presbycast

Pastor Richard Harris joins us to talk about his church's recent move from the EPC to the PCA. Regular guest Chris Drew, who moved from the PCUSA to the OPC, also sits in. We talk much more about the two churches -- the EPC and ECO -- which are outside of NAPARC than we have before. This is presbyterianism at its acronymal best! Correction: We misstated some facts about the ECO's confessions -- see here.

Twitter fixture Lex Lutheran joins us for a meeting of the paedobaptist confessional minds. Our discussion is wide-ranging and includes homeless podcaster and bonafide OPC oddball Ben Woodring as well.

We are joined by @TheJeditor, a man with inside knowledge of Big Eva and her mysterious ways. We talk megachurch, worship, and the challenges facing evangelical churches. "BONUS" -- intro and outro (9 minutes!) are from another 60's Xian cringe musical.

We discuss the fire at Notre Dame in Paris and the church's relationship to her buildings in this special PRESBYCAST SPECIAL REPORT.

The original Coolmudgeon Ted Beam joins us to analyze (but not exactly bludgeon) the once and future Gospel Coalition(s). PLEASE NOTE -- 1ST FILE VERSION CUT OFF 5 MINUTES -- DELETE AND RE-DOWNLOAD IF YOU FILE IS NOT 1:41:40 IN LENGTH.

Our friends Amish Ambush and D-bag Worship Guy join us to examine the epic, unbelievable 1969 Southern Baptist musical "Happening Now!" by Bob Oldenburg. There's no describing this -- you just have to jump in and hang on.

Here's a light-hearted episode for the first day of April with a couple of "greatest" comedy hits from Presybcasts of yore...with a little bad music at the end, of course.

This bonus show features the amazing sermon "Visitors From Outer Space: What Saith The Lord?" by Rev. Bill Riddick from 1973 and intro/outro music from a 1969 Christian concept/prog album. Taking our sermon points from the headlines and our musical styles from the radio has always been...interesting, to say the least.

Cody Libolt joins to talk about the Jesus Storybook Bible, its author, and its author's inspiration -- and (hint) there's a big-time presby connection. Read Cody's review here. And read Lee Irons' review (which we mentioned) here. Here is Cody's website and podcast. Update 3/29/2019: LLOYD-JONES RESPONSE TO "THE TWEET"

We talk social justice in the church with political writer Forfare Davis (@pseudoplotinus) using clips from a talk at Reformed seminary by Dr. Mika Edmondson, an OPC minister, as discussion starters.

CW joins Josh and Andy of Theology Doesn't Suck to talk comparative polity with (surprise) a presbyterian emphasis. Give their podcasts a listen. Thanks to Josh and Andy for allowing us to repost this conversation.

Charlie Nave of MORE in the PCA joins us to talk about a just-released overture to the 2019 PCA General Assembly which would allow ordained female deacons. Helpful links: The overture The running list of overtures for 2019 The study committee report

We are joined by Miles Smith IV, a professor of history at Regent University, to discuss his affinity for "high church presbyterianism". We also discuss religion in the South, worship and sacraments, as well as racial issues in the church.

Our friend Ken Shepherd joins us to talk about his work as a DC journalist, the 2019 US political climate, and its implications (or lack thereof) for the church.

Dan Borvan, an OPC minister who was once a member of James MacDonald's Harvest Bible Chapel, joins us to talk about MacDonald's fall and the problems inherent to multi-site and megachurches. Here is the video which shows a series of clips from years past.

PCA pastor Dr. Dewey Roberts, the convener of a recent meeting concerned with reform and renewal in the PCA, joins us to talk about the past, present, and future of the USA's largest conservative Reformed denomination and about the new informal group Grassroots Presbyterians group that has sprung from the meeting in late January of 2019. Show links: Pastor Roberts' bio Group Facebook page Article on the 2012 "Chatham House Rules" meeting 2010 Strategic Plan (PDF link)

Our friend Sean, a former Roman Catholic, joins us to talk about the encroachment of Lenten observance in the Reformed world. Then we venture to discuss the propriety of women who are associated with conservative Reformed churches "preaching". You may hear the entire sermon (or talk) that we excerpted and talked about here. Finally, we briefly mention a new organization of concerned presbyterians in the PCA. (Clarification -- the PCA group to which we referred is "like the *old* Concerned Presbyterians" -- NOT the current Facebook of that name which as some very unpleasant associations. Here is the group we mentioned, Grassroots Presbyterians: https://www.facebook.com/groups/279044582788445/?ref=br_rs)

OPC minichurch pastor Chris Drew joins us to talk about a megatrend these days -- Conference Culture. We trace the development from medieval pilgrimage to Scottish communion season to the Pretty Good Awakenings to 21st century traveling dude bros. Here's the tweet that launched the show: One of the tenets of CONFERENCE CULTURE is that every speaker is supposed to KILL IT or BRING THE FIRE, etc. This is not natural, ordinary, or healthy. It's just revivalism and thrill seeking in some cases.

