Jimmy Carter’s Legacy: Was He a Christian President? (Ep. 199 Audio)

Jimmy Carter was one of the most outspokenly Christian presidents of the modern age, but was he an accurate representative of Christianity in the public sphere? His view of Christianity was that his beliefs should not impact his decisions or inform his policies, a view that many professing Christians shared at the time.

In this episode, we examine the legacy of Jimmy Carter, both during his time as president and in the years that followed. Please join us as we consider this topic.

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

Does the Church or State have Authority Over Marriage? (Ep. 198 Audio)

Who has authority over marriage? When a man and a woman are married, the official often says something like, “by the power vested in me by…”. But what does that mean and it is even remotely Biblical? Does the civil government have any authority over marriage? What about the church? And do people need to get married in a church by an ordained minister for the wedding to be recognized by God?

In this episode, we want to look at many of the different issues that relate to authority over marriage. We look at the Old Testament passages where God frames and defines the institute of marriage, and then discuss how this design plays out in society as the civil magistrate, the church, and the family, each of which are divinely-appointed authorities, work together at times and in other ways against each other. Marriage is both simple and complex. The union itself is fairly straightforward, a man and a woman are joined together – two previously separate people now become one flesh, but because marriage is the foundation of societies and nations even small errors in how we understand that union can have huge impacts. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

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

Benny Hinn is Going to Hell – Why Is Anyone Following Him? (Ep. 196 Audio)

Benny Hinn is a false teacher that has millions of global followers. And while in the US, he is more likely to be seen as a false teacher, in Nigeria, as in many other parts of the world, there are many who are deceived by him and his teaching. But why is this?

In this episode we want to look at how Benny Hinn sells himself and his heresies to make himself acceptable. We spend a little bit of time talking about his background and his mentor Kathryn Kulman and how he was shaped by her techniques. We also discuss his pattern of appealing to the flesh and to fleshly desires. As a carnal man Benny Hinn does not understand spiritual things and those he is trying to attract do not understand them either, so Hinn creates his own carnally-inspired mystical approach to spiritual things. This is really important to understand, because even many Christians have grown up in churches where spiritual things are not taught clearly. We also talk about Hinn’s recent false repentance, which was really just a means to distance himself from certain actions and not any actual repentance at all.

Benny Hinn should not be a threat to anyone. But because of how little influence and credibility the church has, he can sell his carnal “spirituality” and lead many to hell. Please join us as discuss this important topic.

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

25 More Ways Christ’s Conquest is Seen in the World (Ep. 195 Audio)

Eschatology may not be the most important doctrinal position, but it does greatly impact how we view the power and application of the Great Commission. Christ is the second Adam and as such he is carrying out the dominion mandate in a way that completely eclipses the work of the first Adam.

In this episode, we want to look at two particular areas where Christ’s dominion has shaped the world: the sense of shame for sin, and bringing order to the world.

When Christians fail to recognize the work of God in the world, they either end up calling good things evil or giving the credit for the good things they have received to something other than God. This is unbecoming of the people of God.

Christ’s has been given all authority, his Holy Spirit has been sent into the world to convict it of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (none of which are narrow in scope), and his servants go forth in the world every day, shining forth the light of God and constraining the sin around them. It is wicked and foolish to believe that his work has not accomplished great things. Please join us as we examine a small part of what Christ has done. May his church glorify Him, for He is great!

This is a continuation of our previous episode, 25 Ways Christ has Conquered His Kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD1su5MsCB4

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

Are Seminaries Biblical? Who Did God Appoint to Train Pastors? (Ep. 194 Audio)

Before the Reformation, illiteracy was widespread. When the Reformers started to say that people needed to study the word of God for themselves, the importance of learning dramatically increased and people like Luther and Calvin started schools. Pastors were suddenly expected to be knowledgeable. Before this, people could occupy a high level in the church and not really know any doctrine. The Roman Catholic response with the counter Reformation at the council of Trent was to call for seminaries. Over time that became the standard means of education for Protestants as well, but it really is not in the bible, so are seminaries a good idea?

In this episode, we want to discuss what caused the seminary model to become dominant, and to take it back to scripture. We also think it’s worth pushing on the idol of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. While knowledge is not bad, scripture gives the warning that it puffs up. When you combine this danger with the fact that the majority of seminary graduates are effectively novices who have had very little real-world experience or training, it is easy to see why there can be serious problems with the seminary system.

One of the metaphors that scripture uses for a church body is that of a family or household of faith, with the leaders being older brothers (elders) and the body itself being composed of brothers and sisters doing the work of their Father in the world and serving one another and the body in general in different capacities. Is it possible that like in earthly families, our heavenly father has made a way for his sons to be trained to lead? Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

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

Peanut the Squirrel: A Weird Story with Surprising Lessons (Ep. 192 Audio)

One of the stranger stories to come out of the 2024 presidential elections is the story of Peanut the squirrel and Dave the raccoon. In case you haven’t heard here’s the short version: in upstate New York, early one morning, the government sent agents to the house of Mark Longo, a man who ran a non-profit animal shelter. Mark also had a popular Instagram account featuring a squirrel named Peanut that he had rescued seven years before and kept at his home. According to the man, the Department of Environmental Conservation raided his home with ten to twelve agents. They searched the home for five hours while they detained him. Finally, they took Peanut and a raccoon. They said that Peanut bit an officer, so they killed them both.

While this story is very strange, it apparently struck a nerve with many people with support for either Mark and Peanut or the government fracturing along partisan lines. In this episode we want to look at the ways these issues reveal different details about American culture, politics, and the influence of the church.

