Podcasts about reformed baptists

In this solo episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal tackles the concerning theological trend of "Divine Council Theology" and its recent resurgence within Reformed circles. He offers a critical analysis of Michael Heiser's influential work and its problematic popularization by Reformed figures like Doug Van Dorn and John Moffitt. Tony demonstrates how redefining the biblical term "Elohim" to include both God and created spiritual beings in the same ontological category fundamentally undermines the creator-creature distinction essential to Christian orthodoxy. Through careful examination of systematic theological categories, communicable and incommunicable attributes, and implications for Christology, he reveals why this seemingly academic redefinition poses serious threats to biblical monotheism and classical Reformed theology. Key Takeaways Divine Council Theology, popularized by Michael Heiser and now being promoted within Reformed circles, attempts to redefine "Elohim" as a functional category that includes both God and created spiritual beings. This theological trend commits an etymological fallacy by redefining the predominant usage of "Elohim" (which refers to the God of Israel in ~2,300 of 2,600 occurrences) based on minority usages. The approach dangerously blurs the fundamental creator-creature distinction that is essential to Christian monotheism and orthodox theology. Proponents incorrectly classify divine power as a communicable attribute rather than recognizing omnipotence as an incommunicable attribute that cannot be shared with creatures. The theological system makes problematic analogies to the incarnation, showing a confused understanding of the hypostatic union and potentially opening the door to Arian implications. This theology represents a concerning return to concepts the early church fathers fought against when confronting pagan Greek thought, rather than a retrieval of biblical teaching. Departing from the "pattern of sound words" handed down through church history in favor of novel interpretations should raise significant warning flags. Key Concepts The Creator-Creature Distinction The most fundamental division in Christian theology is not between spiritual and material beings, but between the uncreated Creator and everything else that exists. Divine Council Theology dangerously undermines this distinction by placing God and created spiritual beings in the same category of "Elohim." While proponents acknowledge God as the uncreated Creator, they nevertheless insist on categorizing Him alongside angels, demons, and other spiritual entities based on shared attributes of power or function. This categorization system parallels pagan worldviews more than biblical theology, where God exists in a class of one. By defining "Elohim" as a functional category related to spiritual power rather than an ontological one, this approach inadvertently returns to a hierarchical view of spiritual beings with God merely at the "top of the totem pole" rather than in an entirely separate and unique category of existence. This framework subtly but significantly undermines biblical monotheism by suggesting God shares a fundamental nature with His creatures. Communicable vs. Incommunicable Attributes Divine Council Theology mishandles the traditional theological distinction between God's communicable and incommunicable attributes. In classical Reformed theology, communicable attributes (like love or wisdom) can be shared with creatures in a limited, analogical way, while incommunicable attributes (like omnipotence, eternality, or divine simplicity) belong exclusively to God and cannot be shared without making the creature into God. Proponents of Divine Council Theology erroneously suggest that the power denoted by "Elohim" is a communicable attribute that God shares with spiritual beings, rather than recognizing omnipotence as properly incommunicable. This misclassification creates theological incoherence: if God could truly share His omnipotence with creatures, those creatures would effectively become equal to God in power, creating the logical impossibility of multiple omnipotent beings. This confusion of categories demonstrates how this theological system fails to maintain proper distinctions that are essential for preserving the uniqueness and transcendence of God in Christian theology. Memorable Quotes "Christianity and biblical Judaism—the primary distinction is not between spiritual and matter... The primary distinction when we're talking about the most absolute line is the distinction between the uncreated creator and his creation." "Rather than rely on the safe time-tested words and concepts that have been proven and validated, and attacked and defended and have been victorious for hundreds and thousands of years... Moffitt and Van Dorn think it is smarter and safer to depart from the pattern of sound words rather than to keep the pattern of sound words because they think that they are able to look at the Bible the way basically no one ever has in the 2000 years of the church and find something they haven't." "These teachings are pagan. This is talking about returning to a world populated by spiritual beings, and God is kind of just on the highest part of the totem pole... We're just returning to something that the early church fought hard to get rid of when they came out of their pagan culture." Resources Mentioned Reformed Arsenal article series on Divine Council Theology Full Transcript [00:00:24] Introduction and Episode Setup Tony Arsenal: Welcome to episode 461 of the Reformed Brotherhood. I am Tony, and today it's just me. Hey, brothers and sisters. We had a little bit of a scheduling conflict this week, so Jesse is taking the week off and uh, it gives me an opportunity to talk about something that I've been doing a little bit of research on. [00:00:47] Affirmations and Denials Tony Arsenal: Hopefully the listener has noticed that Jesse and I have been trying to keep our affirmations and denials a little bit tighter so we can get into the meat of the episode a little bit quicker. But occasionally we do run into a denial, usually a denial, but we run into a denial that, uh, we often say this could be an episode of its own. And so today is one of those episodes. So I'm not gonna give you my normal affirmation or denial. I'm just gonna jump into it. Now this is gonna be a little bit off the cuff. I've been doing some research, so I may not have as much of the receipts as the kids say, um, as I normally would. But I am writing a series of articles on this issue over@reformedarsenal.com. I'll make sure to put the link to the first article in the show notes. All of the receipts are there, all of the timestamps for the podcast episodes that I'll be. Discussing your critiquing. Are there citations for research work that I'm doing? All that stuff is there. So if you're interested in digging into the meet and you're the kind of guy who, or girl who likes to nerd out in the footnotes, then head over to uh reformed arsenal.com. You'll find the series pretty quick. [00:01:56] Introduction to Divine Counsel Theology Tony Arsenal: What I wanted to talk about today, and I'm glad we have kind of a whole episode, uh, to talk about it, is a movement, uh, that has some foothold in reformed theology. Uh, it's not new, uh, it didn't start in reformed theology, but for some reason, uh, those who are within our orbits tend to be a little bit enamored by this kind of theology. I'm not exactly sure why. [00:02:19] Michael Heiser's Influence Tony Arsenal: This theology is often called Divine Counsel Theology, and it was really, um, you know, it's not entirely new even with, with this figure, but it was really made popular and sort of, um, spread about and made accessible by the late Michael Heiser. Um, part of this is because he was just a very winsome, uh, guy. He took. Sort of highfalutin academic concepts and was able to bring them down to, uh, to an understandable level, including things like ancient near Eastern context, biblical, you know, ex of Jesus Hebrew language, other ancient near Eastern languages, which of course, that's that kind of stuff is what this podcast is all about, taking difficult, sometimes technical concepts. Talking about them, translating them into kind of the language that everybody else speaks. So that project was fine. The issue is the direction that he goes with a lot of the theology. So Michael Heiser writes a book called Unseen Realms, which is seen as kind of a retrieval of the supernatural mindset and worldview of the Bible. Uh, there's a lot to be commended about that, uh, enterprise, about that intention. I do agree with part of what he has to say when he says that we've lost a lot of the supernatural context of the Bible. Um, but I think where he goes with it is a direction that we really ought not go and we'll dig into it. [00:03:43] Critique of Reformed Fringe Podcast Tony Arsenal: The reason this is coming up now is because recently there's been a series of articles and podcasts put out by a show called The Reformed Fringe. Uh, some if you're in the Telegram chat, which you can join at, uh, t Me slash Reformed Brotherhood. You've already seen some of this stuff. We've already talked about it a little bit. But the Reformed Fringe is a podcast that sort of tries to fill a space that's something like Haunted Cosmos, which we've talked about before. Um, fills sort of looking at the weird fringe kind of things in the world. Ghosts, paranormal activity, trying to explain it through a biblical, uh, lens or worldview. Again, that's a commendable. Effort. There are strange things that happen in our world that are not easily explainable or at all explainable by natural, uh, naturalistic means. And so coming to those things with the Bible as our, uh, rubric to instruct us on how the world works is a commendable thing. But