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J.L. Allen

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What podcasts do y'all recommend? I'm mostly looking for things in the realm of theology, cultural commentary, philosophy, apologetics, etc.

If you have one outside of this wheelhouse, I'm good to hear that, too.
 
Reformed Forum has "Christ the Center", "Theology Simply Profound", and "Proclaiming Christ". These are OPC guys. Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary has "Confessing our Hope". Their Faith and Practice series are Dr. Joseph Pipa answering questions from people like me. These are my favorites.
 
As above but also add in The Jerusalem Chamber and 3GT both RPCNA podcasts, the former going through the Westminster Confession, the latter broader matters of culture, books and Theology.
 
I recommend anything on the Fight, Laugh, Feast (formerly Cross Politic) Network. The cover everything you asked for in the OP, plus some.
 
As above but also add in The Jerusalem Chamber and 3GT both RPCNA podcasts, the former going through the Westminster Confession, the latter broader matters of culture, books and Theology.
By your recommendation, I’ve subscribed and will give a listen.
 
I recommend anything on the Fight, Laugh, Feast (formerly Cross Politic) Network. The cover everything you asked for in the OP, plus some.
This might sound silly, but with those guys association with Doug Wilson, are they caught up in Federal Vision?
 
This might sound silly, but with those guys association with Doug Wilson, are they caught up in Federal Vision?

Probably, but I've never heard anything alarming on their podcasts. I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe it or not, we can actually listen to people we think are in error with profit!

EDIT: I really am not trying to be snarky. I guess I've just gotten a tired of folks whispering, "Aren't they associated with X?" with certain folks, as if people who have a few wrong ideas have nothing else of value to say. I know that's not at all what you intended, friend, so I guess I am just venting. :)
 
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What exactly is FV?
Probably, but I've never heard anything alarming on their podcasts. I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe it or not, we can actually listen to people we think are in error with profit!

EDIT: I really am not trying to be snarky. I guess I've just gotten a tired of folks whispering, "Aren't they associated with X?" with certain folks, as if people who have a few wrong ideas have nothing else of value to say. I know that's not at all what you intended, friend, so I guess I am just venting. :)
 
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Probably, but I've never heard anything alarming on their podcasts. I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe it or not, we can actually listen to people we think are in error with profit!

EDIT: I really am not trying to be snarky. I guess I've just gotten a tired of folks whispering, "Aren't they associated with X?" with certain folks, as if people who have a few wrong ideas have nothing else of value to say. I know that's not at all what you intended, friend, so I guess I am just venting. :)
I understand what you are saying. I feel similarly. However, I’m very new to being Reformed and wish to be vigilant about formation.
 
These suggestions won't be podcasts but still worth your attention. With being new to the Reformed tradition, I recommend the following:

There are some classes uploaded from PRTS
https://www.youtube.com/user/PuritanSeminary/playlists

Reformed Theological Seminary Mobile (RTS Mobile) app
Dr. Douglass Kelly has a course or two on there. I would also commend to you Dr. J. Ligona Duncan's Covenant Theology course on there.

Derek Thomas' PRTS lectures on John Owen
https://tonyreinke.com/2007/06/29/john-owen-derek-thomas/

There are some great lectures by Sinclair Ferguson here:
https://students.wts.edu/resources/...hap=&ScrVerse=&ScrVerseEnd=&year=&srch=search

I can't implore you enough to spend much time listening to the sermons of Martyn LLoyd-Jones. This resource is a gold mine that will edify you day after day.
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/

I would offer podcasts but I typically only listen to sermons, lectures, and Christian audio books.
 
The ones mentioned about.

RC Sproul's 'Renewing Your Mind', Mortification of Spin, White Horse Inn, Reformed Pubcast, James White's 'The Dividing Line' (Sermon Audio), MacArthur's 'Grace to You', and countless others. You'll find there are more than you can listen to. :)
 
These suggestions won't be podcasts but still worth your attention. With being new to the Reformed tradition, I recommend the following:

There are some classes uploaded from PRTS
https://www.youtube.com/user/PuritanSeminary/playlists

Reformed Theological Seminary Mobile (RTS Mobile) app
Dr. Douglass Kelly has a course or two on there. I would also commend to you Dr. J. Ligona Duncan's Covenant Theology course on there.

Derek Thomas' PRTS lectures on John Owen
https://tonyreinke.com/2007/06/29/john-owen-derek-thomas/

There are some great lectures by Sinclair Ferguson here:
https://students.wts.edu/resources/...hap=&ScrVerse=&ScrVerseEnd=&year=&srch=search

I can't implore you enough to spend much time listening to the sermons of Martyn LLoyd-Jones. This resource is a gold mine that will edify you day after day.
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/

I would offer podcasts but I typically only listen to sermons, lectures, and Christian audio books.

I've been more edified by listening to things of this nature than anything else. I should get back into the swing of it. Where do you go to listen to Christian audio books?

A quondam classmate (and Puritan Board member) has a sort of mini-podcast, in that episodes are kept to five minutes: https://fiveforfruit.com/

Wooden Pulpit Media puts out a couple of different podcast series as well: https://woodenpulpitmedia.com/posts/

I'll give these a listen!
 
I've been more edified by listening to things of this nature than anything else. I should get back into the swing of it. Where do you go to listen to Christian audio books?



I'll give these a listen!

I have a subscription to Christian Audio and Audible. There are a lot of Puritan, Reformed, Theological, and Church history audiobooks between the two.

Christian Audio gives away one free book a month. They are usually really good. I loaded up on Puritan audio books during Black Friday.

In Audible, I am currently listening to Justo Gonzalez's The Story of Christianity. I just finished up Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language.
 
Second on Mortification of Spin and Reformed Forum.

If you want a decent podcast from another tradition, there's a Lutheran one called Thinking Fellows which is pretty interesting (And has Rod Rosenbladt from the WHI as well).
 
Johnathan,

I’m not really a podcast kind of guy. My below recommendation is based off your OP in this thread and considering your other thread detailing you and your wife walking through Covenant Theology vs. Dispensationalism. So I will try to kill 2 birds with one scone;) (https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/how-do-you-speak-about-animals.96871/)

Further, as one of many sources, I listened to the below as I walked through Covenant Theology (for the first time) and strove to help my wife see a biblical case for Paedobaptism.

Download Itunes U from the App Store and search for “Covenant Theology”. You should find a series with a depiction of Noah’s Ark. The audios are actually the course lectures for Ligon Duncan’s Covenant Theology course at RTS Jackson, MS. Ligon takes a good amount of time discussing dispensationalism. If I remember correctly, Ligon actually host a dispensationalist in one of the audios to allow the man a chance to explain his position. Hopefully this link will work:

Covenant Theology - Dr. J. Ligon Duncan by Reformed Theological Seminary
https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/covenant-theology-dr-j-ligon-duncan/id668706261 :detective:
 
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This opinion might be unpopular:

I generally try to avoid Christian podcasts unless they are from an older, experienced pastor, or somebody I truly trust.

Here are my reasons why:

(1) Older pastors have the most wisdom in many cases, but the younger ones are more tech-smart. Therefore, listening to the majority of reformed podcasts means that many young reformed believers are learning from the people who are the least equipped to teach.

Many of these young podcasters seem to be trying to make a name for themselves and engage in a fair amount of "branding" replete with logos and "merch" and t-shirts, etc. Others seem to specialize in calling out other podcasters, etc. Some try to be hip or funny and this almost always backfires.

For example, several podcasts for women or about marriage were started by young women or divorced people (or at least in one case I know, a mouthy divorced woman).

I suppose they could have really learned about marriage through having a bad one, I suppose, but I hardly think they'd qualify as experts to guide others...and yet, there they are...podcasting to thousands because they have the tech or the studio or the know-how technologically, even though an older woman or pastor has much more authority to teach others.

(2) Much like being caught up in the 24/7 news cycle, listening to Christian podcasts keeps us sucked into the hot-button issues of the day and takes us away from eternal truths sometimes.

We lose sight of the bigger picture because we are immersed in the here-and-now of today. For instance, during any given week on Facebook, at least half the people are chiming in pro or con regarding the "Rage Issue" of the week. Every week there is a new issue dividing people on Facebook.

For instance, this week it is about the silly actor that staged his own racial attack (using Nigerians...ha ha.....Nigerians being scammed by Americans...sort of ironic). If we are always attached to Facebook, then we can get enraged or stirred up about these fleeting news issues and lose the bigger picture and it eats away at our peace.

Podcasts can tend to do that as well. And many have an agenda, or are very polemical. I think generally we need a diet of less polemical material and more irenic presentations. We don't so much need to be prepared to debate people as we do need things that feed our souls or encourage right living, or encourages us.

For that reason, for example, I avoid James White's podcasts. Because he is a profesional debater, he addresses many things in a debate-mode, which is off-putting. Feeding on a daily diet of that material can make one's own attitude very polemical. He is technically good at what he does, and debate has its place, but the material is often against other Christians and often answers objections or criticisms and so there is a certain tone that gets communicated. If this is our daily diet then we begin to equate holiness with ability to argue (which it is not).

A sharp rhetorical pugilist is not necessarily the Christian role-models that we need to follow. Some of us are already too quick to fight or jab back. Of course, contending for the truth is needed. But....how do we contend without always being contentious all the time, that is the question. I don't mean to attack Dr White, he has a specific calling and a particular gifting. But that calling is only one aspect of the Christian life.



