Join us in this enlightening episode as Todd and Carl welcome Thomas Berger, a distinguished professor of ministry and missions at Huntingdon University, to discuss his insightful book, The Juvenilization of American Christianity. What exactly is “juvenalization?”

Juvenilization is the process by which the beliefs, traits, developmental characteristics of adolescence become normative or celebrated for people of all ages. – Thomas Bergler

Delve into the fascinating exploration of how youth ministry has shaped the modern church, its unintended consequences, and the cultural shift towards therapeutic faith. Discover the historical roots of adolescence, the impact of pop culture on spirituality, and the importance of intergenerational worship. 

If you are interested in the evolution of church practices and the future of faith communities, be sure to tune in.

Thanks to the generosity of Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, we are pleased to offer three copies of Thomas Bergler’s book to our listeners. Enter here for the opportunity to win one.

Show Notes:

Books by Thomas Bergler:

The Juvenalization of American Christianity

From Here to Maturity: Overcoming the Juvenilization of American Christianity

Recommended by Thomas Bergler:

Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation by Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk

Todd and Carl explore Christianity as a supernatural religion, diving deep into the Gospel of John and its portrayal of miracles as signs of Jesus' divine authority. Together they discuss the historical and philosophical shifts in belief systems from the Enlightenment to modern-day skepticism, and reflect on the modern quest for meaning and morality. 

"We are creatures who crave meaning, and any intelligent atheist is going to acknowledge that." – Carl Trueman

Discover the opportunities present in today's cultural landscape for engaging with the supernatural claims of Christianity and the hope it offers in a world seeking meaning.

What an opportunity then for the public witness of the church – a message of hope that’s anchored in something that’s real and eternal. – Todd Pruitt

Many young (and not-so-young) adults today struggle to figure out what they should do with their lives. Focusing on this significant issue, Todd and Carl talk with William (Bill) Boekestein about his new book, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling.

If people are in the situation of not having a sense of what they ought to do with their life, or people who are highly motivated but maybe are motivated for the wrong reasons, if they could get a glimpse of what God says to us in his Word about how to work for him, and with him in meaningful calling that serves the Lord and blesses others, that's a project well worth spending some time on. – Bill Boekestein

Bill shares insights on guiding young people through career decisions, the importance of hard work, and the beauty of vocation. Whether you're a parent, pastor, or young adult, this episode offers wisdom on navigating the complex world of work and purpose.

"Vocation is not just about survival; it's about living in God's world and demonstrating that we've been made to glorify and enjoy Him." – Bill Boekestein

Thanks to the generosity of Reformed Free Publishing, we are pleased to offer three copies of Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling to give away to our listeners. Register here for the opportunity to win.

Carl and Todd delve into the evolving complexities of medical ethics in today's world with guest Farr Curlin, the Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities at Duke University and co-author of  The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession. Together, they explore the crucial role of pastors in guiding their congregations through ethical medical decisions, the significance of understanding human identity, and the challenges posed by advancements in medical technology.

…the field of healthcare, the profession of medicine, is divided by disagreements about what medicine is for, divided by or even completely agnostic regarding what it means to be human, and in the absence of a clear understanding of how medicine fits into a well-lived life, is basically offering to do everything possible to try to keep people alive, or offering to relieve people's suffering, however that's understood, in ways that it seems to me are not really compatible with the Christian story. – Farr Curlin

In this enlightening conversation, Farr shares helpful insights on approaching medical ethics with biblical discernment.

Thanks to the generosity of Notre Dame Press, we are pleased to offer award copies of The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession to our listeners. Congratulations to Judy J. from Summerset, SD, Michael R. from Fresno, CA, and Ben K. from Chesapeake, VA!

Show Notes

https://www.alliancenet.org/giving-tuesday

Carl and Todd sit down with Harrison Perkins, pastor of Oakland Hills Community Church and lecturer at Westminster and Edinburgh Theological Seminaries, to discuss his insightful new book, Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction. Why is the study of covenant theology significant, and how can it shape our understanding of the Bible and the Gospel? 

This is a framework for understanding the way that we relate to God – more specifically, the way He relates to us – with clarity, with assurance, with ways to understand how grace can be free. But also, now we are in this ongoing walk with the Lord…how can we bring these things together, and do so well, without undermining one side or the other? – Harrison Perkins

Tune in to learn how this theological framework can deepen your faith and understanding of the Bible.

Thanks to the generosity of Lexham Press, we are pleased to award three copies of Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction to give away to our listeners. Congratulations to Linda J. from Murphy, NC, Dana W. from Fairchance, PA, and Vincent M. from Bakersfield, CA!

In an increasingly secular world, Christians are often pulled in two directions. Some urge us to retreat and build insular communities. Others call upon us to wage a culture war, harnessing the government to shore up Christian cultural power. Is there a better way? Stephen Presley, senior fellow for religion and public life at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy and associate professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argues that there is. 

Today, Carl and Todd talk to Stephen about his new book, Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the Word like the Early Church, in which he points to the first few centuries AD to show us how the first Christians approached cultural engagement. Amid a pagan culture that regarded their faith with suspicion, early Christians founded a religious movement that transformed the ancient world. Though many of the challenges they faced were unique to that time, close comparisons can be drawn between the early church and modern culture.

Some of the similarities have to do with the church in its relationship to the broader cultural world. I mean, you can’t get out of the first three centuries of the church without recognizing that the church is embedded in a culture that is often set against them.  – Stephen Presley

Listen as they discuss the parallels between the early church and today's cultural challenges, and consider how ancient Christian teachings can inform how we engage with the wider culture.  

Thanks to the generosity of Eerdman’s Publishing Company, we are pleased to send three copies of Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World like the Early Church to our listeners. Congratulations to Cristian B. from Washington, D.C., Tim T. from Lititz, PA, and Bryan K. from Normal, IL!

Show Notes:

Stephen recommends five ancient texts for listeners interested in learning more about how the early church engaged the culture:

1. 1. On the Apostolic Preaching by Iraneaus
   2. Tertullian’s Apologeticus
   3. On the True Doctrine by Celsus
   4. The Epistle to Diognetus (author unknown)
   5. The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Louis Wilken

*Image: Saint Augustine Disputing with the Heretics, by Vergós Group, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Public domain

How do we know if we're making the best choices possible? Todd and Carl discuss this important topic with their guest, T. David Gordon, former professor at Grove City College and the author of Choose Better: Five Biblical Models for Making Ethical Decisions. Over the centuries, Christians in different traditions have distilled scriptural guidance into five models for ethical decision-making: law, imitation, communion, wisdom, and warfare. Today, the discussion centers around the relevance and application of these five models in everyday life and pastoral ministry.

"One of the things I really appreciate about the book, David, is with each of the models, you give sort of pluses and minuses in order to bring out the fact that we can't just have one model or even two models. They all complement each other." – Carl Trueman

Biblical, profound, and practical, these models provide clear questions to ask in every situation. They help us improve our choices and better understand the choices of fellow believers—especially when they differ from ours.

We were pleased to award two copies of Choose Better to our listeners, thanks to the generosity of our friends at P&R Publishing. Congratulations to Jon C. from Covington, LA and Francine C. from Louisburg, KS!

Show Notes:

Why Johnny Can’t Preach by T. David Gordon: https://reformedresources.org/why-johnny-cant-preach-paperback/

Carl and Todd welcome special guest Harold Senkbeil, executive director of Doxology, the Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care, and the author of the popular book The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor's Heart. Together, they discuss the essence of pastoral ministry, the significance of patience, and the importance of the Word and sacraments in pastoral care. 

