Old Paths Podcast

S2E14: Haitian Crusaders w/ Matt Marino Cody, Michael, & returning guest, Matt Marino, engage in discussion on two chief topics: the dynamics of immigration and the metaphysics of historiography. Inspired by Matt's two articles: Who is the Sojourner? and The Lost Tools of Learning from History. Highlights: Sojourner—defined and abused. Is America being deliberately destroyed through illegals? Abuses of Scripture to justify demographic warfare. Can we love humanity in general? Who is a neighbor?—can Wolfgang Musculus help us here? The imago Dei and immigration. How is our compassion exploited? Is the government required by God's law to remove illegals? Who is a native? Is C. Jay Engel's "Heritage American" helpful? Can Aristotle help? What place does race play? Culture? The "Anglo-Saxon supremacy" demanded by the VA Senate in 1905 + the NC and SC demands of immigrants of Celtic, Teutonic, and Saxon origins. Is America facing an identity crisis? Has the 1965 Hart-Celler Act radically redefined America? The failure of Blacks to assimilate into White America—real, important? Discussing race & politics without lighting our hair on fire. The reality of race as expressed in voting patterns. Hostiles vs. Hospitables. If the "immigrants" are in need, why are they all military-aged males? Natural law—does it require distinct nations and borders? The place of voting in these things. Political liars and gaslighters. Is the invasion of illegals a judgment of God? Gideon & Samson as lesser saviors of God's people while God was yet judging his people. The prophets on strangers as a judgment. Passivity and pacifism—besetting sins of our age and church? Is it a matter of natural law to defend your own people and place, even using violence if need be? How John Piper & James White fail here. Metaphysical thinking and the Crusades, the Civil War, and WW2. What place should the Civil War have in our thinking today? The South as one of the last holdouts of Christian orthodoxy; as a real opponent against egalitarianism, including upholding slavery; and as upholding racial superiority and inferiority. Are things that are not the gospel important? "Not the gospel" is deployed against political interests. Apolitical posture—idolatry? The punch right, kiss left spirit. Should "metaphysical thinking" be applied to WW2? The failure of piecemeal facts vs. the narrative. The place of shotgun facts in destroying the narrative. Proxy battles vs. substance, e.g. Romanists vs Protestants, the Crusades, etc. Can a syllogism convert the masses? The place of vibes and memes in sociopolitical renewal. The Holodomor, 10M Germans starved, Adolf Hitler & Christianity. Righteous deconstruction. Stephen Wolfe as a brilliant Twitter troll. Historiography as self-loathing and damning heroes. Dabney & Secession; Crusades & the present invasion of the West by Islam. The difference between how Crusades may have been used by Romanists in the past vs. how they are abused today against us. Responding effectively to the shibboleths and struggle sessions of words like racist, Nazi, white supremacist, and events like WW2, the Civil War, and Civil Rights. The danger of friendly fire & undue fear. Do not play the disavowal game. Purity spiraling & the failure of the Right to unite against a common enemy. Struggle sessions as opportunity for victory. The rationality of becoming white supremacist.

S2E13—Marrow 7: Creation Benjamin, Michael, & Cody continue through The Marrow of Theology, by William Ames, with particular focus upon Creation. Highlights: Creation ex nihilo. What is the creator-creature distinction? Is macro-evolution compatible with Christianity? What about micro-evolution, speciation, & natural selection? Will earth or heaven be our final home? The 3rd heaven and annihilation of earth. What are angels, and why is the idea of angel-human hybrids stupid? 1 Enoch, Jude, Nephilim, sons of God & daughters of men. Fanciful speculation about the angelic and spiritual world. Pit bulls—utter abomination or useful destroyer of creatures? "Grace restores nature"—what does this mean and why should we care? Is it crucial? Ames & Paul: modern sexists. Do ladies need to get out of politics? Beth Moore & Rosaria Butterfield. Men need to restrain their women. Dominion—what is it? How should it factor into our thinking and ethics?

S2E12—Marrow 6: Decree of God Benjamin, Michael, & Cody continue through The Marrow of Theology, by William Ames, with particular focus upon the decree of God. Raised in this episode: The counsel of God. Divine perfections in the decree. Thomas Cartwright on the question. What role does God's glory have in the decree? The danger of denying God's decree. In what ways does God's decree govern time and history? How should we meditate upon this? Learning from Stonewall Jackson. Middle knowledge and its failure. The free offer of the gospel and its relation to the decree. Why do some deny the free offer? How should this chapter prevent abuses in preaching and evangelism? Infralapsarianism vs. supralapsarianism. Does Ames take a side? What does Dabney say? The problem of evil and the decree of God. Buy A Treatise of Christian Religion by Thomas Cartwright ⁠here⁠. Visit ⁠Sacra Press⁠ for more books.

S2E11—Stephen Wolfe: CN Civil Law Q&A Benjamin, Michael, & Cody are joined again by Stephen Wolfe, this time to discuss some of the material from his book, The Case for Christian Nationalism, specifically chapter 6 on the topic of civil law. Michael gives a brief update on his OPC situation. Highlights: Why has this chapter not had as much interest as others? What is the relationship between civil law and natural law? Is it possible for secular liberals or libertarians to affirm Stephen's position? Do we need to oppose individuality and collectivity? Would Owen Strachan approve of Stephen's use of Cicero? James Lindsay vs. R. L. Dabney. How is this material both intellectually and experientially satisfying? Does the magistrate have power to touch the conscience? What is the danger of the magistrate being prudentially minded? Is the magistrate forbidden from any interest in the souls of his people? Can the Christian Prince use civil power to facilitate religion and spiritual good? Is Stephen saying anything new here, or can we find this in men like Thomas Cartwright? Why does the magistrate punish heresy or blasphemy? What can we learn from the way people treat "racists"? Does the shifting national expression of Old Covenant Israel suggest that the judicial law is universally applicable? What are some of the weaknesses of theonomy? Has Stephen's opinion of theonomists changed since writing his book? What does Stephen think about some of the civil problems in Canada? Is there a sharp distinction between revolution and civil resistance? What are the books that Stephen is working on?

S2E10: Eschatology & Israel Part 2 Benjamin & Cody continue their discussion and debate concerning Israel in Romans 9-11, briefly reviewing the ground covered in the last episode, and marching forward through many of the particulars in chapters 10 and 11. Cody maintains and elaborates on his position that Romans 9:6 and Romans 11:25-26 is speaking of True Israel vs. False Israel, and that Paul's interest is to parse through the complexity of the present using the past (the OT) as a key, rather than to predict some distant future event, and that when Paul speaks of Jewish salvation he is incredibly reserved. Benjamin maintains and elaborates on his position that every instance of the word "Israel" concerns only ethnic Israelites, i.e. elect vs. non-elect, and that Paul envisions a definite future salvation for the Jewish nation, which Benjamin sees as being rooted in places from Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Touched on in this episode: What does Paul mean by "their fulness" in Romans 11:12? Why does Cody think men make unwarranted deductions about ethnic Israel's future in Romans 11? To what end has the Jewish nation fallen? What is the "mystery" of Romans 11:25? Are there any other passages which should bear upon this question? Why does Paul use the word οὕτως in Romans 11:26, and how should this best be translated and understood? Is Jeremiah 31 in any way relevant for the future of the Jewish nation and its salvation? Is Hosea important to understanding the identity of Israel in Romans 9-11? What should we make of Paul's citation in Romans 11:26-27? Is it from Isaiah? Is it salvation? Is it judgment? Is there a chiastic structure to Romans 9-11? In what way is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 relevant to our interpretation of these things?

S2E9: Eschatology & Israel Pt. 1 Benjamin & Cody take up a more free-form discussion. They lay out the basics of eschatology, both in terms of the millennium and the different interpretive approaches. Then they follow this up with a longer debate on Israel and Romans 9-11, where their differences and disagreements are shown. Touched on in this episode: Benjamin & Cody's different experiences with eschatology and the question of the future of the Jews. Why care about the Jews in relation to eschatology? What is the context of Romans 11? How should we understand Israel in Romans 9:6? What is Paul's burden in Romans 9-11? Is Paul prophesying the future or parsing through the present? What did Calvin and others say on Romans 11:25?

S2E8: Piety Provoked Benjamin, Michael, and Cody take up the topic of piety provoked, derived from Psalm 119:139. They parse through the key parts, raise a number of scriptural examples and confirmations, and give some applications. They touch on things like: Zeal must issue in being provoked. Should we have enemies? Is there a place in the Christian life for hatred? to be indignant? to wield anger? The danger of false or misguided zeal. Examples from Paul, Phinehas, David, Elihu, and Christ. The balance between mocking and weeping. Whether warnings against being a reactionary are useful or straitjacket us from agency? The inevitability of zeal and being provoked. Why did Luther counsel Melanchthon to sin boldly? The unintended danger of faddish zeal. What are some benefits of being provoked? Is it always wrong to allow the enemy to dictate the terms of battle, or are there instances where God blesses those who fight in faith and embrace the antithesis?

S2E7—Divested from the Ministry: Interview with Michael Spangler Benjamin, Michael, and Cody join together for a discussion and interview centered around Michael's recent divestiture from the ministry. They touch upon: Michael's conversion and Christian experience. The Aimee Byrd controversy. The present divestiture. An Act Censuring Ministers for their Silence from the Church of Scotland, 1648—Cody raised this repeatedly in the episode Michael's Divestiture Summary on X (Twitter)

S2E6—Ben Mordecai: Health & Fitness Benjamin and Michael are joined by Ben Mordecai for an interview and discussion on the topic of health and fitness, including diet and exercise. Ben interacted thoughtfully with the previous episode on gluttony, and was thus invited to join as a follow-up. Things touched upon: Ben's Christian experience & social media presence. The intersection of faith and fitness. Ben's starter guide to health and fitness. Dialogue about the gluttony episode (e.g. purpose of food, pleasure, social contexts, etc.). Are there exceptions to the general rule that obesity is the result of gluttony? Why are obesity, along with poor health and fitness, such problems in our day? Is procrastination sometimes better thought of as a lack of clarity? How does a person determine target body weight? The place of calories and food in fitness. The difference between exercising for weight loss vs. weight gain. What are the benefits of a gym vs. home? Common mistakes of fitness novices. How can we be encouraged to pursue ordered health and wholesome fitness? Resources Ben's Health & Fitness Starter Guide Ben's Substack Ben's Facebook

S2E5: The Evil of Pride Benjamin, Michael, & Cody take up the evil of pride, a sin more common and deceptive than we might initially think. They define it, and parse through its various subtleties and manifestations, in the church and society, and throughout recent history. They touch on things like: False humility & its expressions. Wilhelmus a Brakel on true humility. Despondency, self-deprecating jokes, & suicide. The "above-it-all" guy. Refusal to grow, excel, & pursue glory. Spoiling yourself & others of your gifts & graces. Denying the gifts & graces of others. The vital connection between heroism & humility. The dominant lie that says piety recedes & never dares. Projection, whether of meanings and/or motives. The ministry of Jeremiah. Being puffed up with knowledge. Pharaoh's proud insanity. Humility in Moses slaying the Egyptian & Samson's guerilla warfare. If Calvin, Knox, Rutherford, and Owen were alive today, how long would it be before they were put under church discipline? Is it pride to parrot the battles of the Reformation today? In what ways do we deck the tombs of our Prophets? Is the rejection of Dabney a form of pride? Wokery, anti-racism, & anti-White hatred. What place does weeping have? Whether pride is behind the excising of Calvin's comments on the sin of Onanism? Does pride underlie TGC publishing an article where a Taylor Swift concert was likened to the beatific vision? The need for fresh sights of God in his glory and of our own sin as remedy to pride. Rightly estimating yourself. Owning and wielding your gifts for others.

S2:E4—Marrow 4: The Efficiency of God Benjamin, Michael, & Cody continue through The Marrow of Theology, by William Ames, with particular focus upon the efficiency or power of God. Raised in this episode: What is the efficiency of God and its relation to faith? How does Deism differ from Christianity regarding God's efficiency? What is practical Atheism and its relation to this doctrine? How can Hannah, flowers, and the Resurrection teach us about God's efficiency? What is the importance of God's power in our thinking and speaking well of God? Are there any crucial distinctions concerning God's power? Why must we say that God does not have active power (or potency)? Are there things impossible with God? What does Thomas Cartwright have to say concerning God's power? What is the doctrine of inseparable operations, does Ames affirm it, and why is it important? James White & Biblicism. What does Ames teach concerning the order of the divine Persons in the manner of working? Do other Reformed theologians teach this? What can Peter Van Mastricht teach us here?

