presbycast

Hans Fiene, Lutheran pastor and content creator par excellence, expands on a series of tweets on the theology and pyschology of doctrinal declension as typified by the ordination of female pastors. And we talked about the value of humor and satire in the service of the teaching and defense of doctrine. Here's the video we played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnjTPavXkjU

From Birmingham, the site of the 2021 Gospel Reformation Network conference, we discuss the significant points of the day's talks with Dominic Aquila, Sean McGowan, and Charlie Nave, founder of MORE in the PCA.

Our friend OPC pastor Chris Drew leads us through a discussion of one of the most challenging and misunderstood sections of the Westminster Confession, chapter 3 - Of God's Eternal Decree. Election, predestination, sovereignty, and sin all come into this discussion which is surprisingly pastoral and evangelical.

Jon Payne, pastor of Christ Church Presbyterian and director of the Gospel Reformation Network, joins us for a frank-but-hopeful assessment of the state of the PCA, an encouragement to cling to the ordinary means of grace, and a history of the currents that led to the formation of the GRN. Here's the website for the upcoming conference we discussed: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/o-church-arise-a-go...

Here's a wonderful sermon on Ecclesiastes 3 by our friend Ryan Biese, pastor of First Presbyterian Church (PCA) of Fort Oglethorpe, GA. He is an alumnus of Grove City College in Pennsylvania and received his seminary training at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson MS. https://www.fpfo.org/

Here's an excellent sermon from Luke 19:45-48 by John Blevins III, associate pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN. This passage, which includes the cleansing of the temple, has much to say about the worship of the church. Pastor Blevins is leading a church plant in the Knoxville, TN area which will emphasize the ordinary means of grace. 

We talked about when, why, if, and how to leave a denomination...and why we hope that could be avoided with Drs. Darryl G. Hart of Hillsdale College and the Old Life blog and Dominic Aquila of the Aquila Report who (like Dr. Hart) also teaches church history.

Well, it was a variety show with variety...from the smart (presby political thinker Forfare Davis) to the dumb (April Fools' Day humor...baptists), from 'Merica music to the perplexities of presbyterianism. 

Matt and Michael of the Restless Podcast join us to talk about the long, strange trip that was the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement. Be sure to subscribe to their podcast at https://restlesspodcast.podbean.com/ Here's the prescient Carl Trueman article from 2013 we mentioned: What if Life Was Complex? - Reformation 21  

Dr. David Strain, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson MS, joins us to discuss his journey from Scotland (where he was removed from the liberal Church of Scotland for his orthodox views), to London, to small-town Mississippi, then all the way to one of the PCA's most influential pulpits. 

Historian and Hillsdale College visiting professor Miles Smith IV joins us to talk about his recent piece (linked below) on so-called Christian Nationalism. We also talk a bit about his new communion, the Anglican Church in North America. Read the article cited here: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/would-it-really-were-christian-nationalism/

We are pleased to have Harrison Perkins who ministers at the Free Church of Scotland congregation in London, UK though his credentials are those of a PCA minister. We talk lots about the situation on the ground in that global city in the year of COVID and we talk much about worship and the 2nd commandment in the last half of the show. Here's the link to his important essay on the 2nd Commandment:...

We talk about the important truths and terms of the second chapter (Of God, and of the Holy Trinity) of the Westminster Confession of Faith with OPC minister Chris Drew. 

A hastily-assembled cast of PCA elders including Dr. Dominic Aquila discuss the late-breaking news concerning the uncertain dates and arrangements of the 2021 PCA General Assembly in St. Louis.  https://www.pcaac.org/coronavirus/

Bryan and Grant of the Balm in Gilead podcast join us to talk about contemporary music and the worship of the church. Their podcast takes an unusually serious look at church music -- check it out: https://www.balmcast.com/

The first ever Presbycast Cantina with guests Drs. Darryl G. Hart and R. Scott Clark and several listeners via Discord. We covered a wide range of subjects and enjoyed some vintage Xian music...and had fun with baptists.

With permission from the PCA Historical Center we provide this recording of the first hour and a half of the first PCA General Assembly in 1973. The greater portion is an address by convener/moderator Jack Williamson (a ruling elder and attorney), the text of which can be found here with other addresses from this historic assembly.

PCA pastor Ryan Biese joins us to talk about the relationship of the Westminster concept of Christian liberty to the regulative principle of worship, plus we talk about a number of PCA issues. 

This is the first installment in our series Walking Through Westminster with pastor Chris Drew. We cover the entirety of chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith .

A talk by the late Dr. Morton H. Smith on the history of presbyterian worship (with an emphasis on worship developments in the PCA) from the 2003 Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary theology conference. Dr. Smith taught at GPTS until his death in 2017. He was the founding professor of Reformed Theological Seminary and was the first stated clerk of the PCA. In the Presbycast archives you w...

We had a great time talking with two ARP pastors who happen to be good friends -- Ben Glaser and Clint Davis. Hear about the joy and trials of rural and small-town ministry in one of the most presbyterian parts of the country.

PCA ruling elder Gabe Williams joins our 300th show to talk about the joy and pain, sunshine and rain of being involved in a presbyterian denomination and when (if ever) churches ought to change affiliations. We also discuss the marks of a true church and some late-20th/early-21st-century history of the PCA.

We recently enjoyed talking with Nick Fullwiler and Peter Bell of the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude podcast about the origins of Presbycast, that hardscrabble presby life, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to their fine show. 

2021 is here with bells on...so of course we talk (with Dan Borvan and Sean) about the latest in DC mayhem, what the future might hold, and Carl Trueman's explosive article on critical race theory . (show title is a riff on a Bob Dylan and Radiohead song titles, in case you wondered) 

Our friend PCA pastor Ryan Biese teaches on worship using Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 21 as his guide. This is a very helpful presentation which you may also view on YouTube . Here's a link to the class outline and here's a suggested article .