GQ ran a fascinating article last month entitled, “What Would Cool Jesus Do?” It was essentially a long-form investigation of Hillsong NYC, trying to figure out the phenomenon that manages to pull in thousands of young, cool New Yorkers including people like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. We figured that was worth discussing, so Matt, Alastair, and I took it up in this episode of Mere Fidelity.
Thanks for listening.
Soli Deo Gloria
Merry Christmas! Well, presuming that you haven’t had N.T. Wright steal away your Christmas fun. The usual crew shows up this week to discuss this article by Peter Leithart (a self-proclaimed Grinch of sorts). In a sense, what do we gain and what do we lose when we start to pit the Christmas of Faith against the Nativity of History? Is it Christmas v. Advent? Do our cultural expansions of the Christmas stories add or detract from our understanding of what happened all those years ago?
We hope this conversation deepens your Christmas reflections as it has ours.
Soli Deo Gloria
This last week, Alastair, Andrew, Matt, and I took up a discussion through John Barclay’s new book, Paul and the Gift. Three of us (Alastair, Andrew, and I) have already read and reviewed the book, but we wanted to delve deeper into what we found though-provoking, ground-breaking, unhelpful, and so forth. We touch on issues of Pauline theology, grace, Barclay’s thesis in particular, and theological method with a few sparks flying in the midst of it all. A very lively conversation, if I do say so myself. We hope you enjoy.
If you do, feel free to share:
Soli Deo Gloria
This week, the usual crew tackles a UK dust-up over the Lord’s Prayer being read by various people in a commercial that was set to air before Star Wars: The Force Awakens this fall. The advert was pulled, and Andrew wrote about it. It was a pretty fun conversation, with a number of fights, confusions, clarifications, and at one point I couldn’t actually figure out whether or not I was arguing ironically or seriously for a position. I’ll leave that for you to figure out.
Beyond that, I want to ask for help in a few ways.
First, we ask for ratings and reviews, but we really, really could use two minutes for you to click a link on iTunes and tell people we’re not terrible.
some of you might not know that Mere Fidelity operates at a loss every month with Matt Anderson footing the bill. We do this because we care, not for the money, but if we could not lose money, that would be great. So…we set up a Patreon account. Or, Matt did. Here are the costs:
Our costs, itemized:
Soundcloud hosting fees: $15 a month.
Sound editing fees: $30 an episode, or around $120 a month.As soon as we get more than $135 a month, we will be able to upgrade our recording platform to IpDTL….but that’s another $30 a month.
$200 a month buys us coffee, on top of everything above. More than that and we might buy ourselves a book, or maybe get some theme music. But we wouldn’t want to get too crazy.
If you’d consider it, you can go here to our Patreon Account support us. Obviously, this after your church tithes and so forth. If you have to choose between us and your local church, always go with your local church. Still, if you find what we do helpful and a blessing and you want to help, awesome.
Finally, please pray for us. We need it.
Soli Deo Gloria
This last week, Alastair, Matthew, and I took up a discussion of Moshe Halbertal’s little book On Sacrifice. As always, I felt like I learned a lot and I hope you will as well. If you’d like to read more about the book, I posted on it last week here. Thanks again for listening.
(Matthew 17:1-13)
The Transfiguration is one the most enigmatic and suggestive episodes in all the Gospels. This week on Mere Fidelity, Alastair, Andrew, and I had a truly fascinating conversation on the Transfiguration from biblical and theological perspectives. It’s one of my favorite discussions we’ve had in a while. I hope this conversation is as much of a blessing and challenge to you for it was for us.
Soli Deo Gloria
Our society is wracked by a heavily-freighted questions of meaning, significance, and identity. Few questions are more central, though, than those concerning gender and sexuality. In this show, we invited on our friend Nate Pyle to talk about the subject of “manhood”, as he’s just written what promises to be a helpful book on the subject, Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manhood. As always, it’s a fairly lively discussion, since none of us are exactly on the same place on the issue. We do hope this conversation is fruitful and clarifying for you, even if you end up walking away with more questions than when you started.
About a year and half ago, Alastair Roberts, Andrew Wilson, and I recorded a phone chat we had on a couple of theological topics. We posted it up at Mere Orthodoxy under the title Casting Across the Pond. Two weeks later, Matthew Lee Anderson joined the crew and the Mere Fidelity podcast was born. It’s been a joy to the four of us ever since. We hope it’s been a joy for you, our listeners. You all have made it possible for us to keep going.
In order to celebrate our 50th episode, we decided to do an “Ask Us Anything” episode. Things included in this discussion: do animals go to heaven? How did the podcast get started? Why do some people use grape juice over wine in communion? And, how is Alastair such a freak when it comes to reading books? We hope you enjoy the show as much as we did.
Soli Deo Gloria
I couldn’t be there because of a scheduling conflict, but for this week’s Mere Fidelity episode, Matt Lee Anderson, Andrew Wilson, and Alastair Roberts are joined by our friend Karen Swallow Prior (the author of the recent biography of Hannah More, Fierce Convictions and Chief Executive Director of the Evangelical Intelligentsia). They discuss the recent evangelical statement on the welfare of animals by the Every Living Thing Campaign. Apparently Roberts goes a bit wild, citing poetry, defending cat videos, and who knows what else. It’s a real animal house.
As always, we hope you enjoy and are edified.
Soli Deo Gloria
With the refugee crisis in full swing in Europe and the Middle East, Christians are questioning just what our role is in this situation. There’s the immediate, knee-jerk response of sending aid, and the desire to welcome the poor and hungry. But there are also long-term questions that many have begun to raise about the wisdom of just how we ought to be helping them. Matt, Alastair, Andrew, and I take up these questions and more in this episode of Mere Fidelity. I hope this offer’s some wisdom and guidance in a bewildering and overwhelming situation.
Soli Deo Gloria
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
Biblical Studies, Theology, and Pastoral Ministry
flotsam, jetsam, messages in bottles
incompletely reformed thoughts on God, ministry, and life
Reformedish 