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2 of the 3 pieces!

Three Pieces of Glass

Mortification of Spin
Oct 21, 2020
It’s been a banner year for great books, and the Spin Crew has chosen yet another winner! This time, Carl and Todd sit down with Eric Jacobsen, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, WI, and author of Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens . What are...
Edinburgh, Scotland

Bavinck: A Critical Biography

Mortification of Spin
Oct 14, 2020
This week, we reach “across the pond” for insight on the much-anticipated critical biography of Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck. James Eglinton, the Meldrum Senior Lecturer in Reformed Theology at New College, the University of Edinburgh, wrote the bio. Eglinton is acknowledged for his pivotal role...

Live Not by Lies

Mortification of Spin
Oct 7, 2020
The dynamic duo today becomes a trio, as a third pessimist—that is, a third realist— joins in. Rod Dreher is an American writer and editor, culture critic, and the author of several books, including The Benedict Option and the freshly released Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents...

The Power of Being There

Mortification of Spin
Sep 30, 2020
After revealing some details of their personal lives, Carl and Todd get down to business. Seems a disturbing phenomenon is plaguing churches all over the country. Since the lockdown, many Christians have become too comfortable with worshipping from home over a screen…dressed in their jammies,...
It's Carl's new book!

Trueman on the Modern Psychological Self

Mortification of Spin
Sep 23, 2020
Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self - Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution hasn’t even been released, and—already—it’s the best-selling book of 2020! It is, at least, according to the hosts of this program. Yes, the author feels he’s found...
Empty Churches in the Days of COVID

California and the Church

Mortification of Spin
Sep 16, 2020
The state of California has gathered its pitchforks and torches and they’re coming after Grace Community Church, pastored by John MacArthur. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened doors to all kinds of government regulations, including—to no one’s surprise—restrictions on worship gatherings. The feud...
Mortification of Spin

Christians and Lit

Mortification of Spin
Sep 9, 2020
Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt discuss the value of leisure reading and suggest a few outstanding titles. Todd’s dramatic reading at the conclusion of the podcast is worth the price of admission! Perhaps we should put it another way… You’ll enjoy reading A Christian Guide to the Classics , by Leland...
Is it ethical?

Considering Surrogacy

Mortification of Spin
Sep 2, 2020
When couples struggle with the pain of infertility, surrogacy may be one of the available options. Is surrogacy as simple as finding a “carrier” for your baby, or are there more considerations to bear in mind? Carl and Todd sit down with Adeline Allen, associate professor of law at Trinity Law...
The Gavel of Judgment

The New Perfectionism

Mortification of Spin
Aug 26, 2020
Carl and Todd are virtually visiting the beautiful state of Georgia, sipping some peach sweet tea with Rev. David Hall. David is the senior pastor at Midway Presbyterian Church in the Atlanta area, the hot spot for a yearly conference on reformed worship emphasizing the simplicity of worship and...

Forming Pastors in the Days of COVID

Mortification of Spin
Aug 19, 2020
The emperor of California has granted Joel Kim a temporary release to join Carl and Todd for a short conversation. The gathering happens at the usual spot—in front of an Ann Taylor boutique—so that the wives may have a good time as the men whine and opine! Joel is the president of Westminster...

Zorro's Exit from Big Eva

Mortification of Spin
Aug 12, 2020
Our dynamic duo brings in Chad Vegas with a plan to dig up some dirt he has on Big Eva without raising any controversy. But who are we kidding? Chad is currently the pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield, CA, and was a pioneer in the Young, Restless, and Reformed (YRR) movement. We’re...
As for me and my house...

A Place to Belong

Mortification of Spin
Aug 5, 2020
This week’s conversation brings in a New Englander, and--mind you--a Grove City College alum! Megan Hill is a pastor’s wife living in Massachusetts. She’s a pastor’s daughter, a mom, an editor, and the author of A Place to Belong - Learning to Love the Local Church . The image we personally hold of...
Are you connected?

Church Officers and Social Media

Mortification of Spin
Jul 29, 2020
Todd and his “sidekick” Carl believe that they have much wisdom to dispense to the world. They’ve picked a tech-free and quiet spot nestled in among the Amish in Pennsylvania to share their thoughts on the “evils” of social media—particularly regarding church officers. Since quitting Twitter Todd’s...

What About Bostock?

Mortification of Spin
Jul 22, 2020
As the Covid-19 debate rages and protestors have taken to the streets, the US Supreme Court hands down an important ruling in a case, which—unfortunately—seems to have flown under the radar of the media: Bostock v. Clayton County . The smartest-dressed man on campus returns! Matthew Franck is the...
A sketch of Greenville Seminary

Pilgrimage to Greenville

Mortification of Spin
Jul 15, 2020
Carl rushes in to introduce today’s guest…lest he, once again, forget the man’s name! Jonathan Master is a friend of The Spin and the co-host of Theology on the Go , another Alliance podcast. Just a few days ago, Jonathan officially took the reins as president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological...
Owen, rockin' The Spin

PCA Report on Sexuality

Mortification of Spin
Jul 8, 2020
Todd and Carl’s guest today is Kevin DeYoung. He’s the pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC, assistant professor of systematic theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte campus, and author/contributor for numerous outstanding books. Kevin joins us today for the first time...

A Dark Cloud for Democracy

Mortification of Spin
Jul 1, 2020
We’re living in a time of many, simultaneous world crises. Are these global challenges in some way related? Seeking perspective and clarity, our hosts discuss one of Carl’s recent articles at First Things , where he ponders why the British seem more concerned with incidents of police brutality in...

Best of MoS: Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?

Mortification of Spin
Jun 24, 2020
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary debuted on “The Spin” in 2019 in the person of Michael Morales, the seminary’s professor of Biblical Studies. Who Shall Ascend the Mount of the Lord? is Michael’s latest work on the book of Leviticus, and part of the New Studies in Biblical Theology...

Best of Mortification of Spin: None Greater, Indeed

Mortification of Spin
Jun 17, 2020
Matthew Barrett joined us in 2019. He’s associate professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas, MO. Matthew stopped by to chat about his latest work, None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God. If you’re wondering what Matthew means by the word “...

Best of MoS - Jesus Becoming Jesus

Mortification of Spin
Jun 10, 2020
The crew receives a visit from Fr. Thomas Weinandy. He is a Franciscan Capuchin priest, systematic theologian, long-time professor, and author of many books. In his latest--Jesus Becoming Jesus: A Theological Interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels--Thomas focuses on the doctrine and theology of the...

Best of Mortification of Spin - Walking Through Twilight

Mortification of Spin
Jun 3, 2020
Mortification of Spin is on holiday in June, so we are enjoying a few powerful episodes of the podcast just one more time. In 2018, Douglas Groothuis joined the conversation. He’s professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary and had recently written a very personal book titled Walking through...

American Worldview Inventory

Mortification of Spin
May 27, 2020
The latest Barna Research Institute survey was recently released, and the Magnificent Three break down the results. Although the Barna definition of a “Bible-believing Christian” is a bit broader than ours, the poll results are still quite compelling. It appears the number of believers in...
Stay safe!

"Phasing" Back to Church

Mortification of Spin
May 20, 2020
As many states' governments are talking about a “phased” reopening from the COVID-19 lockdown, our quarantined trio –bound in three different states—is asking some important questions concerning going back to church. When might Christians be able to congregate in person? How will we “do church” as...
John Owen, rockin' it Old Skool

Canon, Covenant, and Christology

Mortification of Spin
May 13, 2020
As they continue “social distancing,” the team gets together virtually with Matthew Barrett. He’s associate professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, executive editor of Credo Magazine, and author and editor of several great theological books. His...
Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: The Trial

Mortification of Spin
May 6, 2020
Defendant Aimee Byrd is called in, and the trial has begun. She’s representing herself in the court case, The Patriarchy vs. Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood . It is alleged that the defendant is the ringleader in an underground hysterical feminist movement. Among her crimes: refusing...
Mortification of Spin

Reformed Road Leads to Rome?

Mortification of Spin
Apr 29, 2020
A listener sends a question via paper airplane, in accordance with social distancing guidelines, and the crew responds from the quarantine bunker. Due to reports of some cases of conversion to Roman Catholicism by a few Reformed ministers, theologians, and laypeople, said listener is intrigued if...
Mortification of Spin

The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity

Mortification of Spin
Apr 22, 2020
The team is excited to welcome an old friend and returning guest. Michael Kruger is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. He’s contributed much to the Reformed theological world with his writings about the Canon and...
...open the doors, and see all the...pews!

But They Had Everything in Common

Mortification of Spin
Apr 15, 2020
After a quick break, the crew just had to return to the pandemic topic, as they remain in bunker lockdown. Stay-at-home orders and global shutdowns have had a huge impact on how we do almost everything—including, how we “do church.” What do church membership and commitment to the local body look...

Wanted: Peoples' Shepherd

Mortification of Spin
Apr 8, 2020
The Spinners are quarantined in the underground bunker and take a break from all the pandemic talk to address a listener question: What should a church be looking for when searching for a new pastor, and how might they go about it? Of course, a candidate’s online presence can tell much about who he...

Missing The Body in Times of Plague

Mortification of Spin
Apr 1, 2020
This is a special pandemic edition of The Spin, as Carl, Todd, and Aimee record—not just 6 feet away, but—100 miles distant from one another, just to be on the safe side. COVID-19 times can be challenging, and they’ve afforded Todd a new opportunity to complement his pastoral calling. The...
Owens is armed only with a iPhone 4, apparently

Classics, Doctrinal Differences, Guns and Church Safety

Mortification of Spin
Mar 25, 2020
The Spin Team gathers once again to answer some of the great questions they’ve received from listeners. The first query concerns must-read classic books from authors long gone. Next, the intrepid trio considers just how many doctrinal differences a congregant should bear in a church before he or...
Carl's Colorful Pants

Denomination Pros, Church Size, and Seminaries

Mortification of Spin
Mar 18, 2020
This week, the team receives a tall order. Listener Chad is requesting the return of Liam Goligher to the theological boxing ring. Can the outspoken pastor handle another two year-long battle for orthodox doctrine of God? As it has often been the case, the conversation quickly digresses to men’s...

Emotional and Spiritual Abuse, Cont.

Mortification of Spin
Mar 11, 2020
Due to popular interest, and the large number of allegations emerging across the country, the team continues to address the topics of emotional and spiritual abuse. A broken bone may be evidence in a case of physical abuse, but emotional/spiritual abuse can go undetected, and the victim may be...

The Mystery of Incarnation

Mortification of Spin
Mar 4, 2020
Christ’s incarnation is not solely a topic for discussion at Christmas. So today, the crew explores this great and amazing mystery of Scripture. Were the disciples and others seeing God when they looked at Jesus? The answer to this question reveals much about how one apprehends the doctrine of...
Good Leaders Enjoy Podcasts

Touch Not the Lord's Anointed

Mortification of Spin
Feb 26, 2020
The professor, the megachurch pastor, and the housewife theologian (AKA professional potato peeler) gather for a casual chat about a topic that it keeps on giving. Diverse scandals of abuse involving prominent Christian leaders have been occurring quite regularly, a number of which have come from...
Red, Red Wine and Brown, Brown Bread

Red, Red Wine

Mortification of Spin
Feb 19, 2020
Following up last week’s discussion on church discipline, Carl and Aimee bring up the closely related topic of the Lord’s Supper. What does church discipline tell us about the importance of church membership and the Lord’s Supper? Should membership in a church be required in order for a person to...

A Mark of a True Church

Mortification of Spin
Feb 12, 2020
The term “church discipline” might have a negative connotation in the ears of many, but the team wants to dispel some of the misconceptions about it. Just what is “church discipline?” When needed, it’s a component of discipleship. So, when is church discipline necessary and justifiable? Where does...
We are but sheep...

The Care of Souls

Mortification of Spin
Feb 5, 2020
Todd starts this conversation by setting the ground rules and letting everyone know his preferred pronouns: he, him, and his. The bearded one also claims to have the definitive pronunciation of the author’s name of the book topic of today’s conversation. The Care of Souls by Harold Senkbeil...

Evangelical Popes, Too Big to Fail

Mortification of Spin
Jan 29, 2020
Aimee is away, and the boys are feeling empowered today, tossing out random thoughts from the dark recesses of their man cave. Pope Francis’ holy hand slap brings up the topic of unquestionable authority and the lack of accountability among the legions of little evangelical “popes” running around...
Our first subscriber!

You Might Be a Federal Visionist If...

Mortification of Spin
Jan 22, 2020
The three amigos compiled a sizeable list of answers to that conditional statement—perhaps you have a few of your own! But why is this even a topic to be addressed? It seems that, even though the movement has been condemned by the NAPARC denominations over a decade ago, Federal Vision is still...
17 points, or 33 if you land that X on a triple letter score!

Struck Down but Not Destroyed

Mortification of Spin
Jan 15, 2020
Following a discussion of various conspiracy theories, bad driving, and why the Spinners will never record episodes while in a car with Aimee at the wheel…the conversation turns to the topic of anxiety. To broach the subject, the crew welcomes Pierce Taylor Hibbs. He’s the associate director of the...

Lessons Learned

Mortification of Spin
Jan 8, 2020
Todd’s been summoned to host a popular TV show, but Carl and Aimee guarantee that they can handle this week’s episode without his coaching. The two have learned a few things this past year that they’re willing to share. Carl discusses how pleasantly different 2019 was for him at his new job, the...

A Textbook of Theology

Mortification of Spin
Jan 1, 2020
The three Spinners are back in the bunker to recommend a book and discuss its highlights. The topic of this conversation is actually a textbook titled Introducing Evangelical Theology by Daniel J. Treier, published by Baker Academic. Written for all kinds of theology students—from small reading...
Mortification of Spin

Classical Theism - The Resurgence

Mortification of Spin
Dec 25, 2019
Guess who’s on the Christmas naughty list? That’s right--all three Spinners! Aimee’s compared to Yoko Ono , Carl gets blamed for it, and Todd justifies his patriarchal household decisions. When the banter is finally over, we get to today’s topic: the resurgence of classical theism. What is...

Transgenderism Tackled by an Unlikely Coalition

Mortification of Spin
Dec 18, 2019
Emily Zinos of the Ask Me First Minnesota Family Council returns to the bunker following her outstanding appearance on “ Gender Confusion .” This time, Emily brings along her good friend Natasha Chart, who is on the board of directors of the Women’s Liberation Front - WoLF. What do a conservative...

Q&A - Children of Believers and Our Fallible Heroes

Mortification of Spin
Dec 10, 2019
Another curious word game introduction sets the stage for answering a few listener questions. Tackled today: Liturgical dance, Carl’s colorful pants and his “Christian journey,” Todd’s no-book deal, studio cough switches, and more. Seriously: are the children of believers considered to be...

Confessional and Missional

Mortification of Spin
Dec 4, 2019
Great questions keep coming from our listeners, and the Spin Team speaks ex cathedra , putting to rest once and for all a few queries related to this topic. Is there a true tension between being missional and being confessional? What does it mean to be missional in the current context? The crew...

Sexual Ethics Grounded in Doctrine

Mortification of Spin
Nov 27, 2019
The college professor, the housewife theologian from “Mary-land,” and the PCA pastor/conspiracy theorist invite David White to join them in the bunker for a superb conversation about God, You, and Sex: A Profound Mystery. David is a pastor, author of several books, and has served in several...

Q&A - War, Pacifism, and Book Recommendations

Mortification of Spin
Nov 20, 2019
After the crew concludes that #EpsteinDidNotKillHimself, and plays a fun rhyming word game, it’s time to address some serious questions from our listeners. Among today’s topics: War and Just War Theory. Is there truly such a thing as a “just war?” What is pacifism, and are...

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?

Mortification of Spin
Nov 13, 2019
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary debuts on “The Spin” with the presence of Michael Morales, the seminary’s professor of Biblical Studies. Who Shall Ascend the Mount of the Lord? is Michael’s latest work on the book of Leviticus, and part of the New Studies in...