ series, I face one of the hardest parts of this journey - the Restoration Movement's history with slavery and segregation, the development of separate Black Churches of Christ, and my own blind spots as a white man raised inside the tradition. This episode is not an attack on every Church of Christ congregation. It is an honest look at movement history, the theology that helped protect racial division, and the painful reality that many of us were shaped inside a system that made it easy not to see what was right in front of us. I talk about the Restoration Movement and slavery, segregation in the Churches of Christ, the Curse of Ham teaching, the separate Black fellowship that developed alongside white Churches of Christ, and how this history forced me to reexamine not only specific doctrines but the interpretive method that produced them. I also share why repentance requires more than quietly moving on. If you have ever wrestled […]

Confirmation Bias and the Echo Chamber I saw how self-appointed authorities created an echo chamber of bad theology In Episode 9 of my Why I Left the Church of Christ series, I talk about confirmation bias and the echo chamber that shaped my theology for decades. I share how a system of trusted voices, lectureships, periodicals, and self-appointed authorities reinforced the same conclusions over and over until those conclusions felt unquestionable. This episode is not about attacking individuals. It is about examining a system that can exist in any Christian tradition. I honor many of the men who influenced me, but I also explain how sincere teachers can still pass down a closed system that rewards agreement more than honest examination. I also share what began to break the echo chamber for me, how better questions changed the way I read Scripture, and why stepping outside one approved circle of voices helped me test theology by the text instead of by tradition. I discuss […]

I stopped being ‘a member of the Church of Christ’ and became a follower of Jesus In Episode 8 of my "Why I Left the Church of Christ" series, I share the most personal shift in my journey - the move from identifying as a "member of the Church of Christ" to identifying as a follower of Jesus. This episode is not mainly about doctrine debates. It is about identity. I talk about how deeply my religious identity was tied to being an insider, how that shaped the way I saw other Christians, and what changed when I began to see the gospel as what Jesus did rather than a system I had to perform correctly. I also share the cost of that shift - broken relationships, being called a heretic, and the grief that comes when honesty changes how people see you. But I also share what I found on the other side: freedom, grace, and a deeper confidence in Jesus instead of trust in a denomination or checklist. If you have ever wrestled with church identity, denomination loyalty, church hurt, or […]

In Part 7 of my "Why I Left the Church of Christ" series, I talk about debate culture and how many of us were trained to win arguments instead of love people. This video is not an attack on every Church of Christ congregation. Congregations are independent, and not every church does what I describe. But many people with a Church of Christ background will recognize this pattern. I share how debate culture shaped the way I listened, how it trained me to look for weakness instead of truth, and why I eventually realized I cared too much about winning and not enough about loving. I also explain how this affected fellowship with other Christians and why it became one reason I left. This is a personal testimony, not a war cry. I still care about truth. I just no longer believe Jesus calls us to treat people like enemies in order to defend it. Topics in this episode include Church of Christ debate culture, winning arguments vs loving people, fellowship boundaries, church hurt, and […]

1797 AD – Wilberforce’s Manifesto: When a Parliamentarian Called Britain Back to “Real Christianity” Description: In 1797, as Britain fought revolutionary France and watched its neighbor experiment with “Temples of Reason,” a different kind of revolution quietly appeared on London bookshop counters. William Wilberforce, already known for his exhausting campaign to end the British slave trade, released a thick volume with an even thicker title: A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians… Contrasted with Real Christianity. He wrote not as a cloistered theologian, but as a sitting Member of Parliament who had been shaken years earlier by the Bible and by older Christian writers during a long European journey. Their insistence on sin, judgment, grace, and new birth forced him to reconsider everything—from his jokes about religion to his pursuit of applause in the House of Commons. Urged by John Newton to remain in politics “for God,” […]

