Can Reformed Baptists Be Reformed?
--Can Reformed Baptists Be Reformed?--
Can Baptists actually be Reformed? To answer that, we probably have to answer another question, “What does it mean to be Reformed in the first place? Is it a tradition, a specific set of beliefs, or something else entirely?
There are a lot of online debates and discussions about whether Baptists can be Reformed or not. And while some of those debates are just good-natured ribbing between Presbyterians and Baptists, it’s a subject worth thinking about seriously. When Baptists say they are “reformed” what do they mean, and are they correct? In one sense, the term “reformed” doesn’t have only one definition or use. Words are like that, in the abstract, they can have multiple definitions. But when a specific word is actually used, such as to identify a group of Baptists, that use must have one specific meaning. So are Reformed Baptists really Reformed?
In this episode, we want to talk about why Reformed Bapsists are Reformed and what we mean by that. We discuss some of the history of the Protestant Reformation and how Reformed Baptists emerged as a group in the UK. We discuss some of the doctrines that are specific to being considered Reformed, and we also talk about the unifying spirit of the Reformation that existed well before Luther or Calvin and goes back to the leadership and direction of Christ and His Spirit.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2025/01/can-reformed-baptists-be-reformed-ep-202-audio/
Timecodes
00:00 What Does it Mean to Be Reformed?
17:36 Soteriology
28:42 Covenants
50:19 Credobaptism
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
When Should a Pastor Be Permanently Removed?
--When Should a Pastor Be Permanently Removed?--
Does the Bible teach that there are sins serious enough that a pastor should be permanently removed and never be able to serve as a pastor again? Frequently, when an elder or a pastor falls into sin, people immediately start to say that they hope he can repent, so he can resume his ministry. This is often because the pastor was particularly gifted in preaching or teaching or leading the church. He often had a great deal of charisma or motivation, when it is easy for people to look at this gifted man and think that it would be a shame for the church to lose his talent and ability. But that is looking at it from man's perspective. God is far more concerned about his reputation and protecting his glorious bride, the church.
So what does scripture say about removing a man from office permanently? Please join us as we discuss this important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2025/01/when-should-a-pastor-be-permanently-removed-ep-201-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Calling of Elders
00:10:17 Removal of False Shepherds
00:28:03 Theft
00:33:38 Sexual Abuse of the Flock
00:40:38 Abusing the Weak
00:48:43 Not Seeking Lost Sheep
00:58:46 Force and Cruelty Towards the Sheep
01:11:42 Could a Polygamist Be an Elder?
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
Benny Hinn is Going to Hell - Why Is Anyone Following Him?
--Benny Hinn is Going to Hell - Why Is Anyone Following Him?--
Benny Hinn is a false teacher that has millions of global followers. And while in the US, he is more likely to be seen as a false teacher, in Nigeria, as in many other parts of the world, there are many who are deceived by him and his teaching. But why is this?
In this episode we want to look at how Benny Hinn sells himself and his heresies to make himself acceptable. We spend a little bit of time talking about his background and his mentor Kathryn Kulman and how he was shaped by her techniques. We also discuss his pattern of appealing to the flesh and to fleshly desires. As a carnal man Benny Hinn does not understand spiritual things and those he is trying to attract do not understand them either, so Hinn creates his own carnally-inspired mystical approach to spiritual things. This is really important to understand, because even many Christians have grown up in churches where spiritual things are not taught clearly. We also talk about Hinn’s recent false repentance, which was really just a means to distance himself from certain actions and not any actual repentance at all.
Benny Hinn should not be a threat to anyone. But because of how little influence and credibility the church has, he can sell his carnal “spirituality” and lead many to hell. Please join us as discuss this important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/12/benny-hinn-is-going-to-hell-why-is-anyone-following-him-ep-196-audio/
Timecodes
00:00 Intro
02:27 God sends false prophets
09:46 Contend for the truth
25:43 Appeals to the flesh
40:49 Fake repentance
48:25 Pseudo Knowledge
59:32 How to spot false teachers
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
Are Seminaries Biblical? Who Did God Appoint to Train Pastors?
--Are Seminaries Biblical? Who Did God Appoint to Train Pastors?--
Before the Reformation, illiteracy was widespread. When the Reformers started to say that people needed to study the word of God for themselves, the importance of learning dramatically increased and people like Luther and Calvin started schools. Pastors were suddenly expected to be knowledgeable. Before this, people could occupy a high level in the church and not really know any doctrine. The Roman Catholic response with the counter Reformation at the council of Trent was to call for seminaries. Over time that became the standard means of education for Protestants as well, but it really is not in the bible, so are seminaries a good idea?
