Covenant Podcast

Carl ministered at Grace Church from 1990 to 1993, was ordained, and pastored two churches in the Los Angeles area from 1994 to 2014 before returning to Grace Church. He is passionate about foreign missions and travels internationally yearly, supporting leaders and volunteers in various countries. He is the co-founder of the African Revitalization Centre. Carl serves on several missions boards and holds a certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). He directs the Grace Advance ministry of Grace Church, which provides pastoral leadership for church planting and revitalization in North America. Carl has earned degrees from The University of Cincinnati and The Master's Seminary (M.Div., Th.M., D.Min.), and he serves as an associate professor of pastoral ministries and church relations ambassador at The Master's Seminary. Currently, Carl co-pastors the Anchored fellowship group. He and his wife, Joanna, have five children. For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this conversation, Rexford Semrad explains the importance of irenicism when discussing eschatology. Then, he explains the similarities between postmillennialism and amillennialism. Finally, he gives ten reasons why he doesn't hold to a postmillennial eschatology. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

Having seen how John Collett Ryland’s wide friendships likely influenced his change of views regarding church communion, let us now examine his only writing on the subject. This came in a 3 page broadsheet-style publication in very small type dated June 15, 1772 and signed Pacificus. It was entitled “A Modest Plea for Free Communion at the Lord’s Table; between true believers of all denominations: In a letter to a friend.” This defended free communion in the form of a letter beginning, “Dear Sir”. It gave eight reasons for Pacificus’ church practice and four answers to objections before a half-page conclusion. Given its small size and presumably small printing, it’s a marvel any of these pieces of ephemera survive. Two copies are known to exist. The first one was discovered by Robert Oliver about 1981. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this conversation, Pastors Joe Wilson and Lee McKinnon address friendship within the local church. Some have said that pastors should NOT make friends within their own congregation. Our cohosts think otherwise. Our cohosts also discuss the importance of avoiding partiality in friendship fostering, and how church members can go about cultivating friendships with fellow church members. FACT CHECK: John Fawcett is indeed the Particular Baptist Pastor that Pastor Joe and Pastor Austin were trying to call to remembrance. For more information on this story, listen to Particular Pilgrims, episode 102, "The Life John Fawcett. Pt.3." here: https://manofgodnetwork.com/particularpilgrims/ For previous episodes of the Pastor's Inbox, listen here: https://manofgodnetwork.com/pastorsinbox/ For more information about CBTSeminary, click here: https://cbtseminary.org/

We now turn to John Collett Ryland’s espousal of what he called free communion, also known as open or mixed communion. His position was familiar to his fellow Baptists. For example, John Rippon states, “it is well known that he was what is commonly called, a mixed communion Baptist; that is, a Baptist admitting other good men to the Lord’s table, though in his opinion they are unbaptized." For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Confessing Sound Words is a discipleship curriculum that utilizes the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith and the Baptist Catechism. The purpose of this curriculum to equip the saints with the truths of God’s Word, reform churches, retrieve the baptist confessional heritage, and glorify God. In this curriculum, you will find modernized questions and answers from the Baptist Catechism, inductive Bible studies, memory verses, and the full text of the Second London Confession with several helps in the footnotes. Also, there are several questions throughout to facilitate both thought and discussion among those going through it. To order the book, click here: https://hesedandemet.com/product/confessing-sound-words-1689-johnson/ For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate. In 1816, the year following Robert Hall Jr.’s “Terms of communion” came out, Joseph Kinghorn answered Hall with “Baptism, A Term of Communion at the Lord’s Supper”. Kinghorn was the pastor of Norwich Baptist Church and a former pupil of Hall’s at the Bristol Baptist Academy. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

A Reformed Baptist is a Christian who believes in the great doctrines recovered by the Protestant Reformation, including the sufficiency of Scripture for the church, salvation by God’s free grace, justification by faith alone, the importance of God’s good law and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the centrality of the church in the life of the believer, and the great doctrine of Christian liberty. This book argues that Reformed Baptists are not particularly unique, but are simply biblical Christians who fall within the theological stream of the historic Reformed faith, and who are also baptistic in their doctrine of the church. This is not a polemical work. Rather, it makes a positive case for the doctrines cherished by Reformed Baptists. May this book benefit motivated laymen, broadly evangelical pastors, Baptist pastors, and Reformed paedobaptist pastors who want to understand what their Reformed Baptist brethren believe. Order your copy here: https://press.founders.org/shop/what-is-a-reformed-baptist/ For more information about CBTS, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

An open communion answer to Booth finally came in the formidable writing of Robert Hall Jr. In the early 1800s he was perhaps the greatest orator in England, possessed a genius mind, and liked to practice radical politics. In 1815 he produced “Terms of Communion”, a direct challenge to Booth’s Apology. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Under God, Over the People: The Calling and Accountability of Civil Government speaks biblical truth directly into our situation as churches today as we increasingly face government interference and intervention in the life of the local church. This precise and yet, accessible work draws and expounds upon the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith on the subject of the Civil Magistrate, its calling and its accountability. Order the book here: https://brokenwharfe.com/product/under-god-over-the-people-us/ For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate in preparation for a later review of John Collett Ryland’s principles and practices related to it. Next I’ll review the interactions of John Bunyan and William Kiffen. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode of the Pastor's Inbox installment of the Covenant Podcast, Pastors Joe Wilson and Lee McKinnon introduce the scriptural subject of friendship and discuss its importance. For previous episodes of the Pastor's Inbox, click here: https://manofgodnetwork.com/pastorsinbox/ For more information about CBTSeminary, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Before I finish the study of John Collett Ryland’s interesting life, I want to explore three topics in which he played a significant or exemplary role. One of these is his view of who was qualified to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Another is his version of High Calvinism and his interactions with William Carey. And finally, there is his important place in 18th-century English education. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"The book is highly recommended because it is a clear, fraternal discussion of an issue vital to biblical worship and knowledge of how Christ’s first and second coming consummate our freedom from the curse and fulfill Christ’s promise, “I will give you rest.” -Tom J. Nettles Order the book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/there-remains-a-sabbath-rest-for-the-people-of-god/?srsltid=AfmBOorxLRNXufHg7yzdeTWXiB_ejunagTa7_iU6QZ_36rjJMloEEtYt For more information about CBTS, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In the past century, one question has constantly plagued the church: How should the people of God respond to social issues? Rather than buying in to the “social gospel,” Alex DiPrima looks back to an unexpected source for biblical clarity: Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Part theology and part biography, Spurgeon and the Poor examines how the Prince of Preachers’ belief that gospel preaching and soul-winning should be the church’s primary mission informed his commendable benevolence and mercy ministry. Order the book here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/spurgeon-and-the-poor-diprima.html?srsltid=AfmBOoresR8COqGaao1LzhH16b-7qfLG9lRNW9GIzv8KRhVwuZ3LCqCh For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"Ryland was a friend to everyone he thought to be a true believer. So he was personal friends with like-minded men such as John Gill and John Brine. But he was also friends with those of a different kind of Calvinism such as Andrew Gifford, Robert Hall Sr., and John Rippon." For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

The Doctrine of Last Things: An Optimistic Amillennial View is the culmination of Dr. Sam Waldron's pastoral heart on eschatology, which spans over thirty years. This book aims to clarify the often contentious and complex discussions surrounding the doctrine of last things (eschatology). Waldron even-handedly addresses various eschatological views, including premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism, while emphasizing the importance of understanding the relationship between Christ's return and the millennium. Beneficial to all believers, regardless of eschatological position, lay readers and theologians alike will revitalize their hope in these last days and behold clearly the exalted-Christ. Order a copy here: https://freegracepress.com/products/the-doctrine-of-last-things-an-optimistic-millennial-view For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

The life and ministry of John Collett Ryland will transition our studies away from hyper- Calvinism among Particular Baptists. He is an appropriate figure for this move because he was close friends with a number of orthodox men with varied views on Calvinism. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

With the torrent of publications on the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, the time is ripe for a dictionary dedicated to this incredibly rich yet diverse field. This companion volume to the well-received Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (CNTUOT) brings together leading evangelical biblical scholars to explore and explain the many facets of how the New Testament writers appropriated the Old Testament. Order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-New-Testament-Use-Old/dp/1540960048 For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Hot Water: A Baptismal Controversy from the 1690s and its Relevance for Today In the 1690s a contentious debate broke out in Suffolk, England, between an Anglican rector and those we have come to know as Particular Baptists. The purpose of this book is to examine this controversy and consider some crucial issues it raised, principally the nature of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involved three men, William Burkitt (1650–1703), John Tredwell, and Benjamin Keach (1640–1704). It is the hope of the author that these events in the 1690s and their thoughtful consideration found within these pages will help Christians think through issues of church membership, Baptism, church discipline and other issue pertaining to the theology and practice of ecclesiology. Order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Water-Baptismal-Controversy-Relevance-ebook/dp/B0DDL9MPHN For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist circles in the 19th century grew and changed in significant ways. But rather than continue on into the 19th century too far, I want to take another approach to complete, for now, our look at hyper-Calvinism in Baptist circles. Let me point you to a 5 volume study entitled “The Strict Baptist Chapels of England.” For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

The KJV beautifully rendered the Scriptures into the language of turn-of-the-seventeenth-century England. Even today the King James is the most widely read Bible in the United States. The rich cadence of its Elizabethan English is recognized even by non-Christians. But English has changed a great deal over the last 400 years, and in subtle ways that very few modern readers will recognize. In Authorized Mark L. Ward, Jr. shows what exclusive readers of the KJV are missing as they read God's word. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel speak with Brice Bigham on the Law of God. Brice Bigham came on staff at CBTS in 2019. He serves as a Deacon at Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Owensboro, KY. He has earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia International University and a Master of Divinity from CBTS (’24). He lives with his wife Alina and their four children. Brice particularly enjoys church history, homesteading, and spending time with his family. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

The active obedience of Christ is a vital biblical doctrine that helps sinners see Jesus better. Many know Jesus to be the one who atoned for sin, securing forgiveness for those who trust in Him. This is both wonderful and crucial. But being forgiven is not enough. God requires perfect obedience for eternal life. Even Jesus says so. Thankfully, God not only requires perfect obedience but also graciously provides through His Son. In addition to atonement, Jesus positively fulfilled the divine requirement by His perfect obedience. In other words, Jesus removes guilt for wrongdoing, and Jesus provides perfect righteousness by His obedience to the divine law. In The Active Obedience of Christ, readers are directed to Jesus—the one who is better than many may have ever realized! Patrick Abendroth is Senior Pastor of Omaha Bible Church, author of Covenant Theology, and host of the Pactum. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska (B.A.), the Master’s Theological Seminary (MDiv), and the Ligonier Academy (DMin). Pat and his wife, Molly, have five children and reside in Omaha, Nebraska. For more information about CBTSeminary visit: https://cbtseminary.org To register for the 2025 Covenant Conference, visit: covcon.org

In this episode of the Covenant Podcast, Pastor Dewey Dovel interviews Pastor Bart Carlson on a "Call to the Ministry." Pastor Bart Carlson graduated from Trinity Ministerial Academy in 1992. After a brief time assisting churches in the Philippines he became an elder at Trinity Baptist Church in 1995 and since then has served the church in full-time preaching, teaching and pastoral duties. For more information about Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Readers of this volume will be both informed and perhaps even transformed, by a better understanding of the Early English Baptist development of a biblically distinctive theology of religious liberty in an era when it was not enjoyed by many and was endorsed by few, well before the radical cultural and intellectual shifts of the eighteenth century. To purchase a copy of this book click here: https://hesedandemet.com/product/every-mans-conscience-early-english-baptists-and-the-fight-for-religious-liberty/ To learn more about CBTS, click here: CBTSeminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel interview Dr. Nettles on Elements of Baptist Identity, drawn from his book "The Baptists: Vol.1". Dr. Nettles writes that Baptists are: 1) Orthodox 2) Evangelical 3) Ecclesiological Separate 4) Conscientiously Confessional. Desire theological training? Enrollment to CBTSeminary is open year-round! For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church with Justin Schell Order you copy of this book here: https://www.crossway.org/books/the-mission-of-god-and-the-witness-of-the-chur-tpb/ “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). This declarative phrase introduces fundamental questions circling the minds of skeptics and believers of Christianity alike. What was God’s mission when he chose to create? And why, through the Savior’s death on the cross and the witness of his church, does he continue to redeem the very creation that rebels against him? To answer these imperative questions, author Justin Schell takes readers on a canonical journey exploring the mission of the eternal God—Father, Son, and Spirit. Drawing insights from creation, the exodus of God’s people, the suffering servant, the Great Commission, and consummation, this book examines the purpose and beauty of God’s great story. It is out of an abundance of love that God brings us into union with him, calling his church to bear witness to all that has been done in Christ, until the day that he returns. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel interview James Renihan on the Psalms. They discuss why Christian ministers should preach this portion of God's Word Christologically, a method for doing so, and examples of this interpretive approach. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode, Austin McCormick interviews Mark Ward on Bible Translations. Mark Ward holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from BJU Seminary. His dissertation was entitled, "Paul’s Positive Religious Affections." He currently works for Crossway Publishers on special projects. Before that, he was a writer and editor and presenter for Logos, whose mission is to use technology to equip the church to grow in the light of the Bible. He have written several books, including "Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible," which comes “highly recommended” by D.A. Carson-and has an accompanying Faithlife documentary. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Gordon Taylor received his B.A. from Cedarville University in Speech and Pre-Seminary Bible in 1966. He received the M.Div. from Grand Rapids Baptist Theological Seminary in 1969. He was the pastor of two different churches. He served at Calvary Baptist Church in Greene, Iowa from 1969 to 1975. He served at the Sycamore Baptist Church near East Moline, IL for 33 years from 1975 – 2008. While pastor at Sycamore he led the church to adopt the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. In 2008, he was called to be the Coordinator of the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of American and served for 7 years retiring in 2015. Since he retired he helped form the Reformed Baptist Network where he now serves as the Network’s voluntary Coordinator. He is married to Rayna and they have 4 married children and 15 grandchildren. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Dr. Scott N. Callaham is Dean of the Institute of Public Theology. He is the lead editor of World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues, as well as the author of Biblical Aramaic for Biblical Interpreters in both English and Chinese. He is the host of the Daily Dose of Aramaic podcast and a composer of Chinese worship music for congregational singing. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Navigating Cultural Chaos with Children & Teens with Andrew Walker For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

Dewey Dovel interviews George McDearmon in this conversation on "Child Rearing to the Glory of God." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode of the Covenant Podcast, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel interview Brian Borgman on his book "Don't Waste Your Breath: Ecclesiastes and the Joy of a Fleeting Life." Paul Washer said of this book, "I will never look at the book of Ecclesiastes the same way again." Here is a brief description of the book: "Your life is a mere breath. This reality can be difficult for us to live by. The book of Ecclesiastes takes us on a journey to show us that although this life is a vapor, it is still a gift from God meant to be enjoyed. Instead of giving a pessimistic look at life under the sun, Ecclesiastes shows us how to glorify God in this fleeting life by enjoying the ordinary, good gifts God bestows." You can order your copy here: https://freegracepress.com/products/dont-waste-your-breath For more information about Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode of the Covenant Podcast, Pastor Dewey Dovel interviews former NASA employee Jeff Williams. "Williams was selected for the NASA Astronaut Class of 1996. In addition to his space flights, he has performed various technical duties in both the space shuttle and International Space Station Programs. He has served in the Extravehicular Activity (EVA), Space Station, and Soyuz Branches of the Astronaut Office, led the development of a space shuttle cockpit upgrade, and completed temporary assignments at Marshall Space Flight Center supporting the test and evaluation of the ISS U.S. Laboratory Module and at NASA Headquarters in support of legislative affairs. In July 2002, Williams commanded a nine-day coral reef expedition operating from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aquarius undersea habitat off the coast of Florida. Williams has also served on the ISS backup flight crews for Expeditions 12, 19, 20, as well as the backup for the one-year flight spanning Expeditions 43 through 46. Williams has logged more than 534 days in space, including nearly 32 hours in five spacewalks." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode of the Covenant Podcast, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel interview Timothy Decker on Textual Criticism. They discuss the importance of textual criticism for pastors, different methodologies, and the necessity of this discipline. If you're interested in registering for or auditing the class referenced in this conversation, you can click here: https://form.jotform.com/241626055201142

Richard B. Dewey, Jr., MD is a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but more importantly, he is a believer in Jesus Christ, the eternally-existing Son of God who gave Himself a ransom for many. Dr. Dewey was saved as a young child being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord by faithful, believing parents. Throughout his youth he was taught the Word in a series of Bible churches, and in high school, he began leading small group Bible studies in homes and later in college dorms. During his college years he discovered the tape ministry of John MacArthur and began listening to as many tapes of his sermons that he could get his hands on. Shortly after moving to Dallas, he joined Countryside Bible Church which was later (and is now currently) pastored by Tom Pennington, a former associate pastor at Grace Community Church in California. In 2007 Dr. Dewey was asked by Countryside’s leadership to develop a home fellowship Bible study program. In connection with this ministry, he wrote study questions covering 14 books of the Bible which were used by the church as the home fellowship curriculum. In 2016 he was asked to serve as an elder at Countryside, and later that same year he began serving as a member of the board of directors of the Master’s University and Seminary. He retired from the Master’s board in 2021 and moved to Florida in 2022 where he is now attending a like-minded church that seeks to glorify Christ in all that it does. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this mini-episode of the Covenant Podcast, Austin McCormick asks Dr. Sam Waldron to provide some books that have been helpful to his 45-year ministry. Additionally, Austin asked Dr. Waldron about the usefulness of having "Dead Theological Mentors." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Pastor Austin McCormick interviews Pastor Dewey Dovel to discuss "Five Distinguish Marks of a Reformed Baptist." Dewey explains that Reformed Baptists are Catholic, Calvinistic, Confessional, Covenantal, and Credo-Baptist. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Gill Group #3 - The Cause of God and Truth, Pt.1 | Covenant Podcast In this conversation, Pastors Austin McCormick, Dewey Dovel, and Ken Glisch discuss various sections of Part 1 of John Gill's "The Cause of God and Truth." This work defends the doctrines of grace, i.e., Calvinism. For more information, visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick and Dewey Dovel speak with Jim Savastio about the Virtual Public Square. More specifically, we talk about how Reformed Baptists can use the mediums in our day to produce edifying content. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode, Dewey Dovel and Austin McCormick speak with Dr. Justin Miller, Pastor of FBC Puxico (MO), about the Expositor's Institute For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode of the Covenant Podcast, we play a Sunday School lecture that Dewey Dovel presented to his congregation, Emmanuel Reformed Baptist Church in SeaTac (WA). For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, we discuss a Christian Apologetic against Mormonism with Bradley Campbell. Bradley is a part of the God Loves Mormons team, and leads both the Youth and Young Adult groups at The Mission Church. The GLM YouTube Channel is designed to provide helpful and thought-provoking content for Mormons who are trying to better understand the Christian faith, and for Christians who are wanting to lovingly engage their Latter-day Saint neighbors and friends. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"It is always gratifying to see increased exegetical clarity with regard to an important passage of Scripture. It is especially gratifying when that clarity provides timely, practical guidance to the believer. Such clarity and practicality are the blessed results of Tim Decker's study on Romans 13. I have been convinced for many years of his exegetical approach to and understanding of Romans 13 and have defended it in my Political Revolution in the Reformed Tradition: An Historical and Biblical Critique. Recent events in the church and society have only emphasized both the doctrinal and practical necessity of this understanding of Romans 13. May God give this book great influence." -Dr. Sam Waldron For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Dewey Dovel interviews Jimmy Johnson and Austin McCormick on "Preaching through Proverbs." Jimmy and Austin discuss some different approaches to preaching through this book, some useful reasons to do so, and some Christologically rich passages. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode, Dewey Dovel and Jimmy Johnson discuss the history of the Reformed Forum with Dr. Camden Bucey. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation, Austin McCormick, Jimmy Johnson, and Dewey Dovel interview Dr. Joel Beeke on Puritanism. Dr. Beeke lists some of his favorite Puritans and describes how he became interested in the Puritans. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode, Austin McCormick, Jimmy Johnson and Dewey Dovel discussed Inaugurated Eschatology with Dr. Joel Beeke. Dr. Beeke describes why he prefers the name "Inaugurated Eschatology" over "Amillennialism," then recaps his conference sessions from CovCon24. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org