The Ceiling of Self

Rutledge Etheridge is in the house. He’s assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Geneva College, a former chaplain in the same institution, and an ordained minister at Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. “Rut” is the author of God Breathed: Connecting Through Scripture to God, Others, The Natural World, and Yourself, which was born from a rhetorical question by Augustine, fascinating personal observations, and the desire to dig deeper into the disconnect between the claims of Jesus and the way society at large lives day to day.Etheridge explains what he means by “The Ceiling of Self,” and why it’s such a wonderless and lonely place to be. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation on theology, philosophy, and apologetics. Show NotesIs Facebook Making Us Lonely?Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? The Follow UpThanks to Crown and Covenant Publications, we can offer you the opportunity to win a free copy of God Breathed. Register!!

”Influencers” Turned Defectors

A few sad recent events have caught the attention of the media, and our trio is talking through the high profile, so-called Christian “influencers” who have publicly declared their departure from the faith. Is it possible to pinpoint a pathological cultural pattern as a motive for such departures? Is it fair to draw a connection between local church commitment (or the lack thereof) and apostasy? Some of the defectors accuse the Church of never addressing a host of life issues. Is that accusation legitimate? If so, to what extent?Because three heads think better than one…Carl, Todd, and Aimee join forces to weigh in on the product of celebrity and youth culture, and the indispensable role of the local church. We’re giving away a few copies of Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World. Register for the opportunity to win one! The copies are a generous gift from Zondervan.

Dort and the Dutchifornian Pastor

Unable to catch any decent waves this morning, Danny Hyde pumped up the volume of his hair and came over for a chat about his latest work, written in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort. Danny is the pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in Carlsbad, California, and author of several books. Grace Worth Fighting For is a thorough examination of the history and text of the articles discussed and debated at the Synod of Dort, and what it really means to be Reformed. What do the Canons offer that the Westminster Standards don’t? What are the distinctives of the Canons, and what is its relevance for our day?Listen to Pastor Danny give these answers in a passionate and pastoral way.Register for the opportunity to win a free copy of Grace Worth Fighting For by Daniel Hyde, a complimentary gift from our friends at The Davenant Press.

Q&A: Van Til, Baptists, Hendrix, and Sinatra

The gang gathers in the bunker to answer some listener questions. From the holy to the profane, funny to offensive, all kinds of queries drive today’s episode. Will Baptists go to heaven? Who in the world is Nate Diaz? Differences between the PCA and the OPC, the influence of Van Tilian apologetics outside the US, Luther, Jimmy Hendrix, Calvin, and Sinatra--there’s a lot to cover. Listen as Todd shoots himself in the foot by declining a dinner invitation from the rest of the crew—you’ll enjoy every moment! 

The Coach, the Girl, and the Pastor

Versace, Maserati, private jets. What do the lives of “Christian celebrities” look like? Costi Hinn pays a visit to the bunker to chat about the ostentatious lifestyle he experienced growing up around his uncle Benny Hinn.Costi has recently authored God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies where he not only exposes the fallacies of the prosperity gospel and its dangers, but the means God used to open his eyes to the truths of Scripture and the value of a godly wife throughout the process.Do prosperity gospel teachers genuinely believe the message they preach? The answer may surprise you!Show Notes1 Corinthians 12:30John 5:1-17O.I.K.A.2 Timothy 3:132 Peter 2:1-3We’re excited to give away a few copies of God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel by Costi Hinn. Please register for the opportunity to win one!

Overstepping Authority

Some issues in the church are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Unfortunately, reports of spiritual, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse keep surfacing in Christian circles everywhere, so the Spin team examines the scars of emotional abuse in particular and the parameters of the authority that church leadership has over their congregants.What does consist as an abusive behavior? What is the authority given to leaders in the church, and is there a tool or system to curb and restrain abuse of power? How does one to proceed when spiritual or emotional abuse is detected, but there’s no obvious criminality involved? Show Notes· Jonathan Fletcher · Proclamation Trust· Oliver North We’re happy to offer our listeners the opportunity to win a free copy of The Transforming Community: The Practise of the Gospel in Church Discipline by Mark Lauterbach. Sign up!

Kafkatrap

Among his many qualifications, Neil Shenvi is a critical theory analyst. His broad understanding of the subject allows us to learn about critical theory’s greatest past and present supporters, as well as the danger it can pose for Christianity. Neil warns against uncritically adopting liberation theology and the extreme heterodoxy of some of its proponents. What is the end goal of critical theory? Why have so many Christians been falling for its tenets, and where does the slippery slope start? Is there a connection between critical theory and identity politics? Carl pulls on his pink (OK, salmon-colored) pants to join Todd and Aimee for this engaging episode.Show Notes· Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology by Andersen and Collins· The Frankfurt SchoolWe’re pleased to offer you a great resource on the topic. Register for the opportunity to win a copy of That Hideous Strength: How the West was Lost by Melvin Tinker. The copies are a courtesy of EP Books. 

Summer Picks

Carl, Todd, and Aimee are sitting on a blanket under a tree, bickering over who’s been reading the best summer books. As it’s hard to point to one book among the stacks and stacks of good stuff out there, the trio decides to compromise, and share some of their recent favorites.From their picks, you’ll get a little flavor of several different genres—Christian and non-Christian alike—both, meant to cause one to think on matters of life and death. Get a pen and paper and start taking note of their recommendations. Tell us what you’ve been reading by tagging us on social media: #MortificationOfSpinWe want to enrich your life with the opportunity to win a free copy of Michael Morales’ book, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus.Register now!UPDATE: Here are the picks discussed on the show!Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? (L.Michael Morales)Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life (William Finnegan)Being Mortal (Atul Gwande)The Lost Vintage (Ann Mah)The Green Mile (Stephen King)Our Bodies Ourselves (Judy Norsigian)Carl's latest book (no title offered)Catch 22, Jane EyreDignity (Chris Arnade)The Professor and the Parson (Adam Sisman)Norco 80 (Peter Houlahan)Against God and Nature (Thomas McCall)Theoretical and Practical Theology (Petrus Van Mastricht)

Gender Confusion

Emily Zinos visits the bunker. Her Twitter description reads: “Woman, Wife, Mother, Catholic. I've given birth seven times; you don't scare me”. Emily has written an article addressing the latest transgender movement titled "Sex Is Better than Gender"; and the trio wants to dig into the topic a little deeper. Mrs. Zinos tells about how she got involved in the fight against gender identity ideology in the public school system, and why language plays a vital part in forwarding this social issue. The word "gender" is being used in different ways by different groups of people, but Emily breaks down the most frequent uses and offers a much better option to eliminate the gender confusion.You must listen to find out if a woman can still be a woman if she drives a truck and smokes cigars!The Paideia Center for Theological Writing, RTS Orlando, is giving away a number of free registrations for this coming Fall reading groups. Sign up to read the classics along with people all over the country!Show NotesHands Across the AisleWoman Means SomethingGender non-conformingNon-recommended book - My Princess BoyNon-recommended book - I Am JazzDr. John MoneyPrudence AllenSpy cam epidemic in South KoreaEmily has recommended and we’re giving away a book titled The Flesh Made Word by Daniel Moody. Register for the opportunity to win one!

Personality Disorder

The Spin Squad strikes again! The current mission is to put the kibosh on the latest trend in evangelicalism: the dreaded “personality tests.”What are the origins of the Enneagram? Can people really be defined and perfectly fit into one of its nine categories? Should Christians rely on such tests, like the Myers-Briggs, for direction in life and ministry?  Since all nine Enneagram categories are pretty positive, you’ll discover just how great you really are, and how much awesomeness you can offer to your local church and beyond! Carl swears that this is very much an “American thing;” he’s taken the test, and didn’t fit any of the categories. Even John Paul II has something to say about such fads. Listen in!Show Notes· George GurdjieffWe’re pleased to give away a resource mentioned in this episode. Register for the opportunity to win a copy of The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre.