Ezra Institute Podcast for Cultural Reformation
Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity
Subscribe
The Podcast for Cultural Reformation seeks to help listeners think about the nature of culture and our role and responsibility in shaping culture through the lens of God's eternal Word. Featuring book reviews, author interviews and expert commentary.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
1 day ago
Interest Rates, ESG, and Godly Investments w/ Jonathan Wellum
Jonathan Wellum joins us once more on the podcast to reflect on the economic year 2023, and to discuss ESG, ethical investing, and the worldview difference between a godly and ungodly approach to economics.
playlist_add
Nov 29, 2023
Thinking Christianly about International Law w/ Dan Ogden
Ezra Institute Fellow Dan Ogden makes his podcast debut to discuss the difference between international law, which is based on common consent, and supranational law, a coercive and unaccountable system. He explains some of the strategic and economic benefits of a globally connected world, as well as the complications that arise from it, and how to think in a principled, Christian way about a tangled and high-stakes context.
playlist_add
Nov 22, 2023
Electioneering and Demoralization
We interact with a classic interview with Yuri Bezmenov, a KGB agent who defected from the USSR in the 1980s. He explains the strategy of cultural infiltration that has been active since the 1950s, and the work of demoralization that has been accomplished in the West. As we approach election seasons in the USA, Canada and Britain, we must be diligent to also pursue personal sanctification and not compromise on principles for the sake of temporary fixes.
playlist_add
Nov 15, 2023
Christian Nationalism, Christian Pietism, or Christian Culture w/ Andrew Sandlin
Ezra Institute Fellow Andrew Sandlin joins us to discuss the strange bedfellows of Marxism and Nationalism that have been keeping company lately, as well as antisemitism and the recent rise of nationalism of several stripes, including Christian nationalism, and how a reformational perspective guards against the excesses and reactionism of both progressive and conservative ideologies that are not based in Christ Jesus.
playlist_add
Nov 8, 2023
Veterans Day, Protests, and Christ’s Armistice
As governments and law enforcement deal with planned demonstrations for this upcoming Remembrance Day, Joe Boot considers the Islamic worldview commitments that are fundamentally at odds with Christian religious worldview commitments, and discuss the true and lasting peace that was accomplished through the cross of Christ. All month of November, save on the family advent…
playlist_add
Nov 1, 2023
Our Present Culture of Death
On this Reformation Day, Tobias Riemenschneider joins us from Germany to discuss the West's death-loving culture, expressed in the horror of abortion. He explains how the wide-scale support for state-sponsored abortion is upstream from so many other forms of murder, euthanasia, the harm that it causes to women, and the folly of referring to abortion as a human right.
playlist_add
Oct 25, 2023
Racism, Christianity, and Antisemitism
Race is an unbiblical concept, and there are two main expressions of it in the West: constructivist critical race theory, and primordial nationalism. The Christian must reject both.
playlist_add
Oct 18, 2023
Wimpy, Weak and Woke w/ John Cooper
John Cooper of the rock band Skillet returns to the podcast to discuss his forthcoming book, Wimpy, Weak and Woke. He explains how a spirit of entitlement and victimhood has pervaded Western society, with its philosophical roots in Hegel, the tragedy of Christians abandoning the truth of the Bible to capitulate to postmodern and politically correct assumptions, and offers a solution that begins at home, but grows outward to express the Kingdom of God in every area of life and society.
playlist_add
Oct 11, 2023
Israel, Islam, and the Kingdom of God
In the wake of the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, and the Israeli response, we consider the religious roots of anti-Semitism and conflict with Israel. We also discuss the eschatological goal of Islam to conquer the earth, and the difference between a reformational approach and the historic doctrinal assumptions and commitments towards Israel from dispensational theology.
playlist_add
Oct 4, 2023
Censorship and the War of the Gods
The Canadian government's passage of legislation such as Bills C-11, C-18, and C-36 is beginning to bear fruit, in the form of increasingly invasive censorship policies levied on content platforms.
playlist_add
Sep 27, 2023
All the Updates You’ve Been Waiting For
We've seen a lot of new listeners to the show the past few months, and a warm welcome to all of you! In this episode, Joe Boot, Ryan Eras and Nate Wright discuss how and why the Ezra Institute began, the issues and activities that we engage in, and what we're doing next.
playlist_add
Sep 20, 2023
Deep Discipleship for Dark Days w/ Paul Dirks
Pastor and author Paul Dirks discusses his forthcoming book, Deep Discipleship for Dark Days, and explains why the time is ripe for Christians to embark on building healthy, godly families, churches, schools, and communities. Paul discusses how he perceived the need for this book at such a time as this, and lays out the scriptural rationale for whether rapid societal changes come from the political, natural, technological, or biological spheres, all such historical occurrences urge us to live in such a way that we are ready with a faithful response. A constant, general preparedness, and a particular discerning of the times (1 Chr 12:32) are interconnected.
playlist_add
Sep 13, 2023
Church and State Updates in Alberta w/ Mike Thiessen
Michael Thiessen discusses the recent Crown decision to withdraw charges against Alberta pastors James Coates and Tim Stephens, as well as some other pending legal cases on the question of the relation of church and state. The cases represent victories, but Mike explains why much more advocacy needs to be done at the constitutional level to bring a truly meaningful level of legal protection for religious freedom in Canada.
playlist_add
Sep 6, 2023
Christian Care w/ Ted Fenske
Ezra Institute Fellow Ted Fenske joins us to talk about the role of the Christian in medicine. As a veteran cardiologist, Dr. Fenske recalls his medical internship during the 1980s AIDS epidemic, and offers wisdom based on hard experience in ministering faithfully to LGBT patients.
playlist_add
Aug 30, 2023
Christian Character, Continued
We conclude the conversation begun last week about Christian character, and examine biblical figures to discuss several more dichotomies of virtuous versus vicious character traits that Christians must be actively developing.
playlist_add
Aug 23, 2023
Christian Character
In this episode Joe Boot draws examples from contemporary life on the importance of Christian character, and what happens when this is neglected by those in leadership. Joe touches on his time working with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Justin Trudeau's separation from his wife and begins to look at opposing pairs of virtues and vices that are exhibited by biblical figures given for our example.
playlist_add
Aug 16, 2023
Christian Courage and Gospel Witness w/ Cory McKenna
In this episode, we speak with equipping evangelist Cory McKenna of The Cross Current, to review how the last three years of lockdowns and isolation have affected the work of relational ministry, the centrality of the local church, the work of discipling those who have not grown up in the church, and the spiritual hunger that people have felt in a season where we have been told to fear and avoid our neighbour.
playlist_add
Aug 9, 2023
Christian Compromise: Theistic Evolution
In this episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, we're joined by Richard Fangrad of Creation Ministries International as we continue our series on issues facing the church. This week's issue is theistic evolution. Richard explains what the theory is, where it came from, and what is at stake in the evolutionary debate. As we'll see, our source of authority has real-life implications for the doctrine of God, the nature of man, ethics, worship, and much more.
playlist_add
Aug 2, 2023
Live Audience Q&A at Worldview Leadership Academy
In this episode, faculty answer questions from students at the Worldview Leadership Academy. We deal with the charge of Christianity’s closed-mindedness, whether you can idolize the Bible, apologetics and evangelism, lying to the Nazis, whether you can lose your salvation, and more. Audio quality improves around the 15-minute mark! Get Joe Boot’s classic work of…
playlist_add
Jul 26, 2023
Christian Combat w/Michael Thiessen
Michael Thiessen of joins us on this episode to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing saga of the church's relationship to LGBT issues, and the further complication of what happens when the state gets involved. We deal with news stories, citizenship, charity law, and the prophetic calling of the church.
playlist_add
Jul 19, 2023
Christian Cowardice w/ Aaron Edwards
This week’s podcast guest is Dr. Aaron Edwards. Dr. Edwards was forced out of his teaching position for supporting biblical sexuality on social media. He describes his experience, and examines the failure amongst evangelicalism to speak prophetically and biblically on key cultural issues.
playlist_add
Jul 12, 2023
Christian Socialism? w/ Graeme Leach
Ezra Institute Fellow for Biblical Economics, Graeme Leach, joins us on this week’s podcast episode to discuss the phenomenon of Christians advocating for historically socialist and Marxist economic policies. Many Christians have had their economic views informed by the world rather than the Word of God, and Graeme explains how (at least) two of the…
playlist_add
Jul 5, 2023
The Postmillennial Hope w/Andrew Sandlin
In this episode, Andrew Sandlin and Joe Boot outline the biblical case for an optimistic eschatology and the historical and ideological events that led to this doctrine's present position as a minority perspective in evangelicalism. In dependence on the Holy Spirit and through an attentive reading of Scripture, Christians should expect that Christ will continue to establish His kingdom on earth and drive back sin, death, and the devil.
playlist_add
Jun 28, 2023
Wrapping up Q&A on the Ten Commandments
Joe Boot and Nate Wright are back again to answer a few lingering questions resulting from the Ten Commandments podcast series. In this episode we consider how the earliest humans married and reproduced, compared with later Mosaic incest laws. We also tackle questions on how the church and the individual ought to think and act with regard to charitable status, tax-exemption, and the administration of tithes and offerings.
playlist_add
Jun 21, 2023
Death and Taxes: More Q&A on the Ten Commandments
In this episode we answer some more questions that emerged out of the Ten Commandments series, dealing with issues of what happens to believers after they die, and responding to the claim that the state only stepped in to provide welfare benefits because the church failed in this job.
playlist_add
Jun 14, 2023
Ten Commandments Q&A
Thanks to our listeners, we have some terrific questions emerging out of the Ten Commandments series. In this episode Joe Boot answers questions about Paul and Christ and their relationship to the law, what it means to 'fulfill' the law, and how believers kept the law before Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit.
playlist_add
Jun 7, 2023
CBC Discovers Top Secret Fundamentalist Plot
Joe Boot is joined this week by Ezra Institute Fellows Aaron Rock and Michael Thiessen to discuss the recent CBC investigation which identifies our churches and ministries, as well as those of several others, as leading efforts at godly cultural reformation in Canada.
playlist_add
May 31, 2023
Systemic Covetousness
Joe Boot closes our series on the Ten Commandments with some observations on the tenth commandment against covetousness, including how it works with the first commandment to encapsulate and summarize the whole Decalogue, how a covetous heart influences every other action, and how covetousness is manifest in the world not just at the individual, but…
playlist_add
May 24, 2023
Resisting Tyranny w/ Tobias Riemenschneider
Pastor Tobias Riemenschneider discusses the church's responsibility to its people and to the state, explains why he was prompted to draft the Frankfurt Declaration of Church and Civil Liberties, and how our response to Covid-related restrictions is training us for the next cultural and worldview crisis related to trans gender identity.
playlist_add
May 17, 2023
False Witness, Nazis, and Trudeau’s Crown
In this episode Joe Boot discusses the Ninth Commandment about bearing false witness, times where it is godly to withold the truth, and draws out the implications for law and society, as well as the ever-present question of who is my neighbour. We also look at the move by the Trudeau government to replace the crown on Canada's coat of arms with a new version bereft of Christian symbols.
playlist_add
May 10, 2023
Coronation Oaths and the Millennial Hope
In this episode Joe Boot reflects on the recent coronation of King Charles III, focusing on the nature of national oaths and covenants, and the proper place of the monarch in a role of delegated authority, living under God's law. It's a heavy responsibility and Scripture enjoins us to pray for our civil rulers.
playlist_add
May 3, 2023
Theft, Taxation, and Dominion w/ Nate Wright
P Nate of the Rebel Podcast joins us this week as we resume our series in the Ten Commandments. Nate explains how the commandment "you shall not steal" enjoins the opposite, positive principle to protect your neighbour's property, not to mention the presupposition of private property. Contra Klaus Schwab and Karl Marx, owning nothing is not a formula for human happiness.
playlist_add
Apr 26, 2023
Education, Luther, Slums, and the Metaverse
The connection between all these themes becomes clear in this special guest episode with Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi. He explains the Third Education Revolution movement, the role of technology, and the historic impact that the gospel has had, through education, on the family, church, and all other spheres. Vishal is currently on a lecture tour of…
playlist_add
Apr 19, 2023
Slavery, Law, Crime and Punishment
Joe Boot explains the biblical understanding of penology - the study and practice of punishing crime. Despite modern objections about the harshness of biblical justice, the penology outlined in God's law is in fact true justice, and its practice leads to a more just and free society.
playlist_add
Apr 12, 2023
Cultural Marxism, Eschatology, and the Kingdom of God
In this previously unaired interview, Joe Boot and Andrew Sandlin discuss the ideology of cultural Marxism, explaining how it differs from original Marxism, and how it mimics Christian doctrines of worship, eschatology, and the kingdom of God.
playlist_add
Apr 5, 2023
Martyrdom at Covenant School
This week we pause our series in the Ten Commandments to reflect on the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. In a de-christening culture, those who worship the true and living God should expect to suffer hatred and violence, even unto death, from those who worship the false god of self. But the Christian's hope is the promise of light and life dispelling darkness and death.
playlist_add
Mar 29, 2023
The 7th Commandment: You Shall Not Commit Adultery
In this episode Joe Boot discusses the narrow and broad definitions of adultery in light of both Moses and Christ, explaining how sexuality is much more than the modern notion of consent. Contrary to contemporary thinking, sexual activity outside of the blessed structure of covenant marriage has drastic personal and social consequences.
playlist_add
Mar 22, 2023
The Sixth Commandment: Defending the Image of God w/Kyle Thompson
Kyle Thompson of the Undaunted Life podcast joins us for a discussion of the commandment "You shall not murder." We talk about war, self-defense, and the failure of the state to properly prosecute justice on murderers, as well as the responsibility of the individual to defend his family and neighbor.
playlist_add
Mar 15, 2023
The Sixth Commandment: Thou Shall Not Murder
We begin this episode by examining the biblical definition of murder, and looking at cases where the taking of life is prohibited, where it is permitted, and the single situation where it is required by God. We also consider how our society's rejection of God is evident in legalized murder in the form of abortion and euthanasia, as well as Jesus' teaching about murderous talk and attitudes that break this commandment.
playlist_add
Mar 8, 2023
State of the Nation, 2023
We take a short recess from the Ten Commandments series to talk about drag queen story hour protests, global Anglicanism, and other important news from around the world. And is the Ezra Institute going to be on the CBC?
playlist_add
Mar 1, 2023
The Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Father and Mother
In this episode Joe Boot and special guest, pastor Joel Webbon, discuss the fifth commandment, how it applies not only to young children, but to everyone, and how a worldly mindset has led us to neglect this commandment when it becomes uncomfortable or burdensome.
playlist_add
Feb 22, 2023
The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath
Sabbath rest is a biblical principle that seems to invite a level of controversy: how often, when, who, and in what ways are is the Sabbath to be observed. Joe Boot discusses the connection between work, rest, and worship, why Sabbath-breaking was a capital offense in ancient Israel, and the difference that Christ makes to the form of our observance.
playlist_add
Feb 15, 2023
The Third Commandment: You Shall Not take the Name of the Lord in Vain
In this episode Ezra Institute Fellow Michael Thiessen discusses what it means to take the name of the Lord, both rightly and wrongly, in the church, in politics, and in any other sphere. We also talk about the nature of oaths and authority, the Sermon on the Mount, what it means for something to be damned by God, and door-to-door sales. NOTE: we do not use language flippantly, but this episode contains language that parents may not want your children to hear.
playlist_add
Feb 8, 2023
The Second Commandment: Idolatry Kills
Idolatry takes any number of forms at the individual, church, and national levels, but its temptation is always the same: you shall be as God. And the results always lead to death. As churches capitulate to antichristian cultural pressures, they often keep their outward form, but lose the power and vitality that ought to sustain and animate them. The Lord reserved some of His hardest words for those who led their people in this apostate way.
playlist_add
Feb 1, 2023
The Second Commandment: You Shall Not Make An Idol
We continue our series in the Ten Commandments with the command against idolatry. In this episode, Joe Boot discusses the root of idolatry in the heart, and deals with some listener questions about the possibility of making work or family into an object of worship. We conclude by examining idolatry within the church itself.
playlist_add
Jan 25, 2023
The First Commandment: The Voice of God Himself
We're officially underway with our series on the Ten Commandments. In this first episode, Joe Boot explains why this section of Scripture begins with the Lord declaring who He is, and why the commandments are ordered in the way that they are. If you've never thought about what our worship has to do with law, don't miss this one.
playlist_add
Jan 18, 2023
Writing His Law on Our Hearts
In this episode Joe Boot pulls illustrations from throughout Scripture to demonstrate the enduring validity of God's law in the era of Christ's resurrection. If Christ took the law seriously, and if we are to be imitators of Him, then it behooves us to take the law seriously as well.
playlist_add
Jan 11, 2023
The Beauty of the Ethical Life
We're kicking off the new year with a new series, dealing with ethics and law generally, and the Ten Commandments specifically. In this episode, Joe Boot talks about the distinction between laws and norms, the fact that we live in a universe designed by God that is made to work according to His instruction, and what love has to do with fulfilling the law.
playlist_add
Jan 4, 2023
Religious Environmentalism at the Mission of God Conference
On this episode Joe Boot and Ezra Institute Fellow Aaron Rock discuss the themes, issues, and ideologies related to the contemporary environmentalism movement. For those who didn't get their questions answered during the conference Q&A session, we deal with several more of those questions here.
playlist_add
Dec 28, 2022
Aquinas Wrap-up
We bring our series in Thomas Aquinas to a close by restating six significant differences between Thomistic thought and the reformation worldview that we believe is more consistent with Scripture. On the question of origins, nature and grace, ontology and anthropology, apologetics and Christian philosophy, the medieval thought of Aquinas falls short of the biblical position.
playlist_add
Dec 21, 2022
We Have Seen His Glory
This Christmas season, Joe Boot reflects on the staggering reality of God's glory revealed to His people as he takes up residence, or tabernacles, among us. This fact ought to be a great source of strength for Christians, greater than any hardship we could ever experience.
playlist_add
Dec 14, 2022
Christian Nationalism, Dechristianization, Idolatry, and Christmas
This Christmas season, we talk about the question of public, national worship, and the state in direct relation to God.
playlist_add
Dec 7, 2022
Apologetics and Aquinas
In this episode Joe describes the influence that Thomas Aquinas has had on the field of Christian apologetics, and discusses the areas where the Thomistic approach falls short of vindicating the full Christian doctrine of God.
playlist_add
Nov 30, 2022
Reformed Thomism(??) w/James White
Ezra Institute Fellow Dr. James White joins us this week to talk about the Protestant fascination with Aquinas, and the path that leads from Thomism to Roman Catholicism. Dr. White explains some of the reasons why Protestants are induced to follow Thomas, the fundamental issue of authority that is at stake, and what Thomas would have thought of the current Pope.
playlist_add
Nov 23, 2022
A Distinctly Christian View of Healing
Joe Boot addresses the realm of medicine and healing, and demonstrates how much of the contemporary thinking surrounding medicine has been reduced to mere biology. In contrast, the Christian should think of health in terms of wholeness - both wholeness of the created reality, and wholeness in the sense of health.
playlist_add
Nov 16, 2022
Providence, History, and Being
In this episode Joe Boot discusses the thought of Thomas Aquinas as it relates to the Christian understanding of history. To speak of history is inescapably to speak about God's relation to and activity within His creation.
playlist_add
Nov 9, 2022
Thomism and Natural Law
This week in the thought of Thomas Aquinas, we examine the idea of natural law, and conclude that, as articulated by Aquinas, it is an idea that gives unwarranted scope to human reason, and effectively makes God equal with His law. In contrast, Scripture teaches that God is the source of all definition, and that human law must be positivized in an historical context.
playlist_add
Nov 2, 2022
Aquinas and the State
We could have also titled this episode How the Reformation delivered us from ecclesiocracy. Here we discuss Aquinas' political philosophy, the problem with his adoption of Aristotle's teaching that man is a political animal, and the need for an utterly transcendent authority.
playlist_add
Oct 26, 2022
Aquinas and the Nature/Grace Divide
There is a common assumption in Christianity that at the fall, man lost a supernatural gift of grace, but retained his natural faculties intact and unscathed - including the faculty of reason. In this episode, Joe Boot explains that the biblical distinction is not nature and grace, but wrath and grace: those who belong to Christ and those who war against Him.
playlist_add
Oct 19, 2022
Canada’s Gay Federal Action Plan, w/ Andre Schutten
Ezra Institute Fellow Andre Schutten talks about Canada's newest Federal Action Plan to spend $100 million to advance a postmodern, secular worldview in the area of sexuality. He reinforces how Christians must stand firm on God's eternal Word and not be taken captive to contemporary godless rhetoric and talking points like 'love is love.'
playlist_add
Oct 12, 2022
Aquinas and Aristotle
As we continue this short series on Thomas Aquinas, it's important to consider his dominant influences; chief among these is the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. This episode considers Aristotle's contributions to the field of philosophy, and dwells on his ideas about the nature of man.
playlist_add
Oct 5, 2022
The Irony of Aquinas
We have new music and a new theme as we get rolling in Season 6. In this episode we begin a short series on the life, thought, and influence of Thomas Aquinas, the medieval scholastic philosopher and theologian, introducing his person and major works, and considering why there seems to be a recent revival of…
playlist_add
Sep 28, 2022
Leadership, Covid Mandates, and Religious Wars
Aaron Rock joins the podcast this week to discuss the scheduled expiry of Canadian border restrictions and the ArriveCan app. We also discuss Canada's latest Federal Action Plan to advance LGBTQ rights, and the inescapability of religious commitments.
playlist_add
Sep 21, 2022
Monarchy and our Christian Heritage
In this episode Joe Boot reflects on the funeral ceremonies of Queen Elizabeth II, the historic role of the English monarch as "Defender of the Faith," and the error of contemporary Two Kingdoms thinking.
playlist_add
Sep 14, 2022
Remembering Queen Elizabeth, and the Biblical Role of the Monarch
In this episode we reflect on the legacy of Elizabeth II, the role she played in influencing culture, and the Christian virtue she exhibited as a monarch who was self-consciously under the authority of God. Scripture has much to say about thrones and kingdoms, and Joe Boot discusses some of the major passages for how a king is to rule.
playlist_add
Sep 7, 2022
The Frankfurt Declaration and the Cultural Mandate
We're back with a brand-new season of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation! Joe, Nate, and Ryan discuss the recently published Frankfurt Declaration of Christian and Civil Liberties, and the relationship of the Cultural Mandate and Great Commission. In its most basic formulation, we tend to see Christians desiring to conform to culture or to escape culture, though the biblical calling is for God's saints to transform and build culture.
playlist_add
Aug 31, 2022
Asking God to Change the Status Quo w/ Andrew Sandlin
Ezra Institute Fellow Andrew Sandlin responds to listener questions on prayer: why it is difficult to develop a habit of prayerfulness, how to pray boldly and faithfully, and what happens when we pray.
playlist_add
Aug 24, 2022
Classic Replay: How do we Think Christianly?
A distinctly Christian way of thinking means returning to the Word of God as the source of all true knowledge and insight, and building an understanding of the world from that foundation. It is our starting point that makes all the difference. Register for the Christianity and Culture Colloquium, October 18-21. This episode originally aired…
playlist_add
Aug 17, 2022
The Foundation for Thinking
Where do we locate the starting point for human thinking? Descartes famously identified human nature with thought: "I think, therefore I am." However, the "I" who thinks must find its foundation in something prior to thought. The Christian perspective locates the root of thinking in the heart, which makes a religious choice about the origin of all things.
playlist_add
Aug 10, 2022
Antichrist and His Ruin w/ Jacob Reaume
Jacob Reaume, pastor of Trinity Bible Chapel, joins us to talk about an upcoming documentary he is producing, Antichrist and His Ruin, dealing with the life and witness of John Bunyan, the biblical teaching on the doctrine of antichrist, and the call to the church for courage and faithfulness.
playlist_add
Aug 3, 2022
Run the Enemies of God to the River
This episode started out with John Cooper asking Joe Boot about pacifism, and became a wide-ranging dialogue on what it means to be an image-bearer of God, and the implications that reality has for war, self-defense, and living in a state that is hostile to God. We also discuss the descriptions of God in Scripture as a warrior and the fact that the obligation to give honour and obedience is always qualified except when it is due to God.
playlist_add
Jul 27, 2022
A Crisis in Conservatism?
In this episode, we discuss Edmund Burke and the origins of modern conservative ideology; we consider the validity of the sentiment that there is a crisis in conservatism, as well as the historic connection between conservatism and Christianity. Joe Boot explains how the contemporary attempt to distinguish between fiscal and social conservatism is a practical impossibility.
playlist_add
Jul 20, 2022
Economics and Investing w/Jonathan Wellum
On this week's episode we consider the biblical conditions necessary for human flourishing, which always manifests in economic prosperity. Jonathan Wellum, CEO of Rocklinc Investment Partners, shares how a biblical approach to economics handles inflation and private property, and how contemporary theories and policies cause the greatest harm to the world's poorest people.
playlist_add
Jul 13, 2022
The Great Commission w/ Dale Partridge
Dale Partridge joins us as a guest this week to discuss how his organization is working to fulfill the Great Commission on a national and international scale. We also discuss the masculinity of Jesus, and the eschatological hope that motivates our evangelistic efforts.
playlist_add
Jul 6, 2022
Roe v. Wade and the Image of God
What does the recent Dobbs decision of the US Supreme Court mean for the practice of abortion? We discuss why it's fitting for Christians to loudly celebrate this ruling, as well as the reason we must approach issues related to life in terms of God's standard, for any other standard is ultimately arbitrary and subject to change.
playlist_add
Jun 29, 2022
Covenant and Kingdom w/Andrew Sandlin
Andrew Sandlin joins us from the Runner Academy to talk about the nature of God's covenant with man, how the new covenant relates to earlier covenants, and what the covenant has to do with our responsibilities as citizens of the kingdom of God.
playlist_add
Jun 22, 2022
The Image of God and a Culture of Beauty
At the conclusion of the 2022 Runner Academy, Joe Boot explains why the Ezra Institute exists and why we run training programs. We explore what it means for man to be made in the image of God, and how we are to steward creation and build culture for the sake of the kingdom of God.
playlist_add
Jun 15, 2022
The Magna Carta and Christian Citizenship
Andre Schutten, Ezra Institute Fellow for Law and Civil Discourse, joins us to talk about how the idea of constitutional government arose, and how societies have benefited from it. He also illustrates recent cases where our constitutional heritage has been threatened, and some ways we can work to involve ourselves in our society as Christians and citizens, for the good of the nation.
playlist_add
Jun 8, 2022
How Feminism Encourages Statism
In this episode, we investigate the worldview and origins of proto-feminism as well as first-wave feminism. This movement often gets tacit approval from Christians because of things like universal suffrage, but at its root, this movement, led by figures like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton, and Margaret Sanger, is a self-centred, resentful ideology that opposes the family and fosters a bigger state.
playlist_add
Jun 1, 2022
Gun Control Laws, Fatherlessness, and the Failure of Feminism
In this week's episode, we dive into a few recent news stories as we work to discover meaning in a world that has increasingly abandoned truth and reason. We consider some of the causes and responses to the recent Texas school shooting, as well as the growing realization that the biggest victims of the Sexual Revolution have been women.
playlist_add
May 25, 2022
Critical Theory: Its Roots and Fruits
We conclude our introduction to Critical Theory by identifying some of the key personalities responsible for this school of thought and their major ideas. You may have heard of some of these men: Georg Lukacs, Antonio Gramsci, Herbert Marcuse, Wilhelm Reich, and Erich Fromm. From their own writing, it is clear that Critical Theory is more than an analytical tool, but is in fact a self-consciously religious worldview, complete with doctrines of sin, justice, and salvation.
playlist_add
May 18, 2022
The Baffling Terminology of Critical Theory
Many Christians have heard of Critical Theory, but are unclear what it is and what it entails. In this first episode of a short series, we introduce the nature of Critical Theory, its Marxist origins in the Frankfurt School, and how it uses language to set itself up in opposition to the Christian worldview of the Bible.
playlist_add
May 11, 2022
The Role of the Christian University
Our newest Fellow, Dr. Ben Merkle, joins us on this week's episode. Dr. Merkle is President of New Saint Andrews College, and we talk about the current state of higher education, the need for foundational worldview formation in critical thinking, and the fact that half the students in universities don't need to be there.
playlist_add
May 4, 2022
Every Social Order is a Theocracy
On this episode we conclude our overview of Joe Boot's newest book, Ruler of Kings, and explain how the concept of heresy applies to political and social life outside of the church. We also lay out the difference between theocracy and ecclesiocracy, and describe how every society, from revolutionary France to modern North America, has a god-concept that demands ultimate allegiance.
playlist_add
Apr 27, 2022
Jesus is the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth
On this episode we discuss Joe's newest book, Ruler of Kings. Joe explains why he felt compelled to write such a book at this time, and what the reign of King Jesus means for the way we understand and relate to civil government.
playlist_add
Apr 20, 2022
The Resurrection Garden
Reflecting on the Easter season we've just come through, Joe Boot discusses the significance of the garden theme throughout Scripture, pointing to Christ as both the gardener and the king, and to the calling of his people to live in submission to him, holding forth dominion over the created world to tend and keep it. And if you've ever been unsure what Joe means by vice-gerent, we clarify it today!
playlist_add
Apr 13, 2022
Economic Utopianism
On this week's episode we're joined by Ezra Institute Fellow for Biblical Economics, Graeme Leach. Graeme explains why the realm of economics is frequently neglected or misunderstood by Christians, how a biblical vision for economic life, that emphasizes property rights, proportional taxation, and voluntary welfare, leads to a more free and prosperous society, and how Christians can take action to order our economic lives to the
playlist_add
Apr 6, 2022
Are We Trying to Christianize Canada?
As we wrap up the third chapter of a discussion on theonomy, law, and the Kingdom of God, we look at some historical cases where biblical law was applied to and positivized in the laws of the nations other than Israel, including Britain, the United States, and Canada. Because law is an inescapable condition of life, if we will not be governed by God's law, we must necessarily be governed by some other law. Which one do we want for our nation?
playlist_add
Mar 30, 2022
The Law of the Kingdom
We resume the conversation from last week on the place of God's law in society, and interact with listener questions. We also examine the New Testament teaching on the law of God, and address the reality that all law is coercive, by its very nature.
playlist_add
Mar 23, 2022
(More) Objections to Theonomy
The literal meaning of theonomy is simply the law of God. However, it has come to be used as a pejorative term by many who have not interacted with or understood the work on the subject. Pastor Norm Millar of Redemption Bible Chapel in London raised some common objections to theonomy in a recent sermon, and we respond to some of them in this episode.
playlist_add
Mar 16, 2022
The Why and How of Christian Culture Building, w/ Andrew Sandlin
Ezra Institute Fellow Andrew Sandlin joins us on the show this week to talk about the current state of the West, demonstrating how we have become an anti-Christian culture. Andrew then explains the Christian calling to transform, rather than abandon, culture, and finally exhorts God's people to exercise godly dominion in building Christian culture.
playlist_add
Mar 9, 2022
The Place of Christian Philosophy
After a stretch of current events commentary, we return to the main themes of this season: worldview and informational thinking. As the world around us seems to devolve at an accelerating pace, it's important to think and act from a principled and self-consciously Christian perspective.
playlist_add
Mar 2, 2022
Taking Godly Action
Last week we talked about the nature, origins, and features of totalitarian states, and ended with a promise to discuss practical tactics for Christians to use in response. This episode highlights some of those responses, beginning with the often overlooked and undervalued weapon of prayer.
playlist_add
Feb 23, 2022
The Nature and Origins of Totalitarianism
In this episode we examine and define totalitarianism- its meaning, origins, and some historic examples. We look at the ancient roots of this ideology as expressed by Aristotle and implicitly adopted by Thomas Aquinas and the Roman Catholic church. As we witness the continued push toward totalitarianism in Canada in particular, what were the assumptions and commitments that brought us to this point?
playlist_add
Feb 16, 2022
Unity, Division, and Staying in Lane
Aaron Rock, Ezra Institute Fellow and Pastor of Harvest Windsor, joins us on this episode to talk about how to understand Christian unity, and what our view on unity and division say about the gospel. Disunity is rooted in differing theological understandings of what it means for Christ to be Lord. We also touch on the Great Schism, marriage and sex, eschatology, the church, and the current state of emergency in Canada.
playlist_add
Feb 9, 2022
Dominion, with John Cooper
John Cooper of Skillet joins us to talk about their recent album, Dominion, about the experience of writing music in a dark and confused cultural moment, and about the importance of Christians participating in civil life.
playlist_add
Feb 2, 2022
Freedom Convoys and Critical Theory
The dispute over the meaning and extent of rights and freedoms is on display in the Canadian truckers' ongoing protest in Ottawa, and the response to it from media and elected officials. But this dispute is also rooted in an older and deeper philosophical system known as Critical Theory. As ever, the solution is ultimately and only found at the cross of Jesus Christ.
playlist_add
Jan 26, 2022
What Are You Against?
What a man avoids saying is often more telling than what he does say. As a 70-kilometer-long truck convoy approaches Ottawa in opposition to mandatory vaccinations, we have an opportunity to reflect on some of the reasons that evangelicals have seemed hesitant to publicly and clearly declare, from a scriptural foundation, what they oppose.
playlist_add
Jan 19, 2022
Politics, Media & Christianity w/ Allie-Beth Stuckey
In a Christian worldview, every area of life and experience is to be brought under the lordship of Jesus the King. Another way to say this is that as God's vice-gerents, human beings are called to exercise God-honouring dominion over the earth. Special guest Allie-Beth Stuckey joins us to talk about the Christian calling to faithfulness in the sphere of politics and media.
playlist_add
Jan 12, 2022
Biblical Sexuality Sermons
As Canada faces a legal context that is increasingly hostile to Christian belief and practice, the church has an opportunity and an obligation to speak prophetically to our civil authorities, reminding them that they are ministers under authority of Jesus Christ, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.
playlist_add
Jan 5, 2022
Plundering Satan’s Kingdom
Jesus Christ is gathering His inheritance from all the nations of the earth, reconciling and restoring what had been handed over to the devil. Christians have graciously been given a role to play in this restoration process.
playlist_add
Dec 29, 2021
Religion and Work
From the creation of the very first people in the garden of Eden, human beings were called to develop the earth to create all kinds of wealth and riches that lay hidden and undeveloped in creation. This development was not and is not easy. There are three ways by which wealth can be built: hard work, inheritance, or theft.
playlist_add
Dec 22, 2021
Tim Keller, Power, and the Incarnation
For this Christmas week episode, we examine a recent tweet from Tim Keller submitted by a listener on the nature of the cross and of power. To understand what Christ was accomplishing and demonstrating on the cross, we need to consider why He came to earth as a baby in the first place, and what He has called His people to in the time before His incarnation as well as after His ascension to the Father.
playlist_add
Dec 15, 2021
And Such Were Some of You
This week's episode deals with the recent hustle of Bill C4 through the Canadian senate, to become law early in the new year, describing how Christian counselling has effectively and explicitly been made a criminal offense. We also get a chance to respond to some listener questions on the relationship between law and gospel.
playlist_add
Dec 8, 2021
No Liberty without Law
Today Canada passed Bill C4, asserting that the basis of human dignity consists in radical autonomy from any tradition or authority. Such legislation should leave no doubt whether politics is a moral issue - it is something that Scripture speaks about, and something that ministers ought to speak on both in public and in the pulpit.
playlist_add
Nov 24, 2021
Answering Listener Questions on Theonomy
The issue of theonomy has been a perennial question - how do we understand, interpret, and apply the law of God in its original context, as well as the present day? Beginning with the basics, Joe Boot examines the origins and assumptions of the theonomic perspective, explaining that at its root, theonomy is a view of Christian ethics that seeks to take the whole Word of God seriously.
playlist_add
Nov 17, 2021
The Church, the Magistrate, and the Law
Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church, Calgary, joins us to talk about his experience with Alberta Health Services and the reason he persisted in gathering his church together. Andre Schutten considers some of the legal implications and precedents surrounding Tim's case, and the nature of the relationship between the church and the civil magistrate.
playlist_add
Nov 10, 2021
Climate, COVID, CRT, and the new Counter-Reformation
Tracking the development of Western thought from the Reformation and forward into today, we notice that several contemporary dominant ideas that have their root in self-conscious opposition to God and His Word, and to the idea of man as the image-bearer of God. Chief among these in our own time is the modern green movement. What does a biblical approach to climate stewardship look like?
playlist_add
Nov 3, 2021
The Social Impact of the Reformation
As we reflect on the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Joe Boot addresses the common perception that the Reformation was a movement limited to the church. Rather, the recovery of biblical authority had and continues to have implications to every area of our life and work.
playlist_add
Oct 27, 2021
Sphere Sovereignty and Naming the World
We revisit two of our favourite themes - Sphere Sovereignty and Modal Aspects - and explore how these two models emerged from the Reformation and how they identify and give expression to the way the world is necessarily organized.
playlist_add
Oct 20, 2021
God’s Revelation in Nature
The biblical starting point for all human activity - including academic reflection - is the character of God as revealed in the Bible, the incarnate Son, and the created world. For man to begin with anything else is necessarily to respond in an idolatrous fashion.
playlist_add
Oct 13, 2021
How Do We Encounter Reality?
Contrary to unbelieving philosophy which places some aspect of human experience on the throne of the universe, and contrary to earlier Christian philosophy which seeks to elevate theology above all other spheres of science, is the Reformational view. On this view, the self-attesting revealed Word of God is the basis for every subsequent theory about the universe.
playlist_add
Oct 6, 2021
How Does the World Hold Together?
This episode introduces the idea that aspects of reality hang together like pearls on a thread, and explains how philosophical assumptions inform and direct our everyday activities.
playlist_add
Sep 29, 2021
How do we Think Christianly
A distinctly Christian way of thinking means returning to the Word of God as the source of all true knowledge and insight, and building an understanding of the world from that foundation. It is our starting point that makes all the difference.
playlist_add
Sep 22, 2021
Making Sense of Reality
Season Five of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation kicks off with a brief review of the Canadian Federal election and begins a discussion that we will develop throughout this season on how and why a fully formed Christian worldview accounts for reality, even in the midst of tumultuous cultural circumstances.
playlist_add
Sep 15, 2021
The Story of the Gospel in Art
On this episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Marcus Pittman describes the present state of Christian representation in mainstream arts and entertainment, and what he is doing to improve it. We discuss the Christian calling to be the best storytellers, because the Christian story is the greatest story in the world.
playlist_add
Sep 8, 2021
Rousseau and the Makings of the Utopian Power State
Christian orthodoxy is antithetical to utopian illusions. Since God governs history, the Christian, in faith, obedience, and confidence, moves toward God’s predestined future. The triune, sovereign Lord, who by His providence and power sustains all things at every moment, is the one in whom the Christian trusts.
playlist_add
Sep 1, 2021
The Colour of Death and the Law of Life, Part 2
In order to achieve the visions of liberation and environmental justice it is necessary to shape the hearts and minds of the rising generation. One of the main planks in the radical environmentalist platform is to ensure the children have been indoctrinated regarding the ‘facts’ about climate change and understand their own negative impact on the earth as analogous to a virus infecting a host.
playlist_add
Aug 25, 2021
The Colour of Death and the Law of Life, Part 1
Throughout the green movement, many are promoting a culture of death in the name of life, health and eco-justice. Whereas the God of Scripture says, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it†, and tells us that children are a heritage and reward from Him, this new religion tells us that children are a threat to planetary life and large families a disease.
playlist_add
Aug 18, 2021
Justice, Race, and Revolution, Part 2
The liberating identity of those in the covenant of grace transcends skin color and ethnic origin and refuses to look at the world in terms of us and them, oppressors versus oppressed, but grasps all reality in light of our Creation, Fall, and Redemption as a human race.
playlist_add
Aug 11, 2021
Justice, Race, and Revolution, Part 1
The idea of structural oppression and the need to be liberated from it is not new. It is a religious motive, with its own doctrine of God, man, sin, and redemption. It has taken specific aim at the evisceration of Christianized culture, and it has recurred again and again, especially since the French Revolution.
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2021
The Constant Gardener
When it comes to human culture, the question is not whether we will shape culture, but what kind of culture will we cultivate. That is to say, as image-bearers of God, we are inescapably cultural creatures. We have been placed in this world as in a garden, to tend, develop and care for it.
playlist_add
Jul 30, 2021
Darwinism and the Cult of the Expert
Joe Boot explains how intellectuals are informed by one worldview or another, which always underlies their efforts to account for either physical or social phenomena, informing the solutions they offer.
playlist_add
Jul 21, 2021
The Marvel and Mystery of Man, Part 2
As image-bearers of God, human beings occupy a privileged place within creation. The wonder of man is that he occupies a kingly position as the religious center of the temporal cosmos. Christ Jesus emphasized the central place of man not only by His own incarnation, but by the relative value he placed on human beings and the responsibility we have to care for and cultivate other parts of creation.
playlist_add
Jul 14, 2021
LIVE Q&A at Runner Academy
At the 2021 Runner Academy, Joe Boot and faculty introduce the work and reformational vision of Evan Runner, and respond to delegates' live questions on law, politics, theology, and the Canadian justice system.
playlist_add
Jul 7, 2021
The Marvel and Mystery of Man, Part 1
Scripture clearly connects the activities of creation and redemption as a unified totality in Jesus Christ, pointing to the ultimate destiny of redeemed humanity in resurrection life. In Colossians 1:15-20, Paul affirms that all things in the entire cosmos, visible and invisible, including all powers and authorities, both heavenly and earthly, were created through and for Christ. Nothing exists by itself or for itself – including man – but consists in an unbreakable coherence with all other things by virtue of creation.
playlist_add
Jun 30, 2021
Love Thy Neighbour
The biblical command to love our neighbour is one of the most frequently repeated sentiments, used by both believers and unbelievers. But it is important to understand the command to love in its proper context of the law of God, otherwise we risk reducing love to an elastic term that we can fill with whatever content we want.
playlist_add
Jun 23, 2021
The Gospel Beyond the Headlines
The good news of the gospel message has profound consequences beyond personal salvation. The gospel is the power of God to extend His Kingdom rule over residential schools, closed churches, and godless legislation.
playlist_add
Jun 16, 2021
Why the Gospel is Essential to the Health of Society
In this workshop session originally delivered to Christian medical professionals, Joe Boot explains the full scope of the meaning of health, and what the gospel of Jesus Christ means for the health of society.
playlist_add
Jun 9, 2021
The Calling and Heritage of Christian Education
Joe Boot explains the importance to culture of a uniquely Christian approach to education, and the role of education in planning for and shaping the future.
playlist_add
Jun 2, 2021
The Gospel and Communication Technology
In this episode we discuss Bill C10, along with some of the foundational cultural assumptions and commitments that brought us to this point. Joe Boot explains why freedom of communication is a gospel issue.
playlist_add
May 28, 2021
Pentecost and the Power of the Holy Spirit
John Calvin was referred to as the theologian of the Holy Spirit, and many who follow his theology would benefit from a greater appreciation of the power and role of the Holy Spirit in the world and the life of the believer.
playlist_add
May 19, 2021
Work, Culture, and Healing in the Kingdom of God
Joe Boot explains the connection between work, culture, and healing in the Christian vision of reality, and the importance of the balance between work and rest in life and in healthcare.
playlist_add
May 12, 2021
Christian Action and a Christian Mind
Our true character is shown when we are put under pressure. In order to respond to the needs of our time with faithful Christian action, we must first be established in a faithful Christian mind.
playlist_add
May 5, 2021
A Freed Life and a Free Market
Economic life, like every other area of life, is motivated by inescapably religious assumptions. As the people of God, it is important that we cultivate a biblical set of economic assumptions. In this week's episode, Joe Boot addresses a class at Regent University on the question of justice and economics.
playlist_add
Apr 28, 2021
The Power of Language
The great need of our generation is the recovery of a uniquely Christian mind, which will include a thoroughly Christian approach to language. In our minds, speech, and action we are to be submitted to the authority of Jesus, the Word of God.
playlist_add
Apr 21, 2021
Living in the Kingdom of God in History
How do we balance bad news with a confidence in the victory of the gospel, and how should a Christian live and work in this climate?
playlist_add
Apr 14, 2021
What is a Christian Vision of Politics?
