Mortification of Spin

Along with the preached word, there’s another important aspect central to the life of a church: how the members of the body interact throughout the week.

Tony Payne heads the Center for Christian Living at Moore College in Sydney, Australia. He’s also a director at Matthias Media. One of Tony’s most well-known books is The Trellis and the Vine, but today he’s been summoned to the bunker to chat up his work in progress, addressing speech in the Christian community.

How does speech—outside of the formal worship service—shape, inform, and impact the Christian community? In his work, Tony considers how members of the body should minister to one another for the purpose of edification by considering how several passages in the New Testament apply to today’s church.

The crew huddles in the bunker to discuss a two-volume work that has gotten a lot of attention since its publication last summer. The Devil’s Redemption by Michael McClymond is a thorough, scholarly work and honest critique of Universalism in all its forms.

Is Universalism the same as Christian Universalism? It’s important to observe how popular evangelicalism has been affected by strands of seemly incomparable traditions, producing an almost unnoticeable Universalism in Christian churches today.

The discomfort that comes with the idea of hell, coupled with the notion that Jesus will eventually save everyone, brings serious compromise to a biblical understanding of God’s grace.

At first glance, drinking coffee or watching birds on a telephone wire might not inspire a sense of wonder. But can we find more in these ordinary moments?

Pierce Taylor Hibbs is the associate director of the Theological English Department at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and he’s joined the conversation to help us recognize the sacred in that which may seem mundane. Pierce has written Finding God in the Ordinary, offering reflections on (re)training the mind to see creation through the lens of Scripture, in all its awesomeness. Is it possible to see God’s hand in this fallen world when dealing with things like anxiety and death? Hibbs provides a helpful and nuanced perspective.

The lines of battle are drawn early in this debate, as Todd accuses Carl and Aimee of being too “inclusive,” and Carl and Todd indict Aimee for being, well…female. Sounds like a typical day in the bunker!

More importantly, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, along with Covenant Presbyterian and P&R Publishing, are joining forces to host Gender, Sexuality, and What it Means to be Human—the Blue Ridge Bible Conference in Harrisonburg, VA on March 29th and 30th. Tim Geiger, president of Harvest USA, is the special guest speaker, while Carl and Todd are just along for the ride.

How are we to think of ourselves as persons? How does one consider gender and the moral status of sexual attraction in light of Scripture? Society’s views on sexuality have been changing rapidly, but the roots of such changes are certainly old and deep. Plan to attend, and meet the crew at the conference!

Carl is on his very best behavior today—his boss is in the house!

David Ayers is professor of sociology, and interim provost of Grove City College. He joins us, not to talk about Carl’s performance at work (which could be very interesting), but about his own recent work: Christian Marriage: A Comprehensive Introduction.

What makes this book distinctive? David addresses marriage, not simply from a philosophical perspective, but sociologically as well. He looks at the definition and the purpose of marriage, going back to God’s original design, as stated in major orthodox confessions and doctrinal standards.

Adding a bit of heat to the mix, the conversation turns to the place of children in marriage, and a few suggestions on how to make wise decisions regarding a prospective spouse. You’re also about to find out Carl’s new “suggested” title and position at the college. As always, the podcast is worth the price of admission!