Tyrannus Hall Podcast

Mark Mulder served as vice principal in John Calvin Christian school in the Perth area of Western Australia. In this fascinating interview, we learn how Mark and his wife Liz exchanged their comfortable suburban life for a life in a foreign mission field. They sold all they had to follow the Lord's calling.Mark was urged by several friends to apply for the position of Principal of The Reformed Churches' Bible College in Port Moresby PNG. At first he resisted  but on Liz's urging took on the challenge Mark now abounds in passion for the work of RCBC. Listen as Mark discuss the work of the Bible College and the lessons we can learn from mission in PNG  for our own evangelism in the west.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

If you know your church has great potential to impact its community and you believe you need a mission and vision statement written down before you get started, then this episode is for you.Winston and Bill pick the brain of marketing agency owner Chris vanPopta to explore the question: Does a church need a mission or vision statement to be on mission for Christ? Somewhere during the interview, Bill and Winston have the tables turned on them and Chris asks them some great questions too! The ending may surprise you.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Winston and Bill speak with Ben Westerveld to discuss the role of the seminary in promoting a missional mindset in the training of future pastors. Ben Westerveld is the new professor and principal of Farel, an institute for theological training to serve the ERQ (Église Réformée du Québec). How and should seminary training be adapting to our post-modern, post-christian, post-epidemic setting?www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Our guests today are accomplished musicians. Tim is a member of a jazz band, and Kent is a principal participant of an annual “Reformed Strings Camp”. Both have a love for Reformed worship and liturgy and lead the singing in their local church. Bill and Winston explore the intersection between music and the missional call of the church. What kind of music is appropriate for worship?www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Pastor Randall Visscher and two leaders of the relatively new Refuge Church, in Langley BC are the guests on Tyrannus Hall. Mike Vandergugten and Jerome Lenkeek joined  those who had a vision for a missional church. Launched in July 2020, in the middle of Covid restrictions and lockdowns, the Lord has blessed this new congregation with fields ripe for harvest. Listen to these men relate how the Lord opened a wide door for effective work among Indian and Pakistani immigrants in their local communities.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

In this episode we meet John Siebenga, a retired Christian school teacher and principal, a licensed Christian counsellor, and journeyman carpenter. He and his wife are members of Houston Canadian Reformed Church in British Columbia. They were wondering where they might be engaged in God's kingdom work in their retirement years. They considered volunteering in overseas mission work, but then their attention was drawn to the work that the neighbouring Church in Smithers was doing in Prince George. John and Betty got deeply involved in the church planting that Pastor Tim Schouten was doing. In the very recent past, John who is a member in Houston, was leant by Smithers to be an elder in the Prince George church plant. He has a fascinating story to tell that demonstrates how retirees can be engaged in a meaningful way in the advance of the Kingdom and the upbuilding of the church.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Our guest today is Pastor Greg Davidson. Greg very recently became co-pastor at  Blessings Christian Church working with Tyrannus Hall co-host Bill de Jong. Greg was the pastor at Central Presbyterian, a Presbyterian Church in Canada congregation in downtown Hamilton. While he still has many friends in the wider church, Greg shares some of his concerns about “the protestant movement” in general and some encouragement for the “confessionally Reformed movement” of which he is now a member.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Is the Great Commission correctly used as foundational to the theology of missions?Our guest, Kristen Johnson is Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, where she holds the G.W. and Edna Haworth chair for Education, Ministry, and Leadership.Kristen has done extensive research on Matthew 28:16-20. This week we discover answers to questions we never dreamt of asking! When did the church begin to use this text to describe and underwrite the mission of the church? The early church did not use this text to motivate its mission mandate. In the 1500's a new impetus to mission activity arose in the church. However, it is not until several centuries later that this text becomes foundational to a theology of mission. The Heidelberg Catechism references this text several times, but never connected to a missionary mandate. Bill and Winston interview Kristen with various questions in relation to her research:1. Has the contemporary church made a mistake by using this text as foundational to a theology of missions?2. Has Tyrannus Hall erred in using the tagline that "our mission is to make the Great Commission every church's mission and every Christian's passion”?3. Looking at this text, what is the relationship between mission and discipleship?4. Should Christians bear guilt for not actively engaging in bringing the gospel to our neighbours?5. What does Eugene Peterson say about the missionary mandate of Christians?www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Pastor John van Popta, retired pastor of Fellowship Church in Burlington is our guest (John is the producer/director of Tyrannus Hall and does much of the background research and organization for our podcasts).Our hosts, Bill and Winston, interview John about how best to welcome guests on “Communion Sundays.” Who should participate? Who should be withheld? John's research into the Biblical data has convinced him to examine carefully the manner whereby we withhold communion from visitors. Does Paul's rebuke of Peter, recorded for us in Galatians 2 speak to this matter. What about 1 Corinthians 11? Has the church misread Paul's command to self-examination? He suggests that there are better ways than the traditional Canadian Reformed practice of having the visitor present a document from a sister church affirming membership in good standing. He suggests change is necessary if we desire to develop a missional model of the church, that we might welcome new people to church membership. John retired a few years ago due to his Parkinson's Disease. This disease has impaired his speech somewhat. And his medications, though they control his tremors, cause some dyskinesia (involuntary movements).  Please look (and listen) past these disabilities and be stimulated to “examine the scriptures … to see if what [John] says is true” (Acts 17:11).Here is the link to Dr. NH Gootjes' article on “the Reformed confession” cited by John: https://www.spindleworks.com/library/gootjes/articles.htmHere is a link to an essay by John  where he discusses Paul's rebuke of Peter in Gal 2, because Peter denied table fellowship with Gentile Christians: https://fellowshippastor.blogspot.com/2019/11/visitors-at-communion.htmlHere  is a link to some notes by John on 1 Corinthians 11, where he discusses Paul's rebuke of the Corinthians for causing division in the church at the Lord's supper: https://fellowshippastor.blogspot.com/2022/01/1-corinthians-11-and-visitors-at.htmlGoFundMe UpdateSeveral weeks ago we opened a GoFundMe campaign to raise $ 3500 to cover subscription costs as well as to finance the purchase of new equipment. We thank the Lord for the generosity of our listeners who donated $ 3,720. Thank you for your generous support. Our next podcast will be recorded using new microphones and lighting!www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Request for Help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraisingWe have opened a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $3500 to cover ongoing software expenses and our planned hardware upgrades. If you find Tyrannus Hall to be a benefit to you and your church community, we would ask you to prayerfully consider helping us with a donation of $50, or $20, or even $10.10 Principles for Local MissionPastor Winston Bosch, the Host of Tyrannus Hall was our guest for our previous episode and is again for this one. Earlier this year Winston was tasked by his elders to study and investigate how to improve Jubilee's involvement in local mission. This study led him to write a document that would assist the elders and other leaders in the church to foster a love for the lost.Winston wrote up 10 Principles for Local Mission. They are centred on The Great Commission. Winston has summarized Christ's Great Commission for the church as GO! BAPTIZE! MAKE DISCIPLES!   In the first installment, we dealt with the first 4 principles, which cover GO! and BAPTIZE! In this episode, we will deal with the on-going mandate for the church's teaching ministry under MAKE DISCIPLES. We will close off with 4 other essential principles of a more general nature. What does MAKE DISCIPLES look like?III. TEACH: DISCIPLING NEW BELIEVERSPrinciple 5: improve the second servicePrinciple 6: Use your small groupsFour other principles came to the forefront of this research:Principle 7: we must be diligent in prayerPrinciple 8: understand evangelism as healthy for the churchPrinciple 9: office-bearers play an important rolePrinciple 10: plan to plant new churches You can find a link to Winston's paper here: https://tinyurl.com/3kthykrbYou are permitted to download, print and share this document without making any changes to it. Please share it with your small group, your pastor and your church's elders. It includes an interesting (though not annotated) list of books to consult.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Request for Help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraisingWe have opened a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $3500 to cover ongoing software expenses and our planned hardware upgrades. If you find Tyrannus Hall to be a benefit to you and your church community, we would ask you to prayerfully consider helping us with a donation of $50, or $20, or even $10.10 Principles for Local MissionPastor Winston Bosch, the Host of Tyrannus Hall is our special guest for this episode and our next one. Earlier this year Winston was tasked by his elders to study and investigate how to improve Jubilee's involvement in local mission. This study led him to write a document that would assist the elders and other leaders in the church to foster a love for the lost.Winston wrote up 10 Principles for Local Mission. Principles 1 through 6 are centred on The Great Commission. Winston has summarized Christ's Great Commission for the church as GO! BAPTIZE! MAKE DISCIPLES!   In this first installment, we will cover the first 4 principles, which cover GO! and BAPTIZE! Next time we will deal with the on-going mandate for the church's teaching ministry under MAKE DISCIPLES. We will close off with 4 other essential principles of a more general nature. You can find a link to Winston's paper here: https://tinyurl.com/3kthykrbYou are permitted to download, print and share this document without making any changes to it. Please share it with your small group, your pastor and your church's elders. It includes an interesting (though not annotated) list of books to consult.What does GO! look like?REACHING UNBELIEVERS WITH THE GOSPELPrinciple 1: focus on organic evangelism.Principle 2: Support organic evangelism through planned activitiesWhat does BAPTIZE! look like?BAPTIZE: INCORPORATING NEWCOMERS INTO THE CHURCHPrinciple 3: make your Sunday worship welcomingPrinciple 4: define the path to membershipwww.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Support Tyrannus Hall Podcast here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraisingWelcome to Season 2 of Tyrannus Hall Podcast. We're starting the season by asking the question: “Is being a conservative church harming the spread of the gospel in your city?  Can a biblically conservative church really reach the broader community with the good news of Jesus Christ?The hosts of this podcast are pastors of confessional churches. They pastor churches that stand foursquare on the legacy of the Reformation: salvation by faith alone; in Christ alone; holding to the Scriptures alone as the divinely inspired infallible Word of God. Our guest today is Kevin Flatt. Kevin is a professor of history at Redeemer University, a self-consciously Reformed university in Hamilton. He teaches  (among others)  upper-level history courses like: Christianity in the Modern World  and History and the City of GodFive years ago, along with David Haskell, a sociologist at Wilfrid Laurier University, he published an important research paper on why some churches are growing and others have declining memberships. Their conclusions may surprise you,Their paper, “Theology Matters,” was published in a peer-reviewed journal  Review of Religious Research, in December 2016. This paper had the attention of Macleans Magazine, The Globe and Mail, and The Guardian. The Christian Press also reported on this paper and analyzed in Outlook and World. As well, Al Mohler discussed it on his podcast The Briefing. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraisingChrist commissioned his Church to do great things in his name! Yet, too often we've caught ourselves thinking of “church” as a place, rather than as a congregation of Christians on a mission. Tyrannus Hall Podcast exists to take the mystery out of how to live the great commission with your local church. We see Christ's Great Commission becoming every church's mission and every Christian's passion! Join us on our mission to engage Christians around the world. We'd love your help covering the hardware and software costs for operating in 2021. There are five people who volunteer on the THP team. Pastors Winston Bosch and Bill DeJong are the hosts. Pastor John Van Popta researches content and coordinates the episodes. Daryn Visscher manages the technology and edits all the episodes. And, Chris Van Popta creatively directs the podcast.In our first year, we've produced 27 episodes, engaged hundreds of subscribers, and reached a total of over 20,000 downloads and views. Please pray for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to bring about praise for Jesus' redeeming work!When Christians have a biblical understanding of “church”, local churches will flourish and be unified in their purpose to evangelize the community and seek the renewal and salvation of all mankind for the glory of the LORD!Learn more:www.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcasthttps://www.tyrannushallpodcast.ca/

Join Winston in a fascinating discussion with Richard Bultje and his wife, Yukyung. Richard is a pastor in the URCNA, and has been called by the local URCs to plant a church in Niagara Falls. Richard and Yukyung are experienced in reaching the lost after working for many years in downtown Hamilton at Streetlight, a Canadian Reformed mission. Richard brings his experience as an evangelist to this new church planting venture. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Mariia Alekseevskaia emigrated to Canada from Russia. While still in her homeland, she discovered Dutch Reformed Theology and how its adherents have a passion for Christian Schools. Mariia studied sociology at the University of Ottawa and wrote her PdD thesis on Canadian Reformed schools and education (link below).  Though her study of Canadian Reformed School culture in Ontario did not investigate church planting or missional churches, our hosts engage Mariia in a fascinating discussion about reaching the lost in light of her findings. Dutch immigrants very quickly assimilated into Canadian culture, with respect to language and business, but maintained a definite educational culture. Is this separation an aid or a hindrance to reaching the lost? Here is a link to Mariia's PhD thesis (available for downloading in a .pdf format): https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/42246 www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Pastor Paul Murphy discusses how he started a lunch-time Bible study on Wall Street, how his congregation began providing spiritual care at a downtown hospital, how they started an ESL class for parents of students at a public school using the Gospel of Mark as the textbook.Pastor Paul explains how Reformed theology is an asset for evangelism. The doctrines of forgiveness, of the sovereignty of God, of election, and of covenant are powerful anchors for church planting. Messiah's Reformed Fellowship is a URCNA congregation. In their classis there is a growing development of churches planting churches. In this development there is a growing realization and acceptance that some messiness in local missions is necessary for churches as we love and reach the lost. Pastor Paul and our co-hosts share some stories about this messiness.Mentioned in the PodcastPiper, JohnFifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die: https://document.desiringgod.org/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die-en.pdf?ts=1446647227Yaconelli, Mike Messy Spirituality: https://bookoutlet.ca/Store/Details/9780310345558B/messy-spirituality-gods-annoying-love-for-impwww.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Stephen Bray is a church planter in St. John's Newfoundland, one of the least “churched” cities in Canada (Only 1% of the city's population attends worship services on Sundays.)  Stephen is associated with Mile One Mission.  M1M is a group of men and women who hold a deep conviction to see Gospel-centred churches raised up and supported amongst the peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador In Newfoundland. There, Christians traditionally identify as Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Salvation Army or Pentacostal. Historically there has been no presence of Reformed or Evangelical churches. However, as a young man, he was introduced to the teaching ministry of RC Sproul and the doctrines of the sovereignty of God and the gospel of grace.What kind of church should be planted in St. John's. Is it time to develop a mega-church drawing all kinds of people to a central ‘campus'? There are two new mosques in town and a refurbished synagogue. What would be an adequate gospel response?Prior to starting a church, Stephen spent 18  months learning about the city. What was going on with the government? He met with police officials. He  met with social services, with paramedics, fire departments, politicians; he met with all kinds of leaders that would meet with him and just ask, “What's happening? What are you happy with? What are you not happy with? What's going right? What's going wrong? He called as many churches as he could and asked what is your membership? What is your average attendance? How long have you been here? What's going right for you? What are you excited about? What are you discouraged about?After all that, he proposes a model of being church that views the “mega-church” with a “celebrity” pastor as a failed model. Rather, he proposes a small church (200-250 members) that is focused on urban neighbourhoods. This model sees 10 churches of 200 members having a much greater influence in the city and civic society than one church of 2000 members.Mentioned in the podcast:Mile One Mission https://www.mileonemission/20 Schemes https://20schemes.com/ The Gospel Coalition (Canada) or TGC https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/The Gospel Coalition or TGC https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/RC Sproul see https://www.ligonier.org/ Union School of Theology https://www.ust.ac.uk/ Michael Reeves https://www.ust.ac.uk/faculty-publications#michael-reeves 

Tim DeVos runs a recovery house for men who have serious life challenges: drugs, alcohol, depression and other serious problems. Tim discusses the struggles to get volunteers and financial partners to join him in launching and opening a Christian “discipleship house.” Pindari House is more than a rehab house; it's a home for troubled men, founded on the Scripture.  (Pindari Recovery House is in a suburb of Perth, Western Australia). Tim is exploring how to develop a unique real-life gospel-transformed discipleship program for troubled men. We can all learn from this Australian project on how to love and reach the lost and develop a more robust missional character for our churches.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Can a smaller church provide a community that is closely engaged in prayer and fellowship? A new Canadian Reformed Church in Abbotsford, BC is trying to create a vibrant congregation. After several years of planning, a steering committee received support from the Abbotsford church council. The Abbotsford church had over 550 members when Pathway Church was launched, but the launch date coincided with the COVID-19 lockdown. Bill and Winston interview two of the leaders of Pathway Church uncovering the challenges and joys of starting a new church in uncertain times. (Since this interview Rev. Phil Grotenhuis, the URCNA pastor in Phoenix, Arizona has accepted the call to Pathway Church.)www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Among Reformed and other Christian business leaders there is a growing hunger for "something more." The is a new realization that the Christian message is not just about information, but that the gospel message leads to transformation: the transformation of the whole person.Darren Bosch introduces DeliberateU, which provides Christian, gospel-centered mentoring to Christian leaders in business and the in the Church. DeliberateU accents the transformational power of the gospel. It provides biblical discipling, community support and business tools needed to bring positive results in the social spheres in which their clients are called to lead.Darren explores the intersection of the mission of the church and the marketplace. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Eric Watkins recounts his life before faith in Jesus, and his journey from being a “Deadhead”, following the Grateful Dead, a psychedelic rock band, to following Jesus. He tells of how his growing conviction of the truth of Reformed theology led him to become an OPC pastor and church planter. His testimony is marked by a desire to disciple his children and members of his church so that they and their children will be nurtured within the covenant of grace and not live the life he used to live.Eric describes his emphasis on Reformed doctrines as the basis for church planting. He will not compromise the truth of scripture.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

For many years, among the members of the Winnipeg congregations of the Canadian Reformed Church  there was a growing desire for establishing a “mission church.” But what would that mission look like? Where should a new church be planted? Who would lead it? What kind of model would be used for oversight?Listen to Bill and Winston engage Pastor Joe Poppe of Redeemer Church in Winnipeg and Pastor James Zekveld of Ambassador Church, church planter in Niverville, Manitoba about their churches' work in Niverville, a small prairie town in “Mennonite country”.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

How can the male leadership of the church provide meaningful pastoral care to the women? What role can women have in caring for and discipling members of the church? Sarah Vandergugten co-hosts this episode. She, together with Winston, interviewed Andrea Kampen, one of the principals involved in planning and setting up Flourish: The Women's Resource Network.Flourish has been established among the Canadian Reformed Churches in Burlington, Ontario. Andrea and her team want to assist the male office-bearers in some of the challenges they face in providing pastoral care to women.  The church needs to think about “gender roles” in its mission to the world. Flourish: The Women's Resource Network goes a long way in mapping a way forward in this challenging area of church life.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

“The world is going to hell!!” So begins Rob Joustra's book, How to Survive the Apocalypse pointing to the prevalence of apocalyptic narratives — cataclysmic destruction and nightmarish end-of-the-world scenarios — in contemporary entertainment.Robert Joustra is Associate Professor of Politics & International Studies at Redeemer University in Hamilton, and founding-Director of Redeemer's Centre for Christian Scholarship. He has published several books and is currently working on three more books. In 2016 he published (with Alissa Wilkinson) How to Survive the Apocalypse. Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson examine a number of popular stories — from the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica to the purging of innocence in Game of Thrones to the hordes of zombies in The Walking Dead — and argue that such apocalyptic stories reveal a lot about our culture, here and now, and about how our society conceives of life together including some of the deepest tensions and anxieties prevalent in our day..Besides analyzing this dystopian shift in popular culture, Joustra and Wilkinson also suggest how Christians can live faithfully and with integrity in such a cultural context. Bill and Winston explore what these dark cultural overtones mean to the mission of the church.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

How can the missional church care for some of the most vulnerable and mistreated members of our society? Should the church be interested in helping women and children caught up in the sex trade? Was the Lord Jesus interested and concerned with those considered to be “sinners” by his contemporaries?This episode features two people who strive to emulate the Lord's care and concern for those people caught up in modern slavery: trafficked women and their children. The SA Foundation (safoundation.com)  is an international Christian organization that has established programs to assist these women and their children who have escaped the world of sexual exploitation and human trafficking and to help them and their children find and build meaningful lives in our communities.Our guests are “anonymous” servants of the Lord and don't desire to be identified, lest they be seen as again exploiting those very people they help. Be prepared to be touched by this interview and learn how the church can assist ‘Servants Anonymous” reach out to the most vulnerable members of our communities.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

How can today's missional churches learn from the past? Should current mission-minded Reformed Churches in Canada (and the USA) reflect on lessons learned and taught in American Prestbyterian churches 40 and 50 years ago? Can we apply those lessons today in our gospel out-reach to our pluralistic post-Christian culture? This episode features Ron Lutz who worked with C. John (Jack) Miller. Jack Miller started a missional movement and network among Presbyterian churches in the USA in the 1970's and 80's. In 1986 he published Out-Growing the Ingrown Church, a landmark book in its day. You can read a book review by Tim Challies on his blog. Challies comments that since Miller's book was published, many more books have developed and expanded solid Reformed thought on church-planting and evangelism. But then, that is Miller's legacy! He was at the forefront of understanding the need for the church to contextualize the gospel for today's culture.As a guest host, this episode also features Pastor Phil Grotenhuis, pastor of the URCNA congregation in Phoenix Arizona. Pastor Phil is interested in promoting a missional ecclesiology. He, with his church, facilitates the annual Phoenix Mission Cohort, a gathering for pastors to grow in their understanding of a missional theology and strategy. Pastors Phil Grotenhuis and Bill de Jong interview Pastor Ron Lutz, a (somewhat) retired Presbyterian pastor, on his reflections on the life and ministry of Dr. C. John Miller, and on Miller's impact on his own understanding of Christ's Great Commission and the mission of the contemporary church.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Is it a given that missional churches will neglect long time and life long members? Is there a stark contrast between "missional" and more traditional models of Reformed churches? Bill Boekestein is the pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, MI.  He has authored several books and is a sought-after speaker and has been keynote speaker and participant at various conferences on the missional calling of the church. Bill has thought deeply about the need to disciple both life-long church members and new Christians. He has concluded that when a healthy church develops a missional stance in the world it will not neglect its members. Setting up a "missional" model in conflict with a "maintenance" model of church life is creating a false dilemma. Rather, the church must disciple all its members, the new convert and the life-long Christian. All must be taught to obey all that Christ teaches us in his Word. We hope this episode will challenge the church to make disciples of all kinds of people: those born into the covenant of grace and those new to it, living out the great commission.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

How can Christians and the church be effective in being "salt and light to the world"? The Bible gives several metaphors to describe the Christian life: pilgrim, sojourner, soldier, ambassador. Ray Pennings is executive vice president of Cardus. "Cardus" means main street. Cardus is a Christian think tank which interacts with our society in the public square: on "Main Street." In this episode he discusses how being (and seeing ourselves) as "ambassadors" will provide opportunities to interact with our secular culture in meaningful ways and so help our communities to flourish. We hope that we will answer his challenge to live as ambassadors of the Heavenly Kingdom with positive cultural interaction.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Bruce Ashford is Fellow in Public Theology at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology and a columnist for First Things Magazine. For many years, he was also Provost and Professor of Theology & Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He co-authored One Nation Under God: A Christian Hope for American Politics (with Chris Pappalardo) and is the author of Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engagement for Christians. He is a North American Evangelical who has learned a deep appreciation for the theological insights of the late 19th and early 20th century Dutch Reformed theologian and scholar, Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper, has for many years, been evaluated in a negative way in the Canadian Reformed Churches because of the synodical imposition of his covenant theology upon the churches in the Netherlands in 1944. His reputation, however, has been in revival among the Canadian Reformed Churches these past years, and Ashford helps us in developing a deeper appreciation of Kuyper, the theologian, the politician, the newspaper editor, and university founder. Bruce shows us how Kuyper's keen insights help us to better understand the role and place of the Church in the World.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Abortion is common in our society-- even in the church. How does the church remain steadfastly pro-life without alienating their neighbors and hurting those who are suffering? This is a very polarizing topic, yet one that is crucial to understand so we can love our neighbours for Christ.Tabitha Ewert is a lawyer with WeNeedALaw, a political action organization that speaks to our government and our culture about abortion. During this episode, she helps us learn how to approach this controvertial topic with balance and grace. We hope that her stories and practical advice help your church reach out in your community with love and empathy for those affected by abortion.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Reverend George Sinclair is a pastor in the Church of the Messiah in Ottawa. His congregation left the Anglican Church over the blessing of same-sex marriage and his congregation was a founding member of the Anglican Network in Canada, an  evangelical Reformed movement among the Anglicans. Pastor George speaks clearly and cogently about preaching the gospel as a herald of the Lord Jesus. He also reflects on the defense of the truth in a secular environment, and how to speak into the prevailing culture with a meek, gentle demeanour.  His discussion on preaching is based both on the scriptures and the church's need to preach into the hard cultural issues of the day. We (preachers and church members) need to be aware of the cultural air that the congregation breathes.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Ben and Jen Joliffe live in Ottawa, where Ben Pastors a PCA church plant. Ben and Jen began the work of planting a church six or seven years ago. Resurrection Church was “particularized” (or instituted) three years ago. Our hosts, Winston and Bill engage Ben and Jen in a lively and stimulating discussion about their work of planning and planting the church, but they also discussed their preparatory work in Campus ministry at the University of Western Ontario.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Phil and Joy Grotenhuis live in Phoenix Arizona, where Phil pastors the United Reformed Church. The Phoenix URC strives to reach the community they live in. One of the ways they do this is in their outreach at Christmas. Using Christmas as a “bridge” they reach their neighbours with the gospel in a Christmas Lessons and Carols  service. Agnostic and even non-Christian people long for relationships and that is accented at Christmas. Listen to Joy and Phil as they suggest how we can better reach our neighbours with the gospel in a service that is tailored to their unchurched neighbours in a way that accents the story of God's relationship with the world from creation, through the fall, to the story of  redemption in Jesus Christ.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Sarah Vandergugten is a child of God, a woman created in God's image, a member of Christ's church. She is a teacher (retired), writer, and public speaker sought after by women's conferences. She taught Senior Bible and Comparative Religions at Credo Christian High School for 20 years, where she also served as a counselor. Sarah has been in a blessed alliance with Peter for 51 years. She is a mother to 6, grandmother to 23, and recently a great grandmother.Sarah has a BA from Trinity Western University, a B.Ed. from Simon Fraser University, and a MATS from Regent College in Vancouver. Sarah has been interested in the place of Women in the church for many years and has written on this topic and often spoken about it at women's conferences and retreats. In this podcast, her thoughtful analysis and sympathetic criticism of the place of women in the Canadian Reformed Churches should cause us to sit up and take notice. Her desire is to be led by the Scriptures as God's inspired Word in humble submission to the Lord of the church.You can find Sarah's articles, "Good News for Women" in 5 installments in the 2015 issues #1-5 of "Clarion".They are available in this archive: https://clarionmagazine.ca/archive.htmlwww.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Jean Zoellner is a 40-year veteran church-planter, missionary, and theological teacher in Quebec. Tyrannus Hall invited Jean to a conversation about "contextualization." To Jean, contextualization is not a big theological word describing the intersection of cultural studies and the Gospel but contextualization is about living dynamic relationships with people--every one a sinner--yet created in the image of God.To bring the gospel in a meaningful way into any cultural situation requires empathetic listening and realizing that for some an intuitive, or emotional response to the gospel, might precede a rational appropriation. While for others, a rational argument might need to be presented first. Jean accents the need for prayerful interaction with others, careful listening, faithful gospel teaching, and cultural awareness. In the post-interview discussion, Bill and Winston discuss whether contextualization airbrushes the gospel or softens its "hard edges". Some might contend that when we contextualize we are accommodating culture or even being guilty of compromise. Our hosts say it is none of those things: it is putting the Gospel in language that people in our day can understand. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

This is the second of 3 episodes where we investigate how the church, in its mission in the world, can learn anew its calling to care for the vulnerable and the weak; that the church must more and more become a place where the weak, the vulnerable, the defenceless and the exploited can find refuge and safety, and become a supportive loving community where the “least of these”  can flourish and grow to be the people God meant them to be.Jo and Chris introduce us to Connect Care Ottawa, a unique organization that seeks to bring together secular Children's Aid Societies (CAS) and the Church. CAS has become suspicious of the Church, not expecting to find a safe place for children in her midst, and churches have become suspicious of secular CAS, wondering how such secular organizations can nurture children.Connect Care desires to show CAS that the church can become a valuable resource for caring for vulnerable children , and to show the church that it has a calling to “love the stranger' and to “lengthen their table” and welcome foster children and their parents into a christian environment. Connect Care wants christians to learn “how to spend their wealth” on “taking care of widows and orphans.” Connect Care teaches churches and church leaders how to work with the CAS and so become loving, nurturing, compassionate communities of grace. A third episode in this series is coming soon: Extending grace to trafficked women and their children; a rescue mission from the porn industry.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Danielle, a youth worker at Streetlight Christian Church in Hamilton ON talks about Streetlight's unique history within the Canadian Reformed federation as an urban mission post/church plant that has existed for over 20 years in an ever-changing city. Because of their context, the congregation and staff and volunteers have many roles to play, but ultimately the goal of outreach and discipleship programs at Streetlight is to draw people into God's family by becoming connected to the church.  Other missional churches can play a role in being willing to come alongside Streetlight, financially, prayerfully, and assisting as program volunteers and investing in the community. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Should we all be singing from the same songbook? Should we sing more hymns? Are the metrical Psalms christological enough? What about singing "a new song"? Listen to this fascinating discussion!www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Tim Challies discusses the strengths of a Canadian Reformed legacy and the challenges facing Evangelical and Reformed  churches in Canada today.www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Bill and Winston have a conversation with Julius van Spronsen. Julius has served as a pastor in Smithers BC, which worked in an active mission in town and in Ft. Babine, reaching First Nations' people. He then spent 8 years in Brazil as a missionary. He now pastors an established church in Edmonton. In cooperation with neighbouring churches, his congregation is searching for a "mission-worker/evangelist" to assist in "bringing the gospel to the city."  With his experience, Julius is uniquely equipped in assisting in the launch of this new initiative. www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

The Place of the Church in the World: Reflections on K. Schilder. A conversation with Dr. Marinus De Jong, pastor of the Oosterpark Church, Amsterdam. Marinus recently published his dissertation, The Church is the Means; the World is the End. This dissertation is a historical theological examination of Klaas Schilder's theology on the "place of the church in the world". Schilder is one of the most important "theological fathers" of the Canadian Reformed Churches but his teaching on "the place of the church in the world" has been mostly lost in the post immigration decades since the 1950's. Bill and Winston discuss Marinus' discoveries in researching and reading Schilder's many-faceted writings beginning in the years of the Great War and continuing through the rise of Nazism in pre-WWII in the Netherlands. You will learn of his public theology published in his newspaper, denouncing the NAZIs during the German occupation in the War years. Marinus tells of how Schilder was considered to be a literary critic before he was a theologian of merit engaging his contemporary culture with biblical critique. Though Schilder was not "intentionally" missional, he has much to teach us today about "the place of the church in the world".www.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

Winston discusses the missional model of Blessings Church in West Hamilton and its church plant, Mercy Church in East Hamilton with two of its pastors, Bill and Ian.  (Bill is normally one of our co-hosts!) First, they discuss the concept of “missional church” and follow up with some of the practical joys they experience and some of the challenges they face bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to 21st century urban Canada.Study notes: https://bit.ly/2E6XrtQwww.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast

A conversation with Dr. Arjan DeVisser: Missiology professor at the Candian Reformed Theological Seminary. Bill and Winston discuss with Arjan the mission courses and internships available at CRTS, as well as Arjan's thoughts on the “missional church” and recent developments in local missions in Canadian Reformed thought and practiceArjan's article on Evangelism: https://bit.ly/301HUmlStudy Notes: https://bit.ly/32LlSanwww.tyrannushallpodcast.cawww.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcast