Not So Subtle

 Author and blogger Aimee Byrd joins your regular hosts Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt to talk about a perrennial issue throughout the life of the church: abuse. Though Carl and Todd have discussed this issue before, they seek Aimee's wisdom in confronting a more subtle form of abuse that happens more often than it ought within the church. What role should pastors, elders, deacons and their wives play in unveiling marital abuse and reconciling husbands and wives? How can the church better prepare women to deal with these things biblically and theologically? Listen in to the conversation on the Mortification of Spin. Enjoy this free resource from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals!Betrayed by a Close Friend by Jame M. BoiceDo you ever find yourself wanting to run away?  It’s not that you expected life to be easy, exactly.  But maybe you’re worn out from facing the same problems over and over again, year after year.  Job pressures, bills, taxes, marriage or family problems –  Housewife Theologian: How the Gospel Interrupts the Ordinary by Aimee ByrdAlso check out Aimee's blog, Housewife Theologian.

Mad, Mad, Mad

What has become of marriage in our society? When the rules are as bent as they are now, even something as absurd as "marrying" oneself is no longer seen as laughable as it would have once been, but is praised and even endorsed. Listen to Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit and hear Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt discuss the state of marriage, and God's clear words about it in Scripture. Enjoy this free resources from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals!Click here to download the free message "The First Wedding" by Dr. James Boice.God establishes marriage as the first and most basic of all human institutions. From this institution, all other human institutions came: government, education, health care. One cannot think of a contemporary social or cultural organization that does not have a derivative relationship to the home and marriage.Download it for free.

Tribe Hopping

Carl and Todd are at it again! Join them as they discuss Todd's "journey" to his new Presbyterian "tribe" from his Southern Baptist roots. Listen in and learn more about the distintives of church governmental structures between denominations. Call them "elitist" if you must, but our hosts unashamedly assert the importance of getting the right men in the pulpit, as those men are to care for peoples' souls according to God's standard laid out in his Word. This topic is becoming more and more explosive as churches continue to seek the coolest and hippest men to be pastors, instead of choosing the educated and qualified men. Listen to the Mortification of Spin and join the discussion! Enjoy this free resources from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals! The Westminster Doctrine of Baptism and Current Reformed Trajectories by Sinclair Ferguson  

Bully Pulpit: Gobbledygook

Listen in as Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt take to the Bully Pulpit.  On this week’s Pulpit they discuss the means and goals of preaching.  What role does evangelism play in preaching?  How do Jesus and the Apostles teach men to preach?  Today, many preachers give their congregations gobbledygook instead of solid, biblical meat each week.  The Bible confronts us in our sinful state before God, and preachers need to bring that confrontation in through their sermons by turning their own pulpits into Bully Pulpits...  Click here for the free offer The Foolishness of Preaching by Dr. James boice.

Trivial Fascinations

Dr. Stephen Nichols, Research Professor of Christianity and Culture at Lancaster Bible College, stops by the “studio” once again to talk with Carl and Todd.  After a rocky start they get to the point of discussion: the overwhelming cultural fascination with youth.  The gang explains how the fixation our culture places on the young and pretty is idolatrous.  And this idolatry has seeped into the church.  How are we to respond?  What is the Bible’s antidote for a youth-driven church?  What do 80s rock stars and blues music have to do with anything?  Listen to the Mortification of Spin to find out!        Enjoy this free resource from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals!The Christian's Responsibility to His Culture by R.C. Sproul    Youth-Driven Culture by Stephen Nichols     Getting the Blues by Stephen Nichols  

Bully Pulpit: Unabashed Self Promotion

Carl from his pulpit and Todd from his heavily armed bunker kick off a new Mortification of Spin series, The Bully Pulpit. In this first episode, in light of a recent hypersexualized musical performance,  Todd asks if the church has any credibility on sexual ethics and decency? Or does an unabashed desire for self promotion lie behind such public sexual escapades? Are pastors guilty of the same behavior when they promote themselves or their latest book in the pulpit or on Facebook? We need to be careful not to erode the boundary of what is appropriate for the public sphere and what is a appropriate for the private sphere or we are just as guilty as the pornographers.

Calming Liturgical Heartburn

If you get heartburn over the mention of the word "liturgy," you may find some proverbial antacid in the thoughtful conversation between our hosts on this episode of The Mortification of Spin. In fact, Carl and Todd remind us that our churches are all liturgical in one way or another - the question is whether we are basing the order and structure of our worship on Scripture or whether we're simply, shall we say, flying by the seat of our pants. Can the seat of our pants sufficiently guide us in corporate worship that is Christ-centered? If you've never opened The Book of Common Prayer, buckle up and listen in...you're bound to learn quite a bit from this helpful podcast.   Free Resource from Alliance of Confessing EvangelicalsHumble Suggestions for Reformed Worship by Richard PhillipsRev. Richard Phillips, speaking at the 2006 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, teaches on the practice of reformed worship. This discussion is helpful for pastors and church members who desire to see our worship reformed according to the Bible's standards. Mentioned on Calming Liturgical Heartburn  A Method for Prayer by Matthew HenryAnd check out the Alliance's Matthew Henry Project.   The Book of Common Prayer     The Valley of Vision by Arthur G. Bennet    Leading in Prayer by Hughes Oliphant Old    Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell   Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller

Saved by Grace, Theologian by Default

 Todd and Carl interview Aimee Byrd in an attempt to answer the question: can anything good really come out of West Virginia? Mrs. Byrd is the popular blogger, now published author and self-identified "Housewife Theologian." If you're picturing a woman - pregnant, barefoot and in the kitchen - pouring over commentaries and studying Greek while mixing up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, you're probably only slightly stereotyping. Aimee herself admits to being quite ordinary. In fact, she believes that everyone is a theologian and that doctrine is a very real part of everyday life. If you're as important as Carl, then you already have a copy of her pre-released book. But in case you aren't, you better listen in to this episode of The Mortification of Spin...  Housewife Theologan book winners!J. Lynn - Temple, GAA. Larson - Athens, GAE. Laczny - Appleton, WIB. Bishop - Nine Mile Falls, WAA. Murphy - Toledo, OHD. Narva - Rockford, MIL. Skillman - Vermilion, OHK. Gray - Jacksonville, FLR. Amador - Hamler, OHT. Helfers - Pekin, ILP. Williamson - Bellingham, WAK. Weeks - Savannah, MON. Larsen - Indianapolis, INM. Van Drunen - Hudson, OHC. Daniell - Douglasville, GAL. Huffman - Cresson, TXD. Carlson - Mariposa, CAB. Richardson - Philadelphia, PAD. Esh - Willow Street, PAK. Cozzi - Bow, NHWinners will be contacted by email. Click here to purchase Aimee Byrd's new book Housewife Theologan.             
             
             

Pastors, Elders & Their Wives

Your favorite comedian/theologians, Todd Pruitt and Carl Trueman, team up yet again - this time to answer some important questions about how the church should be run and who should be running it. We'll learn that faithful teaching, a willingness to contend for truth and godly maturity are all important characteristics of a good pastor or elder. But women listeners won't be surprised to learn what Todd and Carl eventually conclude...that the way an elder treats his wife may be the best indicator of his ability to lead well.    Free resource from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals The Westminster Assembly on Marriage and Divorce a free MP3 by Richard Gamble.

What is the Church To Do?

This episode of The Mortification of Spin takes on a more serious tone as Todd and Carl offer a pastoral approach to the sensitive topic of spousal abuse. In tragic cases of abuse within the church, where does the dividing line between church discipline and civil law exist? Does abuse stand as justifiable, biblical grounds for divorce? During their thoughtful discussion, the hosts answer these questions and more, offer helpful book recommendations on this challenging topic, and (surprisingly) reveal what's right about feminism.       Free resource from the Alliance of Confessing EvangelicalsGod's Design for Marriage and Sex by Richard Phillips   Mentioned on What is the Church To Do?The Stain That Stays by Armstrong John     Marriage: Sex in the Service of God by Christopher Ash    Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best it Can be by Christopher Ash