Distinctive Christianity

Brendon Scoggin and Skyler Hamilton
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Comparing Mormon and Creedal Christian Thought

  1. 5d ago

    234. Matthew Emadi on Romans 1-3

    In this episode, we welcome by Dr. Matthew Emadi to discuss Romans 1-3. Listen in as Dr. Emadi takes us on a tour of one of the most important and insightful texts of Scripture, as the apostle Paul proclaims “the Gospel of God” for all who will hear. Please read (and even listen) to Romans (ESV, KJV). Check out Crossroads Church Utah Other resources by Dr. Emadi: The Royal Priest: Psalm 110 in Biblical Theology “The Fulfillment of the Land Promise In the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Critique of Dispensationalism” What Is a Church?; How Can I Serve My Church? “The Leper’s Cleansing and Our Salvation” (TGC) “What Do Mormons Believe About God” (TGC) Check out past episodes with Dr. Emadi: “Melchizedek and his Priesthood” “The Church” “John 14:28: ‘for the Father is Greater than I’” “The Temple” Other resources: “Cleansing the Inner Vessel” by Elder Boyd K. Packer Check out The Blessed Hope podcast with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16-3:26 by Marcus Mininger Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme by David Pao Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?; Numbers 1-19; Numbers 20-36 by L. Michael Morales The Pauline Eschatology; Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos Father, Son, and Spirit in Romans 8: The Roman Reception of Paul’s Trinitarian Theology by Ron C. Fay Cracking the Foundation of the New Perspective on Paul by Robert Cara Perspectives Old and New on Paul; Justification Reconsidered; Understanding Paul; Romans: Text, Readers, and the History of Interpretation by Stephen Westerholm Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free by F. F. Bruce By Faith, Not By Sight by Richard Gaffin Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Herman Ridderbos Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle by Henri Blocher American Awakening by Joshua Mitchell (also, here) Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior by Helmut Schoeck Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser Augustine of Hippo: His Life and Impact by Bradley Green Sermon Series by Charlie Dennison

    234. Matthew Emadi on Romans 1-3

  2. Jul 17

    233. Stanley Payne on The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism

    In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Stanley Payne to discuss his book The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism. The Spanish Civil War is “the most mythified civil war of the twentieth century.” Commonly misunderstood and distorted into a conflict of “Democracy” versus “Fascism”, the truth involves a revolutionary-counter-revolutionary struggle, more akin to a post-WWI political crisis than a prelude to WWII. Yet, the “grand camouflage” representing propaganda rather than history persists. How do we get at the truth of what actually happened and sift fact from fiction? How do we know the Spanish revolution actually happened – and what led to it? Indeed, what would likely have occurred (or kept occurring) had not General Francisco Franco began the military insurrection on July 18, 1936? Moreover, Communist involvement in Spain, and Soviet policy regarding the Spanish Civil War has been “the major mystery” of the conflict. What were the “real goals” of Soviet policy in the Spanish war, and what light has been shed by the documents available after the fall of the Soviet Union? Listen in as Dr. Payne takes us through the grand chessboard of Soviet goals and politics – and how Spain fit into those goals and plans. Though the primary goal is to get the history of the period right – it turns out there are lessons to be learned, even for today. Book: The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism Other resources by Dr. Payne: The Spanish Civil War - hear our previous interview here The Collapse of the Republic, 1933-1936: Origins of the Civil War Franco: A Personal and Political Biography Franco and Hitler: Spain, Germany and WWII A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 Spain: A Unique History “The Road to Revolution” “Antifascism without Fascism” Other resources: Fascism: Career of a Concept; Antifascism: The Course of a Crusade by Paul Gottfried Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror by Victor Sebestyan Stalin, Volume I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928; Stalin, Volume II: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin (also here, here, here and here)