Episode 17: 62 AD – The Echo of the Book of Ephesians Description: In 62 AD, the Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, yet he managed to write a letter that changed the world. This episode explores the powerful story of the Book of Ephesians and how it provided a "soaring vision" for the early church. We look at the main conflict of that time, where believers faced false teachings and needed a strong voice to help them stand firm against the confusion of the Roman world. You will hear how great church leaders like Irenaeus and Tertullian used this letter to defend the truth about Jesus and keep the church united. The episode highlights how the "Armor of God" gave them courage and how the promise of grace shaped their identity. We also see how this letter was read in whispered services by candlelight, becoming a lifeline for ordinary Christians who needed to know they were part of one body. Does the echo of Ephesians still reach us today, and are we letting the Bible shape our […]

1355 AD - The St. Scholastica's Day Riot: When Clerical Privilege Turned a University City Violent Website/YT/POD/FB Description: On February 10, 1355, a complaint about bad wine at Oxford's Swindlestock Tavern escalated into three days of violence that left dozens dead and the city scarred. The St. Scholastica's Day riot revealed the deep resentment between Oxford's townspeople and its university scholars, who enjoyed clerical privileges that protected them from local justice. Students wore tonsures and gowns marking them as churchmen, giving them benefit of clergy—lighter punishments in church courts rather than the harsher penalties townspeople faced. When two students insulted a tavern keeper, the fight spilled into the streets, bells rang from competing towers, and armed mobs from town and countryside attacked scholars in their lodgings. Bodies were thrown into ditches, halls were burned, and books were dragged into the streets. King Edward III responded by restoring the […]

BONUS DAY 25: Modern Fasting – Recovery or Distortion? Description: Is the modern church recovering biblical fasting, or are we just baptizing diet culture? In this final bonus episode, Bob Baulch tackles the biggest controversies surrounding the modern fasting movement. We ask the hard questions: Is "Intermittent Fasting" (16:8) a spiritual discipline or just a weight-loss trend? Is a "Technology Fast" actually fasting, or just a digital break? We explore why giving up food must always be paired with prayer to be spiritual, otherwise, it is simply dieting [Source 8: 544-545]. We also confront the commercialization of the "Daniel Fast," exposing how companies exploit the desire to be faithful by selling expensive meal kits for a fast that is supposed to be about simplicity and self-denial [Source 8: 554]. Furthermore, we address a critical safety issue: the danger of religious fasting masking eating disorders within the church. We discuss how spiritual language can sometimes be used […]

Title: Deep Dive: 410 AD – Augustine and the Sack of Rome (Revisiting Ep 16) Description: In 410 AD, the invincible city of Rome was sacked by the Visigoths, shocking the ancient world and causing a massive crisis of faith. This episode explores how Augustine of Hippo responded to the panic when pagan leaders began blaming Christians for the disaster. We discuss the terror of the invasion after 800 years of safety and the pagan accusation that the old gods were angry. The story highlights Augustine’s masterpiece, The City of God, and his famous teaching on the "Two Cities"—the City of Man and the City of God. We also look at why he urged believers to live as pilgrims who anchor their hope in heaven rather than in earthly empires. If you feel anxious about the chaos in the world today, this episode offers a timeless reminder of where true security is found. We invite you to subscribe to COACH for more weekly stories from early church history. Augustine of Hippo, Sack of Rome, […]

BONUS DAY 24: Inside the Monastery – Monastic Fasting Through the Ages Description: For 1,500 years, monks have been the "special forces" of Christian fasting. In Bonus Day 24, we go inside the monastery to examine the detailed fasting rules of the Benedictines, Cistercians, and the ultra-strict Carthusians (who eat one meal a day and maintain near-total silence). We explore why men and women throughout history have chosen to live under such strict discipline to seek God [Source 8: 521-522, 529]. We look at the Rule of St. Benedict, which mandated vegetarianism for monks but allowed wine in moderation, and the Trappist tradition of silence during meals. We also revisit the Desert Fathers, who viewed extreme fasting as direct warfare against demons, and contrast them with St. Francis, who ate meat to avoid the sin of pride [Source 8: 523, 527, 533]. What can modern laypeople learn from these radical lifestyles? We discuss the concepts of "Rhythm and Rule," community accountability, […]