(3) Sound bite theology:

Sometimes issues have nuance. And podcasts and Facebook posts often go for the "rhetorical jugular" (the pithy one sentence put-down or response, often sarcastic) which often lacks nuance. This is essentially sound-bite theology, and is inferior to a fuller discussion which covers opposing views and the nuances of the issue.



My preferences:

Call me a heathen, but I don't like theological podcasts.

I prefer either well-produced theological works from yesterday, such as can be found at Audible.com (such as Augustine's conversion, the Bible read by a person with a good voice), or I prefer history podcasts, such as Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.

The problem is that many Christian books are narrated in audioform by a narrator who is dry and dull, or overly exuberant and sounds like a car salesman. Many Christian audiobooks suffer from poor production quality. I really think it would behoove us to hire professional narrators to put some of our best works and sermons into high-quality audio. Max MacLean reading Jonathan Edwards' sermon, Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God is a good example of a well-done work.

A favorite podcast for me and my son Noah has been the Trojan War podcast found here, which seems to be fairly faithful to the source-texts and traditions: https://trojanwarpodcast.com/


And for audio, I would recommend Eugene Sledge's WWII pacific war diary, "With the Old Breed" found here: https://www.audible.com/pd/With-the-Old-Breed-Audiobook/B00FOX9E2S
 
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A couple friends and I will be launching a church history podcast in April, if that sort of thing interests you. We intend to not delve into not just the history, but also the theology and (especially) what it means for us today.
 
so there is a certain tone that gets communicated
I think your general criticism is a little broad, but I concur on James White. His topics can be interesting but he always to me seems to be on the defensive or is worrying about losing religious freedom. It is almost stressful a steady diet of him (In my humble opinion).
A quondam classmate (and Puritan Board member) has a sort of mini-podcast, in that episodes are kept to five minutes: https://fiveforfruit.com/
Good choice. He is associated with a group of podcasts (https://reformedpodcasts.com). I cannot speak for all, but at least a couple I listen to (e.g. reformed brotherhood).

Sidenote: how many podcasts can we create that have the word 'reformed' in them!
 
I understand what you are saying. I feel similarly. However, I’m very new to being Reformed and wish to be vigilant about formation.

You should be. If they are FV you'd be better off listening to an Eastern Orthodox or Popish podcast. At least they would be forthright about where they are coming from. The 3GT and Jerusalem Chamber ones I would recommend highly. I don't listen to podcasts much anymore but I have those on occasion and found them excellent. The Westminster ones sometimes play like 6 degrees of Cornelius Van Til but despite their hobby horses they do cover a lot of interesting stuff and have some great interview. I don't think he's doing it anymore, but R. Scott Clark's Heidelcast has a lot of great back episodes to listen to. When I had long commutes a number of years ago those were on heavy rotation.
 
I think your general criticism is a little broad, but I concur on James White. His topics can be interesting but he always to me seems to be on the defensive or is worrying about losing religious freedom. It is almost stressful a steady diet of him (In my humble opinion).

Good choice. He is associated with a group of podcasts (https://reformedpodcasts.com). I cannot speak for all, but at least a couple I listen to (e.g. reformed brotherhood).

Sidenote: how many podcasts can we create that have the word 'reformed' in them!

James White is at his best when engaged with Islam, Mormonism, RCC, and others. Also textual critical issues, but we won't get into that right now.

It's not that I disagree with him on all the social-cultural issues that have been stressing him so much lately--I'm with him all the way. In issues like that, though, I've got better sources of information than him, with all due respect.

Regarding the rest, I listen to a number of the podcasts above--or used to. But I am loving the Jerusalem Chamber and Thinking Fellows right now. They do podcasts right. Informative, interesting, and not particularly polemical.

Personally, and in that vein, I think podcasts are best for listening to and learning about perspectives you either don't actually hold yourself or lack the luxury of time to go investigating in-depth. That's why I even listen to the Ezra Klein podcast on occasion. When I can bear him.
 
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For that reason, for example, I avoid James White's podcasts. Because he is a profesional debater, he addresses many things in a debate-mode, which is off-putting. Feeding on a daily diet of that material can make one's own attitude very polemical. He is technically good at what he does, and debate has its place, but the material is often against other Christians and often answers objections or criticisms and so there is a certain tone that gets communicated. If this is our daily diet then we begin to equate holiness with ability to argue (which it is not).
I have also had growing discomfort with James White's podcasts (and I have listened to them for nearly 2 decades). I also find his debate mode off-putting. I would acknowledge he is very gifted in what he does but ongoing negative criticism of other Christians can have an affect on ones attitude.

I also second Pergamum's warning about less experienced pastors. I can say I find Al Mohler's programs (thinking in public and the briefing), and the Reformed Forum both very helpful.
 
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