This special episode features Dr. C.N. Willborn of Covenant Presbyterian (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN delivering a powerful and direct exhortation from Psalm 42 on the importance of public worship in the life of the Christian and the church. The reading was the entire text of Psalm 42. The accompanying NT reading was John 4:7-26. The Confession of Faith passage was WCF 21.2. Sermon Audio page

Seminarian Ben Woodring joins us to talk about Chortles' 8-point manifesto (of sorts) to culture-proof the church simply and authentically. It was a long talk, be warned. Here's the manifesto: There is evidence that younger people are not buying what the megachurches are selling. Most people know of young people that have fled their "home" traditions for Rome for something further east. I actually believe that we'll live to see the contemporary/megachurch bubble burst. The good news is that the regulative principle of worship and Reformed confessionalism supply actual simplicity and authenticity. You can't make the bible palatable through a thoughtfully-curated set of techniques and aesthetics, but here are some suggestions to consider that might de-culturize the church and make it something that can stand out and stand up in the 21st century: 1) Sing Psalms and ancient hymns without (or with the simplest) accompaniment. Use new tunes if necessary, but don't try to ape what's popular last week. Make sure the Lord's Day worship services look and sound different from the rest of the week. 2) Make communal singing the hallmark of worship and all the gatherings of the church. This teaches and builds cohesion and identity. Have 2-3 psalm snippets that everyone knows. Sing them before, during, or after church meals and other meetings. This is a way of being biblically different. 3) Quit marketing. No one likes to be marketed at. And quit worrying about being "excellent" in things you don't really need to be excellent at. Your logo will not be around in the new heavens/new earth. 4) Emphasize the means of grace -- it's the only thing the church offers that people can't get elsewhere. People have YouTube for how-to, they can be involved in all sorts of things and causes and issues without the church holding their hands. 5) Simplify! (sorta like the Strunk & White's "Omit needless words!") And omit needless words, too. These can be Xianese, stock phrases, personal opinion, culture references, slang, etc. Don't have "programs" -- don't crowd out God's words. 6) Stop trying to contextualize everything, partly because you're not good at it and partly because your context is changing all the time. You cannot keep up. 7) Be consciously reverent, even grave. Where else are people going to get that? 8 - Quit chasing cultural issues that you will never catch. Bonus -- Ministers should consider wearing simple, non-distracting robes without adornment. This is a great way to de-culturize your church services and take the attention of the dude. Bonus #2 (put it under #5 above) -- simplify your church calendar to 52 (very) holy days a year. Period.

We are joined by several friends to talk about what happened in 2018, what might happen in 2019, what did happen when megachurches took a day off, worship, the means of grace, weaponized winsomeness, the state of the PCA...and more.

Noted Festivus authority Dan Borvan joins us for grievances and feats of strengths as the Presbyverse looks forward to the great day. With thanks to must-follow Twitter accounts The Loving Pastor and Dr Tony Hutson for providing IFB grievance audio.

Show ombudsman Amish Ambush joins for the show that nearly didn't happen thanks to our producer Silent Topher's dodgy 1984 Dodge Omni. We talk about a few current issues and ideas for future episodes and permutations of the Presbycast franchise. The Dude, Donnie, and Walter have nothing on this trio.

This is the famous lost recording -- a failed session for Mortification of Spin with Todd Pruitt, deep-sixed not because of its content but because of audio equipment failure. Not good enough for MoS, but TOTALLY GOOD ENOUGH FOR PRESBYCAST. The good news is you can hear Todd well and he's really good on the subject of worship.

Dr. D.G. Hart of Hillsdale College joins us to talk about social justice in the church and his recent piece on his side blog Putting the Protest Back in Protestant -- plus Weird Reformed Twitter edgelords @seansgame and @pseudoABoethius join the panel to question Dr. Hart and to discuss the 45th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in America. https://www.patreon.com/presbycast https://ko-fi.com/presbycast

CW discusses what we ought to call those who preach, speak, and exhort in various contexts (and how we ought to view both the "preacher" and the "preaching") from a confessional presbyterian perspective. https://twitter.com/TruthsTable/status/1062977988579467267

For our last interview from the Reformation Worship Conference we talk with filmmaker Les Lanphere (Calvinist) about his new project on Reformed worship. Learn more about and support the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/calvinist/spirit-and-truth-a-film-about-worship

Ride along as we discuss pop music and its effect on the church -- a sort of followup to our last show about our bumper music.

Descend into the dark and confusing world of Presbycast bumper music...

Dr. Neil Stewart of Christ Covenant ARP of Greensboro, NC joins us to talk about his transition from medical doctor to presbyterian pastor. Recorded at the Reformation Worship Conference. https://www.christcovenant.church/

Zach Groff, Director of Advancement & Admissions at Greenville Theological Seminary, joins us to talk about millenials and the church among other things. This recording session was previously broadcast live on Periscope.

About a dozen listeners join us for a live and unscripted discussion of scary church stories, from IFB horror stories to a PCA church that loves it some immersion, to @DBagWorshipGuy stealing the show to a degree previously equaled by only Sean and Pseudo. Guests included @bkben3, @seansgame, @doogilla, @PuritanNerd, @khendarian @acmills237, @spit316, @zgroff24, @ExLegeDei, and @machenwarrior.

We speak with the Chinese pastor of an unregistered Reformed church about worship, persecution, and the Gospel.

Dr. Scott Aniol and his friend (and ours) Chuck Finney join us to talk about worship and music from the Reformation Worship Conference at Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) near Atlanta, GA. Dr. Aniol teaches at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has written extensively on worship and music. http://scottaniol.com/ http://religiousaffections.org/

In our first show from the 2018 Reformation Worship Conference at Midway Presbyterian Church in Powder Springs, GA we speak to Dr. David Garner of Westminster Theological Seminary about worship and to Rev. Kent Butterfield about gender and sexuality issues in the church.

The boys talk long and hard about worship in the aftermath of the Reformation Worship Conference which CW and Chuck attended. Stay tuned for a few more shows which will feature interviews from the conference.

A reading of Machen's sermon "The Good Fight of Faith" -- his final sermon as a faculty member of Princeton Theological Seminary as he was embroiled in what become known as the Presbyterian Controversy. Learn more about the sermon here and read a transcript.

OPC smart guy Dan Borvan joins us to talk about baptism -- especially the modes of baptism. Wade in with us to the water of truth, order, and the presby way. Here's the excellent article referenced in the show: Is Immersion Necessary for Baptism?

We are joined (surprise) by Dr. R. Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary California to discuss theonomy and reconstructionism of yesterday, today, and (shudder) tomorrow. Strange bedfellows, bad jokes, good times. (Episode image is of Dr. Clark when his human hair was much more in flourishing stage) https://heidelblog.net/category/theonomy/

Here's an enhanced version of a recording recently circulated of Tim Keller's comments on "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" -- original source here: https://streamable.com/2wgdo "'Don't worry about the poor. Don't care about the injustice, it's not really that important' -- that's what it's saying." (3:30)

Pro wrestling and megachurch fashion pastors -- what could go right? Wresby and @OldSchoolPresby break down two guest appearances of wrestlers on a megachurch stage and discuss the things that make local, connectional churches so special. And more! Get a taste of the abominations that inspired this episode here.

We preview the 2018 Reformation Worship Conference with Dr. David Hall of Midway PCA in Powder Springs, GA (October 18-21). Presbycast will again attend this conference and interview some of the speakers and attendees. Learn more or register at the conference website.

CW talks about five "prophecies" he suggested might come true as woke wars rage in Reformandia. Here's the tweet thread that he's working from.

Hillsdale college professor Dr. Darryl G. Hart joins us to talk about J. Gresham Machen's views on race, racial issues in the church and society, his new book on the Reformation, and the implications of the Intellectual Dark Web for the world of ideas and social media...and even for the confessional Reformed. Oh, long-time presby social media maven Sean (@seansgame) sat in with us as well. Purchase Dr. Hart's latest book here. Read a piece on the Intellectual Dark web here.

Long, ragged, full of inside baseball -- it was the call-in show to end all call-in shows...but the takeaway is that the Reformed world is a small and very weird world. Not for the impatient or faint of heart.

We spoke with Joshua Gielow, a Reformed apologist who attended the Revoice conference held recently in St. Louis. He tells us what he saw and heard and why he left the conference concerned for the future of the "gay Christian" movement. Follow Joshua at @JoshuaGielow and be sure to visit Truth Xchange's website. Read Truth Xchange founder Peter Jones' article on Revoice here. (Edited to remove erroneous personal information)

This episode presents the audio from a YouTube video of an address by Dr. Rosaria Butterfield recorded the day before the recent Revoice conference on the subject of celibate gay Christianity. The source of the audio is unclear -- we will gladly remove this content if the speaker or host account ask us to do so. It is unaltered. Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVjj_dDAxLA

We finish our discussion with Dr. C.N. Willborn on the life and work of PCA and Reformed Theological Seminary founding father Dr. Morton H. Smith (1923-2017). Dr. Willborn taught with Dr. Smith at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and shared his interest in Southern Presbyterian history. This discussion centers on the founding of the PCA. Our earlier discussion was more personal and biographical. And here's an earlier episode which features Dr. Smith's thoughts on the PCA in the early 21st century. Here is Dr. Smith's obituary. And here is a link to an address he delivered at the founding of the PCA. Learn more about Dr. Willborn here. He has pastored Covenant PCA in Oak Ridge, TN for the past 10 years.

Here are a few words from CW and and an almost five-minute clip from an address at the Revoice conference (1:05:35-1:10:10 of linked video).

Long-time PCA ruling elder Bob Mattes joins us to talk about a terminology he developed to describe the state of the PCA -- tribal congregationalism (as opposed to plain ol' presbyterianism). Here are a couple of his articles on the subject: A Tale of Two Letters Tribal Congregationalism and the Future of the PCA