The City of God Podcast

People are hungering for the church to be the church and nothing else. People desperately crave a church that is actually a church. They find themselves uniquely drawn to and hungry for distinctly churchly and Christian ways of being, thinking, looking, and constructing. People are finding themselves are wanting less of a model that accommodates their inherent taste. Instead, some people want the church itself to shape their tastes for them. We are seeing a great hunger, particularly the younger generation, for a church that doesn’t try to be anything but a church. The Attractional Tipping Point—Part One: The Coming Collapse? by Jared Wilson

People are hungering for the church to be the church and nothing else. People desperately crave a church that is actually a church. They find themselves uniquely drawn to and hungry for distinctly churchly and Christian ways of being, thinking, looking, and constructing. People are finding themselves are wanting less of a model that accommodates their inherent taste. Instead, some people want the church itself to shape their tastes for them. We are seeing a great hunger, particularly the younger generation, for a church that doesn’t try to be anything but a church. The Attractional Tipping Point—Part One: The Coming Collapse? by Jared Wilson

As a church, we want to resist the politicization of all things. ESPN is actually saying that it is not trying to engage politics and culture in a general sense, they are embracing a viewpoint that skews left. We cannot miss that ESPN believes that political engagement can only run in one direction on its network. We cannot miss that a large part of the viewing public is not connecting with their political shift. As a church, we want to resist the politicization of all things. We are glad to enjoy God’s common grace gifts but we want the pulpit to be the pulpit and the gospel to be the gospel. We want to enjoy the good things of this world without coming to needless division. The Politics of ESPN by James Freeman

As a church, we want to resist the politicization of all things. ESPN is actually saying that it is not trying to engage politics and culture in a general sense, they are embracing a viewpoint that skews left. We cannot miss that ESPN believes that political engagement can only run in one direction on its network. We cannot miss that a large part of the viewing public is not connecting with their political shift. As a church, we want to resist the politicization of all things. We are glad to enjoy God’s common grace gifts but we want the pulpit to be the pulpit and the gospel to be the gospel. We want to enjoy the good things of this world without coming to needless division. The Politics of ESPN by James Freeman

When you know one thing, you understand all things. The Christian worldview is not fundamentally about politics. It is fundamentally about biblical truth, not political takeover. The Christian worldview does seek to make sense of all of life but this isn’t unique to the Christian worldview. All worldviews seek to understand life. The Christian worldview is trying to make sense of the world that we’re in. Christianity is one of many competitors in the intellectual marketplace that offers a system of thought to answer questions. You can’t say that you merely trust science; science doesn’t provide philosophically presumptions of the world. The Christian worldview helps us appreciate that there is one truth that makes sense of everything. When we know Jesus Christ as our savior everything begins to make sense. When you know one thing, you understand all things. The Evangelical Roots of Our Post-Truth Society by Molly Worthen

When you know one thing, you understand all things. The Christian worldview is not fundamentally about politics. It is fundamentally about biblical truth, not political takeover. The Christian worldview does seek to make sense of all of life but this isn’t unique to the Christian worldview. All worldviews seek to understand life. The Christian worldview is trying to make sense of the world that we’re in. Christianity is one of many competitors in the intellectual marketplace that offers a system of thought to answer questions. You can’t say that you merely trust science; science doesn’t provide philosophically presumptions of the world. The Christian worldview helps us appreciate that there is one truth that makes sense of everything. When we know Jesus Christ as our savior everything begins to make sense. When you know one thing, you understand all things. The Evangelical Roots of Our Post-Truth Society by Molly Worthen

As the church, we will cling to the imago dei of each person, even if they disagree with us. There is a great deal of debate over whether we have the right to free speech today or not. People have the right to speak their mind. You cannot abridge somebody’s right to speak. In response to the Wellesley piece, we need to make clear that free speech does not have limits placed upon. Students do not have the right to act out in hostility against speakers who they disagree with. There is something better than all of this hostility. We need to stand, as believers, for the freedom of thought and of speech. The church has a major stake in the freedom of speech and thought because much of what is in Scripture will be called hate speech. If the church loses freedom of speech, we need to make it clear that we are not going anywhere. We are not going to stop working. We need to make it clear, as believers, that we depend on many constitutional realities. Freedom of speech is not something you need to earn; freedom of speech is a reality in American public life. We need to stand for free speech and stand with those who will promote it. As the church, we will cling to the imago dei of each person, even if they disagree with us. Free Speech is Not Violated at Wellesley

As the church, we will cling to the imago dei of each person, even if they disagree with us. There is a great deal of debate over whether we have the right to free speech today or not. People have the right to speak their mind. You cannot abridge somebody’s right to speak. In response to the Wellesley piece, we need to make clear that free speech does not have limits placed upon. Students do not have the right to act out in hostility against speakers who they disagree with. There is something better than all of this hostility. We need to stand, as believers, for the freedom of thought and of speech. The church has a major stake in the freedom of speech and thought because much of what is in Scripture will be called hate speech. If the church loses freedom of speech, we need to make it clear that we are not going anywhere. We are not going to stop working. We need to make it clear, as believers, that we depend on many constitutional realities. Freedom of speech is not something you need to earn; freedom of speech is a reality in American public life. We need to stand for free speech and stand with those who will promote it. As the church, we will cling to the imago dei of each person, even if they disagree with us. Free Speech is Not Violated at Wellesley

As for us, God bless the women who scrapbook. The simple things in life are now despised. Here is what is despised: loving your family, children, and scrapbooking. Doing such things for their own good is considered ridiculous today. Womanhood, of a traditional kind, is, as we have talked about, very despised. The interesting thing about Fey’s remarks about Karen Pence is that recent research, noted in the Washington Post, has shown that millennials are more traditional when it comes to gender roles than their parents. There are likely many reasons for this shift among the younger crowd in America but we cannot fail to note that even as there is derision and scorn for stay at home moms, there is a beauty and simplicity to God’s design that is appealing to many. There are a lot of young men and women who have gone through a lot of heartbreak in the home in recent years. According to this Post piece, there seems to be a growing embrace of manly roles and womanly roles. None of this means that God’s plan is microwaveable. God’s plan is not easy; it takes minute-by-minute sacrifice. God’s plan is a beautiful and tremendous thing. As for us, God bless the women who scrapbook. Why would millennial men prefer stay-at-home wives? Race and feminism. By W. Bradford Wilcox and Samuel Sturgeon

As for us, God bless the women who scrapbook. The simple things in life are now despised. Here is what is despised: loving your family, children, and scrapbooking. Doing such things for their own good is considered ridiculous today. Womanhood, of a traditional kind, is, as we have talked about, very despised. The interesting thing about Fey’s remarks about Karen Pence is that recent research, noted in the Washington Post, has shown that millennials are more traditional when it comes to gender roles than their parents. There are likely many reasons for this shift among the younger crowd in America but we cannot fail to note that even as there is derision and scorn for stay at home moms, there is a beauty and simplicity to God’s design that is appealing to many. There are a lot of young men and women who have gone through a lot of heartbreak in the home in recent years. According to this Post piece, there seems to be a growing embrace of manly roles and womanly roles. None of this means that God’s plan is microwaveable. God’s plan is not easy; it takes minute-by-minute sacrifice. God’s plan is a beautiful and tremendous thing. As for us, God bless the women who scrapbook. Why would millennial men prefer stay-at-home wives? Race and feminism. By W. Bradford Wilcox and Samuel Sturgeon

We cannot relinquish our grasp on sound doctrine because if we do we place ourselves in very perilous circumstances. In recent days, Hanegraaff’s conversion to Orthodoxy has caused quite a stir because of the seoteriogoly of the Orthodox church. Theosis is the possibility that we can acquire, in this life, that state that we will have as resurrected, glorified persons in eternity. Evangelicals are right to have serious concerns about theosis. The process of theosis is anchored in a vague way in God’s grace. For Orthodox Christians, God is at the forefront of theosis. We need to make it clear that the New Testament has a salvific structure that the Greek Orthodox Church does not emphasis. Jesus himself, along with his apostles, are telling us that our central need is to be born again (John 3). Evangelical soteriology doesn’t boil down to one concept alone but we do not believe that our central need in life is the deification of our being. One of the key doctrines of soteriology is union with Christ. It is not the case that we need to work our way into Christ; this is something God does. God either unites the sinner to Christ by faith or he doesn’t. If God saves us then he does unite us to Christ. If God grants you saving faith, you are kept by God and Jesus is your savior. The truth of objective salvation is that our feelings don’t really matter at all. We cannot know anyone’s heart, we are responsible as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for preaching and teaching the truth. Theosis falls short of the biblical standard; it does not do full justice to biblical salvation. The defining note of biblical Christianity is different than the defining note of Orthodox faith. We cannot relinquish our grasp on sound doctrine because if we do we place ourselves in very perilous circumstances. ‘Bible Answer Man’ Converts to Orthodoxy by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

We cannot relinquish our grasp on sound doctrine because if we do we place ourselves in very perilous circumstances. In recent days, Hanegraaff’s conversion to Orthodoxy has caused quite a stir because of the seoteriogoly of the Orthodox church. Theosis is the possibility that we can acquire, in this life, that state that we will have as resurrected, glorified persons in eternity. Evangelicals are right to have serious concerns about theosis. The process of theosis is anchored in a vague way in God’s grace. For Orthodox Christians, God is at the forefront of theosis. We need to make it clear that the New Testament has a salvific structure that the Greek Orthodox Church does not emphasis. Jesus himself, along with his apostles, are telling us that our central need is to be born again (John 3). Evangelical soteriology doesn’t boil down to one concept alone but we do not believe that our central need in life is the deification of our being. One of the key doctrines of soteriology is union with Christ. It is not the case that we need to work our way into Christ; this is something God does. God either unites the sinner to Christ by faith or he doesn’t. If God saves us then he does unite us to Christ. If God grants you saving faith, you are kept by God and Jesus is your savior. The truth of objective salvation is that our feelings don’t really matter at all. We cannot know anyone’s heart, we are responsible as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for preaching and teaching the truth. Theosis falls short of the biblical standard; it does not do full justice to biblical salvation. The defining note of biblical Christianity is different than the defining note of Orthodox faith. We cannot relinquish our grasp on sound doctrine because if we do we place ourselves in very perilous circumstances. ‘Bible Answer Man’ Converts to Orthodoxy by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

We want our boys and girls to see that biblical manhood and womanhood are aspirational realities and not dead ends. The stay at home mom is the toughest spot in today’s cultural battles. There is tremendous cultural pressure for moms to not take the stay at home position. We need to say a few things in response. It should not be illegal to be a stay at home mom. Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean failing to use to untapped potential. The marketplace is the end all be all for many people. We value more than what is in our bank account. God’s natural plan for the family is a beautiful plan that will lead to untold human flourishing. Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean harming the economy, it means using everything you have for the benefit of children and the glory of God. Consider the economic potential of the homeschooling mother who focuses so much attention on her children. There are many things that are hard to quantify in these matters. Who made the family and ordered the home? God did. God made these things. We do not have the freedom to remake marriage and the home as we see fit. We should not feel the wind at our back as we engage in these kind of realities. We have a call today to be a counterculture. We need to be a true culture. We are the true culture. We live out the values, teachings, and ideals of the kingdom of God. We need to celebrate the work of mothers and homemakers. We need to make it clear that we are not going to devalue motherhood or devalue children. It should be illegal to be a stay-at-home mum by Sarrah Le Marquand Should it be illegal to be a stay-at-home mom? Why feminists are so frustrated by Suzanne Venker

We want our boys and girls to see that biblical manhood and womanhood are aspirational realities and not dead ends. The stay at home mom is the toughest spot in today’s cultural battles. There is tremendous cultural pressure for moms to not take the stay at home position. We need to say a few things in response. It should not be illegal to be a stay at home mom. Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean failing to use to untapped potential. The marketplace is the end all be all for many people. We value more than what is in our bank account. God’s natural plan for the family is a beautiful plan that will lead to untold human flourishing. Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean harming the economy, it means using everything you have for the benefit of children and the glory of God. Consider the economic potential of the homeschooling mother who focuses so much attention on her children. There are many things that are hard to quantify in these matters. Who made the family and ordered the home? God did. God made these things. We do not have the freedom to remake marriage and the home as we see fit. We should not feel the wind at our back as we engage in these kind of realities. We have a call today to be a counterculture. We need to be a true culture. We are the true culture. We live out the values, teachings, and ideals of the kingdom of God. We need to celebrate the work of mothers and homemakers. We need to make it clear that we are not going to devalue motherhood or devalue children. It should be illegal to be a stay-at-home mum by Sarrah Le Marquand Should it be illegal to be a stay-at-home mom? Why feminists are so frustrated by Suzanne Venker

There are sheep to be gathered in, there are souls to be saved, and there is a harvest to be reaped and there is nothing poisonous about it. To claim what the bible claims today means that we hold toxic views. If you hold to complementarian teaching, you now hold toxic views. This means that Tim Keller and his theology is toxic; this is doctrine that is going to cause death and debilitation, according to some. What is happening in complementarian circles cannot be described as poisonous or causing death or debilitation. What we have seen in complementarian churches and organization is anything but death causing and poisonous; churches and organizations are growing. They are planting more churches and sending out more students. God loves to bless his truth; whatever God teaches is good and true and will accomplish his purpose. We don’t need to fear that doctrine will halt church growth. God does not place the future of his church in our hands. It is God and God alone who gives the growth. As the word goes out, there are some who are repelled by it; others respond to the voice of the shepherd and love that voice. There are sheep to be gathered in, there are souls to be saved, and there is a harvest to be reaped and there is nothing poisonous about it.