In this episode, we want to discuss what caused the seminary model to become dominant, and to take it back to scripture. We also think it’s worth pushing on the idol of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. While knowledge is not bad, scripture gives the warning that it puffs up. When you combine this danger with the fact that the majority of seminary graduates are effectively novices who have had very little real-world experience or training, it is easy to see why there can be serious problems with the seminary system.
One of the metaphors that scripture uses for a church body is that of a family or household of faith, with the leaders being older brothers (elders) and the body itself being composed of brothers and sisters doing the work of their Father in the world and serving one another and the body in general in different capacities. Is it possible that like in earthly families, our heavenly father has made a way for his sons to be trained to lead? Please join us as we discuss this important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/11/are-seminaries-biblical-who-did-god-appoint-to-train-pastors-ep-194-audio/
Thumbnail image by Ildar Sagdejev under CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeastern_Baptist_Theological_
Peanut the Squirrel: A Weird Story with Surprising Lessons
--Peanut the Squirrel: A Weird Story with Surprising Lessons--
One of the stranger stories to come out of the 2024 presidential elections is the story of Peanut the squirrel and Dave the raccoon. In case you haven't heard here's the short version: in upstate New York, early one morning, the government sent agents to the house of Mark Longo, a man who ran a non-profit animal shelter. Mark also had a popular Instagram account featuring a squirrel named Peanut that he had rescued seven years before and kept at his home. According to the man, the Department of Environmental Conservation raided his home with ten to twelve agents. They searched the home for five hours while they detained him. Finally, they took Peanut and a raccoon. They said that Peanut bit an officer, so they killed them both.
While this story is very strange, it apparently struck a nerve with many people with support for either Mark and Peanut or the government fracturing along partisan lines. In this episode we want to look at the ways these issues reveal different details about American culture, politics, and the influence of the church.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/11/peanut-the-squirrel-a-weird-story-with-surprising-lessons-ep-192-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Tender Mercies
00:06:11 Human Life
00:18:39 Taking Dominion
00:28:00 Perversity
00:31:38 Partisanship
00:42:24 Government Overreach
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
Steve Lawson, False Teachers, and Works Based Righteousness
--Steve Lawson, False Teachers, and Works Based Righteousness--
Most people who hold to a Calvinistic view of salvation probably think they have rejected works-based righteousness. But when sin is revealed in a leader, why do so many turn to that man’s works to assure themselves that he is truly saved? This was the response of many when Steve Lawson was removed from office. And in the last sermon he preached before his removal, this was Steve Lawson’s defense of himself as well.
Scripture teaches us that we can have assurance of salvation. But it warns us that even though we can examine our inward motivations, we are susceptible to deceiving ourselves (Philippians 2:12-13, I Corinthians 11:28-32). When it comes to other people, scripture is very clear, we can NEVER be assured of someone else’s salvation in the same way. But more importantly, scripture teaches that while those who have been saved still sin, those who walk in sin or practice sin, ARE NOT saved. (Galatians 5:16-24, I John 1:16). To say it a different way, we can be more assured that someone else is NOT saved than that they are. And this bothers many people.
In his last sermon, which was on John the Baptist, Steve Lawson suddenly says the following: “And you should not judge a man by his one weak moment you need to look at the whole body of his work you need to look at his whole message. You need to look at his whole ministry and don't judge him on one hiccup that happens.” And while you may disagree that this statement was connected to what was about to happen to Steve Lawson and his ministry, it is a perfect example of how he was defended by many.
So here’s the question: how susceptible are you to a work-based righteousness defense of salvation? Not where you say, “good works are the necessary fruit of salvation”, but where you are tempted to weigh the good works vs the bad? Because that’s not found in scripture. Nowhere does God say that we should reassure ourselves of someone
Did God Send the Hurricanes? Understanding God’s Judgment
--Did God Send the Hurricanes? Understanding God’s Judgment--
In the past weeks, several hurricanes have struck the United States, killing hundreds and displacing millions. Many professing Christians are offended if you say that God sent these hurricanes as judgment, but we’d like to argue that this is because we tend to think very shallowly about the judgment of God. And while disaster striking an area does not inherently mean that God judged the people who lived there because they were the most evil and vilest of sinners, scripture clearly teaches God ordains all events and that he is the one who kills and makes alive (Deuteronomy 32:29), who brings peace or sends calamity (Isaiah 45:7).
In this episode, we want to discuss what the Bible says about natural disasters and God’s judgment. We start out by framing the issue, reviewing scripture explaining how God’s wrath is revealed to man (Psalm 10 and Romans 1) and establishing His authority as Lord over all the earth. We then walk through some of the many passages that show God’s judgment through storms and other disasters and how He uses them to punish, warn, demonstrate his power, teach men to fear God, and demonstrate the danger and power of sin. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/10/did-god-send-the-hurricanes-understanding-gods-judgment-ep-189-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Understanding God's Providence
00:09:33 Worship of Nature
00:20:47 God's Judgment
00:30:23 Punishment
00:39:37 Warning
00:47:44 Praise
01:00:22 Increasing Fear of God
01:02:31 As Metaphor
01:06:39 Showing the Difference of Christians
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson
What God’s Law Says About Divorce, Remarriage, and Abandonment
--What God’s Law Says About Divorce, Remarriage, and Abandonment--
There are well-meaning Christians who teach that no one should ever be allowed to remarry after divorce. The main problem with that interpretation is that God divorced and remarried. Spiritually, God is only ever married to the invisible church, but that is not true in an earthly sense. According to Scripture, God divorced Israel and He was divorced from Judah when he came to them and they put him to death. But then Christ is betrothed to the church, with his death paying the bride price. So, if God, who is perfectly righteous, divorced and remarried what does that mean for us?
In this episode, we want to discuss what scripture teaches about marriage, divorce, remarriage, and abandonment. We will look at the Old Testament law of divorce and see how its substance and intent are consistent with Christ’s and Paul’s teachings in the New Testament. We will look at marriage as both a picture of the gospel and of Christ and the church and how the message throughout scripture of “hardness of heart” is a central theme demonstrated through the differences between the old and new covenant.
Marriage is an important institution, and while God hates divorce, he hates hardness of heart even more. While the church needs to protect the importance and sanctity of marriage by requiring fidelity, the church must also recognize that hardness of heart can bring a marriage to an end. When we deny this, we obscure the perfect righteousness of God. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/09/what-gods-law-says-about-divorce-remarriage-and-abandonment-ep-186-audio/
Timecodes
00:00 Purpose of Marriage
18:01 Christ's Teaching
28:39 Hardness of Heart
41:32 Paul's Teaching
52:43 Exceptions
59:19 Conclusion
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Tech
How the Heresy of Charles Finney Shaped America
--How the Heresy of Charles Finney Shaped America--
Charles Finney was both an avid proponent of revivalism and a relentless enemy of Reformed doctrine in the early American Church. Finney himself was a product of revivalism, professing faith in his late 20s at an emotional revival service. Finney quickly dedicated himself to the ministry, and began studying for his ordination as a Presbyterian minister.
Despite his studies, Finney claims that at his ordination he was ignorant of the doctrines contained in the Westminster Confession and catechism, asserting in his memoirs that when questioned, he stated that he, “received it for substance of doctrine, so far as I understood it. But I spoke in a way that plainly implied, I think, that I did not pretend to know much about it.” Later, when he did study the confession and catechism he claimed to reject much of what it said. According to Finney and others, he openly preached against Reformed soteriology, arguing against it whenever it was spoken of in his presence.
When he was 43, Penny was appointed as Professor of Theology at Oberlin College. Two years later he became the minister of the church there, and fifteen years later still, he was officially appointed president of the college.
In this episode we want to focus on the influence that Finney had over American society and culture through his preaching and through the realization of his vision for Christianity through Oberlin College. Throughout its history Oberlin has been instrumental in influencing American culture and Society, occasionally for the good, but many times and in many ways for great evil. Because Finney's theology exalted man, the fruit of his ministry has been humanistic in nature. The idea that through social justice and fervent effort that man can by his own strength create heaven on Earth is an idea that traces back directly to Finney and while there were others certainly who shared his ideals and even who shaped him to some extent, Finney
Can Food Be Sinful? What the Bible Teaches About Health, Gluttony and Gratefulness
--Can Food Be Sinful? What the Bible Teaches About Health, Gluttony and Gratefulness--
The Bible has a lot to say about food, and from the beginning, we can see how food was related to sin, to sacrifices, and to the worship of God. There were also the food laws of Israel, which are frequently misunderstood. But through all of this, the Bible never teaches that a person’s health is tied to the food they eat. And this matters a great deal, because this is a common false teaching, even among the orthodox.
But the Bible does talk about health. It has to, because life and death are moral, spiritual issues. We understand this because anything to do with whether someone lives or dies will always be a moral topic because we understand that death exists because of sin and so we know that health issues must tie back to sin being in the world.
In this episode, we want to talk about what God’s word says about food and how we can please him with what we eat. In American culture, there is a lot of talk about eating healthy and frequently it is a power issue. Wives pressure their husbands to eat in certain ways. The US government has a food pyramid that is trying to tell people how they should eat. Doctors tell people how they should eat, but they find they have such little power, they frequently don't even bother even when there is actual scientific evidence behind their conclusions. The more health care is nationalized, the more government asserts its right to dictate what you eat. With all the manipulation about food, how should we relate food and health and what does God’s word teach us about all these things.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/08/can-food-be-sinful-what-the-bible-teaches-about-health-gluttony-and-gratefulness-ep-180-audio/
Thumbnail image by Tim Reckmann CC-BY 2.0
Timecodes
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:24 Body a Temple
00:19:12 Food and Idolatry
00:30:07 Clean and Unclean
00:37:58 Can Food be Good or Bad?
00:50:52 God
Do People Who Commit Suicide Go to Hell?
--Do People Who Commit Suicide Go to Hell?--
Suicide has historically been a crime. This is true for many reasons, but one prevalent one is that it is difficult. If not impossible, to argue from the natural world that men own themselves. Everything about the world testifies to man’s dependence, his inability to create himself, provide for himself, or to exist without dependence upon others. We are born from our parents, totally dependent in so many ways and we end our lives in a similar state. From a scriptural perspective this is even more true as God says clearly that the world and all that is in it belongs to him. We are created for his good pleasure and have no claim to life or freedom apart from him.
In this episode, we want to start with the topic of suicide and move from there to discuss the fact that God owns our lives and that all men, whether they acknowledge God or not, know that they do not own themselves. We also discuss the difference between suicide and sacrifice and walk through some of the suicides and deaths in scripture and discuss how and why each of the different men died and whether they murdered themselves (ultimately out of pride) or sacrificed themselves for worthy reasons.
Suicide is serious and God treats it as self-murder. We should also treat it seriously and describe it as God sees it. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/07/do-people-who-commit-suicide-go-to-hell-ep-177-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Our Suicide Culture
00:07:14 Blackstone on Suicide
00:10:47 God's Life
00:17:13 Rise of Suicide
00:20:16 Does Suicide Send You to Hell?
00:33:31 Saul's Suicide
00:37:27 Ahithophel's Suicide
00:41:47 Zimri's Suicide
00:44:37 Judas's Suicide
00:51:31 Samson's Suicide
00:56:55 Christ's Death
00:58:11 Assisted Suicide
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Direc
The Scandalous Origins of Dispensationalism
--The Scandalous Origins of Dispensationalism--
Most people don’t know the history of dispensationalism. While many are familiar with the name John Nelson Darby and many more are familiar with C. I. Scofield (or at least with the Scofield Bible), very few know much about their lives, their actions,and their involvement with the creation of the doctrine. But it is a story worth knowing. And while a biblical view’s origin isn’t the most important thing to know about it, it should never be dismissed out of hand and should be considered.
Dispensationalism has, in many ways, always been driven by the headlines, as it arose in the wake of the French Revolution, and developed in the emotional and even mystical response to the impact the fall of the French monarchy had upon the world. So, in this episode, we want to look at the origins and history of dispensationalism, how it started, what was going on in the world, and what were the claims made by those who had a hand in founding it. Please join us as we discuss this fascinating historical topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/07/the-scandalous-origins-of-dispensationalism-ep-176-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:18 Does it Matter if They Were Saved?
00:19:35 John Nelson Darby
00:22:37 Darby and the Kingdom
00:27:08 Darby and the Plymouth Brethren
00:36:53 Outtake
00:37:57 Back to the Brethren
00:40:25 Prophesy Conferences
00:48:03 Cyrus Schofield
01:04:40 Applications
