Putting the Authority Back in the Gospel

I sat across the table from a young man with whom I have been having Bible studies for about two months— I will call him Dave. He was not a believer but clearly interested in the gospel message. I did not need to cajole him to meet with me. We had been working through The Exchange—a four part gospel presentation that starts with the holiness of God, moves on to the justice of God, then the love of God, and finishes with the gospel message of grace. It is an excellent presentation that introduces people to the nature of God and appropriately emphasizes the nature of sin.I have found as I do these studies with people that they are often ready to trust Christ after the third study, but not the case with Dave. He answered every question. He explained back to me what the holiness of God is and the condemning nature of his sin. He clearly understood what Christ did on the cross.“Are you ready to place your trust in Christ?” I asked.“I am not sure yet. I don’t think I am quite ready.” he responded. …Read the rest of the post here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We are transitioning over to a new edition of FrontLine with our podcast interviews today, the September/October edition. The theme of this edition is “Using Your Words: Glorifying God with Language.” I’ve recorded a few interviews with our authors. These will be published in due course.Before we get to them, I want to offer an interview with the author of one of our regular features in FrontLine called “At a Glance.” This column is the long-term project of Layton Talbert who teaches at BJU seminary. This feature is very helpful to Bible nerds like me, and I hope our readers find it helpful also.The reason I wanted to bring Layton in this time was the topic of his column in the last two issues of FrontLine, “The Church’s View of Israel: A Historical-Theological Overview.” I guess Israel has been in the news every year of my conscious life. I remember as a ten-year-old hearing about the 1967 war and ongoing conflict and trouble there ever since. Of course, there has been a terrible conflict going on the last two years in Israel as well. Hopefully as we put out this recording that conflict is coming to a close, time will tell.Given the timeliness of the topic and Layton’s careful discussion, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight these articles for our listener’s consideration.Now, we are not talking about the current conflict or really saying much about the modern state of Israel at all in this discussion. What we are talking about is how the church has thought about Israel over the years of church history and also how the church should think about Israel based on the Bible.Also, I should say that we are using some 64-dollar words in this discussion. We try to define some of them along the way, but perhaps we used more than we defined. I encourage our listeners to think about the topic as we work through it and again to carefully read Layton’s articles. I think they will help you as you think about Israel theologically rather than politically.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that Layton’s article (including both parts from the last two FrontLines) 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.The Article:At a Glance: The Church’s View of Israel: A Historical-Theological OverviewThe Contents & Editorial for the Sept/Oct FrontLine:Using Your Words: Glorifying God with Language (FrontLine) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

The problem is that we must be able to disagree--even to declare others wrong--and others should be able to disagree with us as well.On Sunday a gunman drove into a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Michigan, opened fire, killing 4 attendees and setting the church on fire before eventually being shot and killed by police.We can all express our opinions regarding the motivation of the shooter. There are many options, and they are all speculation.* He was a Marine and a veteran of war in Iraq. Perhaps he had some post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) struggles that made him act irrationally. Many veterans are struggling with elements of post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). Commonly called PTSD, this is not a psychological condition, it is a brain injury that happens when living in life and death situations for long periods of time. The civilian population has no sense of the depth of pain these men who fought for our country are suffering.* He shouted that all Mormons are anti-Christ. Perhaps he had some skewed vision of evangelical Christianity that drove him not only to see Mormons as spiritual opponents, but also worthy of death.* He had formerly dated a very religious Mormon woman. Perhaps this tragedy was the result of a romantic relationship and the rejection of a man who was already mentally unstable.* Perhaps some of these or all combined together to motivate his behavior.Here is what we do know. We increasingly see bad actors thinking that overt acts of violence against innocent people are a way to express their anger and frustrations over a society that is in turmoil. People are just not thinking rationally out there. …Read the whole post here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

