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Mere Fidelity
Mere Fidelity
Mere Fidelity

From the Mere Orthodoxy Podcast Network: thoughtful weekly conversations about theology, the culture, and the church, hosted by Matthew Lee Anderson, Derek... more

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Episodes

Mortal Goods, with Dr. Ephraim Radner

Politics has inflated beyond the realm where it can order our finite, common, physical lives. What is the natural realm... more

03 Oct 2024 · 52 minutes
Hot Takes Taken Cold

In a recent podcast appearance (not here, thank God), N.T. Wright made some, shall we say, controversial remarks that caused... more

24 Sep 2024 · 49 minutes
Fishy Numbers in the Bible

How seriously should we take statistical numbers given in the Bible? If you need more of a prompt than that... more

18 Sep 2024 · 43 minutes
Spiritual-Not-Religious: Orphic Mysteries and Modern Attitudes, with Dr. Michael Horton

Do you assume that being “spiritual but not religious” is a fad of modernism? Think again. It goes way, way... more

10 Sep 2024 · 55 minutes
Put Social Media in Its Place, with Andy Crouch

The data is in. Social media has now been studied long enough that we are able to compile reliable data,... more

28 Aug 2024 · 49 minutes
The Tribe of Levi and Women’s Ordination

Having recently been reminded of the ongoing disagreements about the ordination of women, the Mere Fi cast turn to the... more

21 Aug 2024 · 54 minutes
What Difference Does a Doctrine of Creation Make?

In response to a listener question, Derek, Matt, and Alastair go deep on the doctrine of creation. They ask and... more

17 Aug 2024 · 46 minutes
Identity in Christ

Is it useful to talk about finding our identity in Christ? Is that the language that the Scripture uses? How... more

02 Aug 2024 · 42 minutes
Summer Reading

What makes good summer reading? If anyone would know, it’s the Mere Fi bookworms. This isn’t a book recommendation episode.... more

22 Jul 2024 · 48 minutes
How Should We Then Die? with Ewan Goligher

Ewan Goligher has written a book making a clear and strong argument against euthanasia and for the intrinsic value of... more

28 May 2024 · 53 minutes
Christian Politics with Oliver O’Donovan

Professor Oliver O’Donovan joins Matt and Derek once more. This time they discuss the relationship of Christian belief and practice... more

21 May 2024 · 49 minutes
Christian Ethics with Oliver O’Donovan

The renowned Professor Oliver O’Donovan joins Matt and Alastair to discuss the relationship between the practice of the Christian faith... more

14 May 2024 · 46 minutes
Casuistry

Casuistry is a technical term for a way of reasoning about ethical principles in specific situations. It fell into disuse... more

07 May 2024 · 50 minutes
The Deception of Isaac

Taking up a difficult passage of Scripture, Alastair, Andrew, and Matt consider the incident in which Jacob deceives Isaac into... more

01 May 2024 · 46 minutes
Thinking For Yourself

When dealing with delicate, nuanced, disputed, or important issues, should Christians primarily rely on their own judgment or the authority... more

23 Apr 2024 · 40 minutes
Men and Women in I Timothy

Andrew, Matt, and Alastair take up the oft-disputed passage from First Timothy that seems to restrict the authority of women... more

17 Apr 2024 · 48 minutes
The Resurrection in John

Christ is risen indeed, alleluia! The Easter season is upon us, and the regular cast and crew have the Resurrection... more

02 Apr 2024 · 49 minutes
The Cross and the Empty Tomb

As we approach Palm Sunday, Alastair, Matt, and Derek meditate—and ask incisive questions—upon the Cross, the Resurrection, the Triumphal Entry,... more

19 Mar 2024 · 33 minutes
Quit Social Media

We can all feel it. Something about social media is just really unhealthy. But what to do about it? That’s... more

14 Mar 2024 · 50 minutes
God’s Preferred Pronouns

In yet another brazen foray into hot topics, Matt, Derek, and Alastair talk with eminent trinitarian theologian, Dr. Fred Sanders,... more

05 Mar 2024 · 39 minutes
Ascesis and the Modern World

Is asceticism good for the Christian life? Seems like a simple question at first, but there is a lot more... more

20 Feb 2024 · 39 minutes
C.S. Lewis for Everyone

C.S. Lewis is an odd figure. Beloved, cited, and recruited by both progressive and conservative Christians, his works have a... more

13 Feb 2024 · 48 minutes
Moral Complicity

Alistair Begg hit a nerve with Christians online when he said in public that it might be ok for a... more

06 Feb 2024 · 46 minutes
A Quiet Mind to Suffer With, with John Bryant

What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to say to those who wrestle with mental illness? This month’s Lexham... more

29 Jan 2024 · 47 minutes
The Ethics of Shunning

It’s come up on the show before, but this time Andrew and Matt are going to settle this once and... more

26 Jan 2024 · 44 minutes
Christianity as a Way of Life, with Kevin Hector

Dr. Kevin Hector has written the theology for the rest of us. Normal, non-academic persons will find Christianity as a... more

09 Jan 2024 · 45 minutes
Creator, with Peter Leithart

What is the most basic aspect of God’s identity? What do we know Him as first? One potential answer to... more

03 Jan 2024 · 54 minutes
The Theology of Blessings

In the wake of a controversial Vatican document favorable toward blessing those in same-sex relationships, Matt, Alastair, and Derek discuss... more

30 Dec 2023 · 39 minutes
Reputation

In a time when “being canceled” is one of our greatest fears, thinking Biblically about reputation as a category is... more

11 Dec 2023 · 47 minutes
Biblical Critical Theory, with Christopher Watkin

Critical Race Theory is not the only sort of critical theory out there. As a matter of fact, Augustine’s City... more

07 Dec 2023 · 52 minutes
Reforming Criminal Justice, with Matthew Martens

Can we understand criminal justice Biblically? Criminal justice in America is in need of reform, and attorney Matthew Martens has... more

27 Nov 2023 · 52 minutes
The Perplexing Book of Zechariah

Occasionally on Mere Fidelity we have taken up difficult passages of Scripture. On this episode we take up an entire... more

14 Nov 2023 · 50 minutes
Guarding Our Souls in Wartime

With war in Israel functioning as a totemic marker in our polarized political climate, Derek, Matt, and Alastair talk frankly... more

03 Nov 2023 · 59 minutes
Called Into Questions

Is questioning your faith a good thing? We need not fear questions. By the grace of God, we have the... more

24 Oct 2023 · 55 minutes
On Radical Integralism, with Dr. Kevin Vallier

Integralism is a philosophy of church and state that seemed to have been definitively rejected. And yet, it has received... more

17 Oct 2023 · 57 minutes
Knowing God, with Dr. Fred Sanders

The classic intro to Christianity, Knowing God by J.I. Packer, was published 50 years ago. To celebrate this anniversary, Derek,... more

03 Oct 2023 · 46 minutes
Are Mediocre Christians Allowed?

Since at least the time of the Donatists, the Church has wrestled with how to relate to Christians who are... more

23 Sep 2023 · 51 minutes
1776, with Andrew Wilson

When answering the question, “How did we get here?” how far back do you have to go? Mere Fidelity’s own... more

13 Sep 2023 · 53 minutes
Reformation as Renewal, with Dr. Matthew Barrett

Was the Reformation really as much a break with what came before it as we are often led to believe?... more

06 Sep 2023 · 57 minutes
The Biblical Trinity, with Brandon Smith

In The Biblical Trinity, Brandon Smith proclaims the Trinity from the Bible. The doctrine arises not from a handful of... more

07 Aug 2023 · 53 minutes
Should We Put Flags in Churches? with Dr. Miles Smith

Does your church display an American flag or Union Jack or some other national flag? It’s been an active debate... more

25 Jul 2023 · 44 minutes
Bulwarks of Unbelief, with Joe Minich

In Bulwarks of Unbelief, Joseph Minich argues that a felt absence of God, as experienced by the modern individual, offers... more

20 Jun 2023 · 45 minutes
Reading Advice

Most of what we talk about on Mere Fidelity presupposes a lot of reading. What is the real use of... more

09 Jun 2023 · 49 minutes
Tim Keller’s Legacy

Friend of the show, Pastor Timothy Keller, has entered into glory. He was a pivotal player in Evangelicalism over the... more

30 May 2023 · 53 minutes
Pierced by Love, with Dr. Hans Boersma

Lectio Divina is a popular form of prayer using the reading of Scripture as a means of encountering God. While... more

16 May 2023 · 45 minutes
The Nicene Creed, with Dr. Phillip Cary

Why do we need creeds? What are they for? Isn’t Scripture enough? Dr. Phillip Cary has a very useful and... more

10 May 2023 · 44 minutes
Beautiful Union, with Joshua Ryan Butler

Josh Butler caused a big ruckus when an excerpt from his latest book was posted on a prominent Christian website.... more

01 May 2023 · 55 minutes
Resurrection Bodies

Christ is risen indeed! In this Easter season, Matt, Alastair, and Derek turn their attention to one of the most... more

18 Apr 2023 · 49 minutes
Analogies for God

How can we humans form a conception of God, Who is infinitely beyond our capacity for understanding? Analogies! They’re at... more

05 Apr 2023 · 41 minutes
Neo-Calvinism, with Cory Brock and Gray Sutanto

Neo-Calvinism is in the air. But is it theologically relevant or merely a political phenomenon? Or did the Americans just... more

31 Mar 2023 · 50 minutes
The Age of AI, with Jason Thacker

When students started turning in papers written by artificial intelligence, educators were caught flat-footed. We knew that machines would replace... more

21 Mar 2023 · 57 minutes
Protestants & History, with Paul Gutacker

On this episode of Mere Fidelity, historian of history Paul Gutacker joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to talk about the... more

07 Mar 2023 · 49 minutes
A Billion Dollars

What would you do with a billion dollars to strengthen the Western Church? The question is straightforward enough, but the... more

28 Feb 2023 · 51 minutes
The Man of Lawlessness

When you come across a passage of Scripture that just throws you for a loop, who do you go to... more

22 Feb 2023 · 48 minutes
The Genesis of Gender, with Dr. Abigail Favale

These days, it seems nobody without a doctorate in biology knows how to tell men apart from women. How did... more

16 Feb 2023 · 48 minutes
Tolkien Dogmatics, with Austin Freeman

J.R.R. Tolkien is known as the language professor who created a fantasy world and constructed several languages for fun. However,... more

01 Feb 2023 · 47 minutes
MAID in Canada

Why are so many Canadians choosing to make use of “medical assistance in dying” and ending their lives prematurely? The... more

26 Jan 2023 · 48 minutes
Antisemitism in Thessalonians

There is a passage in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians that is so jarring some have doubted whether Paul... more

19 Jan 2023 · 43 minutes
Mere Fidelity to Mere Orthodoxy

Learn more about Mere Orthodoxy at www.mereorthodoxy.com.

26 Dec 2022 · 3 minutes
End of Year Extravaganza

At the end of each year, we like to take one episode of Mere Fidelity to give the hosts a... more

20 Dec 2022 · 56 minutes
Gratitude, with Dr. Kent Dunnington

Talk of thankfulness pervades the Scriptures. But how well do we really understand the concept of gratitude. Matt has done... more

22 Nov 2022 · 47 minutes
Uncommon Unity, with Dr. Richard Lints

Our times are fragmented. Political and cultural differences rage, even among people who otherwise show goodwill. But what if Scripture... more

15 Nov 2022 · 54 minutes
The Thrill of Orthodoxy, with Trevin Wax

Every generation faces the temptation to wander from orthodoxy and to drift with cultural currents. So every generation must be... more

02 Nov 2022 · 54 minutes
On Earth as in Heaven, with Dr. Peter Leithart

When one advocates for good practices that are quite old and abandoned, these things that have been forgotten can seem... more

27 Oct 2022 · 57 minutes
Martin Luther and the Rule of Faith, with Dr. Todd Hains

For generations of evangelicals lacking good catechesis, Martin Luther is often seen as a primitive, unsophisticated, or backwards reformer. Into... more

12 Oct 2022 · 54 minutes
Virtuous Persuasion, with Dr. Michael Niebauer

What counts as doing God’s mission? How do we measure the success of Christian mission? It’s very tempting to turn... more

27 Sep 2022 · 52 minutes
On the Monarchy

In light of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the two British and one Canadian member of the Mere Fidelity... more

20 Sep 2022 · 43 minutes
Introspection

What are the limits of introspection as a Christian discipline? Is introspection advocated in Scripture? When you listen in silence... more

13 Sep 2022 · 49 minutes
Lying

The Bible has some tricky passages. Occasionally here on Mere Fidelity the crew likes to pick one of these up... more

06 Sep 2022 · 49 minutes
Internet Anonymity

Is it licit for Christians to be anonymous on the internet? What role could anonymity play in evangelism? Should you... more

30 Aug 2022 · 47 minutes
The Name of the Lord

What exactly does it mean for God to “vindicate,” “sanctify,” or “glorify” His name? Derek has been giving this question... more

16 Aug 2022 · 50 minutes
The Religion of American Greatness, with Dr. Paul Miller

In a perfect, though not fully intentional, follow-up to the conversation in the previous episode about Conservative Nationalism, Dr. Paul... more

02 Aug 2022 · 54 minutes
Conservatism, with Dr. Yoram Hazony

What hath Enlightenment Liberalism wrought? According to Dr. Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, it has led us... more

20 Jul 2022 · 1 hour, 3 minutes
Biblical Reasoning, with Drs. Bobby Jamieson & Tyler Wittman

There’s been a divorce between the disciplines of Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology. Representing both of those disciplines, Dr. Bobby... more

12 Jul 2022 · 49 minutes
‘Jesus and the God of Classical Theism,’ with Dr. Steve Duby

Does the philosophical knowledge of God known as Classical Theism enrich our reading of Scripture? Or does it get in... more

05 Jul 2022 · 54 minutes
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

What has six thumbs and doesn’t understand that passage where Jesus says blasphemy against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven?... more

28 Jun 2022 · 50 minutes
Alternatives to Winsomeness? with James Wood

When James Wood wrote about the drawbacks of certain strategies for Christians to transcend the political divide without compromising evangelism,... more

21 Jun 2022 · 54 minutes
Pentecost

Now that Alastair has returned from his honeymoon, Mere Fidelity jumps right back into the liturgical year with a lively... more

07 Jun 2022 · 52 minutes
The Dobbs Opinion, with Susannah Black

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, what comes next? Alastair, Matt, and Derek discuss the recent Supreme Court leak with... more

10 May 2022 · 51 minutes
The Doctrine of Assurance, with J. Todd Billings

Friendly disagreements are one of the best things about Mere Fidelity. In a previous episode, the guys were unable to... more

03 May 2022 · 56 minutes
The Doctrine of Scripture, with Dr. Brad East

What is the Bible? What is it for? Does the Bible create the Church or vice versa? As God’s people,... more

26 Apr 2022 · 52 minutes
‘The Life We’re Looking For,’ with Andy Crouch

Andy Crouch brings a much-needed Christian perspective to understanding how humans relate to technology in his new book, The Life... more

19 Apr 2022 · 54 minutes
‘Abraham’s Silence,’ with Dr. J. Richard Middleton

Dr. J. Richard Middleton has a unique interpretation of Genesis 22, Abraham's (near-)sacrifice of Isaac, which departs — radically, some... more

12 Apr 2022 · 42 minutes
Beyond Racial Division, with Dr. George Yancey

Can progress be made on the problem of racial division? Dr. George Yancey, professor of sociology at Baylor University (and... more

31 Mar 2022 · 47 minutes
On Preaching the Rape Texts, with Jen Pollock Michel

Jen Pollock Michel, writer and Mere Fidelity listener, sent in an important and challenging question by email: There are several... more

28 Mar 2022 · 50 minutes
Saving Evangelicalism, with Tim Keller

A recent New York Times essay by David Brooks, "The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself," kicked up quite... more

01 Mar 2022 · 1 hour, 19 minutes
‘What Are Christians For?’ with Jake Meador

For many 21st century Christians in the West it seems that the world is unraveling. There are two questions we... more

22 Feb 2022 · 54 minutes
The Psalms, with Dr. James Hamilton

Reading the Psalms individually as we often do, you can miss how they all fit together. Dr. James Hamilton’s new... more

17 Feb 2022 · 48 minutes
‘You’re Only Human,’ with Kelly Kapic

We humans have a complicated relationship with our limits. We constantly push them; expand them; try to circumvent them. But... more

03 Feb 2022 · 46 minutes
How Many People Are Saved?

A conundrum has been bothering Andrew: If you say that few people are saved, that raises certain theological problems, but... more

25 Jan 2022 · 46 minutes
‘A Hermeneutic of Wisdom,’ with Dr. J. de Waal Dryden

The modern mindset instinctively views everything, even texts, as objects to be pulled apart and understood rationally. When we do... more

19 Jan 2022 · 42 minutes
‘For Shame,’ with Dr. Gregg TenElshof

You may get the impression that shame is always a bad thing. That’s not exactly right. Dr. Gregg TenElshof, author... more

05 Jan 2022 · 47 minutes
Projects

On Mere Fidelity it’s not just the guests that are experts. All four of our hosts have projects of their... more

22 Dec 2021 · 57 minutes
‘The Deep Places,’ with Ross Douthat

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat returns to Mere Fidelity to discuss his harrowing experience with Lyme disease as told... more

14 Dec 2021 · 55 minutes
The Last Things

The church year begins with Advent. But Advent begins by looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Why would... more

03 Dec 2021 · 40 minutes
‘You Are Not Your Own,’ with Dr. Alan Noble

What is our only comfort in life and in death? It’s that we do not belong to ourselves, but that... more

16 Nov 2021 · 50 minutes
‘Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew,’ with Rev. Hans Boersma

What’s gone wrong in Biblical theology? We’ve turned the Bible into an object to master, instead of letting it master... more

09 Nov 2021 · 52 minutes
Evangelical Elites

A conversation has erupted in Evangelical circles about elites and their willingness to accommodate worldly powers. But who counts as... more

26 Oct 2021 · 49 minutes
‘Funerals,’ with Dr. Tim Perry

Death is an uncomfortable subject for many people. That makes funerals difficult at the least, and even worse, confusing and... more

20 Oct 2021 · 44 minutes
‘The Trinity and the Bible,’ with Scott Swain

Dr. Scott Swain is the President of Reformed Theological Seminary, and he is the author of The Trinity & the... more

07 Oct 2021 · 43 minutes
Mere Fidelity
‘For Shame,’ with Dr. Gregg TenElshof
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Description

You may get the impression that shame is always a bad thing. That’s not exactly right. Dr. Gregg TenElshof, author of the... more