Celebrity Pastors, Holidays (Other), New Year's

Bonus “Razz-olutions”

I know, I know – it’s January 4. Time to get back to real life after the holidays, right? But it’s so hard to let go and leave that festive and fun time of the year behind! So, yes, this is another New Years-y related post, but after today, I promise to mothball all the holiday stuff until next year. Scout’s honor. (In the interest of full disclosure, you should know I was never a Scout. :0)

Last week, Amy and I released the AWFS’s Evangelical Resolutions Wish List episode of A Word Fitly Spoken. Did you get a chance to listen yet? If not, I’d recommend you fire up the old podcast machine (or just click the link on the title above) and give it a listen, because a) what follows won’t make as much sense if you don’t, and b) we chose the best resolutions for the podcast episode. Trust me, you’re going to kick yourself if you don’t listen.

(And for those who are already getting a little squinchy at the idea of Christians occasionally engaging in fun and frolic, we addressed that – from Scripture – right off the bat. So no complainies on that aspect of the episode or this post, please.)

Caroline Stanbury Ladies Of London GIF - Caroline Stanbury Ladies Of London Unicorn GIFs

The basic idea is that we made up a list of New Year’s resolutions (some of which were more akin to “razz-olutions”) we wish various evangelical celebrities – the good, the bad, and the ugly (from our favorite doctrinally sound teachers all the way down to heretics) – would make.

Here are the leftovers that didn’t make the cut for the episode. The junk on the cutting room floor, so to speak…

We wish Steven Furtick would resolve to stop wearing tight pants. It’s cutting off the circulation to the portion of his brain that might otherwise be able to comprehend sound doctrine. Or…you know…like…any verse of Scripture at all.

We wish Bethel would resolve to stop putting gold glitter in their air ducts. That ain’t a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, y’all. It’s 25 bucks and a trip to Hobby Lobby.

We wish somebody would resolve to lock Ed Litton in a room with only a pencil, paper, and a Bible, and challenge him to write an original sermon. If we weren’t all good Baptists, we’d be taking bets as to whether or not he could. The smart money is on “not”.

We wish Beth Moore would resolve to go home. I mean, on her Instagram it seems like she enjoys cooking and gardening…that’s a good start, right?

We wish Benny Hinn would resolve to get a new suit. Or maybe a sweater vest. Or even a windbreaker. Maybe Ed Young, Jr. can help him.

We wish Gloria Copeland would resolve to prevent just one devastating storm this year. You don’t see “weather controllers” preventing devastating storms for the same reason you don’t see “faith healers” emptying out hospitals. Oops, did I just double dip on some of those heretics?

We wish Todd Friel would resolve to come out of his shell a little. He’s just so staid and passive. Get a little life in ye, me good man!

We wish Chris Rosebrough would resolve to make a heretic walk the plank. The crocs are hungry, Cap’n.

We wish contemporary “Christian” artists would resolve to stop looking like they’re passing a kidney stone when they’re singing. Is praising the Lord really this painful? Well…maybe…if you’re praising the lord of the flies.

We wish Todd White would resolve to get a haircut. My head and neck hurt just thinking how heavy that mass of hair must be. You’re not Samson, dude.

We wish James White would resolve to stop wearing seizure-inducing sweaters. And, great googly moogly, the dear brother lives in Phoenix! It’s like wearing sweaters on the surface of the sun!

Got a resolution you’d like to make for an evangelical celebrity? Make it lighthearted and pithy – not mean-spirited – and share it in the comments below.
I’ll pick my favorite and add it to this article.
(Bonus points if yours is funnier than mine were
– and that’s a pretty low bar!)


Photo Credits: I did not take any of these photos. I am not claiming credit for any of these photos. I am not making money off any of these photos. If you are the photographer of one of these images and want credit, let me know, and I’ll credit you. If you aren’t the photographer and want to know who is, click here.

Uncategorized

A Jolly Good Show: Recommended Recent Podcast Episodes

I’m like y’all. I listen to podcasts – probably some of the same ones you listen to. Here are a few particular episodes that have caught my ear lately. (I’m sure there are bunches more great episodes out there, I just haven’t had time to listen to as many podcasts as I’d like.)

Let’s just get the “tooting my own horn” part out of the way right up front. Well…it’s not so much tooting my own horn as sharing a resource with you that I think will be helpful and encouraging.

Earlier this summer on A Word Fitly Spoken, Amy and I released Pride, Pronouns & Prodigals, an episode designed to help you navigate the division and difficulties the platforming of perversion has caused in our society, among our friends, and even in our families. What can you do to be loving, yet faithful to Scripture, if your job requires you to use untrue pronouns for a co-worker? Should you attend a family member’s homosexual “wedding”? What if your adult child chooses a lifestyle of sexual immorality? We talked through these situations and more, taking you back to Scripture, as always.

Maybe it’s because the topic of worship has been on my mind a lot lately, or maybe (more likely) it’s because my friend Chris Huff – a former minister of music with a lot of experience in this particular Matter of Theology – really knows his stuff, but I enjoyed immensely Chris’ teaching on worship in his episode A Retrieval of the Word “Worship”.

At the risk of breaking the entire internet1, I learned a lot from the Sabbath Refresher episode of the What Have You podcast. It’s always fascinating to me to learn about other families’ traditions, so listening to Rachel Jankovic and Nancy Wilson describe how they have hosted Sabbath dinner over the years provided an interesting perspective on family dynamics and practicing hospitality. They also shared a lot of practical tips that would be helpful for anybody who’s having company over for dinner.

If you think Romans 13 means that We the People have to bow and scrape to megalomaniacal tyrants, listen to the Governor Ron DeSantis & the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate episode of The Sword and the Trowel podcast – and think again. Pastors Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore discuss the biblical need for, and the duty of Christians to stand together and resist tyranny. This would be a great one to pass along to your pastor, your husband, and all of the other Christian men in your life. It’s quite encouraging. Quit you like men, my brothers.

This isn’t a recommendation of one particular episode. It’s a recommendation of every episode. WWUTT is the only podcast I listen to daily, and the only one of which I never miss a weekday episode. Monday – Wednesday, Pastor Gabriel Hughes teaches through a New Testament book (currently, 1 Corinthians), Thursdays he teaches through an Old Testament book (currently, Proverbs), and on Fridays he answers questions from the listeners, usually with his charming wife, Beki.

You might enjoy making WWUTT part of your daily Bible study routine. Study the passage Gabe will be teaching that day, then listen to the podcast to hear his commentary and compare notes.

You need to listen to this podcast. I am personally offended that it’s not number 1 on the charts every week. Let’s get it there. :0)


1I am totally, completely, and thoroughly aware that some of you have strong feelings about Doug Wilson and his family. This is not a blanket endorsement of him, his theology, any instance in which he may have erred, or anyone in his family. This is also not some sort of signal that my own theology is changing in any way. I just enjoyed a podcast episode about tablecloths, centerpieces, and feeding numerous people. That’s it. For. the. love. – please don’t send me any links from websites or social media accounts obsessed with hating Doug Wilson. Comments containing Wilson-related histrionics will not be published.

Doctrinally Sound Teachers

Doctrinally Sound Christian Women to Follow – 3

Can’t you just recommend somebody – anybody – whose Christian book we can walk into a store, pick up off the best-seller shelf, and buy?

Unfortunately, with a few rare exceptions, the answer is no. There are several reasons for that which I won’t go into in this article, but, generally speaking, you’re not going to be able to walk into your local Christian retailer and buy a book authored by a doctrinally sound Christian woman whose name you recognize. Women who rightly handle God’s word? You’ll usually find them out of the spotlight and close to home- serving their husbands, families, and local churches, and impacting them with the gospel- too busy for book tours and autograph sessions.

That’s the kind of Christian women you’ll find below, only they’ve dedicated their moments of spare time to edifying others. Their blogs, podcasts, and other materials can be a great leisure time supplement to what you’re learning in church- but they’re not a substitute. Look to your pastor, good teachers, and the godly women of your church for teaching and discipleship.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.

Women’s Hope Podcast– “Join Dr. Shelbi Cullen and Kimberly Cummings as they bring hope and encouragement through 25 years of combined experience in biblical discipleship and counseling as ACBC counselors. Shelbi and Kimberly provide biblical and practical wisdom by coming alongside women with the teaching and resources necessary to grow in the grace and the knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  Facebook Group Twitter Instagram

Sheologians– Tune in weekly (available on iTunes) for episodes dealing with…well, you never know. From feminism to abortion, chick-lit to Christian bands, Summer Jaeger and Joy Hunter tackle a wide array of topics, both sacred and secular, from a biblical perspective. It’s good theology with a healthy dose of hilarity. Check out their articles, too! Facebook Twitter Instagram

Relatable– “Analyzing culture, news and politics from a biblically reformed, politically conservative perspective. Relatable tackles the most pressing issues facing our country and the Christian church, from national politics and the culture wars to theology.” Catch Allie Beth Stuckey on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Facebook Twitter Instagram

4 Truth Ministry– “4 Truth Ministry seeks to publicly proclaim with boldness and clarity truths from Holy Scripture. Our mission is to teach through a public venue into places where the whole of Scripture might not be clearly taught…We do seek to make teaching available to believers who may have theological questions which they are not getting answers for in their particular contexts.” Kerri Sheldon (a previous guest poster here on the blog) helps run 4 Truth Ministry alongside her mom and theologian dad, with whom she co-authored the book Resolute. Facebook Twitter Instagram

The Berean Millennial– You can always find super content on Katie’s platforms, especially Instagram. Geared toward young women hungry for good theology and doctrinally sound resources, Katie informs her audience on everything from church history to great homeschool books to biblical terminology and concepts, and more! And be sure to check out her podcast, Abide, with her co-host, Natalie. Facebook Twitter Instagram

A Word Fitly Spoken– I don’t mention it often here on the blog, but I actually have a podcast too, with my lovely co-host, Amy Spreeman. We cover a wide variety of topics – discernment, discipleship, church, current events in evangelicalism, the occasional interview, and even a fun listener Q&A every now and then – all from a doctrinally sound perspective. Listen in on your favorite podcast platform or on the AWFS website. Facebook Twitter Instagram


You can always find these – and more great Christian women and men to follow – at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.

Mailbag

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Unfollowing iffy teachers, Teacher training, Church search & 9Marks, Charitable giving, SBC21, AWFS transcripts)

Welcome to another “potpourri” edition of The Mailbag, where I give short(er) answers to several questions rather than a long answer to one question.

I like to take the opportunity in these potpourri editions to let new readers know about my comments/e-mail/messages policy. I’m not able to respond individually to most e-mails and messages, so here are some helpful hints for getting your questions answered more quickly. Remember, the search bar (at the very bottom of each page) can be a helpful tool!

Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.


I’m currently listening to a [Bible study] podcast. I have enjoyed it so far because after I read, I’m able to hear a different perspective, maybe the speaker goes over something I didn’t catch, or maybe the speaker says something that isn’t how I interpreted the text. I always go back to the Scripture and compare when her opinion and mine differ to see what the scripture says. There’s now been two issues that I just believe she is plan wrong about. At what point would you cut ties? My husband has told he wants me to really ponder if the teacher is trustworthy if she adds to Scripture or changes God’s intent. I’m all for testing everything I read/listen to against Scripture, but at what point would you consider not following a teacher due to misleading or just plain wrong information?

At the point at which my (doctrinally sound) husband expressed concern, if I hadn’t already unfollowed her on my own.

Ladies- if you have a godly, doctrinally sound husband who knows his Bible, be thankful (as I’m sure the reader who sent in this question is). What a wonderful gift God has given you! He’s able to give you a biblical perspective on things you might not have thought about before, he can give you godly counsel on those things, and he cares about your spiritual life and growth in holiness.

If you have a husband like that and he’s saying, “I don’t think you should listen to that podcast, read that author, etc.,” I would urge you to give serious thought to what he’s saying. I would also recommend heeding his leadership and unfollowing that person, even if you don’t totally agree with him. It’s very likely that one day, you’ll look back at that author or podcaster and see your husband’s concerns more clearly, and be glad you took his advice. And even if you don’t, or even if he turns out to be wrong, you’re still demonstrating respect for, and submission to his spiritual leadership – and that’s worth way more to your marriage and to being a godly wife than any podcast, book, YouTube channel or anything else.

If you’re in a position in which you’re having to decide for yourself whether or not to continue following a certain “iffy” teacher, here’s what I’d recommend:

  • Make sure the “red flags” you’re seeing are actually biblical issues (as this reader’s red flags were), not personal preferences. You may not like that a pastor likes hymns instead of more contemporary (doctrinally sound) worship music or that a (doctrinally sound) female teacher has really short hair, but that’s personal taste, not being unbiblical.
  • Be sure you understand and can rightly handle Scripture well enough to make sure it’s the teacher who’s the one in error, not you.
  • Make certain that what you’re hearing as a red flag wasn’t just a “one and done” instance of the teacher accidentally misspeaking, flubbing her words, or not being as clear as she could have been.
  • If you’re seeing red flags and you’re a new Christian or you know yourself well enough to know you could be easily swayed by this teacher into believing something wrong, stop following her.
  • Consider that for every red flag you’re seeing, there could be another red flag that your’e not recognizing or that this teacher hasn’t revealed yet.
  • If you’re a mature Christian who’s following this teacher for biblical instruction and you’re increasingly seeing red flags, that’s God’s way of telling you -through what you know from His Word- that you don’t need to be receiving teaching from this person.
  • If you don’t want to follow or are uncomfortable following a certain teacher, that doesn’t require you to make any sort of public declaration that others shouldn’t follow her or that she is a false teacher. You can simply make the quiet, personal decision to stop following her.
  • Remember, there’s no law that says you have to follow any particular teacher, or any teachers at all for that matter. Christians have been doing just fine for 2000 years simply being taught by their own pastor, elders, and teachers at church.

While reading your article, McBible Study and the Famine of God’s Word, I finally realized my struggle with leading the women’s study is because I haven’t been trained to teach. Unfortunately, there aren’t any strong teachers in my church – a big problem. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for learning how to learn? Online, books, etc.?

The first thing I would recommend is that you explain your dilemma to your pastor and ask him to train you (and others in your church – One on one meetings between a pastor and a woman are not a good idea. Plus, it sounds like a lot of people in your church need to be trained.) to teach.

If your pastor is not a “strong teacher” or is incapable of training others to teach, you probably need to start looking for a new church. One of the biblical qualifications for pastors is that they be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2) and be “able to give instruction in sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9). Paul exhorted Pastor Timothy: “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Pastors ought to be able to teach others to teach.

As your pastor is training you, you may wish to work through some of my Bible studies, or use them as studies for your women’s class. My studies are designed to teach women how to study or teach straight from the text of Scripture in a “learn by doing” sort of way. Once you get a feel for the kinds of things you should be seeing in the text and questions you should be asking of the text, you can take off those “training wheels” and fly solo.


Are you suggesting that the churches listed at the search engines at your Searching for a new church? resource are the only churches that are teaching biblically?

Not at all. That resource is not, nor is it meant to be, a comprehensive list of every doctrinally sound church on planet Earth. That would be impossible. I’m sure there are thousands of other perfectly doctrinally sound churches out there (and if you are personally connected to any others, please let me know.) That resource is merely a suggestions of some of the doctrinally sound churches in various areas of the world that Christians can check out if they’re looking for one to join.

I would like clarification on 9Marks website.

It’s a little hard to “clarify” when I’m not sure what the question is. :0) I can only infer that, like others, you’ve noticed Mark Dever and a few other pastors/teachers in that circle who, over the past few years, seem to have occasionally dipped a toe into the social justice waters.

I added the 9Marks “church search” to my list of church search engines several years ago before that became an issue. I believe that the majority of churches that are listed at the 9Marks site probably also applied to be listed before this became an issue or are not aware that it is currently an issue.

So far, as far as I know, Mark Dever and 9Marks haven’t turned rabidly woke, given a full-throated endorsement of Critical Race Theory, spoken out in favor of clear progressivism or liberalism, etc. I’ll continue to keep an eye on them, and if and when that happens, I’ll remove the 9Marks church search. But right now, they’re still at the stage of being decent brothers in Christ who every once in a while make an iffy statement or two. The churches on the 9Marks list aren’t required to agree or align with everything Mark Dever and 9Marks say, and, at the moment, I believe that the majority of the churches on that list are doctrinally sound.

If you have misgivings about 9Marks, by all means, skip that church search engine and use the others I have listed. And, as the disclaimer on that page says: “Please use this list only as a suggestion of churches to check out using biblical wisdom and discernment.” You are responsible for personally vetting any church you choose to visit or join.


Do you know of, and/or recommend, any particular causes or charities that are… well, Godly (moral and ethical)? There are so many charities that don’t use their donated funds for their advertised causes (you know, instead the donations go to support the CEO’s million dollar mansion and such). I want to give, I just don’t know to whom or what.

The first place you should be giving is to the offerings of your local church – to support your pastor and staff, pay the bills, contribute to the upkeep of the church, support missionaries, etc. This is part of being a faithful church member.

If you still have money left over after that, ask your pastor about the missionaries and other Christian organizations (ex: a local crisis pregnancy center, orphanages, church plants, etc.) your church supports financially, and give more money directly to these organizations. You should follow your pastor’s leadership and work hand in hand with your church in supporting these entities.

And if you still have money left over after that, would you adopt me? :0) Just kidding. If you follow any doctrinally sound podcasts, pastors, teachers, or authors, find out which parachurch organizations they support. For example, two of the ministries I follow are Grace to You and Wretched. I would love to be able to support The Master’s Academy International, which trains indigenous pastors all over the world to minister in their context. One of Wretched’s sponsors I would contribute to is Pre-Born, a pro-life ministry that emphasizes sharing the gospel.

(And just FYI: I do not recommend Samaritan’s Purse / Operation Christmas Child.)

May God bless your generosity.


Will there be a 2021 version of the Arrive Prepared resource for this year’s SBC Annual Meeting?

I thought about that a couple of weeks ago, but to be perfectly transparent I am so disillusioned with and depressed by the state of the Southern Baptist Convention at the national level right now that I just don’t have the heart for it.

Last year, I was in more of a “Let’s charge into hell with a water pistol and DO this thing!” frame of mind. This year, that has been replaced by a heaviness of spirit. Though there are many individual (and autonomous – for those not in the know, all SBC churches are autonomous) doctrinally sound SBC churches out there, including my own (and I’m so thankful for all of them), I just don’t have any reason to believe that anything is going to change at the national level. I think it’s just going to continue to get worse – more false teachers, more false doctrine, more egalitarianism, more Critical Race Theory, more liberalism, more biblical ignorance, more tolerance for sin, more 11th Commandment, more erosion of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, and continued disdain for those of us in the Calvinist ghetto of the SBC.

I have never in my life more fervently hoped to be proved wrong, and I completely support my doctrinally sound brothers and sisters who are still standing in the flames brandishing their water pistols. But I’m shell shocked. That’s honestly just where I am right now.

In my estimation, about 85% of the information in the “Arrive Prepared” article is still accurate and relevant for this year’s annual meeting. Since the 2020 annual meeting was canceled due to COVID, my thinking is most of the same issues will be addressed this year, particularly abuse and Critical Race Theory / Resolution 9 (if you haven’t yet checked out the CRT video series I posted a few weeks ago, that would be a great resource).

I imagine issues surrounding COVID and the vaccine, the Equality Act, and persecution of the Western church will also be brought up. I hope the issues with NAMB (the North American Mission Board), including their church plants that have employed female “pastors” and co-“pastors,” will be biblically addressed, but my guess would be that that issue will be tabled or sent to committee or buried under procedural regulations and nothing will really be done about it clearly and publicly.

If you want to keep up on the issues, I would suggest following the people and organizations listed at the end of that article.

Sorry to sound like a Debbie Downer. I promise I’ll continue to think and pray about it, and if the Lord changes my mind, I’ll write a piece on it.


Could you please provide transcripts for each episode of A Word Fitly Spoken?

No, but we can come really close in two ways:

  1. Amy has started uploading our episodes (audio only) to our YouTube channel. There’s a “CC” button at the bottom of each YouTube video that allows you to turn on captions. (She has posted several of our past episodes as well.)
  2. All of our episodes are scripted, and we stick pretty closely to the script. Going forward, I’ll be posting the link to the Google Doc of our script for each episode in the show notes of that episode. Just click on “(Tran)Script” in the show notes. Many of our earlier episodes have been scripted from one of Amy’s or my blog articles, and if you’ll look in the show notes for that episode, you’ll find the link for that article.

If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.

A Word Fitly Spoken Podcast

A Word Fitly Spoken – Episode 2

 

Episode 2 of the A Word Fitly Spoken podcast – Is This Church for You? – is up! Have you given it a listen yet?

You can listen or download at the A Word Fitly Spoken website, or catch the episode on Podbean, Google Play, TuneIn, or Stitcher. (We know many of you are waiting on iTunes. We are too! It should be up and running soon.) And don’t forget to follow us on social media!

How about them apples? :0)