Chirpings of the Bird

Above you can find a 6-minute AI-generated podcast based on my essay about Romans 8, faith, and assurance for the early Christians. In sum … Paul’s thought is elegantly captured by N.T. Wright: “Those who follow their Messiah into the valley of the shadow of death will find that they need fear no evil. Though they sometimes seem sheep for the slaughter, yet they may trust the Shepherd, whose love...

Can prayer be prosecuted? Let me give two examples. First, in my home state of Victoria, there is the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021 s5.(3).(b) which explicitly criminalizes the use of prayer to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Now I believe that “pray the gay away” is pastorally irresponsible and potentially harmful, so I can c...

I spent the day doing admin and switching between political live streams on YouTube as I watched the US election results come in. It was a surprise, but not a shock! Well, Donald Trump has again been elected president, despite the Jan 6 riots, despite the election interference case in Georgia, and despite being a convicted felon. Trump not only won the Electoral College, he also seems to have won...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit michaelfbird.substack.com Hi everyone, I’ve already made a video about Arius , but in this video, I explain what happened between Arius’ expulsion from Alexandria in 318 AD to the eve of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. In particular, I go over the Council of Antioch and how its creedal statements promulgated in a letter show where thin...

I was very happy to endorse Gavin Ortlund’s book What It Means To Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reformed Church . Here’s what I wrote: Gavin Ortlund presents s compelling case for mere Protestantism by showing how a Protestant faith is a recovery of the apostolic gospel and answers the abiding questions of church, authority, and tradition. It is a… This is a public episode. If you'd like t...

Hi everyone, in case you missed it, this was the substack live event I did for everyone where I discussed: * International travel this year * Books I’m reading * Current book projects I’m competing * Future book projects I’m hoping to start For those who wanted the list of books, they are: Scot McKnight and Tommy Preston Phillips, Invisible Jesus . * Daniel Treier, Lord Jesus Christ * Brandon Crow...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit michaelfbird.substack.com Find here a lecture about the clarity of Scripture, explaining: (1) Its popular Protestant meaning; (2) Problems with the popular meaning; (3) The perspective laid out in the Westminster Confession of Faith; (4) Why we still need teachers and pastors; and (5) Why we still need effort in biblical study.

In this episode of Birds of a Feather, Mike Bird and Aimee Byrd talk about egalitarians and complementarians in the same churches and spaces, what are the risks, points of contention, and can they get along? Goes for 30 minutes, audio above, video below! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelfbird.substack.com/s...

Aimee Byrd and I sat down and talked to Dr. Sandra Glahn about her book Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament (October, 2023). We cover: Fertility cult and a story of infertility Paul and Artemis Artemis' appendages and magic The relevance of inscriptions Celibacy and childbirth What is "Saved through childbearing"? Ephesus, magic, and false teaching What rea...

I don’t know if you’ve watched Shiny, Happy People , not the R.E.M. song, but the documentary about the Duggar family and the ministry of Bill Gothard. If not, in a new Bird’s of a Feather episode, Aimee Byrd and I discuss it (well, mainly Aimee). We cover: This is not a dig against homeschooling SHP is not as fringe as people think The dark side of the ideal Christian family The dangers of buildi...

Here is the second part of my interview with We cover: Go-to text on church and state, Romans 13 or Revelation 13? Was Constantine good or bad for the church? Is someone who seeks political and religious power the anti-Christ? What does the gospel teach about politics? What can American Christians learn from Christians in other parts of the world? What are the benefits of knowing history to unders...

I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrick Schreiner, Kaitlyn Schiess, and Con Campbell about their respective books on Evangelicals, the Bible, and (American) Politics. In this episode, part one, I get them to talk about their respective books, and then ask them what advice they’d give Christians about politics. Another episode comes up next week. Audio above and video below. Please, share your t...

