The “Young, Restless, and Reformed” movement stormed vigorously onto the scene in the Millennial generation. Over a decade in, there now seems to be a struggle developing over the right to use the label.

Tyler Vela, host of The Freed Thinker, joins us to discuss the defining features of what it means to be “Reformed.”

* What Makes One Reformed?

* Calvinism and Labels

* Covenantal Theology and Dispensationalism

* Confessions

* Regulative Principle of Worship

* Infant or Believer’s Baptism

Key Quotes:

“If you’re Reformed and you haven’t been blocked from another Reformed group you just haven’t lived. You’re not doing something right.”

“As a Reformed person, a major part of my confession is that I am not only just as bad as everybody else, but I’m worse.”

“If we can all agree for the sake of this conversation Calvinism is going to stand for holding to the five points as laid out in Dort then we don’t have to relay the foundation of the concept every time we talk about something, we can just use the one term.”

“Whenever someone says ‘No creed but Christ,’ just try to go into their church and change their order or worship and they’ll freak out. This is why you have worship wars.”

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Jeremy Lundmark, host of After the Sermon, and I discuss the generational dynamics of Millennials in the workplace.

In part two of this conversation we cover:

* Multiple Correct Ways

* Dissecting the Boomers and Their Legacy

* Get a Degree, Work Hard and … Prosper?

* Education, Debt, Ministry

* What do Millennials Expect From The Workplace?

Key Quotes:

“Rather than admit that they may have failed on some points that produced what they’re seeing, and trying to improve upon it now, it’s easier just to say ‘My generation was better, we were stronger, we endured more.”

“We are inheriting a completely broken social structure, economic structure, and governmental structure.”

“The generation that approved and legalized and created what we have in the United States of America in terms of abortion – that isn’t our generation. Our generation is the one that suffered!”

“When I was growing up, I was told if I went and got the education and I worked hard and I got the experience, I could have any job I wanted.”

“Collusion between the college administrators, banks, and the government forced an incredible amount of debt on us that we are unable to pay for.”

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Jeremy Lundmark, host of After the Sermon, and I discuss the generational dynamics of Millennials in the workplace.

In part one of this conversation we cover:

* Podcasting, Theology Mix, and The Anons

* Millennial = Hipster?

* Boomers Blocking Gen X & Millennial Advancement

* The Role of Technology in the Workforce

Key Quotes:

“When I talk to Gen X’ers, they’re really big on C++ and old school computer stuff, they were really geeking out on that stuff. But I’m also not Hipster either.”

“The Evangelical church in America has largely completely appropriated the hipster movement.”

“Kylo Ren wants to wear a mask, but Darth Vader didn’t wear a mask because he was trying to look cool. He wore the mask because he was going to die without it.”

“The second thing to shape this generation is the recession of 2008 which destroyed a lot of our economic opportunity and opportunity for growth. Not only in career, but in terms of wealth, houses …”

“Church planting is really driven by Gen X, who had nowhere to go if they wanted to advance their careers beyond the typical youth pastor, ‘entry level,’ associate pastor. If you were a Gen Xer and you wanted a pulpit in a church you basically had to go out and start your own.”

“The older generation in the church should be willing to step aside and let the younger generation step up and coach them through that transition process. Jesus Christ did that for the Apostles while he was here.”

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Mike Jorgensen cohosts The Reformed Library. After years of youth ministry in Presbyterian churches, Mike is now a worship leader in an Anglican church. I was eager to hear his take on Millennials and worship:

* We Are Now Marketing Authenticity

* Buzzword Stew: Real, Genuine, Sincere, Authentic, Organic, Quality

* What Kind of Worship Service for Millennials?

* Methodology of the Worship Statistics

* Emergent & Young, Restless, Reformed Aesthetics

* Are Evangelicals Turning to High Church Liturgy?

Key Quotes:

“We have a desire for authenticity, but our gauge for it, as a generation, is not actually that great.”

“What all the talk on Millennials has failed to do, and tragically so, is to produce any sense of reflection on the generation that raised Millennials.”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘authentic’ if you have a doctrine of depravity.”

“The Christian worship service should be character forming, it should be a step in sanctification.”

“The Biblical term is literally ‘striving after wind.'”

“No one is narrative free, that was the lie of Modernity.”

“Millennials who grew up nominal Christians and became serious about it will go to the opposite liturgical posture of what they were raised in.”

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Resources:

How Will the Millennials Worship?: A Snapshot of the Very Near Future

What Worship Style Attracts The Millenials?