Pastoral work is really the work of Jesus in our time, in any given contemporary moment in history… In the twentieth century, pastoral work kind of took a left turn and reinvented itself in the mold of business perhaps or counseling, and so forth, all of which is helpful, but the essence is really the Word of God and the sacraments. To apply those with the goal of introducing people to Jesus and Jesus to them, is what pastoral work is about. - Harold Senkbeil

What are the challenges and expectations pastors face today, and how can they stay true to their calling amidst modern-day complexities? And tune in to discover what part congregations should play in the life of the Church.

We were pleased to award three copies of The Care of Souls to our listeners, thanks to the generosity of our friends at the Lexham Press. Congratulations to Patrick H. from Valencia, CA, Terry C. from Perkasie, PA, and Stephen W. from Naperville, IL!

Show Notes:

The Care of Souls series (5 volumes): https://lexhampress.com/product/258922/the-care-of-souls-bundle

The Care of Souls (audiobook):
https://lexhampress.com/product/254940/the-care-of-souls-cultivating-a-pastors-heart

Maintaining appropriate Christian behavior can be particularly challenging in a world where political discourse often becomes heated and divisive. In today's timely episode, Carl and Todd delve into the complexities of navigating faith and politics, especially during an election year. 

"We want to talk today about how Christians can have strong opinions on important issues and express those opinions in a way that does not undermine their broader Christian witness." – Carl Trueman

What impact does political discourse have on Christian testimony, and how can we express strong opinions without compromising our witness? Their conversation delves into the rise of neo-Christian nationalism, the infantilism in modern politics, and the need for Christians to engage in the public sphere with integrity and honor.

"We are not going to win the culture by aping the culture. Seek influence, push back against the darkness, but do so uniquely as Christians." – Todd Pruitt

We were pleased to award three copies of Carl's book Crisis of Confidence to our listeners, thanks to the generosity of our friends at Crossway Books. Congratulations to Bradley L. from Rock Hill, SC, Brent B. from Longview, WA, and Alex O. from Jenison, MI!

Carl and Todd dive deep into the complex relationship between religion and politics with Miles Smith from Hillsdale College as they discuss his new book, Religion and Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War. Why did he decide to write this book now, and why did he intentionally not use the more commonplace terms “Church and State”? What is the difference between Christian institutionalism and Christian nationalism? And what is the role of the church in addressing political issues? 

"I'm actually someone who doesn't want the church to do politics. I think the church is quite frankly, not competent to do politics." – Miles Smith

Miles’ book offers profound insights into how Christians can maintain their witness in times of political polarization. Listen as they discuss the historical and contemporary challenges Christians face in navigating their faith within the civic and political spheres, 

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at the Davenant Institute, we are pleased to award three copies of Miles Smith’s book Religion and Republic to our listeners. Congratulations to Elizabeth B. from Poland, OH, Philip M. from Maidsville, WV, and Doug N. from Clendenin, WV.

Many adults look back fondly on their years in the church youth group or other parachurch ministries like Young Life and understand the impact that those ministries had on their faith. How has youth ministry changed over the years, and what has stayed the same? What qualities are needed to be an effective youth minister, and what challenges do leaders face in today’s culture?

To shine some light on this subject, the guys are joined by Carl’s friend and a fellow Grove City College professor, Duffy Robbins, Professor of Youth Ministry and a 45-year veteran in the field. Widely respected as one of the leading voices in youth and family ministry, Duffy talks to Carl and Todd about the history, purpose, and future of youth ministry, as well as some of the issues that he sees.

“Another problem is that youth ministry intentionally tries to make sure their ministries and messages and programming are suited to young people, but the problem is we really breed in our young people an appetite for ‘juvenalized’ Christianity, and so when they get into big church, adult church, they still want to have ‘juvenalized’ worship services.” – Duffy Robbins 

We are pleased to award three copies of Duffy Robbins’ book Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples: A Small Book About a Big Idea to our listeners, thanks to the generosity of Zondervan Press. Congratulations to Nick H. from Sandy Lake, PA, Tyle G. from Wooster, OH, and Paula B. from Stamford, CT.

Show Notes: 

The Juvenalization of American Christianity by Thomas Bergler