The Sanctified Mind: Recent Episodes
The Sanctified Mind Podcast
The Sanctified Mind Podcast is the result of numerous, informal theological discussions that have occurred between three lifelong friends (Beau, Daniel, and Ryan). We found these discussions to be edifying and enjoyable. We came up with the idea to take our discussions to a Podcast format in order to share it with others and to record it for posterity (because what kid doesn’t want to listen to Grandpa’s old podcast).
The discussion will be based off of an analysis and review of whatever book we are studying together. Listeners are welcome to read the book as well in order to follow along and participate in the discussion. We will seek to follow the Reformed, Puritan tradition of looking at doctrine and application. We plan to go through one book a month from our combined pool and discuss what we liked and didn’t like. What we agree and disagree with. Most importantly, how can this book help us to better love and glorify God in our lives.
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The Family is one of the most basic units of society. Join us as we discuss what the family unit is, what the purpose of the family is and how we might strengthen the family unit.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeSL4tBBdtOmZwKyxqcKHVw
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This review covers, The "American Way": Family and Community in the Shaping of the American Identity by Allan Carlson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw54SbKdrD8
The United States of America is arguably more family-centered than any other Western nation. If polling data can be trusted, the vast majority of Americans a higher percentage than in any other nation would rather build society around the family and the church than around the individual. In fact, family and religiously grounded community not individualism, not capitalism, and not a commitment to polyglot cultural pluralism have historically provided the basis of America's dominant self-understanding.
"The American Way," Allan Carlson's episodic history of the last century, shows how the nation's identity has been shaped by carefully constructed images of the American family and the American home. From the surprisingly radical measures put forth by Theodore Roosevelt to encourage stable, large families, to the unifying role of the image of the home in assimilating immigrants, to the "maternalist" activists who attempted to transform the New Deal and other social welfare programs into vehicles for shoring up traditional family life, Carlson convincingly demonstrates the widespread appeal exerted by the images of family and community. Carlson also shows how a family- and faith-centered discourse anchored Henry Luce's publishing enterprise and even American foreign policy during the Cold War.
But many of the reforms and ideas championed by pro-family forces in the twentieth century family activists' embrace of the federal bureaucracy, Luce's propaganda for suburban living and modern architecture inadvertently worked to undermine family and community life, writes Carlson. And he shows that the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which effectively made it illegal for employers to offer male breadwinners a "living wage," has made it harder for traditional families to make ends meet, further helping to fracture family life. Carlson concludes by arguing that, despite the half-hearted and partially successful attempt of the Reagan administration to again forge a link between the American identity and healthy family life, much bolder measures are necessary if American culture is again to be put on a family- and community-centered footing.
Written with grace and precision, "The American Way" is revisionist history of the highest order.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Way-C...
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Join us and our guest Bob as we talk about the importance of doctrine, how to fight liberalism, dialectic vs rhetoric (the importance of storytelling) and more!
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Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen is on the menu this month! If you have not read this book, you should!
This classic defense of orthodox Christianity, written to counter the liberalism that arose in the early 1900s, establishes the importance of scriptural doctrine and contrasts the teachings of liberalism and orthodoxy on God and man, the Bible, Christ, salvation, and the church. J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism has remained relevant through the years ever since its original publication in 1923.
Jeff joins us again to discuss American Christianity. In this episode we talk about the relevance of Christianity, ecumenicalism, solo scriptura vs sola scriptura and what the place of the church is in our society.
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This week we are checking out D.G. Hart's book "The Lost Soul of American Protestantism".
In The Lost Soul of American Protestantism, D. G. Hart examines the historical origins of the idea that faith must be socially useful in order to be valuable. Through specific episodes in Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Reformed history, Hart presents a neglected form of Protestantism—confessionalism—as an alternative to prevailing religious theory. He explains that, unlike evangelical and mainline Protestants who emphasize faith's role in solving social and personal problems, confessional Protestants locate Christianity's significance in the creeds, ministry, and rituals of the church.
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Feminism, egalitarianism, complementarianism, patriarchy and more! Join us as we discuss Masculine Christianity!
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This month we reviewed "Masculine Christianity" by Zachary Garris.
This book affirms the historic Christian teaching on men and women, critiques feminist scholarship, and urges complementarians to hold a more robust and consistent position. This is a call to return to the Bible’s teaching on men and women. This is a call to Masculine Christianity.
Death in Adam, life in Christ. A simple truth… with complex implications. Can men be justly held responsible for Adam’s sin, and if so, how? In this episode, we trace answers to this question from Scripture to Augustine to our American theological forefathers. Adam-Christ parallels, traducianism and creationism, theology proper, and more... when iron sharpens iron, things may get a little heated!
Don't let this small book fool you! It will make you think! Join us as we review The Problem of Original Sin in American Presbyterian Theology by George P. Hutchinson.
The essential importance of the doctrine of sin to the health and progress of the Christian religion on earth is evident to all who will soberly reflect upon the implications of its denial or perversion. For the supreme interest of Christian teaching is salvation, the salvation of sinners from sin. Consequently, the character of salvation which is in Christ can never be properly comprehended apart from the sin which is in the sons of Adam. This truism is especially pertinent with respect to that aspect of the doctrine of original sin.
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The Christian life can only be lived locally. Join us as we talk about the implication of localism on economics, production vs. consumption, killing your own food, technology and more!
This is part 2 of our discussion on localism. Blake Blount is our guest and you can find his blog here: https://apilgrimsmissives.wordpress.com/
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Join us as we discuss the importance of the connection between place, family and church. Blake Blount is our guest and you can find his blog here: https://apilgrimsmissives.wordpress.com/
This month's episode was too long so we broke it into two sections! Stay tuned for Part 2!
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In the United States the conventional left/right distinction has become increasingly irrelevant, if not harmful. The reigning political, cultural, and economic visions of both the Democrats and the Republicans have reached obvious dead ends. Liberalism, with its hostility to any limits, is collapsing. So-called Conservatism has abandoned all pretense of conserving anything at all. Both dominant parties seem fundamentally incapable of offering coherent solutions for the problems that beset us. In light of this intellectual, cultural, and political stalemate, there is a need for a new vision. Localism in the Mass Age: A Front Porch Republic Manifesto assembles thirty-one essays by a variety of scholars and practitioners--associated with Front Porch Republic--seeking to articulate a new vision for a better future. The writers are convinced that human apprehension of the true, the good, and the beautiful is best realized within a dense web of meaningful family, neighborhood, and community relationships. These writers seek to advance human flourishing through the promotion of political decentralism, economic localism, and cultural regionalism. In short, Front Porch Republic is dedicated to renewing American culture by fostering the ideals necessary for strong communities.
The ladies took over this month! Join our wives as they discuss Christian Hospitality!
What is hospitality? Have we shut ourselves in our homes and forgot how to practice hospitality to a dying world? What are the challenges to being hospitable and how do we overcome those? They talk about these questions and much more!
Check out this episode, it will not disappoint!
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Our wives jumped in on this book review! Join Jennifer, Emelie and Christella as they review "The Gospel Comes with a House Key" by Rosaria Butterfield.
What did God use to draw a radical, committed unbeliever to himself? Did God take her to an evangelistic rally? Or, since she had her doctorate in literature, did he use something in print? No, God used an invitation to dinner in a modest home, from a humble couple who lived out the gospel daily, simply, and authentically.
With this story of her conversion as a backdrop, Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use this same “radical, ordinary hospitality” to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors. Such hospitality sees our homes as not our own, but as God’s tools for the furtherance of his kingdom as we welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from us into our everyday, sometimes messy lives―helping them see what true Christian faith really looks like.
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What makes a Christian nation?
Join us as we discuss this and more!
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Join us as we review "Christendom and the Nations" by James B. Jordon!
The Great Commission involves not merely witnessing to the nations but discipling them. God's purpose is to fill the earth with His glory, bringing about a Christianized world, where each nation follows King Jesus. God will accomplish this through the faithful witness of His Church as He blesses the preaching of the gospel and the teaching of His Word. By the blessing of His Spirit, a true unity of confession will be established among all the nations to the end that every nation and language will praise Him (Rev. 7:9). In Christendom and the Nations James B. Jordan describes the foundational principles of Christian nations, drawing out the teachings of Scripture in regard to foreign policy, borders, immigration, and other foundational issues - all of which play a central role in bringing us closer to the day when "the earth is filled with the knowledge and glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Social justice, critical race theory, wokism and more are topics that Christians must address. Can we stand strong on the truth of Gods word or will we be swept away by a godless culture?
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"Real Christianity" by William Wilberforce, is the book that helped end slavery in England. Does the church need to get woke to change society? No. They just need to be real Christians.
Get the modern English version!
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This month we are reviewing two books! This review is on the book "Woke Church" by Eric Mason.
Does the church need to get "Woke"? Join as as we discuss this very popular book.
Make sure to check out our review of "Real Christianity" as well!
Follow along as we discuss the death of Christ! We also talk about the extent or the atonement and the sufficiency of the atonement! What a blessing to be beneficiaries of Christ's great work!
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is a polemical work, designed to show, among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive to the gospel. Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between Evangelicals may well regret its reappearnace. Some may find the very sound of Owen's thesis so shocking that they will refuse to read his book at all. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christendom today - the recovery of the gospel. 'It is safe to say that no comparable exposition of the work of redemption as planned and executed by the Triune Jehovah has ever been done since Owen published this in 1648.' - J. I. Packer
Joining us again this episode is Ben Stahl! Beau had to sit this one out as his wife had Covid.
Listen in as we discuss what Reformed Theology is, why confessions are so important, when does Justification happen and the scope of the Atonement!
https://www.thesanctifiedmind.com/
We reviewed a more controversial book this week! Join us as we talk about Oliver Crisp's book "Deviant Calvinism" with our guest Ben.
Deviant Calvinism seeks to show that the Reformed tradition is much broader and more variegated than is often thought. Crisp's work focuses on a cluster of theological issues concerning the scope of salvation. Is this book successful in broadening the reformed tradition? Let's find out!
Check out our website or any major podcast provider to watch our longer discussions that comes out on the 15th of every month.
https://www.thesanctifiedmind.com/
This month we are joined by Reegan Kennemore! It was great having him on to talk through the implications of our beliefs about the end of days.
In this episode we discuss:
1.) Is your view of the end times positive or negative?
2.) Should we hope for revival?
3.) Will we see a mass conversion of the Jews in the future?
4.) Your eschatology is optimistic, so what?
5.) Why believe unfulfilled prophecy?
Let us know your thoughts!
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This month we are reviewing "The Puritan Hope" by Iain Murray.
In 'The Puritan Hope', the author, employing both exposition of Scripture and much historical and biographical material, sets out the case for believing that it is not orthodox to indulge in gloom over the prospect for Christianity in the world.
How appropriate for the times we are living in!
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/1961326647291673
Is Christian America dying? Why has it lasted longer than Christian Britain? What can Christians do to live faithfully in the midst of a declining Christian nation? What should be the response of the church?
These are conversations Christians should be having with each other. If we do not want Christianity to "die" in America, then we need to ask ourselves who we are going to obey...God or man?
Check out our review of "The Death of Christian Britain" by Callum Brown.
The Death of Christian Britain examines how the nation’s dominant religious culture has been destroyed. Callum Brown challenges the generally held view that secularization was a long and gradual process dating from the industrial revolution. Instead, he argues that it has been a catastrophic and abrupt cultural revolution starting in the 1960s.
Find the full discussion on the book at your favorite podcast player!
Make sure to check us out at our website: https://www.thesanctifiedmind.com/
Is the Bible one story? How are we to view the Old Testament? What does a passage of scripture mean? Are we reading the whole Bible through the lens of Christ?
Join us as we discuss this and more on this episode!
Join us as we review "A House for my Name" by Peter Leithart!
