Podcasts about calvinists

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg sat down with William Fullington. Will is the owner of Reformed Finance. They discussed biblical stewardship, the biblical family economy, and the evils of fiat currency, fractional banking, and the Federal Reserve and how a Christian should combat those evils. Enjoy! Keep Watch: Use the code "REDEEM" for a free giftReformed Finance: Set up your free consultation today!Miller's Grove Soap: Use the code "DEADMAN" for 10% off! Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

What's the difference between Arminianism and Provisionism? Are they just two versions of the same theological system? Today's guest says "No!"In this episode of A Bow Tie Dialogue, I sit down with Lucas Curcio, a Wesleyan Arminian and the head of Method Ministries, to discuss the important distinctions between classical/Wesleyan Arminian theology and modern Provisionism. He explains why Provisionists should not simply be categorized as Arminians.We discuss issues including original sin, human depravity, prevenient grace, free will, the nature of saving grace, election, the atonement, and the ability of fallen man to respond to the gospel. Along the way, we also identify where Calvinists, Arminians, and Provisionists agree and where the real dividing lines lie.https://www.Page50.com/YourCalvinistPage50 is a Marketing Company that is committed to helping you build your brand with truth, goodness, and beauty. They do web design, videography, SEO, content creation, branding, and consulting. And for a limited time, you can get a free website audit, which can help you discover how your website is performing and what you can do to improve it. Just go to the link to get started.Love Coffee? Want the Best? Get a free bag of Squirrelly Joe's Coffee by clicking on this link: https://www.Squirrellyjoes.com/yourcalvinistor use coupon code "Keith" for 20% off anything in the storeDominion Wealth Strategies Visit them at http://www.Reformed.Moneyand let them know we sent you! Visit us at https://www.KeithFoskey.comIf you need a great website, check out https://www.fellowshipstudios.com#Arminianism #Provisionism #Calvinism #Wesleyan #Theology #Soteriology #YourCalvinist

Total Depravity: What Does Calvinism Actually Mean Total depravity is one of the most misunderstood parts of Calvinism—and this conversation shows why. Hunter Davis and Brent Bolerjack unpack what the doctrine actually claims, where many Christians unknowingly agree with only part of it, and why the real issue is not whether sin affects every part of us, but whether a person can respond to God before regeneration. For listeners trying to make sense of TULIP, this episode cuts through the confusion. Hunter and Brent examine the common assumption that spiritual deadness means total incapacity, then explore the passages Calvinists often use to defend the doctrine—including Romans 1, Ephesians 2, Romans 8, John 6, 1 Corinthians 2, and more. **In this episode, you'll discover:** - Why faith is not the same thing as works in Romans 4   - How Romans 1 and Psalm 19 frame God's first move   - Why Ephesians 2 may not prove what Calvinism says it proves   - What John 12 adds to the drawing language in John 6   - How 1 Corinthians 2 makes more sense when read in context   - Whether regeneration precedes faith—or faith precedes eternal life   Brent Bolerjack brings a clear theological defense of the non-Calvinist reading, while Hunter Davis pushes the conversation toward the practical question underneath it all: if God is drawing, convicting, and revealing Himself, what exactly is humanity unable to do—and what are people still able to do in response? If you've ever heard “total depravity” used as shorthand for “man cannot respond to God at all,” this episode will sharpen your understanding and encourage you to reexamine the scriptures for yourself.  

12 So then, brothers,[a] we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[b] of God. Romans 8:12-14

Psalm 26

Darlene Koldenhoven is a Grammy ® Award Winner with three Grammy ® nominations. She is known worldwide as the featured soprano soloist singing “Aria” in the PBS TV Special and Video, Yanni, Live at the Acropolis seen by over 1.5 billion television viewers. Her new memoir is titled, Put Your Dress Down and Sing. She is also a certified Integrated Listening Systems sonic therapist. Her website is https://www.darlenekoldenhoven.com/ Darlene shares how her five-octave range, early life in a strict Calvinist household, and work with her deaf sister led her into Tomatis listening therapy and the transformative power of vibration. She explains how specific frequencies reshape the brain and body, how singing and crystal bowls release trapped emotion and open higher chakras, and how intentional music can shift consciousness. Koldenhoven draws on studio sessions, client work, and personal paranormal encounters with energy orbs. She reveals why sound remains one of the most direct paths to healing and spiritual connection. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:00 Early childhood and the dress story 00:11:00 Sister's hearing journey and Tomatis 00:18:00 Listening tests and frequency maps 00:25:00 Sonic therapy with processed Mozart 00:30:00 Crystal bowls and vibrational healing 00:35:00 High notes, chakras and altered states 00:42:00 Childhood piano mystery and stage orbs 00:49:00 Energy beings and intentional performance 00:53:00 Conclusion New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on Tuesday, August 25 2026) For a complete, updated list with links to all of our videos, see https://newthinkingallowed.com/Listings.htm. Check out the New Thinking Allowed Foundation website at http://www.newthinkingallowed.org. There you will find our incredible, searchable database as well as opportunities to shop and to support our video productions – plus, this is where people can subscribe to our FREE, weekly Newsletter and can download a FREE .pdf copy of our quarterly magazine. To order high-quality, printed copies of our quarterly magazine: NTA-Magazine.MagCloud.com Check out New Thinking Allowed's AI chatbot. You can create a free account at awakin.ai/open/jeffreymishlove. When you enter the space, you will see that our chatbot is one of several you can interact with. While it is still a work in progress, it has been trained on 1,600 NTA transcripts. It can provide intelligent answers about the contents of our interviews. It's almost like having a conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove. If you would like to join our team of volunteers, helping to promote the New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel on social media, editing and translating videos, creating short video trailers based on our interviews, helping to upgrade our website, or contributing in other ways (we may not even have thought of), please send an email to friends@newthinkingallowed.com. To download and listen to audio versions of the New Thinking Allowed videos, please visit our new podcast at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/new-thinking-allowed-audio-podcast/id1435178031. Download and read Jeffrey Mishlove's Grand Prize essay in the Bigelow Institute competition, Beyond the Brain: The Survival of Human Consciousness After Permanent Bodily Death, go to https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/docs/1st.pdf. You can help support our video productions while enjoying a good book. To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: Is There Life After Death? click on https://amzn.to/3LzLA7Y (As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.) To order the second book in the New Thinking Allowed Dialogues series, Russell Targ: Ninety Years of ESP, Remote Viewing, and Timeless Awareness, go to https://amzn.to/4aw2iyr To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: UFOs and UAP – Are We Really Alone?, go to https://amzn.to/3Y0VOVh To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/4oOUJLn

Matt poses Pastor Michael the question of whether the online debate culture should continue.  Faith is a gift. Yes we're Calvinist. No we're not ashamed of it.  Join our Patreon for exclusive content and access to our Telegram chat!   / therestlesspodcast   Follow us on X: https://x.com/RestlesPod #restlesspodcast #reformedtheology #christiantiktok #restless #protestant #debates #calvinism #calvinist #faithisagift

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg welcomed back to the show Davis Younts. Davis is a Veteran, Owner of Younts Law, and Constitutional Attorney that has defended religious liberty cases that garnered national headlines. They discussed current religeous case law, issues to be aware of, and the future of our freedoms here in America. Enjoy! Keep Watch: Use the code "REDEEM" for a free giftReformed Finance: Set up your free consultation today!Miller's Grove Soap: Use the code "DEADMAN" for 10% off! Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Pastor Steve and Steve Cassarino are discussing the 2nd Letter in the Calvinist acronym, TULIP for our 5-part series! This second episode is for the 'U' which is for Unconditional Election. These Steves hope to parse out for us what that means for our salvation, according to the Bible. Learn more about the book they mentioned here: A Journey in Grace (by Richard Belcher) https://graceandtruthbooks.com/product/9780925703118-a-journey-in-grace-richard-belcher/ Thank you for your faithful listening to this ministry! We appreciate your support, such as hitting the like button on Youtube, writing a comment below or clicking subscribe and if you're looking to go the extra mile, please consider writing a review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your Podcast service of choice. (Link below so you can navigate quickly, and drop some stars and perhaps a review, thank you!) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grounded-with-steve-hartland/id1645001839 In Christ, -Grounded Team Grounded is a ministry of Cornerstone Community Church in Joppa, Maryland.

This sermon critically examines the theological roots of extreme Calvinism, arguing that its deterministic framework originates from pagan Stoic, Gnostic, and Platonic philosophies rather than biblical revelation. The speaker traces the development of TULIP doctrines back to Augustine, suggesting that his shift toward determinism in the fifth century introduced a non-biblical view of God's sovereignty that contradicts the early church's understanding of human responsibility. By analyzing key passages such as Ephesians 1:4 and John 6, the presentation contends that Calvinist interpretations of election and atonement distort the biblical message of grace, which emphasizes faith as the means of receiving salvation rather than a result of prior regeneration. The tone is instructional and corrective, urging believers to distinguish between the personal, relational God of Scripture and the deterministic deity of ancient pagan systems. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a return to a biblical view of sovereignty that preserves both God's authority and human moral agency.

Ezekiel 9:4-7

Ezekiel 37:1-14 Romans 8:1-11

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg sat down with Filmmaker and Author Derrick Warfeld. Derrick has a new book "UFO's & God" out. they discussed what UFO's are, how they are related to the spiritual realm, and how the church should respond to the coming disclosures. You can also stream his film of the same name on Amazon Prime Video. Enjoy! Keep Watch: Use the code "REDEEM" for a free giftReformed Finance: Set up your free consultation today!Miller's Grove Soap: Use the code "DEADMAN" for 10% off! Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

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Send us Fan MailA family episode, just Greg & The Dead this week! Greg sat down and discussed Trump's proposed $9,000 per child payment to stay at home parents, the fiscal and philosophical ramifications or that, and how it aligns with a biblical worldview. On the back half of the episode he went over three major studies that show men of the Millennial and Gen Z generations outpacing women in church attendance for the first time in 75 years. Some of the numbers he reviewed will blow your mind. Enjoy! Keep Watch: Use the code "REDEEM" for a free giftReformed Finance: Set up your free consultation today!Miller's Grove Soap: Use the code "DEADMAN" for 10% off! Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Every week, Pastor Keith Foskey and his wife Jennifer tackle questions from around the world on theology, ministry, culture, and the Bible, while interacting live with viewers in the chat. From serious doctrine to fun conversation, Your Calvinist Live is a place for thoughtful discussion, biblical insight, and a few laughs along the way. Join us live and be part of the conversation!Questions and Timestamps:What advice would you give someone who is about to get married? 1:02:35What does biblical submission practically look like for a wife? 1:12:30Is a wife being unsubmissive if she refuses to apologize for something she genuinely believes she did not do wrong? 1:22:40Should parents discipline an autistic child differently? 1:29:20Does 1 Corinthians 11 require head coverings for women and short hair for men today? 1:35:50If Adam wasn't deceived, why did he eat the forbidden fruit? 1:41:54What are your thoughts on Reformed Charismatics? 1:44:22Can the Bible become an idol? 1:53:00Why does God describe Israel's apostasy using such graphic sexual language? 1:57:25Can a Calvinist tell an unbeliever, “God loves you so much He sent Jesus to die for your sins”? 2:06:10Does God love everyone, and if so, why doesn't He save everyone? 2:09:20How should a pastor balance staying informed about current events without becoming consumed by the news? 2:17:43How should Christians think about moral and criminal responsibility when severe mental illness affects a person's understanding of reality? 2:21:15Support the Show: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/Yourcalvinisthtto://www.page50.com/yourcalvinistPage50 is a Marketing Company that is committed to helping you build your brand with truth, goodness, and beauty. They do web design, videography, SEO, content creation, branding, and consulting. And for a limited time, you can get a free website audit, which can help you discover how your website is performing and what you can do to improve it. Just go to page50.com/yourcalvinist to get started.https://www.TinyBibles.comYou can get the smallest Bible available on the market, which can be used for all kinds of purposes, by visiting TinyBibles.com and when you buy, use the coupon code KEITH for a discount.Love Coffee? Want the Best? Get a free bag of Squirrelly Joe's Coffee by clicking on this link: https://www.Squirrellyjoes.com/yourcalvinistor use coupon code "Keith" for 20% off anything in the storeDominion Wealth Strategies Visit them at https://www.dominionwealthstrategists.comhttp://www.Reformed.Moneyand let them know we sent you! https://www.HighCallingFitness.comHealth, training, and nutrition coaching all delivered to you online by confessionally reformed bodybuilders and strength athletes.Visit us at https://www.KeithFoskey.comIf you need a great website, check out https://www.fellowshipstudios.com

  # **EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Ready to publish** A fresh series on Calvinism kicks off with a blunt, Bible-first question: what do the five points actually mean, and what happens when people build a whole theology on assumptions about election, free will, and grace? Hunter Davis and Brent Bolerjack pull apart TULIP from the ground up and ask whether the system really holds together - or whether it creates bigger problems than it solves. Hunter and Brent are not coming at this as Calvinists. That makes the conversation sharper, more honest, and more useful for anyone who has heard the terms tossed around but never really sorted out what they mean. Brent lays out each point of TULIP - total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints - while Hunter pushes on the history, the definitions, and the practical impact on evangelism, assurance, and the character of God. You'll discover: - Why election, not depravity, may be the real crux of the Calvinism debate - How the history of Calvinism, Arminius, and the Council of Dort complicates the simple five-point summary most people know - Why “dead in trespasses and sins” is at the center of the argument over whether humans can respond to the gospel - The tension between God's desire for all to be saved and the deterministic logic of Calvinism - Why limited atonement and irresistible grace are often the hardest points to defend biblically Brent also breaks down the practical pitfalls he sees in Calvinism - from shifting blame away from human responsibility to turning salvation assurance inward, where believers start measuring themselves against an invisible standard of perseverance instead of resting in Christ. Hunter adds a strong warning about how definitions get distorted when Bible words like “saved” and “elect” are pulled out of context and reinserted with a predetermined meaning. This is not a detached theology lecture. It's a real conversation about how doctrine shapes the way you read Scripture, how you talk to lost people, and how you think about God Himself. If Calvinism has ever confused you, frustrated you, or become something you hear discussed without fully understanding, this episode gives you a clear starting point. Essential listening for anyone who wants to think carefully about the five points, test them against Scripture, and understand why this series matters before the deeper debate begins.  

Episode 4216 │ September 6, 2026 Nowhere in the entire Old Testament does anyone talk about going to heaven. That single fact unravels almost everything modern Christianity teaches. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS Scott Kesterson opens with a personal reflection on Brad Cummings's milestone birthday gathering before the two dive into a conversation that dismantles one of the most fundamental assumptions of Western Christianity — that the gospel is primarily about securing a destination after death — with Brad arguing instead that the entire biblical narrative, from the Old Testament through the Gospels, is about heaven and earth being married together now, with the kingdom established through how people actually live and relate to one another rather than through a future escape. The conversation traces this through Matthew 8's back-to-back healing stories — the leper who receives Jesus's simple response "I am willing, be cleansed," and a Roman centurion whose declaration "just say the word" causes Jesus to marvel and call it the greatest faith found in Israel — building the case that great faith is not spiritual muscle or performance, but simply taking God at His word without qualification. The episode closes with Brad tracing eternal conscious torment doctrine to its actual fourth-century Augustinian and sixteenth-century Calvinist origins rather than Scripture itself, and connecting the story of Daniel in the lion's den to Iran's modern-day legal status as a nation still bound by an ancient royal decree to honor the God of Daniel. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED Why does the Old Testament never once mention going to heaven — and what does that absence reveal about the actual meaning of "the kingdom of God is at hand," a phrase Jesus's Jewish audience would have understood in a completely different way than modern Christians do? What made the Roman centurion's faith in Matthew 8 the greatest Jesus found in all of Israel — and why does the simple act of taking God at His word, without needing an explanation, a ritual, or a sense of worthiness, represent a kind of faith modern religious complexity has actually made harder to access? Where did the doctrine of eternal conscious torment actually come from — and why does tracing it to fourth-century Augustine and sixteenth-century Calvin, rather than to Scripture itself, change how a listener should read every passage about judgment, darkness, and hell in the Gospels? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. DOWNLOADS Citizen's Guide - Community Organizing Against Data Centers: click here Citizen's Guide - Auditing Automatic License Plate Readers: click here Citizen's Guide - Auditing Your State's Driver License Data: click here AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

In this episode, we interview Dr. David Anders, who played a profound role in Joshua Charles's conversion. After attending the famed evangelical Wheaton College, and pursuing a doctorate in order to disprove the Catholic Faith, he came out Catholic. The reason: he saw that the "Reformation" was not recovering ancient Christianity, but radically departing from it.BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONHas our content blessed you or those you love? Then please consider becoming a monthly patron for $10/month or more.➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).VISIT OUR WEBSITE➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro: Dr. David Anders and His Conversion Story05:02 - Evangelical Roots, Wheaton, Seminary, and the Search for Truth30:02 - Catholic Coherence, Love of Christ, and the Limits of Protestantism39:12 - Studying Reformation History and Losing Confidence in Calvinism51:03 - Reading the Fathers: Seminary, Original Sources, and Historical Reality1:09:16 - Salvation, Assurance, and the Problem of “Once Saved, Always Saved”1:18:25 - The Early Church, Mortal Sin, Relics, and Catholic Continuity1:53:37 - Evangelicalism, Gnosticism, and Sola Scriptura2:33:03 - Scripture, Deification, Fasting, and Final Reflections on the ChurchThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg sat down with Cory Wing. Cory is the host of CivEccly Minded Podcast and weekly host on Eschatology Matters. They discussed Godly justice and the Lindsay Clancy case, the difference between fair and just, and how we came to be in the place we are in the culture. Enjoy! Keep Watch: Use the code "REDEEM" for a free giftReformed Finance: Set up your free consultation today!Miller's Grove Soap: Use the code "DEADMAN" for 10% off! Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Drew McLeod, of the Provisionist Perspective, join Dr. Leighton Flowers to discuss how some "softer" or "lower" or some may say "inconsistent" Calvinists try to soften or make Calvinism more palatable... JOIN US LIVE!    Get your copy of Dr. Flowers new children's book, LOVE CHOOSES, go here: https:// loom.ly/8I1BNFg   Or his book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: https://a.co/d/6s767Ey   To SUPPORT this broadcast please click here: https://soteriology101.com/support/   Dr. Flowers' book, "The Potter's Promise" and his book, "God's Provision for All" can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Leighton-Flowers/e/B06VWXZBXM/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1   Is Calvinism ALL Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/   DOWNLOAD OUR APP:LINK FOR ANDROIDS: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... LINK FOR APPLE: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soterio...   To ORDER Dr. Flowers Curriculum "Tiptoeing Through Tulip" please click here: https://soteriology101.com/shop/   To listen to the audio only be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or one of the other podcast players found here: https://soteriology101.com/home/   For more about Traditionalism (or Provisionism) please visit www.soteriology101.com   To engage with other believers cordially join our Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1806702782965265   For updates and news follow us at: www.facebook.com/soteriology101    Or @soteriology101 on Twitter   Please SHARE on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!   To learn more about other ministries and teachings from Dr. Flowers go here: https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22...   Go to www.ridgemax.co for all you software developing needs! Show them some love for their support of Soteriology101.   To become a Patreon supporter or make a one time donation: https://soteriology101.com/support/   Thanks for watching.   #Leighton Flowers #Predestination #Calvinism #Provisionism #Calvinist #Salvation    

This discussion explored the free offer of the gospel in Reformed theology, beginning with Bunyan's portrait of the "grave person" in The Pilgrim's Progress, whose posture of pleading with men visualizes the minister's role as a passionate herald of divine mercy. Grounding this stance in historical Reformed orthodoxy, we examined how 17th-century Puritan John Howe and 19th-century theologian R. L. Dabney demonstrated that God's indiscriminate offer of salvation is entirely sincere and fully compatible with His immutable, sovereign decree of election. Furthermore, we examined Arthur W. Pink's defense of human responsibility alongside divine sovereignty, before concluding with the refutation of hyper-Calvinist views (such as those of Herman Hoeksema and the Protestant Reformed Churches) by John Murray and R. L. Dabney, who showed that using doctrines like Divine Simplicity or Impassibility to deny God's genuine compassionate desire for the repentance of all sinners misconstrues confessional definitions, replacing biblical revelation with rationalistic speculation.

This discussion explored the free offer of the gospel in Reformed theology, beginning with Bunyan's portrait of the "grave person" in The Pilgrim's Progress, whose posture of pleading with men visualizes the minister's role as a passionate herald of divine mercy. Grounding this stance in historical Reformed orthodoxy, we examined how 17th-century Puritan John Howe and 19th-century theologian R. L. Dabney demonstrated that God's indiscriminate offer of salvation is entirely sincere and fully compatible with His immutable, sovereign decree of election. Furthermore, we examined Arthur W. Pink's defense of human responsibility alongside divine sovereignty, before concluding with the refutation of hyper-Calvinist views (such as those of Herman Hoeksema and the Protestant Reformed Churches) by John Murray and R. L. Dabney, who showed that using doctrines like Divine Simplicity or Impassibility to deny God's genuine compassionate desire for the repentance of all sinners misconstrues confessional definitions, replacing biblical revelation with rationalistic speculation.

This discussion explored the free offer of the gospel in Reformed theology, beginning with Bunyan's portrait of the "grave person" in The Pilgrim's Progress, whose posture of pleading with men visualizes the minister's role as a passionate herald of divine mercy. Grounding this stance in historical Reformed orthodoxy, we examined how 17th-century Puritan John Howe and 19th-century theologian R. L. Dabney demonstrated that God's indiscriminate offer of salvation is entirely sincere and fully compatible with His immutable, sovereign decree of election. Furthermore, we examined Arthur W. Pink's defense of human responsibility alongside divine sovereignty, before concluding with the refutation of hyper-Calvinist views (such as those of Herman Hoeksema and the Protestant Reformed Churches) by John Murray and R. L. Dabney, who showed that using doctrines like Divine Simplicity or Impassibility to deny God's genuine compassionate desire for the repentance of all sinners misconstrues confessional definitions, replacing biblical revelation with rationalistic speculation.

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg sat down with David Morrill. David is a Journalist with Protestia. They discussed all of the actions and details that led up to the G3 scandal, along with insider information from the journalist and site that broke the story. Enjoy! Dominion Wealth Strategists are the only Kingdom minded company that you need to use. Set up a free consultation here today! You need to protect your sword! Beautiful, classic, and one of a kind! Design your bible rebind from Deus Vult today! 10% for all Dead Men listeners with the code "DEADMANWALKING" Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

For much of the 20th century, many academic theologians operated on the assumption that Calvin's successors (Beza, the Westminster Divines, the scholastic tradition) had in some ways betrayed him and traded a warm, Christ-centered theology for cold, rationalistic system-building. Then Richard Muller spent decades in the primary sources and found the picture was substantially wrong. In this final episode of What Did Calvin Actually Say?, Jared sits down with Dr. Cornelis Venema to untangle one of Reformed theology's most consequential scholarly debates and to ask what it means to stand at the end of a tradition rather than cherry-picking a moment from it.

Romans 9 is one of the most debated—and often misunderstood—chapters in the New Testament. Does it teach that God sovereignly determines who will be saved and who will be lost? How do God's sovereignty and man's free will fit together? And what is the Apostle Paul actually arguing in the larger context of Romans?In this episode of the Pastoral Thoughts Podcast, I sit down with Brady Horton, author of God's Righteous Mercy, a commentary on Romans 9. Brady shares his personal spiritual and theological journey, what led him to take a fresh look at this difficult passage, and how carefully following Paul's argument challenged some of his previous assumptions.We discuss election, predestination, human responsibility, free will, God's sovereignty, Israel, Jacob and Esau, Pharaoh, the potter and the clay, and the importance of allowing Scripture—not a theological system—to define our understanding of Romans 9.At the center of the conversation is a vital question: Is Romans 9 primarily explaining how God chooses which individuals will be saved, or is Paul defending God's righteousness and faithfulness in His dealings with Israel and the nations?Whether you come to Romans 9 from a Calvinist, non-Calvinist, or undecided perspective, this conversation is an invitation to open the Bible, follow Paul's argument, and wrestle carefully with one of Scripture's most important passages.“Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” — Romans 9:18

For much of the 20th century, many academic theologians operated on the assumption that Calvin's successors (Beza, the Westminster Divines, the scholastic tradition) had in some ways betrayed him and traded a warm, Christ-centered theology for cold, rationalistic system-building. Then Richard Muller spent decades in the primary sources and found the picture was substantially wrong. In this final episode of What Did Calvin Actually Say?, Jared sits down with Dr. Cornelis Venema to untangle one of Reformed theology's most consequential scholarly debates and to ask what it means to stand at the end of a tradition rather than cherry-picking a moment from it.

For much of the 20th century, many academic theologians operated on the assumption that Calvin's successors (Beza, the Westminster Divines, the scholastic tradition) had in some ways betrayed him and traded a warm, Christ-centered theology for cold, rationalistic system-building. Then Richard Muller spent decades in the primary sources and found the picture was substantially wrong. In this final episode of What Did Calvin Actually Say?, Jared sits down with Dr. Cornelis Venema to untangle one of Reformed theology's most consequential scholarly debates and to ask what it means to stand at the end of a tradition rather than cherry-picking a moment from it.

What Parts of Calvinist TULIP are Biblical? LIVE Q&A for August 27, 2026 Download Audio MP3 The post What Parts of Calvinist TULIP are Biblical? LIVE Q&A for August 27, 2026 appeared first on Enduring Word.

What Parts of Calvinist TULIP are Biblical? LIVE Q&A for August 27, 2026 Download Audio MP3 The post What Parts of Calvinist TULIP are Biblical? LIVE Q&A for August 27, 2026 appeared first on Enduring Word.

I haven't been very active on X lately, but when I did pop in, I saw @DineshDSouza having a go at John Calvin. So today, I gave him an opportunity to make peace with Calvin—and perhaps even the Calvinists.

Wyatt Evans watched the debate between God Logic and Jacob Hansen at the 2026 "Bless God" Summit and started down a path that ultimately led to his conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the "Mormons". He comes to the studio to discuss!

Dr. Leighton Flowers responds to a typical Calvinist online who fails to address the actual points of our contention and answers questions LIVE.   Get your copy of Dr. Flowers new children's book, LOVE CHOOSES, go here: https:// loom.ly/8I1BNFg   To get your copy of Dr. Flowers book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: https://a.co/d/6s767Ey   To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: https://soteriology101.com/support/   Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here: www.soteriology101.com/newsletter   Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/   DOWNLOAD OUR APP: LINK FOR ANDROIDS: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... LINK FOR APPLE: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soterio...   Go to www.ridgemax.co for all you software development needs! Show them some love for their support of Soteriology101!!!   To ORDER Dr. Flowers Curriculum "Tiptoeing Through Tulip," please click here: https://soteriology101.com/shop/   To listen to the audio only, be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or one of the other podcast players found here: https://soteriology101.com/home/   For more about Traditionalism (or Provisionism), please visit www.soteriology101.com   Dr. Flowers' book, "The Potter's Promise," can be found here: https://a.co/d/iLKpahj   Dr. Flowers' book, "God's Provision for All" can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Provision...   To engage with other believers cordially join our Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1806702...   For updates and news, follow us at:  www.facebook/Soteriology101   Or @soteriology101 on Twitter   Please SHARE on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!   To learn more about other ministries and teachings from Dr. Flowers, go here: https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22...   To become a Patreon supporter or make a one-time donation: https://soteriology101.com/support/   #LeightonFlowers #Calvinism #Theology

Patrick brings together stories of faith, family struggles, and the unexpected ways generosity echoes in Catholic life. He connects parish music, gratitude, and the tension between setting boundaries and holding fast to forgiveness, while pausing for a sharp look at Christians in the Holy Land faced with unsettling challenges. Between cultural quirks and personal growth, Patrick ties everything together with his signature encouragement and direct questions. Jordan (email) - Instead of just complaining about the contemporary music at nearby parishes, should I learn piano (with the hope of eventually learning organ) so I can offer my services to the Church, and how difficult would that be? (01:26) Sylvia (email) - Is it a sin for me to block my sister (and similarly my brother) and stop speaking to them after her continued insults and lies about my husband and me made contact unbearable—even though I forgive them, love them, pray for them daily, and only reached out because the priest advised it? (03:49) Janet (email) - As relatively new adult Catholics, my husband and I have given priests gifts of money, food, care packages, or meals when they were sick at various parishes, yet we’ve almost never received a thank-you (only once from one priest)—is this lack of acknowledgment common, and does it seem rude given that priests act in persona Christi? Joshua - I need some advice on becoming the director of religious education at my parish? (18:27) Bruno (email) - Was it fair or appropriate for you to compare the SSPX to Calvinists in a way that implied they hold theological errors they’re unwilling to discuss, especially when the SSPX’s main criticism is that the Vatican itself is falling into such errors amid widespread ambiguity and corruption? (23:02) A Message from the Church in Taybeh: Taybeh’s Priest Fr. Bashar Fawadleh Warns: “We Intend to Remain” - https://vppnews.substack.com/p/a-message-from-the-church-in-taybeh?r=p2xyu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web (29:48) Martine (email) – On not being thanked… (37:16) Jack - A director of religious education is a very important job. Need to have strong moral character, faith practice, and competence and leadership. (41:18) Richard - I have heard the claim Israeli settlers are taking over legitimate Palestinian claims. (46:43)

Sunday, 23 August 2026   “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14   “Many, also, they are invitees, and few, elect.” (CG)   In the previous verse, Jesus finished His words to the leaders of Israel concerning the parable of the wedding feast, where the king told his servants to bind the man without garments, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there is weeping and the gnash of the teeth. With that stated, He repeats words from Matthew 20:16, “Many, also, they are invitees.”   Most translations say “called.” But that is a past participle forming the passive verb phrase “are called.” That is not the intent. The word means invited (as in the state of being invited), but saying invited makes it a predicate adjective. To make the intent unmistakable, it should read “invitees.”   In other words, it is the state in which people are. The gospel is spoken. All who hear it are invitees. However, only those who respond become a part of the next category, where Jesus says, “and few, elect.”   The word elektos, elect, can carry some theological baggage in people's minds, because of the debate of what it means, especially the wrongly considered idea of election claimed by Calvinists. The most literal way of saying this would be “and few, selectees.” But that sounds like people on a county commission.   The intent is the state in which the people exist. They are the elect because of what was done and what they accepted in relation to that. The call for the wedding went out, people responded (free will), and they became elect because of their assent to attend. Paul uses the word in Romans 8:33 –   “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect [elektos]? It is God who justifies.” Romans 8:31-33   God sent His Son, delivering Him up for us. We heard the message, believed it, and became elect. The process is grace. One cannot merit grace. A banquet was prepared based on the completed work of God's Son. After that, people were called to attend (invitees). Those who were called rejected the offer.   From there, others outside of the first group were called (invitees). They did nothing to merit the call. Instead, it was God's grace being directed toward them. Those who heard and responded from the invitees became elect.   HELPS Word Studies says, “Typically, eklektós (‘select, chosen') describes people who choose to follow the Lord, i.e. become God's choice by freely receiving faith (pístis) from Him. Accordingly, these two terms are directly connected (see Tit 1:1; Lk 18:7,8).”   Life application: Entering the kingdom only comes through faith, and it only comes apart from the law, even if those under the law have faith. For those of Israel who were invitees, it was based not on what they did, but on what Jesus did. However, most rejected the premise, feeling that because of the law, they merited God's favor already.   Gentiles, never having the law, hear the message and become elect by believing it. Where was law (other than Jesus' fulfillment of it) ever a part of the process? It was not to be found! And yet, as soon as people hear that Christ died for their sins and they believe, someone comes along and tells them they must observe the law!   How can we be so dull as to believe such an unscriptural thing? The gospel of our salvation does not say a word about law –   “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4   That is it. That is the gospel. Once one believes, Paul then says –   “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13, 14   How can we take such a simple message and muddy it up so badly? Trust the plan that God has given. Don't add to it. Just believe and then stand fast in what you were told! Jesus did it all. We can rest in that.   Lord God, may we confidently put our faith in Christ alone for our salvation and for all future promises related to that. Keep us from getting misdirected by those who look to gain from our freedom, placing us again in the chains of law observance. We are free in Christ. Help us to always remember that and praise You for it. Amen.

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg hosted a lecture series for the Iona Study Center. The lecture was given by Matt French. Matt French is a teaching Elder at Christ the Word Church. He discussed the history and importance of the Sabbath. After his lecture there were a few questions, so stick around until the end! Enjoy! Dominion Wealth Strategists are the only Kingdom minded company that you need to use. Set up a free consultation here today! You need to protect your sword! Beautiful, classic, and one of a kind! Design your bible rebind from Deus Vult today! 10% for all Dead Men listeners with the code "DEADMANWALKING" Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

The sermon critiques the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election, arguing that it undermines human responsibility and the gospel's universal offer. It contrasts this with the biblical view that God chooses believers based on His foreknowledge of their faith in Christ, as seen in 1 Peter 1:2. The speaker emphasizes that election serves to encourage believers by grounding salvation in God's promise rather than human merit or perseverance. Additionally, the text clarifies that Old Testament references to national election, such as Israel's calling, do not dictate individual eternal destiny but highlight God's sovereign purpose. Ultimately, the message affirms that all people have the capacity to respond to God's grace through the light of conscience and the invitation in John 3:16.

