The Conquering Truth

By The Conquering TruthReligion & Spirituality Christianity

The Conquering Truth episodes

September 22, 2023 How Could God Command Children to be Stoned?
In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, God’s law says that the parents of rebellious children are to take them to the rulers of the city and they are to be stoned. How can a loving God command such a thing?

In this episode, we deal with a passage that is often used by critics to demonstrate that Christianity is evil or at the very least that the God of the Old Testament was cruel and unloving. But as the Apostle Paul says in I Timothy, “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully”, and in Galatians 3, “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.” And so knowing that the law is good, it is also good for Christians to understand and to be able to explain how God demonstrates his goodness and constrains the sin of men through his commandments. Please join us as we discuss the goodness of God’s law.
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 23 min
September 16, 2023 Why Youth Groups Are (Still) Not the Answer
As with a lot of things that get adopted in the church culture, youth groups started as a way to reach unchurched youth in high school. From there, the practice spread and changed over time until youth groups were viewed as a normative part of American church life.

And while there have been movements withing conservative Reformed churches to move away from youth ministry and to emphasize the responsibilities of the parents to train their children,

what we’ve noticed is this: Youth ministry isn’t just the result of the church overstepping its bounds. Sometimes, the parents ask the church for it. Sometimes, it’s a result of the church’s collective fear that they are losing the next generation. And sometimes, it’s a focus on numbers and the growth of the church. But in every case, what we would argue is this: God’s word does not show us a pattern of singling out the youth and separating them from the rest of the flock on a regular basis for special instruction and ministry. Anytime the church adopts practices that cannot be found in God’s word, it is sin. Youth ministry won’t disappear overnight. But we should expect God to continue to mature and cleanse His church. If, as a church, we face with the trials our Lord sends our way in the ways He has instructed us, we should expect to see and end to youth groups and youth ministry. Please join us as we discuss this issue.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 15 min
September 10, 2023 Gossip: When to Speak and When to Be Silent
We live in a society filled with gossip, yet the Bible commands to avoid it. We discuss how we can know when we we are speaking gossip, and when we are speaking the truth in love.
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 25 min
September 01, 2023 How Bribery Destroys Nations
If you’ve ever visited a third-world country where bribery is rampant, it’s easy to think that the United States doesn’t have a bribery problem. But the church is supposed to understand that sin left unchecked with always grow and that when it is allowed to grow among leaders and those who are exalted, it will grow even faster. And in that sense, America has a horribly bribery problem, and it getting worse every day.

In this episode, we discuss what the Bible says about bribery and why the word it uses for bribes means gift. We talk about bribery in different contexts, in the government, the church the workplace, and how in each case it perverts judgment and tempts men to serve someone other than their true master.

In the end, bribery is a picture of sinful man’s slavery to his desires. All men have an obligation to serve God, but his sinful desires cause him to pervert righteousness. Only those who are free from their sin can serve the Lord of earth faithfully and not be swayed by earthly things.
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 11 min
August 25, 2023 If Total Depravity Is True Why Do Men Do Good Things?
Total Depravity is usually thought about as a doctrine related primarily to salvation (and is probably best known for being the ‘T’ in the acronym, TULIP). But in actuality, it is a broad doctrine that explains a great deal about the world and the role of sin in men’s lives. So, here’s our question: How well do you understand the doctrine of total depravity?

Have you ever wondered, “If Total Depravity is true, why don’t unsaved men sin more than they seem to?” Or “What stops an unsaved man who likes alcohol from becoming a drunkard? Or a lustful man from running out and committing adultery?” The answer might surprise you.

So please join us for this discussion. Our goal is to discuss this doctrine in such a way that it helps us to understand the world. And because sin is such a big part of the world we live in and according to scripture most people in the world are slaves to sin, misunderstanding the doctrine of total depravity can make it easy to misunderstand why unsaved people do so many good, kind, and beneficial things. We’ll even talk about how God has ordained the world in such a way, that a man’s pride can cause him stop sinning in a particular way (he’ll still sin, just differently than he would have). Because even in God’s justice, he shows mercy upon sinful man and provides many constraints in the world that keep men from rushing to their own destruction. May we glorify God for his great mercies. As it says in Romans 11, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 12 min
August 19, 2023 Should Christians Worry About Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking probably isn’t what you think it is. Based on the news and social media, you’ve probably gotten the impression that it is this rapidly increasing phenomeon of children being snatched off the street and from stores, whisked away to some far-off place, and then forced into sexual service. And no one should say that things like that never ever happen. But they are extremely rare. And that’s part of the problem. It’s not that there’s a lack of sin of world. There’s lots and lots of sin. But dealing with sin is incredibly complex. It’s also incredibly messy. The easiest solution, in most cases, is to ignore the sins we don’t want to mess with an focus on something that is most likely to offend the fewest people. And this is what has largely been done with human trafficking.

This was a difficult episode to put together. We should be clear, it’s going to be really easy to misunderstand the point that we are trying to make. Everything about how we’ve been taught to think about very specific types of sin, such as prostitution, drug abuse, why children run away, foster care, etc has been carefully shaped for years to allow the church of Jesus Christ to ignore the reality of sin. Because in almost all cases where human trafficking is going on, the “trafficking” is just a small part of the sin. And unless the church gets serious about the sin in our midst, the sins that we can actually see and touch and speak to, nothing will actually change. The Bible says in I John that Jesus Christ was made manifest that He might destroy the works of the devil. Does the church actually believe this? Please join us as we discuss this vital topic.

