Halting Toward Zion

This week we're talking about truth, narratives (or as ordinary humans would call them, stories), and the Gospel. As Cornelius Van Til used to say, "There are no brute facts." But he wasn't denying the existence of absolute truth when he said that--he was pointing out that fact and interpretation go together.

This Episode Features: Postmodernism; Global Warming; Your Affectionate Uncle Screwtape; If You Can't Say Amen, Say Ouch; Secret Tumblr Knowledge; A Message For Brooke; and Truth And Humility.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/32Ht6eP-htz-46

Links:

The Rise of the Greeks - Michael Grant: https://amzn.to/3f3qsVx

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3mYS0hJ

The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/2KcpwDb

Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen: https://amzn.to/2UtJM4M

1 John 5: https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-John-Chapter-5/

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams: https://amzn.to/2IEYaF0

Reading Between the Lines - Gene Edward Veith: https://amzn.to/3nndGEn

Recos:

Postmodern Times - Gene Edward Veith: https://amzn.to/36AAEkv

The Distinction between Law and Gospel

Cornbread Hamburger Skillet - Belly Full: https://bellyfull.net/cornbread-hamburger-pie/#wprm-recipe-container-25409

"Thou Shalt Not Steal" necessitates the concept of property, so we'll be lobbing some critiques at socialism today. But because we're equal-opportunity killjoys, we'll start with the hyper-individualism of Ayn Rand and her misconceptions regarding property, and in the middle of our criticism sandwich we'll spread some delicious Biblical truth.

This Episode Features: Ayn Rand vs. John Calvin; My Boots, My Dog, And My Wife; Human So-Called Rights And Values; Republicanism And Democratic...ness; The Cattle On A Thousand Hills; Questions Of Eminent Domain; Protestants Love Socialist Reforms!; Can't Stop The Signal; and A Tower So Ivory You Can't Look At It In Direct Sunlight.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2GOEwWq-htz-45

Links:

The Virtue of Selfishness - Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/3laG1gj

Institutes of the Christian Religion - John Calvin: https://amzn.to/3n2nwLQ

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3mYS0hJ

2 Samuel 24: https://www.esv.org/2+Samuel+24/

1 Kings 21: https://www.esv.org/1+Kings+21/

Ezekiel 46: https://www.esv.org/Ezekiel+46/

The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: https://amzn.to/3eBFpOl

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: https://amzn.to/2If9eZb

Ephesians 4: https://www.esv.org/Ephesians+4/

James 1: https://www.esv.org/James+1/

Recos:

Cheese Curds

My Family and Other Animals (2005): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482552/

The Black Book of Communism - Jean-Louis Panne, et al.: https://amzn.to/2GBEjFM

True Grit - Charles Portis: https://amzn.to/2I8P7M5

Today we're talking about marriage--or rather, the ultimate reality that marriage reflects. God is not arbitrary; His commandments follow from His perfect nature, as do many patterns in creation, and especially marriage. Marriage is one of the best earthly testimonies to what the love of God actually looks like... so in society as we lose marriage, we lose real love.

This Episode Features: A Profound Mystery; Marshwiggles; Double, Double, Toil and Trouble; Toxic Feminiminimity; Pat Benatar; Coffee Snobbery; and Happily Ever After.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3jNqq4U-htz-44

Links:

Ephesians 5:32: https://www.esv.org/Ephesians+5/

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3eaVrP9

Psalm 22: https://www.esv.org/Psalm+22/

Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension: https://youtu.be/VlrQ-bOzpkQ

Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar: https://youtu.be/vo6PgC0cP4c

The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels: https://amzn.to/34D1IA0

Dominion - Tom Holland: https://amzn.to/2Hio0hc

The Gospel Comes with a House Key - Rosaria Butterfield: https://amzn.to/37TqC0n

Recos:

Taking Your Wife Out to Dinner

Tiramisu

Resolving Everyday Conflict - Ken Sande: https://amzn.to/3kFVIMh

Meeting with your Pastor and Elders for Counsel and Advice

Last week we talked about life (and how we're not supposed to murder people). How are we supposed to treat non-human life? What exactly are animals, metaphysically speaking, and where do they fit in God's world? There's a lot the Bible doesn't tell us. But in this episode we'll look at a few of the things God does say about (and to) animals in His original creation... and in the new creation as well.

This Episode Features: A Christian Philosophy of Pets; Escapee Turtles; Always Look Up; What About The Penguins?; Tales Of Scamp The Dachsund; Heavenly Hunting; Talking Animal Etiquette; and Also Much Cattle.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/31EVXQn-htz-43

Links:

Genesis 1: https://www.esv.org/Genesis+1/

The Everlasting Man - G.K. Chesterton: https://amzn.to/2QZPKsr

Dr Doolittle's Delusion - Stephen R. Anderson: https://amzn.to/2Ta6w9h

King Solomon's Ring - Konrad Z. Lorenz: https://amzn.to/3jl01uV

"So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005): https://youtu.be/N_dUmDBfp6k

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams: https://amzn.to/3jfGPyM

"When the Music's Over" - The Doors: https://youtu.be/nOJSmXSFCWk

Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes

Ecclesiastes 3: https://www.esv.org/Ecclesiastes+3/

Proverbs 12: https://www.esv.org/Proverbs+12/

The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/2TerzYl

That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3jeJBV1

Numbers 22: https://www.esv.org/Numbers+22/

Romans 8: https://www.esv.org/Romans+8/

Isaiah 11: https://www.esv.org/Isaiah+11/

Isaiah 65: https://www.esv.org/Isaiah+65/

Romans 5: https://www.esv.org/Romans+5/

"Elder Millennial: Parental Urge" (Language Warning) - Iliza Schlesinger: https://youtu.be/edytd0XRD4I

Recos:

Lessons from a Sheepdog - Phillip Keller: https://amzn.to/3kku8UL

Dominion - Tom Holland: https://amzn.to/2Hio0hc

The New Pony - A Little Golden Book: https://amzn.to/2TeFwWp

Maggy Smith: http://maggysmith.com/

We worship the Living God. That statement distinguishes Christianity from every other religion, and also tells us something about how we are to treat our neighbors and our world. "Thou shalt not kill" is a bright line not to cross, but not just because killing is violent and nasty--but because God is who He is.

This Episode Features: Life (And The Universe, And Everything); Aliens; We Say Cult; The Duties Required In The Sixth Commandment; Decagons; and A Guest Appearance From Lucy The Attack Kitten.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3499j9f-htz-42

Links:

The Last Jedi (2017): https://amzn.to/348alCw

Babylon 5 (1993-1998): https://amzn.to/3adtST6

Star Stuff - Carl Sagan: https://youtu.be/tLPkpBN6bEI

"Dust in the Wind" - Kansas: https://youtu.be/zVokojoF_lY

St. Patrick's Bad Analogies: https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw

Going Postal - Terry Pratchett: https://amzn.to/3o3U8pR

Institutes of Biblical Law - Rousas John Rushdoony: https://amzn.to/2H7z2Gc

Dominion - Tom Holland: https://amzn.to/3k8G1NF

Recos:

Paddington (2015): https://amzn.to/3o3WBR9

Decluttering

A Nail in a Sure Place - C.W. Powell, Jr.: https://amzn.to/3dzJB0C

Why are we supposed to honor our parents? What is this fatherhood thing, anyway? We know God as Father and Son--He is the source of these concepts. We'll also discuss motherhood and the role of tradition in Christian life and Pagan myth.

This episode features: The Fifth Commandment; Where Is That Written?; Unholy Tax Evasion; Let The Reader Understand; Should Mothers Monsters Prove; The Wisdom Of Proverbs; and Indiana Jones.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/30RXiTz-htz-41

Links:

The Doctrine of God - Herman Bavinck: https://amzn.to/2GBVzLm

Mark 7: https://www.esv.org/Mark+7/

Crash Course in World History - John Green: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Idol Swap: https://youtu.be/0gU35Tgtlmg

Deep Comedy - Peter Leithart: https://amzn.to/3jJ5NYq

2 Peter 1: https://www.esv.org/2+Peter+1/

Recos:

Missing from Action - M. Weldon Hardenbrook: https://amzn.to/2Fi4wsm

The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky: https://amzn.to/36Prv9C

Why You Can Believe the Bible - Voddie Baucham: https://youtu.be/G1XJ7DeR5fc

When God commanded Israel to "remember the Sabbath day," what were His purposes for society? We don't have a list of dos and don'ts for your Sunday, but with this episode we want to start you thinking about the patterns that the Fourth Commandment builds into our lives and our community.

This Episode Features: No Lists Of Rules For Sabbath-Keeping; Enough Of The Sarcasm; Happy Shovel Day; Liturgy In The Actual Religious Sense; Jurassic Park; and Toxic Hustle Culture.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3n67Wj3-htz-40

Links:

Groundhog Day (1993): https://amzn.to/3kNFfFE

Stargate SG-1 S04E06 - "Window of Opportunity": https://amzn.to/2HBs9wN

"Happy Days" - Pratt & McClain: https://youtu.be/9BOEb4ZN_jw

The End Is Always Near - Dan Carlin: https://amzn.to/36bAFNn

Jurassic Park (1993): https://amzn.to/2G1mqjE

Recos:

Libby App: https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/

The Whole Christ - Sinclair Ferguson: https://amzn.to/3jrNPci

Listening to Remember

Creature Comforts - Complete Series 1: https://youtu.be/YW2bSO2j6Lo

Today we're talking about the Third Commandment: what it means to "take" the name of Yahweh, and to do so in vain. God's will for how we use His name stands in stark contrast to a magical approach to words, names, and reality in general.

This Episode Features: Magic And The Name Of God; Sassy Demons; A Chicken And Egg Problem; Power Of Attorney; Don't Mess Around With Slim; Good Vibes; and Low-Level Threats To The Universe.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3kOmn9u-htz-39

Links:

Acts 19: https://www.esv.org/Acts+19/

The Civil War as a Theological Crisis - Mark Noll: https://amzn.to/3j9kt2M

Recos:

@lin.loves.stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lin.loves.stories/

Jigsaw Puzzles

Shakespearience - T.E. Breitenbach: https://amzn.to/307pQYK

Good Neighbors or The Good Life (1975-1977): https://amzn.to/341kakk

Join us for a talk about worship and tradition, as Bryan introduces us to the Regulative Principle of Worship--what it means, and what it doesn't mean. This is an area where legalism pops up on every side, as our sin nature really wants a list of rules to follow (or claim we've followed).

This Episode Features: The Regulative Principle; Skimming The Constantinopolitan Weeds; Bible Man; Traditionalism And Traditional Anti-traditionalism; The Whole Point Of Life; and The So-Called Middle Ages.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2FUFi33-htz-38

Links:

The Bibleman Adventure - Shattering the Prince of Pride: https://youtu.be/YjqoT281uRY

Recos:

Knowing Scripture - R.C. Sproul: https://amzn.to/2FCWk64

Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians - Chris R. Armstrong: https://amzn.to/2Hfikol

Greb Design Co.: https://ejgreb14.myportfolio.com/about-me

Five Solas Typography: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEahP_j3Yj/

The Second Commandment requires, in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism, that "We are not to make an image of God in any way, nor to worship him in any other manner than he has commanded in his Word." In other words, after settling the question of authority with the First Commandment, Yahweh establishes a principle of representation--how He intends to communicate to us, and how we are to offer Him homage. Spoiler: neither is by means of images.

This Episode Features: The Second Commandment; Gaston's Literary Preferences; Hocus Pocus; Metaphysical Hyperlinks; Stargate SG-1; Esmerelda the Gypsy; Neil Postman; and Amaretto Sours.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2ZxjEcu-htz-37

Links:

Esther 3:8: https://www.esv.org/Esther+3/

Acts 17:7: https://www.esv.org/Acts+17/

Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991): https://amzn.to/2UH1m6a

Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen: https://amzn.to/2ZwY9bM

1 Peter 3:15: https://www.esv.org/1+Peter+3/

Till We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/2RmRpsu

Stargate SG-1 vs Replicators: https://youtu.be/Z45Tpp9DBq4

John 14:8-14: https://www.esv.org/John+14/

John 6:66-71: https://www.esv.org/John+6/

"God Help the Outcasts" - Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame: https://youtu.be/gL0bcYXhFH4

Grandmother and the Priests - Taylor Caldwell: https://amzn.to/3isc8a1

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley: https://amzn.to/2BFaHET

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury: https://amzn.to/2YD6hHv

1984 - George Orwell: https://amzn.to/3fZ58Qr

Recos:

Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman: https://amzn.to/2ZxKTTZ

Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen: https://amzn.to/2ZwY9bM

"Healthy Snacks" - PEABOD: https://amzn.to/35vF7WY

Emily's Amaretto Sour Recipe