Ezra Institute Podcast for Cultural Reformation
264 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsEzra Institute
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Episodes
Does the Bible Condone Slavery? – Part II: Choose Ye this Day, Slavery or Liberty in Christ?
April 17, 2024 14:00 - 90.1 MBIn this third episode of our new series, Conversations & Presuppositions, Doctors Boot and Thiessen revisit their conversation on slavery and the Bible by examining why Christianity is the only worldview that can consistently lead to liberty and how a culture's rejection of Christ naturally leads to slavery. Choose ye this day, dear listener, freedom in Christ or slavery to sin and death?
Does the Bible Condone Slavery? – Part I
April 10, 2024 15:37 - 86.9 MBIn this, the second episode in our new series Conversations & Presuppositions, Doctors Boot and Thiessen discuss a common objection to Christianity, namely, that Christianity condones slavery. But does it? You're not going to want to miss part one of this fascinating discussion.
The Resurrection Changes Everything
April 03, 2024 14:47In this episode, Dr. Joe Boot and pastor Nate Wright talk about the world-changing implication of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, its evidence, and its explanation. REJOICE FOR HE IS RISEN!
Responding to Ligon Duncan on Theonomy & Cultural Engagement
March 27, 2024 04:00In this episode, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot respond to the recent controversial interview by Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, Ligon Duncan, on the Room for Nuance podcast where he answers questions on theonomy, postmillennialism, and faithful cultural contextualization all while throwing barbs at unnamed parties and mixing up Scripture. YOU’RE NOT GOING…
Slaying the Dragon of Pornography ft. Dr. Ted Fenske
March 20, 2024 04:43In this episode, Pastor Nate Wright is joined by Ezra Fellow of Medicine and Public Christianity, Dr. Ted Fenske to discuss how to slay the dragon of pornography.
Parents and Children & the Family of God
March 13, 2024 15:13In this episode, the latest of our series on the family, Dr. Joe Boot and Pastor Nate Wright discuss the relationship between parents and children, how it mirrors the Triune nature of God, and how family is, indeed, the nucleus of civilization.
7 Doctrines to Rule the World
March 06, 2024 16:35In this episode, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Pastor Nate Wright recap last weekend's Right Response Ministries Conference, "Blueprints for Christendom 2.0," by unpacking the seven doctrines presented at the conference for Christians to rule the world righteously under the Lordship of King Jesus.
Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism
February 28, 2024 14:35In this episode, Michael and Joe are joined by Ezra Fellow for International Law, Comparative Politics, and International Relations, Daniel Ogden J.D., to talk about the disturbing rise of antisemitism and how to think about it biblically.
Motherhood & the Family of God ft. Susie Rock
February 21, 2024 17:23In this episode, Michael and Nate are joined by Harvest Windsor's Women's Life Director, Susie Rock, to continue the discussion on the family by discussing what it means to be a woman made in the Image of God, their role in the Kingdom, and how to fulfill it for the good of others and the glory of God Almighty.
Fatherhood & the Family of God
February 14, 2024 05:00In this episode, Joe, Michael, and Nate continue their discussion on the family by discussing what the archetypal fatherhood of God means for our ectypal familial relationships. Simply put, they discuss what God's fatherhood means for us and our realtionships. Oh, how sweet it is to be part of the household of God through Christ our Lord.
Part III: Responding to Attacks on the Family
February 07, 2024 06:09In this episode, Joe, Michael, and Nate continue their discussion around Allistair Begg's recent controversial advice to a grandmother about attending a queer wedding and his recent sermon defending his advice.
Responding to Attacks on the Family: Part II
January 31, 2024 15:42 - 58.2 MBIn this episode, Joe and Michael continue to discuss the big compromise of Big Eva and the need for strong fathers leading well--leading biblically. Allistair Begg's Comments: https://youtu.be/rXDYYPLwgYE?si=B0XrmelFb6BH6VC9&t=1726.
Part II: Responding to Attacks on the Family
January 31, 2024 15:42In this episode, Joe and Michael continue to discuss the big compromise of Big Eva and the need for strong fathers leading well--leading biblically. Allistair Begg's Comments: https://youtu.be/rXDYYPLwgYE?si=B0XrmelFb6BH6VC9&t=1726.
Part I: Responding to Attacks on the Family
January 24, 2024 19:16In this episode, Joe, Nate and Michael respond to yet more bad advice from Big Eva. How can we remain faithful fathers in a world full of compromise? Tune in to find out.
