Features
When Towers Fall
What do you say to yourself when you hear of something awful happening somewhere in the world? If you are like most people, you probably wonder why God would let such a wicked thing happen. Why doesn’t he stop that sort of thing? If there is a good God, how can Pilate mix the blood of the Galileans with the sacrifice?
#93: Continuing the Conversation: Abuse, Truth, and the ACNA
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss several recent statements about the on-going abuse investigation in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. What can a Christian make of what’s happened, and where can Good News be found?
A Narrow Door
The Stroops and Du Mez’s of the world want to pretend that if you know the meaning of this text—that Jesus is the only way to eternal life, that every knee must bow to him and every tongue confess that he is Lord—you are participating in an “Alt-Right” destruction of democracy.
#92: The Hole in Holistic: Abortion, Politics, and Being Pro-Life
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the “holistic” approach to abortion opposition in light of the Texas heartbeat law and the new Florida abortion ban.
We Need the Bad News of Lent
There is a worse thing than tears over sin, and that is sin without tears.
#91: It’s Out There: Truth, Cynicism, and Preaching for Today
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the lack of trust in institutions. They discuss what might be done to restore that trust, the importance of telling the truth, and the need to proclaim the Good News into a cynical world.
Do Something to Mark the Occassion
Dear heart, the person you are looking for is Jesus. And there is no finding him in the woods, in some kind of gazing up at the sky by yourself, trying to make yourself feel something, who knows what. Jesus is the only one who can prepare you for death, lead you into eternal life, and make you even know yourself.
What Are You Doing Here?
He wasn’t going to Jerusalem to conquer that ancient city and restore it to its former glories. He wasn’t going to overthrow the oppressive power of its conquering occupiers. He wasn’t going to set up a stable and secure government that would right all the very obvious wrongs and bring about prosperity and peace.
#90: Finger Painting? Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Playing at Sacerdotalism
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the observances of Ash Wednesday and Lent and discuss whether or not they can be celebrated in line with the Gospel, avoiding sacerdotalism.
Ask a Different Question
The commands of God are true and right. They show a far country to which one should greatly desire to go. They are not something to feel constant and unending grief about all the time. They are not oppressive. On the contrary, they are the way of life.
On World Mission Sunday Worship Jesus
I love that line—“so many Christians believe that Jesus is God.” Yes, that’s true. Indeed, believing that Jesus is God is what makes a person into a Christian, or rather, is the prerequisite to being one. Satan knows that Jesus is God, but he is not a Christian.
#89: ACNA Origins: The Rev. Dr. Jon Shuler (Part 2)
Matt and Nick continue tracing the beginnings of the ACNA with Dr. Jon Shuler. On this episode, he tells the story from the foundations of the AMIA in the late 1990s to the Jerusalem GAFCON meeting in 2008.
Hope For Women In Middle Age
Jesus came to us, taking on human flesh and living with all the ruin of our estate so that we could, ultimately, be happy. But not happy in ourselves, happy rather in the glory of his beauty, which he gives to anyone who calls on him.
That’s Not How Any Of This Works
It’s not their beauty or strength that makes them important to Christians, it’s the fact that God made them. So we don’t throw anyone away, or pass by on the other side of the road, or turn away from people who make bad decisions, or look pathetic, or don’t meet some standard of happiness or ability.
Trees and Shrubs
He wanted to really “be” the hands and feet of Jesus. Confident in his own abilities and virtue, he moved into a house with them all, and joined in buying groceries and the occasional bottle of wine.
#88: ACNA Origins: The Rev. Dr. Jon Shuler
Matt and Jady talk to Jon Shuler, founder of NAMS. Dr. Shuler shares his story of ministry in the Episcopal Church, creeping revisionism, and the road toward the ACNA.
Prepare for Lent. Read 2nd Corinthians!
2nd Corinthians opens wide what the heart of a ministering Christian should be towards God and towards others.
When You Can’t Even
Why would God let this happen? we wail, rushing always into the arms of false and pathetic gods and all the hubristic dreams that go along with their worship.
#87: Revoice 21: Identity, Orientation, and the Gospel
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the recent Revoice conference and talk about whether Revoice’s claims and critiques are biblical or apt to lead people away from Christian orthodoxy.
Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021
What is “self-accepting obedience?” This is the first of the many questions I asked myself as I watched, and then rewatched, Revoice21. The term comes from Eve Tushnet’s15 opening talk, “God’s Answers Deserve Better Questions.” “When it came to sexuality,” she said, “the people you looked up to in the church were simply unable to educate your desires and guide you into a self-accepting obedience”.
Podcast
#82: The 2021 Year-End Awards
On this episode of the Stand Firm podcast, Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss 2021 and hand out some awards: issue of the year, most surprising development, and more.
#81: The Once and Future King: Advent, The End Times, and the Arrival of God
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the importance and meaning of Advent, talk about what true repentance is, and review some of the different theories about the second coming of Christ.
#80: Handmaid’s Tales: SCOTUS, Mayberry, and Theonomy
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the current state of the abortion debate in America, the role of one’s faith in the political sphere, and whether or not God’s law should be the law of the land.
#79: A Stand Firm Conversation: Denny Burk
Anne, Jady, and Nick talk to Denny Burke (seminary professor, Baptist pastor, and President of the CBMW) about his recent Twitter conversation with Kristin Du Mez, the difference between sheep and wolves, why LGBTQ issues are “Gospel” issues, and more.
#78: Into the Kiddie Pool: Why We Baptize Babies
Matt, Jady and Nick discuss infant baptism, talk about the biblical, historical, and theological reasoning behind the practice, and then tackle what actually happens in the sacrament.
#77: Revisionist History? Slavery, Race, and Reckoning with America’s Past
Matt, Anne, Jady and Liza react to a recent New York Times piece, share memories of learning about America’s racial history, discuss repentance, and talk about writing for a secular audience.
#76: Queer Eye for the Millennial? Sexual Identity and the Future of the Church
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the results of a recent Arizona Christian University survey, wonder about the exploding number of young people identifying as LGBTQ, and think about ways the church can proclaim Good News to this Brave New World.
#75: The Bible (Still) Tells Me So
Matt and Jady talk about the Bible, discuss its purpose, and consider how the church can and should use it, both in preaching and in ministry.
#74: Protestant Word Games: A Reformation Day Glossary
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss some of the terms associated with the Reformation. They talk about “Protestant,” “Calvinist,” “reformed,” and review some of the differences between Luther and Calvin.
#73: Home Sweet Rome? Why We (and You) Should Still Protest
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss Michael Nazir-Ali’s defection to Roman Catholicism, consider the Protestant distinctives, and talk about how crucial it is to stand up for the truth.
#72: Courting the Cultured Despisers: Elites, Evangelicals, and the Struggle for Status
Jady and Nick discuss several recent articles on the so-called “evangelical elites,” consider their attempt to appeal to the broader culture, and talk about what kind of culture a Gospel Christianity would produce.
#71: Unrest Down Under? COVID, Government, and Church in Australia
Matt and Nick are joined by David Ould to discuss the situation on the ground in Australia. They talk about the lockdowns, how churches are dealing with them, and the Christian way to submit to authority.
#70: Salvation Issues? Bishops, Discipline, and Unity
Matt, Jady, and Nick continue to talk about what makes an Anglican an Anglican. They discuss what keeps us together, what’s worth splitting over, and consider what “salvation issues” might be.
#69: A Gentleman’s Agreement: Kenya, GAFCON, and the Tenuous Compromise
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the recent consecration of a woman to the episcopate in Kenya, wonder about its affect on the ACNA’s global relationships, and discuss GAFCON’s middle ground on women’s ordination.
#68: This Bishop was Wrong: John Shelby Spong and Cultural Christianity
Matt, Jady, and Nick reflect on the life and ministry of Bishop John Spong, his efforts to make the church relevant, and the Good News of culturally discordant Christianity.
#67: Expert Witness: Dr. Gillis Harp
Friend of the show Ethan Magness interviews historian Dr. Gillis Harp about the “three streams” of Anglicanism.
#66: The River Wild: Three Streams, Evangelicalism, and Anglican Identity
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about what everyone’s talking about: evangelicalism. They discuss what it really means, its place in Anglicanism, and why preserving such an identity is crucial to the proclamation of the Good News.
#65: Same Old Lies: Neo-Pelagianism, Original Sin, and Being Right with God
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about new forms of an old heresy: Pelagianism. They also discuss the importance of the doctrine of original sin and explain why Good News can only come from a God who justifies on his own.
#64: Afghanistan, Mission, and the Sovereignty of God
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the Taliban’s retaking of major Afghan cities from a Christian perspective, the longstanding friction between Christianity and Islam, and how God is at work even in the midst of such profound suffering.
#63: Stand Firm Movie Club: Pray Away
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the new Netflix documentary, “Pray Away.” They talk about the valid criticisms the film makes about evangelical “ex-gay” ministries, what the movie gets wrong, and what the Good News of Jesus is for sexual strugglers.