again, this project, which is by and large, um, and we'll get into maybe, but by and large is just an extension of, um, Heiser's project really goes in directions that cause all sorts of problems down the road. So the podcast is, uh, run by a guy named Doug Van Dorn, who most of the audience probably hasn't heard of. I have had run-ins with Doug over the years. Um, the last time I ran into him actually was revolving around similar kinds of issues that I'm gonna be calling out today. Um, and it, it ended up with him kind of having to depart from the reform pub, uh, maybe to put it a little bit politely and, um. You know, he has, he has taken, he's theology, which was not explicitly reformed. Heiser was not a reformed guy. He had no claims to be a Calvinist in many ways. Uh, he was sort of anticon confessional in, in that he opposed not the idea of a faith statement, but he sort of purported to come to the Bible with no biases, with no tradition. He wanted to approach what he called the Naked Bible. That was actually the name of his podcast before he died a few years ago. And so what Doug Van Dorn is, has done who, uh, Doug is a claims to be a 1689 Reformed Baptist. He's a pastor in Colorado, I believe. Um, he has tried to take this divine counsel theology and bring it into the reformed world. So he comes at it with a, a slightly different angle, but for the most part, his conclusions are the same. And in many cases he just straight up steals ER's work and doesn't cite it, doesn't do much to, uh, articulate that this is not his original research. Um, so he's taken that and he's trying to bring it into the reformed world. And Heiser himself was actually quite influential when I was a, an admin in the reform pub. We would run into lots of, lots of young reformed guys. Who were really enamored with this and they really saw, he's project as sort of a return to a pure form of exo Jesus that really got at what the Hebrew was saying. And it tickled, I think, kind of an intellectual, uh, an intellectual itch that a lot of those guys had combined with sort of this desire for the new and novel, um, which is in itself can be pretty dangerous. To sort of make things a little bit more pressing, Heiser has teamed up with John Moffitt, who many of our listeners may know. Uh, he's one of the co-hosts and founders of the podcast, Theo Cast, uh, which otherwise is a perfectly fine podcast. Um, he's also a 1680 or claims to be a 1689 Reform Baptist. He's a pastor. Um, their podcast is sort of what you would get if you had, uh, and I don't mean this to be pejorative, although maybe it is a little pejorative. Theo cast is what you would get if you took r Scott Clark. Uh, you made it much less intellectual and careful, and then made it Baptist. And what I mean by that is Scott's whole project. In large part is to recover and to emphasize the law gospel distinction. Theo cast has taken that and sort of cranked it up to 11. Uh, and they have um, they have sort of moved away from a lot of the classical reform distinctions of the law itself, so they don't full on deny the third use of the law. But in practice they would say that, um, good works is no kind of evidence whatsoever for your, um, for your faith. It's no kind of evidence of your, your salvation, which of course are confessions themselves. Um, say that there is a kind of evidential value to assessing our good works within certain reason and con. So the show is otherwise orthodox. You know, I I, I recall hearing episodes where they were refuting things like EFS, um, but because of that, Moffitt brings with him sort of an air of credibility and an error in orthodoxy that, um, the show itself probably hasn't merited. If Doug just recorded, pushed, play and put it on the. I don't think there would've been too much, uh, too much of a following. He would've probably, you know, grabbed a couple people who heard it and thought it was interesting. But because Moffitt has such a following on Theo cast, he brings with him a large audience, and that makes it particularly dangerous because his name attached to it makes it more widespread. It makes it feel like it's safer. And so I think a lot of people, uh, assume that what he's saying is orthodox and good. And I think what we'll find out is, is that it's not. So I think that's enough ProGo. [00:09:10] Elohim and Its Implications Tony Arsenal: I'm gonna go ahead and, and jump into explaining kind of what the theology that we're talking about is and, and what the problems are. So this all started kicked off, uh, with a series of podcast episodes and the first episode, and again, I don't have the specific titles here. I'll put a bibliography in the show notes on this one just so you have links to all the relevant episodes. Um, this all kind of kicked off with a podcast episode called something like The History of the Word God, or something like that. And, um, basically what Moffitt and Van Dorn want to do is they wanna look at the word Elohim in the Bible, which of course is a plural noun. Uh, in Hebrew, the, the suffix, just like in English, we might add an S or an ES, um, to a word to make it plural. Or in Greek, it's usually, if it's a masculine, uh, noun, it's, it's an oi or an omicron iota that sort of always sound at the end. Um, or when we, we talk about Latin, you have, you have like, um, you add the I at the end, so we say octopi instead of octopuses or something like that. Cacti instead of cactus. Although both of those are kind of pig Latins, um, in, in Hebrew for, uh, for masculine nouns. The suffix that you add to make it plural, is that eam sound. It's a, it's an Im if you transliterate in English. So the word Elohim is a plural of the original noun El which is a proper name for a eury deity. But it came to just be the singular word for, for God. Um, and, and in non-biblical language, we would say in a God. Um, and we do see in English, there are in, in Hebrew, in the Bible, there are places where we see the singular of this. It's kind of an older form, so it doesn't show up as much. Um, but by and large when we see the word Elohim in the Bible. Something like, uh, outta 2,600 references or more than 2,600 references in the Bible. Um, the word Elohim is associated with a single, a singular noun, and it only refers to the God of Israel. What Moffitt and Van Dorn want to do is they want to take this word and they wanna define it based on the abnormal. Uh, use of it. So the vast minority, minority of cases in the Old Testament, the word Elohim refers to the gods or to a non, like what we might say is lower G God, either like the God, Baal, or some sort of collective reference to the gods, the gods of the nation, or something like that. They wanna take the fact that there is this variation in the way the word is used and sort of radically redefine how the Bible uses it. And this, this is what I call and what a lot of people would call an etymological fallacy. So what they're doing is, instead of, uh, looking at the word and defining it based on how it's used in an, in an overwhelming fashion, they're looking at sort of the etymology of the word. And then they're using the fact that there are, uh, some pretty Dr. Dramatically minority cases where the word is used in a different way and they wanna redefine it and say, in, in all or most cases in the Bible actually. This is what the word means. So they look at the word L, which from its root has something to do probably with the, with the word for power or something like that. Um, they wanna look at it. And, you know, if you read someone like Vos in Reformed dogmatics in his volume one, he talks about how when we see the name Elohim for God, it denotes or, or refers to his sort of power, his omnipotence, which is all good and fine, just like we would say Yahweh. Uh, as a proper name refers to God sort of in his covenant role. It's his covenant name, his, his intimate, familial name that he shares, uh, with his people or he reveals to his people. Elohim is a more abstract name and it refers to God's power. Usually we see it in relation to his cre creation. So in Genesis one, um, when it's God created, it's Elohim created, which is also important and relevant for, for later. So what they wanna do is they want to say that Elohim actually. What Act Elohim actually means is it's a reference to a class of beings, spiritual beings, and that that it means sort of any spiritual being that has some type of supernatural power or enhanced power, some sort of spiritual power. They do this by saying that the noun is not an ontological noun, it's actually like a noun of function. Um, so like we would say a, a good example in English would be a painter that's a noun of function. It's a title of function. It any person could be called a painter if they engage in the verbal action of painting. And so what they're saying is that any being that engages in the action of having power. Is, uh, is an Elohim. And so that would include, in narrating at least, it would include angels, demons. Uh, I, you know, I don't know that they've said this explicitly, but I, I think Heiser would've included things like ghosts, disembodied spirits, um, humans in sort of the intermediary state might be considered Elohim humans in the, in the, um, this. Life are called Elohim, uh, in some instances. So, so this is where the Divine Council theology comes from, and that comes from Psalm 82, I think, where there's this council of Elohim that, that Yahweh seems to be speaking to and deliberating with. Or you look at Joe, where the sons of God come and they sort of pulled court in God's heavenly presence. So he would say those are examples where the, the collected Elohim. God being one of the Elohim are somehow gathered in this heavenly divine counsel. Now what this does is just devastating to Christian theology is it takes God who exists in a class of one. The, the, the God of the universe is, is the only uncreated entity in