S2:E3—The 20th Century Captivity of the Church We sit down for an interview and discussion with Matt Marino—pastor in the ARP, PhD candidate at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, professor at ⁠New Aberdeen College⁠, and proponent of Reformed Classicalism. You can find his content on his ⁠blog⁠, on his ⁠youtube⁠, at ⁠SermonAudio⁠, and via ⁠podcast⁠. Highly recommended. In particular, we discuss and parse through the confusion of the 20th century surrounding Thomas Aquinas vs. Cornelius Van Til, Classical vs. Presuppositional Apologetics, Natural Theology & Natural Law vs. Theonomy, Worldview, Ethics, and more. Various questions touched on: Did Greek thought poison Christian thought, or is that a liberal thesis? Is Cornelius Van Til historically Reformed or historically novel? Is theology imperiled by denying natural revelation? What critiques do Van Tillians leave themselves open to? What is Fideism? Why is it a major problem? Is there a fad surrounding Thomas Aquinas? Why was R. C. Sproul concerned about Presuppositionalism? Can Inigo Montoya teach us anything about John Frame, Greg Bahnsen, R. J. Rushdoony, and Gary North? If natural law was embraced not only by Aquinas, but by Franciscus Junius, Richard Hooker, and the Reformed and Puritan tradition, why is it often rejected today? What can we learn from Pietists, Boomers, Moderates, Progressives, & Baptists? What is Reformed Classicalism, and why is it the answer to our 20th Century Captivity? What is the expositional evasion of ethics? Why is it bad? What are its effects upon the sheep? Do we need to build new institutions in order to address our declension and confusion? In what ways do seminaries today fail to uphold historic Christian thought? Recommended Resources for Reformed Classicalism: ⁠Classical Apologetics⁠ by Sproul, Gerstner, & Lindsley ⁠R. C. Sproul vs. Greg Bahnsen Apologetics Debate⁠ ⁠The Reformation As Renewal⁠ by Matthew Barrett ⁠Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism⁠ by Willem Van Asselt ⁠Theoretical-Practical Theology⁠ by Petrus van Mastricht ⁠Institutes of Elenctic Theology⁠ by Francis Turretin ⁠All That Is in God⁠ by James Dolezal ⁠Aquinas Among the Protestants⁠ by Svensson & VanDrunen ⁠Augustine: A Very Short Introduction⁠ by Henry Chadwick

S2:E2—The Evil of Romanism Benjamin, Michael, & Cody discuss the evil of Romanism. They touch on the historic and confessional Reformed position that the Pope is the Antichrist; they raise 2 Thessalonians 2 and relate it to Daniel 7; and, drawing on Calvin's work, The Necessity of Reforming the Church, they highlight some differences between the Reformed and Romanists, such as: Worship Sacraments Salvation Church Government Also touched on in this episode: Has Romanism profited Protestantism in any way? Is it good to be Protestant or not? What are some ways we can reclaim our Protestant heritage? Can Romanists join a Christian Nationalist project? How dangerous is Rome? Do Romanists read their Bibles? How do Romanists conceive of America's founding and origination?

SEASON 2: EPISODE 1 In the first episode of 2024, Benjamin, Michael, and Cody sit down with Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism. We discuss some of the contents of the book, some criticisms and responses to it, and why we believe the topic is important. Some questions touched on: Should prelapsarian man have a place in how we view nations and civil power? What is the R2K vs. Kuyperian dialectic? Is there a better way? What is gynocratic oppression? Are we under it now? Should Christian Nationalists oppose women's suffrage? Do nations have any racial or ethnic component? Is there a Christian Nationalist movement? Should we love our own people and place?

Benjamin interviews Dave Forsythe concerning the war in Gaza and the ideology of Zionism. Are they compatible with Christian ethics and the law of God?

Benjamin & Michael resume work through The Marrow of Theology. They reflect on the doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons in the Godhead, and defend classical theism against modern innovations.

Benjamin, Michael, & Cody conduct a biblical and historical assessment of the evil of Judaism. Among other things, they touch upon the Scripture's testimony on this topic, whether "anti-Semitism" is a frame which we as Christians ought to take up, and they raise what Reformed giant, Gisbertus Voetius, had to say about the Jews. Spoiler: it was not good. In fact, today it is taboo.

Benjamin interviews Pastor Jack Schoeman on the call to the gospel ministry, working through Jack's own experience and confirmation.

Benjamin, Michael, & Cody discuss the evil of religious pluralism. They argue that the natural law and the Scripture define religious pluralism as a sinful and non-Christian position, that Romans 13 does not give a blank check to the government, and that it is good for the magistrate to aid in the reformation of the church, as our fathers like Thomas Cartwright and John Calvin, among others, have said long ago.

Benjamin, Michael, & Cody discuss a commonly neglected topic: gluttony and the evil thereof. They make some necessary distinctions and follow-up with some basic applications.