That’ll Preach

In this episode I sit down with historian Dr. Michael Haykin to work through the strange, largely forgotten world of Baptist sacramentology. We start with the language itself — the way early Baptists could speak of Christ's real presence and of genuinely feeding on him at the Table, in terms that would make a lot of modern Baptists twitch. From there we ask how a tradition that once treated the Supper as central to congregational life ended up treating it as an occasional appendix to the sermon, and what was lost in the trade.

We also get into the fights. Should a Baptist church share the Lord's Supper with Christians who were baptized as infants — and what does your answer say about what you think baptism is? And the bigger question underneath all of it: can Baptists honestly claim a place in the Great Tradition while holding the line on believer's baptism, or does that commitment put us outside the room we keep asking to be let into?

If you've ever suspected that "just a symbol" isn't the whole Baptist story, this one is for you.

Show Notes

Buy Michael Haykin’s book: https://a.co/d/03C6Wg8b

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Therapeutic language now shapes how we see almost everything — including the church. Increasingly, congregations and their leaders are judged by standards of psychological wellness rather than biblical faithfulness. In this episode, Matthew Loftus joins us to talk about his book Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond. He argues that therapy and church do good but different work, and that confusing the two shortchanges both — churches should be places of healing and love, but their calling is to gather people to worship God, not to replace clinical care.

We talk about what a healthy church/therapy relationship looks like, why the roles shouldn't blur, and what it means for leaders to refocus on their actual mission.

Show Notes

Pre-order Resisting Therapy Culture: hhttps://a.co/d/06bcpwMi

Learn more about Matthew Loftus: https://matthewandmaggie.org/

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What did Augustine and Aquinas actually believe about virginity — and what does it reveal about us?

In this episode, we explore the surprisingly rich theology of the Church Fathers on sex, celibacy, and the body. Their views can seem strange to modern ears, but that strangeness might be the point: it forces us to examine assumptions our culture takes for granted.

We also tackle one of the harder pastoral questions in the church today — can unwanted singleness ever be called a "gift"? And what role does a voluntary vow play in living out the kind of celibacy the Bible actually describes?

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What if the key to understanding the Bible is to read it like music? In this episode, we talk with Alastair Roberts about his book Echoes of Exodus, co-written with Andrew Wilson. He began this book as a 40-day Lenten reflection that grew into something much bigger. This episode provides a practical lens for reading Scripture by recognizing “echoes” — call-backs, allusions, and patterns — that link Exodus to the rest of the Bible's story of redemption. Exodus is the main theme that courses through the narrative of Scripture, connecting what may seem like isolated stories into an unfolding symphony of music. If you’ve ever felt lost reading the Old Testament and feel like the Bible doesn’t make sense, this conversation gives you the tools to start hearing it that way.

Show Notes

Get Alastair’s Book Echoes of Exodus: https://a.co/d/0cvo3WF8

Alastair’s Substack: https://argosy.substack.com/

Anxiety fills our social media and creeps into our lives. How do we cultivate a sound mind in the midst of the chaos and polarization? Rev. Ben Miller joins us with practical insights on cultivating a sound mind in a chaotic world.

Original Episode Published: December 13, 2022

Show Notes

Conversations in Crisis Series with Alastair Roberts and Ben Miller

Can demons hear your thoughts? A lot of Christians assume the answer is yes—but what if that assumption actually confuses what belongs to God alone?

In this episode, we dive into Thomas Aquinas’ fascinating argument that angels and demons cannot directly read the human mind or will. They can observe, infer, tempt, and influence—but they do not have direct access to your inner thoughts. Only God does.

We explore why this matters for spiritual warfare, human freedom, temptation, prayer, and the uniqueness of God himself. Along the way, Aquinas dismantles some common Christian assumptions and offers a surprisingly comforting vision of the human person: your mind is not an open spiritual battlefield.

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Will you recognize your spouse, your friends, your people in heaven?

Or does eternity flatten us into something less personal?

In this episode, we lean on Thomas Aquinas to answer question behind it all: What does it mean to still be human after the resurrection?

We cover:

• Why your personal identity must remain intact
• Whether we actually know specific people in glory
• If resurrected bodies eat and drink
• How heaven is physical, but not driven by biological necessity

Because if you don’t remain meaningfully yourself, then resurrection isn’t redemption—it’s replacement. Heaven doesn’t erase your humanity. It perfects it.

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Everyone talks about polarization in America—political, cultural, and even within the church. Reactivity has become the norm, and with it, a quiet anxiety that shapes how Christians think, argue, and divide.

So where do we turn for wisdom when disagreement feels unavoidable?

In this reposted conversation, Dr. Brad Littlejohn introduces us to Richard Hooker, a Reformed Anglican theologian who navigated deep tensions during the Reformation between Presbyterians and Episcopalians. Hooker offers a model for holding conviction without radicalism, and reform without hubris.

We explore how Hooker sought to combine the theological clarity of Protestantism with the formative power of historic liturgy—and why his approach speaks directly to our present moment of social change and gridlock.

This episode is a timely reminder that faithful reform requires patience, humility, and a refusal to let anxiety drive the church.

Show Notes

Get Hooker's Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity Vol. 1 in Modern English:

https://davenantinstitute.org/hookers-laws-ihttps://davenantinstitute.org/god-is

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Few figures in church history are as controversial—or as influential—as Origen. Brilliant, speculative, and often misunderstood, his ideas sparked debate in his own lifetime and cast a long shadow over Christian theology for centuries to follow.

In this episode, Gerald Bray (Beeson Divinity School) joins us to explore who Origen really was, why some of his ideas were considered problematic, and why he remains impossible to ignore. We discuss Origen as a major turning point in the intellectual life of the church—one of the first to seriously systematize the Christian faith, ask hard questions, and push theology into new territory.

This conversation isn’t about rehabilitating Origen or dismissing him, but about understanding why engaging him still stretches the church’s thinking today—and why his legacy continues to provoke, challenge, and stimulate serious theological reflection.

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What actually helps Christians grow together over time? In this episode, Paul Gutacker joins us to discuss his book Practicing Life Together, exploring how shared spiritual practices shape both personal faith and Christian community. Using the idea of a rule of life as a trellis, Paul shows how habits like prayer, shared meals, study, and Sabbath provide structure that supports lasting growth. This conversation offers a practical and hopeful vision for intentional Christian living—together.

Show Notes

Purchase Paul’s book: https://a.co/d/2BSbNzt

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