The best stories subtly weave themes and characters and symbols into a stunning final tapestry. For many Christians, sadly, the Old Testament is merely a jumble of moralistic stories and weird rituals, genealogies, and historical chronicles. What is the point of it all, and what does it have to do with Jesus?
https://www.thesanctifiedmind.com/
In this episode we discuss the book, "Calvin and the Sabbath" by Richard Gaffin.
Calvin's views on the Sabbath are the subject of claim and counterclaim. This book brings together two controversial themes: Calvin's ideas on Church/state relationships, and on the sabbath. Richard Gaffin traces the development of the beliefs of Calvin through his comments and writings, and also helps us to understand the relationship between the ten commandments and the New Testament. Calvin's conclusions have a much wider implication than just what you do on Sunday! You might also be surprised by Griffin's analysis!
While we did not agree with everything in this book, if you are studying Calvin and the Sabbath then this is a must read.
However if you are looking for a book to study the actual issue of the Sabbath we do NOT recommend this book. This would be a better option:
https://www.heritagebooks.org/product...
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What about the 4th commandment? Does there remain a Sabbath rest for Christians? What is the Lord's Day and what is its purpose?
Join us as we have a discussion on the Christian Sabbath!
Join us as we discuss the Christian life as a journey to the ultimate destination! In this episode we discuss refuges, Kobe Bryant, how we can know if we have truly arrived at home and more!
The discussion is based off of the book, "On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts" by James K. A. Smith.
Join us as we discuss James K. A. Smith's book, "On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts."
We have changed the format of our podcast in Season 2. This podcast is a short, 15 minute review of the book. We will post a longer podcast in the middle of the month with more in-depth discussion.
This is not a book about Saint Augustine. In a way, it's a book Augustine has written about each of us. Popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith has spent time on the road with Augustine, and he invites us to take this journey too, for this ancient African thinker knows far more about us than we might expect.
Join us as we discuss Milestones to Emmaus by Warren Austin Gage!
Where does the Old Testament teach the resurrection? Every time Jesus spoke of his resurrection, he claimed the Scriptures taught that it must occur on the third day (Matt 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; John 2:19). Paul made the same claim (1 Cor 15:4). Milestones to Emmaus explores over forty references to the third day in the Old Testament, emphasizing the suffering followed by glory pattern that Jesus taught his Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:26). We come to see that the third day resurrection is not just alluded to occasionally; rather this gospel message is the theme of the entire canonical Old Testament, just as Jesus said (Luke 24:27).
Join us as we discuss By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today by Greg Bahnsen.
God's Law is Christianity's tool of dominion. This is where any discussion of God's law ultimately arrives: the issue of dominion. Ask yourself: Who is to rule on earth, Christ or Satan? Whose followers have the ethically acceptable tool of dominion, Christ's or Satan's? What is this tool of dominion, the biblically revealed law of God, or the law of self-proclaimed autonomous man? Whose word is sovereign, God's or man's? Millions of Christians, sadly, have not recognized the continuing authority of God's law or its many applications to modern society. They have thereby reaped the whirlwind--cultural and intellectual impotence. They implicitly denied the power of the death and resurrection of Christ. They have served as footstools for the enemies of God. But humanism's free ride is coming to an end. This book written by Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen serves as an introduction to this woefully neglected topic.
For the first time we would like to introduce "The Sanctified Mind - After Dark!" This is our unedited discussion following the recording of our main episode. In this case it is what we recorded right after we discussed the book "Calvinism and the Problem of Evil."
You never know what you will get with this...enjoy!
Join us as we discuss Calvinism and the Problem of Evil by David Alexander and Daniel Johnson.
Contrary to what many philosophers believe, Calvinism neither makes the problem of evil worse nor is it obviously refuted by the presence of evil and suffering in our world. Or so most of the authors in this book claim.
While Calvinism has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years amongst theologians and laypersons, many philosophers have yet to follow suit. The reason seems fairly clear: Calvinism, many think, cannot handle the problem of evil with the same kind of plausibility as other more popular views of the nature of God and the nature of God's relationship with His creation.
This book seeks to challenge that untested assumption.
God is as clear today as He was to Nadab and Abihu in the Old Testament: He will be treated as holy by those who come into His presence (Lev. 10:1-3). Their deaths shows that one cannot get into too much instruction as to the right way and the wrong way to worship Him. In this treasured work, beloved Puritan pastor Jeremiah Burroughs masterfully gives guidelines to facilitate the reader to move closer to God in worship.
Through 14 sermons, Burroughs carefully explains the right manner of worshiping God in the three great ordinances of hearing the Word, receiving the Lord s Supper, and prayer. Burroughs shows that true worship is reverent, focused upon our holy God.
"The necessity of apologetics is a moral necessity: God has chosen us to do His work through us and has called us to do it. Apologetics is the special talent of some believers, and the interested hobby of others; but it is the God-ordained responsibility of all believers." Bahnsen (page 111).
Always Ready is a phenomenal book. A treasure trove of biblical apologetics, and sound doctrine; a pearl of wisdom and truth.
As Bahnsen stated above, apologetics is not optional for believers. We must be "always ready" (1 Peter 3:15) to give a defensive of the hope that is within us.
So, by all means, give yourself to the study of apologetics, in which this book shall be invaluable.
Join us for episode 6 as we discuss The Literary Structure of the Old Testament by David Dorsey.
Dorsey proceeds book-by-book through the entire Old Testament, identifying the structure and offering commentary as to how it clarifies the text's meaning. He illuminates the "big picture" of each book, providing a framework for further study.
Join us as we talk about "The Hidden Life of Prayer: The life-blood of the Christian."
Private or secret prayer is the life-blood of the Christian. The great men and women of God down through the ages have testified to the effectiveness of this in their lives. Some like Martin Luther, have said that they could not survive a busy day without spending 2-3 hours alone with God. Drawing on the experiences of people like Luther, Spurgeon, Muller, Whitefield and Wesley, the author presses the case for a greater commitment to prayer. His advice may not only transform your life, it could be a catalyst towards a change in the world around you.
In this month's episode we take a shallow dive into the deep world of textual criticism.
Text and Time: A Reformed Approach to Textual Criticism applies the logic of Christian faith and divine providential preservation to textual criticism, tracing extant Greek New Testament manuscripts from the early Christian church and noting their impact upon modern Bible translations. In defending the integrity of the Textus Receptus and all faithful translations of it, Dr. Hills emphasizes the importance of maximum certainty in the past manuscript record, as opposed to uncertainty posed in the quest of a future manuscript record. Maximum certainty in the past manuscript record authenticates the death and resurrection of Christ, verifies the past testimony of the saints as they worshiped the risen Christ and attests His future return as Christ the Victorious King (Rev. 22:13).
In this episode we discuss Dr. Gordon Clark's book, "In Defense of Theology"!
Dr. Gordon Clark offers an intelligent and irrefutable defense of Christian theology. God has revealed himself in words arranged in logical sentences. We are obligated to understand and believe those words. There is no other way to know truth and obtain life.
In this episode, Beau, Ryan and Daniel discuss a book written by local pastor Chris Strevel. The book is titled "The Lord of Glory" and we highly recommend that you get the book and read it!
When the glory of Christ and His work grows dim and the practical religion of union and communion with Him loses its centrality in his church, compromise stalks on every front. If we have not been with Jesus, walked with him and heard his living voice, our witness in the world will be flat and lifeless. Holding fast to him as our life and light will make us steadfast in defending his truth, winsome in our witness, and loving in our service. To each generation, our Savior’s call comes: “Abide in me. Continue in my word. Then, you will be my disciples.” The secret of Christian influence, a joyful Christian walk, and power to overcome the world, is to be much in the fellowship of Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of glory, and he will transform us by his life-giving Spirit.
In this episode, Beau, Ryan and Daniel discuss the book by J Gresham Machen, What is Faith?
In What is Faith? Machen addresses one of the most fundamental questions about the Christian gospel. In his graceful style he expounds the biblical teaching on faith, combining the solid content of the truth with the personal challenge of the gospel. The result is a book of outstanding and permanent value.