Mortification of Spin

The evangelical world has been shaken once again by the news of yet another influential leader’s tattered reputation. Ravi Zacharias was a prominent Christian speaker, writer, and apologist for over 4 decades. He spoke from the platforms of renowned institutions and college campuses all around the world. Although there were early questions about Zacharias’s inflated qualifications, a different kind of scandal was confirmed after his death last year.
Carl and Todd raise a few questions about the “celebrity culture,” and how it is often immune to criticism. Sadly, serious character flaws involving sex, money, and power may then go unchecked. What should one who’s been helped by such leaders feel about that influence? Join us for a poignant and very necessary conversation.
Visit our online store for numerous helpful resources addressing the many challenges of the Christian life.

Our special guest today makes a return visit to the podcast, which can only mean that Carl and Todd have not ruined his reputation (well at least, not yet)! 
Among the many hats he wears, Matthew Barrett is associate professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Theological retrieval is a process close to Matthew’s heart, and his latest book—Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit—advances the conversation. What do the church fathers have to teach us today about the nature of the Trinity? Matthew addresses the word “unmanipulated,” and how the Holy Trinity is regularly co-opted to represent the positions of government, political parties, family dynamics, and even a social view of the environment.
Why are some Christians skeptical of systematic theology and anything philosophical? How does philosophy aid us with theology? Join us for a fascinating discussion. And for more on this topic, don't miss PCRT Live--the 2021 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. Our theme is Delighting in Our Triune God. Learn more here.
Show Notes
· Credo magazine
· Best Kansas City BBQ according to Matthew Barrett
· Purchase a copy of Simply Trinity from ReformedResources.org.
We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to win a free copy of Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit. Register here! The books are a gift from our friends at Baker Publishing. 

Learning from the Smyth-Fletcher Abuse
Carl flies solo today as he speaks with the Rev. Dr. Peter Sanlon, an old friend and a minister in the Anglican Church in the UK. Their conversation is a somber one dealing with a horrific scandal of abuse that has emerged in the past couple of years involving a prominent Anglican minister, the Reverend Jonathan Fletcher. The full report of the abuses made public just a week ago is challenging to understand when reviewed on this side of the Atlantic, due to its cultural and religious context. Peter provides background information and explains the connection with another prominent name, the late John Smyth.
What about the victims who have come forward? Is there a system in place to care for them, and how is that done? The notes below link to additional information about the scandal and to a charity where victims can find help. 
Show Notes:
Support for victims or those affected by Fletcher:
Email thirtyone:eight charity in confidence for details of fund to provide counseling: ecwsupportfund@thirtyoneeight.org
Reviews on Smyth: https://soulinformation.org/su-report-executive-summary
thirtyone:eight review on Fletcher: https://walkingwith.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Final+Report+of+ECW+Review_March+2021.pdf
IAG statement on Fletcher review: https://soulinformation.org/iagstatement
Learning about abuse: https://soulinformation.org/video-resources
The Making of Them by Nick Duffell
We’re pleased to offer an important resource on this topic. Register for the opportunity to win a free copy of Something’s Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself from Its Power. The books are a generous gift from our friends at Tyndale Momentum.

Today’s special guest dared to ask questions and present statements from healthcare experts and transgender patients three years ago in his book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. Now, he’s been blacklisted and canceled by big tech. 
 
Ryan T. Anderson worked for many years at the Heritage Foundation and helped found Public Discourse, a journal of the Witherspoon Institute. He’s recently become the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., a conservative think tank "dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical public policy issues."
 
A few weeks back, Ryan made headlines after When Harry Became Sally was banned from Amazon. The online behemoth’s decision has raised many questions about trans-ideology and its impact on society—about censorship, big tech, business monopoly, and the lack of accountability of powerful institutions. Carl, Todd, and Ryan sit down to discuss the long-term implications of this kind of censorship and what could lie ahead.  
 
Show Notes
 
·  The Heritage Foundation
·  Public Discourse
· Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)
 

After revealing some details of their personal lives, Carl and Todd get down to business. Seems a disturbing phenomenon is plaguing churches all over the country. Since the lockdown, many Christians have become too comfortable with worshipping from home over a screen…dressed in their jammies, eating donuts, and—quite possibly—not really worshipping at all. 
Does it really matter? What are people missing by not going back to church as restrictions are slowly being lifted? Our favorite duo discuss the meaning and importance of “being bodily present” for the different traditions like the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and the Protestant. Is there any place for live streaming, and any reason not to physically gather for worship? It’s time to weigh in. Oh, and notice who’s playing the optimist this time!
Today's program originally aired 9/30/20.

The cancel culture mob never sleeps, and this time they’re after one of the most well-known evangelical pastors and writers of our day. Max Lucado recently came under fire for a message he preached and an article he wrote in 2004 holding the view that marriage is between one man and one woman. 
Our duo takes on Lucado’s response and all that followed when his “crime,’ according to the mob, was exposed. How can the average Christian defend his or her beliefs when top evangelical leaders falter in their response to such accusations? Can “faithful people disagree” about what the Bible says about homosexuality? Join us for a timely and useful conversation!
We are pleased to offer the opportunity to win a copy of a very relevant book on the topic. Register to win a free copy of That Hideous Strength by Melvin Tinker. The books are a gift from our friends at Evangelical Press.

American culture has been moving in a progressive direction at breakneck speed, with it, the language employed to define the trends. Today, Carl and Todd explore the meaning of “Cancel Culture” and the latest “cancellation” of a prominent conservative voice by one of the most powerful corporations in the country.
Ryan T. Anderson, who has been a guest on this podcast, was recently “canceled” for his book on transgenderism (“When Harry Became Sally”), which challenges the mainstream sexual orthodoxy and points out the dangers of body mutilation. What’s the significance of this book being removed from a major online retailer? Should we be alarmed? Join us for a timely and important conversation. 
Show Notes
·Listen to Ryan’s interview when “When Harry Became Sally” was first published.
·About Ryan T. Anderson
·How Ryan Anderson’s Banned Book ‘When Harry Became Sally’ Helped Me With Gender Dysphoria.

Christian education is highly regarded among Reformed Christians, and for good reason. Teaching young believers the basics of the faith and helping the mature ones swim the deep waters of the catholicity of our creeds and confessions has been, for many years, a passion and mission of today’s guest.
Lane Tipton is pastor at Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Easton, PA, and a fellow of Biblical and Systematic Theology at the Reformed Forum. Tipton sits down with Carl and Todd to share how an end goal of teaching and preaching deepens his commitment to help Christians in every stage of faith become fully mature in Christ. Lane points out the importance of systematic theology in preaching, and that Christ’s presence in the Old Testament grows organically through the pages of Scripture, rendering an important means to develop our understanding of the whole of Scripture.
Is the mission of the Old Testament merely to point us to Jesus in the New Testament? How may one preach the OT without repeatedly making the same point? Tune in for this week’s conversation, and learn how you can take full advantage of the resources offered by the Reformed Forum.
Show Notes
· About Reformed Forum 

Evil has plagued humanity since the Garden of Eden…and has obviously clouded Carl's judgement. In today’s conversation, the brash Brit attempts to pass as a native Texan, just because he’s been to a Willie Nelson concert at Billy Bob’s wearing cowboy boots and a Stetson. Take a moment to picture the hideous spectacle…
Todd, a true native of the Lone Star State, welcomes recent Texas transplant Scott Christensen for a conversation about his most recent work, What about Evil. In the book, Scott addresses the perennial question: “If God exists, and if He’s good, then why does He allow evil?” Perhaps the answer may be found in the unchanging nature of God. Join us for a most useful discussion!
We are pleased to offer our listeners the opportunity to win a free copy of What about Evil? Register!

Show Notes
· About Scott Christensen

Carl and Todd meet to discuss a prevalent problem in the church: spiritual abuse. We know it happens, but pinpointing spiritual abuse in the church—then, working to resolve it--requires a great deal of care and wisdom. 
What actually constitutes “spiritual abuse?” Do being confronted, offended, or simply hearing something you don’t like count as forms of abuse? How has the therapeutic culture we live in changed the conversation, even the language employed? Who are more likely to be abused--ministers or congregants? Our hosts weigh in with insight based on personal experience, and offer advice about tools that could help curb abuse in the church.
Show Notes
·Evangelicals and Race Theory by Carl Trueman