Responding to Attacks on the Family
January 24, 2024 19:16In this episode, Joe, Nate and Michael respond to yet more bad advice from Big Eva. How can we remain faithful fathers in a world full of compromise? Tune in to find out.
Raising Faithful Christian Families
January 17, 2024 05:00In this episode, Joe, Nate and Michael discuss the centrality of the family in God's redemptive story, and consider how to disciple families and churches in an age where we have imbibed an individualistic idea of the gospel.
Education, Line-Up Changes, and Why We Exist
January 10, 2024 05:00A bittersweet start to 2024, as we announce some changes to the hosting of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, but we are also excited to see the founding of a new Christian school in the Niagara region, and the work of cultural reform being implemented in concrete ways. We also take this occasion to look…
A Prayer for the New Year
January 03, 2024 05:00In the first episode of 2024, we consider the tradition of New Year's resolutions, look ahead at some of the newsmaking trends that we anticipate, and conclude with a prayer for a new year.
Christmas Replay 2023: Leadership and Character
December 27, 2023 05:00In this Christmas replay, we discuss several opposing pairs of virtues and vices that shape our Christian character. If you’re considering how you can grow in godliness and holiness this coming year, here are some timeless biblical concepts to consider. Would you help support the work of the Ezra Institute before the year ends? Click…
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
December 20, 2023 18:53There is a certain type of attitude or personality that creeps up this time of year that tries to suppress the joy of other believers in celebrating the birth of Christ. It alleges that Christmas was originally pagan, and that we are participating in idolatry. In today's episode we discuss how there is good evidence that this is not the case, and that even if it were, the kingdom of God overcomes all opposition, and that all holidays ultimately belong to Christ.
Trans Identities and the Givenness of the World
December 13, 2023 18:52We live in an age where we are told to define and live our own truth, including the most fundamental truths about our human identity. Over against such self-determination, Scripture gives us a vision for life based on the identity of God as the transcendent Creator, of human beings as image-bearing creatures, and the fundamental givenness of the world.
Interest Rates, ESG, and Godly Investments w/ Jonathan Wellum
December 06, 2023 05:00Jonathan 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.
Thinking Christianly about International Law w/ Dan Ogden
November 29, 2023 05:00Ezra 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.
Electioneering and Demoralization
November 22, 2023 05:00We 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.
Christian Nationalism, Christian Pietism, or Christian Culture w/ Andrew Sandlin
November 15, 2023 20:01Ezra 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.
Veterans Day, Protests, and Christ’s Armistice
November 08, 2023 05:00As 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…
Our Present Culture of Death
November 01, 2023 04:00On 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.
Racism, Christianity, and Antisemitism
October 25, 2023 17:08Race 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.
Wimpy, Weak and Woke w/ John Cooper
October 18, 2023 04:00John 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.
Israel, Islam, and the Kingdom of God
October 11, 2023 04:00In 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.
Censorship and the War of the Gods
October 04, 2023 19:58The 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.
All the Updates You’ve Been Waiting For
September 27, 2023 04:00We'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.
Deep Discipleship for Dark Days w/ Paul Dirks
September 20, 2023 04:00Pastor 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...
Church and State Updates in Alberta w/ Mike Thiessen
September 13, 2023 04:00Michael 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.
Christian Care w/ Ted Fenske
September 06, 2023 04:00Ezra 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.
Christian Character, Continued
August 30, 2023 04:00We 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.
Christian Character
August 23, 2023 04:00In 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.
Christian Courage and Gospel Witness w/ Cory McKenna
August 16, 2023 04:00In 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.
Christian Compromise: Theistic Evolution
August 09, 2023 14:31In 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.
Live Audience Q&A at Worldview Leadership Academy
August 02, 2023 04:00In 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…
Christian Combat w/Michael Thiessen
July 26, 2023 04:00Michael 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.
Christian Cowardice w/ Aaron Edwards
July 19, 2023 04:00This 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.
Christian Socialism? w/ Graeme Leach
July 12, 2023 04:00Ezra 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…
The Postmillennial Hope w/Andrew Sandlin
July 05, 2023 04:00In 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.
Wrapping up Q&A on the Ten Commandments
June 28, 2023 04:00Joe 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.
Death and Taxes: More Q&A on the Ten Commandments
June 21, 2023 04:00In 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.
Ten Commandments Q&A
June 14, 2023 04:00Thanks 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.
CBC Discovers Top Secret Fundamentalist Plot
June 07, 2023 14:47Joe 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.
Systemic Covetousness
May 31, 2023 04:00Joe 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…
Resisting Tyranny w/ Tobias Riemenschneider
May 24, 2023 04:00Pastor 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.