Old Paths Podcast

S2E12—Marrow 6: Decree of God — Benjamin, Michael, & Cody continue through The Marrow of Theology, by William Ames, with particular focus upon the decree of God. Raised in this episode: The counsel of God. Divine perfections in the decree. Thomas Cartwright on the question. What role does God's glory have in the decree? The danger of denying God's decree. In what ways does God's decree govern time and history? How should we meditate upon this? Learning from Stonewall Jackson. Middle knowledge and its failure. The free offer of the gospel and its relation to the decree. Why do some deny the free offer? How should this chapter prevent abuses in preaching and evangelism? Infralapsarianism vs. supralapsarianism. Does Ames take a side? What does Dabney say? The problem of evil and the decree of God.Buy A Treatise of Christian Religion by Thomas Cartwright ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Visit ⁠⁠Sacra Press⁠⁠ for more books.

S2E11—Stephen Wolfe: CN Civil Law Q&A — Benjamin, Michael, & Cody are joined again by ⁠Stephen Wolfe⁠, this time to discuss some of the material from his book, ⁠The Case for Christian Nationalism⁠, specifically chapter 6 on the topic of civil law. Michael gives a brief update on his OPC situation. Highlights: Why has this chapter not had as much interest as others? What is the relationship between civil law and natural law? Is it possible for secular liberals or libertarians to affirm Stephen's position? Do we need to oppose individuality and collectivity? Would Owen Strachan approve of Stephen's use of Cicero? James Lindsay vs. R. L. Dabney. How is this material both intellectually and experientially satisfying? Does the magistrate have power to touch the conscience? What is the danger of the magistrate being prudentially minded? Is the magistrate forbidden from any interest in the souls of his people? Can the Christian Prince use civil power to facilitate religion and spiritual good? Is Stephen saying anything new here, or can we find this in men like Thomas Cartwright? Why does the magistrate punish heresy or blasphemy? What can we learn from the way people treat "racists"? Does the shifting national expression of Old Covenant Israel suggest that the judicial law is universally applicable? What are some of the weaknesses of theonomy? Has Stephen's opinion of theonomists changed since writing his book? What does Stephen think about some of the civil problems in Canada? Is there a sharp distinction between revolution and civil resistance? What are the books that Stephen is working on?

S2E10: Eschatology & Israel Part 2 —Benjamin & Cody continue their discussion and debate concerning Israel in Romans 9-11, briefly reviewing the ground covered in the last episode, and marching forward through many of the particulars in chapters 10 and 11.Cody maintains and elaborates on his position that Romans 9:6 and Romans 11:25-26 is speaking of True Israel vs. False Israel, and that Paul's interest is to parse through the complexity of the present using the past (the OT) as a key, rather than to predict some distant future event, and that when Paul speaks of Jewish salvation he is incredibly reserved. Benjamin maintains and elaborates on his position that every instance of the word "Israel" concerns only ethnic Israelites, i.e. elect vs. non-elect, and that Paul envisions a definite future salvation for the Jewish nation, which Benjamin sees as being rooted in places from Ezekiel and Jeremiah.Touched on in this episode: What does Paul mean by "their fulness" in Romans 11:12? Why does Cody think men make unwarranted deductions about ethnic Israel's future in Romans 11? To what end has the Jewish nation fallen? What is the "mystery" of Romans 11:25? Are there any other passages which should bear upon this question? Why does Paul use the word οὕτως in Romans 11:26, and how should this best be translated and understood? Is Jeremiah 31 in any way relevant for the future of the Jewish nation and its salvation? Is Hosea important to understanding the identity of Israel in Romans 9-11? What should we make of Paul's citation in Romans 11:26-27? Is it from Isaiah? Is it salvation? Is it judgment? Is there a chiastic structure to Romans 9-11? In what way is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 relevant to our interpretation of these things?

S2E9: Eschatology & Israel Pt. 1 — Benjamin & Cody take up a more free-form discussion. They lay out the basics of eschatology, both in terms of the millennium and the different interpretive approaches. Then they follow this up with a longer debate on Israel and Romans 9-11, where their differences and disagreements are shown. Touched on in this episode: Benjamin & Cody's different experiences with eschatology and the question of the future of the Jews. Why care about the Jews in relation to eschatology? What is the context of Romans 11? How should we understand Israel in Romans 9:6? What is Paul's burden in Romans 9-11? Is Paul prophesying the future or parsing through the present? What did Calvin and others say on Romans 11:25?

S2E8: Piety Provoked — Benjamin, Michael, and Cody take up the topic of piety provoked, derived from Psalm 119:139. They parse through the key parts, raise a number of scriptural examples and confirmations, and give some applications. They touch on things like: Zeal must issue in being provoked. Should we have enemies? Is there a place in the Christian life for hatred? to be indignant? to wield anger? The danger of false or misguided zeal. Examples from Paul, Phinehas, David, Elihu, and Christ. The balance between mocking and weeping. Whether warnings against being a reactionary are useful or straitjacket us from agency? The inevitability of zeal and being provoked. Why did Luther counsel Melanchthon to sin boldly? The unintended danger of faddish zeal. What are some benefits of being provoked? Is it always wrong to allow the enemy to dictate the terms of battle, or are there instances where God blesses those who fight in faith and embrace the antithesis?

S2E7—Divested from the Ministry: Interview with Michael SpanglerBenjamin, Michael, & Cody join together for a discussion and interview centered around Michael's recent divestiture from the ministry. They touch upon: Michael's conversion and Christian experience. The Aimee Byrd controversy. The present divestiture.⁠An Act Censuring Ministers for their Silence from the Church of Scotland, 1648⁠—Cody raised this repeatedly in the episode⁠Michael's Divestiture Summary⁠ on X (Twitter)

S2E6—Ben Mordecai: Health & FitnessBenjamin & Michael are joined by Ben Mordecai for an interview and discussion on the topic of health and fitness, including diet and exercise. Ben interacted thoughtfully with the previous episode on gluttony, and was thus invited to join as a follow-up. Things touched upon: Ben's Christian experience & social media presence. The intersection of faith and fitness. Ben's starter guide to health and fitness. Dialogue about the gluttony episode (e.g. purpose of food, pleasure, social contexts, etc.). Are there exceptions to the general rule that obesity is the result of gluttony? Why are obesity, along with poor health and fitness, such problems in our day? Is procrastination sometimes better thought of as a lack of clarity? How does a person determine target body weight? The place of calories and food in fitness. The difference between exercising for weight loss vs. weight gain. What are the benefits of a gym vs. home? Common mistakes of fitness novices. How can we be encouraged to pursue ordered health and wholesome fitness?ResourcesBen's ⁠Health & Fitness Starter Guide⁠Ben's ⁠Substack⁠Ben's ⁠Facebook

S2E5: The Evil of PrideBenjamin, Michael, & Cody take up the evil of pride, a sin more common and deceptive than we might initially think. They define it, and parse through its various subtleties and manifestations, in the church and society, and throughout recent history. They touch on things like: False humility & its expressions. Wilhelmus a Brakel on true humility. Despondency, self-deprecating jokes, & suicide. The "above-it-all" guy. Refusal to grow, excel, & pursue glory. Spoiling yourself & others of your gifts & graces. Denying the gifts & graces of others. The vital connection between heroism & humility. The dominant lie that says piety recedes & never dares. Projection, whether of meanings and/or motives. The ministry of Jeremiah. Being puffed up with knowledge. Pharaoh's proud insanity. Humility in Moses slaying the Egyptian and Samson's guerilla warfare. If Calvin, Knox, Rutherford, & Owen were alive today, how long would it be before they were put under church discipline? Is it pride to parrot & LARP the battles of the Reformation today? In what ways do we deck the tombs of our Prophets? Is the rejection of Dabney a form of pride? Wokery, anti-racism, & anti-White hatred. What place does weeping have? Calvin's comments excised on the sin of Onanism. TGC, Taylor Swift, and the beatific vision. The need for fresh sights of God in his glory & of our own sin as a remedy to pride. Rightly estimating yourself. Owning & wielding your gifts for others.

S2:E4—Marrow 4: The Efficiency of GodBenjamin, Michael, & Cody continue through The Marrow of Theology, by William Ames, with particular focus upon the efficiency or power of God.Raised in this episode: What is the efficiency of God and its relation to faith? How does Deism differ from Christianity regarding God's efficiency? What is practical Atheism and its relation to this doctrine? How can Hannah, flowers, and the Resurrection teach us about God's efficiency? What is the importance of God's power in our thinking and speaking well of God? Are there any crucial distinctions concerning God's power? Why must we say that God does not have active power (or potency)? Are there things impossible with God? What does Thomas Cartwright have to say concerning God's power? What is the doctrine of inseparable operations, does Ames affirm it, and why is it important? James White & Biblicism. What does Ames teach concerning the order of the divine Persons in the manner of working? Do other Reformed theologians teach this? What can Peter Van Mastricht teach us here?

S2:E3—The 20th Century Captivity of the ChurchBenjamin, Michael, & Cody sit down for an interview and discussion with Matt Marino—pastor in the ARP, PhD candidate at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, professor at ⁠⁠New Aberdeen College⁠⁠, and proponent of Reformed Classicalism. You can find his content on his ⁠⁠blog⁠⁠, on his ⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠SermonAudio⁠⁠, and via ⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠. Highly recommended.In particular, they discuss and parse through the confusion of the 20th century surrounding Thomas Aquinas vs. Cornelius Van Til, Classical vs. Presuppositional Apologetics, Natural Theology & Natural Law vs. Theonomy, Worldview, Ethics, and more.Various questions touched on: Did Greek thought poison Christian thought, or is that a liberal thesis? Is Cornelius Van Til historically Reformed or historically novel? Is theology imperiled by denying natural revelation? What critiques do Van Tillians leave themselves open to? What is Fideism? Why is it a major problem? Is there a fad surrounding Thomas Aquinas? Why was R. C. Sproul concerned about Presuppositionalism? Can Inigo Montoya teach us anything about John Frame, Greg Bahnsen, R. J. Rushdoony, and Gary North? If natural law was embraced not only by Aquinas, but by Franciscus Junius, Richard Hooker, and the Reformed and Puritan tradition, why is it often rejected today? What can we learn from Pietists, Boomers, Moderates, Progressives, & Baptists? What is Reformed Classicalism, and why is it the answer to our 20th Century Captivity? What is the expositional evasion of ethics? Why is it bad? What are its effects upon the sheep? Do we need to build new institutions in order to address our declension and confusion? In what ways do seminaries today fail to uphold historic Christian thought?Recommended Resources for Reformed Classicalism: ⁠⁠Classical Apologetics⁠⁠ by Sproul, Gerstner, & Lindsley ⁠⁠R. C. Sproul vs. Greg Bahnsen Apologetics Debate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The Reformation As Renewal⁠⁠ by Matthew Barrett ⁠⁠Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism⁠⁠ by Willem Van Asselt ⁠⁠Theoretical-Practical Theology⁠⁠ by Petrus van Mastricht ⁠⁠Institutes of Elenctic Theology⁠⁠ by Francis Turretin ⁠⁠All That Is in God⁠⁠ by James Dolezal ⁠⁠Aquinas Among the Protestants⁠⁠ by Svensson & VanDrunen ⁠⁠Augustine: A Very Short Introduction⁠⁠ by Henry Chadwick