Advertise on podcast: The Grimké Podcast

Jesus said that apart from him we can do nothing, and prayer is what you do if you actually believe it. Yet a pastor can go years without praying and no one would ever know, because the sermons still get written and the schedule still gets kept. So why do so many Christians, pastors most of all, treat prayer as filler, a last resort, or a guilt trip? This week, the profs call prayerlessness what it is, take on the Reformed habit of explaining away “you have not because you ask not,” weigh whether posture matters, and offer practical counsel for young Christians and prayerless pastors alike. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:21) Intro (01:28) No One Thinks They Pray Too Much (05:28) “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” (08:58) Prayer as a Stage Transition (10:15) Three Reasons Most People Pray (13:15) Prayerlessness Is a Sin (17:00) Spurgeon’s Boiler Room: Fact or Preacher Story? (21:10) The Van That Wouldn’t Start (23:54) C.S. Lewis on Small Prayers (25:43) The Reformed Sovereignty Hurdle (28:06) Sounding More Like Schleiermacher Than Calvin (32:01) Must Every Prayer Say “If It Be Your Will”? (37:54) Kanye and “My Will Be Done” (39:37) In the War Room, Never on the Battlefield (43:26) Prayer Cloths and Magic Spells (46:44) Does Posture Matter? (53:28) Advice for Young Christians (56:58) Prayer Partners and Praying on the Go (1:01:13) Advice for Prayerless Pastors (1:04:22) Spurgeon: “Keep Up the Prayer Meeting” (1:07:26) Outro QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

In 1965, when one in four black children was born out of wedlock, it was called a national crisis. Today it's seven in ten, and the silence is deafening. So how did marriage become optional, and who will lead the way back? In Volume III of the Grimké Review of Books, Delano Squires of the Heritage Foundation joins the profs to discuss his new book, The Vanishing Black Family: why slavery couldn't destroy the black family but welfare and feminism undermined it from within, why you can't sow Snoop Dogg and reap the Huxtables, and why rebuilding the home starts in the church. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:22) Welcome: Delano Squires (05:50) How the Book Came About (07:32) Equity in Every Structure Except Family Structure (10:04) Slavery Deformed the Black Family, But Didn't Destroy It (15:02) Two Cultural Shocks: Welfare and Second-Wave Feminism (16:37) "You Trade a Man for The Man" (19:09) "Marriage Is for White People" (21:05) Rejecting Destructive Media (23:10) You Can't Sow Snoop Dogg and Reap the Huxtables (26:22) Everyone Has Access to the Village Idiot (28:31) Where Do We Start to Rebuild? (30:41) The Four Houses: Church, School, State, and Art (31:05) Black Liberation Theology: A Barrier to Family Reconstruction (32:37) BLM vs. the "Western-Prescribed Nuclear Family" (37:37) The Church Is the Most Important House (39:20) "Bigger Government or Better White People" (41:22) The Iron Triangle (44:46) Don't Outsource Your Moral Agency (47:49) "Ain't No Santa Coming Here" (50:58) The Moynihan Report vs. The Vanishing Black Family (54:28) Six Obstacles to Family Revival (56:45) Reasons for Hope (59:34) Right Message, Wrong Audience (01:04:15) The War Room vs. the War Zone (01:09:46) 77% Have Cohabited: What Pastors Are Facing (01:12:38) Birth Control at 18, IVF at 38 MENTIONED WORKS. (00:49) The Vanishing Black Family by Delano Squires (34:50) The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone (50:03) "West India Emancipation" (speech) by Frederick Douglass (51:07) The Negro Family: The Case for National Action by Daniel Patrick Moynihan READ FIRST. Squires, Delano. The Vanishing Black Family: How Welfare and Feminism Made Marriage Optional and Children Vulnerable. New York: Sentinel, 2026. ✧ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593852672 FURTHER RECOMMENDED READING. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick. The Negro Family: The Case for National Action. Washington, DC: Office of Policy Planning and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, 1965. ✧ https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/webid-moynihan Sowell, Thomas. Black Rednecks and White Liberals. San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2005. ✧ https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594030863 Steele, Shelby. The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. ✧ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312049501 Steele, Shelby. White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. ✧ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060578629 Williams, Walter E. Race & Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination? Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 2011. ✧ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0817912452 QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Delano Squires — Director, Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Human Flourishing (The Heritage Foundation) ✧ Bio: https://www.heritage.org/staff/delano-squires Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

The way you dress says something about you whether you like it or not. Scripture has a category for respectable apparel and a warning about the two ditches on either side of it, and yet a generation of Christians has been taught that clothes are neutral, that the Lord looks on the heart, and that any standard of dress is legalism with a pocket square. So does it really matter what you wear? This week, the profs make the case that dress is a discipleship issue—the biblical category of respectable apparel, the two ditches of ostentation and slovenliness, the poverty and missional objections every pastor reaches for, and why there is no golden era but there are still golden things worth recovering. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:27) Welcome Back: Bow Ties, Beards, and the Conference Elevator (02:16) Today's Topic: How Should Christian Men Dress? (05:31) The PhD Seminar Experiment: Plaid vs. Pleated Slacks (08:09) Pajamas in Public and the Limits Nobody Can Deny (09:02) Two Identical Résumés, Two Very Different Men (12:32) Feminine and Masculine Dress (15:58) The Brilliant Student Who Rolled Out of Bed (18:02) Does the Bible Actually Talk About Clothes? (19:46) Two Ditches: Ostentation and Slovenliness (22:42) This Is About Grown Folk Being Grown (25:28) The Viral List of Dad Tips — and the Backlash (29:24) The Bruce Jenner Argument (34:08) A First Date, Stonewashed Jeans, and Running Shoes (36:29) Easier to Change the Clothes Than to Change the Man (39:22) Objection #1 — The Poverty Argument (41:52) Nike Tech, Quarter-Zips, and Changed Behavior (45:25) Objection #2 — "You Can't Reach Them Unless You Look Like Them" (50:25) The Young Men Who Were Simply Never Taught (51:37) Discipleship, the Pageant Room, and Tying a Tie (55:29) Three Verses Every Pastor Should Sit With (57:57) The Tuskegee Dress Code Controversy (1:01:48) No Golden Era, but There Are Golden Things QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Scarcely one man in a dozen in the pulpit talks like a man. Spurgeon said that in the 1800s, and today the one who still does is the man everyone calls abusive. The Bible's dominant image for leading God's people isn't manager, life coach, or feel-good chaplain—it's shepherd, a kingly word for a man who leads, feeds, guards, and knows how to say no. So what does true shepherding actually look like, and why has it become a cultural heresy? To open Season 3, the profs take up the crisis of pastoral leadership—the four kinds of people sitting in every congregation, why goats get tolerated and wolves get put out, how to spot a hireling before the wolves show up, and why raggedy shepherds always make raggedy sheep. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:20) Welcome Back: Season Three Kicks Off (02:05) Today's Topic: True Shepherding (03:05) We Are in a Shepherding Crisis (03:46) "Shepherd" Is a Kingly Word (06:06) Ezekiel 34 Isn't About Who You Think (07:43) Christ the Chief Shepherd and His Under-Shepherds (10:23) "That's My Pastor" — The Man in the Suit (12:51) More Than a Physician of Souls (15:57) Grocery Store Owner or Father at the Stove? (20:11) The Word "No" Is Not Abuse (21:01) Authority Is Basic Christianity (23:45) The Real Epidemic Is Passive Shepherds (27:53) Don't Wait for a Crisis to Teach This (30:40) Raggedy Shepherds Make Raggedy Sheep (35:23) Outsourcing Counseling Is a Gross Failure (37:41) "God Has Given Christianity a Masculine Tone" (40:55) "Scarcely One Man in a Dozen Talks Like a Man" (43:17) #1 — Sheep: Imperfect, But They Follow His Voice (51:12) "Gentle as a Nursing Mother" — The Objection Answered (53:25) #2 — Goats: Folly, Not Malice (57:10) #3 — Wolves: Malice, Camouflage, and Division (1:01:49) Goats Are Tolerated. Wolves Are Not. (1:04:13) #4 — Hirelings: Self-Serving Cowardice (1:08:12) LeBron, Giannis, and Pastoral Tenure (1:10:27) You Will Give an Account for These Souls (1:12:44) Outro: Stay the Course QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Jonathan Edwards wasn't run off over his doctrine—he was run off because he mishandled one sensitive case. Botch organizational leadership and you can tank your church, get fired, and make a lot of people miserable on the way out, no matter how faithfully you pray, study, and preach. So what does faithful organizational leadership actually look like, and where do pastors most often get it wrong? For the Season 2 finale, the profs count down the 12 organizational leadership issues they work through with pastors most—delegation that's really just abdication, the authority too many men are too scared to use, the bylaws you'll wish you'd read six months before you needed them, the yes-men who gave the world Jar Jar Binks, and more. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:29) Welcome Back: The Least Organized Intro Ever (03:10) Today's Topic: Organizational Leadership (03:50) Jonathan Edwards Got Fired Over This (05:26) Pastoral Leadership vs. Organizational Leadership (07:04) "Manage His Household Well" — The Bible's Own Leadership Language (12:30) Should Christians Plunder the Egyptians? (16:41) Grimké Support Break (17:15) #1 — Delegation (and the Michael Scott Problem) (20:37) Isolation vs. Abdication (26:32) The Four Rules of Delegation (31:49) #2 — Time and Schedule Management (33:15) Pastors Are Spiritual First Responders (37:15) #3 — Developing Leaders and Future Elders (39:21) From New Convert to Elder: On-Ramps and Off-Ramps (45:34) #4 — Character Before Skill (48:03) But Character Isn't Enough Either (50:57) #5 — Communication and Conflict (54:45) Make the Call or Have the Meeting (56:53) #6 — You Must Exercise Authority (1:01:35) When Good Authority Goes Bad (1:03:14) #7 — Know Your Constitution and Bylaws (1:09:44) #8 — Risk Mitigation (Or: Don't Be a Fool) (1:12:19) #9 — Tiered Leadership: Don't Succeed Into Failure (1:17:20) Sedan Church, Minivan Church (1:18:30) #10 — Faith and Planning (Nehemiah 4) (1:22:38) #11 — Relationships and Clear Metrics (1:27:07) #12 — Be Careful Who You Keep as Advisers (1:27:56) Flatterers, Yes-Men, and How We Got Jar Jar Binks (1:32:22) Outro: The Best Idea Wins QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

The Churchmen Conference is in the books, and the profs are ready to offer some afterthoughts. They unpack what happens when hundreds of men gather around Christ and his church, why you can't replace community with content, what the word "churchman" actually means, and why the church should be 101-level for biblical masculinity, not a graduate elective, and discuss the "tithe life" Christians who give God 10% of their lives, communion with Pepsi and peanut M&Ms, panel questions about sacraments instead of shotguns, and an older churchman's testimony that nearly left the profs speechless. We are so grateful for how the Lord worked this year to build up the hearts, minds, and souls of so many men, and we pray that you would join us at next year's conference, "Why Men Lead," in Richmond, VA on July 26–28, 2027. Find out more information and get your tickets today at grimkemen.com. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:20) Welcome Back: Fun Friday After the Conference (02:33) The Big Takeaway: Joy Among Godly Men (03:35) You Can't Replace Community with Content (07:39) Why Men Need Male Spaces (09:10) What Exactly Is a "Churchman"? (13:48) Juggling Balls, Spoke Wheels & the "Tithe Life" (19:23) Online Church & Pepsi Communion (21:24) Sacraments Over Shotguns: What the Men Actually Asked (26:01) Lost Boys: Why Young Pastors Need Older Men (30:36) "Three of My Pastors Graduated from Your School" (33:07) Preaching, Not Preachers (37:14) Pragmatism vs. Practical Wisdom (44:48) Quote Spurgeon or Preach Like Spurgeon? (47:23) Next Year: Why Men Lead (July 26–28, 2027) (49:59) "The Glory of Young Men Is Their Strength" QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

The internet is full of guys telling young men to skip seminary: it's too expensive, too soft, too outdated, and besides, AI can teach you everything now. The profs aren't buying it. In this episode they make the case for going to seminary, or going back, with eight reasons that reframe the whole debate around one idea: it was never about degrees, it's about divinity. Along the way: why Thomas Jefferson refused to hand out diplomas at UVA, what Richard Pratt would do with a "magic scepter" to turn seminary into battle simulation, why nobody learns to break up knife fights in an apologetics class, and how AI hands you the appearance of wisdom while leaving you unable to defend a single thing you think you know. Whether you're discerning a call or decades into ministry, the takeaway is simple: a pastor who stops learning stops shepherding (2 Tim 2:15). SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (02:00) Why the Internet Says "Skip Seminary" (06:41) Where Seminaries Actually Came From (08:21) #1 — Lifelong Learning, Not Degree Accrual (11:21) Why Jefferson Refused to Hand Out Diplomas (16:20) Churchmen Conference (16:57) #2 — Formation Over Information (19:59) Richard Pratt's "Magic Scepter" (25:21) "I Didn't Learn to Break Up Knife Fights in Seminary" (29:27) #3 — Be a Growing Pastor Theologian (33:21) Sushi Sermons: Slick Presentation, Abysmal Content (38:42) #4 — Men Train Best with Other Men (40:40) AI and the Appearance of Wisdom (46:40) A Futon, a Carriage House & Debating After Class (50:38) #5 — Stay Sharp or Lose Your Edge (50:48) The Mind Is a Muscle, Not a Gas Tank (57:30) #6 — Be Equipped for Current Cultural Challenges (1:01:02) #7 — Recover Your Joy for Ministry (1:09:36) #8 — For the Sake of Your Family (1:10:40) "I'mma Be a Grimké Man" QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Somewhere along the way, "missional" went from a rallying cry to a punchline, and a lot of young, theology-loving guys quietly stopped talking about reaching lost people at all. Fresh off the SBC and PCA conventions, the profs revisit the word everybody used in 2005, nobody trusts in 2025, and almost no one actually understands. Where did "missional" even come from (hint: not the conservatives)? How does a church plant quietly become a "consolidated schism," and why do a hip-hop church, a cowboy church, and a fistful of flower seeds thrown out a car window all miss the point? The guys trace the term from Newbigin to Keller to its slow slide into compromise, then make the case that doctrine, politics, and theological precision are all "antepenultimate": good servants of a greater mission and terrible masters of it. Because here's the line that should keep every faithful church up at night. If you're doing a great job of being missional and nobody's getting saved, it's a fail (Luke 19:10). SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (03:27) Church Plant or "Consolidated Schism"? (06:33) Where the Word "Missional" Actually Came From (08:55) Newbigin & Keller: The West Needs a Missionary Encounter (12:12) Christopher Wright: A Church for His Mission (17:33) Missions Isn't Something That Happens "Over There" (22:55) Churchmen Conference (24:55) Contextualization vs. Compromise (27:52) Judson, Affinity Churches & the False Analogy (31:56) When "Missional" Slipped Left (37:01) "We Make People": Missional Without the Word (42:16) Gimmicks, Driscoll & Going Back to the Bible (47:50) Why Right Theology Is "Antepenultimate" (52:54) "If Nobody's Converting, It's a Fail" (55:36) Never Lose the Joy of a Baptism QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

This week the guys sit down with David Schrock, pastor of Occoquan Bible Church in Northern Virginia and one of the leaders of Christ Over All, to trace his journey from a basketball-obsessed teenager to a pastor-theologian with a PhD on the priesthood and the extent of the atonement. Along the way they get into how COVID exposed the church's weakness on church and state, why the Christian nationalism debates generated more heat than light, and how the "Orthobros" are targeting young men who've never been taught what they're leaving behind. It's a conversation about reading the Bible deeply, recovering forgotten theological roots, and following Christ as Lord over all of life (Col 1:18). SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming Up... (00:26) David's Story: From Basketball to Occoquan Bible Church (18:03) Politics in the Pulpit (20:54) Support Grimké (21:29) The Origin Story of Christ Over All (25:16) Living Off Borrowed Capital (29:55) The Christian Nationalism Series (32:40) Nobody Can Define It: The Coffee Shop Story (34:49) All Politics Are Downstream From Religion (39:59) Lott Carey: Missionary, Sheriff & Mayor (40:53) Tackling Eastern Orthodoxy & the Orthobros (43:55) What EO Trades Away & Rejecting a Straw Man (47:19) Is America a Protestant Nation? (47:57) Hopes for OBC & Christ Over All QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder David Schrock — Guest — Pastor for Preaching & Theology, Occoquan Bible Church; Christ Over All ✧ Bio: https://obc.org/pastors-and-staff ✧ Christ Over All: https://christoverall.com MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

A "big tent" sounds generous—who wouldn't want a church with room for everyone? But what happens when the tent gets so wide the walls fall down? This week the profs walk through the big tent that means well but drifts into compromise, the bitter tent that keeps adding rules until it shrinks to "us four and no more," and the better tent that holds a firm line on doctrine while prioritizing the actual mission. With both the SBC and PCA having their own inclusion discussions, the guys get frank about female ordination, slippery slopes, purity spirals, and why doctrinal fidelity is necessary but never an end in itself—it's what makes the real work possible (Col 1:18). SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (02:05) What "Big Tent" Means in the PCA & SBC (03:40) Big Tent on Its Best Day: Realism, Unity, Pragmatism (09:55) Keller's "Broad Brush, Not a Roller" (17:40) The SBC, Mohler's Amendment & "Truth and Unity" (21:00) Women, Female Ordination & Historic Protestantism (23:00) The Slippery Slope Is Real (30:05) Enter the Bitter Tent (33:10) Nominalism & the Restaurant Bet (37:30) Contend for Truth Without Being Bitter (46:40) Building a Better Tent: You Need Tent Poles (51:05) The Tent Is for Work, Not Just Poles (55:00) A Closing Charge to the SBC & PCA QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Scripture calls Christians to be wise—not fools, and certainly not idiots. Yet too many believers get pulled off mission by every cultural firestorm, picking up half-baked opinions on homosexuality, race, the Jews, immigration, Trump and politics, even Bigfoot and the Nephilim, and end up reactionary, distracted, or downright unbecoming instead of faithful. This week, the profs walk through six flashpoints where the church keeps tripping over itself, expose the idiocy on both the soft-left and the angry-right, and call Christians back to first things first: read the Bible, believe what it says, emphasize what it emphasizes, and do the real work God has actually given you to do (1 Cor 14:20). SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming Up... (00:26) Welcome Back: The Salute, the Dance Move, and an '80s Tangent (01:43) Today's Topic: Don't Be an Idiot (02:27) "Stupid" Is a Biblical Category (04:21) Assume the Center, Not the Pendulum (05:58) #1 — Don't Be an Idiot About Homosexuality (08:44) The Damnable Idiocy of the Affirming Left (10:17) "Gay Christian" and the B-Side Problem (13:17) Concupiscence and the Language of Ambiguity (15:02) Hateful Prejudice Is Idiocy Too (16:50) The Three Purposes of Church Discipline (18:32) #2 — Don't Be an Idiot About Race (22:05) What Critical Race Theory Actually Is (28:56) Stop Trying to Manufacture Diversity (32:47) Kinism on the Right Is Idiocy Too (36:59) Grimké Support Break (37:34) #3 — Don't Be an Idiot About the Jews (38:58) Why Zionism Doesn't Hold Up (43:19) The Flip Side: Anti-Semitism (and Defending Hitler) (46:33) #4 — Don't Be an Idiot About Immigration (48:44) Sojourners, Assimilation, and the Magistrate's Job (53:44) The Smoothie of Madness: We Forgot What a Nation Is (54:34) Stop Getting Your Doctrine From Sociology (58:02) #5 — Don't Be an Idiot About Trump, Democrats, or Politics (59:01) Trump Derangement and Trump Idolatry — Both Idiotic (1:00:29) #6 — Don't Be an Idiot About Bigfoot, Aliens, or the Nephilim (1:03:57) Avoid Irreverent Silly Myths (1 Tim 4:7) (1:04:54) Outro: Read the Bible, Believe It, Do It QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

From a wedding in Eden to the wedding of the Lamb, Scripture frames marriage as God’s normative gift for humanity. And yet U.S. marriage rates have collapsed from roughly 90% to under 50% in only a few generations while at the same time many churches have responded with warnings about “marriage idolatry." How should we think about singleness? When does delaying marriage become disobedience? And what does it actually look like for young men and women to prepare for godly marriage? This week, the profs answer these questions and more. Skip Ahead. (00:00) Coming Up...   (00:19) Welcome: Everyone Is Single at Some Point   (03:53) Marriage Rates in Free Fall Since 1940   (07:47) The Bible Begins and Ends with a Wedding   (11:15) The “Idol of Marriage” Lie and the Devil’s Work   (14:09) Gift of Singleness vs. Calling to Celibacy   (15:34) The Sin of Undue Delay   (25:04) Don’t Misuse 1 Corinthians 7   (30:45) Churchmen Conference Promo   (31:21) Three Kinds of Single People   (36:00) Practice the Virtues, Not the Habits   (46:30) Grown Folks: Take Responsibility   (51:09) Drop the Video Games and Lead Yourself   (55:51) For Single Women: “I Don’t Need a Man” Won’t Find One   (1:02:30) The Proverbs 31 Vision   (1:08:55) Men Initiate, Women Are Found   (1:14:20) Put Porn to Death, Say Yes to First Dates   THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Jesus says that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. True conversion is not a decision card or a raised hand but a comprehensive turning of the whole life to Christ. But what does genuine conversion look like, and how can the church recover a biblical vision of it? This week, the profs trace the history of conversion theology, expose the errors of decisionism and false conversion, and call pastors to preach and disciple with the full weight of what it means to truly know Christ. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:20) Intro (02:32) Today's Topic: True Conversion (03:35) How We Got Here: The Reformation (05:00) Dead Orthodoxy & the Pietist Movement (06:00) The Great Awakenings (07:00) Charles Finney & the Rise of Decisionism (09:07) David Wells on the Great Commission (11:10) What Does "Conversion" Actually Mean? (13:53) Conversion as Turning (16:28) Conversion is a Beginning, Not a One-Time Event (22:27) Grimké Men's Conference Promo (23:01) False Conversion & the Parable of the Four Soils (30:01) Conversion & All of Life — Race, Politics, and More (37:33) Saving Faith: Knowledge, Assent, and Fidelity (41:12) Deficient View #1 — Pelagianism (42:27) Deficient View #2 — Decisionism (51:13) Deficient View #3 — Moral Reformation (54:37) Deficient View #4 — Sacramentalism (57:42) Perfectionism & Defeatism (1:00:50) Pastoral Application: Preach True Conversion (1:02:01) Genuine Conversion Changes Everything BROWSE ALL EPISODES OF THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. ✦ https://grimke.org/podcast QUESTION OR TOPIC SUGGESTION? ✦ https://grimke.org/topics MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. ✦ Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church https://grimkeseminary.org ✦ Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian https://grimkecollege.org ✦ Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK https://grimkeeurope.org IN THIS VIDEO. ✦ Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin ✦ Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan ✦ Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland ✦ Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. ✦ Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? Learn more here: https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✦ X https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✦ Instagram https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✦ Facebook https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Paul tells pastors to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season." (2 Tim 4:2) But there is far more to preaching than meets the eye and on this episode of the Grimké Podcast the guys discuss what to do, what not to do, and how to preach faithfully for the glory of God and the good of the church. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming up... (00:20) Intro (5:51) Christ in the Old Testament (10:18) Jesus Came to Preach (14:41) Preach the commands, but not like a legalist (15:59) Churchman Conference (16:32) Pray before, during and after you preach (22:30) Spirit Dependance (Lord, Help) (27:30) Manuscripts, Mind-Maps and Minimal Notes (31:59) Memorable Truths (32:45) Learn Your Preaching Method (33:48) Not a Running Commentary (43:04) Sermons are meant to edify (46:32) Different Applications for Different Texts (53:15) Professeur Ponder (53:50) The Bible has Priorities (1:01:35) How Long Should a Sermon Be (1:09:37) Props? (1:16:34) Don't be the Hero (1:20:38) Distractions Matter THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin Dr. Doug Logan Jr. — President (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-logan Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary

Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings—but is he Lord of America? China? The UK? Volume II of the Grimké Review of Books is your primer to the discussion surrounding Christian Nationalism. The profs discuss the biblical warrant for nationalism, our Reformed political heritage, reasons Christians are uncomfortable with Christian Nationalism, and many great books to get you started on your way to developing a rich political theology. SKIP AHEAD. (00:00) Coming Up… (00:29) To Mark Up or Not to Mark Up (a Book) (05:28) James Baird: Pastors Must Keep Learning (10:58) What Are Nations? (12:17) What Is National-ISM? (18:10) Christian Nationalism Via Baird’s Syllogism (23:09) …So What’s the Real Problem? (24:58) Retrieving Protestant Social Teaching (27:31) Embracing (or Not) the CN Label (29:16) Stephen Wolfe and “Do the Reading” (31:15) 3 Reasons Christians Bristle at CN… (31:54) Reason 1: The Post-War Consensus (Subverting National Loyalties) (36:40) Reason 2:The Myth of Secular Neutrality (Propagating National Lies) (39:10) —What about the “Separation of Church and State” (47:36) Reason 3: Gospel-Centered Retreat (An Aversion to Christian Law) (52:51) Two Very Unhelpful Books (54:46) Rights and the Creator of Rights (58:50) Red Herring: Haven’t We Tried This Already? (01:03:49) Practical Counsel for Pastors MENTIONED WORKS. (05:27) King of Kings by James Baird (12:17) The Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony (25:37) Protestant Social Teaching by The Davenant Institute (26:35) Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority (29:43) The Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfe (41:35) Religion and Republic by Miles Smith (52:50) Not in It to Win It by Andy Stanley (53:18) Disarming Leviathan by Caleb Campbell READ FIRST. Baird, James. King of Kings: A Reformed Guide to Christian Government. Cape Coral: Founders Press, 2025. ✧ https://a.co/d/09URcjcL FURTHER RECOMMENDED READING. Althusius, Johannes. Politica: Politics Methodically Set Forth and Illustrated with Sacred and Profane Examples. An Abridged Translation by Frederick S. Carney. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1995. ✧ https://a.co/d/03eHMONY Clavin, John, and Martin Luther. Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority. Edited by Harro Höpfl. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. ✧ https://a.co/d/08N8ISgd The Davenant Institute. Protestant Social Teaching: An Introduction. Edited by Onsi Aaron Kamel, Jake Meador, and Joseph Minich. Hillsdale: The Davenant Press, 2022. ✧ https://a.co/d/02z19f80 Hazony, Yoram. The Virtue of Nationalism. Revised edition.New York: Basic Books, 2025. ✧ https://a.co/d/0b2vs1j1 Hunter, James Davison. Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2024. ✧ https://a.co/d/0awQfzvO Kuyper, Abraham. Pro Rege (Volume 1): Living Under Christ the King. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2016. ✧ https://a.co/d/0009qSih Laughlin, Bryan, and Doug Ponder. “Can the Church Talk about Politics?” Sola Ecclesia, August 2, 2024. https://solaecclesia.org/articles/can-the-church-talk-about-politics/. Rutherford, Samuel. Lex Rex: The Law and the King. Moscow: Canon Press, 2022. https://a.co/d/071CSgS9 Smith, Miles. Religion and Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War. Hillsdale: The Davenant Press, 2024. ✧ https://a.co/d/06EvoU58 Wilsey, John D. Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2025. ✧ https://a.co/d/01EkEv5l Wilson, Douglas. Mere Christendom. Moscow: Canon Press, 2023. ✧ https://a.co/d/0iJxyQGr Wolfe, Stephen. The Case for Christian Nationalism. Moscow: Canon Press, 2022. ✧ https://a.co/d/0g35XSQq THE GRIMKÉ PODCAST. All Episodes: https://grimke.org/podcast IN THIS VIDEO. Dr. Doug Ponder — Academic Dean (Grimké Seminary) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/doug-ponder Joe Holland — Dean (Grimké College) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/joe-holland Bryan Laughlin — Chancellor & CEO (Grimké) ✧ Bio: https://grimkeseminary.org/bryan-laughlin MORE FROM GRIMKÉ. Grimké Seminary — Training Pastors and Planters in, by, and for the Church ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org Grimké College — Practical Biblical Studies for Every Christian ✧ https://grimkecollege.org Grimké Europe — For the Church in Europe, Hosted in Liverpool, UK ✧ https://grimkeeurope.org SUPPORT GRIMKÉ. Want to support the work of Grimké Seminary? ✧ https://grimkeseminary.org/give/ FOLLOW US. ✧ YouTube — https://youtube.com/@grimkeofficial ✧ X — https://twitter.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Instagram — https://instagram.com/grimkeseminary ✧ Facebook — https://facebook.com/grimkeseminary *