Shows / MarsCast
MarsCast
Join the faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary as they discuss everything from theology to cultural issues from a Reformed perspective. *The opinions presented in each episode are those of the individual speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of the Seminary.*
Episodes
- MarsCast
326. Discerning a Call: A Guide for Pastors and Seminary Graduates
Don’t think that you need to take the first pastoral call that comes along. Don’t wait for a perfect one, either. Somewhere between paralysis and presumption…
- MarsCast
325. How To Run a Faithful Pastoral Search
Reformed churches are facing more pastoral vacancies than at any point in Dr. Paul Ipema’s lifetime, and the elders left to fill them are rarely trained for…
- MarsCast
324. Why Paul Recommended Singleness
Why would the apostle who calls marriage a living picture of Christ and the church also tell some people not to marry? In the final episode of our Christ and…
- MarsCast
323. Why Unbelievers Can't Fully "Do" Marriage
In part two of this series on Christ and culture, Dr. Marcus Mininger dives into Paul's stunning move in Ephesians 5 — quoting Genesis 2's account of marriage…
- MarsCast
322. Is Your Job Christian? Rethinking Faith and Culture
Can your job as a plumber, your Monday to Friday at the office, or your Saturday grocery run be an act of worship, or is "Christian living" really just a…
- MarsCast
321. The Future of Biblical Counseling
Two of biblical counseling's most influential leaders died within a year of each other (Adams and Powlison), and the movement has been fracturing ever since…
- MarsCast
320. Van Til's Fingerprints on Biblical Counseling
Every biblical counselor assumes their approach comes straight from Scripture alone, but what if the underlying architecture came from an apologist rather than…
- MarsCast
319. The Legacy of Jay Adams
He was a pastor with a PhD in speech, no formal training in counseling, and a class he never wanted to teach, so how did Jay Adams end up rewriting the rules…
- MarsCast
318. The Birth of the Biblical Counseling Movement
What happens when the church stops trusting herself to help her own people—and hands the job to the therapist's couch instead? In the 1970s, one pastor's book…
- MarsCast
317. Calvin Against the Calvinists, And Why the Scholars Got It Wrong
For much of the 20th century, many academic theologians operated on the assumption that Calvin's successors (Beza, the Westminster Divines, the scholastic…
- MarsCast
316. Calvin and the State: What the Reformer Actually Believed
Every faction in today's church-and-state wars has a Calvin: the Christian nationalist Calvin, the two-kingdoms Calvin, the theonomist Calvin. But what if…
- MarsCast
315. Did Calvin Murder Servetus?
In 1553, Michael Servetus was executed in Geneva, and John Calvin approved. It's the charge that haunts every defense of Calvinism, and also the story that…
- MarsCast
314. Before We Quote Calvin, We Have a Problem
MarsCast is back, and we're returning from our July hiatus with an episode worth the wait. Everyone's got a Calvin quote ready to fire, but whose Calvin are…
- MarsCast
313. Chosen by Grace, Called to Humility
What happens when Christians forget that grace, not merit, is the foundation of election? In this concluding conversation with Dr. Alan Strange, we move from…
- MarsCast
312. Clay Jars and Chosen Nations: Dr. Strange on Election and the Public Square
Israel wasn't chosen because it was great. God said so himself. In this episode of MarsCast, Jared Luttjeboer and Dr. Alan Strange open Deuteronomy 7 and…
- MarsCast
311. Better Than Whom? Ethnic Superiority and the Image of God
A short clip. A blunt question. And apparently, more than a few people had thoughts about it. When Dr. Alan Strange asked his evening class whether anyone…
- MarsCast
310. The Theologian Who Won't Go and the Missionary Who Doesn't Know
Paul didn't write Romans because he had a lot to say; he wrote it because he needed a church ready to send him to Spain. That single missionary ambition is…
- MarsCast
309. Why Paul Wrote His Longest Letter to a Church He'd Never Met
Why is Romans so long? Paul wasn't writing a theology textbook; he was trying to recruit a missionary partner, and the Roman church wasn't ready. In this…
- MarsCast
308. Romans Is Not What You Think It Is
Everyone knows Romans for justification by faith, but what if that's only part of the story? In this episode, host Jared Luttjeboer sits down with Dr. Marcus…
- MarsCast
307. The Spiritual Formation of Elders
The hardest person for an elder to pastor is himself. In this final episode of our series on pastoral leadership, Dr. J. Mark Beach doesn't let elders off the…
- MarsCast
306. Shepherds Smell Like Sheep
Some elders think the job is the meeting. They show up, they vote, and then they adjourn. Dr. J. Mark Beach disagrees. In this episode of MarsCast, Beach…
- MarsCast
305. Comfortable Churches and Uncomfortable Pastors
What happens when a church treats its pastor like a contractor who's hired to perform, expected to comply, and fired when inconvenient? In this episode, Jared…
- MarsCast
304. Cowboys, Shepherds, and Pastoral Leadership
What if the way your church thinks about pastoral leadership is quietly undermining it? In this first episode of a four-part series, host Jared Luttjeboer sits…
- MarsCast
303. Reaching Women: Practical Strategies for the Church
What does it actually look like for a church to move toward women with the good news of Jesus without swinging left into egalitarianism or right into a cold…
- MarsCast
302. Trad Wives, Feminist Churches, and the Jesus Who Transcends Both
Critics call the Bible misogynistic. Some point to the Gnostic Gospels as the "real" feminist Jesus. But Dr. Andrew Compton argues that the canonical Jesus…
- MarsCast
301. From Liberation to Disappointment: Tracing the Feminist Arc
Millions of women were promised that liberation would bring fulfillment, so why are so many of them exhausted, angry, and searching for something more? In this…
- MarsCast
300. Steady As She Goes: Faithful Politics Across a Lifetime
Every generation believes its political moment is the worst in history, and every generation is partly right. But what if the real crisis isn't the news cycle…
- MarsCast
299. The Church and Political Formation
In this third episode of our series on political exhaustion and the church, host Jared Luttjeboer presses Dr. Alan Strange on the most practical question yet…
- MarsCast
298. What Political Exhaustion Reveals About Our Theology
When Christians treat election results or political victories like theological verdicts, something has gone wrong, but what? In this episode of Marscast, Jared…
- MarsCast
297. Pastoring a Politically Exhausted Church
Political division strains friendships, but sometimes, it also fractures churches, turning voting records into litmus tests for gospel faithfulness and Sunday…
- MarsCast
296. Is There Room for Growth in the URCNA?
Can a young federation preserve its confessional convictions while reaching new communities? As the URCNA approaches its thirtieth year with approximately 140…
- MarsCast
295. What the URCNA Won't Compromise: Doctrine, Polity, and the Form of Subscription
When the United Reformed Churches in North America formed in 1996, they didn't just create another denomination; they made deliberate choices about identity…
- MarsCast
294. The Birth of the United Reformed Churches in North America
When around 40 churches take a risk to leave the only denomination they've ever known, what drives them to take that leap? This episode reveals how a single…
- MarsCast
293. The Long Road to Leaving the CRC
What theological crisis in the 20th century led thousands of Reformed Christians to leave their denomination and start something new? In this episode, Dr…
- MarsCast
292. Rome Strikes Back: The Catholic Counter-Reformation
How did the Catholic Church respond when Luther's hammer struck the church door? In this Christmas Day finale, Dr. Alan Strange and Jared Luttjeboer explore…
- MarsCast
291. John Knox and the Scottish Reformation
Venture north of England to the Reformation in Scotland, which created something truly distinctive—a Presbyterian church that would reshape the…
- MarsCast
290. England's Reformation: Why It Started in the Palace, Not the Pulpit
Why did England's Reformation begin with a king's divorce rather than a theologian's protest? In this episode of MARSCAST, Dr. Alan Strange guides us through…
- MarsCast
289. How Protestantism Became a Continental Movement
What happened after Luther's 95 Theses? In this episode, we trace the explosive spread of Protestantism across Europe—from the Lutheran state churches of…
- MarsCast
288. The Importance of Lament
What if the largest category of prayers in the Bible is one we've almost forgotten how to pray? In this conclusion to the series on walking with God through…
- MarsCast
287. Where is God in Our Suffering?
When suffering strikes, where is God? In this conversation, Rev. Paul Ipema and Jared Luttjeboer explore one of faith's most pressing questions: how a…
- MarsCast
286. Why We're Less Equipped for Hardship Than Any Generation Before
Why does suffering feel so unbearable in our modern world? In this first installment of a three-part series, Rev. Paul Ipema joins host Jared Luttjeboer to…
- MarsCast
285. Can I Lose My Salvation? A Conversation on Perseverance and Grace
In this final episode of our “Doctrines of Grace” series, host Jared Luttjeboer and Dr. J. Mark Beach turn to one of the most tender truths in the Christian…
- MarsCast
284. Understanding Irresistible Grace
When someone comes to faith, what’s really happening beneath the surface? Is belief simply a human choice, or the result of God’s sovereign work in the heart?…
- MarsCast
283. For Whom Did Christ Die? Understanding the Extent of the Atonement
In this episode of MARSCAST, host Jared Luttjeboer sits down with Dr. J. Mark Beach to take a closer look at one of the most discussed questions in Christian…
- MarsCast
282. Hebrews and the Heart of Perseverance
In this final installment of our three-part series, Dr. Marcus Mininger joins MARSCAST to explore how the warnings in Hebrews—though rooted in a unique…
- MarsCast
281. When Repentance Becomes Impossible
Hebrews has long been called “the riddle of the New Testament.” In this episode of MARSCAST, Dr. Marcus Mininger returns with host Jared Luttjeboer to unpack…
- MarsCast
280. Hebrews 6 and the Making of a Theologian
In this opening episode of a three-part series, host Jared Luttjeboer sits down with Dr. Marcus Mininger, New Testament professor at Mid-America Reformed…
- MarsCast
279. The Forgotten Office of Believer
In this episode of MARSCAST, we feature Rev. Paul Murphy’s plenary address from the 2024 Center for Missions and Evangelism Conference. Speaking on what R. B…
- MarsCast
278. Romans as a Roadmap for Missions
This episode features a message from our 2023 Center for Missions and Evangelism Conference, part of a special series leading up to the 2025 CME Conference on…
- MarsCast
277. When Mission Gets Uncomfortable: Loving the Unlikely Neighbor
This episode features a message from our 2022 Center for Missions and Evangelism Conference, where Dr. J. Mark Beach explores what it means to love both…
- MarsCast
276. How Christ Meets Us in Our Homesickness
In this episode of MARSCAST, Dr. Andrew Compton joins Jared Luttjeboer to explore the deep ache of homesickness. We tend to think of homesickness as a fleeting…
- MarsCast
275. Christ, Our True Dwelling Place
In this second installment of our series on a biblical theology of home, Dr. Andrew Compton joins Jared Luttjeboer to trace how the prophets and the New…
- MarsCast
274. Dwelling with God: Rethinking Our Longing for Home
In this opening episode of a three-part series, Dr. Andrew Compton joins Director of Marketing, Jared Luttjeboer, to explore the deep biblical theme of home…
- MarsCast
273. The Theologian of the Holy Spirit
What do you really know about the reformer of Geneva? In this conclusion to our series on the reformers, Dr. Alan Strange returns to explore the remarkable…
- MarsCast
272. God's Sudden Subduing: John Calvin's Unlikely Rise
What drives a brilliant 27-year-old humanist scholar to abandon his promising legal career and pen one of history's most influential theological works? Join…
- MarsCast
271. The Sacred Meal That Split the Reformers
What happens when three brilliant minds clash over the meaning of Christianity's most sacred meal? In this episode, Dr. Strange and host Jared Luttjeboer…
- MarsCast
270. The Swiss Alternative: How Zwingli Carved His Own Path of Reform
In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of Huldrych Zwingli—a Renaissance-trained scholar who transformed worship, challenged papal authority, and…
- MarsCast
269. Was Luther Right About Rome?
Was Martin Luther right to compare the Roman Catholic Church to the legalistic Judaism of the Pharisees? In this episode of MARSCAST, Dr. Alan Strange and…
- MarsCast
268. The Tormented Monk: Martin Luther's Spiritual Crisis
Step into the world of late medieval Catholicism and discover the spiritual crisis that shaped one of history's most influential reformers. In this episode…
- MarsCast
267. Leo XIV and the Legacy of the Papacy
In this episode, host Jared Luttjeboer finishes the conversation on the papacy with Dr. Alan Strange and Dr. Andrew Compton as they unpack the significance of…