The Westminster Podcast

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Bonus Episode: The Church Sep 07, 2023

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One of Christianity Today’s “100 Most Influential Books of the 20th Century”, J. Gresham Machen’s earnest case for true, biblical faith and communion in Jesus Christ has been read around the world for 100 years. Originally published in 1923, this new edition features a brand-new foreword by Kevin DeYoung and is issued with the hope and prayer that the next century will be celebrated as one of reformation and renewal for Christ’s church throughout the world.

God Breathed (Chapter 4: The Bible, Pt. 2) Aug 31, 2023

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The Bible. A divinely-inspired book so glorious and yet so debated these days that we decided to record another podcast on this essential topic.

In 1820 Thomas Jefferson completed his redacted version of the Four Gospels he called “The Philosophy and Morals of Jesus.” Although it wasn’t published in his lifetime, “The Jefferson Bible” would become a popular example of an alarming trend in post-enlightenment hermeneutics: cutting and pasting with the Word of God.

According to Jefferson and other readers and scholars since, the Bible is an imperfect text. There might be truth in its pages, but it needs a modern lens, or additions, or subtractions to purify it or to make sense of its ancient obscure meaning. There are hard things to understand in the Bible, they say, supernatural events that are difficult to believe. So, does the Bible need to change? Or do we?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: E1SE4GBTPOVFBRDI YSO2WXNPTOPNUQYH

Bonus Episode: Christianity & Liberalism: 100th Anniversary Edition (Now Available) Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

One of Christianity Today’s “100 Most Influential Books of the 20th Century”, J. Gresham Machen’s earnest case for true, biblical faith and communion in Jesus Christ has been read around the world for 100 years. Originally published in 1923, this new edition features a brand-new foreword by Kevin DeYoung and is issued with the hope and prayer that the next century will be celebrated as one of reformation and renewal for Christ’s church throughout the world.

The 100th Anniversary Edition of Christianity & Liberalism officially launches today! + Free downloadable study guide included with any purchase Order: https://wtsbooks.com/collections/westminster-seminary-press/products/christianity-liberalism-100th-anniversary-edition-9781955859103?variant=42693609881800

Clarity (Chapter 4: The Bible, Pt. 1) Aug 17, 2023

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Inspiration means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some it’s the thrill of creative expression, or motivation to accomplish something great. But in a biblical theological context, it has a very specific, very important meaning: that God is the author of the Bible.

But for liberal theologians this doctrine—that the Bible is the reliable and sufficient source of God’s revelation to man—poses a problem. If we can trust the Bible, then we can trust what Jesus says about sin, about judgment, and about his being the only way to salvation. But if Jesus isn’t who he says he is in the Bible, as liberal and progressive Christians claim, how can we say anything about him at all?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: LALR51CL47QXJH0R AHN6NBP8WIVBOELW

The Safest Place in the World (Chapter 7: The Church) Aug 10, 2023

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The Church. Few institutions are more unpopular or controversial these days than the Christian church. And, let’s face it, a lot of the time, even Christians don’t appear to like it very much. Every week it seems there’s a new scandal or debate splitting congregations. It can be tempting to think that maybe the church is obsolete, maybe we’d be better off going our own way.

But there’s a tragic irony in that. Sometimes it’s lost on us that in the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus says “upon this rock I will build my church” he’s not talking about flawless rich young ruler types, or even the pharisees. He’s talking about the disciples but especially Peter, the one who would later deny Christ, who needed to be confronted by the apostle Paul, and who often had to have things repeated three times before he understood it.

The point is, from the very beginning Jesus knew that his church would be filled with the messy, sinful men and women that he gave his life to save. And so he gave his apostles specific guidance on how the church should help Christians grow in faith, in repentance, doctrine and ethics through preaching, sacraments, and prayer.

The liberals of Machen’s day didn’t believe this was enough. They began to look for ways to accommodate Jesus’ vision to the culture at the expense of our core beliefs about Christ, the Bible, Salvation, God, and even our own identity. We find ourselves at a similar crossroads today, surrounded by a culture asking the question: does the church even matter?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: G08J1KLITZPVAYHB RXVVJOBYPXUFAYET

Bonus Episode: God and Man Aug 03, 2023

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Bonus Episode: Living up to the Name Jul 27, 2023

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Losing is never fun. And it’s even less fun when the New York Times is paying attention. But by 1929 that’s what had happened. J. Gresham Machen had lost the fight against liberalism at Princeton seminary. Even after reading Machen’s warning in Christianity and Liberalism, the Presbyterian church voted to reorganize Princeton to allow liberal theology on faculty.

That would’ve been the perfect time to pack it in. But for Machen the fight had never been about Princeton. True Christian doctrine could never belong to a single organization, no matter how influential. So Machen did what any God fearing independently wealthy bachelor would do. He quit, poached Princeton’s best faculty, and started his own seminary.

Politics. Technology. Identity. Power. Science. Everything seems to be changing. So why not faith?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: TE3MR2SOLBRPRFDR MWQUIJMABYWNGWYE

Supernatural (Chapter 5: Christ) Jul 20, 2023

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What’s in a name?

In the past, when Christians talked about Jesus, it was safe to assume we were talking about the son of God become man who conquered death to save the lost. You know, the person the Bible’s about.

But with the rise of liberal theology in the 19th and 20th centuries, that meaning began to change. At least for some people. Christ, liberal theologians said, might be better understood as an idea, a metaphor, or a good example, rather than the sinless supernatural savior who accomplished our redemption in the first century.

This was J. Gresham Machen’s line in the sand in 1923. If we don’t worship the same Christ, Machen said, we don’t have the same religion.

Politics. Technology. Identity. Power. Science. Everything seems to be changing. So why not faith?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: G80CW5LAONGBUAXB BYDTC3Y8K96ACYJ2

Bonus Episode: Southern's Story Jul 13, 2023

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In the 1980s the Southern Baptist Convention found itself at a crossroads. While many of its churches were faithfully teaching biblical Christianity, the seminaries where its pastors were trained had been immersed in theological liberalism for decades.

In a lot of stories, this is where the split would occur. But this time something different happened. Instead of dividing, a group of courageous Christians decided to change the equation. They came up with an unprecedented plan to turn Southern Seminary from liberal theology, back to its confessional roots.

Politics. Technology. Identity. Power. Science. Everything seems to be changing. So why not faith?

Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.

Music: “Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle Produced by Nobody Special Wrath and Grace Records Music Licensing Codes: SRMLYXTJPKIJ7KT1 DYWHAHXSILHN6QAG

Bonus Episode: Christianity & Liberalism Free Audiobook Jul 06, 2023

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https://wtspress.com/products/christianity-liberalism-100th-anniversary-edition

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