Mortification of Spin

If you are looking to be inspired the Mortification of Spin team is on task to speak to your mind.  In light of the release of “Heaven is For Real” last week, the team asks important questions about how the church should do evangelism.  While Americans tend to be drawn toward the sensational and the inspiring, the Bible sufficiently teaches that the gospel is to be communicated by ordinary means. Think cross, not glitter. If you have enjoyed this weeks Bully Pulpit the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer The True Word by R.C. Sproul.

After taking care of the official business of making Aimee "one of the guys," the hosts get into a discussion of Easter and its celebration in churches. Is Easter a pagan holiday? It is necessary for pastors to preach the resurrection, so its focus on Easter shouldn't be abnormal, but it should certainly be emphasized. Listen in to hear the gang's thoughts on Easter, chocolate bunnies, lent, and government-regulated nutritional guidelines. For the Easter season the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has  offered this generous gift The Theology of the Cross. Use coupon code, 9ydunu, to redeem this great MP3 set. Only available to US and Canada addresses.

"Gospel-centered" desserts: transforming the culture, or confusing Gospel categories? This "excessively Kuyperian" approach to the Christian life seems to seek to make a vocation Christian, instead of one being a Christian in a vocation. We do not need to "Christianize" things in order to be faithful Christians. Instead of trying to "transform" or "redeem" our vocations, Christians should seek to be the best bakers, mechanics, and rock-and-roll superstars they can be, to the glory of God. All else is a cheap imitation of the true duty of the church. Listen to Carl, Todd, and Aimee briefly discuss these weighty matters of the Christian life. Downlaod the free MP3 message Growing Your Christian Life, Part 1 by Sinclair Ferguson.Also available are Growing Your Christian Life, Part 2 and Growing Your Christian Life, Part 3.Growing Your Christian Life is also available as a CD set.

How does God speak to us today? How do we understand the sufficiency of God's Word? Carl, Aimee, and Todd take Sarah Young's popular devotional "Jesus Calling" to task. In it, Young claims to need more than Scripture to hear from God and has written words "from Jesus" she heard outside of her Bible study. The "Spin Doctors" mortify the book, a product of modern individualism, and offer a few replacement suggestions. What responsibilities do pastors have in confronting this kind of book, or any cultural artifact with which their congregations are interacting?  Free MP3 Audio download from the Alliance of Confessing EvangelicsA Busy Man's Devotional Life by James Boice    Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions by Starr Meade       Communion with God by John Owen

With many states moving to legalize marijuana churches may now and certainly will soon have to deal with congregants smoking pot. Does the Bible allow for use of substances like marijuana? What part does a Christian's freedom play in the use of the drug? How should churches respond? Carl, Todd, and Aimee debate the moral and ecclesiastical ramifications of smoking pot. If you found this Bully Pulpit interesting, the Aliiance of Confessing Evangelicals has a free resource for you. How Low Can You Go? by James Boice

Sin. Loss. Deprivation. Law. Grace. Aimee, Todd, and Carl are joined by author and counselor Barbara Duguid on this installment of Mortification of Spin. Barbara is author of the book "Extravagant Grace," and grace is the topic at hand. How are Christians to reconcile on-going, indwelling sin with Christ's unrelenting "extravagant" grace? Listen in to learn more.  Winners of Extravagant Grace by Barbara DuguidD. Yarmosh - Charlotte, NCS. Johnson - Ruckersville, VAJ. Hartley - Huron, OHH. Okrafka - Cambridge, OND. Chia - Devon, PAT. Strawhecker - Lincoln University, PAM. Heatwole - Harrisonburg, VAS. Trautman - Abingdon, MDB. Wilson - Charlotte, NC  Mentioned on "Extravagant Grace"Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks     Letters of John Newton by John Newton     Communion with God by John Owen

The Spin team hit up their local Christian bookstore to browse the shelves and peruse the contents of some popular books. Based on the message of these books, the American Church is in danger of forgetting the truth of the Bible: we are wretched sinners in need of an amazingly gracious Savior. Along with that, the state of women's literature is abysmal, and lacks robust theology, distilling the reality that women must be learned Christians. It's always imperative for Christians to read quality, biblical literature. Listen in for some reading suggestions and tips for discerning books that are worth your time.  dowload for our free MP3 Thinking and Acting Biblically by Philip Ryken   Here are some recommended resources that can be purchased here:Housewife Theologian: How the Gospel Interrupts the Ordinary  by Amiee Byrd     A Christian Primer by Timothy Cross     Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology by James Boice

What is the purpose of a robust theology if it cannot serve to practically help the believer? How does that theology play into God's sovereignty through our suffering? Aimee, Todd, and Carl talk with pastor and cancer survivor Paul Wolfe about his battle with cancer and its impact on his relationships with Christ and the congregation he serves. Paul also discusses the importance of the local church body in helping on cope with trial and suffering. Listen now!  Winners of Paul Wolfe's title My God is True! J. Scheurer - Leavenworth, KSJ. Olivetti - West Lafayette, INM. Debowski - New Boston, NHA. Kelly - Corona, CA  Mentioned on Mortification of Spin.  My God is True! by Paul Wolfe     Setting Our Sights on Heaven: Why Its Hard and Why its Worth it by Paul Wolfe

This edition of the Mortification of Spin marks the inauguration of a new game: Bully Pulpit Challenge! Carl, Aimee, and Todd respond to a listener's email asking for a critique of an interview that "pastor" Carl Lentz gave recently. In this image-obsessed world, many times churches feel the need to bow to the image idols and create environments that are completely foreign to the mindset of biblical Christianity. There are many who claim to be pastors but deny God's Word through their words and actions. Why do we continue to give these people a platform, and why do we give credence to their voices? To use a forbidden phrase, the whole thing is "utterly ridiculous.."Interview with Carl Lentz   The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled A Catholic Church by Mark Dever.

Aimee, Carl, and Todd like to push buttons, and this week’s installment of the Mortification of Spin is no different as they discuss sexual ethics. Our current cultural milieu is one which exalts sexual behavior, and to speak out against it is seen as heresy. But where does it stop? When will we take our stand? The gang helps to vocalize some of these major concerns, and attempts some answers to the cultural pressure.   Enjoy this free resource from the Alliance of Confessing EvangelicalsThe traditional chronology was love, marriage, sex, and baby. It was like the old schoolyard rhyme: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes someone in a baby carriage." The new chronology is a plot for postmodern times: sex, baby, marriage, and love. It is almost exactly backwards, except that the baby comes after the sex. But this is simple biology, and not even Harlequin can change the way God made us. The new romances turn romantic relationships upside down, making sex the basis for love, and separating procreation from marriage.Dowload the free pdf The New Harlequin Romance by Philip Ryken. The Social Costs of Pornography: A Statement of Findings and Recommendations     Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain by William Struthers