Reformed Podmatics

On Listening "Enough" to Pro-LGBTQ Arguments

Over the past several years one common accusation levied against those in favor of the classical Christian view on sexuality is that there has not been enough listening, open inquiry, and dialogue. The feeling among many is that by settling the debate within the CRCNA through synod, conservatives have effectively silenced dissent by circumventing honest deliberation. So in this week's episode, we try to tackle this argument head on in order to help everyone think through what James means - and doesn't mean - when he says that godly wisdom is "open to reason" (James 3:17). Nicholas Wolterstorff's article mentioned in the episode can be found here: https://letter.icscanada.edu/wolterstorff?fbclid=IwY2xjawIkULVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVC13jpa0LjWLh4MmtDISdINmv-rhQtfGR6a-jsPeKYrxgczVxQ32m206g_aem_NWUmMlPzqjlOLEaCwa-mEg
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Theological Humility - Episode 189

One of the perennial needs in the Church is a strong dose of theological humility, where believers develop strong, confident convictions but without the pitfalls of hubris and pride. But the question is, in our quest for knowledge how are we to avoid becoming puffed up? This is what we aim to tackle in this week's episode.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
 

Young Men, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Importance of Reformed Catholicity - Episode 188

In a recent article in the New York Post entitled "Young men leaving traditional churches for ‘masculine’ Orthodox Christianity in droves", journalist Ricki Schlott analyzes the growing trend among young men in Gen Z leaving Evangelicalism for the Eastern Orthodox Church. In this week's episode we discuss why we believe this is happening, what it teaches us about the needs of young people, and what we as Reformed Christians can do about it.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Can People Really Change? - Episode 187

One of the great questions in life that many of us have is whether or not we can really change, and if we can, how it happens and how we can do it. In this week's episode, we dive into this subject and explore it biblically, addressing along the way how Christians believe God can (and does) change us but how some of the changes we would like to see in ourselves can be painfully long in the making as we grow and learn and strive by God's grace.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Predestination & Whether God Is A Gentleman - Episode 186

This week's topic comes from a listener in Blyth, ON who is curious to hear an explanation for and defense of the Reformed articulation of predestination and irresistible grace. In particular, she's interested to see how we would respond to the oft-repeated claim that "God wouldn’t force people to love Him because He’s a gentleman.” So by using the Scriptures and the Canons of Dort, we aim to do just that, laying out a case for how the Reformed view is deeply biblical, catholic, and pastoral, as well as how it best matches up with the experience of spiritual rebirth. 
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Encouraging Trends in the Church Today - Episode 185

With all that's going on around us, it can be easy to despair and forget that God is still at work bringing His flock to Himself by the power of the gospel. In this week's episode we take a look at some of the encouraging trends going on in our world today that help us see and find joy in all that God is doing among us today. From the decline of New Atheism to the rise of Christian YouTube, from the increase of Bible sales in 2024 to conversion of high-profile intellectuals there is much going on that ought to cause us to rejoice and give thanks to the Lord. So we hope this little exercise helps you to share in our joy.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Denominations, Discernment, & Mere Christianity - Episode 184

In the modern world today there is such a dizzying array of different Christian denominations and traditions that it's easy to get lost and confused. In order to exhibit the spirit of mere Christianity where we can appreciate and benefit from other Christians, we need to better understand the Christian family tree and the different branches. In doing so, we need to develop joyful discernment, not so we can look down on other Christians, but so we can know what to look out for as we learn from them and appreciate the gifts they bring to the table. In this week's episode, we aim to do just that, first by exploring the family tree and then by thinking through how to be discerning so as to best learn from others.And as always, we would love to hear from you! If you have any questions or topics you'd like us to consider, please feel free to reach out to our emails or our Reformed Podmatics Facebook page.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Christmas Movies & the Christian Faith - Episode 183

'Tis the season for a Reformed Podmatics discussion about Christmas movies! This week, as good Neo-Calvinists, we take a little time to reflect on some of the most beloved Christmas films like A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Home Alone and examine what they get right, what they get wrong, and what they suggest to us about how our culture sees the Christian faith. As this will be the last episode of the year, we'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year from us here at Reformed Podmatics. May your celebrations of God's incarnation bring life, joy, and hope to you all this season. See you in 2025!
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

A Reformed Approach to Predictive Prophecy - Episode 182

With Advent now well and truly upon us, 'tis the season for some prophecy! This week, sparked by a radio preacher Mark heard who taught that Isaiah 19's prophecies about the conversion of Egypt are being fulfilled as we speak, we decided that for this week's episode we'd dig in a little bit to how Reformed Christians have and ought to think about the predictive prophecies given to us in Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments. 
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Why the Church Needs the Elderly - Episode 181

In every age, the Church faces new obstacles and trials and is tasked with faithful living, thinking, believing, praying, and witnessing. It's all too easy, given the circumstances, to lose perspective and think either too much of the current generation or too little. What we need, then, is the perspective of the aged and the spiritual ballast and balance that they bring. In this week's episode, we aim to convince both the old and the young of the important place that the elderly serve within the larger body of Christ. For some, this will be an encouragement. For others, a challenge. But we hope that, for all of you, it is a blessing. And maybe, once you finish the episode, go give a listen to Bing Crosby's old Christmas classic, "Faith of Our Fathers". You'll be glad you did!
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Biblicism, Prooftexting, and Being "Biblically-Informed" - Episode 180