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

Is It Wrong to Spank Your Kids in Public? (Ep. 192 Audio)

So here’s the question: Assuming that you are in favor of corporal punishment and believe that God describes spanking as an appropriate form of punishment for certain types of foolish/rebellious behavior, do you think whether or not you spank your children in public says anything about your faith, your obedience to God, your trust in Him, or is part of your Christian testimony?

That’s what we want to talk about in this episode. And while we have specific opinions on the matter, we think it’s worth people’s time to think through the issue and to consider how their actions are shaped by their beliefs. We should also say upfront that while there are places in the world where it is illegal for a parent to spank their child, in America, as of the time this video was recorded, it is legal in all 50 states.

One of the things that God says of Christians is that they are the salt and light of the world, and it is not just the result of their actions that are salt and light but their actions themselves. One of the tactics of the world is to try to make righteousness shameful and in the case of spanking, they have been able to do that very successfully. Many Christians who spank their children and believe that God’s Word teaches that it should be done are also ashamed to let others know that they do so. It is also a matter of fear. Because many have heard accounts of people having their children taken away from them by CPS, they fear that the same will happen to them if they openly obey God. And while God calls us to be prudent, he does not call us to fear. In fact, Revelation 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” And as it says in Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” So we should not think that scripture does not tie together our faith and our fear. This does not mean that we believe you should go out of your way to spank your children in public or that you should disobey your husband if he tells you that you should not do so. God has appointed authority and direction for our lives. But we should also understand that who and what we fear matters a great deal and we should labor so that we fear God and God alone. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

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

How Does Doctrine Drive Revival and Reformation? (Ep. 191 Audio)

When people think of revival, they often think of meetings with a preacher like Billy Graham standing on a stage with his Bible held high as he holds an altar call and where people stream toward the stage as the crowd sings “Just As I Am”. But that’s not what Biblical revivals look like. Biblical revivals starts with doctrine – a greater knowledge of God and His holiness and righteousness. When you look at revivals in the Old Testament, they start when the lost book of the law is found and as it is read by the king and read to the people, hearts are changed by hearing the Word of God. This is what happened at the time of Hezekiah, Josiah and Ezra. True revival is very associated with growing in knowledge and understanding, and that is also true of the greatest revival in history after the time of the apostles, the Protestant Reformation. It was because the bible started to be read and the people began to understand the doctrine of election and of salvation by grace through faith alone that there was a major revival. So why is doctrine necessary for revival?

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

Steve Lawson, False Teachers, and Works Based Righteousness (Ep. 190 Audio)

Most people who hold to a Calvinistic view of salvation probably think they have rejected works-based righteousness. But when sin is revealed in a leader, why do so many turn to that man’s works to assure themselves that he is truly saved? This was the response of many when Steve Lawson was removed from office. And in the last sermon he preached before his removal, this was Steve Lawson’s defense of himself as well.

Scripture teaches us that we can have assurance of salvation. But it warns us that even though we can examine our inward motivations, we are susceptible to deceiving ourselves (Philippians 2:12-13, I Corinthians 11:28-32). When it comes to other people, scripture is very clear, we can NEVER be assured of someone else’s salvation in the same way. But more importantly, scripture teaches that while those who have been saved still sin, those who walk in sin or practice sin, ARE NOT saved. (Galatians 5:16-24, I John 1:16). To say it a different way, we can be more assured that someone else is NOT saved than that they are. And this bothers many people.

In his last sermon, which was on John the Baptist, Steve Lawson suddenly says the following: “And you should not judge a man by his one weak moment you need to look at the whole body of his work you need to look at his whole message. You need to look at his whole ministry and don’t judge him on one hiccup that happens.” And while you may disagree that this statement was connected to what was about to happen to Steve Lawson and his ministry, it is a perfect example of how he was defended by many.

So here’s the question: how susceptible are you to a work-based righteousness defense of salvation? Not where you say, “good works are the necessary fruit of salvation”, but where you are tempted to weigh the good works vs the bad? Because that’s not found in scripture. Nowhere does God say that we should reassure ourselves of someone’s salvation because they have done many good works. That is the proclamation of the lawless who stand before God in the day of judgment: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:15-23

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

Right Doctrine is NOT Enough: Why Orthopraxy Matters (Ep. 187 Audio)

Having right doctrine is important, but it’s not enough. That why orthopraxy (having correct practices) matters.

People like to debate theology. Many people believe that Christians should make an effort to persuade other Christians to their understanding of scripture – and the bible is clear, while pointless debates are foolish, persuading others to understand sound doctrine is a good and important thing to do. Right doctrine is how the church is made one. Unity comes from the right and complete understanding of who Christ is. But many are satisfied with only having right doctrine. They do not go on to apply it to their lives and to have right practices. And when orthopraxy is ignored, it is reasonable to ask whether the doctrine was ever really and correctly understood. In every field of study, there is a recognized difference between abstract knowledge and application. And as anyone who has tried to build a building or follow a recipe for the first time knows, applying knowledge can be much more difficult than obtaining it.

In this episode, we want to discuss why right doctrine is insufficient. While the wicked do not love right doctrine, it is almost always actions that they find most offensive. When Christ came to his own, they would not receive him, and while many of them were offended by his doctrine, what the religious leaders were most offended by was that he revealed them to be hypocrites, not just by his words, but by his deeds. We also want to talk about how orthropraxy and orthodoxy cannot be separated from one another. And when we try to separate them, we often lose what doctrine we have or create practices that teach a false doctrine. We can see this in how the world describes “servant leadership”. Leaders really should serve those they are called to lead, but they also still have authority. As the world tries to destroy Biblical manhood and womanhood, even among those who have correct doctrine the practice of male head of household and male representative authority has been discarded and as a result the doctrine has grown weaker. So please join as a we discuss this and many other points related to the question: “Why is orthopraxy, which means to practice what is right, important?”

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

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