Acton University is one of the most respected gatherings in the faith-and-markets world. This year four hosts from the Christians for Liberty Network were able to find out what it was like to attend. Through a scholarship from the Foundation for Harmony and Prosperity, they spent four days at Acton University among Catholics, Calvinists, Eastern Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, and free-market thinkers from more than sixty countries, and came away deeply impressed.Doug Stuart is joined by Alex Bernardo, Cody Cook, and Kerry Baldwin to recap the experience: the core sessions, the standout speakers, the dinner-table conversations, and what it felt like to show up openly as Christian libertarians in a room that leads with virtue, stewardship, and dignity before it ever reaches policy. The short version is that it felt like being among kin.This recap walks through what Acton University gets right, where Christian libertarians found common ground, and the friendly, sharpening conversations that made the week worth every minute.Chapters:0:00 Intro0:22 Acton University Overview2:36 First Impressions of Acton5:08 Ecumenical and Marketed Faith9:16 Libertarianism Versus Libertinism15:24 Moral Language and Shared Values23:58 The Four Core Sessions30:59 Questions That Challenged43:03 Best Sessions and Standouts48:37 Receptivity to Libertarians52:51 Closing Reflections and ThanksAudio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com Come meet fellow Christian libertarians, sharpen your thinking, and be part of a growing movement rooted in faith and freedom at the Christians for Liberty Conference.Lunch is included in the price of the ticket. We will send out a form ahead of the conference requesting dietary preferences and restrictions.Learn more here.Use code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!Full Podsworth Ad Read BEFORE & AFTER processing:https://youtu.be/vbsOEODpQGs ★ Support this podcast ★

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg welcomed Eli Hedo in the studio. They sat down and talked about growing up as a Christian in Baghdad as an Iraqi citizen, being extorted and threatened with murder, fleeing to Syria, and eventually coming to America and starting a successful business. This is truly an amazing story and will give us Americans an inside look at the refugee perspective and how it really is in middle eastern countries. Enjoy! In the Temperance, MI area and need a shave and haircut? Stop by and see Eli! Dominion Wealth Strategists are the only Kingdom minded company that you need to use. Set up a free consultation here today! You need to protect your sword! Beautiful, classic, and one of a kind! Design your bible rebind from Deus Vult today! 10% for all Dead Men listeners with the code "DEADMANWALKING" Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Pastor Steve and Jeff Leubecker kick off the beginning of a 5-part series on the Calvinist acronym, TULIP. This first episode is for the 'T' which is Total Depravity. What does it mean for us to say that humanity is Totally Depraved? Thank you for your faithful listening to this ministry! We appreciate your support, such as hitting the like button on Youtube, writing a comment below or clicking subscribe and if you're looking to go the extra mile, please consider writing a review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your Podcast service of choice. (Link below so you can navigate quickly, and drop some stars and perhaps a review, thank you!) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grounded-with-steve-hartland/id1645001839 In Christ, -Grounded Team Grounded is a ministry of Cornerstone Community Church in Joppa, Maryland.

In their 500th episode, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb celebrate a decade of The Reformed Brotherhood by diving into one of Scripture's most overlooked parables — the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26–29. Exclusive to Mark's Gospel, this four-verse passage packs a theological punch that is, as Tony and Jesse argue, unmistakably Reformed in its emphasis. The man scatters seed, goes about his life, and the earth produces — by itself — without his understanding or intervention. From this, the hosts draw out rich implications for evangelism, sanctification, ecclesiology, and eschatology. They argue that the kingdom of God advances by divine power alone, hidden from human sight, moving toward a certain consummation. The episode pairs deep theological reflection with the hosts' characteristic warmth, humor, and 10 years' worth of shared history. Key Takeaways Monergism is embedded in the parable itself. The growth of the seed is entirely God's doing. The man scatters and rests; the earth produces by itself — a picture of divine sovereignty that requires no human management or comprehension. The evangelist's only obligation is to scatter. This parable relieves believers of the anxious burden of producing spiritual fruit. Faithfulness in proclamation is the call; growth belongs to God. Sanctification is gradual, hidden, and God's work. The progression — blade, ear, full grain — mirrors the believer's sanctification, which proceeds by degrees imperceptible to the individual yet certain in God's design. The Kingdom of God is not dependent on any individual. Whether it's a ministry leader, a financial contributor, or a worship musician, no single human agent is load-bearing for the advance of God's kingdom. Primary and secondary causation work together without contradiction. God uses means — the farmer still sows, the earth still functions — but the means are instrumental, not efficient causes. God's providence encompasses and exceeds them. The harvest belongs to God, not the evangelist. Just as the man did not direct the growth, he is not the agent ultimately putting in the sickle. The consummation of the kingdom occurs in God's time and by God's initiative. This parable resists reduction. It cannot be flattened into a simple evangelism lesson or a single eschatological statement. It holds together personal sanctification, corporate ecclesiology, and cosmic eschatology within four verses. Key Concepts The Earth Produces By Itself: Monergism in the Parable The theological center of this parable is the Greek word automate — the earth produces "by itself," without external compulsion or human assistance. Tony and Jesse argue this is not incidental language but the thesis of the entire passage. The farmer is genuinely active — he scatters the seed — but his agency recedes almost immediately from view. He doesn't monitor the soil, apply nutrients, or trace the growth. He simply lives his life. This picture coheres precisely with the Reformed doctrine of monergism: that in regeneration and kingdom growth alike, the decisive cause lies entirely outside human capacity. As Jesse puts it, the mechanism of growth "belongs to God alone." The farmer's ignorance is not a failure — it is the point. We are not meant to understand the how; we are meant to trust the Who. Scatter, Then Rest: A Theology of Evangelism Without Anxiety One of the episode's most practically rich applications concerns the posture believers are called to adopt in evangelism. Tony observes that this parable is rarely preached as an encouragement to evangelists, yet that is precisely what it is. The sower's only active verb is scattering. After that, he sleeps and rises — the rhythms of ordinary life — while God does the work that no human strategy, method, or persistence can accomplish. This directly addresses what Tony calls the "anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production." The Reformed vision of evangelism is not passive indifference but liberated faithfulness: scatter the seed of the gospel without bearing the impossible weight of manufactured outcomes. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Blade, Then Ear, Then Grain: The Patience of Providence The threefold progression Jesus describes — blade, then ear, then full grain — is not decorative agricultural detail. It is a theological statement about the character of God's work in the world and in the soul. Growth is gradual, ordered, and unhurried. Jesse draws the direct application to sanctification: the believer cannot fully trace the work of grace in his own heart, yet it is real and it is God's doing. This ought to produce, as Jesse summarizes, "patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety." The church, too, matures through stages. Neither impatience with slowness nor despair at imperceptibility is warranted — both misread the nature of divine providence. God is not behind schedule. He is, as always, working through means, in His time, toward a consummation He has already appointed. Memorable Quotes The earth produces by itself — we might even say the kingdom of God produces by itself. It's not dependent on anything except God's sovereign will and his sovereignty to execute all that he desires. - Tony Arsenal The mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. - Jesse Schwamb The kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation — and this ought to produce patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety. - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to the 10th Pentacost episode of the [00:01:00] Reformed Brotherhood. It's number 500. I'm Jesse Tony Arsenal: and I'm Tony, and this is the podcast that's been going for 10 years. Hey, brother.  Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. A happy 500th episode to you.  Tony Arsenal: I know, man. It's kinda crazy. It's kinda crazy, and we're not gonna do anything special 'cause we don't do that, but it is crazy that this is the 500th episode. That's a lot of podcasting.  Jesse Schwamb: It's absolutely wild.  Podcast Memories And Mishaps Jesse Schwamb: And as with any milestone, as I was thinking about this one occurring, it did draw my mind to all the crazy things that have happened on this podcast, some known, some unknown. Of course, there is the very infamous time that I spilled a whole bottle of kombucha on the desk while we were recording, but everybody knows about that. But I was, I was also thinking about the, the lesser-known ones, like the time you and I sat in the downstairs church, like so close to each other on the same side of the table- Yeah ... to record a episode, or the time [00:02:00] that a tow truck showed up while we were recording and I had to go run out and direct the tow truck 'cause I'd called it for the car. Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Jesse Schwamb: And you paused the episode so that we could go do that, or the time that we had our favorite Lutherans on the podcast in what I think was, like, the hottest environment, and I just remember the sweat trickling down Chad Bird's beard. Like, like, like air being- Like the oil gloss ... mixed with oil. Yeah. It was so hot. So those are the ones that come to my mind. I don't know if there are any ones that come to you. We- we've had some great episodes, and by the way, they all live out for free in the world on reformedbrotherhood.com. So don't take our word for it. You can go all the way back to the beginning if you really want to, and you can hear this incredible journey that God has had us on these some 10 years. So I'm curious, like, do any episodes, topics, conversations, weird things come to your mind after all this time?  Tony Arsenal: Uh, the one I remember is when we recorded with Dad and we were waiting for the snow, the [00:03:00]snowplow- ... and we had to, like, wrap the episode up real quick because the snowplow was there and we had to go move cars. That's right. So there's been a fair amount of episodes where it's like something has interrupted us and we need to just get it over with real quick. That's right. Um, hopefully the listener doesn't hear that too much.  Patreon Support Check In Tony Arsenal: The other thing I was thinking about, you know, just as we're kinda thinking about the back catalog, we're not great at this. Uh, we tend to do our, what, what's they call the call to action. The experts call it the call to action. We do it at the very end of our podcast episodes, which is the worst place to do it. Uh, but we're gonna try to land it in the beginning here. So we, we've been supported by a number of, of people, uh, for basically the entire podcast. I don't remember exactly how early on it was that we started doing Patreon, but it's, it's been a long time. And what I noticed the other day, I went in to, to check on a couple things and make sure everything was working the way it's supposed to. There was some, like, account merge I had to do, and I've noticed that several people who've been supporting us, um, pretty much since the beginning- have their accounts listed in a declined status. [00:04:00] And what that means is that their, probably their credit card that they use, uh, has expired, and so now they're not, no longer supporting the show even though they think they are. So if you are a person who believes you're supporting the show, particularly if you've been supporting the show for a long time, and you wanna continue to support the show, uh, we would really appreciate if you took a minute to go into your Patreon account, double-check that the, you know, that you've been, um, contributing for the last couple months. Uh, double-check that the credit card you have on file is not, uh, expired or suspended or anything like that. Um, again, if you've made a decision that it's time to stop, uh, stop the show, or if this is the point where you realize, "I don't care enough to re-support to the show," um, that's fine. We love you. We've appreciated your support. We hope you keep listening. Uh, but if you do wanna continue to contribute, please do check that. And if you've never taken a chance to think through whether or not you want to support the show, uh, Jesse and I are so thankful for all the support we have.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: Uh, but things are getting more expensive, and, um, you know, that's, that's [00:05:00] just a reality for all of us, and that includes things like podcasting hosting fees. Um, the cost of our, our editing software that we use has gone up. That's a subscription. Uh, the cost of hosting space has gone up. Um, all of that, uh, all of that has gone up, and so even though we've had steady supporters, it's kinda like we have lost supporters, um, financially because the money doesn't go quite as far. So if you've ever thought, "Maybe I should, uh, maybe I should contribute to the podcast," please do think about it. Even if just, uh, half of our audience went in and contributed $1 a month, um, that would be a substantial amount. That would really help us to keep the podcast going. And there's actually a number of projects and things Jesse have I, and I have wanted to do, um, that we would love to be able to, you know, to take a step on. Uh, we just don't have funding to do it, uh- Right ... because the funding we have is enough to keep the podcast going but not enough to stretch to something else. So I don't wanna, like, preload that too much, 'cause who knows if it's gonna happen, but there's some things that we wanna do [00:06:00] that would involve a little bit of upfront capital that we would need- Right to get some contrib- contributions on. So please do consider that. We appreciate you so much if you've been a supporter. We appreciate you so much if you've even considered it. Uh, and we appreciate you so much just for listening, uh, especially- Yes ... if you've been with us, you know, this is episode 500. That's a lot of podcasting- Yeah, it is ... directly in your ear hole. So thank you so much for that.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're so grateful.  Why We Keep Doing This Jesse Schwamb: It's fun just to think how many episodes we recorded, but also how many interesting conversations and topics, all the inside jokes. It really is a community. That's in part why we started this, is to sit down together and to bring other brothers and sisters into the fray, as it were, or maybe to bring us into your fray a little bit and to encourage and edify the church, the brothers and sisters, the saints around the world. And it is an around the world kinda podcast, which is remarkable too. So- Yes ... we're just gonna keep being here. As long as the Lord tarries and He allows us to do this, we'll just keep doing it. And again, we've recorded in closets, in cars on the way to things. We've done it at [00:07:00] the beach, and we've done it in cold environs, and we've done it in hot environs. And you're right, you reminded me of that time where we were desperately waiting as we were getting snowed in for the plow to come. And then it was all hands on deck, and we just dropped the recording equipment and said, "We gotta get out of here." And more often than not, the p- joy of this podcast is it just kinda finds its way into our normal rhythm of life. But it- Yeah ... comes out of our life, and out of a life that's been transformed by Christ. And so that's really what we come back to.  Mark Only Parable Preview Jesse Schwamb: In fact, that's the whole thing that we're in right now. We're going through all these parables. And this episode, we can't stop, won't stop. We're gonna continue to hit you with the content that we love, which is talking about Jesus. And so we're in one of the few... Well, it's a Markan parable that only appears in Mark. That's why I called it Markan, I guess. So extra bonus points to you, that's both extra and bonus, if you know which one it is before I say it. But there's a lot for us to talk about- ... because we're getting into this really, really short little story, but it's really chock-full, of course, as Jesus likes to do with all [00:08:00] kinds of spiritual truth. It's about a farmer chucking a seed on the ground, and then he goes about his business. He eats, he sleeps, he binge-watches the Jane equivalent of Netflix. He sleeps again, he wakes up. And while he does this, the seed is doing entirely its own thing without his help or understanding. He didn't make it grow. He can't explain how it grows. He just shows up at the end with a sickle to collect what God has already finished. Man, if there isn't a Reformed theological parable, I don't know what one is. Yeah. So we're gonna get to all of that on this 500th episode. I mean, it's something to be saying that even the US is only 250 years old, and- we've already recorded twice as many podcasts as there are years of experience in the US. But besides all of that, it wouldn't be- It's like- ... Reformed Brotherhood-  Tony Arsenal: I don't know if you've seen this. That reminds me of those things online where it's like, like, "Elon Musk is a billi- is a trillionaire. That means he could give every person on earth $1 billion- Oh, yeah and still would be a multi-billionaire." And you're like, "That's, that's not mathematically true." 'Cause when [00:09:00]you said that, I was like, "You mean the podcast is older than the country?"  Jesse Schwamb: Oh, math. I have a feeling we're gonna come back to that. Oh, math.  Tony Arsenal: Oh, math.  Affirm Or Deny Segment Jesse Schwamb: Now, of course, if you listen for any length of time, you know it wouldn't be an episode if we didn't have a time of affirming with or denying against. Of course, that is that time where we pick something that we like, we think everybody should be a part of, that we wanna recommend, and we affirm with it. Or on the opposite, instead we say, "We deny against this thing because it's just no good." So Tony, on this 500th episode, I'm just gonna keep saying it over and over again, so lest the listeners forget, what are you affirming with or denying against? Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Scammer Payback Recommendation Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming, um, a little YouTube channel that I found. Uh, it takes a little bit of setup to explain it, but the, the channel is called Scammer Payback. Ooh. Um, and it's, it's a... I think most people have probably seen, like, the Gene Fieith- Gene Veith, um, like, where he, he gets a, some sort of scammer on the phone, and he sorta just, like, [00:10:00] trolls them and makes, kinda makes them sound dumb and, you know, pretends to play along just to see how long he can keep them on the phone. Those are really funny. These are funny, but they're on a whole different level of seriousness, which is a weird sentence. Um, basically what this is is a group of professional hackers, um, and there's, this is a serious kinda sting operation they have going. They don't use their real names on the channel. Um, there's one, there's one, um, where they interview, like, a social, um, a social engineer whose job is to... Her- she is a person who basically, uh, does social hacking, and she helps companies who, who their security people think, like, their executives are, um, susceptible to social engineering, social hacking. She'll actually call and, like, mess around with the CEOs and socially hack them. Um, they interviewed her, and the first thing she said when she sat down was the person she was talking to's first name, and the guy was just stunned. He's like, "I- we- we've never used my first name on the channel before." So they're very serious, and what they do is they identify [00:11:00] a scam or a g- usually a group of scammers, and they'll actually hack into and infiltrate the computer systems that they're using. And so they show you everything that they're doing. Um, they're, they're explaining the scam and how it's run. Um, and a lot of times they're actually actively intervening in, uh, in a scam, trying to stop a scam that's in progress because somebody is about to lose a lot of money. I mean, I think one of the things that's important about this is our audience, you know, mostly, mostly guys probably, like, age, I don't know, late 20s, early 30s, maybe early 40s, we kind of grew up and lived, lived in a world most of our adult lives or all of our adult lives where, like, fishing schemes and other kinds of, like, um, data s- data theft, like, that was just in the air. It was just normal. So we're... It's not like we're immune to it, but we're used to it, and we're ready for it, and we're looking for it. That means that most of us have parents that are in a generation who are particularly susceptible to this. [00:12:00] So I think it would be worth, worth people's time to take a look at this, uh, just as a educational piece, and then, yes, share it with your family members who are in this era. People get taken for a ton of money. Yeah. The reason that these older generation sort of bu- builder Boomer generations are targeted is not just because they're somewhat soft targets, but they also have the money. Um, most of, most of the wealth in our country is possessed by people in that generation. It's just an economic fact in a lot of places and a lot of areas, and so that's why they're targeted. So take a little bit of time, watch the show. It's... And it's entertaining. It's really well produced. It's funny. These are non-Christians, you know, who are, are being non-Christian, so there's a fair amount of salty language, especially when they're interacting directly with the scammers that they absolutely hate. Um, but it's, it's worth watching. And, and it... I think it'll... I think it's entertaining. Most of the time it's like a 15-minute video, so it's not too much of your time. Pop that on two times [00:13:00] speed on YouTube and, and you're all set.  Jesse Schwamb: And when you say salty you're not talking about Salty the Singing Songbook, right? Tony Arsenal: Correct. Yeah. Not P-S-A-L-T-Y. S-A-L-T-Y.  Jesse Schwamb: Just in case. I wouldn't want any of the loved ones to go and just be waiting for Salty to show up, like, in the mid- Which would be kind of epic in the midst of this, like, scamming shutdown, the sting operation. Like, Salty s- pops up and starts singing about restorative justice and- Yeah what it means that God restores all things. I mean, that would have a good place in this, but I just want that just to be clear. We don't, we don't want anybody to, to at us on that.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure. Well, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight?  Jesse Loves Algebra Jesse Schwamb: I'm going to return to that beautiful intro you gave about mathematics and the whole Elon Musk thing. And so my affirmation is simply, like, just do... Just enjoy all the math you can. Use all the math that you know. So my wife and I were watching some kind of program on YouTube, and it was a program in which there are a couple [00:14:00]people competing in this kind of escape room situation, and as escape rooms are want to do, there came some kind of small math problem. And it goes something like this, is the best I can remember it. It was what number between one and nine when it is tripled and five is added to it is the same as that number being doubled and having one added to it? Now, as soon as that problem was read, we were watching intently, and I turned to my wife and I said, "Why do they need to say it's between, like, one and nine?" And she goes, "Well, how else would they know what the number was?" And I was like, "Well, like, this is a beautiful little algebra thing, like se- series of equations. Like, you have two equations here." And she's like... Just gave me a blank look. So I was like, "Oh, man." So she's like, "Okay. Do it then. Do it." So I was like, "Give me a piece of paper." So I, I was just like, this is gonna be such a beautiful thing. So I was like, "All this is, is, like, it's basically 3x minus five equals 2x plus one. You're solving for whatever this missing number is, and they've given you this beautiful setup, [00:15:00] which you rarely get in real life, but this beautiful setup is a system of equations. We have two things you know are gonna turn out to be the same. They've just been said in different ways, and that allows you enough space to figure out how to solve for them using a little bit of algebra." So I realized then this is why they said between one and nine, because the contestants then proceeded just to iteratively pick numbers until they found the answer, which is not a bad way. Like, that's a way to use, like, all the math you have. Certainly, that's a way. But I showed her how it was like, this is the answer, six, and you don't even need to know where to start because you don't need to start anywhere. You can actually figure this out. Still not really impressed. And then she said something to me that just, like, kind of rocked my world. I said, like, "Well, I'm sure this is familiar to, with, to you." And she's like, "Oh, yeah. Like, I learned algebra." And she goes, "Yeah, I, I know algebra. I just don't do it anymore. I just don't use it anymore." And I was like What, what I heard was, like, basically her saying to me, "I used to brush my teeth, but I just don't do it [00:16:00] anymore." 'Cause I was like, "This is such a beautiful thing." So then I got it in my head, well, well here's the problem. It's just a matter of seeing the results. So I was like, "Well, here's the amazing thing is yes, these are abstract concepts. Yes, it's like each of those is a function. It's, it's a representation of what he just said in the problem. But," and this is my grave mistake, Tony. But I was like, "Really, Descartes showed us that we can think about these not as abstractions, but we can plot them geometrically as lines on a Cartesian plane." And so I was like, "Really we can show that these are two lines and they have a relationship together." And then I was like, "Guess where they intersect? Guess where they intersect?" And she's like, "I w- that's impossible to even know. I have no idea where they intersect." I was like, "No, no. Just, just based on what we're saying, the beauty of this is they have a relationship. They're gonna come together at some point, like you and I in life. They're gonna, they're gonna come together. Guess where that would be?" And she's like, "That would be impossible to know." And I was like, "It's not, actually." So I showed her that, you know, left and right, up and down, X and Y, however you wanna speak [00:17:00] about it, those two lines are gonna intersect, at least on the X. The X spot is gonna be the number six. It's the same thing. Still nothing. So after all of that, I just appreciate my wife is such a brilliant lady, that she just doesn't need algebra. She goes through life just, like, crushing problems without... Like, because she'd like to do it, I think, just the, the more challenging, difficult, iterative way. And, uh, she doesn't use algebra anymore. Just no need for it. So in many ways I respect that. In other ways, again, the affirmation is like, use all the math you have available to you because it's a beautiful thing. I think basically at the end of that I ended up in, like, a very supreme place of doxology, and my wife was like, "Can we just go back to watching TV now?" So but I, I have to say, like, and I, I know you, you share my appreciation for math and stuff like this. Like, it's not even just puzzles. It's just the beauty that, like, we can do this, and that there's such a created order, like a supremely created order, that these rules of ma- mathematics aren't just impounded. They're like the fabric in which God has, [00:18:00] has basically woven all of reality such that we can do this kind of thing, and that even a simple problem in escape room can lead us to appreciate how intensely ordered and beautiful the world is, that we can go after knowledge and solve for explicit things that seem abstract beyond our comprehension and reason to begin with, but have been brought to a place we might understand them. That is, like, an insanely glorious thing to me. So algebra is great, loved ones. I've recommended before, but the side affirmation is go to Khan Academy if you wanna brush up on your algebra skills. I think algebra is, like, some of the most beautiful and intensely practical math ever. I love calculus, but calculus you don't get a lot of, like, use. You can use algebra to solve all kinds of things, whether it's like tips or... Like, it's gonna save you so much time. If you're ever in escape room, I'm just telling you, do not do this iteratively. Just get the, your system of equations down, and you will be, like, tearing out of that room, and then you'll look like a hero. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  Math In Everyday Life Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think, like, even the f- even the, the... How do I wanna say this delicately? Uh, [00:19:00] even the idea that we, quote, "don't use algebra" means people don't actually understand that we're using algebra all the  Jesse Schwamb: time.  Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Right. Like, I could buy I don't use calculus or I don't use trigonometry- Right or even I don't use geometry. Um, but to say I don't use algebra, like just basic. I mean, I know like basic equations are, I guess, technically arithmetic, but like how many times does someone have to, have to go, "All right, the tip, the, the bill is X number of dollars. The bill is-" Right ..."$100, and I wanna give a 15% tip, so what's the outcome?" Like, that's an algebraic equation, right? That's right. Um, or a more, I think a more common one would be like, "All right, the bill is this amount. I want my, uh, my final amount that I give billed to me to be an even number."  Jesse Schwamb: Right. " Tony Arsenal: And I also want to give at least 15%, 20%, whatever percent, so what's the number I need to use in order to get to a bill that is, or a [00:20:00] tip that is both 15% or higher and results..." Like, all of those things are algebraic equations.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: So I think, yeah. I mean, even like, "I need to get to work by such and such a time. What time do I need to leave?" Right. "I know it takes-" Exactly. "... a certain amount of time." Right. So I think we, we all use algebra a lot more than we, we probably realize, and I think you're right. Like, when people say, "Well, I don't use my math anymore," what they're saying is like, "I don't use, I don't use the stuff that I had to show my work on anymore." Right. "I don't use the stuff that I have to do on paper anymore." But, um, it's funny, we had a, a conversation, by the way, Reformed Tele- Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat is a thing. Uh, we had a conversation in the Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat a little while ago. One of our members was trying to figure out some sort of, like- And it was a problem having to do with like a, an air conditioning throttle or whatever it's called. Some sort of like programming in an air conditioner. And we went through it, we figured out that one of the like relatively complex parts of the equation that he was trying to figure out actually no matter what values you [00:21:00] put in, uh, equated to one. And then the other one was like it was ti- and then it was times one. So it was like whatever you put in ended up to that times one was the rest of the equation. It was like a huge, or like a relatively large equation that resolved down to one. So it was like you're trying to figure out all this complicated math and really like that entire, uh, that entire complicated equation was doing nothing in the rest of the equation. Nice. It was doing absolutely nothing. Um, so we were able to sort of like figure out, all right, well now all we need to do is figure out what, what this relationship does. Right. Um, and even something like in that particular situation, there were some values that the equation couldn't possibly balance. Which again, you could plot that on a graph and see like there's a spot... I don't, I'm, I'm making this up, but I think this is probably not wrong. There's a spot where it's like this is a parabolic equation, and so at some point the parable, or the par- parable, I didn't even mean to do that. There we go. At some point the [00:22:00] parabola goes back up, and so like there is no point- Right ... when it reaches this number. So values that would be in that, in that zone or in that range- Right ... they, they don't work in the equation. So yeah, I think math, uh, algebra is, uh, you know, basic arithmetic obviously is, is relatively straightforward. Algebra's probably the most simple, uh, form of math that your average person uses on a regular basis.  Jesse Schwamb: For sure.  Trigonometry And Design Tony Arsenal: But it's funny, I remember the first time, um, the very first time that I realized trigonometry was not just some abstract thing that we would never use. And it's so funny, 'cause it's like the nerdiest, the nerdiest example. I was playing a tabletop RPG with my friends, we were in high school, and we were, we were learning trigonometry at the time. I was playing a tabletop RPG, and we were trying to figure out- Um, it was a, it was like a futuristic tabletop RPG, so we were using like, like laser guns or something like that that have a certain range. And we were trying to figure out if the thing that was flying in the air from us was within range or not.  Jesse Schwamb: Nice.  Tony Arsenal: And what we realized [00:23:00] is that's just a quadratic equation, right? Right, it is. I just need to calculate. I know how far away it is from me in a straight line, I know how high in the air it is, so I need to just- Right now I need to... Or not, not the quadratic. That's Pythagoras' theorem, right? Yep. I need to calculate the Pythag- or the, um, the hypotenuse.  Jesse Schwamb: I'm with you. I  Tony Arsenal: knew where you were going. Yeah. So, like, I remember distinctly, I, I mean, I remember where I was sitting in my friend's basement going, "Oh, my goodness, trigonometry actually has a practical application here." Um, you know, whether that's figuring out how much rope I need to be able to, to attach to a tree and still be able... Like, all of these different things ultimately are math, and, or as the, the Brits say, are maths. And, uh, the, it, it's just a beautiful thing. And I think you're right, like, this is evidence that the universe has a structure- And a designer because- Right you can describe the universe using this- Nice ... sort of universal numerical language that, um, in, for the most part, describes everything we can [00:24:00] see. I mean, obviously, like, they're still learning things. They're still figuring things out. But what we can see with our senses, we can also describe with math on some level. Even something like the colors that we see can be reduced to a, a number, a frequency, a wavelength. So yeah, I'm with you. Use your algebra. Find ways to use it.  Jesse Schwamb: Use it. It's the... I like what you said, that we're using it. We just don't realize it. There's a spiritual lesson in there, I think, as well, that it's, it's present all around us, and it's... I like what you said. It's, like, the, the most, like, grabbable. It's the thing that's pretty easy to grasp, yet has, like, some beautiful outworkings that are super complex. All the time I love to, like, mess with people, even people who are, like, say, like, "Oh, I'm not into math." I'm like, "That's okay." Like, it's... You're, you're living in a mathematical world, and you're certainly using it, but that, that's okay.  Imaginary Numbers Wonder Jesse Schwamb: But like, sometimes I'll just say to somebody, like, "How do you know, like actually know that, like a negative number times a negative number is a positive number?" Like, who came up with that, and how do you know? And why are we just trusting him? Why can't somebody just say, "You know what? For me, it's not. I'm gonna make that a [00:25:00] negative number"? And w- the reason is because algebra provides... There's a lot of proofs, but algebra provides the most simple, beautiful proof. And then once you, once you basically contravene that law, like, everything falls apart. I- it's... And the question we should be asking is why does everything fall apart if we contravene one simple law, wh- which is two negative numbers multiplied, the product of them has to be, must be, is always a positive number. And that's, like, not even getting into, like, the more crazy things. Like, everybody should go look up, like, what imaginary numbers are. That will kind of mess with your mind, but then we found ways to use imaginary numbers, which are exactly what they sound like- Yeah ... to solve, like, incredible problems. Where does that come from? It comes from the Lord. It comes from God's, like, creative ability that He's placed in mankind to go after and to take a dominion over the knowledge and the creative order in such a complex and creative way. It mimics and mirrors the creativity of our Heavenly Father, and it is altogether beautiful. So on this- Yeah ... 500 episode that has a lot of numbers associated with it, I [00:26:00] say go love the numbers. Go enjoy them. Wherever you are in life, whatever your enjoyment of math is, big or small, go try to find some way to enjoy it today. Tony Arsenal: Can I, can I throw in a, a weird relevant sub-affirmation to your affirmation? I  Jesse Schwamb: mean, please.  Tony Arsenal: This is our show, so I'll do what I want to. You can do what you want. First, when you say we live in a mathematical world, all I could think of was some Perry song of Material Girl. Material  Jesse Schwamb: World?  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Odd Squad Math Tony Arsenal: I am a mathematical boy, and I live in a ma- Anyway, um, there is a show that I watch with August, my son, who is almost five. Uh, he'll be five in March. And, um, it's called Odd Squad. And what Odd Squad is, is it's a sort of a s- like a spy-themed kids show with a touch of like, uh, almost like Twilight Zone. Like, there's so- It's they manage odd. Like, they're the Odd Squad because they, they respond to odd emergencies, so it's a lot of like weird monsters and aliens and like time travel paradoxes and strange stuff. But the answer [00:27:00] to the problem is always related somehow to a math principle. So they will talk about how like multiplication is just addition like many times over.  Jesse Schwamb: Sure.  Tony Arsenal: And that's actually why multiplying a negative number times a negative number is a positive number or, you know, like, or multiplying by a negative number is a negative number, right? And that's because like really what you're doing if you multiply two, uh, two times negative three is you're subjecting, you're subtracting two from two from two, which gives you, you know- Right ... a negative number. So it's, it's not, uh, it, it's for kids, but I actually have realized that I understand math better- because of watching the show.  Jesse Schwamb: I  Tony Arsenal: love it. And it's because they break it down in, you know, the, the audience- Yes ... the target audience is a little bit older than August. I think the target audience is probably like six to seven, maybe eight years old. Um, and so they're talking about math principles geared towards those groups. But they'll talk about things like [00:28:00] using a number line to be able to understand math, and so like visualizing it. Or they'll talk about how multiplication is really just groups of things. So yeah, check it out.  Why Math Matters Tony Arsenal: And again- Algebra is probably the most, uh, easy to grab of the disciplines, but that's because that's the one we are using every day all the time. Tony Arsenal: And we don't realize it. But again, like, calculus is a beautiful, a beautiful thing. Um, and there are some amazing things that exist in the world that can really only be understood and described in a certain sense by something like calculus or trigonometry. Um, my favorite, I, I wish I had, like, kept it up, but one of my favorites is geometry 'cause I think a lot of it is, that's, like, the closest to puzzles. Yes. Um, uh, so, like, I, I used to love doing proofs and axioms and stuff. So, and then of course logic is technically related to math. It's a related discipline to math- It is ... in that it, it's, it's actually, like, the language that underlies a lot of the mathematics is [00:29:00] logical formulas. So it's all relevant. It's all beautiful. It all describes God's creation, and it all redounds to His glory.  Jesse Schwamb: You got that right.  Mark Growing Seed Jesse Schwamb: And speaking of both His creation and His glory, and Jesus teaching of both of those things, we are, as we promised, hanging out in the Book of Mark, and we've got just four sentences. And what I love about this parable that we're about to read is it fits in so perfectly with something I think you and I have been saying from the very beginning, which is it's tempting when we think about the parables to consider, like, a single element or to distill them down to, like, a single word and say, "We hear the kingdom of God is this thing, this noun, this object, this person." But instead, the case we've been making is it's actually generally a series of verbs, or in this case, it's the whole four verses that Jesus is gonna give to us here. So let me just read Mark 4:26-29. That's all it is, loved ones. And it's a good thing because we're already knee-deep into this 500th episode. So this goes by various names. I've heard it called, [00:30:00] like, the Parable of the Growing Seed, or sometimes people call it, like, the Parable of the, The Secret Seed. I'm not sure that's really secret, but I suppose the increase is secret in a way, and that's really what Jesus is communicating to us in these verses. So Mark 4:26: "And Jesus was saying, 'The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil, and he sleeps and he rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.'" Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, this is, um, an interesting parable, and I'll be the first to admit, like, when you said, "Well, why don't we do the king- the parable of the growth next?" I was like, "I don't actually know what Jesse's talking about." So if you're in the same boat as I am and [00:31:00] you, uh, you are like, "Wait, there's the... This is a parable? Like, this exists in the Bible?" Um, you're not alone, and I think part of the reason is that, one, it's so short, but it also sort of, like, connects into the next parable thematically. I don't know necessarily- Hmm ... about the content and the meaning, but thematically it sort of blends into the next parable, which is the parab- Mark's version of, um, of the parable of the mustard seed. So it's, it's hard to delineate unless you're really thinking about it, but I'm glad that we're talking about it because I think this is probably one of those parables that doesn't get a lot of attention because it's so short and because it is, um, it is sort of thematically in a spot where I think it does sort of, I don't know, like seep into the next- Right parable.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's a tendency because you're right, it's sandwiched between the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed, both of which we've talked about from Matthew's perspective, that it seems like maybe the theme is redundant, but [00:32:00] it is altogether different with the emphasis. Uh, there, it's true I guess that all three of these parables are addressing that same underlying question the disciples in the early church were asking, which is, if Jesus truly inaugurates the Kingdom of God, then why does it seem so impressive? Why is it so slow or hidden in contrast to all the expectations that the Jews had for what they thought would be this dramatic, immediately visible rain? And so I like that there is a lot said within four verses. And again, from our perspective, this thing seems so distinctly reformed in its under- Yeah of course the whole Bible is that way, but maybe nothing more so than this, especially because we'll get to it, but the center of this parable being, and there's various translations, that this guy doesn't even know. He doesn't understand. He's totally ignorant to what is going on, and isn't that... I, I mean, I can only speak for my own test- that's the story of my life, uh, spiritually and otherwise. That again, if you wanna talk about God doing all the verbs, I guess Mark had it first. I thought maybe I coined that, but [00:33:00] turns out that Mark, well, actually Jesus, the Son of God himself, says it best here. So let, let's get into this because the beautiful thing is you and I can handle theoretically in the time allotted here, like three or four verses. That, that's theoretically possible for us to do, but we, we're only gonna h- see how far it goes. Um-  Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  Hidden Kingdom Growth Jesse Schwamb: I think the first thing to say here is that we get that beautiful characteristic, like formula, like the controlling paradigm. It's that Kingdom of God again. And a- as I kinda set up, it's the Kingdom of God, though, launched into a bunch of, uh, verbs. Uh, this idea of like him casting, and then him sleeping, and then him waiting, and then him getting up, and then the growth happens, and then he comes again at the end, this character, this farmer, into kind of the consummation of that kingdom. And I think there's a lot here that's maybe to explain that tension. The kingdom is real and active. It's irresistibly moving towards some kind of fixed end, but it does not appear in its final glory, and that is something you kind of get with the other two parables. [00:34:00] But here it's just like so lovely. It's right in front of you. That, that's like the whole emphasis and thrust of what Jesus seems to be saying in this. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think this one's interesting because, you know, generally in the parables, at least in, in... I, I would have to do a little bit more study to know if this is, like, distinctly Markan or whatnot. But in the, the, um, Matthew's parables, um, or Christ's parables reported in Matthew, um, primarily the main figure of the parable is, uh, is generally is God or, or more specifically is often Jesus himself. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? But in this parable, it wouldn't make sense for us to say that somehow g- you know, God or Jesus scatters seed, and then He doesn't know that it sprouts. Right. Right? So, so the, the parable implies that the one scattering seed, and again, we don't wanna over-interpret parables. Generally speaking, parables are teaching kind of a principle of some sort, a comparison of some sort, not, it's not an allegory. [00:35:00] In, in most cases it's not an allegory where each element has a direct representation of some sort. But it wouldn't make sense for this to be talking about God's perspective on scattering or Christ's perspective on scattering, 'cause obviously God and Jesus, even, even if we're talking about Jesus according to His humanity, um, has some sort of awareness of the workings of the Kingdom of God that is not the ignorance that the parable here seems- Right to present of the one scattering.  Scatter Then Rest Tony Arsenal: So I, I really do think this parable has more to say to us about- Our own perspectives on evangelism and on how the Kingdom of God will propagate. And I think, um, both in terms of, like, evangelism, there's an element here, an encouraging element of, you know, all your s- your job... And what's really funny is I, I don't recall this parable being used in my experience to sort of [00:36:00] encourage people that all, your own, your job is just to scatter. You don't need to worry about the growth. Mm-hmm. There's a, there's a passage in Paul about one person scatters, one person waters, and God brings the growth that is often used to sort of say, like, it's not your responsibility to make sure that the, the, the, um, the bud is, you know, c- comes to flowering and to fruiting. It's just your job to be faithful to scatter or to water or whatever step it's on. This, I think, has even more encouragement for us in that the one who scatters, um, i- is obviously God, but there's also this element that, like, we're scattering. The one scattering is not omniscient. But the one scattering, uh, he doesn't even know how or why or even that, I think, that the, um, that the f- the growth is occurring, and that's the most- Right remarkable part of this. Like, we're not talking about a normal farmer who is aware of how growth [00:37:00] occurs, is aware of the timing. He's constantly checking. He's making sure that he's checking the soil, that he's applying manure, that he's watering the crops. This is literally like some dude who just throws seed out, and then, then just goes back to his daily business of sleeping and rising and going about his day. And then all of the sudden, the earth, quote, "by itself produces." And I think that's the real key here is- There's something about the Kingdom of God and the seed that the Kingdom of God scatters. It's almost like the Kingdom of God itself is the one scattering here.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Yep. The Kingdom of God and the seed that is scattered in and as a result of the Kingdom of God, it produces the outcome autonomously. It doesn't require us to input into it, at least in the context of this parable. Now, again, the Parable of the Talents would be very clear to us that we can't just rest on our loyals- laurels. God expects us to work and to be fruitful for the kingdom. [00:38:00] But there is this element here of, like, you are not the one responsible for the production of the seed and the fruiting and flowering of the seed. In fact, you're not even responsible for being aware that it occurs or how it occurs. Your only responsibility, the only active verb in this whole thing is... Well, there's a couple. The, the, the main active verb is the scattering. The other active verb is the sleeping. So, like- Right ... we, we scatter, and then we, we rest and we trust that God is going to do His work. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Even on the face, there's so much in this that does seem mysterious. Like, if you just take this parable and think about the act of agriculture, and I sometimes think about this because I do love plants, and we have a bunch of plants in our house, and I'm horrible at trying to get them to grow. And I think about what still a mystery it is. With all we know about science, just that you can still plant something, a seed, and water it, and the sugars will break down, and the seed will take root, and that something will grow and flower, and you think, "Oh, who is doing that?" And, and w- [00:39:00] I think we'll get into this, the first and second principles, first and second causes here, which are, I think, certainly something that Christ intends for us to consider here. But there is this idea that the man's action is simple and passive relative to what follows. He, like you said, just scatters the seed. And he's a real agent, but as the parable unfolds, it's almost like his entire agency recedes entirely from view. And that's what kind of sets for me, like this whole trajectory of the parable. It's that the mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. And so you already stole it from me, but I'm gonna read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, which is, coheres directly with what's happening, I think, in this parable. And this reads, or Paul writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." And so there is like an extension, I think, of that application inward though as well. Kind of like when you were speaking about that, what occurred to me is that we see in the [00:40:00] farmer's like day and night unawareness, this picture, I think, of this often gradual, imperceptible work of grace in our own hearts, in every believer's heart. Like that, that sanctification process, it proceeds by these degrees, and the Christian cannot fully trace even in himself, yet it is definitely real, and it's definitely God's doing. And then I think as well we might pull out a thread of this, you know, ecclesiological truth. You know, the church's growth is God's work, not the fruit of human strategy. And then by application even further into that, it's based upon a soteriological one, which is like the ordo salutis, which is maybe half of every episode we've recorded talks about the ordo salutis in some ways. That too is unfolding by this divine power, and it's hidden from the creature's full comprehension, and that's consistent in this parable and in all of Scripture, that this regeneration precedes and produces faith rather than the reverse. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think too there's also an element in this passage, you know, when you think about... Uh, [00:41:00] I'm not a farmer, uh, and I, I don't know that many farmers, but when you think about how f- how modern farming works, it's very different than, uh, ancient farming, right? Historically, ancient farming was, uh, I think probably a lot of just trusting the world to do what the world does and, and trusting God to do what, what God does. A- and I think that's probably why a lot of like- When you look at, um, pagan religion, the, the fertility cults and the sort of goddesses and gods of the harvest were all related because there was this mystery to it. And so the reason that there's so much, uh, cultic worship around fertility and harvest is because it is so mysterious, and you just kinda have to, like, trust that it's gonna happen. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? You sow your seed in, you sow the seed of your field in, you know, the fall, uh, and, or in the, the, you know, the summer, and then you wait several [00:42:00] months and just hope that the crop comes in. And our modern agricultural world is not all that different. We have better tools and we can measure things that, like the soil, the nutrients in the soil. We can, you know, we can do all sorts of different imaging to see of what's happening underground. But at the end of the day, even with all of the advances we have, the farmer still can't make the crop come in.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: Either the crop comes in or it doesn't. And I, I think there's this element of trust here that I think is really useful for us. And again, I think you're right. This is like, uh, it feels almost wrong to say it this way, but it's like this is a super distinctively Reformed parable. Like, of all, all of the parables in the, the Gospels, this one is like, on the face of it, a Calvinist parable. Yeah. Exactly. Like, it's like God just grows the kingdom- Yes and nobody does anything about it.  Jesse Schwamb: Amen.  Tony Arsenal: And I don't need to go into more details than that. But there is this element for us, I think, as, uh, as those [00:43:00] who want to share the gospel, there can be an anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production, some sort of produce, uh, and productivity from that, that is just not healthy. And I think, you know, we, we have a responsibility as Christians, um, to be faithful and diligent in doing what God has called us to do. But if, if we read this parable as the one who scatters is sort of like the evangelist, then the only responsibility we have as evangelists, and all of us are evangelists, right, lowercase E evangelists, um, all of us, the only responsibility we have is to scatter the seed of the gospel. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. And we're not responsible for the growth. We're not responsible for even really understanding how growth happens, uh, or even, even doing much about it until it's time to harvest that growth. And I think that's, we need to talk about what that means too, because again, like [00:44:00] this is a parable that I think is maybe not as, as clean and clear as some of the, uh, Methanian parables where it really does seem like there's a pretty clear symbolic representation on some things. This one feels like it's maybe a little muddier in that, um, the main character and the role of the s- the one who's scattering seems to sort of almost shift throughout the parable, which is crazy to say because it's only like four verses long.  Tony Arsenal: But it, it does seem like at some points the scatterer is God, at other points it can't be God, and then it seems like, well, who's harvesting? It's not really us, so it's gotta be God. So I think it's, it's important for us to hold this parable as more of a general principle about the Kingdom of God than it is about any sort of like really direct one-to-one teaching on the, on the Kingdom of God.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's a interesting distinction.  Providence And Causes Jesse Schwamb: Here's what I would say about that, I think, is let's equate this to, like, coffee. You like a good cup of coffee. I do. I like a good cup of coffee. I think if we were to take, let's [00:45:00] say, the Parable of the Prodigal, that would be for me like a big Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Like, it's delicious, mild-bodied, maybe a little bit light. This parable is like two shots of espresso- Yeah ... 'cause there's a lot in there, and we could probably take a lot of time even t- speaking about, like you're saying, the more shadowy eschatological truths that appear in verse 29 because those, this idea of, like, a sickle in the harvest, I mean, that's imagery drawn from Old Testament eschatological judgment texts. So that could be pretty heavy in its own right. I think what's critical, before we get to that, is to, like, tease out something you said, which is there is a lot in here about this doctrine of providence, like, this spontaneous self-originating action apart from external human causation. And we've talked a lot, like, we distinguish between primary and second causation. You know, the Earth is genuinely or generally has second- secondary causes, like an ordinary means through which God's ordinary providence operates, but the ultimate primary [00:46:00] cause of growth is God himself. And so here we see that. Like, there's no exclusion of the farmer's agency as an explanatory cause. The soil does what it does because God has ordained the natural order to function in this way. That is his prerogative. And so that threefold progression then, blade, ear, full grain, which by the way I had to look up because my understanding of, like, all kinds of different types of grains is very thin and I'm out of my depth here. But- ... I'm led to believe That that development is gradual, and of course it's ordered, but it's not instantaneous. And so the application here, I think, has traditionally been applied in this corporate individual spiritual growth we're talking about. Like, the church advances through stages of maturity, and so does the individual believer's sanctification, without warranting either impatience or despair at the process's slowness. This is how God works. He does it in His gracious and kind way. And again, He's using this, all of this agriculture to illustrate that purpose. So there's, like, this buildup, I think, [00:47:00] in verse 28 about the incredible providence of God, both like corporatively, personally, in His world, how He is the primary cause, but also uses secondary causes, not in a disjointed or divorced way, but in a way that encapsulates and magnifies His glory. And that is then what leads to or will lead to the reemergence in verse 29 of this whole deal of, like, well, if farmer comes back in, and now he returns, but only at the point of consummation, not at the point of growth.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Harvest And Timing Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and, you know, we won't go into all of the ways that this ties into the other parables, but it's worth, uh, it's worth mentioning that in, in both, uh, the parable of the mustard seed, which follows this, and then also the parable of the sort of sower or the seeds, um, there is this element of this, the one who is sowing seeds is not fully cognizant or aware or, and, and absolutely not in [00:48:00] control of the outcome, right? In the parable of the sower, um, he scatters the seed promiscuously, right? And the- Right ... the outcome depends on what kind of ground the seed falls on. And in the parable of the mustard seed, it, it's more of a, like, idea that the, uh, the sower sows a seed that seems so small, but it, the growth of the seed is explosive and expansive because of the nature of the seed, not because of the skill of the sower. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. Right? In this instance, um- The only thing, again, the only thing that initially the sower is responsible for is the sowing of the seed, the scattering of the seed. But what I also think is interesting is then there is a point where the one who scatters the seed is now responsible to act once he's observed the seed coming to fruition, right? Now, now what exactly that means and how exactly that applies, I think there's a lot of different things we could talk about. Um, but again, [00:49:00] this is a parable that we have to be careful not to, uh, not to restrict just sort of crassly to, like, evangelism. Right. Exactly. Or, or even just to sort of, like, the eschatological harvest. Right. That's what's tricky about this parable, I think, that bears ... And I don't think we'll do it, we'll do it necessarily on the show. It'd be worth having more conversations about. But for our own personal study, it bears deeper reflection because this parable cannot be simply reduced to an eschatology parable about what God does in the end. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: And it can't be simply reduced to a parable about evangelism because strictly speaking, like, we're not really the ones that harvest when the harvest comes in, right? I've, I have heard this parable, um, preached, you know, like I said, although I acknowledge that I, um, like forgot that it existed. I have heard this parable preached as though, like, "Well, our responsibility is to scatter seed. We're not responsible for [00:50:00] making it grow or making it take root. But when we see that it's taking root, we're responsible for jumping in and harvesting at the right time." I don't think we should draw that conclusion here. Although the, the harvester does see that the ear is ripe, that the grain is ripe, and he harvests it, it would be a weird sort of like shift in the parable to go from the person who scattered seed isn't responsible for its growth, doesn't even know that the growth is happening, but is actually responsible for knowing exactly when to harvest the grain. Right. So we have to think about this again in gen- in terms of general principles of how the Kingdom of God functions. And w- how it functions is it's mysterious, it is, uh, consistent, it happens on a, a scale and on a predictable outcome that we as individuals don't understand and don't have visibility to, and the harvest will occur in its [00:51:00] time, and it will h- occur consistently and reliably. So again, like this is... I hope that maybe like the one or two non-Reformed people that listen to the show aren't terribly offended at this, but like this just is Reformed theology, right? There, there is a seed that is sown, God is responsible for the growth, and the harvest necessarily will help it happen when it's supposed to happen, right? When the r- when the fruit is ripe, it will be harvested. That doesn't mean I'm responsible as the one who sows seed or scatters or m- witnesses to people from making sure that the, quote, "sickle is put in at the right time," or anything like that.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: The fact is that the sickle will always come in at the right time. The person who has the final kinda piece of the puzzle in evangelism, I think that's how it often happens. Someone hears the gospel repeatedly from multiple places. They have contacts and relationships that tie into how they [00:52:00]ultimately come to accept the gospel and trust Christ. But ultimately it's the Holy Spirit who brings all that into some sort of coherent, um, execution and application of redemption That will happen in God's time. So I wanna be careful not to, like, put too much responsibility on us. Right. And again, this is just a parable that I think bears a lot more reflection, that I think because, um, I think Mark in general, because it's so short, uh, gets, it gets overlooked by Christians. I think we would all do well to spend a little bit more time in Mark. But especially some of these really short pericopes. I think we just read through it, and it's like we read a chapter of Mark, like Mark 4 comes up in our Bible reading plan. Right. And if we're reading the Bible in a year, like, Mark 4 is one of three or four chapters that we read, and this is four verses of that. Right. We just read over it quick and we c- we just, we don't appropriate any of it.  Jesse Schwamb: Right. It sounds like he's just reiterating a point or he's recapitulating something that he's already said or is about to say, and you're like, "Okay, get on with it." But I'm with [00:53:00] you. This parable, like all of them, is for us. It's for our joy. It's for our satisfaction and our comfort. And I think from this, there is, like, a single controlling point that's emerging from our conversation, which is the Kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation. And this ought to produce, like, patient confidence rather than human striving or a- anxiety. In order to give us a sense of calm, a reminder that God's providence is real in all areas of life. Remarkably, we've gotten this far in the conversation, and neither of us has just, has used the M word, which just came to me, and I think we're contractually obligated to say it as a Reformed podcast, and that is this is a prime example of monergism and the sovereignty of grace. And as in regeneration, the decisive cause of kingdom growth lies outside human capacity and comprehension. I think sometimes the latter part of that seems wrong to us. It makes us fearful because we don't understand it. But the former part should make us feel very happy and [00:54:00] relieved, that the capacity belongs to God and God alone. That doesn't depend on me or you or anybody else that we know. And this parable, I think, is often been paired with John's image of the wind blowing where it wishes as this picture of the Holy

Send us Fan MailThis week Greg welcomed back to the podcast JD Hall. JD is a commentator write, and author of the best selling book "Hyphenated Heresy." They discussed his recent appearance on Tucker Carlson, the history of the nation of Israel, and his new book and why the modern day Judaeo faith and Christianity have nothing in common. Enjoy!Dominion Wealth Strategists are the only Kingdom minded company that you need to use. Set up a free consultation here today! You need to protect your sword! Beautiful, classic, and one of a kind! Design your bible rebind from Deus Vult today! 10% for all Dead Men listeners with the code "DEADMANWALKING" Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Dr. Leighton Flowers welcomes Dr. Jason Staples to discuss the meaning of Romans 9-11. Did John Calvin, and the Calvinists that followed him, misunderstand Paul in Romans 9–11? In this interview we  walk through Paul's argument about Israel while challenging the foundations of Calvinistic soteriology.    Dr. Staples is the author of Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, a groundbreaking book that challenges how Christians and others have traditionally understood Paul's view of Israel in relation to the church.  

Dr. Timothy Larsen writes about serious, energetic faith in the places other historians assume the faith cannot really be. A Victorian Christian fantasist. A Westminster canon who quietly set aside biblical authority. And, in his newest and most acclaimed book, seventeen Anglican chaplains who came out of the trenches of World War I as radicals. Tim is McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College and the 2025 president of the American Society of Church History, and this hour is us moving through three of his books at once. The Fires of Moloch takes its title from H. G. Wells's line describing Britain sending its sons into the fires of a false god during the Passchendaele Offensive. George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles takes the mid-nineteenth-century Scottish theological turn from the Age of Atonement to the Age of the Incarnation and shows what happens when a rigorously Calvinist minister-turned-fantasy-writer decides doubt is the door in, and therefore the door out, of a mature faith. Every Leaf, Line, and Letter returns to Tim's PhD supervisor David Bebbington's famous quadrilateral for defining evangelicalism and asks what it takes to keep that word doing honest work now that polls will code Muslim Trump voters as evangelical. Come for Anglo-Catholic sacramental confession as battle-tested ministry. Stay for the George MacDonald grandmother who burned her son's violin because he enjoyed music too much. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Timothy Larsen is McManis Professor of Christian Thought and Professor of History at Wheaton College, an Honorary Fellow of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, All Souls College, Oxford, and Christ Church, Oxford. In 2025 he served as President of the American Society of Church History. He has authored or edited more than twenty books. Books at the center of this conversation: The Fires of Moloch: Anglican Clergymen in the Furnace of World War One; George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles: Incarnation, Doubt, and Reenchantment ; and Every Leaf, Line, and Letter: Evangelicals and the Bible from the 1730s to the Present. JOIN OUR OPEN ONLINE CLASS: The Empire Christ Couldn't Keep⁠ Ever notice how Christian nationalism gets talked about like it's some bizarre new glitch in the faith? It isn't — it's a 2,000-year-old arrangement wearing new clothes, and once you see how the pattern works, you can also spot the Christ who keeps slipping free of it. Join theologian Joerg Rieger and Tripp Fuller for The Christ Empire Couldn't Keep, a free six-week online class tracing the holy alliances, imperial creeds, and stubborn resistance that have shaped Christianity from Paul to the present. You'll get six lectures from Joerg, six live Q&As, weekly readings from his book Christ and Empire, and a community of fellow troublemakers thinking it through together. It's free to join, every session is recorded, and it kicks off Thursday, August 27. Grab your spot at ⁠HomebrewedClasses.com.⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this third episode in the series of biblical warnings, Dennis and Ashleigh discuss the clear warning against falling away from the faith and losing salvation. The Calvinists won't like it. 

Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) William discusses all about Saint Augustine (354–430 AD) including false claims that he was a “proto-Calvinist” and that he did not believe as the Church teaches

Episode 4179 │ July 12, 2026 The founders didn't cite chapter and verse on the Declaration because everyone already knew it. Their signatures were the closing prayer. Their amen. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS  Scott Kesterson and Brad Cummings open with what two secular historians — men who spent fifty years becoming subject matter experts in the Revolutionary period — identified the two most understated truths of the founding: the transformed character of the leaders who inspired everyone around them to follow, and the people themselves who, having once tasted the dignity of self-governance, were never going to give it back. The conversation moves through Benjamin Franklin as the most misrepresented figure of the era — not a secular deist but a man who believed more deeply in the God-given potential of humanity than almost anyone of his generation — and Thomas Paine as the street-level genius Franklin saw a diamond in, whose Quaker roots and Adams' Calvinist convictions produced a theological clash that was never about party but about getting it right for the people. The episode closes on Revelation 21, the unnamed boy's lunch in John 6, and the question Brad presses on every listener: do you know who you are, what God has placed in you, and why He has allowed you to be on the earth at this exact moment in history — because the baton handed by the founders is now in your hands, and you have a leg of this race to run. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED  What did secular historians — non-believers who spent decades as subject matter experts in the Revolutionary period — identify as the two most understated truths of the American founding, and why does their answer from outside the faith tradition carry particular weight? Why does Brad argue that Benjamin Franklin was not a secular deist but perhaps the man in his generation who most believed in what God had invested in human beings — and what does Franklin's decision to write Thomas Paine a letter of introduction reveal about how God uses one person's belief in another to change the course of history? What does Revelation 21's declaration — behold, the tabernacle of God is among men — have to do with the boy's lunch in John 6, the founders' signatures as their closing prayer, and the question of whether you know who you are well enough to offer what you have to the One who can make it sufficient? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

It's Last Call, Dr. John Bergsma is back to respond to Calvinist TikToks and explain where Catholic theology agrees and diverges from the five points of Calvinism. Pints: Last Call Ep. 21 - - -