all of of the world. And so when we start to talk, and this is ironic, when we start to talk about the ways to divide up the world, the ancient world, the, the pagan world tended to divide the world between, um. Between spiritual and material. So think of g Gnostics where matter was bad and spirit was good. Or even think of something like, um, the Greek pantheons, the Greek, um, Greek religion, like ancient Greek mythology. You have sort of the spirits and the spiritual world and the gods inhabit a spiritual, have a spiritual existence for the most part. And then you have the physical world where kind of people live, uh, at least while they're alive. Christianity and, and Judaism, at least Biblical Judaism. On the other hand, the, the primary distinction is not between spiritual and matter. There is of course that distinction. There are humans, which are spiritual and material. There are animals which are entirely material, and then there are angels which are entirely spiritual. And so we would say that God is spiritual. So that is a distinction in the world. But the primary distinction when we're talking about the most absolute line is the distinction between the, the uncreated creator and his creation. So what Moffitt, Moffitt and Van Dorn do is instead of observing that biblical distinction, which really all of Christian theology and Christian monotheism rests on, they wanna say that instead, the distinction is between the. Um, is between the Elohim as the sort of spiritual beings and then sort of everything else of the created world, and so they wouldn't deny that God, that Yahweh is. The uncreated creator of all things, but they would say he's an uncreated Elohim and that there is a class of created Elohim. So I don't, I don't think you have to go too far down this road to see what this does. It puts God on the same level as his creatures in at least one way. Um, and I think we'll find out later, uh, as we talk through this, actually it does it in a couple ways that are really, uh, really can be problematic as we go. And so, uh, just let me be clear if all that, if all that Moffitt and Van Dorn were saying, if, if all they said was, um, we can use the word Elohim to describe any creature. Or God that doesn't have a body. Elohim is a synonym for the word spirit. Um, that wouldn't be the wisest way to speak, I don't think. It wouldn't be the, the most, um, felicitous or safe way to talk about the distinction. But it wouldn't be controversial. There'd be nothing wrong with that. It'd just be using a different word. It'd be like if I said, well, instead of the word spirit, I'm gonna use the word bibly bop, you know? So we have. We have God who is bibly bop, and we have the angels who is bibly bop, and humans are biblio bop. And also material, again, not the safest way to talk. There's no reason to use that alternative language when the Bible gives us perfectly legitimate language. Um, but it wouldn't be a problem. But Moffit and Van Dorn go. Way past this and maybe they don't realize it. I've asked them on Twitter, I asked them to clarify. I didn't get a response. So if they are hearing this, which maybe they will, maybe they won't. If they're hearing this, I would really love to get some clarification on some of these questions because I would love nothing more than to be able to say that this was all a big misunderstanding and that actually all they're saying is that there is this spiritual existence. That, um, we can put all things that are spirit without a body or spirit with a body. We can put all those in the same category and call that category Elohim. Again, I don't think that's safe, but if that's all they were doing, that would be fine. But we see in their episodes, and I'm gonna try to grab some quotes, um, from, from some of the articles I've written. But again, go read the articles because this goes way more in depth. It's got timestamps of it. It's got links to their episodes. Don't take my word for it. Go listen to their. Words and, and check, you know, check my math on this. But what they do is they actually start to, in, in an attempt to justify why it's okay to put God in the same category as his creatures. Um, and in at least one way, they start to make some weird statements that have a lot of systematic theology, um, implications that are, are just really, really risky. So, for example, one of the ways that they try to kind of explain this, I'm gonna pull, pull the article that I wrote up here. So, great podcasting. [00:19:34] Communicable vs. Incommunicable Attributes Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the ways they start to try to do this is again, they, they wanna say they use this distinction between incommunicable and communicable attributes, right? So in, in Christian theology, classically speaking, a communicable attribute of God is an attribute that he shares or could share with. A creature and primarily we're talking, you know, we're talking about attributes that he shares with his image bearers. So something like, um, love. Love is a communicable attribute. Our love is different than God's love, but when we say love, we're talking about the same basic category of things God loves differently than we do. But love and in a human sense, and love in a, in a divine sense, are still talking about the same thing. There's a point of contact there. Um, an incommunicable attribute would be something like, um, something like eternity. Right. Eternity is not just an extended infinite sequence of time. If it was, he could share that with us. Um, but eternity or infinity is an entirely different way of existing than a creature could ever, could ever exist in divine Simplicity is another example. Um, God could not make humans simple because simplicity entails all sorts of things like infinity. Um, eternality. Um, you know, omnipresence, omni, potent, all of these things are entailed by simplicity. So God could not make a creature infinite because in order for it to be infinite, it would have to be God. Uh, God could not make a creature simple, uh, in the, in the sense of no composition of parts. Uh, because that would mean that that creature is actually God and has no composer. So, so those would be the classic, uh, incommunicable attributes and omnipotence. Is considered, although it's a little bit weird, it sort of crosses the line in some ways. But omnipotence is considered. An incommunicable attribute. God cannot share his omnipotence with a creature because you can't have two omnipotence. Um, if you have two omnipotence, then those two omnipotence cancel each other out in some sense. If God, and, and, and he has a will, God wills one thing, and then I as a creature, if he shared his omnipotence with me, somehow willed a different thing, then we would no longer be, neither of us would be omnipotent. Where this goes sideways with Moffitt and Vandorn is rather than respect omnipotence as a an incommunicable attribute, they say that the attribute or the word Elohim denotes power or might, and that is a communicable attribute. So God does give us a certain level of power. He allows us a certain level of agency. He grants that to us. Again, I'm not even sure that we would call that an an. A communicable attribute. Um, but in a sense, I guess it is. And so they say here, um, Elohim does not mean omnipotent. It means power. It's not an incommunicable attribute. It's a communicable attribute that all kinds of entities could possess. So they're saying that the word, um, the word Elohim, uh, in the Bible denotes that a. A, an entity possesses a certain kind of power or acts in a certain role of executing a certain kind of power. And that doesn't mean omnipotence. It means it means potence. It means some sort of power. And so that that wielding power attribute that. Uh, being a, being that wields power, that attribute, whatever we want to call it, however we want to phrase it, that is a communicable attribute that God shares. He communicates that attribute to all other beings in the class of Elohim. Now, let's just back that up for a second. Um, this still would mean that God has to be the creator and they don't deny that, but it would still mean that God, prior to creation. Was an Elohim in a category of one, and then somehow he created a class and because he's extended. This attribute of wielding power, say power wielder, to try to make it actually more of an attribute. He's extended this attribute of power wielder to uncreate or to created angels, demons, human spirits, whatever other spiritual entities there might be. They would bring in things like principalities, powers, they have a whole, in other, other contexts, they'll talk about this whole different bifurcation of types of spiritual beings that I think is a little speculative, but not a big deal. He extends this power wielder attribute to these created categories. And instead of this now creating a separate category of power wields who are not God, it now is uh, he expands this category of one to now include all sorts of other things, which again, as you can, you can imagine, just runs into problems. And so the, again, this, this word Elohim appears over 2,600 times, and of these instances, 230 of them refer to the God of Israel. So the idea that that. This word is not used specifically as a reference to the God of Israel, or should not be thought of as uniquely titling or almost exclusively titling God. The God of Israel just doesn't really match the data, but it's also just really poor Exogenic method. So rather than take the predominant usage and look at the context. Understanding that the predominant usage is the predominant usage. Instead, we're gonna go back and say, well, these, these minority, these 300 or so cases outside, and not even all 300 of them are used the same way, but these 300 or so cases of them not referring to the God of Israel, we're gonna use that to redefine the word. Its entirety. It's just poor. It's just poor scholarship. It's overly speculative. Um, I haven't read much of. He's work on this in the primary sources. Um, I, I would venture a guess that Heiser makes a much more robust argument than this. And this is part of the problem. When you take an already speculative, already dangerous theology and you try to pop popularize it when you just don't have the same chops that he did, uh, you end up really making some crass, simplistic arguments that just make you look a little silly. To think we can take 200 or 2,600 instances and redefine 2 20, 300 of them. By the way, it's used 300 of the times Just doesn't make any sense. So it again, if, if all we are saying is that God is spiritual and angels are spiritual and so there is some point of affinity between the two, then that would be okay. That wouldn't be a problem. Again, there's some risk in using the word Elohim in that. Sort of placeholder, but, um, that would be a semantic discussion. What they're doing is far, far deeper and far more problematic than that. [00:26:30] Systematic Theology Concerns Tony Arsenal: And so the, the other thing they do, um, that I think is really dangerous, and I don't have all of the, I haven't finished this article yet, so I don't have all of the timestamps in front of me to, to, to get there, is in attempting to justify this Moffitt, uh, in, in one of the other episodes, he turns to the incarnation as a sort of model. And so he'll say that, you know, the son of God is divine, but he's also human. And the fact that he's human, uh, doesn't therefore mean he's not also uniquely the uncreated creator. I would assume everyone hearing this who listens to this show, uh, which has done many, many episodes on Christology, it's one of our pet projects, is just throwing their listening device across the room because what Moffitt seems to miss entirely is that Christ is not, the sun is not in the category of human. Uh, sort of in a simple sense, Christ is in the category of human because he assumes to himself a second created nature. So what, what the, the analogy he's trying to draw is if the sun can be human without ceasing to be the unique one, uncreated God, then so also can, the whole trinity, I guess, can also be Elohim without ceasing to be the one uncreated God. He even goes so far as to say that there is Uncreated Elohim, and then there is created Elohim, and they're all in the category of Elohim, but because there's this commonality, we should still consider that class. And he draws that distinction or he draws the implication that. Um, there's somehow uncreated humanity in Christ, which is a whole different ball of worms that we won't get into. But in, in drawing this analogy, he sort of shows that he really doesn't understand the hypostatic union. He doesn't understand the incarnation, or if he does, he's really making a poor comparison because in the hypostatic union it's not as though the son, uh, as divinity, the son, as the one uncreated. God simply adds to himself in a raw sense and merges. Uh, he doesn't become part of the category of human without taking on a second nature. And then now we are even getting into some inconsistencies. Is human an ontological category or is that a category of function? Are there other categories of function, uh, other creatures in existence that the category of function human might fit? So I think you can see that this just is not a self consistent. Um, a self-consistent system and it leads to all these weird implications. Um, you know, and then they'll even go on to talk about how the Son is the angel of the Lord. I'm not gonna get into a lot of it here, and I agree with that thesis that the, when we see the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, in the vast majority of cases, we're probably seeing a pre-incarnate appearance of, um, of the second person of the Trinity. They go so far as to say that this is actually a sort of. Incarnation or a sort of hypostatic union of the Elohim nature. So they, they, they draw this distinction, or they draw this parallel between created Elohim and Uncreated Elohim, and they, they argue again, I think implicitly, but in some instances it's almost, it's almost explicit that the son in, in being the angel of the Lord, takes on the uncreated or takes on the created Elohim nature. It's, it's really, um, it's really problematic. So now we have the son who is, uh, sort of hypostatic united to the unc, to the created Elohim nature, and then also is hypostatic united to the human nature. Um, it, it really just gets messy and it confuses categories in a way that is not helpful. And if I'm just being frank, a lot of the younger reformed guys. And when I say younger, I'm talking, maybe I'm projecting back to when I was a younger reform guy, um, I'm talking about people in their mid twenties to maybe early thirties, right? The, the people who were maybe the second or third generation of the young restless reform guys, they didn't necessarily learn, uh, ref young restless reform theology directly from RC Sproul. You know, they weren't the first generation. Um, and, and maybe their pastors weren't the first generation, but, but maybe their pastors were the second generation and now they're learning it from their pastors. So you might think of 'em as like the third generation, to be frank, they don't usually have a great grasp on some of these systematic theology categories as part of why. Jesse and I do this podcast, and part of why we cover the same topic over and over again, part of why we're gonna go through this parable series. But when we're done, we're probably gonna go back and start over with systematic theology. We're gonna go back, we're gonna go through another confession. That's why we spent, we spent like six years going through systematic theology. And almost immediately went back to the Scott's confession and did most of it all over again because these truths need to be taught again and again and again. This is part of what Jude is talking about when he says, we have to contend for the faith. It's not just fighting with people online. It's not just polemics or apologetics. It is reteaching and handing down the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Again, and this is perhaps, and this is the last point I'll make. This is perhaps the most. Telling a reason we should be weary and suspicious of this theology. Paul, in, uh, one of the letters to Timothy, second Timothy, maybe he says, follow the pattern of the sound words that you heard from me. He's not talking about the scriptures. He doesn't say follow the sound words that I'm writing to you. He's referring to a body of doctrine sometimes. The Bible calls it the faith, right? Jude says to contend for the faith. There's this body of doctrine that is the teaching of the apostles, and it is encapsulated in this sort of set pattern of words. Erin A is called it the rule of faith or the regular fide, right? This is where we get things like the Nicean Creed or the Hanian Creed. Why we have creeds and confessions is because we don't need to reinvent the wheel and rather than rely on the safe time-tested words and concepts that have been proven and validated, and attacked and defended and, and um, have been victorious for hundreds and thousands of years, rather than rely on those. Moffitt and Van Doran think it is smarter and safer to depart from the pattern of sound words rather than to keep the pattern of sound words because they think that they are able to look at the Bible the way basically no one ever has in the 2000 years of the church and find something they haven't. I don't wanna be too bombastic. Um, I don't, I don't know either of them. Well, um, from what I can tell, what I've heard of their professions of faith, uh, they're, they're Christian believers. They love the Lord and are very confused. But these teachings are pagan. This is, we're talking about returning to a world of, of populated by spiritual beings. And God is kind of just on the highest part of the totem pole, and maybe there's a firm line between his place on the totem pole and the, the next level down. Maybe there is, um, gets a little bit less firm of a line when we're talking about Jesus, right? So there's some potential Arian implications there that the son, uh, is not the highest deity he is. He's like the father in some ways, but he, you know, in his sort of original form is like creatures in other ways. Um, we're just returning to something that the early church fought hard to get rid of when they came out of their pagan culture. When we started to see Greeks convert to Christianity, they had to figure out how do we come out of our polytheistic culture, and this is where we get the best defenses of monotheism. Jewish Christians didn't have to argue for monotheism because all the Jewish Christians already were monotheists in a biblical sense. The Greek Christians had to fight this stuff. Justin Martyr had to fight this stuff. Athanasius and the Cappadocian fathers had to fight this stuff constantly pushing back against the background Greek culture. And Moffitt and Van Dorn wanna point to that and say, see, really, they're just Greeks in disguise and in the reality is Athanasius and the cap oceans, were fighting against the theology that is making a resurgence in this divine council theory. [00:34:55] Conclusion and Call to Action Tony Arsenal: So I think that's enough for now. Please. Again, I'm writing a long series on this. I don't know how long it's gonna take. I think it's gonna be probably 10 or 13, 10 to 13 articles. It's, it's gonna be a pretty extensive project. But go read them. Go look at them, listen to their episodes, read their articles, and then you compare that to the word of God, has what I said made more sense or does what they make more sense. So I'll leave you with that. The dog is losing her mind. And uh, with that honor, everyone love the brotherhood.

In Episode 215 of Theology In Particular, Pastor Joe Anady is joined by Dr. Richard Barcellos to promote and discuss the history, purpose, and greatest hits of the Journal of International Reformed Baptist Seminary.   Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Links: To purchase the Journal of International Reformed Baptist Seminary, please go to irbs.org/journal-of-irbs/.   Announcements:  Please join us for the Southern California Refomed Baptist Pastors' Conference, November 3-4, 2025, at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, CA. To learn more and to register, go to scrbpc.org.  

Preached on Sunday the 14th of September, 2025.1 Peter 5:5-7“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Preached on Sunday the 7th of September, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Preached on Sunday the 31st of August, 2025.‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭32‬-‭43‬ ‭“Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.””Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Rebaptism has been a discussion since before the Reformation where the Anabaptists openly rejected the Roman Catholic baptism and said that because they worshipped a false god, a Catholic who professed faith had to be baptized “again” - though the Anabaptists would say they were being baptized for the first time. Since then, especially with easy-believism - raise your hand, pray a prayer and you're saved - many people who made such “professions of faith” earlier in their life have realized that they had no idea who God was when they were baptized as they were complete slaves to sin and continued to walk in that path. The Bible is very clear that there is one baptism, so should people in such a situation be baptized?In this episode, we want to look at what is commonly referred to as “rebaptism.” While the Anabaptists were a heretical group with no real direct connection to modern Reformed Baptists, it doesn't mean that their position on a particular topic was wrong. One of the things that gets overlooked with baptism is that while Baptism is more than just an outward sign of an individual's inward faith, God still says that faith is required to please Him and that without faith, pleasing Him is impossible. When you consider a Catholic baptism, where is there any faith present? The same can be said for many evangelical services. The other thing that comes up quite frequently is the idea that baptism requires some sort of ability to determine if the person is “really saved”, with many jokes being made about “regeneration goggles”. We agree completely that it is impossible to tell if someone is truly regenerate. But what is so often overlooked is that Scripture does tell us how to identify a lack of faith. Those who walk in the flesh, who are slaves to sin, should not be thought of as brothers. The church should not make it a practice to recognize known acts of faithlessness. The church should not tell people that God has entered into a covenant with them when they have every reason to believe that is not true. False conversions and false baptisms are real, and “regeneration goggles” are not required. At the same time, no one should be baptized because of how they feel. A testimony is not a feeling, and God desires to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Baptism should always be a serious event, and not performed lightly. Please join us as we discuss this important but controversial topic.Thumbnail image by Stephanie Jones on Flickr under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0slagheap on Flickr under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Timecodes00:00:00 One Baptism00:09:25 The Meaning of Baptism00:24:48 Rejecting Other Churches00:27:44 Calvin on Baptists00:42:44 Regeneration Goggles00:56:28 Efficacy of Baptism01:00:00 Does Baptism Save?01:02:46 When to RebaptizeProduction of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson

Rebaptism has been a discussion since before the Reformation where the Anabaptists openly rejected the Roman Catholic baptism and said that because they worshipped a false god, a Catholic who professed faith had to be baptized "again" - though the Anabaptists would say they were being baptized for the first time. Since then, especially with easy-believism - raise your hand, pray a prayer and you're saved - many people who made such "professions of faith" earlier in their life have realized that they had no idea who God was when they were baptized as they were complete slaves to sin and continued to walk in that path. The Bible is very clear that there is one baptism, so should people in such a situation be baptized?In this episode, we want to look at what is commonly referred to as "rebaptism." While the Anabaptists were a heretical group with no real direct connection to modern Reformed Baptists, it doesn't mean that their position on a particular topic was wrong. One of the things that gets overlooked with baptism is that while Baptism is more than just an outward sign of an individual's inward faith, God still says that faith is required to please Him and that without faith, pleasing Him is impossible. When you consider a Catholic baptism, where is there any faith present? The same can be said for many evangelical services. The other thing that comes up quite frequently is the idea that baptism requires some sort of ability to determine if the person is "really saved", with many jokes being made about "regeneration goggles". We agree completely that it is impossible to tell if someone is truly regenerate. But what is so often overlooked is that Scripture do

Preached on Sunday the 24th August, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Straight Outta Chicago! The only Reformed Baptist rapper I know of: Regenerit! Who wudda thunk it? From writing rhymes as a young kid to a quiver full of kids, we discuss the art of rap, conversion, discipleship, church membership, family, theology, and 4 songs that showcase the artistic creativity possible when you have a passion for Christocentric expressions of faith combined with a boom bap sound! We are all about Christocentrism at Urban Puritano. Don't forget your wallet in El Segundo and enjoy!This episode is affectionately dedicated to Carlos (last name rhymes with gorgeous)!

Preached on Sunday the 17th of August, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭4“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Questions and Timestamps:[The Title Question is at minute 52:00]Leading Bible Studies Without Getting Too Technical - What are your tips for studying to teach in a small group without becoming too academic or overwhelming? 9:45Understanding Luke 12:33 - Should Christians today obey the command to “sell your possessions and give to the poor”? Does owning non-essential items violate this command? 15:54Biblical Manhood - What do men in the church need most? How do we pursue biblical masculinity without embracing extremes? 30:06Too Many Reformed Baptist Seminaries? - There are several Reformed Baptist seminaries in the South with overlapping faculty. Are they all necessary, or does this show division in the movement? 40:25Affordable Seminary Options – What lower-cost seminary options would you recommend besides Luther Rice, especially for someone considering SBTS but open to alternatives due to cost? 40:25Anglican Conversions Trend - Is the trend of Southern Baptists becoming Anglican similar to those converting to Catholicism or Orthodoxy? Is this something evangelicals should be concerned about? 52:04Ecclesial Anxiety and Ecumenism – How should Protestants respond to “ecclesial anxiety” (attraction to Rome/Orthodoxy/Anglicanism) without compromising the Gospel, especially when some Protestant defenders downplay Sola Fide for unity? 52:04 Preaching Assignment – As a new pastoral resident preparing a 15–20 minute Sunday evening chapel message, would you recommend preaching a psalm (e.g., Psalm 10) for a one-off sermon? 1:10:59Kippah at the Wailing Wall – In light of 1 Corinthians 11:7, should Christian men cover their heads when praying at the Wailing Wall? Was Paul's instruction cultural, counter-cultural, or theological? Is head covering there a matter of Christian liberty (Romans 14)? Would you personally cover your head, and would you rebuke someone who didn't? 1:15:15Paedobaptism vs. Credobaptism – If someone becomes convinced of infant baptism, would infant immersion be preferable to pouring? If uncertain after study, how should one proceed? 1:24:00Baptism for the Bedridden – Should baptism be withheld from a bedridden new believer if full immersion is impossible, or should the mode be adapted? 1:28:00College Degree with No Career Intent – Is it unbiblical for a man to earn a degree with no intent to use it vocationally, planning instead to marry and become a stay-at-home dad? Would your answer differ if it were a woman pursuing a degree with the intent to marry and be a stay-at-home mom? 1:32:50Forgiveness of Future Sins – If past sins are forgiven at conversion, how does Christ's sacrifice atone for sins committed after becoming a believer? 1:41:00Guilt Over Pre-Conversion Sin – How should a believer deal with lingering guilt and accusations over past blasphemous actions (mocking Christ in a pre-conversion film) when struggling with scrupulosity and OCD? 1:46:00Office of Teacher – Do you agree with Calvin and the Puritans that “teacher” is a distinct New Testament office (all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors)? If so, should teachers be ordained? 1:49:05Doctrines to Hold Firmly in Ministry – For someone preparing for ministry, which doctrines require firm convictions (e.g., baptism, Lord's Supper, eschatology, covenant theology, age of the earth), and how should one prioritize study among many topics? 1:57:00Divorce and Eldership – Does being divorced automatically disqualify a man from serving as a pastor or elder in light of 1 Timothy 3:2? 1:52:20-----Support the Show: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/YourcalvinistLove 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 http://www.Reformed.Moneyhttps://www.TinyBibles.comhttps://www.HighCallingFitness.comVisit us at https://www.KeithFoskey.com

Preached on Sunday the 10th of August, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭19‬ ‭“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Preached on Sunday the 3rd of August, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

The Patriarchy Podcast | Pastor Joseph Spurgeon x Senator Dusty Deevers Most men talk a big game about politics. Dusty Deevers actually ran—and won. In this episode, Pastor Joseph Spurgeon sits down with Oklahoma State Senator and Reformed Baptist elder Dusty Deevers. They dive into what it means to wield God-given authority in the home, the church, and the civil realm. No retreat. No compromise. Just faithful dominion in the name of Christ. This is what Christian Nationalism looks like when boots hit the ground. Topics Covered: Why faithful men must enter the political battlefield The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate in action How the church commissioned Dusty into the Senate Dealing with opposition from the left and soft Christians Banning porn, abolishing abortion, and slashing unjust taxes Building a local church while fighting tyranny What it’s like to be a pastor and a senator How God uses ordinary men to do extraordinary things Why neutrality is a myth and quietism is cowardice Chapters: 00:00 – Cold Open: They Lied to You About Politics02:45 – Why We Need Christian Nationalists in Office07:00 – How Dusty Went from Pastor to Senator13:30 – The Church’s Role in Civil Government20:15 – Fighting Tyranny During Lockdowns25:40 – Biblical Tax Policy & Christian Economics30:00 – Why the Left Hates Him (And So Do Some Christians)35:45 – Lessons from the Campaign Trail40:00 – What Success Really Looks Like47:00 – Final Thoughts: Build. Fight. Protect. Lead.

Preached on Sunday the 27th of July, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Send us a textThis week Greg sat down with Chance Summers. Chance is the owner of multiple business', including 1689 Cigars and the creator of the 1689 MemeCoin. They discussed the controversy of the first week of release of his meme coin, the goals for creating it, and the future of christians in crypto. They also discussed the launch of his new product, "Dort" an organic nicotine pouch. It was a fun episode. Enjoy! Dominion Wealth Strategists: Full Service Financial Planning! Click HERE for a free consultation today! Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close" Facebook: Dead Men Walking PodcastYoutube: Dead Men Walking PodcastInstagram: @DeadMenWalkingPodcastTwitter X: @RealDMWPodcastExclusive Content: PubTV App

Preached on Sunday the 20th of July, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

July 15, 2025 Special cohost Brian Mclaughlin,President of SecureComGroup.com,returns to the show to join me ininterviewing: LEONARDO DE CHIRICO,a Reformed Baptist chuch planter &pastor in Rome (see www.brecciadiroma.it) & Director ofReformanda Initiative (see www.reformandainitiative.org), whowill address: “PROCLAIMING the TRUE BIBLICALGOSPEL & REFUTING the FALSE-HOODS of ROMAN CATHOLICISMin ITALY” Subscribe: Listen:

Preached on Sunday the 13th of July, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬ ‭“who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Preached at West Church's 7th Anniversary on Sunday the 6th of July, 2025.‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

About the Guest(s):Michael Beatty is a pastor at Community Baptist Church located in Fargo, North Dakota. With a rich history of involvement in Reformed Baptist circles, Michael has been associated with churches formerly part of ARPA, now CBA. After departing ARBA, Michael has been focused on ecclesiastical independence. He pursued theological studies at Westminster Seminary in California and is leading a new initiative, the 3535 Foundation, aimed at enhancing church growth and understanding through a variety of initiatives including scholarships, missions, republication of classic texts, and conferences.Episode Summary:In this engaging episode of RenewalCast, hosts Colt Robinson and Jay Wiff welcome Michael Beatty, a dedicated pastor and theologian, who introduces listeners to the 3535 Foundation based in North Dakota. This episode delves deeply into ecclesiology and its significance for church foundation and growth, providing both historical and contemporary insights. Michael shares his journey through the Reformed Baptists movement, his educational pursuits, and the motivations behind establishing the 3535 Foundation.Throughout the discussion, Michael enumerates the multiple initiatives of the 3535 Foundation, focusing on four primary areas: the provision of scholarships for men interested in church ministry, supporting mission work and church planting, republishing primary ecclesiastical resources, and organizing annual conferences. This episode sheds light on the potential impact of such endeavors on enhancing church activities and promoting theological education, particularly amidst challenges like those observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the importance of ecclesiology with respect to church governance and individual believers' roles within the broader framework of faith.Key Takeaways:The 3535 Foundation is dedicated to bolstering ecclesiastical work through educating and resourcing churches.The foundation separates church duties from other organizational acts to maintain focus on core spiritual responsibilities.Michael stresses the importance of ecclesiology as a means to deliver Christ's blessings through church functions and governance.The COVID-19 pandemic challenged churches to rethink the intertwining of government regulations and church autonomy.The episode underlines how historical creeds like the 1689 Confession of Faith guide churches in aligning with theological soundness.Notable Quotes:"All the benefits that we really see that Jesus gives to Christians all flow through the church.""The foundation is there to empower local churches to make decisions that are good for them.""We were doing a number of these missions works…ultimately, the church is called elders to teach and preach.""One of the things that sets us apart…is trying to have more reader helps in the volumes.""There's a lot of important institutions…but ultimately none of those make it into the new heaven and the new earth."Resources:3535 Foundation: [Learn more about their initiatives and how to get involved](website URL not provided in the transcript).Westminster Seminary California: Michael Beatty's educational institution.Community Baptist Church: The church where Michael Beatty serves as pastor.Historical Confessions: References to Savoy Declaration, Westminster Confession of Faith, and the 1689 Baptist Confession.Theology for Breakfast with Pat Abendroth: Reference to a theological discussion group attended by Michael.Tune in to this episode to explore how the 3535 Foundation seeks to fortify church practice and faith through strategic initiatives. Stay informed and inspired by subscribing to RenewalCast for more insightful theological discussions.

Preached on Sunday the 29th of June, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

Is God's sovereign election compatible with man's free will? In this thought-provoking video, we explore the doctrines of divine election, predestination, and free will from a Reformed Baptist perspective, grounded in the authority of Scripture alone.Whether you're a curious Christian wrestling with questions of salvation, God's sovereignty, or the freedom of man, this video offers a clear biblical explanation rooted in historic Reformed theology.

Is God's sovereign election compatible with man's free will? In this thought-provoking video, we explore the doctrines of divine election, predestination, and free will from a Reformed Baptist perspective, grounded in the authority of Scripture alone.Whether you're a curious Christian wrestling with questions of salvation, God's sovereignty, or the freedom of man, this video offers a clear biblical explanation rooted in historic Reformed theology.

