Bully Pulpit: Navel-Gazing Translations

Seems every category of person needs their own make of Bible these days in order to really read it, “for themselves”. What does this say about our culture, and even more, the Church? Have we grown so individualized that even our Bible translations aid in our navel gazing? Is the Word being manipulated or used as commercial even consumeristic gain instead of the ordinary means of growth in Christian faith. Let’s hope a version for the Bald & Bitter is published soon - Aimee would hate for Todd & Carl to feel left out!The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled The Bible, The Gospel, and Jesus: Rightly Handling the Word of God by David Garner. Free discount applied at checkout.  

Pornography: A Perpetual Pastoral Problem

There’s a lot of talk [ah-boat] pornography these days. Christian author and blogger, Tim Challies, even calling it “the primary pastoral issue of the church”. Tim lends insights from his pastoral perspective and the call to fight this particular lust of the flesh by seeking holiness. In the wider world, pornography can be excused as just part of being a man, but that view isn’t one the Church holds. If you’re a pastor, or training to be one, you will inevitably face shepherding sheep who fall to this darkness and its many lies.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Biblical Sexuality for Married and Single Christians by Tim Geiger.  

Bully Pulpit: The Art of Application

Sermon applications … they're important and can be a real hit or miss. So how should we think of making them from the pulpit and implementing them from the pew? As a pastor, should you aim to include the big picture of the gospel in every sermon, or would that be a stretch? And if you don’t, have you abandoned an unspoken sermon formula? Today’s conversation is extremely practical and relevant to pastors but also helpful to those who sit under them.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled The Origin of the Three-Point Sermon​ by Dennis Prutow.  

Pink Theology

Today we have Hannah Anderson on the line. Hannah is a pastor's wife, blogger, author of "Made For More", and co-host on the podcast, Persuasian. Usually holding her own among the fellas, Aimee’s glad for more estrogen on the show. Hannah asks pointed questions for the Church today: Where do women belong and do we have a strong or weak ecclesialogy about their roles in the church? From a Complementarian perspective, answering that question on the local church level is pretty straightforward, but what about parachurch organizations? Might a woman speaking at a conference, in fact, be preaching a sermon before the men attending? It's a good question that stirs necessary conversation about definitions and ecclesiology.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Masculinity and Femininity under God​ by Elisabeth Elliott.

Bully Pulpit: The Lord’s Supper (Part 2)

Exclusion of the Lord's table - it is both a severe mercy and primary act of church discipline and something our hosts have given witness to in their own churches. Carl, Aimee, & Todd share insights from this discipline, the beauty it can yield, and some other odds and ends: Do you take communion while visiting other churches? Grape juice or wine? Serve it weekly or monthly? And most importantly: is gluten free bread an abomination to the Lord's table? It's that and so much more this week on Mortification of Spin!The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled The Faith Once Delivered: Re-establishing our communion with the saints of old by Anthony Carter.  

The Visibly Invisible Church

An impostor host has taken over! Only his second time on the show and he wants to call all the shots! Tune in to hear who our first-time honorary host is as Carl, Aimee & Todd discuss the invisible Church. So who decides who's in or who's out of the Church? Does the visible church negate the invisible one? They answer these questions and address the charge for church membership. Membership is becoming somewhat a novelty, even "old-fashioned" in an age of incessant church shoppers and non-commitals. We are embodied souls. Bodies are important, so its pertinent we put those bodies in a pew on a regular basis!The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Reformation of the Church: Future of the Bright New Church by Craig Troxel.

Bully Pulpit: The Lord’s Supper (Part I)

This week Carl, Aimee, & Todd chew on the significance and mystery behind the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. There are many different views on this sacrament, and more ink was spilt over this particular issue in the Reformation than any other! So what are the elements? What is the theology behind them, and what do we receive from communion that we cannot from the preached word?The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Justification in Union with Christ by Ligon Duncan.  

Puritans, Piety, & Prodigals

Reverend Joel Beeke joins us today to talk piety and backsliding. Joel has faithfully pastored for 37 years having served 29 of them at Heritage Reformed church in Grand Rapids, is President of Puritan Reformed Seminary, and has authored numerous books on the puritan writings. So why read the Puritans? Joel's answers are convicting! If you don't own any John Owen books, you will want to by the end of this show. The hosts also ask about cultivating holiness: What does it look like? How do we avoid mediocrity in your faith? And what about backsliding… how do you know you're inching back into the world? Backsliding is something none of us are immune to, so give heed to Joel's wise words and encouragements.
 
 

Bully Pulpit: Emotional Exhibitionism

Due to some technical difficulties (yes, even recording equipment has not escaped the Fall), we've reached into the vault to resurrect a conversation that's as relevant as it was when we first aired it last May. It never hurts to hear some good truths twice, especially when it concerns the prevalence of emotional exhibitionism in today's church. From blogs to the pulpit, how much is too much? The Spinners discuss TMI and the wisdom in less being more!The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer a free MP3 download! Head to ReformedResources.org to download a free copy of James Boice's sermon entitled, "Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age: Part 1"   

The Inside Out of The Insider Movement

The Insider Movement … what is it? Well, we've pulled out the big guns to ensure we got a good answer, and his name is Dr. David Garner. He's Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, and he's even willing to say he's friends with Carl Trueman. Aside from his charitable friendship to Carl, Dr. Garner is extremely knowledgable on the Insider Movement. He articulates a historically rich, educated response to the hosts' questions while voicing concerns the church should have about this movement. Dr. Garner also shares on the importance of attending seminary from three perspectives: seminary grad, professor, and pastor.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer a free MP3 download! Head to ReformedResources.org to download a free copy of James Boice's sermon entitled, "A Plea for Missions"David Garner's reformation21.org articles on the insider Movement:1. Jennings and Garner On the PCA's Response to Insider Movements2. Jennings and Garner First Rejoinders3. Jennings and Garner Final Responses