Mortification of Spin

Once again, we haunt the halls of Van Til as it's time for the annual Preaching Conference at Westminster Theological Seminary. Much to our delight (and surprise!), they've invited us back. However, we know better than to think we're the hot commodity when sharing the stage with the likes of Rev. David Helm. Rev. Helm is founding pastor of Hyde Park congregation of Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, and Chairman of the Charles Simeon Trust. Also an avid author, he's written many resources aiding the spiritual growth and development of Christians young and old. This year's conference is about sermon preparation and Rev. Helm is well worth the listen and a great improvement from the balding alternatives.

You should confess all your lustful thoughts to your spouse...

Is this a good idea? Unfortunately, this advice is being encouraged (and even taken!) within the evangelical world and Carl, Aimee & Todd discuss their concerns, teasing out the collateral damage such confessionals could cause. The whole crew agrees: There's good reason why we can’t read each other’s minds! Should we leave every idle thought only to God? Whether you're navigating the seas of singleness, dabbling in dating, entering engagement or managing marital bliss this is an important conversation to consider.

We have Dr. Timothy Witmer with us today, and what a story he has to tell! Dr. Witmer is an author and Westminster Theological Seminary professor of Practical Theology. He's also a "Moses" figure for leading St. Stephen Reformed Church, a once United Church of Christ church, to the PCA (or "Promised Land", though Carl & Aimee may beg to differ with Todd on that!). Being a preacher and a teacher of preachers for many years, Dr. Witmer lends a seasoned perspective from the podium to the pulpit and shares the tale leading a congregation to Reformed theology. What a good reminder to us all how God chooses to use his people as a means to fulfill his kingdom purpose.

"Who did you vote for?" It's a loaded question, but for Carl he simply pulls the green card. So is there such a thing as piety in the poll booth? How should Christians vote? In our recent presidential election, Carl, Aimee & Todd sniff out some sloppy theology that surfaced during and after the vote, and they share pros and cons to Trump's future leadership. Thankfully for the Christian, our hope and firm foundation is not found in a mortal man or woman or a political party ... no matter who goes "home" to the White House, we know who reigns on high.

Today's guest is a Billy Graham wanna-be, city-slickin' Scotsman who believes in emoticons but struggles with social cues. He invited himself to our recording to eat all our pastries and lingered while we interviewed two guests. He's none other than Liam Goligher, Senior Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, and now two-time guest/delinquent on our little show, (the latter being his greater accomplishment).

Thankfully he does know a thing or two about preaching a sound sermon so we asked him (in between each scone): How were you called to preach? What are common mistakes made behind the pulpit? Can you actually teach a man to preach? Aside from hearing him answer these, it's well worth the listen to find out what celebrity used his office loo once upon a time…