Expose of trafficking and fraud from Voice of the Martyrs:

http://persecutingthepersecuted.com/

Articles critiquing Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad:

https://www.vice.com/en/topic/operation-underground-railroad

https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/05/sex-trafficking-raid-operation-underground-railroad.html

https://americancrimejournal.com/category/investigates/operation-underground-railroad/

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/08/should-christians-worry-about-human-trafficking-ep-133-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Fearmongering

00:08:15 What is Human Trafficking?

00:21:40 Sex Trafficking

00:31:13 Child Sex Trafficking

00:37:45 Foster Care as Trafficking

00:41:40 Forced Labor

00:47:45 Debt Bondage

00:42:50 Domestic Servitude

00:56:00 Forced Child Labor

01:00:50 Child Soldiers

01:03:45 Sound of Freedom

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 27 min
August 11, 2023 The Lies of Homeopathy - Why Are Christians Deceived?
It’s tempting to think that America is a modern rational country where people don't believe in magic potions, but is that really true?

Homeopathy is an old lie that keeps being updated as necessary to fool the next generation. While often associated with herbal treatments this is just another form of deception as it is completely different both in its claimed means of “healing” and in its actual substance.

For those who truly understand what homeopathy is, it’s not much different than pouring water into a bottle and claiming that it is now suddenly medicine. But then you realize how much money this water is being sold for, and how many truly sick children and adults are being sold a lie, and the reality starts to set in. Lies are always harmful because they displace the truth.

In this episode, we walk through what homeopathy really is, its history and how it keeps being sold in slightly different ways. We also discuss medicine and healing in general, because part of the reason why homeopathy and other medical quackery keeps getting accepted is because we often think about our health in wrong ways. One of the sins of the modern age is that believe our knowledge has given us greater power than we truly have. Even with our greatest advancements, modern medicine is incredibly limited, but we want to put greater faith in them than we should. And when faith is misapplied, new idolatries spring up. The Bible says in I Timothy 3:15, that the church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. If we read that passage with any amount of faith, we will realize that the reason that lies are able to have so much power in the world is directly tied to failure of the church to shine forth the light of God’s word. Homeopathy is just one of many such lies, but very often, it is found flourishing in churches and religious homeschool circles. Our prayer is that the church will turn from lies. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 5 min
August 04, 2023 How to Know if You Will Be in Heaven
One of the most common questions that people ask is, “How can I know that I have eternal life?” And scripture does teach about assurance of salvation, but the subject is more complex than many people want it to be. One of the things that the Bible teaches most clearly is that there are many people who should NOT think that they are saved. From the self-righteous Pharisee convinced of his own personal righteousness to the man who stands before God on the day of judgment exclaiming, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” to the man Paul writes about in Corinth who was sleeping with his father's wife and who (along with his church) was sure that he was a son of God, there are many who are deceiving themselves and suppressing the truth in their own unrighteousness?

So how should we think about assurance of salvation? Is it guaranteed to all believers? Is it something that once we have it we will always have it? What do the scriptures say? Please join us as we look to God’s word for answers to these and other questions about this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 34 min
July 28, 2023 How Plea Bargains Have Corrupted the Justice System
Plea Bargains have become such a fundamental part of the justice system that at the federal level, only 2% of cases go to trial. And while plea deals definitely lower the financial cost of the legal system, it is worth asking whether or not they actually bring forth justice. Scripture is clear: sin has a cost and that cost cannot always be paid with money.

In this episode we look at the subject of plea bargains from a biblical perspective, considering both the fundamental nature of justice as well as the specific way that they have generally been implemented within the various state and federal government’s justice systems. We also discuss specific ways that plea bargains undermine obtaining a just verdict and how they both promote and hide corruption within the government. God cares a great deal about justice, and his people should care about it as well. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 19 min
July 21, 2023 Is Gambling a Sin?
A society’s attitude toward gambling tells you a great deal about its attitude toward holiness and the treatment of the poor. This should not be a controversial statement within the church, but in the last 30 years, the American church has softened its stance toward gambling a great deal. This can be seen from the rampant rise in sports betting, lotteries, casinos, and many other forms of legalized gambling that have been approved in most states (only Utah and Hawaii do not allow gambling of any kind)

In this episode, we look at the subject of gambling from a Biblical perspective. While Scripture does not have a specific command against gambling, the church has historically viewed it as an immoral practice that violates many overlapping principles and commands. But holding gambling to be a sin requires a specific view of God’s word. It requires a high view of the authority and prescriptive nature of God’s word and that has been on the decline, at least in the American church for many years now. Our hope is that as we discuss this topic, we are all encouraged to think more seriously about God’s word and how our Lord and Savior leads his people to walk in paths of righteousness. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Phil Johnson of the now-retired Pyromaniacs blog wrote a helpful nine-part series on gambling back in 2009. It can be found here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-gambling-ok-dont-bet-on-it.html
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
1 hr 20 min

About The Conquering Truth

From the publisher's feed

Join us for a weekly discussion on living with discernment in this world. We’ll have discussions of how the gospel and the word of God ought to be applied to current events, the problems facing our society, the history of what God has done in the world, trends in the church and many other topics. The scriptures have a lot to say about those issues, and we see a lack of Biblical thinking and application to culture in many professing Christian circles today. We want to do our part to reverse that trend.