    233. Stanley Payne on The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism

  3. Jul 13

    232. D. G. Hart on Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution

    In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Darryl Hart to discuss his book Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution. What is Presbyterianism, and “why did Prebyterianism so often emerge as an irritant in British and American Politics between 1630 and 1800?” How did John Calvin, and his Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541 come to influence (and be influenced by) a British context – in which debates over Biblical ecclesiology so often involved challenges to both the Crown and bishops. What were the political implications of Presbyterianism? In “the first English installment of the case for Presbyterianism” - who was Thomas Cartwright and what was the nature of some of the debate with future archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift? Taking us into the unity and diversity of Presbyterian emphases and development across the Anglo-American world, we see how the emphasis on the spiritual independence of the church stayed consistent even as support for religious establishment in the Old World gradually shifted in the New World toward a support of “the emerging structures of liberal society”. Moreover, there was an irony in the fight for requiring confessional subscription in American Presbyterianism – as the issue of church authority was a real struggle in the church as a church, even apart from the shifting political ideals. Listen in, as Dr. Hart takes us through the place of Presbyterian Minister John Witherspoon (the only active minister to sign the Declaration of Independence) in the general story of Presbyterianism – as well as how the Presbyterian story was such a “necessary stimulant for the orthodoxy of liberal democracy” in the broader society. Book: Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution Other resources by Dr. Hart: Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America Also: Hear our interview on this book here Check out his course for Reformed Forum here Calvinism: A History Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyteriansim The Lost Soul of American Protestantism Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant From Billy Graham to Sarah Palin: Evangelicals and the Betrayal of American Conservatism Other resources: The Institutes of the Christian Religion; Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541 by John Calvin The Westminster Confession of Faith The Church of Christ by James Bannerman The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge by Alan Strange “No Faith Worth Defending” by Carl Trueman The Puritans by David Hall The Reformation of Rights by John Witte Jr. Hot Protestants by Michael Winship How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman American Heretics: Religious Adversaries of the Liberal Order by Jerome Copulsky John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic by Jeffry Morrison Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic by Mark David Hall The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context by Barry Alan Shain

    232. D. G. Hart on Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution

  4. Jul 6

    231. Paul Gottfried on Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America

    In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Paul Gottfried to discuss his book Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal. Who was Leo Strauss, and why does he matter? Deeply influencing the conservative movement in America - what was Strauss’ distinctive interpretive approach to texts, including his understanding of “Jerusalem and Athens” as well as his distinction between exoteric and esoteric readings? Leo Strauss was a veteran of WWI for Germany who will eventually be an academic exile at the University of Chicago very much shaped and motivated by the trauma of WWII and the threat of the Cold War. Both connecting and distinguishing Strauss from many of his later students and varying schools of his thought – how should conservatives view the strengths and weaknesses of his/their work? Although often framed as an exercise in retrieving wisdom from the ancients, Gottfried questions how truly committed the Straussian method is to true historical awareness regarding ancient texts, rather than simply an exercise in quirky appropriation for modern concerns - or the selective use of ancient texts for a predictable story leading invariably to the assumed goodness of the modern democratic state. Though Straussians are often critiquing the “triple scourge” of relativism, historicism and postivism against the Left, what are some fundamental concerns that conservatives should have with Strauss, coming from the Right? Is a deep commitment and concern for historical context to be guilty of “historicism”? Indeed, why should Protestant Christians care about this debate, especially how Strauss’ approach can impact both the approach to ancient texts, such as Plato’s Phaedrus (and by implication, the Bible), as well as how those ancient texts may speak to the world today? Though sometimes only seen in a debate over the American founding, it is a symptom of a much larger conflict over the value of history, and even how that should or shouldn’t connect to modern concerns. Book: Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal Also check-out Chronicles Magazine (especially the print magazine): - “Three Conceptions of Conservatism” - “The ‘Creedal Nation’ Myth Just Won’t Die” - “Further Thoughts on a Creedal Nation” Also: “Getting Rights Wrong” Check out our previous interviews: here, and here Other books by Dr. Gottfried: The Search for Historical Meaning: Hegel and the Postwar American Right Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt: Toward a Secular Theocracy After Liberalism: Mass Democracy in the Managerial State Fascism: The Career of a Concept Antifascism: The Course of a Crusade Other resources: Check out Bibliography of Leo Strauss - Liberalism Ancient and Modern - The City and Man - Natural Right and History Plato: Phaedrus, Republic, Timaeus, Phaedo (also here, here and here and here) Aristotle: Politics, Nicomachean Ethics Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy by Grant Havers “Harry Jaffa and the Demise of the Old Republic” by Barry Shain “The Heresy of Equality” by M.E. Bradford The Morals of History by Tzvetan Todorov

    231. Paul Gottfried on Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America

  5. Jun 29

    230. Grant Havers on Leo Strauss: A Conservative Critique

    In this episode, we welcome Dr. Grant Havers to discuss his book Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy: A Conservative Critique. Who is Leo Strauss, and why does he matter? One of the most important and influential philosophers of the twentieth century – Strauss is often seen as unquestionably conservative, committed to the reading of ancient philosophy and the retrieval of ancient wisdom. Strauss even opposes “the triple scourge” of relativism, historicism, and positivism – based on human reason. But is there more to the story? Listen in as Dr. Havers takes us through how Straussians often downplay the role of Christianity in the development of Western Civilization – as well as assume and project secularism into the convictions of the philosophers they read and analyze. Indeed, what Dr. Havers identifies as “the lacuna in Strauss’s hermeneutic” is the pivotal and essential role that Christianity played in shaping “the Anglo-American Tradition” – and this is paired with a tendency to reinvent (and even misrepresent) Plato and Aristotle into something akin to the modern post-WWII Liberal order that actually was the project to which Strauss was dedicated. Do the Straussians truly understand the Greeks accurately? And why are Plato and Aristotle seen as more universal and timeless than Biblical religion? Indeed, can Strauss truly defend the West without a clear and robust commitment to what the Bible has contributed to its uniquely blessed heritage and tradition? We end with Dr. Havers fascinating analysis of what Protestant Christians can both learn and avoid when it comes to even Strauss’ own analysis of the divide between Jerusalem and Athens. Perhaps Strauss’ dualism between the two both honors how uniquely valuable Jerusalem has been to our culture and institutions – but also downplays how great Christian thinkers, such as John Calvin, have not simply reduced the revealed religion of the Bible into fideism and blind obedience. We end with Dr. Havers thoughts about how dependent upon Revelation (that is, the Bible) is Western Civilization, and how is this recognition necessary for any attempt to revitalize it going forward. Book: Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy: A Conservative Critique Other resources by Dr. Havers: - The Medium is Still the Message: Marshall McLuhan for Our Time - Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love Some resources by Leo Strauss: Bibliography of Leo Strauss Liberalism: Ancient and ModernNatural Right and HistoryStudies in Platonic Political PhilosophyThe City and Man- “Progress or Return?” - “Jerusalem and Athens” (also here, and here – and here) - “On the Interpretation of Genesis” (also here) - “Persecution and the Art of Writing”  - Thoughts on Machiavelli Other resources: Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal by Paul Gottfried The Ancient Economy by M.I. Finley Karl Marx by William Dennison In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis by Henri Blocher The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt The New Science by Giambattista Vico The Anxiety of Influence; The American Religion by Harold Bloom Between Philosophy and Religion, Spinoza, The Bible, and Modernity (2 vol.’s) by Brayton Polka The Origin of Sin by David Konstan

