Salty Believer Unscripted

In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Bryan Catherman and Josiah Walker continue their Healthy Church series with a discussion about expositional preaching. Using the first of Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church as a starting point, they discuss what expositional preaching is, why it matters, and how faithful preaching shapes the health of the local church. They also discuss the difference between expositional and verse-by-verse preaching, the dangers of preaching our favorite topics while neglecting the whole counsel of God, and why preaching should submit to the shape and emphasis of the biblical text. Copyright 2026. For more information, please visit SaltyBeliever.com.

In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Bryan Catherman and Josiah Walker return to the podcast’s audio-only roots and begin a new series on healthy churches. They talk about what makes a church healthy, who gets to decide, and why Scripture must set the standard rather than a ministry brand, book, or preferred church model. Using the *Nine Marks of a Healthy Church* framework as a starting point, they introduce topics such as expositional preaching, the gospel, conversion and evangelism, membership, discipline, discipleship, leadership, prayer, and missions, while emphasizing that the goal is not to criticize imperfect churches but to help churches grow patiently toward greater biblical faithfulness. Find more podcasts and resources at SaltyBeliever.com.

Key texts: Romans 11:17-32, Genesis 15:13-16, Acts 1:6-8, Revelation 21:1-4. Unsponsored resource shout-out: Bible Talk podcast from 9Marks and Southern Seminary.Topics discussed: modern Israel, Romans 11, partial hardening, the fullness of the Gentiles, “all Israel will be saved,” the olive tree, Gentiles being grafted in, hope for ethnic Jews, modern Israel as a nation-state, prophecy, anti-Semitism, justice for everyone in the region, and why Christian hope rests in Christ rather than political leaders, borders, military power, or prophecy charts.Send questions to [email protected]. Find more resources at saltybeliever.com.

Key texts: Romans 9:1-8, Romans 10:1-4, Romans 11:1-6, Romans 11:25-36. Unsponsored resource shout-out: Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9-11. Topics discussed: Paul’s grief over Israel’s unbelief, God’s promises not failing, physical descent and the children of promise, Israel stumbling over Christ, zeal without saving knowledge, the remnant, and why Romans 9 to 11 matters before talking about modern Israel. Send questions to [email protected]. Find more resources at saltybeliever.com.

Key texts: Ephesians 2:11-22, Galatians 3:16-29, 1 John 2:22-23, 1 Peter 2:4-10.Unsponsored resource shout-out: Reformed Sage.Resources mentioned: Discontinuity to Continuity by Benjamin Merkle and Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture.Topics discussed: replacement theology, dispensationalism, progressive dispensationalism, covenant theology, progressive covenantalism, continuity and discontinuity, Gentiles being brought near, Abraham’s offspring, faith in Christ, one people of God, and why Romans 9 to 11 needs its own episode.Send questions to [email protected] more resources at saltybeliever.com.