Confessional Protestants and the Negative World (conversation with Aaron Renn)
Release Date: 05/12/2023
Why Eastern Orthodoxy? Why Now?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
We were down a man this time. Our Anglican co-host, , was on the road which left (Lutheran) and (Presbyterian) trying to maintain pudcasting standards. We had help from our colleague in the English Department, , who grew up Christian Reformed and switched to Eastern Orthodoxy. We talked about the various strands of Orthodoxy in America, what the appeal may be to young men, and why confessional Protestants realign with the Orthodox Church. For perspective on the current appeal of Orthodoxy, see from the New York Times. The movement of some Lutherans into...
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Inside Confessional Protestant Baseball
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
This discussion among the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian), has almost nothing to do with Thanksgiving but it does resume the last one about the Anglican Church in North America. Miles Smith provides an update on the ongoing efforts to resolve conflict over . He also comments on the Matthew Wilcoxen for reforming ACNA. Disputes in the Presbyterian Church in America over opened a window on the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod led by Korey Maas. All of this may sound like too much detail. But if you believe God is in the...
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What Are Anglicans Doing?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The bumper music for this episode, chosen by our Presbyterian producer, comes from the 1964 of an Anglican homily by Alan Bennett ("My Brother Esau, Beyond the Fringe"). The subject discussed by pudcast co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) may be the same -- Anglicanism -- but the approach is not comedic. Anglicans around the world have been in the news, from the of a new (and female) archbishop of Canterbury, to the by a prominent Baptist historical theologian to join ACNA. the deserves way more than roughly 55 minutes...
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Cultural Christianity
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
A recent announced a shift, some call it vibe, others a mood, that is making Christianity more acceptable or less appealing than it used to be in Aaron Renn's "." This is related to a question of what influence churches have on a society and its culture. Aaron Renn among the effort to take back the mainline Protestant denominations (from a that everyone acknowledges but does not necessarily measure). One of the reasons for looking to these churches instead of the Presbyterian Church in America, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, or the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is that...
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Does Confessional Protestantism Need Classical Education
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
It is back-to-school time and the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) are getting ready for classes. This makes it a good time to reflect on the kind of education that nurtures confessional Protestant piety and practice -- for both ministers and church members. The recording starts with each member of the "broadcasting team" talking about upcoming classes at Hillsdale College and how we situate ourselves within the framework of classical education, the "Great Books," and liberal education. From there the conversation explores the...
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Since When Do Confessional Protestants Pay Attention to Baptists?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
To put the question even more pointedly, with lots of stereotyping to go round, when do Lutherans of German descent who settled mainly in the northern mid-western states pay attention to Baptists in the South? This was the subject of the recent recording when co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) discussed Scott Yenor's about "the left's" attack on denominational institutions. Part of the discussion involved the Southern Baptist Convention's place in conservative politics and the New Calvinist movement. Another part involved the dark side of...
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How High Is the Lord's Supper?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The topic this time is evangelical sacramentalism courtesy of a good short by , a retired professor of history at Grove City College. With Dr. Harp, the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) talk about the recent elevation of the sacraments among Protestants, whether this is a function of Protestants trying to retrieve the church fathers or re-enchant worship services, and the relationship between preaching and the Lord's Supper. Spoiler alert: readers may be surprised to hear an Anglican (Dr. Harp) defend a high view of preaching. Listeners...
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Do Protestants Catch Colds if the Pope Sneezes?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The death of Pope Francis and the election of a new pope -- Leo XIV -- were the circumstances for co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) to talk about relationships between Protestants and the papacy. The conversation ranged widely, from assessments of Francis, speculation about Leo, and general observations about Christianity's need for a sound pope. Keeping up with all of the articles about either Francis' legacy or Leo's prospects is impossible. But were of the co-hosts before being recorded.
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It's Like Confessional Protestantism Doesn't Exist
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican heirs of the Protestant Reformation continue to make news by not attracting attention from observers of American Protestantism. The co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian), talk about two recent articles about traditional Protestantism that either imply or claim that such Christianity is down on the mat for the count (think boxing). One is Brad East's "" and the other is Casey Spinks "?" The conversation may not be as hopeful as some listeners want. But along with the on non-denominational...
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Confessional Protestantism and Denominationalism
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
This time co-hosts (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) talk about whether non-denominational Christianity is the future of American Protestantism and what stake confessional Protestants have in denominational structures. The basis for discussion is sociologist Ryan Burge's whose numbers indicate the remarkable increase of non-denominational Protestantism. Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Congregationalists may sound like the ecclesiastical equivalent of Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, and Buick, but institutions matter to...
info_outlineThis recording takes a different direction as co-hosts Miles Smith (Anglican), D. G. Hart (Presbyterian), and Korey Maas (Lutheran) welcome Aaron Renn to the Paleo-Protestant Pudcast. Aaron Renn is a consultant and keen observer of American cities and social trends who has taken an active interest in American Christianity and political conservatism. Many will know him from his First Things piece on the three worlds of evangelicalism (positive, neutral, and negative). Those observations are relevant for his concerns about why evangelicals are second-class citizens in the world of American conservatism (politics). For listeners wanting a deeper dive into the place of American Protestantism within elite culture and institutional networks in the United States, his essay on the sociologist who invented the phrase - White Anglo-Saxon Protestant - and an interview about the essay are well worth consulting. Among the many hats that Aaron Renn wears, his editorial work and writing for the American Reformer is likely the one that connects most directly to confessional Protestantism. We talked for a while and could have talked longer about evangelicals, political conservatism, confessional Protestants, the value of denominations as institutions, and the cultivation of Protestant intellectuals.
This recording did not have an announced sponsor, but it may have well been Aaron Renn's substack which is the place to go to see Aaron wear most of his many hats.
Listeners may follow him at @aaron_renn but only after they follow @IVMiles and @oldlife. We all pine for Dr. Maas to do more than lurk on Twitter.