Interview 86 - The Fatally Friendless Father

It seems to be.In order to understand that question, we first have to define and refine what we mean by antisemitism.Realclearreligion.com ran an article by Chloe Sparwath on September 9th claiming that Medieval Antisemitism is creeping back into the church. By the church, she is speaking of all of professing Christianity—including Catholics and other groups that would not hold to the core fundamentals of the faith.To make her point she quoted popular political conservative and professing Catholic, Candace Owens,A ripe example of this phenomenon is Candace Owens’s latest rant in which she proclaimed she would “literally rather…saw off my own foot than support Israel ever again…Never supporting that demonic nation again” and “I am Catholic, I believe in real demons, and Netanyahu is very clearly a demon.”The conservative political world is starting to produce antisemites who also are claiming to be Christians on one level or another. While speculation abounds about Tucker Carlson’s personal faith, he has also minimized the atrocities of October 7th and the Holocaust. …Read the rest of the article here Is Christian Anti-Semitism on the Rise? (or just listen to the podcast). Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We continue to discuss the July/August edition of FrontLine, even though it is almost fall. Our topic for this issue was "Growing Fathers," produced by the bloggers of the Growing Fathers blog and podcast. We will have links for both in the show notes.Our topic today is family fun with pastor Chris Lynch. He wrote an article called, "Family Fun God's Way." In our conversation we talked a lot about a philosophy of the dad's role in the home with respect to recreation (or re-creation as we could say). What we mean is that God made us with a need for rest, and recreation is a way to provide that rest. As dads, we should be leaders in our homes in this way as in other spiritual aspects of home life.Along the way, my conversation with Chris allowed me to reminisce about my own time as a dad of small children and some recollection of my own dad's leadership in my home growing up as well. These memories were reflections on our theme, so I hope they help illustrate what we were trying to get across.I'll have Chris introduce himself at the beginning of our conversation.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that Chris's article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.Now, for my interview with Chris Lynch…Chris's article for paying subscribers (excerpt for everyone else): Family Fun God’s WayGrowing Fathers Links:Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads GrowGrowing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowProclaim & Defend: Contents and EditorialGrowing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

According to the Barna research group there is a resurgence in church attendance that is led by young people—GenZers in the modern nomenclature. Millennial are also increasing their church attendance but not at the level of GenZers. According to Barna “These are easily the highest rates of church attendance among young Christians since they first hit Barna’s tracking.” We are finding these results pan out in our own congregation. In fact, it seems to be happening in a lot of countries around the world, according to missionaries I am in contact with.Meanwhile, Boomers are attending church less. GenZers attendance is remaining steady. Much of this change has come post-pandemic.Why?Aside from a work of God in our culture, which is certainly going on, there are other reasons that are obvious but somehow being ignored. …Read the rest of the post here: The Young People’s Revival and How Churches Must Respond or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We are back to interviewing our authors from the Growing Fathers edition of FrontLine, the July/August edition. We are fast moving on into fall, so we are gearing up for the next edition, but there are a few more interviews from this one to bring to your attention.Today's guest is Caleb French, who serves on the staff of Northwest Valley Baptist Church in Glendale, Arizona. His article had the title "The Fatally Friendless Father." In the interview, I think we go into some depth discussing what Caleb means by that, so I will not spend a lot of time describing it here.I will say, however, that what Caleb is describing is purposeful Christian friendships where Christian men help one another grow in Christ. It's not just a casual sharing of common interests (those kinds of friendships are fine too), but it's about purposefully entering regular conversations with one or more brothers to really push each other in spiritual growth.That's all for now, Caleb will tell us more about it shortly.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that Caleb's article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.Caleb's article for paying subscribers (excerpt for everyone else): The Fatally Friendless FatherGrowing Fathers Links:Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads GrowGrowing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowThe Growing Fathers Accountability Guide (mentioned in the article and podcast): transparency-questions-growing-fathers.pdfProclaim & Defend: Contents and EditorialGrowing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

The death of James Dobson this week has revealed a level of vitriol against him that I did not know existed. The reaction seems to be primarily focused on his 1978 work, The Strong-Willed Child. It is easy to dismiss such criticisms as the bitterness of people who never truly embraced the faith, and that might be true in many cases. But a bit of self-examination in humility is also in order. I have seen parents misapply the Bible in their parenting, which can result in abusive behavior. I do not want to review Dobson’s book right now, but I do want to acknowledge this parenting danger.The problem is seeking the illusion of control. The balance is parenting in faithful obedience, trusting the Spirit of God to work in the heart of your child.My wife and I raised five children. We are by no means perfect parents. One of those children would have clearly been categorized as a strong-willed child in the Dobson nomenclature. This child was unusually mentally committed to getting exactly what he wanted and willing to endure significant discomfort and pain in the process. I learned quickly that if I continued to escalate physical discipline to get conformity (much less submission), I would go beyond biblical parenting to abuse. This became a real test of faith for us. Here is what we learned.…Read the whole thing here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus edition of the podcast. It's the product of a summer visit from longtime friends who visited us for a couple of weeks this summer. I've been reading a bit about AI since our first FrontLine edition of the year that was devoted to the subject. Our friends mentioned that one of the professors at BJU had discussed the subject in a Sunday school session at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville a while back.I went back and watched the session with Dr. Bill Lovegrove. It was very helpful and I thought it would be a good idea if Dr. Lovegrove would agree to come on to the podcast to discuss the subject for your benefit. He agreed, ant that is what this session is all about.Dr. Lovegrove isn't "anti-AI" but he isn't a booster either. He is advocating a realistic approach that employ's biblical wisdom and caution. Along the way in our discussion we touch on ways that AI is revealing the weakness of our fallen human nature and our susceptibility to deception.I think you will find the discussion quite interesting.We thank you for tuning in and also encourage you to follow us on our blog, Proclaim & Defend, to subscribe to FrontLine and help support the ministry of the FBFI through your subscription to the podcast.We include below a link to Dr. Lovegrove's session at Mount Calvary in the show notes. If the topic interests you, I think you will find his discussion there to be helpful as well.Artificial Intelligence :: Mount Calvary Baptist ChurchYesterday’s Proclaim & Defend article prompted by this episode: You Can’t Hide Your Lyin’ AIs – Proclaim & Defend* See FrontLine January/February 2025: AI: Developing a Christian Perspective (with links to our podcast episodes on AI)* Also Interview 72: More on AI – Shumate and Hanson Discuss AI Ethics (additional bonus episode on AI) Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

