Join us as we discuss technology and how the internet shapes our human desires with Samuel James, the author of “Digital Liturgies.” James encourages us to use Biblical wisdom as we navigate technology in our online age. He writes, “Rather than being a neutral tool, the internet is an epistemological environment– a spiritual and intellectual habitat–that creates in its members particular ways of thinking, feeling, and believing.” Technology is powerful. Therefore, we must evaluate how to use it wisely. We also cover topics like how the internet has changed the publishing industry and the importance of the physical gathering, congregational singing, and friendship in our disembodied age.

Resources Referenced-

Digital Liturgies by Samuel James

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

Completely Unsolicited, Totally Anecdotal, But Perhaps Marginally Helpful Thoughts on Being a Christian Writer by Samuel James

Digital Liturgies Substack

Most would agree that Christ had emotions, but they have not given a great deal of thought to the significance of Christ’s emotional life. By neglecting to reflect on the Lord’s emotional life, we fail to think deeply about what it means that the Son of God became a true human being for our sakes. Our understanding of the significance of the incarnation itself is at stake. 

Join us as we discuss B.B. Warfield’s excellent book, The Emotional Life of Our Lord. We talk about some common errors we make when thinking about Christ’s emotions, what we can learn from the emotional life of Christ, and what this means for our own emotions. 

Resources mentioned:

The Emotional Life of Our Lord by B.B. Warfield

Warfield on the Christian Life by Fred Zaspel

Good and Angry by David Powlison

Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In this episode we interview Alex DiPrima on his latest book: “Spurgeon: A Life” and discuss Charles Haddon Spurgeon who was the most-well known minister of the gospel in the nineteenth century. We also discuss whether Spurgeon should be considered a “celebrity pastor” and why he was appealing to so many. We cover a few of the many things we can learn from Spurgeon and ways we should seek to emulate him. Alex shares with us how Spurgeon has personally affected him as a Christian and as a pastor. We also discuss the criticism that Spurgeon faced and the Downgrade Controversy, which was one of the most significant events in Spurgeon’s life.

Resources mentioned:

Spurgeon: A Life
Spurgeon: A Biography by Arnold Dallimore
Spurgeon the Pastor by Geoff Chang
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J.C. Ryle
Holiness by J.C. Ryle
Simplicity in Preaching by J.C. Ryle
Spurgeon’s sermons (Alex especially recommends sermons in the early 1880s)
The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon
All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon
The Soulwinner by Charles Spurgeon
Servants of Christ, Lovers of Men by Alex DiPrima
Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zack Eswine
Susie by Ray Rhodes
Episode 2: The Life of Susannah Spurgeon and "Susie" with Guest Author Ray Rhodes Jr.
C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography
The Forgotten Spurgeon by Ian Murray
Episode 27: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael

Do women need theology? Join us as we interview Natalie Brand and discuss Priscilla in Acts 18 and what we can learn from her example. Natalie makes the argument that the church needs women to be theologically astute. Listen as she answers the question, “what can you do if you feel intimidated and overwhelmed by studying theology?” We also discuss how theology should move us to worship and that the gold in theology is God himself. 

Recommended Resources:

"Priscilla, Where are You?" by Natalie Brand

"Acedia" discussed in Episode 30

"The Scuttlebutt Letters" by Natalie Brand

Episode 4: Spiritual Warfare and "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

In this episode we discuss Abigail Favale’s book The Genesis of Gender. We give a quick survey of feminism and defend why we believe Christians cannot embrace Feminism. We talk about postmodernism, embodiment, consumerist sex, the incarnation and divine revelation. In addition, we touch on transgenderism and the influence of social media. Finally we end with the goodness of the givenness of our gender and the hope of the gospel. 

Recommended Resources

The Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale

All Things Bright and Beautiful Episode 7: Frankenstein: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting

All Things Bright and Beautiful Episode 20: Expressive Individualism and “Strange New World” by Carl Truman 

Notes

Jenna mentions Peter Singer’s approval of Zoophilia. While he did not write the article, on November 8, 2023, he tweeted in praise of an article entitled, Zoophilia is Morally Permissible. Peter Singer is a well known and influential philosopher, infamous for his applied ethics in favor of infanticide and eugenics. He is a professor of Bioethics at Princeton University.

In this episode we interview Mike McKinley. As we discuss his book, Friendship with God, we touch on the Puritans– and the common myths that surround them, the heart of the gospel, and the good news that we can have friendship with God. We talk about the Lord’s Supper, the gift of being adopted by God, how to better understand the Holy Spirit, and the importance of the local church in the life of a Christian.

*Our apologies for the sound quality. Unfortunately we experienced a number of technical issues in this interview. Thankfully Mike McKinley was patient, and despite these hiccups he nonetheless communicated encouraging, wonderful thoughts throughout the interview.

Resources Mentioned

Friendship with God: A Path to Deeper Fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit by Mike McKinley

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortland

Communion with God by John Owen

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

In our culture authority is looked upon with skepticism at best and loathing at worst. Is the answer to all the misuse of authority we see a signal that we should completely do away with it? Or is authority in some way part of the very fabric of reality? How should Christians think about authority? In this episode we interview Jonathan Leeman on his book Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing. We discuss abuse of authority, the cultural temperature on authority, and the necessity of authority in our lives. Jonathan Leeman makes his case for God’s good design for authority, elaborates on the tie between authority and submission, and explains how submitting to good authority leads to our flourishing.

Resources Mentioned

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing by Jonathan Leeman

9Marks

Pastors Talk Podcast

Why is reading important? Join us as we discuss how to create a culture of reading individually, in our families, and in our churches. Reading good books helps us grow in wisdom and knowledge and gives us an opportunity to rest and experience joy. We discuss the "why" behind reading as well as practical tips to become a better reader. 

Episode 1- "Lit" by Tony Reinke

Goodreads

Episode 14- Discipline and "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" and "Atomic Habits"

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Einstein's Theory of Relativity

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Fierce Convictions by Karen Swallow Prior

Read Aloud Revival

Ambleside Online

Close Reads

The Literary Life

Remaking the World by Andrew Wilson

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Parenting by Paul Tripp

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot

Salt by Mark Kurlansky

The Two Part Invention by Madeline L'Engle

The Odyssey by Homer

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Silas Marner by George Eliot

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The River of Doubt by Candace Millard

The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs

Why should we care about philosophy? Is philosophy only for academics? In this episode we interview Dr. Douglas Groothius, professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary. He makes a compelling case that philosophy is for everyone in his book Philosophy in Seven Sentences by introducing us to seven important sentences by key philosophers in history. In our time with Dr. Groothius we discuss apologetics, the law of non-contradiction, self-hood, and what it means to be a distinctly Christian philosopher.

Resources mentioned

Philosophy in Seven Sentences by Douglas Groothius

Beyond the Wager:The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal by Douglas Groothius

The Dust of Death by Os Guinness

Fools Talk by Os Guinness

Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothius

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Long Journey Home by Os GuinnessMockery in Apologetics by Douglas Groothius

Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman

Tactics by Greg Koukl

Strange New World by Carl Trueman

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

Life’s Ultimate Questions by Ronald Nash 

https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/

We need to understand history to navigate our current cultural moment. According to Andrew Wilson, we especially need to understand the year 1776: all that led up to it and how it created the narrative of the West. In this episode we discuss the Enlightenment, romanticism, industrialization, and how the ideas they birthed shape the church and the world around us.

Notes:

Lydia mentions the composition of silence, it is titled 4'33'' by John Cage.

Jenna mentions C.S. Lewis' introduction to On The Incarnation: “We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century - the blindness about which posterity will ask, "But how could they have thought that?" - lies where we have never suspected it... None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books.”

Resources mentioned:

Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self:Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman

All Things Bright and Beautiful Episode 20: Expressive Individualism and "Strange New World" by Carl Trueman

All Things Bright and Beautiful Episode 1: On Reading and "Lit" by Tony Reinke

The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress and Equality by Glenn Scrivener

All Things Bright and Beautiful Episode 7: "Frankenstein: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting" by Mary Shelley and Karen Swallow Prior

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

You are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World by Alan O Noble

The Letters of John Newton

The Hunger Game Series by Suzanne Collins

1984 by George Orwell

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot