That's Worth Repeating...

On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on the CBS network. This was the first time the famous Peanuts comic strip characters created by Charles M. Schultz were brought to life in a television cartoon special. Ironically, once the production of A Charlie Brown Christmas was completed, the network and the producers predicted that the project would be a disaster. Little did they know that this simple, seasonal cartoon would garner high ratings and critical acclaim, earning both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. Even more significant is the fact that, for more than a half century, wathcing A Charlie Brown Christmas been a cherished tradition for millions of people every year since it first aired in 1965. In episode 8 of That's Worth Repeating, Richard and Brian discuss a quotable quote by the very notable Charlie Brown, who presents us with a most crucial question to consider during the Christmas season.

One of the most prominent cultural markers of the Christmas season is the annual onslaught of Christmas-themed movies and TV specials that fill the programming schedules of most major networks and appear in the on-demand catalogs of cable operator and streaming service providers. From the timeless classics like It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas to the extremely popular (and cheesy and sappy and predictable and inexplicably inthralling) Hallmark Christmas movies of our contemporary era, there is no shortage of options for anyone interested in a seasonal binge of visual Christmas entertainment. 

For many people, watching specific Christmas movies and specials has become an integral part of their Christmas celebration each year. A quotable quote from a notable character in once such Christmas movie is the subject of Episode 7 of That's Worth Repeating. In this episode, Richard and Brian discuss the moral clarity and conviction of the beloved Buddy the Elf from the 2003 classic, Elf.

The late Dr. R.C. Sproul was one of the most gifted and engaging teachers the Church has ever produced. He possessed an affable personality, a towering intellect and an unbridled passion for the Scriptures that enabled him to effectively convey deep theological truths in the most compelling and accessible ways. In 1971, he founded Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry located near Orlando, Fla. He was also the founding pastor of Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Dr. Sproul's teaching continues to be aired on the program Renewing Your Mind, which is broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets in the United States and in more than forty countries worldwide. Needless to say, R.C. Sproul was a very notable and immensely quotable person.

Of all the many books, lectures, sermons and articles produced by R.C. Sproul, none quite so vividly capture the full orb of his wit, brilliance and passion quite like his presence on countless Q&A panels at Ligonier Conferences. It is one of those conference Q&A panels from which we draw our quotable quote for Episode 6 of That's Worth Repeating. Let's just say that, in this episode, we are treated to a good, old-fashioned R.C. Sproul theological smack-down! Thanks Dr. Sproul... we needed that!

Heralded as America’s preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual, Nancy Pearcey is a brilliant thinker, an accomplished author and a highly sought after lecturer on matters pertaining to culture and worldview. She is probably most well-known for her award-winning book, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, in which she makes a passionate case that Christianity is not just religious truth but truth about total reality.

In her most recent book, Love Thy Body:  Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, Pearcey argues that secularism denigrates the body and destroys the basis for human rights. In this episode of That's Worth Repeating, Richard and Brian discuss a stunning and quotable quote by the notable Nancy Pearcey from a TV interview about this book in which she succinctly summarizes the twisted justification for terminating an unborn human life. Needless to say, this episode is pretty heavy...

In 1920, a baby boy was born in England to Daphne de Sélincourt and her writer-husband, Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne. The boy's name was Christopher Robin Milne. Four years later in 1924, A.A. Milne published When We Were Very Young, a best-selling collection of children's poems and verses. In the introduction, Milne teases his readers, hinting that the narrator might be Christopher Robin, and thus his son becomes a character in Milne's fictional world. It is also in this famous book that Milne introduces "Mr. Edward Bear," the name of his own son's Teddy Bear. Mr. Edward Bear would soon become Winnie the Pooh in Milne's 1926 beloved book named after the chubby and endearing "silly old bear." And the rest, as they say, is history... sort of.

In this episode of That's Worth Repeating, Richard and Brian venture into the Hundred Acre Wood to discuss a quotable quote by the notable Winnie the Pooh, himself! This leads to an insightful discussion about sentimentality and parenting that you don't want to miss!

Born in Ireland in 1898 and eventually finding his way into the lecture halls of Oxford and Cambridge in England, the prolific C.S. Lewis certainly ranks among the most quotable and notable figures of the 20th century and beyond.  He wrote more than thirty books, including such distinguished and popular titles as Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classic, The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Since C.S. Lewis is so well-known for his writings and lectures in defense of the Christian faith, it seems unlikely that there would be an occasion in which Lewis would NOT recommend Christianity to someone. Nevertheless, in this episode of That's Worth Repeating, Richard and Brian discuss a quote by Lewis in which he does just that!

With all of the talk in our culture about the oppression of women by the long-established patriarchy, it would seem that men really "have it made!" And even though some good "progress" for women's rights has been achieved over the last several decades, we still have a long way to go as a society. But is this really true? Are men, in general, still enjoying all of the exclusive benefits of the "boys club" patriarchy? Has the social experiment of the feminist movement yielded up outcomes that have raised our society to new, laudable heights?

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the popular daily podcast, The Briefing, would say otherwise. In this episode of That's Worth Repeating, Richard and Brian discuss a pithy and powerful quote by Dr. Mohler that paints a very different picture of men in our society and a cultural trajectory that is not reflective of real progress.

If you know anything about Charles Spurgeon, you know that the repository of quotable quotes spoken and/or written by him is absolutely prolific. Over the course of his 38 year ministry in London (1854-1892), Spurgeon preached and published close to 3,600 sermons that were printed every week and circulated widely. By the time of his death in 1892, he had also published 49 volumes of commentaries, devotions and other writings. 

In addition to being a renowned British preacher, theologian and writer, Spurgeon also sported a hearty beard that became a distinguishing point of identification for him. On several occasions, Spurgeon employed "beard" references as vivid spiritual metaphors. In this episode of That's Worth Repeating..., we take up one of Spurgeon's most interesting statements about beards, and we explore what it can teach us about effective discipleship.

Welcome to That's Worth Repeating... the podcast that examines, unpacks and expounds upon quotable quotes by notable people. In this brief introduction, the TWR hosts, Richard Goff and Brian Irby, set the tone and chart the course for where this podcast is headed! You can also visit www.thatsworthrepeating.com to learn more. Thanks for listening!