In this episode of BOAF, Aimee and I discuss women as pastors in light of the recent SBC decision and Mike warns of the danger of valuing “conservatism” over “orthodoxy.” Available in both audio and video. What do you think? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelfbird.substack.com/subscribe

Here is a video I made (with audio) on 5 Reasons to Be Anglican, mainly responding to Lutheran Pastor-Theologian Jordan B. Cooper’s critique of Anglicanism as doctrinally vacuous. Some humour is involved! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelfbird.substack.com/subscribe

You have to check out the interview Aimee Byrd and I did with Dr. Lisa Weaver Swartz about her book Stained Glass Ceilings which compares and contrasts the experiences of women at Southern Seminary and Asbury Seminary. Just to be clear, nobody gets off scot-free, and there are “issues” that Swartz points to with both seminaries. Anyone involved in seminary administration definitely needs to read t...

Aimee Byrd and I interview Dr. Amy Peeler (Wheaton College) about her book Women and the Gender of God , which is a terrific read! Find the interview here in both audio and video. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelfbird.substack.com/subscribe

Okay friends, I’m beta-testing the idea of writing a history of the Roman empire from the late second century to the early fourth century (i.e., from Pertinax [193] to Constantine [337]). I find this period of Roman history fascinating, because it is far less well-known, and yet it is the period when the Roman empire nearly fell apart, when it faced plagues, civil wars, and foreign invasions. It i...

Hi everyone, happy St. Stephen’s Day and Boxing Day! To celebrate, there is a new Birds of a Feather episode from Aimee Byrd and me. In this episode, we look at: - Non-Disclosure Agreements - Do egalitarians reject biblical authority? - Predictions for 2023 Listen to the audio or click to watch the video, enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

Hi everyone, if you all remember my Q&A on Calvinism video , I referred to an important article by Graham Cole where he argues that God is proactive, interactive, and reactive. Graham A. Cole, "The Living God: Anthropomorphic or Anthropopathic?" RTR 59. (2000): 16-27. Many of you asked me about Cole’s article, so I thought I’d do one better, and interview him about divine sovereignty and divine re...

Hi everyone, here is a short video/audio about several books, old and new, that I’ve been reading: Richard Lints, Uncommon Unity (Lexham, 2022).Mark Yarhouse, Understanding Gender Dysphoria (IVP, 2015).Patrick Miller and Keith Simon, Truth Over Tribe (David Cook, 2022)Joshua Cockayne, Scott Harrower, Preston Hill, Dawn of Sunday (Cascade, 2022)Carolyn, Curtis James, Maelstrom (Zondervan, 2015).Win...

Hi everyone, here is the video and audio of me answering your questions about Calvinism and New Calvinism. I trust you have been predestined to enjoy it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelfbird.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s the latest episode of Birds of a Feather by Aimee Byrd and myself, you can listen to the audio, or else watch the video below. We discuss: - OPC apology to Aimee Byrd and Rachel Miller - SBC Executive Committee Apology - Saddle Back Apology - Victim-Centered Care - Can Mark Driscoll be Rehabilitated? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...

A while back I wrote a blog post called, I'm a Christian Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here , where I pointed out that Christian celebrities, micro-celebrities, and influencers face the temptation to be less Christian and more celebrity in their attitudes and behaviours. And Lo and behold, Katelyn Beaty then brought out her book Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the...

I had the pleasure of having a great conversation with Dr. Louise Gosbell, Principal of Mary Andrews College in Sydney, on the topic of the apostle Paul and disability. You can listen here or watch the video below, 30 minutes, where we cover: - What is disability? - Ancient views of disability - Paul and disability - Key texts like Gal 4:15, 2 Cor 11:30, 12:5, 9. - Disability and Christian theolog...

I had the pleasure of chatting to Dr. Christy Thornton (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) about “Theological Method.” So you can listen in podcast form or else watch the video on this topic where we cover: What is theology? The gospel as pre-understanding. Biblicist methods. Liberation theology. Liberal Theology. T.F. Torrance and theological method. Advice to young theologians. This is a...