Covenant Podcast

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with Pastor Ben Carlson as he dives into one of the Old Testament's most intriguing figures: the Angel of the LORD. In this episode, Ben presents compelling scriptural evidence and theological insights to explain why he believes the Angel of the LORD is none other than a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. From the burning bush to Gideon's encounter, we explore key passages where this mysterious figure appears, examining the profound implications for our understanding of God's character and the continuity of His redemptive plan throughout history.   Below are the links for Pastor Ben's four part blog series on the Angel of the LORD: https://cbtseminary.org/what-does-the-angel-of-the-lord-mean/ https://cbtseminary.org/where-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-found-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/who-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/why-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-important-ben-carlson/   For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"Any missionary heading to India had to wrestle with the reality that they could die shortly after arrival. Surely, none of them expected to return to England. Moving to a hot, wet climate without immunities or medical remedies against exotic diseases, was part of the cost of reaching the lost. And Eliza Leslie had considered this." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org  

William D. Dennison (MDiv, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Michigan State University) was Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Covenant College and Visiting Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Northwest Theological Seminary. He is the author of Paul's Two-Age Construction and Apologetics (Wipf and Stock, 2000), A Christian Approach to Interdisciplinary Studies (Wipf and Stock, 2007), The Young Bultmann (Peter Lang, 2008), and Karl Marx (P&R). For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Dr. Meade joined the Phoenix Seminary Faculty in 2012. He teaches courses in Hebrew Language, Old Testament Literature, Greek Language and Literature, and Biblical Theology. His research interests include Origen's Hexapla, the Septuagint, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, the Canon of Scripture, and Biblical Theology. He also presents papers at scholarly meetings such as the Evangelical Theological Society, the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, and the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"The Leslies grew in love for one another and appear to have sincerely rejoiced at the opportunity to serve God in India, despite the sacrifices this involved. Their first year passed relatively quietly with no children, but with much learning and usefulness." For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Pastors Doug Barger, Dewey Dovel, and Ken Glisch discuss the doctrine of election from John Gill's "The Cause of God & Truth." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Feeling Like You've Messed Up in Ministry? These Pastors Get It and Here's What They Learned! For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"I do not know of any other book that exalts Christ Jesus more clearly in the salvation of sinners than this little book by Hanserd Knollys. The treasure of this book is Christ." - Jeffrey D. Johnson Order your copy here: https://freegracepress.com/products/christ-exalted?_pos=1&_sid=5907352c0&_ss=r Check out the rest of the Free Grace Press Baptist Reprint series here: https://freegracepress.com/collections/baptist-reprints Register for the upcoming Greek course taught by Dr. Timothy Decker here: https://cbtseminary.org/register/ For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"We know little else about Eliza's early childhood, but I have a careful portrait of her drawn about age 18 by William Thomas Fry, an important English engraver. It shows a small, attractive young lady with elaborately curled hair sitting in a chair holding a letter. She bears a pleasant resemblance to her father."

What makes worship pleasing and acceptable to God? All Christians know that God ought to be worshipped, but some do not know why and how. Through His Word, God instructs us in how He wants to be worshipped. This introductory book is designed to walk through what true worship is, what worship should include, and how to identify true worship in a church. Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/True-Worship-Returning-Biblical-Understanding-ebook/dp/B0DR4V9198/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GSYRMWYGG07V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.miTyckYKdeZpBtBMLl8r5g9sLiS7kLLA2xW6flgZSMjGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.AYTX4YRYJSuOfm9nszARJgebnmr8nrDCgbdrHbZ1GZ4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Landon+Jones+true+worship&qid=1741033360&s=books&sprefix=landon+jones+true+worship%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1 For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Francis Franklin, father of Eliza, was born on December 9, 1772 in Mursley, Buckinghamshire. He was the youngest of seven children; his parents being William and Mary Franklin. Just before he turned 15 he moved to Oxford to apprentice as a cabinet and chair maker to his cousin, John Payne. He regularly attended the parish church, as he had been raised, but found the Baptist ministry of James Hinton to be more useful. He also took up the habit of reading, especially George Whitefield's sermons. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

