All Things New

August 2025 marks Coram Deo Church’s 20th birthday. On this episode, we reflect further on God’s grace to Coram Deo over the past two decades. We talk about what we’re grateful for, what years were the most fun, what aspects of Coram Deo turned out differently than we expected, and why the "institutional" aspect of a church is crucial to city renewal. Chapters: (0:00) Introductions: David's Reign...

August 2025 marks Coram Deo Church’s 20th birthday. On this episode, we reflect on God's grace to Coram Deo over the past two decades. We discuss the circumstances of the church's founding, the ups and downs of starting and leading a church, and what’s changed in the cultural and ministry environment between 2005 and 2025. Chapters: (0:00) Introductions: Happy Birthday, Coram Deo (2:21) How Coram...

If it hasn't happened to you yet... wait for it. Sometime in your mid-30's, life starts to feel mundane. You find yourself asking: How did I get here? Do I like what I do? Do I still want this job? Despite all the cliches, "mid-life crisis" is real. The world urges you to try something new - a new job, a new hobby, maybe even a new spouse. But what if God has a different invitation—one that invite...

John MacArthur, longtime pastor of Grace Community Church in California, passed away on July 14, 2025. MacArthur preached in the same pulpit for 56 years. His recorded sermons and syndicated radio and television programs brought the gospel to people all over the world, and his writings impacted many more. On this episode, we discuss MacArthur’s legacy, the impact of his ministry, where we disagree...

Communion should be a regular practice for all Christians—but there is freedom in how often and in what ways the church practices this historic sacrament. In this 2018 episode, we discuss how and why our churches observe communion the way we do.

In this episode, we hear a Christian doctor’s perspective on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). He discusses the accuracy of the tests, explains what they are and aren't good for, and unpacks the challenges of practicing medicine as a Christian (especially in this specialty). We also ask our special guest Hannah what advice she would give to couples who are expecting children. Catch up on Part...

In recent years, pregnant moms have increasingly been offered NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) early in pregnancy. Silicon Valley startups are racing to cash in on the market for early-stage tests that can help identify genetic abnormalities and disorders. But it turns out that these tests are highly unreliable and often misleading. A New York Times investigation discovered that the five most...

Summer is in full swing. We usually talk about big, weighty, theological and cultural topics on this podcast; but in the summertime, we take an episode or two to talk about what we're reading at the pool. In this episode, Bethany leads a conversation exploring the things we’re reading, watching, and thinking about this summer. (0:00) Introductions: Summer Pursuits (0:45) What We’re Reading (10:28)...

In the early 2000s, New Atheism was all the rage. Many people left faith behind, convinced they didn't need religion. But it turns out society hasn’t been able to meaningfully replicate the benefits of church. In a recent New York Times article, Lauren Jackson describes how secularism sought to build transcendent community through means like yoga, CrossFit, SoulCycle, meditation and more. Despite...

Last month, Trinity Classical Academy sent forth its first class of graduating seniors. To mark this milestone, we're republishing an interview that first aired in 2020 on Owen Strachan's now-defunct podcast. At that time, Dr. Strachan was on the faculty at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he invited Bob Thune to MBTS's Spurgeon Library to talk about the founding of Trinity Classical A...

Welcome back for part 2 of the AI Debate! Bob Thune and Jacob Tewes continue their friendly debate about the proposition: "Christians can and should use AI tools." This episode considers the downstream effects of AI, the faulty anthropology it assumes, the question of whether Christians should be "early adopters," and whether demonology should factor into the conversation. Catch up on Part 1 if yo...

Special guest Jacob Tewes joins the podcast to engage Bob in a friendly debate about AI. The proposition: "Christians can and should use artificial intelligence." Bob argues the negative; Jacob, based on his background as an attorney for multiple AI-related startups, argues the affirmative. We talk education, innovation, Christian freedom, and the question of responsible use. Whether you're optimi...

Numerous Silicon Valley startups now offer parents the ability to test and screen embryos, identifying those at increased risk for various health problems. But while the marketing language seems helpful, the dark reality is that these companies promise to destroy human lives before they have time to grow. In this episode, we use an article from the American Enterprise Institute as a catalyst to be...

The death of Pope Francis and subsequent election of Leo XIV has put the papal office at the forefront of cultural discourse. But how and when did Christians start to revere the bishop of Rome? Where did the Pope's authority and importance originate? And why did the Reformers strongly critique the papacy? In this episode, we discuss the development of the papacy in church history, the internal and...

For decades, Christianity has been in decline in the UK. The common wisdom held that secularization was inevitable, and that the US would follow the same pattern. But a brand-new study shows a surprising trend. Over the last 6 years in England and Wales, church attendance has risen 50%. The largest increases are among young people – especially young men. And they're not just showing up to church,...

Everyone is in need of change. But how do Christians actually participate in the work of change? In this archive episode from 2018, we survey Paul Tripp’s book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands to discuss the simple biblical pattern for helping people change: love, know, speak, do.

A couple weeks ago, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School announced the impending closure of its Chicago-area campus. The demise of TEDS is the latest in a spate of struggles among Christian higher-ed institutions. Why are seminaries and colleges closing their doors? What does it mean for the future of theological education? In this episode, we dig into the history of 20th-century American Christian...

Intelligence is everywhere. People used to say that "knowledge is power," but machine learning is changing everything. One author argues that we've moved from the Information Age to the Age of Agency. In this new era, your impact will be measured not by what you know, but by your ability to take action and make things happen. What changes might this new era require in education, discipleship, and...

In our recent conversation about the recent Pew Religious Landscape Study, we missed an interesting data point: the decline of the Roman Catholic church. In this episode, we interact with a WORLD Opinion piece that explores the data and proposes some explanations for the downward trend. We discuss Catholic/Protestant apologetics; why high-profile "celebrity conversions" don't tell the whole story;...

In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg changed his company's name from Facebook to Meta. It signaled his decision to go "all in" on virtual reality and everything it promised. (We talked about it in Episode 366: Meta Church .) But less than four years later, the meta-hype is collapsing, with every major VR company reporting losses and pulling back products. In this episode, we discuss what we can learn from the...

Modern people spend lots of time, energy, and money on their bodies - whether it be through diet and supplements or working out and exercise. Some become so focused on exercise and nutrition that they idolize their bodies while others are prone to neglect their physical bodies. In this episode, we respond to a listener-submitted question about the role of physical fitness in the life of the Christ...

Much has been said and written about the decline of Christianity in America, including on this podcast. But is something changing? A new Pew Research Center study shows that the decline of Christianity has tapered off over the past few years. In this episode, we dig into the statistics and analyze the opportunities they present for Christians to be on mission. (0:00) Introductions (1:05) The Data...

On January 10th of this year, book lovers lined up to purchase the newest release in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros. These books are part of a genre known as romantic fantasy, or "romantasy" - and its popularity is exploding. But how should Christian women relate to romantasy literature? Recently, a church member reached out to us with some unease about how nonchalantly her Christian friend...

How can we make sense of right-leaning politics in the wake of the 2024 election? Is a second Trump presidency the result of populism? Nationalism? Techno-oligarchy? Something else? Recently, Jake Meador identified four distinct "tribes" on the political right that share some common aims but differ widely in their approaches. Whatever your personal politics, you're going to be living with these tr...

Over the past decade, leaving the church has been a trend - and the leavers have been mostly left-leaning. But Jake Meador identifies a more recent trend of "right-wing exvangelicals." Whereas the left-wing exvangelicals liked Jesus but weren't sure about the church, right-wing exvangelicals want to keep civic religion but aren't as interested in the way of Jesus. In this episode, we talk about th...