All Things Bright and Beautiful

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

We’re back! In this episode we talk about where we’ve been this last year: the good and the difficult. We share our thoughts on suffering, the sovereignty of God, and how God’s goodness, provision, and nearness were magnified in the events that transpired in our lives most recently. We discuss the most helpful books we’ve read on the topic (and some of our favorite more light-hearted reads).

Resources Mentioned

The Pillar Network

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Calvinism and Cancer by Jenna DiPrima

Calvinism is Getting Me Through Cancer by Jenna DiPrima 

Letters of John Newton

Psalms by the Day by Alec Motyer

Suffering is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

The Treasury of David by C.H. Spurgeon

Songs of Suffering by Joni Eareckson Tada

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Friendship with God by Mike McKinley

Communion with God by John Owen

Holiness by J.C. Ryle

Remaking the World by Andrew Wilson

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Truemen

The C.S. Lewis Biography Trilogy by Harry Lee Poe

What can we learn from an Irish woman who lived in the 19th century? In this episode we discuss Elisabeth Elliot’s biography of Amy Carmichael, A Chance to Die. We talk about the importance of reading Christian biographies, and various modern topics that Amy Carmichael can help us navigate. We cover self-care and sacrifice, the tension of word and action, and holiness and compassion.

Resources Mentioned

A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot

O, Church Arise by Keith and Kristyn Getty

Amy Carmichael by Iain Murray

The Dohnavur Fellowship

If by Amy Carmichael

Mimosa by Amy Carmichael

The Elisabeth Elliot Podcast

C.S. Lewis: A Life by Alister McGrath

A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Laconte

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

Fierce Convictions by Karen Swallow Prior

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitkan

Susie by Ray Rhodes

Theologians on the Christian Life by Crossway

Christians Heroes Then and Now

Do Great Things for God Series by The Good Book Company

How do we grapple with a world that seems, as T.S. Eliot puts it “advances progressively backward.” In his book You Are Not Your Own, Dr. Alan Noble argues that the increasing cultural emphasis on efficiency, and increasing isolation have created an inhuman world. In this episode we talk with Dr. Noble about how our unity with Christ gives us meaning, purpose, and hope as we live in this world. We discuss despair, self-medication and escapism, and the antidotes of gratitude toward God, examining ourselves, death to self, and resting in belonging to Christ, our only hope in life and death.

Resources Mentioned

Disruptive Witness by Alan Noble

You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble

Strangely Bright by Joe Rigney

Episode 18: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World?

Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis