Podcast

Ezra Institute Fellow Dan Ogden makes his podcast debut to discuss the difference between international law, which is based on common consent, and supranational law, a coercive and unaccountable system. He explains some of the strategic and economic benefits of a globally connected world, as well as the complications that arise from it, and how to think in a principled, Christian way about a tangled and high-stakes context.

We interact with a classic interview with Yuri Bezmenov, a KGB agent who defected from the USSR in the 1980s. He explains the strategy of cultural infiltration that has been active since the 1950s, and the work of demoralization that has been accomplished in the West. As we approach election seasons in the USA, Canada and Britain, we must be diligent to also pursue personal sanctification and not compromise on principles for the sake of temporary fixes.

Ezra Institute Fellow Andrew Sandlin joins us to discuss the strange bedfellows of Marxism and Nationalism that have been keeping company lately, as well as antisemitism and the recent rise of nationalism of several stripes, including Christian nationalism, and how a reformational perspective guards against the excesses and reactionism of both progressive and conservative ideologies that are not based in Christ Jesus.

As governments and law enforcement deal with planned demonstrations for this upcoming Remembrance Day, Joe Boot considers the Islamic worldview commitments that are fundamentally at odds with Christian religious worldview commitments, and discuss the true and lasting peace that was accomplished through the cross of Christ. All month of November, save on the family advent…

On this Reformation Day, Tobias Riemenschneider joins us from Germany to discuss the West’s death-loving culture, expressed in the horror of abortion. He explains how the wide-scale support for state-sponsored abortion is upstream from so many other forms of murder, euthanasia, the harm that it causes to women, and the folly of referring to abortion as a human right.

Race is an unbiblical concept, and there are two main expressions of it in the West: constructivist critical race theory, and primordial nationalism. The Christian must reject both.

John Cooper of the rock band Skillet returns to the podcast to discuss his forthcoming book, Wimpy, Weak and Woke. He explains how a spirit of entitlement and victimhood has pervaded Western society, with its philosophical roots in Hegel, the tragedy of Christians abandoning the truth of the Bible to capitulate to postmodern and politically correct assumptions, and offers a solution that begins at home, but grows outward to express the Kingdom of God in every area of life and society.

In the wake of the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, and the Israeli response, we consider the religious roots of anti-Semitism and conflict with Israel. We also discuss the eschatological goal of Islam to conquer the earth, and the difference between a reformational approach and the historic doctrinal assumptions and commitments towards Israel from dispensational theology.

The Canadian government’s passage of legislation such as Bills C-11, C-18, and C-36 is beginning to bear fruit, in the form of increasingly invasive censorship policies levied on content platforms.

We’ve seen a lot of new listeners to the show the past few months, and a warm welcome to all of you! In this episode, Joe Boot, Ryan Eras and Nate Wright discuss how and why the Ezra Institute began, the issues and activities that we engage in, and what we’re doing next.

Pastor and author Paul Dirks discusses his forthcoming book, Deep Discipleship for Dark Days, and explains why the time is ripe for Christians to embark on building healthy, godly families, churches, schools, and communities. Paul discusses how he perceived the need for this book at such a time as this, and lays out the scriptural rationale for whether rapid societal changes come from the political, natural, technological, or biological spheres, all such historical occurrences urge us to live in such a way that we are ready with a faithful response. A constant, general preparedness, and a particular discerning of the times (1 Chr 12:32)  are interconnected. 

Michael Thiessen discusses the recent Crown decision to withdraw charges against Alberta pastors James Coates and Tim Stephens, as well as some other pending legal cases on the question of the relation of church and state. The cases represent victories, but Mike explains why much more advocacy needs to be done at the constitutional level to bring a truly meaningful level of legal protection for religious freedom in Canada.