Designing Worship Spaces with Millennials in Mind (Barna Group)

The Divorce Generation

Mike Jorgensen cohosts The Reformed Library. After years of youth ministry in Presbyterian churches, Mike is now a worship leader in an Anglican church. I was eager to hear his take on Millennials and worship:

* Journey From PCUSA to Anglicanism

* Would You Self-Identify as Evangelical?

* What Do We Mean By “Worship?”

* Which Liturgies are Acceptable?

* Is the Seeker-Sensitive Model Relevant to the Millennial Generation?

Key Quotes:

“I’m an Angliterian.”

“I love to nuance everything a million times.”

“Why would I read a book on preaching from Tim Keller?? I’ve listened to his sermons and … he is not listenable.”

“The Second Great Awakening still looms over church culture, that’s still a dominant influence. Here’s how to produce and manufacture the desired results.”

“As a formal school of philosophy, Pragmatism is the only school born out of the United States, in the early 20th century.”

“The gospel itself was not marketable, so we had to find something marketable, a bait and switch.”

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Today we are joined by Cody Almanzar, host of The Ordinary Pastor Podcast and pastor of Grace Family Church in Cañon City, Colorado.

We discuss whether doctrine divides:

* Lowest Common Denominator Christianity

* So You Obviously Have Beliefs

* We Are Denying Ourselves Deep Wells

* Can There Be Unity *and* Disagreement?

* Know What You Believe and Believe It!

* Freedom of Conscience

Key Quotes:

“If I’m wrong, I want somebody to come and show me from Scripture.”

“Are you a Calvinist?”

“Why does disagreement necessarily mean disunity?”

“I know I’m not Postmil, that I know!”

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The Christus Victor Network, parent of Ask a Millennial Christian, is hosting a series of debates on the 5 points of Calvinism. Today’s episode is part two of that debate, “Unconditional Election.”

Leighton Flowers (Soteriology 101) and Braxton Hunter (Evangelism & Apologetics) argue for Corporate Election.

Tyler Vela (The Freed Thinker) and Sean Cole (Understanding Christianity) defend the Calvinist doctrine of Unconditional Election.

All 5 parts of the debate will appear on The Calvinism Debate as they are recorded.

Unfortunately, the last few minutes of Tyler’s audio was not recorded and he becomes the silent partner in the discussion. While it may seem like Leighton and Braxton are monopolizing the final few minutes, they are interacting with Tyler’s argumentation.

Next week’s episode will return to the regular format.

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Immanuel Marsh joins us to discuss the role of preaching. This might seem like an easy question to answer, but once you get below the surface, it’s a very controversial issue.

We examine many of the unquestioned assumptions that underpin our methodology of preaching.

* The Role and Purpose of Preaching

* Is “Life Transformation” Preaching Just Legalism?

* Worship or Evangelism Service

* Why Are Millennials Rejecting Terminology?

* The Preachers that We Listen To

* The One Thing to Focus on in Preaching and Prep

Key Quotes:

“The purpose of preaching is to glorify God and not deify man.”

“Like most Millennials and Gen X’ers, we are part of organizations we don’t truly believe in.”

“Why would I read a book on preaching from Tim Keller?? I’ve listened to his sermons and … he is not listenable.”

“Here’s the thing about missionary guys, and I’m going to tell you about yourself! You’re Special Forces and I’m Central Command.”

“Start with the text. If you start with an idea, the temptation is to wedge a text to fit that idea.”

“Read the text, until the text starts reading you.”

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Resources:

Bad Hermeneutics: “What Color is Your World?” (John 1:6-9), the AAMC episode that spawned this follow-up.

“The Aim of Preaching is Life Transformation.” Rick Warren, Christian Post.

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” – John 1:9

This is the first installment of what may become a series, Bad Homiletics. I evaluate a sermon I recently heard preached on John 1:6-9.

You may recognize that as part of the Prologue of the Gospel of John, specifically the part that mentions John the Baptist. Nothing heretical in this sermon, just lots of wrongness. It’s a good case study in how not to divide the word of truth:

* The 400 Years of Silence

* John the Baptist finally brings hope and color to the world

* 3 Things that anyone can do to give yourself hope

* “The True Light” means whatever you want it to mean

* How then shall we preach?

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Resources:

Quaker doctrine of “Inner Light”

John Calvin’s Commentary on John 1

* What does it mean to pastor a church plant in a multiethnic, Millennial context?

* Cultural differences between Seattle and Orange County

* The Slavic church in America

With Bogdan Kipko, host of the Fuel for Life podcast and pastor of Forward Church.

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