Mortification of Spin

Henry Ford says: "History is bunk." But does the past give identity to the present? How does understanding history liberate us in the present, and even the future? And as a Christian, is it important to know church history? Today's conversation is right down the alley of our in-house Church Historian, Carl R. Trueman, and he's got the gift of the gab on this one!Win a free audio set! We have a few copies of Justification in Church History to giveaway.Winners:Steve H., Millersville, PATimoteo S., Herndon, VAAndrew J., New Port Richey, FLCaleb C., Salem, ORRobert T., Westchester, ILRebecca M., Mcalester, OK

Church government... Could you pass a quiz on what each office does? Do you think your Pastor is the Ecclesistical CEO? Today the roles and tasks are defined with particular focus on the Elder - both teaching and ruling and what happens when there's conflict between the two. This conversation strikes a chord if you serve on a session, and grants all a bit of clarity about those ruling and teaching over us.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Curse on the Clergy by Dr. James Boice. Discount is applied at checkout.

Times are getting tough for Churches and it's not just spiritual strains they are feeling. Should pastors-to-be change their expectations from full-time to part-time pastoral ministry? Bi-vocational ministry may be the latest fashion raising more eyebrows than ever before ... and should be discussed more often in seminary classrooms. Join us in today's casual conversation about the future of the pastorate and the need vocational expectations to change.We have a few copies of The Pastor's Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry by Kent Hughes to giveaway.The giveaway has ended. The winners are:David K., Wayne, NJDane C., Mariposa, CA

Eschatology … it’s about the already and not yet, a key concept in making sense of our lives, and even more specifically, our marriages. To help us understand this, we have with us today Dr. Gregory Beale, Westminster professor of New Testamemt studies. We ask him some pretty tough questions: How would eschatology explain divorce? How do you prepare young men for the pastorate? And Todd’s itching to know, do all dogs go to heaven?The drawing is closed for  "Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery" by G. K. Beale.The winners are:-Greg W., Palmyra, PA-Walton G., Clemson, SC-Jason B., John's Creek, GA-Lisa S., Guntersville, AL-Tabitha M., Fernandina, FL-Gary S., Arvada, CO-Brice G., Martinsville, IN-Paul S., San Diego, CA-Billy J., Pall Mall, TN

The Gang are out for a quick bite to eat at K.C.’s Alley. Todd’s struggling, he’s so eager for that first bite of veggie burger. But who will pray, and for how long, and do they even need to pray?! We’ve all found it distracting to bless our food at a restaurant or hesitated to bow our heads before non-Christians, or even with a Non-Christian, yet we are all called to pray, and sometimes it isn’t behind a shut door or in the quietness of our hearts. Today’s a discussion highlights the importance and purpose of public prayers … something we all ought to consider. Enjoy your burger, Todd.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Holy Prayers of a Righteous People by Phil Johnson. Discount is applied at checkout.

Household management: It is a Biblical qualification for ministry and one to be taken seriously. So when is one actually disqualified for the ministry by the way he runs his home? What does good management even look like? The finger is easily pointed at children, but maybe it's how the father reacts to his child’s behavior that’s more telling. There's no easy answer on this one, but it's one requiring much discernment in studying Paul’s litmus test in 1 Timothy 3.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Recovering Pastoral Piety by David Strain. Discount is applied at checkout.

Public pulpit prayer can be real hit or miss these days, even a lost art. So what’s the criteria for a good prayer? Are they best on-the-fly or written, and is it more biblical one way or the other? The 40-somethings answer these and many more questions today and give their usual food for thought. Resources mentioned on Public Pulpit Prayer: The Book of Common Prayer Valley of Vision Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Worship by Hughes Oliphant Old The Pastor in Prayer by Charles Spurgeon Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller The Pastor’s Book by Kent Hughes. A Method for Prayer by Matthew Henry

Q: What is man's chief end? A: Man's chief end is to live an exciting life of stimulation, importance, void of boredom and monotony. Many Christians could easily spot the fault here, however, more functionally believe this than they’d like to admit. A major misconception thrives in today's contemporary culture in that all of life must be entertaining and the Church has not been spared this impoverished worldview. Perhaps the beloved hymn has it all wrong and we’re more prone to boredom than to wander. Life is frustratingly boring at times and that's not something to escape, just a reality. So let's grin and bear it.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Ordinary Holiness by Mike Horton. Free discount applied at checkout.

Seems every category of person needs their own make of Bible these days in order to really read it, “for themselves”. What does this say about our culture, and even more, the Church? Have we grown so individualized that even our Bible translations aid in our navel gazing? Is the Word being manipulated or used as commercial even consumeristic gain instead of the ordinary means of growth in Christian faith. Let’s hope a version for the Bald & Bitter is published soon - Aimee would hate for Todd & Carl to feel left out!The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled The Bible, The Gospel, and Jesus: Rightly Handling the Word of God by David Garner. Free discount applied at checkout.

There’s a lot of talk [ah-boat] pornography these days. Christian author and blogger, Tim Challies, even calling it “the primary pastoral issue of the church”. Tim lends insights from his pastoral perspective and the call to fight this particular lust of the flesh by seeking holiness. In the wider world, pornography can be excused as just part of being a man, but that view isn’t one the Church holds. If you’re a pastor, or training to be one, you will inevitably face shepherding sheep who fall to this darkness and its many lies.The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to offer you a free MP3 download entitled Biblical Sexuality for Married and Single Christians by Tim Geiger.