A Reasonable Response

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley examines the claim that Christians should look to the early church—and ultimately Rome—to discover what authentic Christianity ought to be.

Bosley challenges the assumption that the early church fathers provide an infallible model for Christian faith and practice, pointing out that some operated without the complete New Testament canon and that the Roman Catholic Church has accumulated doctrines and traditions that Protestants contend go beyond Scripture.

So, why be Catholic and not just Christian? Bosley argues that Christians should indeed be catholic—in the historic sense of belonging to Christ's universal church—but not Roman Catholic. Rather than looking to Rome or even the early fathers as the final authority, he makes the case for the Protestant principle of Scripture alone as the infallible standard for the church.

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley makes the biblical case for families worshiping together in the local church and challenges the modern practice of routinely separating children from their parents during corporate worship.

Drawing from the pattern of Scripture, church history, and his own experience in a congregation filled with families and young children, Bosley argues that age-integrated worship is both biblical and entirely practical. The presence of little children may require patience and grace, but it does not prevent the church from worshiping together.

Rather than accepting age segregation as necessary, Bosley calls churches and parents to recover the historic pattern of bringing children into the gathered assembly of God's people: Bring your children to church.

Join the movement of worshipping together as a family here: https://churchandfamilylife.com/worship-together

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley examines the claim that the fourth commandment no longer applies to Christians and argues that this conclusion cannot be sustained from Scripture.

Bosley contends that the Ten Commandments form a unified expression of God's moral law, including the enduring principle of one day in seven set apart for worship and rest. Rather than a burdensome legal requirement, the Christian Sabbath is presented as a gracious gift from God—a day to delight in worship, rest from ordinary labor, and perform works of mercy and necessity.

This episode calls believers to embrace the Lord's Day not as legalism, but as joyful obedience to God's enduring design.

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley examines the recent controversy surrounding John Piper's comments on faith, works, and justification. While Piper's language sparked debate across Reformed circles, Bosley argues that his teaching is thoroughly consistent with Scripture and historic Protestant theology.

Looking to James 2 and the broader witness of the New Testament, Bosley explains that genuine saving faith is never alone—it inevitably bears the fruit of good works. Faith alone justifies, but the faith that justifies is never without obedience.

This episode calls listeners to distinguish between the root of salvation and its fruit, demonstrating that Piper's remarks stand firmly within the teaching of the Reformers, the Puritans, and, above all, Scripture.

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley responds to Sam Storms' article, "A Complementarian Case for Women as Pastors," and argues that the proposal ultimately blurs biblical categories rather than clarifying them. 

Bosley contends that Scripture consistently links the work and title of pastor to the office of elder and that attempts to apply the title pastor to women—even while affirming male eldership—create unnecessary confusion. Examining key passages such as Acts 20, 1 Peter 5, Ephesians 4, and Titus 2, he argues that the New Testament provides no warrant for expanding the pastoral office beyond the qualifications God has established. 

While affirming the vital teaching ministry of women in the church, Bosley maintains that faithfulness requires preserving the biblical distinctions God has given rather than redefining them to accommodate modern cultural expectations. This episode challenges listeners to let Scripture set the terms for church leadership and ministry. 

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley evaluates common anti-Calvinist arguments and explains why they ultimately fail to persuade when measured against the teaching of Scripture.

Bosley argues that these objections often rest on an elevated view of human autonomy and a misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty and love. When Scripture is allowed to speak on its own terms—especially regarding God’s will, His decree, and man’s relationship to Him—the doctrines of grace emerge with clarity.

This episode challenges listeners to examine the Bible carefully and honestly, contending that a faithful reading of the text leads to a consistent and compelling case for Calvinism.

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley responds to the teaching of Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries, and examines how modern therapeutic approaches to personal autonomy can conflict with the authority of Scripture.

Bosley argues that the central issue is ownership. Scripture teaches that we are not our own—we belong to God—and are therefore called to live according to His commands, not self-defined limits or preferences. When autonomy becomes the guiding principle, it subtly replaces obedience and undermines a biblical understanding of the Christian life.

Drawing from God’s Word, this episode calls listeners to reject self-centered thinking and instead pursue humility, unity, and sacrificial love. 

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley refutes the claims of self-identified Christian progressive James Talarico and argues that his theology and proposed policies cannot meaningfully be called Christian.

Bosley contends that the central issue is not personal identification or academic affiliation, but authority. When the sufficiency of Scripture is rejected and replaced with personal tradition, cultural ideology, or political theory, the foundation of historic Protestant Christianity is abandoned. A system built on shifting human ideas cannot provide the sure footing that only God’s Word supplies.

This episode calls listeners to examine modern progressive theology in light of Scripture’s authority and to remember that Christian identity is defined not by label, but by submission to the revealed Word of God.

In this episode of A Reasonable Response, Robert Bosley responds to the common assumption that Baptists hold a merely symbolic or memorial view of the Lord’s Supper and explains why this claim misunderstands both Baptist theology and the broader Reformed tradition.

Bosley argues that the Lord’s Supper—like baptism—is an effectual means of grace. While it does not justify, it truly sanctifies God’s people through Christ’s real, spiritual presence with His church. The Supper is not a bare remembrance, but a divinely appointed act of worship through which believers receive the benefits of Christ’s death by faith.

Bosley calls listeners to recover a richer view of the Lord’s Table—not as casual ritual or empty symbol, but as a powerful, joyful participation in Christ until He returns. As Charles Spurgeon observed, the moments we are nearest to heaven are often those spent at the Lord’s Table.

In this episode of A Reasoned Response, Robert Bosley evaluates the case for paedocommunion—the practice of admitting young children to the Lord’s Table on the basis of covenant membership—and explains why it ultimately fails under careful biblical scrutiny.

Bosley argues that the central issue is not whether children may one day be capable of faith, self-examination, or discernment, but whether these realities are presently evident in the heart and life of the participant. Scripture consistently ties worthy participation in the Lord’s Supper to repentance, conscious faith in Christ, and the ability to examine oneself—requirements that cannot ordinarily be demonstrated by young children.

While paedocommunion may appear attractive for emotional or covenantal reasons, Bosley explains why it does not satisfy the biblical criteria governing the Supper. This episode calls listeners to evaluate the practice not by sentiment or theological inference, but by submission to the clear teaching of Scripture.