Knowing God

This week, the guys talk about what it means that God has wrath. He is not simply out of control, but his wrath is tied to his justice AND his grace. The good news is that Jesus bears the wrath of God for us. 

Aaron's recommendation: John Piper, When I Don't Desire God, https://smile.amazon.com/When-Dont-Desire-God-Redesign/dp/1433543176/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F6EFI1YVXEMD&dchild=1&keywords=john+piper+when+i+dont+desire+god&qid=1633289350&sprefix=john+piper+when+i+don%2Caps%2C250&sr=8-1

This week, the guys consider God's justice, and how it can work together with God's grace.

Tony's recommendation: Dante's Divine Comedy! https://smile.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=dante+divine+comedy&qid=1632684846&sr=8-6

Read along with him at https://100daysofdante.com. 

Grace is something the guys talk about all the time, so they relished the opportunity to spend a whole pod on one of their favorite topics. Listen as they discuss the meaning of grace and its significance for our lives today.

Tony's recommendation: "The Moth Joke" by Norm Macdonald, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxD3pT8C9-A&t=247s. But really, just search his name on YouTube.

Two good remembrances: First, "Norm Macdonald, Comedy Legend," by Theodore Kupfer https://www.city-journal.org/remembering-norm-macdonald-comedy-legend, and second, "Goodbye, Norm Macdonald," by Aaron Belz, https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2021/09/goodbye-norm-macdonald/

We all know that God is love, as the Apostle John and Marvin Gaye taught us. But what does that actually mean? The guys discuss that this week as they continue to seek to understand and worship our God.

Tony's recommendation: None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett, https://smile.amazon.com/None-Greater-Undomesticated-Attributes-God/dp/0801098742/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=none+greater&qid=1631238997&sr=8-1

This week, the guys may or may not (probably not) display their own wisdom, but of one thing they are sure: God is wise. And that has a lot of bearing on our own lives today.

Aaron's recommendation: American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism by Matthew Avery Sutton, https://smile.amazon.com/American-Apocalypse-History-Modern-Evangelicalism/dp/067497543X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2BAXUBFIMR549&dchild=1&keywords=american+apocalypse&qid=1630625059&sprefix=american+apoc%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-2

How great is our God? No, seriously, how great is he? This week, the guys consider God's majesty and glory. It turns out, he is pretty great!

Tony's recommendation: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman, https://smile.amazon.com/Field-Blood-Violence-Congress-Civil/dp/1250234581/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=field+of+blood&qid=1630266421&sr=8-1

One of the core teachings of (small-o) orthodox Christianity is God's immutability—God does not change. What does that mean? What does the Bible say? Why does it matter? This week, the guys discuss this aspect of God from J. I. Packer's book Knowing God.

Aaron's recommendation: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke, https://smile.amazon.com/Ways-Your-Phone-Changing-You/dp/1433552434/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tony+reinke&qid=1629738662&sr=8-3

This week, we continue going through J.I. Packer's Knowing God, discussing the incarnation of Jesus Christ, including why it matters that Jesus Christ, very God of very God, became like us in every way except without sin.

Aaron's recommendation: The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America by Frances FitzGerald, https://smile.amazon.com/Evangelicals-Struggle-Shape-America/dp/1439131341/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6HCM1Y8U5SCK&dchild=1&keywords=evangelicals+fitzgerald&qid=1628609440&sprefix=evangelicals+%2Caps%2C442&sr=8-1

We're back! This week, begin a discussion through the classic book by J. I. Packer Knowing God. (Hey, he stole our name!) What does it mean to really know God? Listen to find out!

Tony's recommendation: Read Knowing God along with us! Buy it here: https://smile.amazon.com/Knowing-God-IVP-Signature-Collection/dp/0830848614/ref=sr_1_1?crid=256DA0VWFEGD1&dchild=1&keywords=knowing+god+by+j.i.+packer&qid=1628450384&sprefix=knowing+god%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-1

Or, attend MVC East Campus next weekend, which meets at Reyburn Intermediate at 10 a.m., and purchase it there for cheaper than the Amazon price!

This week, the guys talk to Matthew Ford, a PhD candidate in Latin American History at Stony Brook University about the recent decision to replace the plaque at Wheaton College commemorating the death of Jim Elliot and Ed McCully because of its insensitive language to native peoples. We get into what those missionaries were doing there, how they went about evangelizing, and what our approach to missions should be. It was a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it!

Matt's recommendations: God in the Rainforest: A Tale of Martyrdom and Redemption in Amazonian Ecuador by Kathryn T. Long, https://smile.amazon.com/God-Rainforest-Martyrdom-Redemption-Amazonian/dp/0190608986/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KVQI2X0IWRVL&dchild=1&keywords=god+in+the+rainforest+kathryn+long&qid=1626987243&sprefix=kathryn+long+go%2Caps%2C245&sr=8-1

Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire?: The Wycliffe Bible Translators in Latin America by David Stoll, https://smile.amazon.com/Fishers-Founders-Empire-David-Stoll/dp/0862321115/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1626987261&sr=8-1

Here is a link to the article Tony mentioned in the pod: "The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy," by Robert D. Woodberry, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41495078