Michael Reeves discusses what the Bible is actually getting at when it commands us to "fear the Lord." He makes the case for the difference between rightly fearing God and sinfully being afraid of him, explains why the fear of the Lord is so often paired with examples of God's gracious blessing and commands to love him in Scripture, and offers encouragement for the Christian wrestling with consistent guilt, shame, and even fear on account of their sin.
Jan 18, 2021•36 min•Ep. 100
Rosaria Butterfield discusses what it looks like to embrace the Christian call to radical hospitality even during a pandemic. She shares about how her family has sought to continue reaching out to those around them with the love of Christ, reflects on our tendency to spend more time reading the news than reading our Bibles, and calls on Christians to fight against the fear that threatens to destroy our witness.
Jan 11, 2021•29 min•Ep. 99
Barbara Hughes discusses why discipline is important for Christian women. She highlights her own struggle to cultivate a disciplined life over the years, reflects on an important lesson she learned from key mentors like Elisabeth Elliot, and offers encouragement for the listener who feels like she's struggling in her spiritual walk right now.
Jan 04, 2021•39 min•Ep. 98
Kent Hughes discusses why discipline is so important for the life of a Christian man. He explains how discipline is actually aimed at freeing us to be the men that God called us to be, how to fight the addiction to entertainment so common among men in our culture today, and why working hard when it comes to our spiritual growth is not the same thing as working for our salvation.
Dec 28, 2020•39 min•Ep. 97
Bob Kauflin discusses his work as a songwriter and worship leader. He reflects on how God led him into a career in music, what his process looks like when it comes to writing songs for the church, and what it's like to lead a crowd of thousands in worship at a conference like Together for the Gospel.
Dec 21, 2020•34 min•Ep. 96
Jeff Vanderstelt discusses what it means to be fluent in the gospel and why that's an essential part of what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus. He reflects on his own journey as a pastor and efforts to cultivate a culture of gospel fluency in the churches where he has ministered, highlights why the concept of the missional community is so central to how he views what the church is called to be, and unpacks why living in light of the gospel should impact literally every facet of our lives a...
Dec 14, 2020•41 min•Ep. 95
Stephen Meyer discusses the controversial topic of theistic evolution. He explains what the term does and doesn't mean, describes the amazing digital code at the heart of all life on earth, and highlights significant scientific and philosophical problems with many forms of theistic evolution advocated today.
Dec 07, 2020•41 min•Ep. 94
Joel Beeke discusses the doctrine of Christ's ongoing intercession in heaven. He explains what that doctrine is all about, where we find it in the Bible, and why it is more important and spiritually edifying than you may realize. Joel Beeke is the author, with Paul Smalley, of Reformed Systematic Theology: Volume 2: Man and Christ. Read the full transcript. If you enjoyed this episode be sure to leave us a review, which helps us spread the word about the show!
Nov 30, 2020•33 min•Ep. 93
Erik Raymond discusses what it looks like to cultivate a spirit of contentment in a world that often seems dead set on helping us do just the opposite. He explains what is unique about a distinctly Christian approach to contentment, highlights the connection between contentment and gratitude, and offers practical advice for navigating the consumerism of the holiday season that's just around the corner.
Nov 23, 2020•32 min•Ep. 92
Listen to a special two-hour preview of 'The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self,' including the book's introduction and first chapter. Historian Carl Trueman analyzes the development of the sexual revolution as a symptom, rather than the cause, of the human search for identity.
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 56 min
Carl Trueman discusses our culture's current obsession with identity and changing attitudes about gender and sexuality. He offers a crash course on key historical figures and ideas that have shaped us in profound yet often unnoticed ways, highlights what conservative Christians often misunderstand about the LGBTQ cause, and offers advice when it comes to navigating an increasing hostile culture in the coming years.
Nov 16, 2020•49 min•Ep. 91
Crossway is pleased to announce the launch of our newest podcast: Emblems of the Infinite King, an imaginative journey through the grand story of the Bible. Listen now: Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS You can see a full listing of all of our podcasts at crossway.org/podcasts.
Nov 13, 2020•3 min
Andy Naselli discusses snakes in the Bible. He talks about why Satan appeared to Adam and Eve as a talking serpent in Genesis 3, where else snakes and dragons appear in Scripture and why it matters for our understanding of the history of redemption, and how the biblical idea of serpents and serpent slayers sheds light on everything from 'Beowulf' to 'Lord of the Rings' to 'Harry Potter.'
Nov 09, 2020•34 min•Ep. 90
Guy Waters discusses how to understand the biblical covenants and how they help us to read Scripture rightly. He addresses what people often get wrong when it comes to covenant theology, highlights the progressive nature of God's promises in the Bible, and explains where he thinks dispensationalism and new covenant theology miss the mark.
Nov 02, 2020•32 min•Ep. 89
Jonathan Leeman discusses how Christians should think about political disagreements within the church. He makes the important distinction between clear, biblical principles on the one hand and prudential applications of those principles on the other, shares his take on how much pastors and church leaders should say regarding their own political perspectives online and in-person, and offers advice for those worried about political controversy causing division within their church.
Oct 26, 2020•47 min•Ep. 88
Ryan Lister discusses what it means when the Bible says that God is with us. He unpacks the idea of the presence of God throughout Scripture, addresses common misconceptions about what that phrase really means, and highlights how Jesus, God in the flesh, stands as the ultimate example of God drawing near to his people.
Oct 19, 2020•38 min•Ep. 87
Cameron Cole discusses the unexpected death of his three-year-old son, Cam. He shares about the initial shock when he first heard the terrible news, recalls the thoughts and questions that filled his mind in the days, weeks, and months following, and reflects on how that tragedy and all the suffering it entailed has ultimately strengthened his hope in God rather than destroyed it.
Oct 12, 2020•45 min•Ep. 86
Frank Thielman discusses what the New Testament, and particularly the apostle Paul, teaches about how Christians today should think about the Mosaic law. He reflects on why this seems like such a challenging, hermeneutical issue, why the topic of circumcision was so central in Paul's epistles, and how this so-called "new perspective" on Paul fits in this conversation.
Oct 05, 2020•36 min•Ep. 85
Brad Sickler discusses how Christians should think about recent developments in our understanding of the brain and cognitive science. He explains why all science entails philosophical assumptions stemming from a person's worldview, highlights how science and the Bible both speak to the physical and spiritual dimensions of what it means to be human, and answers the question we've all wondered: Is it true we only use 10% of our brains?
Sep 28, 2020•43 min•Ep. 84
Drew Hunter discusses advice for Christians eager to reinvigorate, or maybe jumpstart for the first time, a consistent Bible reading habit. He reflects on how to avoid viewing time in God's Word as merely a task on a checklist, shares his thoughts on the pros and cons of reading plans, and highlights the importance of seeing God's Word as one unified story culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ and why that perspective fundamentally changes how we read Scripture.
Sep 21, 2020•45 min•Ep. 83
Paul Tripp discusses what he calls "the leadership crisis" in the church today. He explains what he's been seeing and hearing from pastors that indicates there indeed is a crisis, why healthy leadership in the church is about the leadership community, not just the head pastor, and what it looks like to make progress in and through the gospel.
Sep 14, 2020•40 min•Ep. 82
Lauren Chandler discusses her habit on reading and studying the Bible. She reflects on the biggest influences on how she engages with Scripture even today, explains the way the Bible impacts her work as a songwriter, and shares how God used his Word to strengthen her faith when she first learned her husband had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Sep 07, 2020•31 min•Ep. 81
In this special episode, we're sharing a full audio recording of How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?—written by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli. Election seasons can cause division on a variety of issues. But what happens when you disagree with someone in your local church community? Authors Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli propose that Christians should learn how to disagree on such issues with a spirit of gracious understanding by recognizing the importance of what binds us...
Sep 02, 2020•58 min
Joe Rigney discusses why it's okay to celebrate God's good gifts. He explains the impact that John Piper and Christian hedonism have had on his life and theology, the proper place of self-denial in the Christian life, and how to navigate the tension of loving God and enjoying his good gifts.
Aug 31, 2020•40 min•Ep. 80
Mark Talbot discusses what the Bible has to say about suffering and the question that we all so quickly come to: "Why?" He shares some of what God has taught him through his own experience of profound pain, reflects on what we can learn from the story of Job in the Bible, and offers wise advice to the person currently wrestling to understand why God so often allows us to suffer in ways that push us to our limits and beyond.
Aug 24, 2020•34 min•Ep. 79
Adam Griffin discusses what it looks like for parents to prioritize the important but mostly ordinary spiritual leadership of their family. He debunks common misconceptions about what family discipleship has to look like, highlights the importance of cultivating a culture of joy and fun in the home, and offers parents a simple framework for intentionally training their kids to view their lives through the lens of the gospel.
Aug 17, 2020•36 min•Ep. 78
Lydia Brownback discusses some of her tips for leading an effective, engaging Bible study. She reflects on what she has learned over the years from Bible studies she's been a part of, offers advice for keeping the conversation on track and getting through the occasional awkward silence, and discusses why a Bible study leader's own passion for the text is so important for the group as a whole.
Aug 10, 2020•41 min•Ep. 77
Crossway is pleased to announce the launch of our newest podcast: 30 Days in the Psalms with Kristyn Getty. Listen now: Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS You can see a full listing of all of our podcasts at crossway.org/podcasts.
Aug 08, 2020•4 min
Kristyn Getty discusses congregational singing, the power of music for teaching doctrine, and the foundational role of Scripture for the Christian life. She reflects on her career in the Christian music industry, explains why hymns still matter and are worth learning today, and shares how her family has been seeking to use music to serve others during this season of lockdown.
Aug 03, 2020•34 min•Ep. 76
Jeff Robinson discusses the unique blessings and burdens of pastoral ministry. He reflects on the challenging seasons in ministry from his own life, seasons when he contemplated leaving the pastorate altogether, highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in the life of a pastor, and he offers encouragement for the pastor who feels overwhelmed and exhausted right now.
Jul 27, 2020•42 min•Ep. 75