    230. Grant Havers on Leo Strauss: A Conservative Critique

  6. Jun 22

    229. Stephen Atkinson on CWINA: Christian Witness to Israel North America

    In this episode, we welcome Reverend Stephen Atkinson of CWINA (Christian Witness to Israel North America) to discuss his article “Reformation and Re-Embracement: A Brief History of the Puritan Hope for Israel”. We start with a discussion of the oft-erroneous “gentile narrative” of the earliest Christian church that has often obscured the Jewish Christ, the Jewish Twelve, and Jewish disciples. How should the Reformed discuss the idea of the singular “olive tree” that avoids what has been the historical consequences and connotations of so-called “replacement theology”? What has Dispensationalism and then the reactionary Anti-Dispensationalism both missed in regard to the Protestant emphasis on relationship with the Jewish people that emphasized gospel ministry over the sundry politics of the Middle East? What does Romans 11 teach, and what has the range of debate been among Reformed interpreters? Listen in as we ask Reverend Atkinson about what he means by the “pirates of providence”, about his own involvement in CWINA, and his hope for the future. Article: “Reformation and Re-Embracement: A Brief History of the Puritan Hope for Israel” Check out: CWINA (Christian Witness to Israel North America) - “Romans 11 and Israel’s Future in Christ” by Joel Beeke - Awakening the Conscience Course Please check out: "The Fulfillment of the Land Promise in The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Critique of Dispensationalism" by Matthew Emadi Please also check out: “The Return of the Jewish Question” by David Azerrad The Jewish State by Yoram Hazony The Hebrew Republic by Eric Nelson The Builder’s Stone by Melanie Phillips On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization by Douglas Murray - Note this critical review by Dr. Paul Gottfried Israel by Daniel Gordis The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT) by R.T. France The Letter to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo The Pauline Eschatology by Geerhardus Vos The Case for Amillenialism by Kim Riddlebarger “The Church Impotent: The History and Theology of Dispensationalism” (Jason Wallace) From Every People and Nation by J. Daniel Hays Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado Also, a relevant sermon by Rev. Dr. William Dennison on Revelation 14:14-20: "John's View of History: Reap What You Sow (Part 1)" Hitler’s Religion by Richard Weikart The Pope and the Jews; The Pope at War by David Kertzer The Aryan Jesus by Susannah Heschel Europe and the Jews by Malcolm Hay Theologians Under Hitler by Robert Ericksen The Lie That Will Not Die by Hadassa Ben-Itto Stalin and the Jews by Arno Lustiger Ordinary Men; The Origins of the Final Solution; The Path to Genocide by Christopher Browning Black Earth by Timothy Snyder clips: Romans; “O Come, O Come Immanuel” ; Luther; John Hagee; Yamma Ensemble: Psalm 104

    229. Stephen Atkinson on CWINA: Christian Witness to Israel North America

  7. Jun 15

    228. Richard Weikart on From Darwin to Hitler

    In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Richard Weikart to discuss his book From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany. We begin the interview with the question of methodology, and hear about the nuances needed to understand what is, and is not, being argued in the book. How does the historian accurately and responsibly track the impact of ideas, texts, and thinkers over time? From Darwin’s On the Origin of Species being published in 1859 to Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 – how did Darwinists, themselves, promote and develop these ideas? Was was “the gospel of Darwinism”, and what was the type of rhetoric so many Darwinists used to describe their “conversion”, in addition to promoting a “new morality” in the form of some version of “social gospel”? Listen in as Dr. Weikart covers this and more, including an oft-forgotten genocide of the Hereros during the Herero Revolt (1904-06) - annihilating around 81% of the people, being justified explicitly using Darwinian concepts and thus, using scientific sanction long before Hitler did the same. Demonstrating that Darwin – and those he influenced undermined the sanctity and value of human life, we underscore that the ideas utilized by the Nazis were often mainstream, “scientific”, academic, and indeed promoted as rooted in “natural law”. Though the trail is somewhat crooked at points - in the end, perhaps Hitler demonstrated the true horror entailed by the ideas of the Darwinist worldview when a tyrant is sincerely dedicated to applying them. Book: From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany Other books by Dr. Weikart: - Hitler’s Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress - Hitler’s Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich - hear past interview on this book here - Darwinian Racism: How Darwinism Influenced Hitler, Nazism, and White Nationalism - The Myth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Is His Theology Evangelical? - hear past interview on this book here - Unnatural Death: Medicine’s Descent from Healing to Killing Unbelievable Debate with Peter Singer Other resources: The Aryan Myth by Leon Poliakov Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn by Christopher Cox The Presbyterian Controversy by Bradley Longfield Process and Providence: The Evolution Question at Princeton, 1845-1929 by Bradley Gundlach - also, interview about B.B. Warfield here Darwinian Fairytales by David Stove Forgotten Science by S. D. Tucker Scientific Mythologies by James Herrick Admirable Evasions by Theodore Dalrymple On the point of LDS Disaffiliation and politics, there is some nuance that could’ve been said: - Check out our interview with Jeff Strong - “Why Latter-day Saints appear to be politically shifting to the Left” by Ciara Hulet (KUER 90.1) - “Ex-Mormons Are the Most Republican Religious Leavers in America” by Alex Bass (also, check out part two) The American Religious Landscape; The Nones; The Vanishing Church by Ryan Burge

    228. Richard Weikart on From Darwin to Hitler

  8. Jun 8

    227. Robert Bowman on Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions

    In this episode, we welcome Dr. Robert Bowman to discuss his book Jesus’ Resurrection and Joseph’s Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism. How comparable, both in terms of content and credibility, are the visions of Joseph Smith and the apostle Paul? How fitting are the methods analyzing harmonies, differences and potential contradictions between the New Testament accounts of the Resurrection of Christ, and the “First Vision” of Joseph Smith? Listen in as Dr. Bowman takes us into how to think about analyzing the credibility of miracle claims, and how accepting the historical reality of Jesus’ Resurrection does not logically open the Christian to the criticism that they should then accept all claims of the miraculous and the visionary. Starting with the appearance of Jesus to Paul, we ask about how to carefully think through how to understand what Paul saw and what that means – both historically and theologically. How does this compare to the LDS canonical account by Joseph Smith of his own “First Vision”? Is there a way to test the credibility of Joseph Smith’s claims in a way that is not guilty of a double-standard? Are the differences between Joseph Smith’s first vision accounts of the same category and quality as the differences we find in the New Testament accounts of the Risen Lord Jesus? We then ask Dr. Bowman why this matters – and why all people should care about what a thorough side-by-side comparison reveals about the credibility of the foundational claims of Christianity and of Mormonism. Book: Jesus’ Resurrection and Joseph’s Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism Check out website: RobertBowman.net Some other resources by Dr. Bowman: —“Jacob Hansen’s False Version of Joseph Smith’s First Vision” - The Incarnate Christ and His Critics - Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith - The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel - “The Historical Jesus and the Biblical Church: Why the Quest Matters” - “Moroni’s New Testament: Proof that the Author of the Book of Mormon used the King James Version” - “‘Temple of Solomon’ and Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon: A Response to Robert Boylan” Other resources: D&C 20; JSH-1 (also here); “First Vision Accounts” “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Q15; read by President Nelson) “What Are People Asking about Us?”; “The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith” by President Gordon B. Hinckley “Joseph Smith: A Revealer of Christ”; “Joseph Smith – The Mighty Prophet of the Restoration” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins by Steven Harper Dr. Kyle Beshears on 1832 First Vision Account Inventing Mormonism by H. Michael Marquardt and Wesley Walters (also here) Sandra Tanner on the Character of Joseph Smith Core Christianity by Michael Horton Scribes and Scripture by John Meade and Peter Gurry Testimonies to the Truth: Why You Can Trust the Gospels by Lydia McGrew The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris Scourby: Galatians, 1 Corinthians, Acts

    227. Robert Bowman on Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions
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About

Comparing Mormon and Creedal Christian Thought

Information

  • Creator
    Brendon Scoggin and Skyler Hamilton
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    234
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Distinctive Christianity

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