Western man is told he faces a binary choice:

➡️ Religious pluralism

➡️ Establishmentarianism

But what if that’s a false dilemma?

In this episode of The Magistrate, Josh Howard and James Baird respond to Andrew T. Walker’s recent comments and the broader debate surrounding religion and the state. Drawing from historic Reformed and Presbyterian political theology, they argue that the modern conversation has lost an entire category — one that shaped early America and Protestant thought for centuries.

This isn’t about choosing between two extremes. It’s about recovering a forgotten framework.

Bill C-9 is no longer just a troubling proposal. It is moving toward becoming law in Canada, and with it comes serious questions about hate crime legislation, religious liberty, public witness, and the role of the state. In this episode, Michael Thiessen and Nate Wright revisit Bill C-9 to explain what it does, why it matters, and why Christians cannot afford to treat it as just another political issue. They discuss the difference between sin and crime, the danger of the state trying to judge motives and regulate conscience, and how this bill could affect preaching, church discipline, Christian education, and public evangelism. Most importantly, they show why this is not a distraction from the gospel, but a direct implication of Christ’s lordship over every sphere of life.

Josh Howard sits down with Pastor David Schrock (Christ Over All) to discuss the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention. From declining cooperative giving to growing distrust between local churches and denominational leadership, this conversation tackles the real concerns many are feeling but few are addressing directly. They also examine whether key SBC institutions—like seminaries—are experiencing mission drift, and what that could mean for the future of the convention. If you care about the health, accountability, and direction of the SBC, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

I'm your China travel guide in exile, Missionary Ben, at home in Malaysia. Follow me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I share a new Chinese city to pray for every single day. Feel free to email anytime: chinacompass @ privacyport.com. Check out PrayGiveGo.us for everything else, incl. Patreon, Substack & books…

The Memoirs of William Milne (PrayGiveGo.us)

The Autobiography of John G. Paton (JohnGPaton.com)

Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary (BordenofYale.com)

Unbeaten: My Arrest, Interrogation, and Deportation from China (Unbeaten.vip)

Why the Prison Pulpit? 

The goal is to remind people to pray for persecuted believers as Hebrews 13:3 teaches: “Remember those who are in prison, as bound with them.” We’ve looked at Wang Yi and Early Rain Church’s writings in the aftermath of their arrest and attack in 2018, but I’ve also regularly turned to other persecuted ministers who have gone before, such as Richard Wurmbrand, to give us a voice literally from prison. 

(Here are some free PDF books from Richard Wurmbrand: https://richardwurmbrandfoundation.org/)

Nigeria Back in the News (Church Attacks)

https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/Palm-Sunday-Attack-Shakes-Nigerian-Community/

Kidnapped Pilot in Niger Still Missing (Kevin Rideout)

https://www.christianpost.com/news/kidnapped-missionary-kevin-rideout-remains-missing.html

The Savior’s Thirst + A Reminder to Remember Kidnapped Kevin Rideout

https://chinacall.substack.com/p/the-saviors-thirst

How to Give? MCI3.org 

We have a major project this year to help the missionary arm of China's underground church. $50k need!

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Thank you for listening! Subscribe & leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! And don’t forget to visit PrayGiveGo.us for books + Heb. 13:3: Remember those who are in prison, “as bound with them”!

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This week Greg sat down with Jacob Glass. Jacob is the host of the Millennial Medic. They discussed the book of Daniel, the implications it has on the End Times, as well as life lessons from some of the stories in the book. Enjoy! 

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Covenant Real Estate: "Confidence from Contract to Close"

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Exhaustion doesn't signal some sort of character flaw as much as it signals a system flaw. Much of our exhaustion has to do with our business having broken systems, and us compensating with unsustainable effort.

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CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America. Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.

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Hey, Neighbor! Luke had a fantastic golf game, if you just think of "bad" as "fantastic" instead...   And John taught a workshop for highschoolers with a showcase afterwards, which was a lot of fun.  

Some people are kind of like whiteboards... they are blank slates ready to accept ANY writing. But it doesn't stay long. Some people are kind of like sponges... they will absorb whatever they sit in. But you can wring it right out and do it again later. 

Sorry for the late upload, Neighbor! There's no excuse, except our brains are on spring break! 

Contact the Comedian's Family at [email protected] 

Today’s short limited edition is an excerpt drawn from John Owen’s treatise, The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded." It is an important precursor to this coming Friday’s episode in which I will begin to offer my application of this excerpt to present efforts to end abortion now. We must be "spiritually minded" (Romans 8:6) about the subject of law, because "law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14). Owen addresses a deceiful allure that can keep us from being so minded.