The Perspectivalist

Pastoral ministry has gone through hard times. The fall of many pastors has only exacerbated the epidemic in our culture.

In this interview, Pastor Michael Clary elaborates on his excellent piece at Sola Ecclesia where he defines the problem in pastoral ministry:

Unfortunately, many neutral-world churches built with neutral-world tools have been thoroughly leavened with destructive unbiblical ideas. It will take courage and discipline for faithful pastors to correct them. Otherwise, gangrenous ideas are normalized as unspoken expectations in the church. These unbiblical ideas are eventually institutionalized as those who hold them assume leadership posts.

This conversation is incredibly sobering, and I trust it will prove beneficial to pastors and parishioners alike.

Michael Clary is the lead pastor of Christ the King Church in Cincinnati, OH.

My interview with Lutheran theologian Dr. Jordan Cooper touches on fundamental pillars of Western civilization. Jordan has been a great resource to me personally, and I know you will enjoy our discussion of the restoration of the three transcendentals of goodness, beauty, and truth.

You can purchase Jordan's book.

You can follow Jordan on X.

The modern Western world is full of confusion. Divides over religion, politics, and ethics continue to grow faster by the day. In the midst of this turmoil, a number of proposals have been offered as to why this is happening, along with a variety of solutions to these problems. Jordan Cooper argues that most treatments of our cultural condition do not go far enough in capturing the essential philosophical and theological shifts that have shaped the modern world.

Cooper contends that the crisis faced by Westerners in the twenty-first century cannot be rightly discussed apart from the three transcendentals that shaped the Western tradition from Socrates through the Protestant Reformation: truth, goodness, and beauty. Western man's greatest need is not more technological development, better politicians, or radical revolution; our need is to be connected to the transcendental ground of our own being: God himself.

In this work, these three transcendentals are discussed first as they were developed in classic Western thought, and second, as their importance has declined in the modern world.

Thousands of Christians are moving away from contemporary-style praise music and are reviving hymn and psalm singing. However, many people are not equipped with musical training, and this can make learning and singing traditional worship music extremely difficult.

So, what do we do?

I spoke with Isaiah Holt about their app called Sing Your Part. The app facilitates singing, especially in parts in churches and families.

You can bring the sheet music and the audio parts to any occasion and sing great hymns and psalms at all times and in all places.

As our society declines morally, trust in institutions also declines. But should we view this as an unaltered reality? Should we cease to work for a trusting society?

I contend there is no institutional longevity unless trust is inherent to its mission.

In this episode, I offer five recommendations for restoring a high-trust culture.

Post Script: The article mentioned by Aaron Renn is here.

Our guests are Pastor Steve Wilkins and Mr. Jarrod Richey from Church of the Redeemer in Monroe, LA. We discuss the place of the arts in modern culture, especially within the Church.

Steve Wilkins is the President of the RSA Board of Governors. Jarrod Richey is Academic Dean of RSA and Board member. 

Students can pursue a one —or two-year Arts certificate at the Redeemer School of the Arts (RSA) in Music, Visual arts, or Culinary Arts. Our inaugural class will begin this Fall 2024. Find out more at RSALA.org. 

Pastor Kip Chelashaw summarizes the place of Animism and Christianity in Kenya's history. He articulates how Nairobi is deeply diverse culturally and religiously. Kenya is a Christian place unashamed of following Jesus, though the faith is not deeply theological.

We also discuss the CREC's place in Nairobi and his labors in planting our first CREC body in Africa. You can follow Kip on X here.

What happens when you take your son to the office during the first days of Summer? You record an episode on the end of the old world. Seems reasonable, right?

We discuss what is preterism and answer some questions on the role of time-clues in Revelation.

The Perspectivalist welcomes Toby Sumpter to discuss the philosophy behind some recent declarations from Columbia rioters and the overreaction among some on the right. There is a pendulum swing from Gnosticism to materialism, and this is reflected in many of the anti-Jewish sentiments expressed by those on our side of the aisle.

Read Toby's article:

"The hatred of “whiteness” is not really, fundamentally about the skin color. Yes, I am well aware that many are openly saying they hate whites, and I’m sure a great deal of animosity has come to fixate on that superficial feature – just as it has in the history of our country from whites toward blacks. I’m not denying that, but I am denying that we should simply take what people say at face value. For example, why do men sodomize one another? Ask them, and they will tell you because they are attracted to men, they love men, they are gay, etc. But the Bible says that the real reason they do that to one another is because they have rejected God and refused to give Him thanks (Rom. 1:21). There is a theological and spiritual reality driving it all. "

Dr. Chase Davis returns to the Perpsectivalist to discuss what is taking place at ACTS 29 as well as the bill that passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives called the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which puts serious limitations on free speech as well as hinders Christians from speaking clearly on the role of the Jewish leaders in the death of Jesus.

You can follow Chase on X

Chase is the Pastor of the Well Church

For so many people, Easter Sunday is a one-day event. However glorious it may be for the church's life, it ceases when the day ends. But what if Easter were this 50-day extravaganza meant to mock evil and increase the Christian's joy?

In this episode, I offer ten practical ways to keep Easter alive in the home for the next 40 days of Eastertide. This is especially helpful for moms out there.