The idea of ultimate authority is an inescapable concept, which is clearly on display in our vision of politics. Any claim to authority rests on an idea of sovereignty - it all depends which god you believe in.
playlist_add
Apr 7, 2021
Humble Government
We return to the second half of our interview with Jonathan Burnside, discussing the concept of humble government, beginning with the understanding that the earthly king is himself under a higher law and Sovereign. Music graciously provided by Jacob Moon. Get Joe Boot’s book, The Mission of God.
playlist_add
Mar 31, 2021
Defending Historic Freedoms in Scotland
Tim Dieppe is Ezra Institute Fellow for Public Policy and Head of Public Policy at Christian Concern. He joins us to discuss the recent landmark victory for freedom of the church in Scotland and the historic relationship of church and state.
playlist_add
Mar 24, 2021
What does Biblical Law Teach Us?
Ezra Institute Fellow Jonathan Burnside introduces the obvious political implications of the Bible. As a holy nation and a nation of priests, Israel was meant to stand before God in regard to all the nations of the world. By embodying and holding forth the gift of Torah, they were to be a light to all the nations.
playlist_add
Mar 17, 2021
What is Theonomy?
All law requires an agreed-upon standard of authority; to speak of theonomy is to speak literally of ‘God’s law.’ But how has that law been applied in different societies throughout history? And how, if at all, does the law of God apply to contemporary society?
playlist_add
Mar 10, 2021
Apologetics, Politics and Sphere Sovereignty
Apologetics includes a defense of the Christian philosophy of life. Michael Thiessen of the Liberty Coalition Canada joins us to discuss an apologetic for the limits on the authority of the state and the ultimate authority of the kingdom of God that only a Christian worldview can account for.
playlist_add
Mar 3, 2021
Applying Apologetics to Culture
As Western culture has shifted away from a broadly Christian consensus on basic beliefs of human identity, life, sexuality, history and more, Christian apologetics - the work of defending the Christian philosophy of life - will look different than it did in previous generations.
playlist_add
Feb 24, 2021
Christian Art and Christian Artists
This week's podcast features special guest John Cooper of the rock band Skillet. We talk about the Christian music industry, pursuing art to the glory of God, and guarding against the temptation to self-idolatry as a Christian artist.
playlist_add
Feb 17, 2021
Why Worldview Matters
What does it mean to speak of a worldview, and why does it matter for the way that we live? Joe Boot explains the role that worldview plays in our lives, and its importance for the the work of apologetics.
playlist_add
Feb 10, 2021
Globalism and the Christian Worldview
Joe Boot explains the origin and meaning of globalism, as contrasted with globalization, nationalism, and the Kingdom of God. We consider the biblical perspective on the role of national boundaries.
playlist_add
Feb 3, 2021
Truth is Difficult to Control
When a people's commitment to truth breaks down, they become humiliated. A humiliated, emasculated people is easier to control. Christians have an opportunity and a responsibility to speak the truth effectively to people who have been robbed of their humanity by secularism.
playlist_add
Jan 27, 2021
The Doctrine of Freedom
James White joins this week's episode to talk about the historic development of the doctrine of the church's freedom and the limits on civil governments.
playlist_add
Jan 20, 2021
Life in All its Fullness
All religions and worldviews have a doctrine of life. The biblical understanding of abundant life is one that encompasses much more than non-death, but extends to the spiritual, social, and all other realms.
playlist_add
Jan 13, 2021
Dominion and the Kingdom of God
Man's relationship with God determines the course of all the rest of creation. Because we have exercised dominion in a sinful way, creation groans under the curse of sin. In the kingdom of God, man is restored to his proper dominion mandate.
playlist_add
Jan 6, 2021
Dominion and Culture-Making
When we speak of dominion we are dealing with a basic fact of human experience. Human beings will inescapably exercise dominion, the question is whether we practice it in a godly or idolatrous way.
playlist_add
Dec 30, 2020
The Great Reset and Utopianism
The Great Reset is the latest in a long history of failed utopian ambitions. Man-made utopias are fundamentally coercive, manipulative and dominating. By contrast, the kingdom of God is one of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
playlist_add
Dec 23, 2020
A New People in the Last Adam
The far-reaching erosion of the Christian way of life in our nation cannot be simply put down to external factors. The inner strength of Christianity has been compromised and broken, and can only be restored through reformation and revival. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to gather together to adore the Lord who humbled Himself to become a man.
playlist_add
Dec 16, 2020
Authority and Civil Disobedience
What constitutes "civil disobedience"? Is it ever an option for God's people?
playlist_add
Dec 9, 2020
Christmas is Uncancellable
The Christmas story is an announcement of the Lordship of King Jesus over all rulers of the earth. Politics and culture are inescapably gospel issues. Music graciously provided by Jacob Moon. Watch Premier Pallister’s address here.
playlist_add
Dec 2, 2020
Sin Makes Men Cowards
Reflecting on the public worship protests of last weekend, we consider the nature of Charter freedoms, the lesser magistrate, and 'civil disobedience.' The use of fear has been a significant factor as unelected officials pursue policies that are especially damaging to the working class.
playlist_add
Nov 25, 2020
Responding to a Second Lockdown
Pray, protest, write, worship and file lawsuits. Joe Boot articulates five approaches that Christians should be bringing to the current lockdown persecution – and it is persecution. Music graciously provided by Jacob Moon.
playlist_add
Nov 18, 2020
Pastoring in a Technocratic Age
Aaron Rock, pastor of Harvest Church in Windsor, discusses the calling of the pastor in an age where it is being made increasingly difficult for the church to fulfill its mission.
playlist_add
Nov 11, 2020
Polls, Elections, and a Worldview Divide
As the results of the 2020 US presidential election continue to be contested, we consider how a Christian should think and live in a nation divided between two worldviews, and where many in power refuse to acknowledge the lordship of King Jesus.
playlist_add
Nov 4, 2020
Science, Reductionism and the Myth of Neutrality
People require a concept of authority - whether the state, popular opinion, or the scientific expert. When people deny God they are not getting rid of ultimate authority, just transferring it.
playlist_add
Oct 27, 2020
Democracy and the Future of Conservatism
On this week's episode of Worldview Wednesday, Joe Boot discusses the growing disillusionment with contemporary conservatism, and offers some principles for thinking about the voting booth.
playlist_add
Oct 21, 2020
Lockdown, Identity, and the Purpose of Work
Russ Hiebert joins us this Worldview Wednesday during our Worldview and the Marketplace Program to talk about the purpose of work, and how we ought to pursue it to the glory of God and to provide rest for others. Music graciously provided by Jacob Moon.
playlist_add
Oct 14, 2020
Magna Carta, Freedom, and the Poor
How do we balance liberty and risk, and what are the biblical principles that apply even in the face of traumatic circumstances?
playlist_add
Oct 7, 2020
Politics, the Gospel, and Bill C6
Bill C6 is an attempt to destroy creational normativity and marriage, which are rooted in the triune nature of God.
It undermines the very idea of God's self-revelation. It strikes at the heart of the gospel.
playlist_add
Sep 30, 2020
The Niagara 2020 Declaration
Explaining why a free church is good for all of society, and introducing the Niagara Declaration on the liberties of the church in Canada and the circumstances that prompted its drafting.
playlist_add
Sep 22, 2020
The Church in Lockdown, Part 2
As civil authorities seek to control an increasing number of societal roles and functions, what is the Christian's responsibility in a democratic society? How do the church and family provide a meaningful check to an excess of state power?
playlist_add
Sep 16, 2020
The Church in Lockdown, part 1
What is the distinct nature and calling of the church and its role in society, and what is the responsibility and the historic response of Christians and pastors in times of widespread illness?
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2020
The Church Needs to Meet
Andrew Sandlin discusses the order to suspend church services, John MacArthur, and the calling of the church to gather together. He explains the responsibility of Christians to punch back at God-hating evil wherever we find it, and the spiritual powers and authorities that are active in the world.
playlist_add
Jul 10, 2020
Sphere Sovereignty, the Individual, and the Church
Joe Boot sits down with the hosts of the Six Cents Report to discuss Totalitarianism, Church, and Sphere Sovereignty, as well as the Reopen Churches campaign.
playlist_add
Jun 12, 2020
A Return to Faithful Living
Joe Boot joins the team at Redeemer Broadcasting to introduce the work of the Ezra Institute, how our culture came to be overly reliant on self-described experts, and the program for a cultural return to faithfulness.
playlist_add
Jun 5, 2020
Worldview Commitments and the History of Philosophy
Fellow Danie Strauss joins us for a special interview with Joe Boot and outlines his own intellectual history, the history and origins of philosophy, and the basis of a worldview.
playlist_add
Apr 3, 2020
Coronavirus: What are we Dealing With?
Joe Boot, EICC Fellow Dr. Ted Fenske, and Dr. Peter Saunders, address the current social and healthcare implications of the COVID19 crisis, touching on how to think about models and projections, the holistic human cost of present measures, and how social isolation is a privilege.
playlist_add
Mar 5, 2020
Complementarianism is Not Enough
Andrew Sandlin explains the history of the complementarian movement, what it got right and wrong, and a biblical approach to understanding masculinity and femininity.
playlist_add
Feb 20, 2020
A Christian Perspective on Environmentalism
Cal Beisner, founder of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, explains the relationship between biblical stewardship of the earth and care for the poor, how environmental concern got co-opted by socialism, and how Christians can improve our stewardship of creation.
playlist_add
Feb 13, 2020
Evangelism as Warfare
Have we developed a peacetime mentality in a wartime reality? Cory McKenna of the Cross Current discusses the biblical basis for doing evangelism, the need to normalize evangelism as a discipline of Christian life, and evangelism as warfare, taking the gospel into enemy-occupied territory.
playlist_add
Jan 9, 2020
Christ, Culture, and the Christian
Joe Boot discusses Christian culture, institutions, and the Great Commission at Christian Concern headquarters.
playlist_add
Dec 5, 2019
How to be a Christian in Politics
Joe Boot concludes our Advent interview on the Christian view of government with some biblical wisdom for Christians entering politics, and for private citizens seeking a godly political order.
playlist_add
Nov 28, 2019
The Government will be upon His Shoulders
Joe Boot reopens the podcast just in time for Advent, to talk about the biblical understanding of government and its proper place under the lordship of Christ.
playlist_add
Nov 7, 2019
The Power Motive of Humanistic Culture
On this week's podcast we return to Joe Boot's book, Gospel Culture: Living in God's Kingdom. This chapter details some of the ways that godless man seeks to dominate his environment and his neighbour, and closes with the assurance that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet.
playlist_add
Oct 17, 2019
The Death of Man and Crisis of the Social Order
We bring you the next chapter from Joe Boot's book Gospel Culture, reading about the death wish of modern man, alienated from God, the world, and himself.
playlist_add
Oct 10, 2019
Behold Your King
Grant and Ericha Van Brimmer talk about their new book, Behold Your King. This daily devotional for Advent is for your whole family, to help you get a fuller picture of the story of Scripture, the promises of God that we find throughout the Bible, and how Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises.
playlist_add
Oct 3, 2019
Gospel Culture: Why it Matters
This podcast episode is a live reading from the introductory material and the first chapter of Joe Boot's book, Gospel Culture. Buy the book at Ezra Press and look for the audiobook soon.
playlist_add
Sep 26, 2019
God Loves the World and so Should We
God has created a good world, and has given His people the task of stewarding, caring for, and restoring it. A Christian understanding of creation care understands that God has promised to make all things new.
playlist_add
Sep 19, 2019
Shakespeare and a Christian Paideia
Sarah-Jane Bentley brings her years of teaching English literature to bear on the question of bringing up children, the goal of education, and the discovery of truth. She also explains the kind of worldview that could make a role model out of Lady Macbeth.
playlist_add
Sep 12, 2019
What has the EICC been doing all summer?
Whether we like it or not, we are in a cosmic struggle for the direction of history, and there is no opting out.
playlist_add
Sep 5, 2019
Islamic Finance
EICC Fellow Tim Dieppe explains the economic and social implications of Islamic finance products, showing how they actually cost the end-user more than traditional investments.
playlist_add
Aug 22, 2019
What’s at Stake with the Canon of Scripture?
Wesley Huff takes a break from lecturing at the Worldview Leadership Camp to talk issues of canon and canonicity.
playlist_add
Aug 15, 2019
The Enduring Authority of Biblical Law
EICC Fellow Dr. Jonathan Burnside talks about law, authority, and wisdom, and how each of these are eminently embodied in Jesus.
playlist_add
Jun 27, 2019
For Mission: The Final Chapters
Live reading of the last two chapters of Joe Boot's book, For Mission. We get into the philosophical roots of the retreatist impulse of church-ianity, and lay out the way forward for the church to once again be salt and light in the world.
playlist_add
Jun 20, 2019
The Fake Gospel of Cultural Marxism
The ideology of cultural Marxism has quietly influenced the way that believers think, but this worldview is actually just a poor copy of the power, justice, and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
playlist_add
Jun 13, 2019
Continuing Read: For Mission
We continue with our reading Joe Boot's book For Mission, with chapters 2 and 3: What is the Church? and The Philosophical Foundations of Churchianity.
playlist_add
Jun 6, 2019
What is Christian Hospitality?
Rachel Eras articulates a Christian vision of hospitality, showing how it differs from the world, and how we can do it to the glory of God.
playlist_add
May 30, 2019
Live Reading: For Mission
This week's episode is a live reading of the first chapter of Joe Boot's book For Mission. This chapter addresses the twin errors in the contemporary church of overestimating the role of the church, and the role of the state, in the broader context of the kingdom of God.
playlist_add
May 23, 2019
The Home Front in the Culture War
Rachel Eras talks about the place of the home and the role of the homemaker in the broader cultural context, and explains how we've let worldly thinking creep into the way we view the home.
playlist_add
May 16, 2019
How to be a Christian Musician
Doug Wilson talks about the phenomenon of the Christian music industry, the historic aesthetic accomplishments achieved by Christians, and offers some advice for aspiring Christian musicians.
playlist_add
May 9, 2019
What is Music and What is it For?
Doug Wilson talks music and its role to glorify, the futile pursuit of coolness and relevance, and the kind of music appropriate for church and other occasions.
playlist_add
May 2, 2019
Abortion and the Sanctity of God’s Law
Douglas Wilson explains why the pro-life movement is steadily gaining ground, why Christians would do well to speak of the dignity of life based on the sanctity of the law of God, and offers counsel for those who feel disqualified from speaking out on behalf of the unborn
playlist_add
Apr 25, 2019
What Kind of Culture are we Building?
In part two of our conversation with Nate and Ben from Rebel Alliance Media, we pick up our conversation on the kind of culture that we’re creating, how Christians have been complicit in cultural decline, and what we can learn from the evangelical legacy of cultural reformation.
playlist_add
Apr 18, 2019
Transforming Culture
Nate and Ben from Rebel Alliance Media join Joe Boot to talk about cultural transformation - what it looks like, why we do it, and what's at stake if we refuse to honour God in this area of life.
playlist_add