Life and Books and Everything

If you love long words like antidisestablishmentarianism and are looking for a deep dive into history, then this episode is for you. Jonathan is a professor at Samford University who specializes in the founding era of American history. He joins Kevin to talk about the 50 years process by which the American states ended their church establishments. Find out how it happened, why it happened, and why it did not happen (hint: it wasn’t because secularism was winning out over Christianity).

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro and Sponsor

1:09 Guest: Jonathan Den Hartog

4:56 Religion and Disestablishment in the American States

13:49 Secularism or Religious Liberty?

39:39 Presbyterian Perspectives

44:58 Freed from Worldly Cares

49:04 Liberal Religion in Massachusetts

54:11 "Doing History" 

Books:

Disestablishment and Religious Dissent: Church-State Relations in the New American States 

Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Second Coming of Christ  

In this fun, punchy, and (hopefully) edifying conversation, Kevin interviews his good friend, Mark Dever, about his conversion, his ministry on Capitol Hill, whether you have to be an extrovert to evangelize, and why Kevin likes G.K. Chesterton and Mark doesn’t.

Timestamps:

Intro, Guest, and Sponsor [0:00-4:21]

Does Membership Make Churches Unfriendly? [4:22-8:58]

Dever's Youth and Conversion [8:59-15:13]

Practicals for Evangelism [15:14-19:14]

Dever's Later Education [19:15-25:42]

Ministry in DC [25:43-36:16]

Dever's Influences [36:17-40:22]

Strengths and Weaknesses [40:23-44:10]

Presbyterians and Baptists [44:11-48:14]

Evangelicalism [48:15-55:12]

Was America founded on purely Christian principles and ideals? Or, were the founding fathers simply trying to prevent corruption and preserve the sanctity of consciousness?

In this article for WORLD opinions, Kevin discusses three observable pillars that make up the famous and crucial founding principles of America’s heritage.

The three amigos enter into a meandering conversation about Christian Nationalism and try to discern the level of the world’s hostility to the church in this cultural moment. They also make some political predictions and (most importantly) encourage Christian leaders that, whatever the winds blowing against us, the fundamental realities of ministry have not changed.

Timestamps:

Intro and Sponsor [0:00-1:30]

Sports Banter [1:31-2:51]

Election Predictions [2:52-10:35]

Christian Nationalism [10:36-33:12]

How Bad Are Things? [33:13-1:05:23]

Book Recommendations [1:05:24-1:13:44]

Books and Everything:

ESV Expositor's Commentary https://www.crossway.org/articles/introducing-the-esv-expository-commentary-series/

Ask Pastor John https://www.desiringgod.org/ask-pastor-john

Psalms Two Volume Set: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) https://a.co/d/d8zYc8m

ESV Expository Commentary: Psalms–Song of Solomon Volume 5 https://www.crossway.org/books/esv-expository-commentary-premiumhc-5/

Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America's Founding Ideas (America: a cultural history, Volume III) https://a.co/d/eWuCXan

Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture https://a.co/d/aX6nKPZ

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution https://a.co/d/8f8LjBF

The War on the West https://a.co/d/8DA8NKv

Albion's Seed (text only) illustrated edition edition by D. H. Fischer https://a.co/d/3ZAT9Qv

The Origins of American Religious Nationalism (Religion in America) https://a.co/d/cUmSZVq

The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate https://a.co/d/5U3SoF9

Reformation Day may be behind us, but a huge responsibility lies before us. The faith of the Reformation must be kept alive because the ideas Luther combatted are just as much present in our own day.

In this episode of Life and Books and Everything, Kevin reads from the article he wrote for WORLD Opinions on the modern world and its new forms of works righteousness.

Christians don’t just disagree on political principles or on a number of political conclusions. Christians disagree on how Christianity and politics relate to each other in the first place.

In this episode of Life and Books and Everything, Kevin reads his recent article in WORLD opinions, "Does Christianity Transcend All Our Political Disagreements?"

Have you ever wanted to sit down with an older godly pastor and just ask him about life for an hour? Well, that’s what Kevin tries to do with Sinclair in this wide-ranging conversation that talks about Scotland, America, books, preaching, Shetland ponies, Groundskeeper Willie, and the Queen.

Timestamps:

Intro and Sponsor [0:00-1:43]

Talking about Yourself [1:44-2:47]

A Scottish Perspective on the US [2:48-11:22]

Where Did Scotland Lose its Christian Heritage? [11:23-21:39]

Ministry in Scotland [21:40-36:42]

Ferguson and Murray [36:43-43:04]

Dead Mentors [43:05-44:09]

Aspiring to the Academy [44:10-49:54]

Sinclair's Greatest Impacts [49:55-52:39]

Writing: A Love-Hate Relationship [52:40-55:00]

Are Scots Dour and Cantankerous? [55:01-59:16]

Preaching for the Queen [59:17-1:06:42]

A Dog's Breakfast [1:06:43-1:08:05]

Links:

Theology for Ministry

https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/theology-for-ministry-how-doctrine-affects-pastoral-life-and-practice-9781629956558?variant=41604258365640

The Epistle to the Romans

https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/epistle-to-the-romans-9781955859035?variant=41473237811400

The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance―Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters https://a.co/d/a3RaCxc

The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology) https://a.co/d/76VeDQV

Too often Christian leaders lay impossible burdens on their people, insisting that they solve a host of social ills and become experts in a thousand different areas, forgetting to assure them that to get married, raise children in the church, and stay married is a life well lived.

In this episode of Life and Books and Everything, Kevin reads from the article he wrote for First Things where he makes the case that the most significant thing happening in the world may very well be a thing that is not happening: Men and women are not having children, and how Christians ought to respond.

Coming out of a consulting background, Aaron Renn is now a regular contributor to many important conversations among Christians and conservatives. In this interview, Kevin asks Aaron about the three worlds of evangelicalism and how we should think about elites. They also discuss where evangelicalism has faltered and where it has been too hard on itself.

Intro & Sponsor [0:00-1:37]

Guest: Aaron Renn [1:38-7:47]

Rose-Colored Rural Areas [7:48-10:29]

What Does Western Society Think of the Church? [10:30-23:50]

Evangelical Self-Flaggellation [23:51-26:50]

Do Evangelicals Lack Cultural Influence? [26:51-34:48]

The Evangelical "Middle-Class Mindset" [34:49-40:24]

A Call to Lay Intellectual Engagement [40:25-50:44]

Sponsor 2 [50:45-51:30]

Evangelicals and Elites [51:31-59:22]

Constantine and "Christian Nationalism" [59:23-1:08:31]

Final Plugs [1:08:32-1:10:39]

The Masculinist

Aaron Renn Substack

The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism - Matthew Continetti

The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 - George Nash

"The Tinkerings of Robert Noyce" - Tom Wolfe

To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World - James Davison Hunter

The Mortification of Sin - edited by Aaron M. Renn

With more than 50 books and hundreds of articles, not to mention scores of edited works, Don Carson has written a lot. In this retrospective on life and books and everything, Kevin asks Dr. Carson about his father, how he sees the state of the church, and what books he especially enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) writing. From Bible commentaries to books on current events to a grammar on Greek accents, Kevin explores the why, what, and how of Don’s remarkable writing career.

Timestamps:

Intro and Sponsor [0:00-1:40]

Guest: D.A. Carson [1:41- 5:48]

Book Discussions:

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor [5:49-18:33]

For the Love of God devotionals [18:34-24:48]

The Gospel According to John commentary [24:49-33:58]

The Gagging of God [33:59-45:55]

The Intolerance of Tolerance [45:56-48:42]

Sponsor 2 [48:43-49:32]

Most and Least Favorite Books [49:33-56:25]

How to Write Like D.A. Carson [56:26-1:02:19]

Exegetical Fallacies [1:02:20-1:04:50]

The Theme of Carson's Writing [1:04:51-1:09:30]

What Book(s) Does the Church Need? [1:09:31-1:13:46]

Books:

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson  

For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word, Volume 1 

For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word, Volume 2 

The Gospel according to John (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) 

The Gagging of God 

Praying with Paul

Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament  

The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures  

Exegetical Fallacies 

Christ and Culture Revisited 

An Introduction to the New Testament  

Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon 

Collected Writings on Scripture