Mortification of Spin

Today we have Rod Dreher on the show. Rod is a Gumbo-eatin’, Louisiana City-Slickin’ Eastern Orthodox and author. He’s here to explain the Benedict Option, and … we’re still not sure we get it! He talks about moral and civil life, and how Christians ought to live in this crooked world. Rod says preaching of the word and the Benedict Option are the only way forward in sharing our faith with the wor...

In Desperate Theology this week is… it's always 2008 somewhere. Fast forward 8 years and we find our public schools are an ever-increasing world of confusion especially in regards to gender. Is the (latest) Sexual Revolution as bad as it looks? The transgender issue is a fundamental redefinition of personhood with huge implications on the malleable minds of our youth. We fight for hormone-free chi...

Most assume sex trafficking starts with a brutal kidnapping - like in a movie. However, it’s often a long process: seduction, coercion, seasoning, and recruiting. VAST (Valley Against Sex Trafficking) works diligently to bring awareness about trafficking while restoring God-given dignity to survivors of this dark market. Heather Evans, co-founder of VAST, is here to share sobering stats, and lesse...

Desperate theology has gone viral in the Church of...! Not to worry, we have more class than to spoil the win but let’s just say Liam Goligher will wish he's Welsh after crowning today's Desperate Theologizer. In other news, the Gang discuss some recent pulpits going political. Is Sunday morning an appropriate place to discern whether Hillary or Trump is the godlier vote? Is it wise for pastors to...

Our favorite Catholic is with us again: Dr. Frank “Clinton” Beckwith! Once the laughter subsides, we get to some pressing questions about religion in the public sphere: Can you really leave your religion at the door? What is pure religious liberty? What liberties can we live with, which ones can we live without? The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download en...

On this week’s Desperate Theology, we crown another lucky lady! In other news, Carl & Todd have a question about preference in preaching: what’s the best rule-of thumb … is it best to preach thematically or systematically? Do you go big-picture, dabble in topics, or lead your congregation through a one-book series? What issues does each approach pose? It’s certainly not rocket science but well wor...

So if all dogs go to heaven? … where do cats go? Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Chair of of New Testament professor at Northern Seminary and author of Heaven's Promise (today’s giveaway!), joins a discussion on Heaven with Carl, Aimee, and …Tom? Often we get dreamy ideas of heaven’s glories or carried away with people's wild "accounts", but there’s a danger: we can undermine the sufficiency of sc...

On this week’s edition of Desperate Theology, find out what Presbyterians and Prince have in common. And per popular demand, our three hosts give more clarification on their complementarian views with a specific focus on teaching Sunday School. Things get a bit hostile/it’s basically a bloodbath … (all bet’s on Aimee because she works out!).The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to off...

Hailing from the sunny sands of California to the red-hand of Ulsterland, we have two listeners chiming in with questions for our hosts: “How high or low should the confessional bar be set in church: for the leadership and for the membership?” and, “Do elders have the right to reign you in as a pastor - Who has that sort of dominance in the session?”The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would li...

This week's Desperate Theology is a bit of a looney tune. You'll have to grin and bear it to hear Carl, Aimee, and Todd answer a listeners' question: "Should a Paedobaptist marry a … (reformed) Baptist?" It's a legitimate question with legitimate concerns. What of a wife's call to submit ... even if she's opposed to her husband's theological stance on baptism? What about the covenant theology in p...

Beloved Covenant College professor, author, and family man, Dr. Kelly Kapic, joins us to talk number 2 pencils and the spirituality of college students. He shares some of his joys teaching at Covenant College, a small private Christian college atop Lookout Mountain, and also voices misconceptions of Christian college. There are some valid concerns Dr. Kapic has for today’s Christian college studen...

Child abuse … it's not just a Catholic church issue but pervades into the pulpits and pastorate of the Protestant church, too. What measures does your church take in checking the backgrounds and even reputations of its leaders? What cover-ups are there? Is there room for questioning a leader…even leaders with "immaculate" records or "big-names"? The Church must take seriously the damage done when...

With us today is Dr. Scott Manetsch from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His charge for us is to consider the importance of reading and “knowing” John Calvin. Dr. Manetsch wears many hats: a professor of Church History and the History of Christian thought, author of Calvin’s Company of Pastors, and old friend to Carl Trueman. (It goes without saying, his most trying role is that of his friend...

Two shady sheep wandered into Todd's megachurch today. Skirting by security, Carl and Aimee are incognito to rate Todd's preaching and their notes are ... lacking in content. Aimee's doing her usual multitasking - doodling nun chucks and jotting her grocery list while Carl's a man of one talent today: sleep.  Probably not the shining examples you'd expect but raises an important question: How are...

The Sledge Sisters sing about it, we are born into one, and it’s God’s idea: Family. So how does family relate to the Church and its grander mission (even the Great Commission!)? What constitutes a family, how does it reflect the image of God and … what about singles? We are joined by John McClean, Vice President of Christ College in Australia, teaches Systematic Theology and Ethics, and was a min...

Round II of Desperate Theology, and the award goes to … The Sacramental Entrepreneur! In other news, the Spin Trifecta has been compromised - Todd has people to see and places to go so couldn't bother with recording, but the show must go on! Carl and Aimee discuss the wisdom and consideration we should exhibit towards our non-believing friends. Do you say grace in front of them at restaurants … in...

Tom Schreiner graces Studio B to discuss the many benefits, blessings, and payoffs in understanding our justification. Dr. Schreiner is the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Professor of Biblical Theology, and Associate Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Enjoy listening in as Dr. Schreiner spills all...Win a free book! We have...

This week we start a new segment: Desperate Theology. Tune in each Bully Pulpit for a hilarious insight into the latest theologies out there and how they, at best, can be quite desperate. In other news, the primary goal of today's casual conversation is addressing the significance of the Church's presence in the civic sphere - do we retreat from societal wickedness or attack it? What are the guard...

Welcome back to Westminster Theological Seminary, nestled in the quaint city of Glenside, Pennsylvania where the Preaching Conference is still underway. For this portion, students have submitted thought-provoking questions to our LIVE panel which includes Joel Beeke and Kent Hughes - two men with enough wit and wisdom to put our hosts out of a job! The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would lik...

"Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet," (1 Tim. 2:11-12). Aimee would say: What does that even mean?! To which Todd would say: Well, here’s the deal… It's a conversation that raises a brow or two (and often the room temperature!). A women is a helper, a "Necessary Ally", but what is h...

Dr. Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Seminary, joins the Mortification of Spin (again!) on a LIVE panel at the annual Preaching Conference at Westminster Theological Seminary. Dr. Kent Hughes stands in as a “guest host” giving his own Spin on ministry. It's a full auditorium and things are about to get personal. They share everything from how they received the Lord’s call to what they'd d...

Is anything biblically wrong with enjoying secular music … for the glory of God? Perhaps you're a (closet) secular music junkie drumming to The Who, but it’s all King’s College and Sandra McCracken on Sunday mornings. Certainly we know there’s a line, but it can be hard discerning when we’ve crossed it and started abusing our Christian liberty. Besides, some emotionally charged Christian music is...

The toxic effects of Porn addiction go far beyond that of just the addict. What about the wives of addicts? How do they suffer? And what are the Church’s worst mistakes in dealing with the spouse of an unfaithful husband? Today we have Ellen Dykas of Harvest USA to speak to such questions. Ellen is the Women's Ministry Coordinator at Harvest USA which was started and thrives in the heart of Philad...

Henry Ford says: "History is bunk." But does the past give identity to the present? How does understanding history liberate us in the present, and even the future? And as a Christian, is it important to know church history? Today's conversation is right down the alley of our in-house Church Historian, Carl R. Trueman, and he's got the gift of the gab on this one! Win a free audio set! We have a fe...

Church government... Could you pass a quiz on what each office does? Do you think your Pastor is the Ecclesistical CEO? Today the roles and tasks are defined with particular focus on the Elder - both teaching and ruling and what happens when there's conflict between the two. This conversation strikes a chord if you serve on a session, and grants all a bit of clarity about those ruling and teaching...