The guys record their final pod together as we send Aaron off to be a senior pastor at Bethesda Church in Huron, South Dakota. While it is indeed bittersweet, we know the Lord has good plans for our good friend.  Aaron's recommendation: Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship by Jonathan Gibson,...

This week the guys tackle Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian. Does he go too far in using the concepts and philosophy of Aristotle to buttress Christian theology? Should we emulate him today? Will Tony's ceiling fall on his head? There is only one way to find out! Aaron's recommendation: Ryan Reeves lectures on Thomas Aquinas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xri0AMiAKIo  

Class is in session! This week, the guys go into great depth on Augustine and his response to war and calamity in Rome, hopefully showing how it is relevant to our lives today. As a bonus, if you listen to the end, you get to hear them both mess up. It's a real treat. Their recommendation: Augustine's Confessions, translated by Henry Chadwick,...

This week, the guys look to Athanasius, an early church father who shows us how to stand for what is right and true.  Our recommendation: Athanasius, On the Incarnation, https://www.amazon.com/Incarnation-Saint-Athanasius-Popular-Patristics/dp/0881414271/ref=sr_1_1?crid=273D39LN11W6L&keywords=athanasius+on+the+incarnation&qid=1646597615&sprefix=athanasius%2520on%2520the%2520incarnation%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-1  

The guys begin a new series on heroes of the Christian faith, and start by looking at the early church's response to persecution within the Roman Empire. In the process, the discuss how Polycarp is worth emulating.   Tony's recommendation: "The Plot Thickens" podcast: https://theplotthickens.tcm.com/about/ Aaron's recommendation: The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves

The 1619 Project has become quite controversial among many. What is it? What should we think about it? How should we approach history?  Tony's recommendations: Race and Reunion by David Blight, https://smile.amazon.com/Race-Reunion-Civil-American-Memory/dp/0674008197/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DCWWQI1CDUYP&keywords=race+and+reunion&qid=1644179692&sprefix=race%2520and%2520reunion%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1 American Slavery, American Freedom by Edmund Morgan,...

For their last pod of the year, the guys reflect on how the last year has been, seeing what lessons have been learned and how they can look forward to the future. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This week, the guys close out J. I. Packer's Knowing God by discussing what he calls "the summit of summits"—Romans 8.  Tony's recommendation: "The Beatles: Get Back" on DisneyPlus.

The guys are back and spend some time discussing a recent article from Aaron, on how to disagree on important issues well. Fortunately, Tony and Aaron agree all the time, so they didn't need it very much... Aaron's article: "How to disagree like an Anabaptist," https://christianleadermag.com/how-to-disagree-like-an-anabaptist/ Aaron's recommendation: Who Is the Holy Spirit? Biblical Insights into His Divine Person by Malcolm Yarnell III,...

We're back! After being gone for a few weeks after Tony's third daughter was born, the guys return to discuss the Christian response to Halloween. Should we celebrate it? If so, how? How does the gospel inform it? And what are our favorite candies? Tony' recommendations: "What I Really Think About Halloween," by Russell Moore, https://www.russellmoore.com/2018/10/31/what-i-really-think-about-halloween/ Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis,...

This week, the guys talk about what it means that God has wrath. He is not simply out of control, but his wrath is tied to his justice AND his grace. The good news is that Jesus bears the wrath of God for us.  Aaron's recommendation: John Piper, When I Don't Desire God,...

This week, the guys consider God's justice, and how it can work together with God's grace. Tony's recommendation: Dante's Divine Comedy! https://smile.amazon.com/Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso/dp/0451208633/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=dante+divine+comedy&qid=1632684846&sr=8-6 Read along with him at https://100daysofdante.com. 

Grace is something the guys talk about all the time, so they relished the opportunity to spend a whole pod on one of their favorite topics. Listen as they discuss the meaning of grace and its significance for our lives today. Tony's recommendation: "The Moth Joke" by Norm Macdonald, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxD3pT8C9-A&t=247s. But really, just search his name on YouTube. Two good remembrances: First, "Norm Macdonald, Comedy Legend," by Theodore Kupfer...

We all know that God is love, as the Apostle John and Marvin Gaye taught us. But what does that actually mean? The guys discuss that this week as they continue to seek to understand and worship our God. Tony's recommendation: None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett, https://smile.amazon.com/None-Greater-Undomesticated-Attributes-God/dp/0801098742/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=none+greater&qid=1631238997&sr=8-1

This week, the guys may or may not (probably not) display their own wisdom, but of one thing they are sure: God is wise. And that has a lot of bearing on our own lives today. Aaron's recommendation: American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism by Matthew Avery Sutton,...

How great is our God? No, seriously, how great is he? This week, the guys consider God's majesty and glory. It turns out, he is pretty great! Tony's recommendation: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman, https://smile.amazon.com/Field-Blood-Violence-Congress-Civil/dp/1250234581/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=field+of+blood&qid=1630266421&sr=8-1

One of the core teachings of (small-o) orthodox Christianity is God's immutability—God does not change. What does that mean? What does the Bible say? Why does it matter? This week, the guys discuss this aspect of God from J. I. Packer's book Knowing God. Aaron's recommendation: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke, https://smile.amazon.com/Ways-Your-Phone-Changing-You/dp/1433552434/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tony+reinke&qid=1629738662&sr=8-3

This week, we continue going through J.I. Packer's Knowing God, discussing the incarnation of Jesus Christ, including why it matters that Jesus Christ, very God of very God, became like us in every way except without sin. Aaron's recommendation: The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America by Frances FitzGerald,...

We're back! This week, begin a discussion through the classic book by J. I. Packer Knowing God. (Hey, he stole our name!) What does it mean to really know God? Listen to find out! Tony's recommendation: Read Knowing God along with us! Buy it here: https://smile.amazon.com/Knowing-God-IVP-Signature-Collection/dp/0830848614/ref=sr_1_1?crid=256DA0VWFEGD1&dchild=1&keywords=knowing+god+by+j.i.+packer&qid=1628450384&sprefix=knowing+god%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-1 Or, attend MVC East...

This week, the guys talk to Matthew Ford, a PhD candidate in Latin American History at Stony Brook University about the recent decision to replace the plaque at Wheaton College commemorating the death of Jim Elliot and Ed McCully because of its insensitive language to native peoples. We get into what those missionaries were doing there, how they went about evangelizing, and what our approach to missions should be. It was a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it! Matt's...

This week, the guys talk to Mark Fowler, the COO at Mountain View Church, about his transition from working in education to working in the church, and what it means to be called by God. Mark's recommendations: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell, https://smile.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316010669/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blink+malcolm+gladwell&qid=1626302136&sr=8-1 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni,...

Jesus tells us, "judge not lest ye be judged." What does that mean? Whom are we supposed to not judge? How does this fit in with the rest of the Bible? This week, the guys ponder this passage, and try to put it not only in its immediate context, but also in the context of the whole Bible. Tony's recommendation: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, a Christianity Today podcast, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/

The guys are back, taking a small break from putting verses back into their context (they'll return to those soon) in order to talk about current events—specifically, the more interesting than usual happenings in the Southern Baptist Convention.  Aaron's recommendation: Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im,...

The guys consider whether to make this a Romans 8 podcast, as they discuss what it means that God is for us. If nothing else can come against us, does that mean we will only win Super Bowls? Or might it mean something a good deal greater? Tony's recommendation: The Argument, hosted by Jane Coaston, "Does Teaching America It's Racist Make It Less Racist?" https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/opinion/race-theory-us-racism.html