How a Wrong View of History Obscures the Glory of God (Ep. 157)

There are a few major ways to study history. One is the great man method which basically teaches that history is shaped by great men that rise up and lead and so studying those important men is the way to understand history. Another is to study history as a pattern of political or societal events where one cultural event by its nature leads to the next. Many modern educators completely reject the idea of history having any real patterns and instead, just study societies as stand-alone representations of human behavior. But Christians should think about history differently. And from a Reformed perspective in particular, Christians should think about history as an ordained series of people, circumstances, and events planned by a God who knew the end from the beginning and is moving the world from that beginning to the end in a way that manifests his glory.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/02/how-a-wrong-view-of-history-obscures-the-glory-of-god-ep-157-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Theories of History
00:15:09 Learning from History
00:18:24 Looking Back at COVID
00:25:59 God’s People Driving History
00:43:30 God’s Use of Sinners
00:53:49 Hope from History

How a Wrong View of History Obscures the Glory of God (Ep. 157 Audio)

There are a few major ways to study history. One is the great man method which basically teaches that history is shaped by great men that rise up and lead and so studying those important men is the way to understand history. Another is to study history as a pattern of political or societal events where one cultural event by its nature leads to the next. Many modern educators completely reject the idea of history having any real patterns and instead, just study societies as stand-alone representations of human behavior. But Christians should think about history differently. And from a Reformed perspective in particular, Christians should think about history as an ordained series of people, circumstances, and events planned by a God who knew the end from the beginning and is moving the world from that beginning to the end in a way that manifests his glory.

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

Why Altar Calls Are Wrong (Ep. 156)

Altar calls are a common feature of church services around the world. But are they Biblical? What theology and history are they based on, and what do they teach converts and church members about the gospel?

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/02/why-altar-calls-are-wrong-ep-156-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 The Problem
00:04:31 Personal Experience
00:13:39 Wrong View of Salvation
00:19:14 Brith as a Process
00:24:15 Salvation Requires Knowledge
00:27:05 Exaults Man
00:37:17 Call for Sanctification
00:47:56 Why an Altar?
00:52:24 Communion Warning
00:57:55 Giving False Assurance
01:03:34 Does the Bible Contain Altar Calls?

Why Altar Calls Are Wrong (Ep. 156 Audio)

Altar calls are a common feature of church services around the world. But are they Biblical? What theology and history are they based on, and what do they teach converts and church members about the gospel?

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

If Debt is Slavery, Is it a Sin to be in Debt? (Ep. 155)

The Bible says a lot about debt and slavery and teaches that the two are tightly connected, going so far as to say “the borrower is a servant (slave) of the lender”. And as Christians, when we read God’s word, it is our duty to take God’s commands and instructions seriously. But if you asked the average Christian if slavery is bad and then examined the amount of debt they have, would you come away with the sense that their stated beliefs and actions were in alignment?

In this episode, we want to deal with what God’s word says about debt and slavery. In doing this, we discuss the purposes for which God created debt, how we should think about freedom vs bondage, and even how this is different for the individual Christian than for a local church body. We even want to push back on our view of slavery itself as Scripture uses slavery to demonstrate both positive and negative aspects of our physical and spiritual lives. This is important, because part of the Christian life is keeping our minds from being conformed to the world but allowing them to be transformed through the renewing that God’s word and spirit bring upon all who faithfully abide in Him.

Topics discussed:
What is debt? What is slavery?
Are mortgages good or bad?
Is it better to rent or be a homeowner?
How the United States has structured its laws and policies to favor debt
How God uses debt and slavery to accomplish his purposes.
Why not paying back debt is evil and is a sign of being unsaved
What debt and slavery shows us about man’s relationship to God (and sin)
How should we treat the poor?
How living beyond our means is a rejection of God’s sovereignty and being carnally minded and covetous
Why churches shouldn’t take out a loan to buy a building
What does it mean to be free to serve the Lord Jesus Christ?

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/02/if-debt-is-slavery-is-it-a-sin-to-be-in-debt-ep-155-audio/

Thumbnail image by nikcname on Flickr under CC BY

Timecodes
00:00:00 The Meaning of Slavery
00:08:55 How Debt is Slavery
00:15:57 Mortgages
00:21:15 Requirement to Repay
00:31:24 Debt as Metaphor
00:34:37 Businesses Based on Debt
00:43:59 When Debt Makes Sense
01:03:558 A Word for the Debt Haters
01:12:49 Church Debt

If Debt is Slavery, Is it a Sin to be in Debt? (Ep. 155 Audio)

The Bible says a lot about debt and slavery and teaches that the two are tightly connected, going so far as to say “the borrower is a servant (slave) of the lender”. And as Christians, when we read God’s word, it is our duty to take God’s commands and instructions seriously. But if you asked the average Christian if slavery is bad and then examined the amount of debt they have, would you come away with the sense that their stated beliefs and actions were in alignment?

In this episode, we want to deal with what God’s word says about debt and slavery. In doing this, we discuss the purposes for which God created debt, how we should think about freedom vs bondage, and even how this is different for the individual Christian than for a local church body. We even want to push back on our view of slavery itself as Scripture uses slavery to demonstrate both positive and negative aspects of our physical and spiritual lives. This is important, because part of the Christian life is keeping our minds from being conformed to the world but allowing them to be transformed through the renewing that God’s word and spirit bring upon all who faithfully abide in Him.

Topics discussed:
What is debt? What is slavery?
Are mortgages good or bad?
Is it better to rent or be a homeowner?
How the United States has structured its laws and policies to favor debt
How God uses debt and slavery to accomplish his purposes.
Why not paying back debt is evil and is a sign of being unsaved
What debt and slavery shows us about man’s relationship to God (and sin)
How should we treat the poor?
How living beyond our means is a rejection of God’s sovereignty and being carnally minded and covetous
Why churches shouldn’t take out a loan to buy a building
What does it mean to be free to serve the Lord Jesus Christ?

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

Why Tim Keller (and Alistair Begg) are Wrong About Christian Winsomeness (Ep. 154)

Tim Keller spent his life arguing that through winsomeness we can get people to accept the gospel. If the world sees Christians as good and kind, then the world would see the goodness of God and come to faith. He argued that if we are kind and thoughtful, then people will want to hear the gospel from us. And here’s the thing: if all you are talking about is what the life and conduct of a Christian should look like, there are lots of situations where we would agree with him. But that’s exactly why we take issue with the position. As we say early in the episode, there is no “balance” between being offensive and being pleasant. Our obedience to Christ requires different things of us at different times, and we aren’t responsible for how the world responds to that obedience.

And while Tim Keller died in 2023, this issue is something that the church has always struggled with and will continue to as long as there is sin in the world. In fact, in the last few weeks of January, Alistair Begg has been in the news for an issue that is fundamentally the same. In an interview from September 2023, Begg recounted how he was asked by a grandmother if she should attend the wedding of her grandson whose partner was transgender. Begg’s repsonse was that as long as her grandson understands that her belief in Jesus makes it such that she can’t countenance in any affirming way the choices that he has made in life that she should attend the wedding and buy him a wedding gift. His response was rightly criticized by many other pastors and Christian leaders. But the result has been a number of questions and discussions about where we should draw the line and how Christians should apply the principles and requirements of Christianity and the gospel to many different situations.

In this episode, we try to frame the topic in way that allows us to think about the issue more clearly. “Balance” and “kindness” can often be misleading, because “balance” suggests that we should be trying to find some middle ground that can only be determined by looking at the world’s response to our life and not to God’s expectations of us. And “kindness” causes us to misdefine what the word truly means as all kind actions aren’t necessarily pleasant and agreeable (like waking someone up in the middle of the night to tell them that their house is on fire.). Please join us as we discuss this important topic.


Note: In this episode we misattribute a quote to Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” While the quote is frequently used to make the point we reference in the article, we were wrong about who said it.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/02/why-tim-keller-and-alistair-begg-are-wrong-about-christian-winsomeness-ep-154-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Kind vs Winsome
00:04:19 Tim Keller or Us?
00:08:18 Offense of the Gospel
00:17:33 Rebuking Offensive Sins
00:26:59 Political Red Lines
00:30:23 Idol of Social Respectability
00:45:38 Showing True Love
00:50:16 Rebuke as Love
00:59:43 Tone of Speech
01:10:22 Looking At Ourselves
01:12:24 Conclusions

Why Tim Keller (and Alistair Begg) are Wrong About Christian Winsomeness (Ep. 154 Audio)

Tim Keller spent his life arguing that through winsomeness we can get people to accept the gospel. If the world sees Christians as good and kind, then the world would see the goodness of God and come to faith. He argued that if we are kind and thoughtful, then people will want to hear the gospel from us. And here’s the thing: if all you are talking about is what the life and conduct of a Christian should look like, there are lots of situations where we would agree with him. But that’s exactly why we take issue with the position. As we say early in the episode, there is no “balance” between being offensive and being pleasant. Our obedience to Christ requires different things of us at different times, and we aren’t responsible for how the world responds to that obedience.

And while Tim Keller died in 2023, this issue is something that the church has always struggled with and will continue to as long as there is sin in the world. In fact, in the last few weeks of January, Alistair Begg has been in the news for an issue that is fundamentally the same. In an interview from September 2023, Begg recounted how he was asked by a grandmother if she should attend the wedding of her grandson whose partner was transgender. Begg’s repsonse was that as long as her grandson understands that her belief in Jesus makes it such that she can’t countenance in any affirming way the choices that he has made in life that she should attend the wedding and buy him a wedding gift. His response was rightly criticized by many other pastors and Christian leaders. But the result has been a number of questions and discussions about where we should draw the line and how Christians should apply the principles and requirements of Christianity and the gospel to many different situations.

In this episode, we try to frame the topic in way that allows us to think about the issue more clearly. “Balance” and “kindness” can often be misleading, because “balance” suggests that we should be trying to find some middle ground that can only be determined by looking at the world’s response to our life and not to God’s expectations of us. And “kindness” causes us to misdefine what the word truly means as all kind actions aren’t necessarily pleasant and agreeable (like waking someone up in the middle of the night to tell them that their house is on fire.). Please join us as we discuss this important topic.


Note: In this episode we misattribute a quote to Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” While the quote is frequently used to make the point we reference in the article, we were wrong about who said it.

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

Why Pentecostalism is Wrong: Tongues as a Sign of Unbelief (Ep. 153)

Pentecostalism teaches that the gift and practice of speaking in unknown languages in the church today is a continuation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts. But this view is fundamentally at odds with what scripture teaches about tongues. First and foremost, it misses what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 where he explains to the church that the gift of tongues was a sign for unbelievers. Quoting from Isaiah, Paul references the passage where God prophesied that he would speak to Israel in other tongues but even then, they would not hear.

What is also clear from Paul’s teaching is that much of what he is referring to as speaking in tongues, would not mesh in any way with the Pentecostal practice today. Paul is using tongues to mean languages, and when he says to “speak in an unknown tongue”, there is no reason to assume he means that somehow the speaker does not understand the tongue he is speaking in. When approached from this perspective, the meaning of these passages suddenly becomes much clearer, as Paul is obviously describing how to deal with the disunity and barriers to communication caused by those who cannot understand one another. Why is prophecy (declaring the truth of God’s word) better than tongues? Because prophesying (declaring who God is) actually builds up the church, whereas the act of speaking in a different language, all by itself, does nothing, (and actually, speaking in a different language when no one else can understand you is actually a waste of time and can be more about showing off or exercising control by cutting people out of the conversation). Anyone who has ever traveled to a foreign country and needed to speak through an interpreter will understand this implicitly. The moment you are able to speak directly to one another in the same language, all other tongues are dismissed as nothing more than a barrier.

Once we better understand these passages, we also realize that much of how we think about tongues and spiritual gifts, in general, has been influenced by bad doctrine. And while in this episode we are not going to spend a great deal of time on this issue, we do want to open the door to begin talking about Cessationism. Paul said he had the gift of tongues more than any other man, but did that mean that every time he spoke there were tongues of fire and people heard him in their own language regardless of what language he was speaking? Or was Paul incredibly gifted with languages, so much so that he could learn languages in a way that would seem miraculous compared to how most people take years and years of effort to learn to speak a new language? We’re planning to record an episode that deals with this issue more directly, but in this episode, we think it’s enough to begin reframing the way we think about tongues. Do you understand why God gave them? Do you understand the place they have in the church? And do you understand how God is glorifying himself, by fulfilling his word, by allowing the gospel to be spread, and by giving good gifts to his church? Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Episodes Referenced
Bible Translations: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/03/making-sense-of-all-the-bible-translations-ep-112/
Dispensationalism: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/01/why-dispensational-is-wrong-ep-151/

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/01/why-pentecostalism-is-wrong-tongues-as-a-sign-of-unbelief-ep-153-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Introduction
00:04:45 A Sign of Unbelief
00:09:54 Isaiah 28
00:34:01 Why Does Paul Regulate Tongues?
00:59:52 Why Should We Desire Tongues?
01:04:56 Prayer and Tongues
01:08:22 What Are Tongues?

Why Pentecostalism is Wrong: Tongues as a Sign of Unbelief (Ep. 153 Audio)

Pentecostalism teaches that the gift and practice of speaking in unknown languages in the church today is a continuation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts. But this view is fundamentally at odds with what scripture teaches about tongues. First and foremost, it misses what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 where he explains to the church that the gift of tongues was a sign for unbelievers. Quoting from Isaiah, Paul references the passage where God prophesied that he would speak to Israel in other tongues but even then, they would not hear.

What is also clear from Paul’s teaching is that much of what he is referring to as speaking in tongues, would not mesh in any way with the Pentecostal practice today. Paul is using tongues to mean languages, and when he says to “speak in an unknown tongue”, there is no reason to assume he means that somehow the speaker does not understand the tongue he is speaking in. When approached from this perspective, the meaning of these passages suddenly becomes much clearer, as Paul is obviously describing how to deal with the disunity and barriers to communication caused by those who cannot understand one another. Why is prophecy (declaring the truth of God’s word) better than tongues? Because prophesying (declaring who God is) actually builds up the church, whereas the act of speaking in a different language, all by itself, does nothing, (and actually, speaking in a different language when no one else can understand you is actually a waste of time and can be more about showing off or exercising control by cutting people out of the conversation). Anyone who has ever traveled to a foreign country and needed to speak through an interpreter will understand this implicitly. The moment you are able to speak directly to one another in the same language, all other tongues are dismissed as nothing more than a barrier.

Once we better understand these passages, we also realize that much of how we think about tongues and spiritual gifts, in general, has been influenced by bad doctrine. And while in this episode we are not going to spend a great deal of time on this issue, we do want to open the door to begin talking about Cessationism. Paul said he had the gift of tongues more than any other man, but did that mean that every time he spoke there were tongues of fire and people heard him in their own language regardless of what language he was speaking? Or was Paul incredibly gifted with languages, so much so that he could learn languages in a way that would seem miraculous compared to how most people take years and years of effort to learn to speak a new language? We’re planning to record an episode that deals with this issue more directly, but in this episode, we think it’s enough to begin reframing the way we think about tongues. Do you understand why God gave them? Do you understand the place they have in the church? And do you understand how God is glorifying himself, by fulfilling his word, by allowing the gospel to be spread, and by giving good gifts to his church? Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Episodes Referenced
Bible Translations: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/03/making-sense-of-all-the-bible-translations-ep-112/
Dispensationalism: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/01/why-dispensational-is-wrong-ep-151/

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