Preached on Sunday the 22nd of June, 2025.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”Intro Music by Julius H. from Pixabay Outro Music by PianoAmor from Pixabay

June 19, 2025 Jeremiah Nortier,Christian apologist, debater, host ofthe “Apologetic Dog” podcast, &Pastor of Twelve 5 Church, a con-fessional Reformed Baptist congre-gation in Jonesboro, AR, who willaddress: “REVIVAL in a CONFESSIONALCHURCH” & announcing the upcoming “RoadTo Revival” Conference in Tullahoma,TN this Fall!!! Subscribe: Listen:

It's Mailbag Friday! You've got questions, we've got answers! Segment 1 • My son cut off all contact with our family over a year ago—what do I do when he won't speak to us? Segment 2 • Do prayers have to be spoken aloud—or does writing them count? • Horoscopes are vague—so how is the DSM-5 any more legitimate? • Is “once saved, always saved” biblical—or can you actually lose salvation? • Do all elders have to teach or preach—especially if they're unpaid? Segment 3 • Can a confessional Lutheran and a Reformed Baptist actually be friends? • Is it wrong to keep your eyes open during prayer? Asking for a friend. Segment 4 • Can I confront my dad's harsh treatment of my mom—or is that dishonoring him? • My “Christian” family excuses open sin—should I still attend gatherings? – Preorder the new book, Lies My Therapist Told Me, by Fortis Institute Fellow Dr. Greg Gifford now! https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/liesmytherapisttoldme – Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

One of our Deacons, Brother Rick, teaches the second lesson of our New Members / Get to know Legacy material. In this lesson we go over what it means to be a Reformed Baptist. How is that different from other kinds of Baptist, and while we are at it, what makes a Baptist. We tackle the issue by looking at some history, and what we call the 3 C's: Confessional, Covenantal, Calvinistic.

In this conversation, Doug Greathouse and Aaron Oliveira explore the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship, particularly in the realm of e-commerce. Aaron shares his journey as a bivocational preacher and entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of faith, perseverance, and delayed gratification in achieving success. They discuss the challenges of modern entrepreneurship, the value of focus, and the significance of building relationships while navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. The conversation highlights the need for entrepreneurs to embrace short-term sacrifices for long-term gains, ultimately leading to a fulfilling and impactful life. In this conversation, Doug Greathouse and Aaron Oliveira explore the importance of personal growth and self-improvement in attracting the right relationships and achieving success in business. They discuss the significance of trusting God in challenging times, particularly in the context of entrepreneurship. Aaron shares insights on running a successful Amazon store, emphasizing compliance, product selection, and the importance of diversifying income streams. The discussion also touches on navigating market changes and the necessity of developing multiple skills to ensure long-term success. Aaron's story proves that when faith, strategy, and consistency align, entrepreneurs can build thriving businesses that create lasting impact — without sacrificing their values.

Send us a textIn this episode, we're joined by Christian thinker, artist, and apologist FLAME, who spent nearly two decades in the Reformed Baptist tradition before embracing a deeper understanding of grace. Together, we explore how the biblical teaching on law, identity, and grace shapes not just theology, but how we engage culture, alternate belief systems like Hebrew Israelism, and the modern world with the hope of Christ.Learn more about FLAME at https://extranosacademy.com/.Defending the Biblical Roots of ChristianityOur websiteOur YouTube ChannelProf. Solberg's BlogSupport our Ministry (Thank you!)

Dive deep into the foundational truths of the Christian faith with us as we unpack questions 8 and 9 of the Baptist Catechism. In this episode, we explore the crucial affirmation that there is but one only, the living and true God, dismantling any notion of multiple deities. We then delve into the glorious mystery of the Godhead, examining the biblical revelation that within this one God exists three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From a Reformed Baptist perspective, we consider the scriptural basis for understanding God's singular essence and triune existence. We'll discuss the vital importance of these doctrines for our worship, our understanding of salvation, and our daily walk with the Lord. Join us as we unpack key concepts like monotheism, the Trinity, the distinct persons of the Godhead, their shared essence, and their equal power and glory. Whether you're a seasoned theologian or simply seeking a deeper understanding of core Christian beliefs, this episode will provide a clear and insightful exploration of these essential truths from the Baptist Catechism.

In Episode 195 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by Dr. Enoch Adekoya to discuss his testimony, ministry, and directorship of IRBS United Kingdom.     Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Links: Website: IRBS United Kingdom   Announcements: The 3535 Foundation will be hosting its second conference on 1689 Ecclesiology from July 22-24, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota. This year's focus will be the rise of 17th-century 1689 Congregationalism and the Reformed Baptist movement—an essential chapter in church history. Dr. Matthew Bingham, a leading voice on this topic, will be our keynote speaker. Additional speakers are Dr. James Renihan, Jared Mays, and Pastor Noah  Bailey. To learn more or to register, go to ​​https://3535foundation.com.   

This episode explores the relationship between newer covenantal theologies and our 1689 confessional heritage, examining where these movements align and where they diverge from traditional Reformed Baptist theology. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Cameron Porter, Dr Sam Renihan, and Pastor Jim Butler. Recorded April 24, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

In Episode 194 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by Dr. Joshua Wilson to discuss his article, Genesis 1:1–2 and the Doctrine of Creatio Ex Nihilo (Part 1): A Lexical Analysis of the Phrase The Heavens And The Earth.   Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Links: Access Dr. Wilson's article here.    Announcements: The 3535 Foundation will be hosting its second conference on 1689 Ecclesiology from July 22-24, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota. This year's focus will be the rise of 17th-century 1689 Congregationalism and the Reformed Baptist movement—an essential chapter in church history. Dr. Matthew Bingham, a leading voice on this topic, will be our keynote speaker. Additional speakers are Dr. James Renihan, Jared Mays, and Pastor Noah  Bailey. To learn more or to register, go to ​​https://3535foundation.com.

In Episode 193 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by Dr. Joshua Wilson to discuss his article, Genesis 1:1–2 and the Doctrine of Creatio Ex Nihilo (Part 2): A Lexical Analysis of the Phrase Without Form and Void.    Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Links: Access Dr. Wilson's article here.    Announcements: The 3535 Foundation will be hosting its second conference on 1689 Ecclesiology from July 22-24, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota. This year's focus will be the rise of 17th-century 1689 Congregationalism and the Reformed Baptist movement—an essential chapter in church history. Dr. Matthew Bingham, a leading voice on this topic, will be our keynote speaker. Additional speakers are Dr. James Renihan, Jared Mays, and Pastor Noah  Bailey. To learn more or to register, go to ​​https://3535foundation.com.

In Episode 192 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by IRBS graduate, Samuel Gunnip, to discuss his ministry in South Korea.    Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Links: www.ForHisChurchInKorea.org   Announcements: The 3535 Foundation will be hosting its second conference on 1689 Ecclesiology from July 22-24, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota. This year's focus will be the rise of 17th-century 1689 Congregationalism and the Reformed Baptist movement—an essential chapter in church history. Dr. Matthew Bingham, a leading voice on this topic, will be our keynote speaker. Additional speakers are Dr. James Renihan, Jared Mays, and Pastor Noah  Bailey. To learn more or to register, go to ​​https://3535foundation.com.   

Born in Elmhood, Michigan, Sam Waldron was raised by parents who converted to Christ shortly before his birth. Though still young in the faith, they were the biggest influences on his life, regularly reading the Bible as a family and attending church together, and faithfully disciplining him for misbehavior. After confessing Christ and being baptized at age 7, Sam struggled with assurance of salvation for years until he came to understand that salvation was by God's free grace alone. Since then, God has raised him up as a leading Reformed Baptist pastor whose passion for sound doctrine and the importance of the local church has blessed many.

In episode 189 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by Dr. Tom Hicks to discuss his new book, What Is A Reformed Baptist?    Book: What Is A Reformed Baptist? ,  by Tom Hicks   Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.

About the Guest(s): Tom Hicks: Tom Hicks is an emerging author and a respected voice in theological circles. With a deep commitment to exploring and clarifying Reformed Baptist doctrines, Hicks has contributed significant insights into the intersection of theology and ecclesiology. His unexpected venture into writing has resulted in a book titled "What is a Reformed Baptist?" which addresses common misconceptions and articulates the foundational tenets of Reformed Baptist theology. Hicks is connected with Founders Ministries, a notable organization championing reformed theology within Baptist traditions.Episode Summary: In this enlightening episode of Renewalcast, hosts Colt Robinson and Jay Wipf engage in a profound discussion with Tom Hicks, author of the newly released book "What is a Reformed Baptist?" Hicks dives into the often-debated concept of Reformed Baptist theology, tackling prevalent misconceptions about the identity and doctrinal positions of Reformed Baptists. Through their engaging conversation, Robinson, Wipf, and Hicks bring clarity to the nuanced intersections of Reformed theology, Baptist ecclesiology, and historical theology. Throughout the episode, Hicks offers a detailed exploration of the historical and doctrinal roots of Reformed Baptist thought, elucidating key themes such as confessionalism and the distinct usage and divisions of the law in theology. Drawing from historical precedents and scriptural evidence, Hicks elaborates on the threefold division of the law—moral, ceremonial, and judicial—and its practical implications for believers today. Additionally, the trio explore the critical importance of confessionalism and its role in maintaining theological clarity and continuity within the Reformed Baptist tradition. Key Takeaways:Understanding Reformed Baptist Identity: Hicks challenges the notion that "Reformed Baptist" is an oxymoron, detailing its historical and doctrinal foundations.Confessionalism's Role: The episode stresses the significance of confessionalism in articulating clear, biblically grounded beliefs within the church.Threefold Division of the Law: A comprehensive overview of how the moral, ceremonial, and judicial laws interact and their relevance today.The Three Uses of the Law: Hicks outlines the civil, pedagogical, and normative uses, emphasizing their ongoing role in guiding Christian living.Worship Principles: A discussion on the regulative principle of worship, highlighting the simplicity and theological focus of Reformed Baptist services.Notable Quotes:"If you're really strict with the word Reformed, technically, you could argue that even Presbyterians aren't Reformed." - Tom Hicks"Words tend to morph and they broaden out in their meaning over time." - Tom Hicks"The law says do this. The Gospel says done." - Tom Hicks"We are tapping into a broader ecclesiastical or churchly stream of confession." - Tom Hicks"Reformed worship usually looks the same. It looks very much the same across the Reformed churches." - Tom HicksResources:Founders Ministries: founders.org - The organizational platform mentioned where Tom Hicks's book can be acquired.Tom Hicks's Book: "What is a Reformed Baptist?" available on Founders Ministries and possibly Amazon post-March 1st.Listeners are encouraged to delve into this thought-provoking episode to gain a deeper understanding of Reformed Baptist beliefs and practices. Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on Renewalcast as Colt Robinson and Jay Wipf continue to explore significant theological themes.

Theonomy, also known as Christian Reconstructionism, has seen a revival in recent decades. The early movement, led by R.J. Rushdoony, Gary North, and Greg Bahnsen, taught what Bahnsen described as “the abiding validity of the Mosaic law in exhaustive detail.” But how does this teaching align with Scripture and the Reformed tradition?In this video, Scott sits down with Dr. Sam Waldron and Dr. Tom Hicks to discuss their new book, Theonomy Old and New: A Reformed Baptist Assessment. They examine the historical roots of Theonomy, its postmillennial and ethical distinctives, and the modern rebranding as “General Equity Theonomy.”

On today's installment of the podcast, we had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Tom Hicks, to discuss the upcoming release of his new book, from Founders Ministries, entitled “What is a Reformed Baptist?”. We hope this episode is informational and edifying! Buy "What is a Reformed Baptist?" Here:https://press.founders.org/shop/what-is-a-reformed-baptist/?srsltid=AfmBOop8Wh17nNbDOr5IuKwAfd0Ka_8eShTT_SzU3oFgm9GuW9_w5OEzPBHB GIVEAWAY: https://www.stayreformed.com/giveawayAdditional References:The Second London Baptist Confession (1689): https://founders.org/library-book/1689-confession/https://www.chapellibrary.org/pdf/books/lbcw.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOorAi1b6iCPqv94DjBcMhSSpcDOGwJrb9hXJSlgqxrFSgo9ofc0-Social Media:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StayReformedTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/stayreformedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stayreformed/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stayreformedpodcast/Website: https://www.stayreformed.com/Email: contact@stayreformed.com

Dr. Brian Duncan graduated high school early and went straight into Baptist ministry training. On fire for Jesus, he was constantly seeking deeper resources to help him teach the faith, which led him to discover the Church Fathers. Teaching from them caused problems in his independent Baptist congregation, so he spent a little time in a Reformed Baptist church, which also didn't work out. Disillusioned, he sought a house church environment, at which point he realized it was time for him to stop trying to reinvent and reclaim the Christianity of the early Church; and what he'd been trying to rebuild on his own initiative was present in its fulness right in front of him in the Catholic Faith. He has since gone on to found Catholic Fightwear, and work as a martial arts instructor.

Send us a textThis week Greg welcomed back to the podcast Jeremiah Nortier. Jeremiah is a Pastor, Debater, and host of The Apologetic Dog on youtube. They discussed his upcoming 2v2 debate on "Whom Did Christ Die For" where he will be teaming up with Dr. James White, as well as the heresies of The Church of Christ and Hyper-Preterism. Towards the end of the episode Greg got Jeremiah's thoughts on his first round battle in the "2025 Best Reformed Podcast Bracket" happening right now on X at @RealDWMPodcast (vote now!) Enjoy!  Private Family Banking: Protect your wealth!Book your next church conference HERE!Dominion Wealth Strategists: Full Service Financial Planning!

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

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

Reformed Baptists. Confessionalism. Honoring our predecessors, investing in our successors. Religion & the State. A Political Reckoning in America. Leftist Meltdowns. Masculinity. On Wives and Hobbits. Getting to know the neighbors. Zachary Garris. "Sinning in the right direction."Joel Webbon. White Knight Syndrome. "Attractional Church Model." Is re-posting Andrew Tate approvingly equally as problematic as re-posting Calvin Robinson? Wes Huff, Joe Rogan, Billy Carson. Networking. Moody Bible Institute students. A smorgasbord of topics!

Can Baptists actually be Reformed? To answer that, we probably have to answer another question, “What does it mean to be Reformed in the first place? Is it a tradition, a specific set of beliefs, or something else entirely? There are a lot of online debates and discussions about whether Baptists can be Reformed or not. And while some of those debates are just good-natured ribbing between Presbyterians and Baptists, it's a subject worth thinking about seriously. When Baptists say they are “reformed” what do they mean, and are they correct? In one sense, the term “reformed” doesn't have only one definition or use. Words are like that, in the abstract, they can have multiple definitions. But when a specific word is actually used, such as to identify a group of Baptists, that use must have one specific meaning. So are Reformed Baptists really Reformed?In this episode, we want to talk about why Reformed Baptists are Reformed and what we mean by that. We discuss some of the history of the Protestant Reformation and how Reformed Baptists emerged as a group in the UK. We discuss some of the doctrines that are specific to being considered Reformed, and we also talk about the unifying spirit of the Reformation that existed well before Luther or Calvin and goes back to the leadership and direction of Christ and His Spirit.Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2025/01/can-reformed-baptists-be-reformed-ep-202-audio/Timecodes00:00 What Does it Mean to Be Reformed? 17:36 Soteriology 28:42 Covenants 50:19 CredobaptismProduction of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson

In Episode 172 of Theology In Particular, Dr. James Renihan joins me to address the question, is appropriate for Baptists to call themselves Reformed?     Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.