Bridging the gap between discipleship and apologetics

A lot of ink has been spilled on the subject of the freemasons in the past, but the subject has gone a bit silent in recent years. Why so? No doubt, part of the reason would be the increasing isolation of our cultural moment. In this episode, we consider both the freemasons, as well as the shrinking clubs and organizations that characterize our North American landscape.

In recent years, Christian apologetics has become a full-fledged academic field. But is this really a good thing? And, in a world so captivated by individualistic conceptions of the good life, is apologetics still relevant? Having spent most of our careers in apologetic circles, we’ve got some thoughts on the matter.

Okay, this title is pure clickbait. But you have to admit that Mariann Edgar Budde’s sermon certainly sparked its share of strong opinions, the most exasperated of which came from President Trump himself. Join us as we dive into the conversation.

A recent Wall Street Journal article has us asking this question. We’ll give you three guesses on where we land. If you’d like to hear why we landed where we did, however, you’ll have to tune in.

Though the revelations concerning popular author Neil Gaiman are horrifying, they hardly constitute an isolated incident. Taking into account recent news items, we can also add Cormac McCarthy to the mix. Artists are one thing, but what about the people who claim to be ministers of the gospel? Do we continue to draw from their work even when they’ve fallen from grace? It goes without saying that this is a heavy episode, but we invite you to tune in.

What do we do when we’re confronted with people who claim to follow Jesus, but who appear to unrepentantly depart from his commands on a habitual basis? This question is fraught with tension since we want to avoid both legalism and presuming to know the heart of someone else. But doesn’t Scripture itself indicate that there are times when we need to draw lines in the sand? Join us as we dive into this complex question.

We’re joined by Stuart McAllister to talk about the seismic cultural shift that’s led us away from self-sacrifice, patriotism, and martyrdom to radical individualism and an addiction to comfort and convenience. Is it really true that dying for a cause has gone the way of the dinosaur? Or are we seeing it emerge once again, albeit in different ways? And how do we as Christians overcome this addiction to comfort and convenience?

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wakeup call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives.” These are the words of Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret who took his own life before detonating a Tesla Cybertruck at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. What are we to make of such a philosophically motivated act of violence? In this episode, we turn to a consideration of the all-American obsession with violence.

While the TOL take on the Christmas holidays might sound like a bit of a bummer, it’s actually more lighthearted than it sounds.

In a provocative lecture for First Things, poet and novelist Paul Kingsnorth argues against Christian civilization, making the case that Christ’s teachings confound our civilizational efforts. The talk has since been expanded into an article if you’d prefer to read it. We do recommend you read the piece as it’s as thought-provoking as it is challenging. Join us as we discuss it.