Mortification of Spin

The team is excited to welcome an old friend and returning guest. Michael Kruger is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. He’s contributed much to the Reformed theological world with his writings about the Canon and scriptural authority. Recently, Michael has written on a more popular and ever-current topic.   The Te...

After a quick break, the crew just had to return to the pandemic topic, as they remain in bunker lockdown. Stay-at-home orders and global shutdowns have had a huge impact on how we do almost everything—including, how we “do church.” What do church membership and commitment to the local body look like in times like this? How can one be a faithful Christian—serving one other, giving, loving our neig...

The Spinners are quarantined in the underground bunker and take a break from all the pandemic talk to address a listener question: What should a church be looking for when searching for a new pastor, and how might they go about it? Of course, a candidate’s online presence can tell much about who he is and how he treats people. What else may be used as reliable indicators of character? What are som...

This is a special pandemic edition of The Spin, as Carl, Todd, and Aimee record—not just 6 feet away, but—100 miles distant from one another, just to be on the safe side. COVID-19 times can be challenging, and they’ve afforded Todd a new opportunity to complement his pastoral calling. The megachurch minister is now a gifted “Mental Toughness Expert,” and he’s making his services available when chu...

The Spin Team gathers once again to answer some of the great questions they’ve received from listeners. The first query concerns must-read classic books from authors long gone. Next, the intrepid trio considers just how many doctrinal differences a congregant should bear in a church before he or she knows that it’s time to move on. Moving to a more controversial topic: Should churches be gun-free...

This week, the team receives a tall order. Listener Chad is requesting the return of Liam Goligher to the theological boxing ring. Can the outspoken pastor handle another two year-long battle for orthodox doctrine of God? As it has often been the case, the conversation quickly digresses to men’s fashion and colorful pants—that’s trousers, for our British audience.  Finally arriving at today’s topi...

Due to popular interest, and the large number of allegations emerging across the country, the team continues to address the topics of emotional and spiritual abuse. A broken bone may be evidence in a case of physical abuse, but emotional/spiritual abuse can go undetected, and the victim may be unsure of what he or she is experiencing. What are some indicators of emotional/spiritual abuse, and what...

Christ’s incarnation is not solely a topic for discussion at Christmas. So today, the crew explores this great and amazing mystery of Scripture.  Were the disciples and others seeing God when they looked at Jesus? The answer to this question reveals much about how one apprehends the doctrine of incarnation, and there is little wonder why so many heresies have sprung from its misunderstanding throu...

The professor, the megachurch pastor, and the housewife theologian (AKA professional potato peeler) gather for a casual chat about a topic that it keeps on giving.  Diverse scandals of abuse involving prominent Christian leaders have been occurring quite regularly, a number of which have come from the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” movement, and from the promoters of the “celebrity culture.” How...

Following up last week’s discussion on church discipline, Carl and Aimee bring up the closely related topic of the Lord’s Supper. What does church discipline tell us about the importance of church membership and the Lord’s Supper? Should membership in a church be required in order for a person to partake in the sacrament? Do differences exist within Christian traditions and/or denominations concer...

The term “church discipline” might have a negative connotation in the ears of many, but the team wants to dispel some of the misconceptions about it. Just what is “church discipline?” When needed, it’s a component of discipleship. So, when is church discipline necessary and justifiable? Where does the authority to exercise it come from? The fact that church discipline has been abused, and—at times...

Todd starts this conversation by setting the ground rules and letting everyone know his preferred pronouns: he, him, and his. The bearded one also claims to have the definitive pronunciation of the author’s name of the book topic of today’s conversation.  The Care of Souls by Harold Senkbeil explores the classical (biblical) model of pastoral ministry, as opposed to the contemporary models practic...

Aimee is away, and the boys are feeling empowered today, tossing out random thoughts from the dark recesses of their man cave.  Pope Francis’ holy hand slap brings up the topic of unquestionable authority and the lack of accountability among the legions of little evangelical “popes” running around. Elsewhere, 2020 starts with the announcement that James MacDonald will be back preaching once again...

The three amigos compiled a sizeable list of answers to that conditional statement—perhaps you have a few of your own! But why is this even a topic to be addressed? It seems that, even though the movement has been condemned by the NAPARC denominations over a decade ago, Federal Vision is still alive and well in Reformed circles. Some observers believe the “sympathizer’s club” may be growing!  What...

Following a discussion of various conspiracy theories, bad driving, and why the Spinners will never record episodes while in a car with Aimee at the wheel…the conversation turns to the topic of anxiety. To broach the subject, the crew welcomes Pierce Taylor Hibbs. He’s the associate director of the Center for Theological Writing at Westminster Theological Seminary, and author of Struck Down But No...

Todd’s been summoned to host a popular TV show, but Carl and Aimee guarantee that they can handle this week’s episode without his coaching. The two have learned a few things this past year that they’re willing to share. Carl discusses how pleasantly different 2019 was for him at his new job, the completion of the biggest projects of his adult life thus far, Hugh Hefner’s “contribution” to modern s...

The three Spinners are back in the bunker to recommend a book and discuss its highlights. The topic of this conversation is actually a textbook titled Introducing Evangelical Theology by Daniel J. Treier, published by Baker Academic. Written for all kinds of theology students—from small reading groups, to Sunday school teachers and academic students—Introducing Evangelical Theology is written in a...

Guess who’s on the Christmas naughty list? That’s right--all three Spinners! Aimee’s compared to Yoko Ono, Carl gets blamed for it, and Todd justifies his patriarchal household decisions. When the banter is finally over, we get to today’s topic: the resurgence of classical theism. What is classical theism? The crew discusses its ancient origins and the recent interest in its return, not only on th...

Emily Zinos of the Ask Me First Minnesota Family Council returns to the bunker following her outstanding appearance on “Gender Confusion.” This time, Emily brings along her good friend Natasha Chart, who is on the board of directors of the Women’s Liberation Front - WoLF.  What do a conservative Roman Catholic and a radical feminist have in common? Both believe that biology determines sex, and tha...

Another curious word game introduction sets the stage for answering a few listener questions. Tackled today: Liturgical dance, Carl’s colorful pants and his “Christian journey,” Todd’s no-book deal, studio cough switches, and more. Seriously: are the children of believers considered to be Christians, merely by virtue of being born to believing parents? Or, are they “little heathens?” The crew talk...

Great questions keep coming from our listeners, and the Spin Team speaks ex cathedra, putting to rest once and for all a few queries related to this topic. Is there a true tension between being missional and being confessional? What does it mean to be missional in the current context? The crew addresses a few schools of thought related to the use of the term missional, some of the dangers of its m...

The college professor, the housewife theologian from “Mary-land,” and the PCA pastor/conspiracy theorist invite David White to join them in the bunker for a superb conversation about God, You, and Sex: A Profound Mystery. David is a pastor, author of several books, and has served in several capacities at Harvest USA for 19 years. David shares what he believes is missing from other books on Christi...

After the crew concludes that #EpsteinDidNotKillHimself, and plays a fun rhyming word game, it’s time to address some serious questions from our listeners.  Among today’s topics: War and Just War Theory. Is there truly such a thing as a “just war?”  What is pacifism, and are different forms of it? What should be the relationship between church and state in matters of war?  Changing gears…What are...

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary debuts on “The Spin” with the presence of Michael Morales, the seminary’s professor of Biblical Studies. Who Shall Ascend the Mount of the Lord? is Michael’s latest work on the book of Leviticus, and part of the New Studies in Biblical Theology series by IVP. Don’t dismiss this outstanding book merely on the subject matter! Leviticus is not “the most bo...

The Spin Team—yes, the fashion guru, the pastor to the “furries,” and the lead singer of the punk band “Feminist Outrage Machine”—have not one, but two special guests today! Kelly Kapic and Brian Fikkert, both at Covenant College, have authored Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream. Becoming Whole brings further insight into topics explored in Brian’s book, When Help...