The Pugcast

Today begins the first of the shows recorded in Oxford! Today Tom and Chris are joined by Dr. Ben Merkle, President of New Saint Andrews College. Ben was visiting Oxford at the same time as the Pugs, and this afforded an opportunity to discuss with Tom and Chris what Ben learned at Oxford about post-secondary education and how those lessons are being applied at New Saint Andrews College half a world away.

On today's show the Pugsters consider the definitions of sacraments vs. ordinances before taking a closer look at baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They spend some time on the less discussed images of baptism in the New Testament (the Flood and the Exodus) and the use of the Greek word baptizo in the Septuagint. They then talk about the Lord’s Supper, noting the use of the phrase “body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians and both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the Supper.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

Today the Pugs interview Dr. Steve Jeffery, one of the minds behind The Works Based Conference being held in the Dallas/Fort Worth area June 28-29. The guys not only discuss the nature of the conference, the conversation addresses a theology of work, and even how our works will have a more enduring character than we generally appreciate. Included in the discussion is nature of our vocations in this creation, and the one to come. Enjoy! Learn more about the Works/Based Conference June 28/29 in Dallas/Fortworth: https://www.worksbased.com/ Buy Tickets: https://www.worksbased.com/tickets   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

Today the Pugs react to an article in New Oxford Review entitled, "How Cowardice, the Herd Mind & Twitter Mobs Threaten Academia by Jason M. Morgan and Mark Ramseyer. If you're still under the impression that higher education is a disinterested pursuit of truth, think again. It has been reduced to political advocacy and ressentiment. (Yes, that's spelled correctly--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ressentiment.) Morgan and Ramseyer had the temerity to correct conventional wisdom on something known as "the Comfort Women" of World War 2. There's no space here to treat this fully, but suffice it to say their scholarship was not received warmly by academic feminists. This resulted in a campaign to get them both cancelled. We're happy to report the cancelation failed. But the whole sorry episode has at least given the Pugs something to reflect upon.   Article Referenced: https://www.newoxfordreview.org/documents/how-cowardice-the-herd-mind-twitter-mobs-threaten-academia/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

It’s only a few days till our Pugcast crew heads across the pond and we realized that our public events have been shared over email and social media, but not yet on the podcast. Glenn goes over the details in the update, but here they are again:     On May 23rd, in conjunction with New Saint Andrew College:   6:00pm - 7:00pm Live Pugcast Oxford Presbyterian Church- 18 St Michael's St, Oxford OX1 2DU, United Kingdom  7:00- afterparty at the Plough Inn     On May 26th, rain or shine, the Theology Pugcast will host a Pub Crawl across Oxford, concluding with a live show recording at the Lamb & Flag featuring guest Dr. Alister McGrath.   Approximate Pug Crawl schedule: 4:00 Eastgate Hotel 4:45 King's Arms 5:30 White Horse 6:00 Brief moment of silence/selfies at Eagle & Child 6:15 Lamb and Flag for dinner and show 7:00 Live podcast with Alister McGrath Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dK2V8RkrfANEwBqM9   Let us know if you’ll make either event (if you haven’t already) via our contact form: https://thetheologypugcast.com/contact/     Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

On today's show Tom introduces the topic of boredom and its relation to a world that finds no meaning apart from the endless choices we draw from to gratify and distract ourselves. Glenn and Chris help unpack this timely topic, with its spiritual and historical roots and its impact upon the contemporary church.     Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

Today the Pugs answer questions prosed by supporters of the show on Patreon. Listen in to learn (among other things), where the guys first met and became friends, what they think about Annihilationism, why it really might come down to choosing between Aristotle and Nietzsche, why getting dressed up for church is a good thing--even though your salvation can't be boiled down to that, and a whole lot more!   Tom’s recommended works of Bonaventure: https://www.amazon.com/Works-Bonaventure-Enkindled-Perfection-Addressed/dp/1684220424?dplnkId=7a34e86a-4175-4841-9b27-eda88e86c2a8&nodl=1   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

In this episode, the guys talk about the 4B movement that originated in Korea and is getting some buzz in America. The 4Bs (in Korean) are no dating, no sex, no marriage, and no children. It’s partly responsible for the collapsing birthrate in Korea. The guys discuss the roots and implications of the movement with a tangent into ecology and forest management, though how they got there is anybody’s guess.     Article link: https://www.thefp.com/p/south-korea-america-having-kids   Support the Pugcast in Oxford on Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-pugcast-goes-to-oxford/x/6893861#/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/  

Today Chris takes the Pugs into the dark recesses of social status and asks questions few are willing to ask. For example: Why do so many women who apply to rent Chris's apartments have so much student loan debt, and such low credit scores? Why do young men in the trades with no debt and good income still lose out to flashy guys with tons of debt who flash shiny objects? And, can contemporary culture change its ways of measuring worth to reflect reality and not the image-generated fantasies of people on the make in higher education, corporate America, and left-wing ideologues? Tune in for these questions and many more!   Leon Podles on the Aaron Renn Show Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leon-podles-the-deep-roots-of-mens-alienation-from-church/id1530654244?i=1000651785160   Leon Podles Interview Transcript on Aaron’s Substack: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/leon-podles-the-deep-roots-of-mens?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2   Support the Pugcast in Oxford on Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-pugcast-goes-to-oxford/x/6893861#/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/

Today’s show builds on the conversation about imagination and C. S. Lewis last week. Tom and the guys continue the interaction with Lewis’ rich sacramental vision and its implications for how our human created natures are enriched and helped to come into their own principally by the vertical, our relation to God, but secondarily by the good gift of others that God has supplied for us to transcend and yet become ourselves in the rich fabric of created reality. Listen in!     Support the Pugcast in Oxford on Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-pugcast-goes-to-oxford/x/6893861#/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   The Theology Pugcast is a ministry of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville Alabama. To view more media from TRC, visit their website: https://trinityreformedkirk.com/trc-media/