Mid-America Reformed Seminary Unknown

In this episode, Dr. Alan Strange explores the complex relationship between Christianity and Islam, examining whether the Islamic faith served as a -check- on defective Christian practice in the medieval era. He then dives into the Crusades - the series of religious wars waged by European Christians against Muslims in the medieval period, providing an overview of the reasons, motivations, and tremendous bloodshed that occurred. He then relates church-state entanglements of that era to the same tensions that still exist today, discussing how faith and politics can function properly.

In today's episode, Rev. Paul Ipema concludes his series on catechism preaching by highlighting the advantages of preaching from the catechism. He'll explain how the catechism's simplicity and clarity make it an accessible resource for systematically teaching core Christian doctrines to congregants of all ages. He'll also share insights from his own experience using the catechism in prison ministry and in children's catechism classes. Whether you're a pastor looking for reasons to prioritize catechism preaching or want to understand this historic practice better, this conversation will provide a helpful perspective.

In today's episode, we're discussing objections to the practice of catechism preaching. Rev. Paul Ipema joins us once again and addresses common criticisms, including claims that it's not truly expounding the Word of God, that the catechism is outdated, and that its tone is too polemical against other Christian traditions. While acknowledging the need for prudent handling, Rev. Ipema argues that catechism preaching has an important historical precedent and remains a valid way of faithfully teaching key biblical doctrines to congregations today. He unpacks the nuances of these objections and makes a case for why catechism exposition is still a valuable practice.

Rev. Josh Engelsma, pastor at Crete Protestant Reformed Church in Crete, Illinois, delivers a chapel message aimed at those aspiring to gospel ministry. Drawing from 1 Timothy 4-6-16, Rev. Engelsma exhorts his listeners to remain vigilant in examining their personal conduct and safeguarding the doctrinal integrity of their teaching and preaching.

In today's episode, Rev. Paul Ipema begins a series discussing the history, practice, and relevant issues associated with catechism preaching. Catechism preaching has long been an important tradition in Reformed churches, where the doctrinal summaries contained in the Heidelberg Catechism were not just taught but expounded upon regularly from the pulpit. However, there are some concerning trends today where catechism preaching is being sidelined or abandoned, par-ticularly as churches move away from having a Sunday evening service. Rev. Ipema explores the importance of maintaining this practice to preserve our theological rootedness and identity as Reformed churches. He'll also touch on how some ministers entering Reformed churches lack training in this aspect of pastoral ministry and how we here at Mid-America Reformed Seminary offer unique preparation for prospective ministers in this area of ministry.

Looking into Matthew's parable of the talents, Rev. Paul Ipema's chapel message explores the bold, faithful risks pastors must undertake in their ministerial duties, drawing parallels between the servants' actions and the courageous leaps required in spiritual leadership.