How are Christians to approach the Word of God? Should we come at it like a textbook which, if carefully studied, will provide explicit answers and commands to guide every quandary and conundrum we face? Or maybe more like a manual to guide every decision? Or perhaps even like a superstitious text which will give us its power if we wear it on our clothes or slap it on a car sticker. Or maybe--just maybe--it's different. Maybe there's a deper way. In this week's episode, we aim to show how a Reformed approach to Scripture will help us avoid the dangers of biblicism, (bad) prooftexting, and being minimally "biblically-informed."Resources referenced in the episode:
Being Biblical™: When the Bible Becomes a Brand, by Alastair Roberts
Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation, by Michael Allen & Scott Swain
Other links:
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

The Perceptions of Neo-Calvinism - Episode 179

As a podcast which gets its name from Herman Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics, Neo-Calvinism is obviously a theological tradition and project near and dear to our hearts. But it's one that so often gets a bad rap, or is misconstrued. In this week's episode, spurred on by our conversations with recent guests over the past few months, we seek to take stock not only of what it is, but to explore some of its native tensions as well as the ways in which it is often viewed by others in the broader Reformed tradition. 
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Exploring the Reformed Tradition, Pt. 4 - Dr. Gerald Bray of Beeson Divinity School - Episode 178

After a week away and several weeks since our last episode in this series, we've returned once again to explore the Reformed faith this time with special guest, Dr. Gerald Bray, research professor at Beeson Divinity School (Birmingham, AL) and an evangelical church historian and theologian from the Church of England. His seminal works include God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology, A History of Christian Theology: A Trinitarian Approach, Augustine On the Christian Life, and Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition. He's also served as an editor for a few volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and has written extensively on the history of biblical interpretation. As a historian and Calvinist, Dr. Bray makes the perfect guest to help us explore the riches of the Reformed tradition.
 
Visit www.samford.edu/beeson-divinity for more information about Beeson Divinity School.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Reformation Day Special: An Interview with Lutheran Teacher, Jonathon Bolt - Episode 177

What better way to celebrate Reformation Day than with an old friend from the Lutheran Church? Join with Pastor Mark as he interviews his old friend, Jonathon Bolt, who now teaches at a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod day school in New Haven, Indiana. In this week's conversation, we get into the commonalities and distinctions of Reformed and Lutheran theology as well as our two traditions' approaches to Christian education. We hope this is a fruitful dialogue for this special day!
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Rap in Worship? On the Sound of Worship Music - Episode 176

In contemporary worship music today, there is an increasingly popular trend toward using unconventional styles of music such as rap or EDM in corporate worship settings. So in this week's episode we dive into the legitimacy of this trend and whether or not it has a place in the Church's worship. More importantly, the conversation aims to lay out a positive vision for what kind of music ought to be sung so as to best honor the Lord.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

On Death & Funerals - Episode 174

Of all life's many challenges, it is perhaps death which brings us pain and grief unmatched by anything else. So in this week's episode we decide to explore how we as Christians can approach death and think about what makes for a good, God honoring funeral service.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Warning Passages & the Perseverance of the Saints - Episode 173

One of the perennial objections to the Reformed doctrine of perseverance is the mere existence of the Bible's warning passages where believers are warned of the spiritual dangers of apostasy. In these week's episode, we take a look at Hebrews 6 and 10, two of the most passionate warning passages, and explore what implications they might have for our understanding Reformed theology and for the Christian life more broadly, as we seek to avoid making shipwreck of our faith.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Where to Begin? Thinking Through the Trail Map of Christian Discipleship - Episode 172

One of the perennial questions of Christian discipleship is where to begin. The Bible is a big book, and there's no shortage of good books to read about the Christian faith. So where should a new believer start? In this week's episode we take a step away from our two ongoing series to address this important question, thinking through a sort of trail map for those wanting to follow Christ in our world today. This is a great episode for new Christians asking this question or for mature believers who find themselves discipling others in the faith.
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Christ & Culture, Pt. 3 - Addressing the Evangelical Inferiority Complex - Episode 171

In our third installment of our new series, Christ and Culture, we address the ways in which Evangelicals today feel pressure to appear intelligent, fashionable, and morally virtuous given the ways in which the Christian faith is uniquely perceived and often maligned in our world today. So as we address these pressures, Christians need also to consider ways in which we might develop assurance, fortitude, and resilience as we stand firm on the gospel of Christ despite the shifts currently taking place in our broader Western culture. 
 
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Exploring the Reformed Tradition, Pt. 3 - Aaron Renn, author of Life in the Negative World - Episode 170

In what is maybe more of a crossover episode of our two ongoing series here at Reformed Podmatics, this week we're interviewing writer and consultant, Aaron Renn. Aaron's work over the past several years has been focused on cultural analysis of the Evangelical church with respect to the ways in which Christianity has now become a minority position in America and what that means going forward. In this week's episode, we talk about Aaron's new book, Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture, and about some of Aaron's insights for the Reformed tradition in the 21st-century. 
For more insight into Aaron's work, visit aaronrenn.com.For Aaron's new book, Life in the Negative World, click here.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.