Evangelicals are renowned for using crazy-sounding adjectives to highlight the outlandish nature of God’s grace. This is often appropriate when speaking of God's love, but an overuse of such language potentially opens Christians up to progressive infiltration of the Gospel. Under the auspices of God’s grace being so “outrageous” that it overcomes all prior categories, some professing “evangelicals” are now saying repentance is simply “optional” and that some sin is not actually sin, after all. Might this actually devalue the outrageousness of grace by undermining the power of the Incarnation and the Cross? Whilst relishing God’s wonderful grace remains key, how do we stop this emphasis from condoning sin on our terms?

RESOURCES:

- https://www.terryvirgo.org/series/gods-lavish-grace/

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (1937)

- John Stott, The Cross of Christ (1986)

- https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/why-sex-outside-marriage-is-not-a-salvation-issue/16880.article

- https://www.premierchristianity.com/apologetics/from-islam-to-atheism-to-christianity-the-unlikely-conversion-of-ayaan-hirsi-ali/16741.article

CLOSING MUSIC

- "Little Town of Bethlehem" by Kate Rusby, from her album "While Mortals Sleep"

In these secular times, Christmas is ever in danger of being hijacked by the fairy-lit glitz of advertising and consumerism. Christians often find themselves dragged into alternative versions of Christmas which bear little connection to the Christian story.

But while Christians rightly lament the problem of worldly materialism, are there also dangers that we also miss something vital about the “material” nature of what Christmas actually is, at heart? How might we remain both holy and merry at Christmas? How might we enjoy good gifts with gratitude without being sucked into a self-indulgent vortex? And what does Andy Bannister refuse to have in his lounge …? Find out in this special episode of Pod of the Gaps!

RESOURCES:

- C.S. Lewis, “Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter From Herodotus” (1954)

- Douglas Wilson, "God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas Is the Foundation for Everything" (2012)

- Andrew Isker, "The Boniface Option: A Strategy for Christian Counter-Offensive in a Post-Christian Nation" (2023)

**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs. Your support helps cover our hosting fees, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****

In this wide-ranging special episode of Pod of the Gaps we cover a number of vital issues in/around the challenges of leadership, mission, apologetics, and ministry. In particular, Andy Bannister and Joe Boot both reflect on their similar experiences of working as directors for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. These reflections include the problematic patterns they noticed in the organization long before the worst came became visible; the dilemmas of working for “family-run” organizations where asking questions is discouraged; the ways making/keeping money can corrupt vision and principles longer term. They reflect not only on what went wrong, but also on what lessons can be learned for the future in all sorts of ways. We also talk about Joe Boot’s insightful book, "Ruler of Kings", which seeks to reclaim a robust vision of the kingdom in all spheres of life, society, education, and politics. We discuss the different approaches that may be taken in advancing the vital course of mission in these troubled times for the Church in the West.

NOTES:

- Joe’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruler-Kings-Toward-Christian-Government/dp/1916121136

- Aaron’s review of Joe’s book: https://americanreformer.org/2023/09/the-return-of-the-kingdom/

- Ezra Centre: www.ezrainstitute.com

- Solas Centre: https://www.solas-cpc.org/about/

The Israel / Gaza conflict generates all sorts of political and religious opinions in recent times, with many Christian leaders (including the Archbishop of Canterbury) seeming to follow the popular left-wing consensus of calling for an immediate ceasefire. Whilst this might seem the obvious course of action, is it really the best option? Whilst all wars bring tragedy, are all wars avoidable? When does peacekeeping maintain conflict in other ways? And how does this "ceasefire" approach to conflict mirror the recent events of the Anglican Synod as it pushes through its controversial plans to bless same-sex relationships? What are the consequences of churches “surrendering” churches to the cultural Zeitgeist? And how might Christians prepare themselves for when they find they can bear the compromises in their denomination no longer?

**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****

NOTES

* Allison, C. FitzSimons, "The Cruelty of Heresy: An Affirmation of Christian Orthodoxy" (London: SPCK, 1994)

* https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/britain-should-back-a-ceasefire/

* https://thatgoodfight.substack.com/p/but-we-both-believe-the-bible

In recent years forces have been gathering to stand up and push back against the progressive (“Woke”) revolution in the modern West. The infamous Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson has been at the heart of this, recently launching the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC). In this special episode, we engage with one of his viral speeches from the inaugural ARC conference and dissect it piece by piece. Whilst there is much to rejoice in about such conversations happening today, there are also hidden problems, including the move towards deism and religious pluralism. How should Christians be thinking about these perspectives? How can we encourage one another to take more responsibility without losing the heart of the Gospel in the process?

**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****

RESOURCES

* Jordan Peterson's full talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84kKxtZI0l0

* Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC): https://www.arcforum.com

For many Westerners today it would be “unthinkable” to not have a legal right to abortion. But for Christians, shouldn’t abortion itself be as “unthinkable” as chattel slavery? What can churches and pro-life organisations do to change public opinion on abortion?

In this special episode of Pod of the Gaps we’re joined by John Deighan, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children to discuss current visions, challenges, and strategies within the pro-life movement. In what ways might we challenge abortion not just rationally and politically, but also emotionally and imaginatively?

Resources/Links

Nathan Hitchen, "You've Been Framed: A New Primer for the Marriage Debate": https://bit.ly/46BYXwr

Chris Rose, "What Makes People Tick – The Three Hidden Worlds of Settlers, Prospectors and Pioneers" (Matador, 2011)

SPUC: https://www.spuc.org.uk

An age-old tension within many churches is the extent to which they can or should join in with the reams of "para-church" organizations, mission agencies, charities, and evangelistic enterprises that do not fall under the governance of the Church but often seem to be far more fruitful in mission.

Whilst the answer may seem obvious, it brings up far more questions and connects to numerous related issues. What is a church? Is it any group of faithful believers who happen to be on mission together within a given context? Do we even have a Biblical precedent for para-church? If we give our best energies to organizations beyond the Church, does this not undermine the local church's missional purpose? How can para-church enthusiasts retain a genuine love for and commitment to the local church whilst pioneering new ventures beyond it? Can local churches do more to support para-churches too? How might church leaders be challenged to be less territorial, recovering the apostolic heart for mission both within and beyond their local context?

All this and more on this packed episode of Pod of the Gaps!

RESOURCES:

- Terry Virgo, Restoration in the Church (Kingsway, 1985)

- Rhys Laverty, "Pastors all the Way Down" The New Albion Pastors All the Way Down? - by Rhys Laverty (substack.com)

- Jon Bloom, "What is a Parachurch Ministry?" https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-a-parachurch-ministry

- https://www.solas-cpc.org/about/

- https://www.spuc.org.uk/About-Us/What-We-Do

One of the most defining things about Christians is that we sing songs together. The kind of songs we sing, and the way we sing them, has an incredible impact on a Christian's life, faith, and theology. Contemporary band-led worship services often result in a set of expectations for what can or can't be sung, similarly to the older tradition of a particular order of hymn-singing. There is, however, a far broader range of worship expression to be found throughout Scripture and church history, with not only a deeper theological focus, but numerous challenging themes we often ignore, such as divine triumph, judgement, lament, and exuberance. What can individuals, families, and congregations do to aid our times of worship together? Should we be singing different kinds of songs? Are there patterns we ought to avoid ... or rediscover? What about the relationship between the spiritual and the aesthetic, and the Word and the Spirit? And what about when we just don't feel like singing at all?

When speaking about fatherhood, it is common to neutralise the role played by fathers within a household. Due to various societal and ecclesial differences of opinion we tend to equivocate over precisely what fathers are for, and what they are supposed to do. Following on from the previous episode which discussed the loss of fatherhood in general, this episode sees Andy and Aaron each live-reveal to one another three key points each on what they believe is crucial for what fathers are for, and unpack a little about how fatherhood plays out in practice.

RESOURCES:

Warren Farrell, "The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It"

Nancy Pearcey, "The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes"

Doug Wilson, "Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families"

**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****

In our society, fatherhood is under attack. The crisis of masculinity leads many fathers to abdicate their responsibility for their children, and for those around them. Men are regularly condemned for aspiring to the virtues that once inspired good men to be good fathers. What do we lose when fatherhood is reviled? What is the impact of feminism on how fatherhood is seen today? How can churches encourage and teach fathers to model good fatherhood well?

RESOURCES:

Warren Farrell, "The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It"

Nancy Pearcey, "The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes"

Doug Wilson, "Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families"

**** Pod of the Gaps is a listener supported podcast! If you enjoy the show, please help cover our costs — neither Andy nor Aaron is paid to do the show, it's a labour of love. Your support helps cover our hosting costs, books, and the occasional coffee! If you enjoy our mix of wit and wisdom, please help us keep the show going and support us for a small amount at https://www.patreon.com/wkop ****