Faith and Honor

Famed hymn composer Keith Getty recently made critical remarks about the state of the worship music "industry." Johnny Simmons joins us on the podcast to evaluate Getty's claims, explore how worship music came to be in its current state, and what worship music should be and do.

On this episode, we are joined by Jeff Walton of the Institute on Religion and Democracy's Anglican Action program to discuss a recent controversy in the ACNA regarding the works of Gustavo Gutiérrez. What is liberation theology, how has it been historically applied by ecclesiastical institutions, and what criticisms has it received from various Christians? We also discuss the importance of Christ...

On this episode, we study the secondary option for the collect and propers for Christmas-day. These are to be used first if there are more than one Communion service on Christmas day (including Christmas Eve vigils). We discuss various types of Christmas celebrations, sobriety in conviviality, having confidence in the hope of salvation, being counter-cultural in our festal celebrations, the scanda...

While popular culture seems to think about the Feast of Stephen only when singing "Good King Wenceslaus," this saintly feast informs the Church about the themes of holy martyrdom. We discuss suffering and dying for the truth of the Gospel, seeing the glory of God by faith, praying for our enemies, the motivations of the Church's persecutors, entrusting ourselves and our loved ones to the Lord, and...

On this episode, we discuss the important topic of fraud and similar scandals in churches and ministries. Warren Cole Smith shares his experience and expertise to shed light on what makes ministries vulnerable to corruption, how Christians should approach unflattering stories of ministries and leaders, and how the Scriptures should inform how we react to such evils.

On this special episode, we explore the themes of the first collect and propers assigned for Christmas day. We discuss amazing, fundamental Christian themes such as the only begottenness of the Son, the Virgin Birth, regeneration, adoption, the Incarnation, the Trinity, Mary's identity as Theotokos, and the Light of the World.

On this episode, we discuss the now notorious instance of crowds chanting "Let's Go Brandon" in San Antonio's Cornerstone Church. Mark Tooley of the IRD shares his thoughts on how we as Christians can navigate such issues and what we can learn from this rather embarrassing event.

On this episode, we discuss the collect and propers for the Third Sunday in Advent, which reinforce the themes of the Ember Days. We will explore the stewardship of the mysteries of God, serving the flock of Christ as a pastor, and the biblical parallels between the prophets (particularly St. John the Baptist) and the apostles.

On this episode, we are joined by Mark Horne to discuss his book, Solomon Says. This excellent introduction and overview of Proverbs presents rich insights regarding the background, main themes, aims, and truths we find in the book. We discuss these issues, plus the Christological and practical significance of Proverbs and the Bible's Wisdom literature in general.

On this episode, John Ehrett discusses his recent article published in American Reformer.   We assess how evangelicals are struggling to navigate what Aaron Renn has called a "negative world," a context in which traditional Christian faith and practice are seen a low status, undesirable, and downright evil. We also explore how that, for many today, theology is no longer the queen of the sciences,...

On this episode, we explore the themes of the Fourth Sunday in Advent, the last Sunday of this penitential season. We discuss God's power, our need to set aside the hindrances of sin to run the race set before us, true festal joy, the peace of God, St. John the Baptist's identity, and how John the Baptist helps teach us to be "Advent Christians."

On this episode, we enjoy a deep-dive into the doctrine of the Bible. The collect and propers for the Second Sunday in Advent focus on the Holy Scriptures and our feeding upon them. Let us hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest!

On this episode, Dr. Uri Brito joins Fr. Bart Gingerich to explore the controversial topic of having all ages worship together in church on Sunday morning. Why include toddlers and infants in the liturgy? What's the justification for that? And what are the theological and spiritual underpinnings behind condemnations of such traditional practices? And, if little ones are to be brought to the Lord e...

On this episode, Dr. Glenn Sunshine joins us to discuss Protestant resistance theory. We explore the biblical and medieval roots of this discourse, its manifestation in the Reformation and early modern period, its development at the hand of Huguenots and English Protestants in particular, its role in the story of American independence, and its usefulness for us today.

On this episode, we discuss the themes of Trinity 24. We touch on absolution, Christ as Deliverer, frailty from sin, the simple Christian life, the value of wisdom and the knowledge of God, and Christ's ability to purify and even raise from the dead.

On this episode, Dr. Roberta Bayer joins us to discuss the Cramnerian Book of Common Prayer and its Roman Catholic cousin, the Tridentine Missal. Both of these liturgies arose in the 1500s as efforts to reform and revitalize the Church, and, in so doing, helped form the world as we know it. Both retained the ancient western lectionary. However, in the past decades, it has become popular with eccle...

On this episode, we explore the Sunday Next Before Advent, aka "Stir Up Sunday." We touch on the various folk traditions that have arisen in the British aisles that crop up during Advent and Christmas. We also explore fruitfulness in Christ, the Old Testament foreshadowing the New, the Rod of Jesse/Branch of David metaphor, Christ as the Good Shepherd, and biblical imagery with regard to bread.

Happy new year! Advent marks the beginning of the church calendar. On this episode, we introduce the main themes of Advent, including the Incarnation of Christ, the Second Coming of Christ, casting off the works of darkness, putting on the armor of light, living with integrity, confession, spiritual warfare, the chastisement of the Lord, and divine judgment.

]On this episode, Fr. Gingerich is joined by Anthony Esolen (translator of The Divine Comedy) and Sean Johnson to discuss the poetry of Dante, even as the "100 Days of Dante" are underway. We explore the spiritual benefits and theological insight of the Divine Comedy, the necessity of beauty, the blessing of poetry, how beauty is not something highbrow or elitist, and creating things of beauty in...

On this episode, we discuss the themes of Trinity 23, including God's being the author of all godliness, having an audience with God, the authority of Christ, the importance of living faithfully, worldly-mindedness vs. heavenly-mindedness, the glorification of creation in Christ, and rendering all things to Christ, Who is able to subdue all things unto Himself.

On this special episode, we discuss the process, perils, and blessings of converting to another tradition within Christianity. Bart and Daniel share some of their own personal experience of being raised in a different Christian tradition, converting to another one in their late teens and early twenties, and moving past their anxious, obnoxious "cage-stage." We discuss the wider dynamics of public...

On this episode, Fr. Gingerich and Fr. Grout discuss the themes of the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, including how the collect serves as a "layman's absolution." We will discuss absolution, as well as the armor of God, spiritual warfare, prayer, vocation, faith and miraculous signs, and Jesus' great power to heal.

On this episode, we discuss the collect and propers for Trinity 22. We explore the significance of households, the peaceable life of good works, partaking of God's grace, growing in judgment (which is desperately lacking in today's world), the importance of imagination, the abuse of the Christian doctrine of forgiveness, and the foundation and telos of mercy.

On this episode, Dr. Miles Smith of Hillsdale College joins Fr. Bart to discuss the fraught history of evangelicalism in the United States. We'll explore some of the sociological motivations and factors that make evangelicalism the way that it is, how this affects evangelicals' doctrine and practice, why evangelicals seem to hate Fundamentalists and theonomists so much, and how these dynamics affe...

What does it take to be free and great? In the propers of Trinity 17, we discover that humbling ourselves in service to the Lord and His people is the true path to exaltation and liberty. Join us as we discuss this and more!