School is starting around the country again, and the Christian School movement is growing again significantly. I wanted to take a moment to remind all that literacy education, even from Bible times, has been seen by godly people as an essential aspect of reaching people and truly discipling people for the Kingdom of God. General education from a biblical perspective is God’s work.The Hawaii ExampleThe first gospel-preaching missionaries arrived in Hawaii in 1820. They were Congregationalists sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM)—the same board that had commissioned Adoniram Judson to Burma eight years earlier. As with Carey and Judson, the initial work of the missionaries in the Hawaiian Islands focused on language.Learning the native language was essential for communicating gospel truth. These early missionaries believed that reading the Bible was vital to the growth of true Christianity within the soul. The independent study of Scripture had sparked the Reformation, and personal possession of the Bible for private study was once a capital offense under the Inquisition.Putting the Bible into the hands of the people had profound effects. It enabled personal conviction through the power of the Holy Spirit and removed theological control from a select few. Influenced by the First and Second Great Awakenings, these missionaries understood that true Christianity involved the transformation of the soul, not mere outward conformity to religious norms. Inward faith is nurtured through private worship. …Read the whole post here: Teaching Children (and Adults) to Read is God’s Work – Proclaim & Defend (or just listen to the podcast).Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We are discussing the July/August edition of FrontLine, featuring the theme "Growing Fathers."Growing Fathers is not only the theme of this edition but it is also a blog and a podcast. We include links here in our show notes.Our guest today is Chris Pennington. His article for FrontLine was called, "5 Things Kids Need to Hear Dad Say" The article was published a few years ago on the Growing Fathers blog, and republished in our latest FrontLine. In our conversation, we talk about the things Chris wrote about in the article as well as discussing other things that Chris has learned in the ensuing years.We hope you find this conversation helpful for your own lives. God gave us children so we could raise them for his glory. Chris offers us some thoughtful insight on part of that process. We hope you take it in and share it with others. If you are in the child-rearing stage, share it with your peers. If you are a grandfather, like me, share it with your sons and others you are discipling. Encourage others to listen to our podcast, and this time, check out the Growing Fathers blog and podcast as well. These young men are doing a good work for God and we want to help them get more attention for the work they are doing.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that Chris's article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.Chris's article for paying subscribers (excerpt for everyone else):5 Things Kids Need to Hear Dad SayGrowing Fathers Links:Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads GrowGrowing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowProclaim & Defend: Contents and EditorialGrowing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

As a young pastor, I watched my mother walk a path that many dread but most will eventually face — the journey of caring for aging parents. First, it was my grandfather, whose health declined rapidly and who passed away in my parents’ home — in the very room that had once been mine. A few years later, my grandmother battled bone cancer. The pain and complexity of her condition was beyond my mother’s ability to manage alone. She agonized over the decision to place her in hospice care, ultimately spending hours with her every day during those final months.Now, my mother is facing her own end-of-life journey, and I find myself retracing the steps I once helped her take. After nearly four decades of ministry, I’ve counseled many people in this same situation. What I’ve seen time and again is that even the most loving, conscientious children are often riddled with guilt — especially when decisions feel impossibly hard. But Scripture offers clarity, comfort, and guidance for those walking this sacred path.The Bible speaks directly to our role in caring for aging parents. In 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul writes that anyone who does not provide for their relatives is “worse than an unbeliever.” This passage isn’t about caring for children — it’s about widows and aging parents. The responsibility falls on family first, not the church or society. …Read the complete post here: A Biblical Message for Children of Aging Parents, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We are discussing the July/August edition of FrontLine, featuring the theme "Growing Fathers."Growing Fathers is not only the theme of this edition but it is also a blog and a podcast. We include links here in our show notes.Our guest today is John Dalrymple, who also serves as the host of the Growing Fathers podcast. His article for FrontLine was called, "Jesus’ Guide to Praying for Your Children." He uses the Lord's prayer as the model, really just the way the prayer was intended. No matter the need, as we study the Lord's prayer, it serves as a great guide for our own walk with God.We hope you find this conversation helpful for your own lives. If you have young children, you should purposefully pray for them. If you have grown children, as I do, they still need your prayers. And regardless of your station in life, the material we are discussing here deserves your endorsement with others. Encourage others to listen to our podcast, and this time, check out the Growing Fathers blog and podcast as well. These young men are doing a good work for God and we want to help them get more attention for the work they are doing.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that John's article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.John Dalrymple’s article (for subscribers, preview for everyone else): Jesus’ Guide to Praying for Your ChildrenGrowing Fathers Links:Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads GrowGrowing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowProclaim & Defend: Contents and EditorialGrowing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe