KC Podcast – Episode 105: The Future of the CREC
2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). Rick sits down with Pastor Virgil Hurt, Presiding Minister of Council for the CREC to talk about the opportunities and challenges facing the CREC in the future.
KC Podcast – Episode 104: Kuyperian Soft Reboot
This first one was a long, lesiurely conversation. Moving forward, episodes will be around 30 minutes and show up every Wednesday.
The Lavish Grace of Christmas with Pastor Steve Wilkins
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The Lavish Grace of Christmas! Pastor and Author J. Steven Wilkins discusses the misguided thinking that Christians should not give lavish gifts at Christmas. Our talk centers around a recent movement called the Advent Conspiracy. Pastor Wilkins reminds us of what Christ has done for us at Christmas and how we are to respond in kind. a
- Recorded a few years ago (back)
Notable Kuyperians: An Interview with Rev. Jack Phelps from Palmer, Alaska
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I first met Jack Phelps in Conroe, TX, in 2008. I sat next to him on several occasions in those two days. We were at different stages of life back then, but two callings took place on one of the days. Jack was elected to become the Presiding Minister for the CREC, where he served two faithful terms (six years), and I was called to become the pastor of Providence Church in Pensacola, FL. He was already an experienced pastor then, and I was a young seminary grad filled with aspirations and dreams about pastoral ministry.
Our paths have crossed several times since then, but last week, I enjoyed sharing beautiful conversations with him in his town of Palmer, AK. The conversations were so delightful that even though all I had was an android phone, I decided to interview him on various issues under the themes of politics and religion. Jack is a Kuyperian, who—like Abraham Kuyper—dedicated his life to the political and ecclesiastical spheres.
Five decades of pastoral work interspersed with years of labor under high-ranking political officials in Alaska. It was an honor to spend time with this dear brother. Our two-hour interview is part of the “Notable Kuyperian” interview series. You can check out my other interview with Rev. Mickey Schneider.
In this conversation, we covered:
Christian Nationalism
Sarah Palin
Pastoral Ministry and Hardships
And many other topics.
Kc Podcast: Ep.103, The Sabbath and the Lord’s Day
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:45 — 21.5MB)
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The Lord’s Day carries remarkable continuity with the Sabbath. Consider it this way: the Sabbath was a creation ordinance to indicate the rest God had when he completed his labors. When God made man and woman, he said it was very good. So he brought to life new flesh, bearing his image.
When the Lord’s Day, or the first day of the week, comes to life in the New Covenant, it also carries the promise of rest. There, God raised Jesus from the dead promising rest for all humanity. The new humanity will find rest in the true Sabbath.
The Sabbath indicated God’s rest when he made the first man. The Lord’s Day indicates God’s rest in raising the true Man. “The Sabbath is made for man not man for the Sabbath” is God’s way of saying, “We are united to the true man when we gather to worship him.”
That bit of theologizing may seem fine and dandy in the manual, but what about the nature of the Lord’s Day? How do we assume that the Sabbath has been transformed into the Lord’s Day? What about Jewish festivals? What role does the condemnation of “delight” in Isaiah 58 play in modern discussions of the Lord’s Day?
Our guest is Stuart Bryan:
Stuart Bryan and his wife, Paige, have seven children, four homegrown and three adopted internationally, as well as seven grandchildren. Stuart earned his B.A. in Religion from Whitworth College and his M.A. in Theological and Historical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Stuart has been the pastor of Trinity Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, since 2007. Before moving to Coeur d’Alene, he taught at The Oaks, a Classical Christian school in Spokane, Washington. He has written several articles for the Veritas Press Omnibus curriculum and is the author of The Taste of Sabbath: How to Delight in God’s Rest. He’s also been known to enjoy a fine glass of port or a pint of porter and to cheer on the Zags.
Episode 102, Trinitarian Formation
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:56 — 37.6MB)
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Our evangelical churches stress the importance of discipleship. It is good and necessary. But discipleship is often discussed in the context of intellectual learning; a fact-finding mission. However, there is more to discipleship than facts. Discipleship in the Bible is also the cultivation of bodily postures and biblical manners. The Bible trains us to move and live and to have our being in God. Any model of discipleship that does not include learning to kneel, raise hands, eat, sing, show affection, speak gently, receive, give, sit, stand, etc. is missing the mark. We need to school our imagination by seeing discipleship as more than biblical data but biblical living.
Our guest on this episode is Chase Davis. He is the lead pastor of the Well Church in Denver, Colorado. He is the author of Trinitarian Formation: A Theology of Discipleship.
Episode 101, R.C. Sproul and His Legacy
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When I was in the heights of ignorance somewhere in my glorious teens, a radio show emerged on my station on a snowy evening in Altoona, PA. “Renewing Your Mind” with R.C. Sproul dramatically shaped my theological pursuits. I wasn’t fully on board with the fanatic Pittsburg Steelers fan by the name of Robert Charles Sproul, but I knew he was on to something.
My joy was made complete during my seminary days in RTS/Orlando where we had the opportunity to attend St. Andrew Chapel for a short season and sit under his preaching and also his classes on the Westminster Confession on Wednesday nights. I had the pleasure of interacting with R.C. on many occasions, but the memory of watching that titan preach from his Lutheraneque pulpit is something I will never forget. When I came across a new biography of Sproul, who died in 2017, I had to contact the author. And it’s my delight to have Nate Pickowicz discuss his book: R.C. Sproul – Defender of the Reformed Faith.
In this episode, we discussed:
*the educational background that gave roots to the genius of R.C. Sproul
* major theological issues that shaped R.C. theological ministry
…and many other topics.
You can purchase Nate’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/R-C-Sproul-Def…
You can follow Nate on twitter: https://twitter.com/NatePickowicz
Episode 100 of the KC Podcast: The Failed Church: Restoring a Vision of Ecclesial Victory
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In our 100th episode, we spoke with the founder of the Center for Cultural Leadership, P. Andrew Sandlin. Sandlin is editor and contributor to a new work that challenges head-on the many failures of the evangelical church during the COVID season.
I truly believe that these essays will be a tremendous source of wisdom and insight in the days to come. I was honored to contribute a chapter to it and hope that you will order copies for your congregation and book studies. These essays can be studied individually, which will provoke a sturdy dose of conversations within the Church and the home.