To the young people who want to start new TPUSA chapters, there is something essential you must address first.As I listened to the Charlie Kirk memorial, I didn’t expect it to come from Tucker Carlson. I was thinking it-- and I hoped someone would say it. Here is what he said:Politics, at its core, is a process of critiquing other people and getting them to change. Christianity—the gospel message, the message of Jesus—begins with repentance. Christianity calls upon you to change.Our core prayer, given to us by Jesus—the Lord’s Prayer—demands that we forgive other people, but preceding that is a request for our forgiveness. In other words, forgive our sins, meditate on what we’ve done wrong, how we’ve fallen short, and then it becomes possible to forgive other people. That is a call to change our hearts from Jesus, and that is the only way forward...The only change that matters is when we repent of our sins. We. Me. A recognition that the real problem is me and how fallen I am!”I don’t claim to fully understand everything Tucker Carlson meant, but I do know this: the problem in our country is not political. Politics is merely a symptom—a horrific consequence of unbiblical thinking about ourselves and the world. This kind of thinking leads not only to national destruction but also to eternal destruction. …Read the rest of this article here, 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 now 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.Today’s podcast concludes the interviews from this edition of FrontLine. I’ve found the topics to be very practical in touching on so many areas of personal development and family life. I hope you’ve found it profitable as well.Our guest today is Walt Brock, the founder of Ironwood Camp in California. Walt is a teacher and a grandfather. As you listen to him you can tell he just has a lot of wisdom to share with us. His article was called, “6 Questions Our Children Have that Demand Answers.” I think you’ll enjoy our conversation.As it happens, the Growing Fathers blog made this article and another one Walt wrote the subject of two recent podcasts of their own. We will link to their discussions of those articles in the notes, and you can listen to Walt himself discuss this topic here.Walt Brock has several practical books available on Amazon, we will link to these also.Before we get to the interview, let me remind you that Walt’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 Walt Brock …Walt’s article for paying subscribers (excerpt for everyone else): 6 Questions Our Children Have that Demand AnswersGrowing Fathers Links:* Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads Grow* Growing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowGrowing Fathers Podcasts Discussing Walt’s Articles:* Ep. 24 | Six Questions Our Chi…–Growing Fathers Podcast – Apple Podcasts* Ep. 23 | How to Wisely Use Tim…–Growing Fathers Podcast – Apple PodcastsWalt Brock Books:* Discernment* Teaching Obedience* Dangerous Parenting Detours* Value of CampProclaim & Defend: Contents and Editorial* Growing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

Yesterday I was in the room with one of our long-time church members as he took his last breath. All the family members were gathered around. They wept and prayed.Mike had struggled with multiple ailments for many years despite his relatively young age. During a routine medical treatment on Monday morning, his heart stopped beating. Medical personnel were able to get his heart going, but it was going to take some time before doctors would be able to ascertain the physical and neurological damage caused by the event. Then the second event occurred and led to his passing within a short time.The atmosphere in the hall with his wife, son, sister, mother and all the extended family was remarkable. There was sorrow, but not despair, surprise but not shock. This family was prepared for this moment.It was not the case a year ago.Mike had a near-death experience a year ago. He spent eight days in the ICU and several months in rehabilitation. The family had a much greater struggle during that time. They were not as ready then as they are now. …Read the rest of the post here, 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 "31 Ways to Help Your Weary Wife," with John Pate, who ministers in Beaumont, Alberta, about 70 miles from where I grew up . He has embraced the Alberta winters for the sake of Alberta summers. He'll tell you more about that when we get started.John's article addresses a common need in homes, especially it seems when children are very young. However, as I get older, I find my wife, who is getting older just ahead of me, still gets very weary with the many duties she takes on in our home and church. We husbands get weary, too, but we need to put in a little extra effort to ease some of the pressure on our wives.John and I talk about his article and I reminisce about when my children were young. I hope I didn't overdo it! I realize life isn't about me. What we are trying to get at though is to suggest ideas you could use to help carry the burdens in your home.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's article for paying subscribers (excerpt for everyone else): 31 Ways to Help Your Weary WifeGrowing Fathers Links:* Growing Fathers Blog | Helping Christian Dads Grow* Growing Fathers Podcast | Helping Christian Dads GrowProclaim & Defend: Contents and Editorial* Growing Fathers (FrontLine July/August 2025) – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

Editor’s note: This post is a repeat, we uploaded the wrong audio the first time this was posted. We’ve made sure to get the right one this time.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

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