All Things New

The Vatican clarified its stance on the virgin Mary—where do Protestants agree & disagree?Last week, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith released a document clarifying Roman Catholic teaching about Mary the mother of Jesus. Mariology has been a point of contention in Protestant/Catholic relations, but the Mater Populi Fidelis document reveals some promising reforms. It also fails to go far enough. In this episode, Bob commends three specific areas of reform, points out three areas of ongoing disagreement, and encourages Protestant/Catholic debate and conversation.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: The Release of Mater Populi Fidelis(4:34) Three Encouraging Reforms to Marian Devotion(13:04) Where We Think the Vatican Still Missed(24:23) What Protestants Can GleanArticles & Resources:https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/04/251104a.html

Why are so many Christians unwilling to bend on the issue of guns?In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder and other recent instances of gun violence, the debate over gun regulation is raging once again. The right to bear arms is constitutionally protected and deeply ingrained in American culture — but does that mean all guns should be permitted? In this episode, we respond to a listener question about where Christians should stand on gun control. We discuss biblical wisdom and gun regulation, the interplay of the gun debate with societal virtue, and why “rights” don’t always align with human flourishing.Chapters:(0:00) Listener Sophia Has a Question(3:20) Teeing Up the Gun Control Debate(7:40) Why Christians Should Support Reasonable Gun Regulations(12:17) The Case Against Assault Weapons(16:10) Why We Are Still Pro-Gun(20:00) Guns and VirtueResources:Gun Control and the Right to Bear Arms — Good Faith Debates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMePdBBLnI

How should the Reformation shape how we worship today?It’s always good to know and understand our heritage when it comes to worship. Why do we structure our worship gatherings the way we do? Why do we sing together as a congregation? Should we take communion every week? In this episode from 2020, we talk about the book ‘Reformation Worship’ and look at what principles and ideas we can take from the Reformation and put into practice in modern day worship.

Technology is threatening our humanity — how do we push back? The digital revolution is forcing the human race toward a civilizational bottleneck, Ross Douthat contends in a recent New York Times article. What survives depends on our deliberate choices. Unless we "fight for a future where human things and human beings survive and flourish," much of what we love will be lost. In this episode, we discuss Douthat's insights about how the virtual replaces the real, why we put up with this digital substitution, and how AI accelerates the process. We close by considering how Christians can help preserve the practices and pursuits that make us truly human.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: Bob's Recent Cycling Accident(4:47) The Digital Age as a Civilizational Bottleneck(16:38) How The Virtual Replaces the Real(21:30) Intentional & Purposeful Stewardship(31:37) Preserving the Really Human Things

Bob interviews Trevin Wax about his new book, The Gospel Way Catechism.Trevin Wax is Vice President of Resources and Marketing at the North American Mission Board and a well-known author, speaker, and cultural commentator. He also serves (along with Bob) as a fellow at The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. In this episode, Bob and Trevin talk apologetics. They discuss Trevin’s newest project "The Gospel Way Catechism" and its unique approach to counter-formation. They also explain the role of cultural apologetics in explaining and defending the Christian faith.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: What is Counter-Catechesis?(7:26) How to Decide What to Put In a Catechism(14:56) Who Should Be Using Catechisms?(21:40) Trevin’s Contribution to “The Gospel After Christendom”(25:00) Explaining Cultural Apologetics(30:45) Lesslie Newbigin's Missiology

Bob interviews Trevin Wax about his life, leadership, writing, and formative influences.Trevin Wax is Vice President of Resources and Marketing at the North American Mission Board and a well-known author, speaker, and cultural commentator. He also serves (along with Bob) as a fellow at The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. During Trevin's recent visit to Nebraska for a TGC pastor's quarterly, we invited him to join the podcast to discuss his life and work. In this episode, we hear about Trevin’s upbringing, his writing, his experiences in ministry, and his vision for the next few decades.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: Kelsey’s Cookies (Again)(1:28) Trevin’s Family and Church Background(10:18) Developing the Discipline of Writing(21:46) Experiences with and Work with the Keller Center(37:59) What’s Next?

What are catechisms and why do we use them?To those unfamiliar with the term, “catechism” can seem like a strange word. Simply put, catechisms are question-and-answer tools that communicate Christian theology in simple ways. In this episode, we respond to a listener question about the origins of catechisms and creeds. We discuss why the Reformation led to a golden age of catechisms, what makes catechisms important, and how they connect us to historic Christianity and spur us to deeper worship.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: Kelsey's Cookies(1:55) Catechizing Catechumens with Catechisms(12:50) Some Important Creeds & Catechisms(18:56) Laying a Foundation for Theology & Discipleship(29:29) Catechisms Tether Us to the Historic Church

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, how do we process our emotions, responses, and reactions?On September 10, 2025, conservative political activist and outspoken Christian Charlie Kirk was murdered during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Some people are feeling shock, anger, fear, grief, and lament; others are celebrating or mocking. How do we make sense of what we’re feeling? How do we respond to what others are saying? And what does this moment portend for American politics and the future of civic debate? In this episode, Bob engages these questions and offers some commentary and perspective.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: First Things First(5:44) Who Was Charlie Kirk ?(12:36) What Does His Assassination Reveal?(27:06) Temptations We Should Resist(39:22) Parting ThoughtsArticles & Resources: https://www.digitalliturgies.net/p/accelerants-and-tethershttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/opinion/charlie-kirk-assassination-left-violence.htmlhttps://brianmattson.substack.com/p/theythem

If you’ve listened to the radio lately, perhaps you’ve noticed that pop music is sounding a lot like worship music. Some of the year's most popular songs use biblical imagery, emotive builds, and vocal choirs—not unlike what you might hear in church. On this week’s episode, we discuss a recent article that traces this trend. We explore why music producers are mimicking worship music and what it suggests about our cultural moment.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: Myrtle & Cypress(3:21) Is "Secular Praise Music" Even a Thing?(13:24) What’s Driving the Change in Pop Music(19:03) What Music Says About Our Collective Longings(30:05) We Can Worship Even When Songs Are Hard to SingArticle:https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/article/everyone-is-listening-to-secular-praise-music-yes-even-you-110058855.html

Over the past half-century, evangelical Christians have rediscovered spiritual formation. Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, and more recently John Mark Comer have helped re-emphasize spiritual practices and the interior life. But why does so much popular writing and teaching on spiritual formation lean on Catholic sources – mystics and monks and Merton? Is there a distinctly Protestant stream of spiritual formation that we can rediscover? If so, what might it teach us? In this episode, we interact with a new book from Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God. Bingham asserts that there IS a deep Protestant tradition of spiritual formation, and one of its distinctives is the centrality of Scripture. In this episode, we discuss why we tend to minimize Scripture in spiritual formation, why the Puritans saw Scripture as central to spiritual formation, and how we can practically foreground the Scriptures in our spiritual practices.Chapters:(0:00) Introductions: Have We Lost the Thread on Spiritual Formation?(4:26) The Primacy of the Word of God(13:23) Some Critiques of a Word-Centric Spiritual Formation(20:43) What the Puritans Have to Say(26:22) Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly