We live in a society filled with gossip, yet the Bible commands to avoid it. We discuss how we can know when we we are speaking gossip, and when we are speaking the truth in love.
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 you’ve ever visited a third-world country where bribery is rampant, it’s easy to think that the United States doesn’t have a bribery problem. But the church is supposed to understand that sin left unchecked with always grow and that when it is allowed to grow among leaders and those who are exalted, it will grow even faster. And in that sense, America has a horribly bribery problem, and it getting worse every day.
In this episode, we discuss what the Bible says about bribery and why the word it uses for bribes means gift. We talk about bribery in different contexts, in the government, the church the workplace, and how in each case it perverts judgment and tempts men to serve someone other than their true master.
In the end, bribery is a picture of sinful man’s slavery to his desires. All men have an obligation to serve God, but his sinful desires cause him to pervert righteousness. Only those who are free from their sin can serve the Lord of earth faithfully and not be swayed by earthly things.
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
Total Depravity is usually thought about as a doctrine related primarily to salvation (and is probably best known for being the ‘T’ in the acronym, TULIP). But in actuality, it is a broad doctrine that explains a great deal about the world and the role of sin in men’s lives. So, here’s our question: How well do you understand the doctrine of total depravity?
Have you ever wondered, “If Total Depravity is true, why don’t unsaved men sin more than they seem to?” Or “What stops an unsaved man who likes alcohol from becoming a drunkard? Or a lustful man from running out and committing adultery?” The answer might surprise you.
So please join us for this discussion. Our goal is to discuss this doctrine in such a way that it helps us to understand the world. And because sin is such a big part of the world we live in and according to scripture most people in the world are slaves to sin, misunderstanding the doctrine of total depravity can make it easy to misunderstand why unsaved people do so many good, kind, and beneficial things. We’ll even talk about how God has ordained the world in such a way, that a man’s pride can cause him stop sinning in a particular way (he’ll still sin, just differently than he would have). Because even in God’s justice, he shows mercy upon sinful man and provides many constraints in the world that keep men from rushing to their own destruction. May we glorify God for his great mercies. As it says in Romans 11, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”
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
Human Trafficking probably isn’t what you think it is. Based on the news and social media, you’ve probably gotten the impression that it is this rapidly increasing phenomeon of children being snatched off the street and from stores, whisked away to some far-off place, and then forced into sexual service. And no one should say that things like that never ever happen. But they are extremely rare. And that’s part of the problem. It’s not that there’s a lack of sin of world. There’s lots and lots of sin. But dealing with sin is incredibly complex. It’s also incredibly messy. The easiest solution, in most cases, is to ignore the sins we don’t want to mess with an focus on something that is most likely to offend the fewest people. And this is what has largely been done with human trafficking.
This was a difficult episode to put together. We should be clear, it’s going to be really easy to misunderstand the point that we are trying to make. Everything about how we’ve been taught to think about very specific types of sin, such as prostitution, drug abuse, why children run away, foster care, etc has been carefully shaped for years to allow the church of Jesus Christ to ignore the reality of sin. Because in almost all cases where human trafficking is going on, the “trafficking” is just a small part of the sin. And unless the church gets serious about the sin in our midst, the sins that we can actually see and touch and speak to, nothing will actually change. The Bible says in I John that Jesus Christ was made manifest that He might destroy the works of the devil. Does the church actually believe this? Please join us as we discuss this vital topic.
Expose of trafficking and fraud from Voice of the Martyrs:
http://persecutingthepersecuted.com/
Articles critiquing Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad:
https://www.vice.com/en/topic/operation-underground-railroad
https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/05/sex-trafficking-raid-operation-underground-railroad.html
https://americancrimejournal.com/category/investigates/operation-underground-railroad/
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
It’s tempting to think that America is a modern rational country where people don’t believe in magic potions, but is that really true?
Homeopathy is an old lie that keeps being updated as necessary to fool the next generation. While often associated with herbal treatments this is just another form of deception as it is completely different both in its claimed means of “healing” and in its actual substance.
For those who truly understand what homeopathy is, it’s not much different than pouring water into a bottle and claiming that it is now suddenly medicine. But then you realize how much money this water is being sold for, and how many truly sick children and adults are being sold a lie, and the reality starts to set in. Lies are always harmful because they displace the truth.
In this episode, we walk through what homeopathy really is, its history and how it keeps being sold in slightly different ways. We also discuss medicine and healing in general, because part of the reason why homeopathy and other medical quackery keeps getting accepted is because we often think about our health in wrong ways. One of the sins of the modern age is that believe our knowledge has given us greater power than we truly have. Even with our greatest advancements, modern medicine is incredibly limited, but we want to put greater faith in them than we should. And when faith is misapplied, new idolatries spring up. The Bible says in I Timothy 3:15, that the church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. If we read that passage with any amount of faith, we will realize that the reason that lies are able to have so much power in the world is directly tied to failure of the church to shine forth the light of God’s word. Homeopathy is just one of many such lies, but very often, it is found flourishing in churches and religious homeschool circles. Our prayer is that the church will turn from lies. 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
One of the most common questions that people ask is, “How can I know that I have eternal life?” And scripture does teach about assurance of salvation, but the subject is more complex than many people want it to be. One of the things that the Bible teaches most clearly is that there are many people who should NOT think that they are saved. From the self-righteous Pharisee convinced of his own personal righteousness to the man who stands before God on the day of judgment exclaiming, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” to the man Paul writes about in Corinth who was sleeping with his father’s wife and who (along with his church) was sure that he was a son of God, there are many who are deceiving themselves and suppressing the truth in their own unrighteousness?
So how should we think about assurance of salvation? Is it guaranteed to all believers? Is it something that once we have it we will always have it? What do the scriptures say? Please join us as we look to God’s word for answers to these and other questions about 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
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
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