Dr. Justin Miller is the author of this newly released book: The Not So Loving Side of Gentle Parenting: A Biblical Plea to Parents.  A new Trojan horse took baby steps into the nursery and has now launched big steps into the church family—“Gentle Parenting.”  It is likely this novel parenting philosophy has been adopted by families in your church body. This book will (1) characterize and define what Gentle Parenting is (2) critique it by comparing and contrasting it with the Holy Scriptures, (3) call believers back to raising their children in truth, and then (4) carefully consider the essential need to rely solely upon the sufficiency of Scripture in parenting. Parenting is a blessed stewardship believers are called to carry out for God's glory in His Word. For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

"It is clear from his letters that Andrew Leslie was marked for India as a missionary after graduation from Bristol Academy. But before he could go there were several things he needed to do." For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Should believers make friendships with unbelievers? If so, how should they go about this? What principles ought they remember so they are not making themselves “friends with the world?” (Jam. 4:4). For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org  

"The next person I want to present to you is Andrew Leslie. I'm fairly certain none of you know that name. But I hope that after several episodes, his “hidden life” and “unvisited tomb”, to use George Eliot's phrases from the last line of her novel “Middlemarch”, will be honored."   For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this conversation with Pastor John Sweat, we discuss Francis Turretin's Natural Theology. Sweat explains how Turretin distinguishes between False Natural Theology and True Natural Theology. He further discusses some influences upon Turretin's articulation of this doctrine. To read John Sweat's blog series on this subject, click here: https://cbtseminary.org/francis-turretins-natural-theology-clearing-the-historical-record-john-sweat/ For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"One of the few original letters I possess from our Particular Baptist forebears is from Robert Hall Jr. to John Ryland. Robert was the youngest son of Robert Hall Sr. whose life we explored. Robert Jr. was blessed with unusual gifts and was one of the greatest preachers of the first half of the 1800s. Like his father, Robert was a Particular Baptist, but with peculiar views on a number of subjects. I expect we will examine his life at a later date. But know that he was constantly in demand to preach."   For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode, Sam Waldron contrasts the New Perspective on Paul with the historic Reformed understanding of Sola Fide. Dr. Waldron references multiple resources authored by Jeff Smith and himself in this conversation. These resources can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JUIdshIzeXoeHhycsTPi320rdxLvu2Ex/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y0jY9PCCVa4zSDZomcIbfLBi1a3DmdFg/view?usp=sharing For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Now that we have begun to see the gifts of John Ryland and his growth in the grace of humility, it is time to tell more of his story. He spent 10 years helping his father in the school and church before his ordination to the pastoral office. During this time, he was frustrated in his inability to find a wife. And so he wrote to John Newton about it, who regularly responded with good counsel.   For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"For almost a decade, CBTS has been involved in teaching ministry in Latin America through our affiliated seminaries. Currently, the Master of Arts in Reformed Baptist Studies program is offered in Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Chile. With our Spanish program, we aim to complement the training offered at our affiliated seminaries by offering a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree entirely in Spanish." -Jorge A. Rodríguez Vega For more information about CBTS en Español, visit here: https://cbtsespanol.org/ For information about the upcoming Greek course taught my Dr. Timothy Decker, click here: https://cbtseminary.org/register/  

As a young believer, John Ryland struggled with the ups and downs of doubts and assurance. At times, he despaired of being truly converted. He also knew times of considerable confidence that Christ had saved him. His parents both ministered to his spiritual needs and a few months before age 15, his father baptized him, crying out, “Thanks be to God for this boy”. John said he never forgot that sound and was much affected at the time by it. That same month, September, he joined the church. Their records say, “September 11, 1767, aged 14 ¾” which probably shows the unusually young age of his membership. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In a crisis, the body's burst of adrenaline can boost the average person's physical abilities, so that a man is able to lift a car off a trapped bicyclist and a mother can fight off a polar bear threatening her son. Author Mark Chanski makes the case that encouragement is able to do emotionally and psychologically for the soul what adrenaline does for the body. While Christians are sometimes reluctant to offer encouragement, we must do so in order to love our neighbors as ourselves. Building on the foundation of the gospel as the ultimate encouragement from God, the author—using quotations, historical references, illustrations, and examples—sets forth the Christian's obligation to offer encouragement and then shows us how we can be encouraging in our families, in our churches, and in the world.  Get your copy of Mark's book here. For more information about CBTSeminary, click here.

"John Ryland was born on January 29, 1753, as the oldest child of John Collett Ryland and his wife Elizabeth. His birthplace was Warwick, where his father first pastored and established his boarding school. As mentioned in previous episodes, John Ryland was often called John Ryland Jr. to distinguish him from his father, though technically, he wasn't a junior. The son often signed his name this way. Later when awarded an honorary theological doctorate, he was called Dr. Ryland, again to differentiate him from his illustrious parent, who, after receiving his honorary degree, went by John Ryland, M.A."   For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Can you speak of the value of fostering friendships with other like-minded pastors? How can ministers make ministerial friendships in this very busy “on to the next thing” culture? For more information, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

On this installment of Gill Group, Pastors Dewey Dovel and Ken Glisch discussion Reprobation from Part II of John Gill's "The Cause of God & Truth."   For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org

John Collett Ryland played an important role in English nonconformist education for forty years. Dissenting academies, as they were called, were necessitated by the reestablishment of the monarchy and state church in 1660. Subsequent legislation made it impossible for conscientious dissenters to gain entrance to English universities. Pre-university education was also difficult because any school had to be licensed by the local bishop. But after the 1720s, non-conformist education began to be recognized and even monetarily subsidized by the government. And so by the time Ryland began to teach, he was generally able to freely run his schools.   For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Keith Foskey is a pastor, podcaster and humorist. He is one of three elders who pastor at Sovereign Grace Family Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Keith holds to the First London Baptist Confession of Faith (1646). Keith is a graduate of Ashford University and Jacksonville Baptist Theological Seminary. He and wife Jennifer have been married since 1999, and they have been blessed with six beautiful children. Keith is the creator of the YourCalvinist YouTube channel, where he teaches on theology, hosts podcasts and showcases comedy sketches. He is a regular guest speaker at conferences across the United States.

If you ever heard the name of John Collett Ryland before these podcasts, it was probably in regard to an infamous interchange he was reported to have had with William Carey. There are several accounts of it in print, but I especially like the details and perspectives that Dr. Michael Haykin provides in his biography of John Sutcliff, entitled “One Heart and One Soul”. For more information about Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Carl ministered at Grace Church from 1990 to 1993, was ordained, and pastored two churches in the Los Angeles area from 1994 to 2014 before returning to Grace Church. He is passionate about foreign missions and travels internationally yearly, supporting leaders and volunteers in various countries. He is the co-founder of the African Revitalization Centre. Carl serves on several missions boards and holds a certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). He directs the Grace Advance ministry of Grace Church, which provides pastoral leadership for church planting and revitalization in North America. Carl has earned degrees from The University of Cincinnati and The Master's Seminary (M.Div., Th.M., D.Min.), and he serves as an associate professor of pastoral ministries and church relations ambassador at The Master's Seminary. Currently, Carl co-pastors the Anchored fellowship group. He and his wife, Joanna, have five children. For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org  

In this conversation, Rexford Semrad explains the importance of irenicism when discussing eschatology. Then, he explains the similarities between postmillennialism and amillennialism. Finally, he gives ten reasons why he doesn't hold to a postmillennial eschatology. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org  

Having seen how John Collett Ryland's wide friendships likely influenced his change of views regarding church communion, let us now examine his only writing on the subject. This came in a 3 page broadsheet-style publication in very small type dated June 15, 1772 and signed Pacificus. It was entitled “A Modest Plea for Free Communion at the Lord's Table; between true believers of all denominations: In a letter to a friend.” This defended free communion in the form of a letter beginning, “Dear Sir”. It gave eight reasons for Pacificus' church practice and four answers to objections before a half-page conclusion. Given its small size and presumably small printing, it's a marvel any of these pieces of ephemera survive. Two copies are known to exist. The first one was discovered by Robert Oliver about 1981. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org  

In this conversation, Pastors Joe Wilson and Lee McKinnon address friendship within the local church. Some have said that pastors should NOT make friends within their own congregation. Our cohosts think otherwise.  Our cohosts also discuss the importance of avoiding partiality in friendship fostering, and how church members can go about cultivating friendships with fellow church members. FACT CHECK: John Fawcett is indeed the Particular Baptist Pastor that Pastor Joe and Pastor Austin were trying to call to remembrance. For more information on this story, listen to Particular Pilgrims, episode 102, "The Life John Fawcett. Pt.3." here:  https://manofgodnetwork.com/particularpilgrims/   For previous episodes of the Pastor's Inbox, listen here: https://manofgodnetwork.com/pastorsinbox/ For more information about CBTSeminary, click here: https://cbtseminary.org/    

We now turn to John Collett Ryland's espousal of what he called free communion, also known as open or mixed communion. His position was familiar to his fellow Baptists. For example, John Rippon states, “it is well known that he was what is commonly called, a mixed communion Baptist; that is, a Baptist admitting other good men to the Lord's table, though in his opinion they are unbaptized."   For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Confessing Sound Words is a discipleship curriculum that utilizes the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith and the Baptist Catechism. The purpose of this curriculum to equip the saints with the truths of God's Word, reform churches, retrieve the baptist confessional heritage, and glorify God. In this curriculum, you will find modernized questions and answers from the Baptist Catechism, inductive Bible studies, memory verses, and the full text of the Second London Confession with several helps in the footnotes. Also, there are several questions throughout to facilitate both thought and discussion among those going through it. To order the book, click here: https://hesedandemet.com/product/confessing-sound-words-1689-johnson/ For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate. In 1816, the year following Robert Hall Jr.'s “Terms of communion” came out, Joseph Kinghorn answered Hall with “Baptism, A Term of Communion at the Lord's Supper”. Kinghorn was the pastor of Norwich Baptist Church and a former pupil of Hall's at the Bristol Baptist Academy. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

A Reformed Baptist is a Christian who believes in the great doctrines recovered by the Protestant Reformation, including the sufficiency of Scripture for the church, salvation by God's free grace, justification by faith alone, the importance of God's good law and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the centrality of the church in the life of the believer, and the great doctrine of Christian liberty. This book argues that Reformed Baptists are not particularly unique, but are simply biblical Christians who fall within the theological stream of the historic Reformed faith, and who are also baptistic in their doctrine of the church. This is not a polemical work. Rather, it makes a positive case for the doctrines cherished by Reformed Baptists. May this book benefit motivated laymen, broadly evangelical pastors, Baptist pastors, and Reformed paedobaptist pastors who want to understand what their Reformed Baptist brethren believe. Order your copy here: https://press.founders.org/shop/what-is-a-reformed-baptist/ For more information about CBTS, visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

An open communion answer to Booth finally came in the formidable writing of Robert Hall Jr. In the early 1800s he was perhaps the greatest orator in England, possessed a genius mind, and liked to practice radical politics. In 1815 he produced “Terms of Communion”, a direct challenge to Booth's Apology. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Under God, Over the People: The Calling and Accountability of Civil Government speaks biblical truth directly into our situation as churches today as we increasingly face government interference and intervention in the life of the local church. This precise and yet, accessible work draws and expounds upon the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith on the subject of the Civil Magistrate, its calling and its accountability. Order the book here: https://brokenwharfe.com/product/under-god-over-the-people-us/ For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate in preparation for a later review of John Collett Ryland's principles and practices related to it. Next I'll review the interactions of John Bunyan and William Kiffen.   For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode of the Pastor's Inbox installment of the Covenant Podcast, Pastors Joe Wilson and Lee McKinnon introduce the scriptural subject of friendship and discuss its importance. For previous episodes of the Pastor's Inbox, click here: https://manofgodnetwork.com/pastorsinbox/ For more information about CBTSeminary, visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Before I finish the study of John Collett Ryland's interesting life, I want to explore three topics in which he played a significant or exemplary role. One of these is his view of who was qualified to partake of the Lord's Supper. Another is his version of High Calvinism and his interactions with William Carey. And finally, there is his important place in 18th-century English education.   For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"The book is highly recommended because it is a clear, fraternal discussion of an issue vital to biblical worship and knowledge of how Christ's first and second coming consummate our freedom from the curse and fulfill Christ's promise, “I will give you rest.” -Tom J. Nettles Order the book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/there-remains-a-sabbath-rest-for-the-people-of-god/?srsltid=AfmBOorxLRNXufHg7yzdeTWXiB_ejunagTa7_iU6QZ_36rjJMloEEtYt For more information about CBTS, visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

In the past century, one question has constantly plagued the church: How should the people of God respond to social issues? Rather than buying in to the “social gospel,” Alex DiPrima looks back to an unexpected source for biblical clarity: Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Part theology and part biography, Spurgeon and the Poor examines how the Prince of Preachers' belief that gospel preaching and soul-winning should be the church's primary mission informed his commendable benevolence and mercy ministry. Order the book here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/spurgeon-and-the-poor-diprima.html?srsltid=AfmBOoresR8COqGaao1LzhH16b-7qfLG9lRNW9GIzv8KRhVwuZ3LCqCh For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

"Ryland was a friend to everyone he thought to be a true believer. So he was personal friends with like-minded men such as John Gill and John Brine. But he was also friends with those of a different kind of Calvinism such as Andrew Gifford, Robert Hall Sr., and John Rippon."   For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

The Doctrine of Last Things: An Optimistic Amillennial View is the culmination of Dr. Sam Waldron's pastoral heart on eschatology, which spans over thirty years. This book aims to clarify the often contentious and complex discussions surrounding the doctrine of last things (eschatology). Waldron even-handedly addresses various eschatological views, including premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism, while emphasizing the importance of understanding the relationship between Christ's return and the millennium. Beneficial to all believers, regardless of eschatological position, lay readers and theologians alike will revitalize their hope in these last days and behold clearly the exalted-Christ. Order a copy here: https://freegracepress.com/products/the-doctrine-of-last-things-an-optimistic-millennial-view For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

The life and ministry of John Collett Ryland will transition our studies away from hyper- Calvinism among Particular Baptists. He is an appropriate figure for this move because he was close friends with a number of orthodox men with varied views on Calvinism. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

With the torrent of publications on the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, the time is ripe for a dictionary dedicated to this incredibly rich yet diverse field. This companion volume to the well-received Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (CNTUOT) brings together leading evangelical biblical scholars to explore and explain the many facets of how the New Testament writers appropriated the Old Testament. Order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-New-Testament-Use-Old/dp/1540960048 For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Hot Water: A Baptismal Controversy from the 1690s and its Relevance for Today In the 1690s a contentious debate broke out in Suffolk, England, between an Anglican rector and those we have come to know as Particular Baptists. The purpose of this book is to examine this controversy and consider some crucial issues it raised, principally the nature of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involved three men, William Burkitt (1650–1703), John Tredwell, and Benjamin Keach (1640–1704). It is the hope of the author that these events in the 1690s and their thoughtful consideration found within these pages will help Christians think through issues of church membership, Baptism, church discipline and other issue pertaining to the theology and practice of ecclesiology. Order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Water-Baptismal-Controversy-Relevance-ebook/dp/B0DDL9MPHN For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist circles in the 19th century grew and changed in significant ways. But rather than continue on into the 19th century too far, I want to take another approach to complete, for now, our look at hyper-Calvinism in Baptist circles. Let me point you to a 5 volume study entitled “The Strict Baptist Chapels of England.”   For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

The KJV beautifully rendered the Scriptures into the language of turn-of-the-seventeenth-century England. Even today the King James is the most widely read Bible in the United States. The rich cadence of its Elizabethan English is recognized even by non-Christians. But English has changed a great deal over the last 400 years, and in subtle ways that very few modern readers will recognize. In Authorized Mark L. Ward, Jr. shows what exclusive readers of the KJV are missing as they read God's word.   For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel speak with Brice Bigham on the Law of God. Brice Bigham came on staff at CBTS in 2019. He serves as a Deacon at Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Owensboro, KY. He has earned a Bachelor's Degree from Columbia International University and a Master of Divinity from CBTS ('24). He lives with his wife Alina and their four children. Brice particularly enjoys church history, homesteading, and spending time with his family. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org