The Commentary

In Matthew 10.23, Jesus says: “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” What does Jesus mean when he refers to the coming of the Son of Man? Scholars debate the interpretation of this reference, and in this episode Cameron and Mark will weigh three of the major theories and explain why our sermon series at Grace has chosen the third as most compelling.

It’s time for a recap of Mark’s trip to Washington, D.C. for the Bible Craftsmanship Conference. In this episode, Mark tells Cameron about what it was like to visit the Museum of the Bible for the first time, and describes the tours and talks accompanying the launch of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship. Mentioned in this episode: Lectio - Read Mark’s writing on the topic of Bible design “What Mak...

Episode 077: Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves Calvin’s Institutes famously opens with the assertion that all human knowledge consists of knowing God and knowing ourselves. These two forms of knowledge are interconnected and possibly inseparable — and they are the focus of this episode of The Commentary. Here, Mark and Cameron reflect on the many different areas of life where this fundamental obse...

If you can get past the poor audio quality in this episode, you’ll hear a wide-ranging discussion of Christian mysticism. What is the role of mystery in the Christian faith? For those of us with a bent toward systematic theology and precise doctrinal formulations, mysticism often raises red flags. Is this skepticism justified, or is there a danger of mission out on something vital if we take too d...

The Missionary Discourse in Matthew 10 gives Jesus’s instructions to the apostles as he sends them out to proclaim the presence of the kingdom. Imagine a whole chapter devoted to practical preparation on how to do the mission of the Church well! The strange thing is, Jesus doesn’t talk about a lot of topics we might consider essential for that kind of instruction — and he includes things we wouldn...

In this episode Mark flies solo for two segment and is joined at the end by Dan Reed, Grace’s director of discipleship and education. Mark will introduce a new sermon series on Matthew’s so-called “missionary discourse” in Chapter 10, a study we’re calling The Apostolic Foundation. Then he’ll talk about the upcoming Bible Craftsmanship Conference at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D. C., wh...

The City for God is a new collection of essays published in honor of Tim Keller, perhaps the most recognized name in our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. Mark will talk about what it was like to contribute to this volume, and together he and Cameron will discuss the influence of Tim Keller on our church, and the church in general. Mentioned in this episode: The City for God: Essay...

We have another book recommendation, but this one is somewhat unique. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark about his 2007 book Rethinking Worldview , one of the volumes every new member at Grace receives as a gift. What made Mark write this book, and what can we learn from its three-fold focus on worldview, wisdom, and witness? Mentioned in this episode: Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, L...

The culture practices discipleship just as surely as the Church — if anything, the world’s efforts are greater. This forming power is inescapable. But that doesn’t mean that it is unanswerable. In this episode, Mark and Cameron think about what Christian discipleship needs to look like in a culture that is actively molding us in its image. The key may be as simple as realizing that true disciplesh...

In its call to the world, the Church inevitably reveals how it perceives sinners. Should our message be one of acceptance, or should it demand a changed life? Based on Matthew 9, Cameron and Mark attempt to figure out whether how we see sinners matches up with the practice of Jesus.

This time it’s Cameron’s turn to make a book recommendation. In this episode, he suggests a collection of writings by Dr. Jeremy Begbie titled A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts, which encourages creative Christians to see the benefits of theological orthodoxy in general, and even the merits of Reformed orthodoxy in particular. Mentioned in this episode: A Peculiar Orthodox...

Digging deeper into a point made during Mark’s recent sermon on Matthew 8, this episode explores the divine gift of authority, as well as its all too frequent abuse at the hands of sinners. Cameron and Mark will touch on aspects of a recent report on abuse in the PCA, as well as the Westminster Larger Catechism’s teaching on power and its intended uses. Mentioned in this episode: ByFaith Online: “...

This episode is one long reading recommendation! During a recent power outage, Mark read Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ by candlelight. Now, he attempts to summarize the historical controversy in the eighteenth century Scottish church which serves as a backdrop tot he book, as well as several key takeaways from the reading. Mentioned in this episode: The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism...

In this episode, Mark and Cameron wrap up Grace’s recent sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount with a discussion about what it means to “do” Christ’s words. Then they shift gears to talk about the next series: Royal Authority: The Rule & Reign of God’s Anointed in Matthew chapters 8-9.

Following up on our recent episode on vocation, Cameron and Mark dig deeper into the challenge of pursuing our work as believers. What does it take to do you job in a Christian way? How are we supposed to balance the demands of work with those of faith? 

One of the distinctive experiences for newcomers to Grace is the way we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. In this episode, Mark and Cameron touch on the theology, but focus mostly on the practicalities of how our communion services work and why they are accompanied by so much joy. 

Twitter is in the news, but our commenters aren’t concerned about who owns the platform. Instead, Cameron and Mark have devoted an entire show to a Twitter meme: naming favorite (and least favorite) theologians. Will their picks surprise you? Enjoy this “special” episode and find out.

This episode focuses on a practical question that many Christians ask: what does God want me to do with my life? What calling should I pursue? And how do I know that I’m in the right situation? Mark and Cameron discuss why, if you’re having these thoughts, the one thing you shouldn’t do without some thought is hit the reset button.

During Holy Week, Mark and Cameron have been reflecting on the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, inspired by a sermon by Dan Reed, Grace’s director of discipleship and education. According to Mark’s Gospel, after entering the city, Jesus heads to the Temple to “look around at everything.” In this episode, we ask why the Temple is his destination, and what it must have been like to look arou...

When we share grace in the community where God has placed us, does that mean sharing the gospel, too? Of course it does! In this episode, Cameron and Mark talk about Grace’s approach to evangelism, and why, if you’re asking yourself how to share the gospel, it might be more important to focus on loving more rather than getting more training.

In this episode, Mark and Cameron debrief Grace’s Hearing the Music event. With help from remarks Delta David Gier made while unpacking the St Matthew Passion, they ask how music like Bach’s can inspire what we aim for in worship, and how the church should think about its inheritance of sublime sacred music.

As Grace’s journey through the Sermon on the Mount continues, Cameron and Mark tackle the complicated question of how to think about money. Jesus warns that our hearts are set on whatever we treasure, and that we cannot serve God and Mammon. But how do we reconcile the call to value spiritual rather than physical things with the reality that God created a physical world and declared it good? 

What if the greatest composer in human history set the passion narrative of Christ to music? As a matter of fact, he did. In this episode, Mark talks to talks to Maestro Delta David Gier, music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra about Bach’s St. Matthew Passion — a preview of a special event Grace will host later this month called Hearing the Music: The St. Matthew Passion. We’ll also...

In this episode, Cameron asks Mark about the way Grace marks the season of Lent, in particular Ash Wednesday. And then the discussion turns to Grace’s unique D-N-A, the longings for more grace, more depth, and more community that keep bringing us together as a church.  Mentioned in this episode: Grace D-N-A

Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek and not resist evil-doers, but in a fallen world, wouldn’t that kind of passivity open the door for evil to triumph? In this episode, Cameron and Mark put the Sermon on the Mount in its uncomfortable but essential context. They also discuss the various ways Christian theology has approached the idea of a “just war.” Mentioned in this episode: Pierre Viret’s C...