Features
If You Don’t Know What To Do With Yourself
They woke in the cheerless dawn and discovered that the person who had most influenced them, and for whom they had sacrificed everything, was dead and in a tomb. Imagine being so deluded.
#98: No Substitute for Substitution: Jesus, the Cross, and the Wrath of God
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss some common criticisms of Penal Substitutionary Atonement and interact with the ideas of some of its well-known detractors.
Sorrow and Sighing Shall Flee Away
Well, it’s been a busy week, to misunderstate it, and there are miles to go before I crash. I hadn’t thought I would be up at this hour, and had even considered forgoing the Sunday post in a fit of sanity, but the cat is sitting on my face and I am all the way awake,...
#97: Three Big Days: A Guided Tour of the Triduum
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the monumental “three days” of Holy Week. They look at the liturgies, the remembrances, and the theological underpinnings of each celebration.
The Rise and Triumph of Jesus
Wouldn’t you feel excited? Wouldn’t you retweet? And then post it in some groups? And text it to someone? The modern equivalent of throwing down your cloak and waving your palm branch in enthusiastic relief? Finally, everything is going to be ok. The shift, the solution is finally here.
#96: Building New Things: Christians, Culture, and What Happens Next
Matt, Jady, and Nick revisit the question of Christian engagement with culture in light of the recent revelations about the Walt Disney Company and the explicit conversations and curriculum in public schools.
Why We Are the Way We Are
A number of ACNA leaders and people are “recovering” from very rigid fundamentalist pasts where their heads were packed with lots of scripture but their hearts were left cold.
Totalitarian Moments XI: Mit Brennender Sorge
Both the idolatry of the state and the idolatry of race are idolatry to be banished…
No Contest
How do I know that Israel was the vineyard? Did I just make that up? Is it a secret? Isn’t the Bible very hard to understand? Can’t you make it mean whatever you want to? I suppose you could try, but in the middle of the chapter Isaiah says this
#95: Three Non-Biologists: Big Lies, Little Kids, and the Truth About Womanhood
Anne, Liza, and Ralinda answer the question of the moment: what is a woman? They discuss telling the truth, how kids are getting trapped by lies, and why it’s Good News that God is the only creator.
Who Is Forgiveness For?
Who is forgiveness for? What a question! It is for you. It is for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. It is for the crushed, the brokenhearted, the canceled, the hopeless, the offender.
#94: Imago Me: Sin, the Shimmering Self, and the Image of God
Matt, Jady, and Nick talk about the odd ways that modern Christians sometimes talk about the image of God. They then discuss what that phrase means, and how it relates to the Good News about Jesus.
Matthew 25 Initiative Vilifies Christians Wanting to Stop Mass Illegal Immigration
Perhaps the Matthew 25 Initiative should use Lent to confess their own sins instead of inventing others’ sins.
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.
Podcast
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#86: Compassion and Truth: Accusations, Abuse, and the Church
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss an ongoing abuse investigation in the ACNA, the impact of “trauma-centered” responses, and whether or not it’s still possible to have difficult conversations.
#85: Forbidden Therapy? Christianity, Conversion, and the Good News
On this episode of the Stand Firm podcast, Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss Canada’s new anti-“conversion therapy” law, some Finnish criminal charges, and the centrality of conversion to the Christian Gospel.
#84: Dirty Work(s): Good Deeds, Justification, and the 39 Articles
Matt, Jady, and Nick unpack Articles 12 and 13, talk about how a Christian should think about good works, and discuss what God thinks of the “good” works of non-believers.
#83: Revenge of the Nerds? Credentialism, Expertise, and the Pastor’s Lane
Matt, Jady, and Nick discuss the tendency to defer to qualifications in a debate, what getting a doctorate really means, and what a pastor’s “lane” really is.
#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.