Plea Bargains have become such a fundamental part of the justice system that at the federal level, only 2% of cases go to trial. And while plea deals definitely lower the financial cost of the legal system, it is worth asking whether or not they actually bring forth justice. Scripture is clear: sin has a cost and that cost cannot always be paid with money.
In this episode we look at the subject of plea bargains from a biblical perspective, considering both the fundamental nature of justice as well as the specific way that they have generally been implemented within the various state and federal government’s justice systems. We also discuss specific ways that plea bargains undermine obtaining a just verdict and how they both promote and hide corruption within the government. God cares a great deal about justice, and his people should care about it as well. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

A society’s attitude toward gambling tells you a great deal about its attitude toward holiness and the treatment of the poor. This should not be a controversial statement within the church, but in the last 30 years, the American church has softened its stance toward gambling a great deal. This can be seen from the rampant rise in sports betting, lotteries, casinos, and many other forms of legalized gambling that have been approved in most states (only Utah and Hawaii do not allow gambling of any kind)

In this episode, we look at the subject of gambling from a Biblical perspective. While Scripture does not have a specific command against gambling, the church has historically viewed it as an immoral practice that violates many overlapping principles and commands. But holding gambling to be a sin requires a specific view of God’s word. It requires a high view of the authority and prescriptive nature of God’s word and that has been on the decline, at least in the American church for many years now. Our hope is that as we discuss this topic, we are all encouraged to think more seriously about God’s word and how our Lord and Savior leads his people to walk in paths of righteousness. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Phil Johnson of the now-retired Pyromaniacs blog wrote a helpful nine-part series on gambling back in 2009. It can be found here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-gambling-ok-dont-bet-on-it.html

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

In the wake of last year’s landmark abortion ruling, many Christians have expressed a renewed hope in the Supreme Court’s potential to impact the nation. And while the cases before the court in 2023 were not as high profile as Dobbs v. Jackson, there were still matters of national significance that were ruled upon. In this episode, we examine six of those cases, discussing their moral and political components and their outcomes with the goal of answering some basic questions: “Was the decision a good decision and why?”, “How did we get to this particular point as a nation?”, and “Can this particular issue really be solved by a court decision?”

Student Loan Forgiveness Episode
https://theconqueringtruth.com/2022/10/the-truth-about-student-loan-forgiveness-ep-90/

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Over the last few years, the phrase “toxic” has been used with greater and greater frequency in Christian circles to describe both people and relationships. It is frequently used in regard to family, often, specifically, to parents. This type of language is often used when speaking about mental health and is frequently connected to the question, “When is it ok to cut this person out of my life?” We want to talk about all of these things in this episode and ask a number of questions: Is “toxic” a good way to describe some relationships? Is cutting people off a valid way to deal with relationships that seem to only cause suffering? And, how should we think about the suffering that comes from dealing with sinful people?

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Over half of those professing to be Christians are in the Roman Catholic Church. We discuss the differences between Catholics and Protestants in doctrine and practice, and why they matter.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

In Acts, Paul warns that wolves will rise up from within the church and that false teachers speaking perverse things will draw disciples after themselves. And you’ll notice that Paul doesn’t immediately give some simple rule to follow to make sure that we aren’t taken in by a wolf. Wolves are so very dangerous because they work to appear like a good shepherd. Jesus warns in Matthew that while they wear “sheep’s clothing”, inwardly they are ravenous wolves, and they want to devour you.

So, how should the church think about wolves? How can we protect our family and the flock around us? How can we protect ourselves?

In this episode we discuss the many different warnings that scripture gives us about wolves. And while there are no simple solutions, there are clear signs that someone is behaving as a wolf.

Scandals are Good for the Church
https://theconqueringtruth.com/2021/05/scandals-are-good-for-the-church-ep-19/

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

We discuss Juneteenth – the latest addition to our nation’s holy days. We discuss a bit of the history behind the holiday, why we’ve suddenly started hearing it over the last few years, and whether it should be set aside for the entire nation.

What Should Christians Celebrate episode:
https://celebratereformationday.com/what-should-christians-celebrate/

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

America sets aside a whole month to celebrate pride in sin. What does our love of pride say about us as a country?

Is Pride Ever Good? https://theconqueringtruth.com/2022/06/is-pride-ever-good-ep-76/

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

In this episode, we want to examine how the Word of God frames the issue of marriage, sexual relationships, and polygamy and how this all relates to the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his marriage to the church. While Jesus Christ makes it clear that from the beginning, God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman, man’s rebellion against God has resulted in many sinful situations that must be regulated. And this is what the law of God does. As Paul says in Galatians, the law was added because of transgressions. As we will discuss in this episode, because of our sin, men often ignore the obligations of the law, choose their own ways, and then declare themselves righteous. We would do well to remember what Paul goes on to say, “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.” May we look to God’s law to understand the righteous way that he constrains sin in the world, and by it, to better understand how Jesus Christ has come to destroy the works of the devil.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Jordan Peterson, a psychologist by training and practice, has lectured about the significant influence of the Bible on Western culture since at least 2015, but in the past few years, his incorporation of a positive view of the Bible and Christianity into his brand and messaging has earned him a great deal of attention from Christians, to the point where he is viewed by some as a Christian and by others as drawing closer and closer to Christ. It’s important to note that Peterson is also appreciated for the fact that much of what he says actually makes sense and he is able to address what many see as the confounding social issues of our day with some degree of success. But Jordan Peterson is not a Christian. He has not professed faith in Jesus Christ as his savior, and in those Christian concepts, such as Hell and redemption, that he says he believes in, he is clear that his view of them is in purely carnal/physical terms.

So, why is Jordan Peterson so appealing? How should the church think about his Christless Christianity? And why is the church of Jesus Christ not more effective at explaining to the world how to deal with the problems created by sin? There is much for the church to consider here. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson