The Perspectivalist

In this episode, Pastor Uri Brito welcomes Austin Brown for a thoughtful conversation on the psychology of conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy in the age of social media. They explore the rise of “Twitter conversions,” where personality-driven online voices attract seekers who are weary of shallow evangelicalism and searching for depth, antiquity, or beauty.Together, they wrestle with the despair and uncertainty that often accompany these journeys, the overwhelming complexity of historical debates, and the temptation to trade truth for aesthetics or novelty. They reflect on the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture, the importance of local church community, and the need for patience and discernment in exploring different traditions.The discussion offers both pastoral counsel and personal testimony, reminding listeners that truth, not taste, must remain central; that beauty and antiquity are valuable but secondary; and that faith should be nurtured in community, prayer, and Scripture before making life-shaping decisions.Whether you’ve felt the pull of Rome or the East, or you’re walking alongside friends who are, this episode provides clarity, caution, and encouragement to walk slowly, faithfully, and wisely.

In this episode, we’re talking about the Lordship of Jesus—not as some abstract, future hope, but as a present, concrete reality. Too often, modern evangelicalism has reduced Christ’s Lordship to the realm of private salvation, personal piety, and quiet devotion. But the Bible paints a much bigger picture.Paul tells us in Romans that Abraham was promised the world as his inheritance. Salvation is cosmic. Christ’s resurrection victory is undoing sin across creation. And as Abraham Kuyper famously said, there is not one square inch of human existence over which Christ does not declare, “Mine.”When we treat Lordship as merely individual, we lose courage, we retreat into privatized religion, and we avoid confronting the idols of our culture. But when we confess that Jesus is Lord over family, church, state, and the whole created order, then our faith takes flesh. It marches, sings, builds, and leaves an imprint of righteousness wherever it goes.This is no Gnostic mantra. “Jesus is Lord” is our dogma, and it means the earth belongs to Him and His people. The spoils of His victory are not hidden away for later—they are for His church to claim here and now.Omnia et in omnibus Christus. Christ all and in all.

Welcome to The PerspectivalistToday, I’m honored to host Reverend Grant Castleberry—Marine officer turned pastor, currently finishing his dissertation on Martin Lloyd-Jones. We gather to reflect on John MacArthur, a towering figure in pastoral longevity and biblical faithfulness.Grant’s personal encounters with MacArthur go beyond admiration—they shaped his call to ministry and introduced him to Reformed theology. From late-night radio sermons after high school football practices to transformative theological tapes like Chosen for Eternity, MacArthur’s influence was profound and life-altering.In our conversation, we explore:How conviction and clarity drove MacArthur’s preachingThe weight of biblical authority and expository rigorThe rare gift of decades-long pastoral ministryPersonal reflections: the kind, humble man behind the pulpitJoin us for a meaningful tribute to a faithful pastor whose legacy continues to influence Christian ministry and leadership.

🎙️ Episode OverviewPodcast: Perspectivalist S6 E3Host: Uri BritoGuest: Dr. Scott Aniol, Executive VP at G3 MinistriesLocation: Church of the Redeemer, Monroe, LAOccasion: 12th year of Jubilate Deo Music Camp🔗 G3 Ministries Website🔗 Scott Aniol's Author Page🔗 Jubilate Deo Music Camp Dr. Aniol shares his long-term involvement with Jubilate Deo and the shift from traditional VBS to Bible and Music Camp.Camp includes folk dancing, choral singing, and music literacy through dance.Emphasis on beauty and coherence in worship rooted in theology, especially starting from childhood.Initial hesitation from some Christians about dancing due to secular connotations.Folk dancing is a joyful and wholesome expression of faith and embodiment of Psalmic worship (e.g., Psalm 149:3).Dance is viewed as an overflow of Sunday liturgy, not a replacement of it.Raised in a musically and theologically rich environment.Influenced by Jonathan Edwards and C.S. Lewis, emphasizing beauty, truth, and goodness in worship.Pursued theological reflection on art, music, and liturgy across evangelicalism.The unchanging liturgy of the church offers stability amid cultural and social media volatility.Warning against virtual ecclesiologies and the danger of losing real, embodied church community.History & MissionStarted in 2013 as a local church conference led by Josh Buice at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church.Grown to include:G3 Press – publishing theological books and devotionals🔗 G3 BooksG3 Plus – streaming platform with sermons, lectures, and courses🔗 G3+ StreamingG3 Church Network – ~215 churches subscribing to 1689 Baptist Confession🔗 Church DirectoryFamily worship resources, theological journals, and more.Leadership TransitionJosh Buice's resignation handled with transparency and speed, widely praised by constituents.G3's structure allowed it to continue uninterrupted, avoiding personality-centered collapse.New Logo & VisionRebranding started before the resignation but accelerated after.Vision Statement published to affirm the continuity and a renewed commitment to resourcing the church.🔗 G3 Renewed Vision Statement (2025)Emphasis on:Unity over competition in the evangelical worldCollaboration among ministries and local pastorsSpotlighting faithful unknown pastors (e.g., David DeBruyn in South Africa)Addressing the problems of celebrity culture in evangelicalism:Not faulting godly men like MacArthur, Piper, or Voddie BauchamCritiquing the culture that idolizes themThe most important ministry: faithful local presence—family, church, liturgy.Social media should be a tool, not a substitute, for embodied Christian life.G3 remains committed to Scripture-rooted, theologically rich content for families and churches.🏕️ Music & Liturgy💃 Dance in Christian Life📖 Aniol’s Theological Background🏛️ Church Stability vs. Cultural Shifts📡 G3 Ministries: Past, Present, and Future🔄 Future Direction✝️ Final Reflections

In this episode of The Perspectivalist, Pastor Uri Brito welcomes Rev. Benjamin Glaser of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) to talk all things ARP—from its rich confessional heritage to its present role in the American ecclesiastical landscape.🔹 Topics include:📜 The history of the ARP — How a 1782 merger formed one of the oldest continually operating Reformed denominations in North America.🏛️ Synodical polity explained — Why the ARP remains a Synod, and how its governing structure encourages fellowship and simplicity.🔐 The visible church as Christ’s appointed institution — A defense of the church’s organic, not optional, role in God's kingdom.🚫 The modern drift toward anti-discipline and DIY ecclesiology — What happens when Christians disconnect from accountability and structure.🕯️ Worship and sacramental practice in the ARP — From exclusive psalmody and grape juice to a revival of weekly communion and wine.🤝 Fraternal relations with OPC & beyond — Encouraging signs of confessional renewal and partnership among like-minded churches.✍️ Rev. Glaser’s essay on the visible church→ Read the Substack article here🏛️ History of the ARP Church→ Visit the official ARP Church website🤝 NAPARC (North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council)→ Learn more about NAPARC denominations“The church is not an accident or a pragmatic structure—it is the ordinary means Christ uses to draw and mature His people.” — Rev. Benjamin GlaserIn an era when many young Christians are drawn to atomized, personality-driven spirituality, this conversation serves as a timely call to embrace the visible, historic, and confessional church. Rooted in Scripture and governed by wisdom, the church remains God’s chosen vessel to disciple the nations.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Season 6 of the Perspectivalist! Today, I’m joined by Mr. Jarrod Richey, Director of Music at Church of the Redeemer in West Monroe, Louisiana, and Academic Dean of the Redeemer School of the Arts. This past year, RSA launched its first-ever Arts Certificate Program, designed to equip students in the creative arts through a distinctly Christ-centered lens.In our conversation, we discuss what exactly the creative arts are, how this program distinguishes itself from typical fine-arts degrees, and why something like this is so necessary, not just in Louisiana but in the broader Christian community, including those in the CREC.We also cover the kind of students who thrive in the program, what success has looked like after year one, and how you or someone you know can apply.To learn more, visit RSALA.org or email info@rsala.org.Note: I would like to extend my gratitude to Perspectivalist resident musician, Mr. George Reed, for the introduction and outro, and to Mr. Leo Ehrenstein, who designed our new logo.

The CREC has been growing significantly in the last few years. As a result, some have been striving to ensure that our signals align and that our work is not lost among the plethora of online options. Dr. Jeffery and others have worked to streamline our resources, making it easier for people to find us in the U.S. I hope this episode will enlarge this vision and that many will have a better sense of the locations of our churches and perhaps even consider joining them. Steve and I offer salient pastoral advice towards the end of the podcast. So, listen to the end! You can find the project here: https://allsaintskirk.com/hotspot/

Chase Davis returns to the podcast to discuss the identity of the newly minted Evangelicals for Harris. Every election cycle gives us a new elite of evangelicals who support the pro-abortion candidate because they are tired of partisan politics. ⁠Chase names these individuals as well as notes their backgrounds and damaging contributions to this movement.⁠ From the article: "Thus, we see these Evangelicals for Harris for who they really are: Cogs in the machine of a well-funded dark money effort to fracture the evangelical vote—the lone bulwark preventing Democrats from turning America into a socialist hell hole. Their mission is not to advance Christian love or align their political preferences with King Jesus but to ease their conscience when they vote for Kamala and trick others into doing the same. They are the progressives who hollow out our Christian religion and wear it as a skinsuit in the pursuit of political power. They’ve traded in the cross of Christ for the transgender flag and the call to defend the unborn for the satanic sacrament of abortion."

Pastoral ministry has gone through hard times. The fall of many pastors has only exacerbated the epidemic in our culture. In this interview, Pastor Michael Clary elaborates on his excellent piece at Sola Ecclesia where he defines the problem in pastoral ministry: Unfortunately, many neutral-world churches built with neutral-world tools have been thoroughly leavened with destructive unbiblical ideas. It will take courage and discipline for faithful pastors to correct them. Otherwise, gangrenous ideas are normalized as unspoken expectations in the church. These unbiblical ideas are eventually institutionalized as those who hold them assume leadership posts. This conversation is incredibly sobering, and I trust it will prove beneficial to pastors and parishioners alike. Michael Clary is the lead pastor of Christ the King Church in Cincinnati, OH.

My interview with Lutheran theologian Dr. Jordan Cooper touches on fundamental pillars of Western civilization. Jordan has been a great resource to me personally, and I know you will enjoy our discussion of the restoration of the three transcendentals of goodness, beauty, and truth. You can purchase Jordan's book. You can follow Jordan on X. The modern Western world is full of confusion. Divides over religion, politics, and ethics continue to grow faster by the day. In the midst of this turmoil, a number of proposals have been offered as to why this is happening, along with a variety of solutions to these problems. Jordan Cooper argues that most treatments of our cultural condition do not go far enough in capturing the essential philosophical and theological shifts that have shaped the modern world. Cooper contends that the crisis faced by Westerners in the twenty-first century cannot be rightly discussed apart from the three transcendentals that shaped the Western tradition from Socrates through the Protestant Reformation: truth, goodness, and beauty. Western man's greatest need is not more technological development, better politicians, or radical revolution; our need is to be connected to the transcendental ground of our own being: God himself. In this work, these three transcendentals are discussed first as they were developed in classic Western thought, and second, as their importance has declined in the modern world.

Thousands of Christians are moving away from contemporary-style praise music and are reviving hymn and psalm singing. However, many people are not equipped with musical training, and this can make learning and singing traditional worship music extremely difficult. So, what do we do? I spoke with Isaiah Holt about their app called Sing Your Part. The app facilitates singing, especially in parts in churches and families. You can bring the sheet music and the audio parts to any occasion and sing great hymns and psalms at all times and in all places.

As our society declines morally, trust in institutions also declines. But should we view this as an unaltered reality? Should we cease to work for a trusting society? I contend there is no institutional longevity unless trust is inherent to its mission. In this episode, I offer five recommendations for restoring a high-trust culture. Post Script: The article mentioned by Aaron Renn is here.

Our guests are Pastor Steve Wilkins and Mr. Jarrod Richey from Church of the Redeemer in Monroe, LA. We discuss the place of the arts in modern culture, especially within the Church. Steve Wilkins is the President of the RSA Board of Governors. Jarrod Richey is Academic Dean of RSA and Board member.  Students can pursue a one —or two-year Arts certificate at the Redeemer School of the Arts (RSA) in Music, Visual arts, or Culinary Arts. Our inaugural class will begin this Fall 2024. Find out more at RSALA.org. 

Pastor Kip Chelashaw summarizes the place of Animism and Christianity in Kenya's history. He articulates how Nairobi is deeply diverse culturally and religiously. Kenya is a Christian place unashamed of following Jesus, though the faith is not deeply theological. We also discuss the CREC's place in Nairobi and his labors in planting our first CREC body in Africa. You can follow Kip on X here.

What happens when you take your son to the office during the first days of Summer? You record an episode on the end of the old world. Seems reasonable, right? We discuss what is preterism and answer some questions on the role of time-clues in Revelation.

The Perspectivalist welcomes Toby Sumpter to discuss the philosophy behind some recent declarations from Columbia rioters and the overreaction among some on the right. There is a pendulum swing from Gnosticism to materialism, and this is reflected in many of the anti-Jewish sentiments expressed by those on our side of the aisle. Read Toby's article: "The hatred of “whiteness” is not really, fundamentally about the skin color. Yes, I am well aware that many are openly saying they hate whites, and I’m sure a great deal of animosity has come to fixate on that superficial feature – just as it has in the history of our country from whites toward blacks. I’m not denying that, but I am denying that we should simply take what people say at face value. For example, why do men sodomize one another? Ask them, and they will tell you because they are attracted to men, they love men, they are gay, etc. But the Bible says that the real reason they do that to one another is because they have rejected God and refused to give Him thanks (Rom. 1:21). There is a theological and spiritual reality driving it all. "

Dr. Chase Davis returns to the Perpsectivalist to discuss what is taking place at ACTS 29 as well as the bill that passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives called the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which puts serious limitations on free speech as well as hinders Christians from speaking clearly on the role of the Jewish leaders in the death of Jesus. You can follow Chase on X Chase is the Pastor of the Well Church

For so many people, Easter Sunday is a one-day event. However glorious it may be for the church's life, it ceases when the day ends. But what if Easter were this 50-day extravaganza meant to mock evil and increase the Christian's joy? In this episode, I offer ten practical ways to keep Easter alive in the home for the next 40 days of Eastertide. This is especially helpful for moms out there.

We discuss Aaron's new book, Life in the Negative World. We walk through his taxonomy of positive, neutral, and negative world. Then, we speak about the role of the Church in an age antagonistic to the Gospel and how Christians can respond to our present discourse. Resources: Life in the Negative World by Aaron Renn The Aaron Renn Show Aaron Renn's Substack

Keith is an example of someone who takes himself lightly and takes denominational differences as a reason for good dialogues but also an opportunity to comedically address our theological idiosyncracies. I have benefited from his YouTube channel and had the joy of hosting him in Pensacola for a talk to our men. This interview will solidify Chesterton's theme that we should be more like angels because they take themselves lightly. Resources: YourCalvinist Podcast My interview on the CREC