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Mid-America Reformed Seminary
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Join the faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary as they discuss everything from theology to cultural issues from a Reformed perspective. *The opinions presented in each episode are those of the individual speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of the Seminary.*

  1. −5 D

    297. Pastoring a Politically Exhausted Church

    Political division strains friendships, but sometimes, it also fractures churches, turning voting records into litmus tests for gospel faithfulness and Sunday mornings into ideological battlegrounds. In this first episode of a four-part series, Marscast host Jared Luttjeboer sits down with Dr. Alan Strange to diagnose what's really happening beneath the surface of politically exhausted congregations, and why the Reformed tradition's hard-won wisdom about the church's proper role may be exactly what pastors need right now.

    15 min

  2. 26 FEB.

    296. Is There Room for Growth in the URCNA?

    Can a young federation preserve its confessional convictions while reaching new communities? As the URCNA approaches its thirtieth year with approximately 140 churches and 25,000 members, Dr. Cornelis Venema explores the delicate balance between maintaining theological clarity and expanding the mission. From the 2008 union with Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches to current debates about seminary training and church planting, this episode asks whether faithfulness and growth can walk hand in hand.

    25 min

  3. 19 FEB.

    295. What the URCNA Won't Compromise: Doctrine, Polity, and the Form of Subscription

    When the United Reformed Churches in North America formed in 1996, they didn't just create another denomination; they made deliberate choices about identity rooted in centuries of Reformed tradition. From adopting the Three Forms of Unity to implementing a strict subscription rooted in the Synod of Dort, to maintaining commitments such as catechetical preaching, every decision reveals the URCNA's commitment to preserving Reformed confessionalism. Dr. Cornelis Venema joins us to explore how confessional standards function in church life, how subscription shapes accountability, and why understanding these theological distinctives matters for anyone interested in Reformed ecclesiology today.

    24 min

  4. 12 FEB.

    294. The Birth of the United Reformed Churches in North America

    When around 40 churches take a risk to leave the only denomination they've ever known, what drives them to take that leap? This episode reveals how a single letter from a small Illinois congregation in 1986 sparked a movement that would become a chapter in the history books of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. From the Consistorial Conferences to debates over church order, Dr. Cornelis Venema recounts the difficult, messy, and historic birth of the United Reformed Churches, a story of the cost of remaining faithful to what you believe Scripture demands and what it means to be a confessional church.

    27 min

  5. 5 FEB.

    293. The Long Road to Leaving the CRC

    What theological crisis in the 20th century led thousands of Reformed Christians to leave their denomination and start something new? In this episode, Dr. Cornelis Venema takes us inside the Christian Reformed Church in North America during a time when questions about biblical authority, confessional fidelity, and ordination standards came to a head. From faculty dismissals at Calvin Seminary in 1952 to heated debates over Genesis, evolution, and women's ordination, you’ll learn about the interconnected controversies that made it clear to many that a new direction was necessary. This is the foundational story behind the United Reformed Churches in North America.

    18 min

  6. 2025-12-25

    292. Rome Strikes Back: The Catholic Counter-Reformation

    How did the Catholic Church respond when Luther's hammer struck the church door? In this Christmas Day finale, Dr. Alan Strange and Jared Luttjeboer explore the other side of the Reformation story: Rome's counter-offensive. From the rise of the Jesuits as the Pope's "shock troops" to the monumental Council of Trent that would define Catholic theology for years to come, you'll learn how the Catholic Church navigated one of its greatest crises. Was it genuine reform or strategic resistance? The answer might surprise you. This episode also traces the surprising connections between 16th-century debates and the Catholic Church of today, and reveals why these centuries-old decisions continue to have relevance in modern Christianity.

    18 min

  7. 2025-12-18

    291. John Knox and the Scottish Reformation

    Venture north of England to the Reformation in Scotland, which created something truly distinctive—a Presbyterian church that would reshape the English-speaking world. Dr. Alan Strange guides us through the smuggling of Lutheran tracts in cargo shipments, the martyrdom of Patrick Hamilton, and the extraordinary life of John Knox, the fiery preacher who once dared to tell a French ambassador to call his king a murderer to his face. Learn how Knox's time as a galley slave, his years in Geneva with Calvin, and his commitment to justification by faith alone contributed to the formation of a movement that produced groundbreaking documents like the Scottish Confession and the Books of Discipline.

    16 min

  8. 2025-12-11

    290. England's Reformation: Why It Started in the Palace, Not the Pulpit

    Why did England's Reformation begin with a king's divorce rather than a theologian's protest? In this episode of MARSCAST, Dr. Alan Strange guides us through the fascinating and tumultuous story of how England broke from Rome, not primarily for doctrinal reasons, but through political upheaval. From Henry VIII's quest for a male heir to the brief but transformative reign of the boy king Edward VI, from the brutal persecutions under "Bloody Mary" to Elizabeth's controversial middle way, the English Reformation took a path unlike anything seen on the Continent. Along the way, we'll learn how these religious and political shifts gave rise to the Puritan movement and ultimately shaped the various groups that would later settle in America.

    18 min
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Om

Join the faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary as they discuss everything from theology to cultural issues from a Reformed perspective. *The opinions presented in each episode are those of the individual speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of the Seminary.*

Information

  • Skapad av
    Mid-America Reformed Seminary
  • Aktiva år
    2020 - 2026
  • Avsnitt
    304
  • Åldersgräns
    Barnvänligt
  • Copyright
    © Mid-America Reformed Seminary
  • Programmets webbplats
    MARSCAST

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