Reformed Podmatics

Get out the milk and cookies! For the final episode of the year, Mark and Zac look back on the past year and reflect on the Christian Reformed Church in North America and all that has taken place in the denomination, paying special attention to Synod 2023, the issue of "gravamen", and the more recent goings on in the lead up to Synod 2024. Thanks for tuning in!

• Paul VanderKlay's episode "5 Stages of Nightmare for CRC Progressives": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kb-K3vXBPo
  

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac are back at it again this week with a festive Christmas ("holiday"?) episode full of funny Freudian slips and serious reflections on how people today seem to think of the Christian faith and its place in our modern, secular culture. As Christians seeking to share the gospel with our neighbors, it's important that we consider the ways in which ordinary people tend to think of Christianity as a faith, a worldview, and a moral framework. We hope this episode is helpful toward that end.

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In his 1943 classic, The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis took modern education to task and aimed instead to offer a better vision for the education of young people, particularly in regards to morality and virtue.

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

A podcast a podcasts? That's where we're going on this episode of Reformed Podmatics. What are the dangers of podcast gluttony? What might our consumption of podcasts be replacing in our spiritual lives? And what are some podcasts that Zac and Mark have enjoyed in recent months?

Zac's List: Mere Fidelity, 5 Minutes in Church History, Simply Put, Speak Life with Glen Scrivener

Mark's List: First Things, Unbelievable, Messy Reformation, Meet an African Pastor, Rochester CRC Sermons, Martyn Lloyd Jones

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the more important technological advancements over the past several years has come in the form of artificial intelligence. From social media algorithms to ChatGPT, many of these developments promise to change the world as we know it. So how can Christians joyfully discern both the promise and the peril of them? Join us as Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac sit down to think it over.

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Lutherans and Methodists and Charismatics, oh my! While Christians have unity in Christ, there is also great diversity in our family tree. In this episode we look at various denominations in their best light and ask what the Lord might have to teach us through traditions outside our own.

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

What does it mean to be a man? What is God's calling on a Christian man? What does God teach us in the Bible about masculinity?

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

With Israel re-entering the news cycle, many Christians are asking theological questions concerning the connection between Israel and the Church. Did the Christian Church replace Israel? Whose side should a Christian take in the current conflict between Israel and Palestine?

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

This week we're excited to have "concerned layman" Simon Veenstra on the show. In this episode Simon shares about his theological journey in coming to more deeply value the Reformed faith and his perspective as a highly involved layman from Brampton, Ontario and Classis Toronto. 

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In this episode we are joined by Rev. Pete VanderBeek, who serves as a Situational Transitional Minister in the CRC. Pete is a self-proclaimed "revisionist," and here he shares his thoughts on the past, present, and future of the CRC.

Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.

Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.