As more and more authors began challenging the Bible and its teachings, Christians needed to respond with honesty and clarity. Some Christian writers rose to the task, leaving an example for others to follow. One of these was B.B. Warfield, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. And his life is very interesting, as you will see! Join Linus, Grace, and Sean as they discover more about Warfield and his answers to these challenges, with the help of Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, pastor emeritus of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California.

Thanks to the generosity of Reformed Fellowship, we are pleased to offer a copy of Simonetta Carr’s Biography for Young Readers about B.B. Warfield. Enter here to win.

During Herman Bavinck's life and for many years afterward, he was well known mainly in the Netherlands, where he was born. But today, people around the world are discovering his writings and realizing their importance. Why is that? In part, it's because Bavinck faced new challenges with honesty and humility, without compromising his Christian beliefs. Today, as we face many new challenges, we can learn a lot from Bavinck. Join Linus, Leia, and Sean as they share their excitement about this great theologian with Dr. John Bolt, professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Thanks to the generosity of Reformed Fellowship, we are pleased to offer two copies of Herman Bavinck by Simonetta Carr. Enter here to win.

Show Notes:

Dr. Bolt had some additional notes about Bavinck to share with our listeners:

The Industrial Revolution brought much progress but created greater poverty and harsh living conditions for the workers, and the church could not look away. A man who led the church in a program of relief for the poor was the Scottish pastor Thomas Chalmers. Find out how he was able to do this as Linus, Grace, and Sean talk with Sandy Finlayson, author of Chief Scottish Man: The Life and Ministry of Thomas Chalmers.

Thanks to the generosity of Evangelical Press, we are pleased to offer two copies of Chief Scottish Man: The Life and Ministry of Thomas Chalmers by Sandy Finlayson. Enter here to win.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the teachings of three men changed the way many people thought about life and the world. These teachings still have a huge influence today. Who were these men, and what do these teachings mean for us? Join us as Grace, Sean, and Isaac explore the answers to these questions with Dr. Michael Lee, professor of Early American History and chair of the History Department at Eastern University.

Did you know that as late as 1850, people in Italy could still be arrested for owning a Bible and imprisoned for giving Bibles to others? This is what happened to a Florentine couple who were arrested for owning two copies of the Bible, and were imprisoned under suspicion that they were reading it or distributing it to others. And this was not an isolated story. The Roman Catholic Church could even kidnap children from Jewish or Protestant families! How did Protestants survive this difficult time, and when did it end? Find out answers to all this and more as Grace, Sean, and Isaac talk with Dr. Mario Cignoni, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Italy and author of many books.

Show notes

Articles written by Simonetta Carr about this time period:

https://placefortruth.org/francesco-and-rosa-madiai/

https://placefortruth.org/bible-italy-council-trent-italian-republic/

Have you ever heard Roman Catholics say that the pope is infallible? It sounds like something they always believed, but in reality, this became their official teaching only in 1870! What did they believe before then, and why did they add this to their list of teachings? And why did the Roman Catholic Church oppose Bible societies? Explore these questions and more with Grace, Sean, and Isaac as they talk with Dr. Leonardo De Chirico, pastor of the church Breccia di Roma, in Rome, Italy, and Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance.

Show Notes

https://www.brecciadiroma.it/

Our young hosts have just finished their exploration of church history in the 18th century and have a lot to say about their discoveries and lessons learned. Like other wrap-up episodes, it is great fun for everyone involved! It's also an occasion to welcome our new host, Isaac, and to say goodbye to three pillars of the podcast: Emma, Trinity, and Sophia, who have just turned 18 or will turn 18 soon. Feel free to send a note to these lovely young ladies, and we'll be sure to pass it along! 

It's almost Christmas, and the song "Joy to the World" is playing everywhere! But did you know that its author, Isaac Watts, never meant it as a Christmas song? And did you know that he faced some opposition when he proposed that Christians can sing more than just the biblical Psalms? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Grace, Isaac, and Sean talk with our expert, Rev. Jonathan Landry Cruse, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, MI, and author of many books.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at 10ofThose Publishing, we are pleased to award one of our listeners a copy of Jonathan Cruse's book, Sing in Exultation: A Christmas Devotional Exploring Our Favorite Carols. Enter here to win. Congratulations to Cherith N. from Greenville, SC!

Show Notes:

Several past episodes of Kids Talk Church History were mentioned today. Check out our website to listen to some of them: https://alliancenet.org/broadcasts/ktch/

More Jonathan Cruse books: https://reformedresources.org/authors/jonathan-cruse/

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and we usually hear two different types of stories about the early European settlers in America. Some are about a group of pious and peaceful Pilgrims who came to find religious freedom. The others are about greedy Europeans who used Christianity to take advantage of Native Americans. Join Trinity, Sean, and Grace as they explore the true story of the relations between Puritans and Native Americans with their guest, Dr. Matthew Tuininga, Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity at Calvin Theological Seminary in Michigan, and author of the book, The Wars of the Lord, The Puritan Conquest of America’s First People.

Show Notes:

Here is a link to Dr. Tuininga’s book if you’d like to find out more about this fascinating topic!

Many of us have heard of Jonathan Edwards and the American revival known as the Great Awakening. Usually remembered for his sermon with the scary title: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," there is so much more to say about Jonathan Edwards. He was not just a pastor and theologian. He was also a missionary, a biographer, and the president of a college. Today, he is regarded as one of North America's most brilliant minds. Find out more about Jonathan Edwards as Trinity, Grace, and Sean talk with Dr. Oliver Crisp, Professor of Analytic Theology at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland.

Thanks to the generosity of Reformed Fellowship, we are pleased to award a copy of Simonetta's biography of Jonathan Edwards, written for young readers, to Dana T. from Leesburg, VA. Congratulations!

Reformed Fellowship is dedicated to the publication and distribution of Reformed materials, and they are excited to offer a line of children's materials for the first time since their founding in 1951.

Show Notes:

Dr. Crisp’s favorite book by Jonathan Edwards is The Freedom of the Will. 

In addition to being a learned scholar, Dr. Crisp is a talented artist. In fact, the painting of Jonathan Edwards used for our episode today was actually created by Dr. Crisp!