Life and Books and Everything

It is hard to exaggerate the influence of Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987) in conservative Reformed circles over the past hundred years. And yet, there continues to be much discussion about what Van Til believed and how he meant for his apologetic ideas to be put into practice. Kevin welcomes Keith Mathison, from Reformation Bible College, to discuss his new book Toward a Reformed Apologetics: A Critique of the Thought of Cornelius Van Til (Mentor). Also joining Kevin is James Anderson, a leading Van Tilian philosopher and a fellow RTS Charlotte colleague. In this stimulating conversation, Kevin talks to Keith and James about what Van Til got right, where he made some mistakes, and whether Van Tilians and non-Van Tilians are all that different when it comes to defending the faith in practice.

Chapters:

0:00 Sponsors & Intro

4:50 Who was Van Til?

15:26 Van Til’s Theology

25:38 The Absolute Antithesis

40:00 Van Til’s Chief Epistemological Insight

53:03 Sponsor Break

54:41 The Question of Either/Or

59:33 Van Til’s view of the Trinity

1:18:06 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

ESV Teen Study Bible

Desiring God | Great Joy

Coram Deo Pastors Workshop

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

Toward a Reformed Apologetics: A Critique of the Thought of Cornelius Van Til

Recently, Steve Nichols spoke at the Faithful Conference, an annual conference for Christ Covenant Church. After giving a lecture on R.C. Sproul, Steve sat down with Kevin to talk about his own life and what he learned writing the biography of Sproul. Listen in as Kevin asks Steve about Sproul’s influences, his strengths and weaknesses, his friendships, and what made him such a uniquely gifted and inspiring teacher.

Chapters:

0:00 Sponsors & Intro

3:30 On Being From Pittsburgh

5:56 Tell Us About Your Family

7:27 From Pennsylvania to Florida

15:00 The Life and Ministry of R.C.

26:20 Sponsor Break

27:37 The Human Side of R.C.

33:53 What Would He Have Said?

44:14 Preaching Influences

Books & Everything:

The Biggest Story Family Devotional

Desiring God | The Great Eight

Coram Deo Pastors Workshop

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

Most Christians in conservative churches are familiar with Paul Tripp’s books. He’s one of the most popular authors in the church today, with a knack for applying the gospel to all of life. His devotional New Morning Mercies has been a consistent bestseller. Now Tripp has a new devotional, Everyday Gospel, that serves as a gospel commentary on the text of Scripture itself. Listen in as Kevin asks Paul about his writing process, his favorite books, and why he does what he does. Along the way, you’ll hear a few dramatic stories from Paul’s life and get his gospel encouragement for pastors and their congregations.

Chapters:

0:00 Sponsors

1:53 Welcome, Paul

4:34 On Mustaches and Painting

11:55 Everyday Gospel

41:30 Sponsor Break

43:10 Life & Ministry

1:07:02 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life

Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology

Desiring God | The Great Eight

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

A few months ago, a prominent American scholar, Matthew Avery Sutton, published an article arguing there is no “through line” from Christians of the past to today’s post-WWII evangelicals. In order to assess this argument, Kevin invited two scholars of the evangelical movement to join him: Andrew Atherstone from Oxford in England and David Ceri Jones from the University of Aberystwyth in Wales. Together, they explore where the term evangelical comes from, whether the thing we call “evangelicalism” is a recent invention, why people call themselves “evangelical,” the difference between Stott and Lloyd-Jones, the difference between evangelicalism in America, in England, and in Wales, and whether the word “evangelical” is worth retaining. Plus, you’ll hear Kevin’s fantastic idea for Andrew to adopt the slogan “Make Oxford Great Again.”

Chapters:

0:00 intro & Sponsors

4:00 Evangelical Identity

17:45 The Through-line to Evangelicalism

26:42 Evangelicalism Abroad

53:15 The Balancing Act

1:01:43 What is an Evangelical?

1:03:27 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

Here We Stand

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

Redefining the History and Historiography on American Evangelicalism in the Era of the Religious Right

Making Evangelical History

In his new book To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse, Carl Trueman argues that “Critical theory [sees] any notion of human nature as merely an ideological or social construct, a function of discourses of power.” Even though critical theory makes for dense reading, and is probably very little read by people in the pew, the ideas and assumptions of critical theory have shaped our world in undeniable ways. Listen in as Kevin and Carl talk about what critical theory is, where it came from, and how the church can provide a better, truer, and more beautiful alternative.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro & Sponsors

4:48 What Kind of Historian Are You?

9:03 Why Talk About These Things?

24:23 The Critical Question

46:04 Sponsor Break

47:46 How Do These Ideas Shape Christians?

1:02:43 Closing Questions

1:13:18 Until Next Time….

Books & Everything:

ESV Men's Study Bible

Here We Stand

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse

From Frankfurt to Fox: The Strange Career of Critical Theory

It’s not everyday you get to hear from the world’s expert on the Westminster Assembly (and who among us does not wish to know more about the Westminster Assembly?!). So sit back and enjoy this freewheeling conversation as Kevin and Chad talk about a guy named John Arrowsmith, the importance of pastoral hospitality, issues of church and state, and how Chad’s profession of faith split his childhood church. Lots of nerdy Presbyterian talk with the occasional mention of hot dogs as well.

Note: The church discussed in the podcast (around the 11-minute mark) that treated the pastor so badly is a long-ago defunct independent reformed church in Otterville, Ontario, and not any congregation of the Free Reformed churches of North America.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro & Sponsors

5:38 A Southerner From the North

8:23 Tell Us About Your Faith

16:58 The Westminster Assembly

32:05 Sponsor Break

33:42 Tell Us About John Arrowsmith

1:02:42 The Neglected Practice of Hospitality

1:13:55 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life

Crossway Plus

Here We Stand

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith

Plans for Holy War: How the Spiritual Soldier Fights, Conquers, and Triumphs

Listen as the two friends talk about the Land of Lincoln, about influential books and authors in their lives, and how the importance of friendship. You’ll get to learn more about Jason’s background, more about why he loves the PCA, and you’ll get to hear his great laugh.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro & Sponsors

7:41 Hip-hop-Helopoulos

10:32 Administration and Leadership in Pastoral Ministry

26:16 More About Jason

40:10 On the PCA

45:38 Band of Brothers

54:18 Sponsor Break

56:08 Lessons From Ministry

1:05:22 Books

1:11:47 Personal Updates

1:15:41 Who is Laughing at Who?

1:19:41 How Many Wins for Da Bears?

1:20:32 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions

Crossway Plus

Puritan Treasures for Today

Westminster Theological Seminary Biblical Language Certificate

Persistent Prayer (Blessings of the Faith)

Covenantal Baptism (Blessings of the Faith)

Expository Preaching (Blessings of the Faith)

Reformed Worship (Blessings of the Faith)

Reformed Theology (Blessings of the Faith)

Church Membership (Blessings of the Faith)

The New Pastor's Handbook: Help and Encouragement for the First Years of Ministry

The Preacher's Portrait: Five new Testament Word Studies

The Shepherd Leader at Home: Knowing, Leading, Protecting, and Providing for Your Family

An Able and Faithful Ministry: Samuel Miller and the Pastoral Office

After a summer hiatus, the fellas are back together to kick off a new season of LBE. If you always look forward to the sports banter with these three, then you will LOVE this episode. You get a deep dive on the Olympics, including what makes them so joyful, what other countries besides America to root for, and whether other countries use Americans to announce their sports. After four years-worth of Olympics-related chatter, the three amigos turn their attention to more familiar fare: an enjoyable book they read over the summer and how to become better writers.

Books & Everything:

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions

Crossway Plus

The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels about You

1861: The Civil War Awakening

Theo of Golden

Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction

The Writing Tools

The Writer’s Diet

Kevin is joined once again by his friends—and by now, only somewhat special guests—Justin and Collin. Listen in as the three amigos talk about books, summer plans, and what they are grateful for. Once again, you’ll find that the guys hit that sweet spot that combines ephemeral chatter and over-long monologues.

Books & Everything:

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions

ESV Teen Study Bible

Shaman and Sage: The Roots of “Spiritual but Not Religious” in Antiquity

Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975

Churchill: Walking with Destiny

The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness

Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistoric Age

Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300

They Flew: A History of the Impossible

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

The American Revolution: A History

The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783

Final Pagan Generation: Rome's Unexpected Path to Christianity

Select Letters of John Newton

The Joy of Preaching

Expository Reflections on the Gospels

The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union

After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy

A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living (Learning to Live)

We live in a day where authority is often rebuffed and where many people are quick to assume all authority is abusive authority. And yet, some authority is abusive. But the antidote to bad authority is not “no authority” but “good authority.” Kevin welcomes Jonathan Leeman, editorial director for 9Marks, into the virtual studio to talk about Jonathan’s new book Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing. You’ll hear real life examples of good authority in action, and you’ll hear how authority can sadly be used for evil. Whether you exercise authority or sit under authority (and we all do some of both), you’ll be interested to listen in as two friends chat away on this important topic.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro & Sponsors

2:45 The Blessing and Danger of Authority

14:08 Perspectives on Authority

35:37 Alternative Interpretations of Authority

50:34 Authority, Wisdom, and Leadership

1:00:33 Until Next Time…

Books & Everything:

ESV Spiral-Bound Journaling Bible, Five-Volume Set

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing