Mere Fidelity is back! Welcome to Mere Fidelity 2.0: A Mere Orthodoxy Podcast. Hosts Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, Brad East, and James Wood dive into the major news of Pope Francis's passing and Cardinal Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV. As Protestant theologians, they grapple with what this papal transition means for the broader Christian landscape. They discuss how evangelicals should approach papal authority, explore the potential for greater Christian unity under the new papacy, and examine the ongoing influence of Catholic social teaching. They also reflect on the challenges and opportunities of engaging with Catholic tradition while remaining committed to Protestant principles. — Chapters: 00:00 Mere Fidelity 2.0: A New Era 03:25 Protestant Perspectives on the Papacy 09:21 Toward a Unified Church 12:30 Papal "Authority" 15:25 The Role of the Pope in a Divided Church 18:23 Visions for Unity in the Church 23:53 Pope Not King 25:02 Protestant Perspectives on Tradition 27:55 Calvin in the Middle 32:46 Visible and Invisible 33:48 Encyclical Teaching 41:05 Extra Cautions 46:24 Future Ecumenical Councils 51:20 New Chapter
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57:08
The One Thing Necessary
A lot can happen in ten years. A lot has happened in ten years. In this, Matt’s final episode as a Mere Fi co-host, the guys reflect on the changes, crises, developments, growth, learning, cursings, and blessings that have occurred since the podcast started. Each of them offers their younger selves what wisdom they can. May you profit from their experience. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: The OG Mere Fi Cast & Crew [0:00] Decade Retrospective [2:55] Andrew Now Knows What a Podcast Is [3:30] Alastair Values Committed Conversation Partners [7:06] Derek Still Doesn’t Know [11:25] Focus on What Matters [17:06] The Theology Underneath [23:48] Matt Gives a Warning [29:23] The Stillness Outside the Crisis [39:51] Evangelicalism’s Hour [44:29] Physical Relationships [47:56] Links Mentioned: Lexham Press Book of the Month Merrie Band “Twenty-Five Bloggers in One Sentence Each,” by Andrew Wilson, c. 2014 Credits: To support Mere Fidelity financially, visit our Patreon here. Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Crouch for keeping us organized. Thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.
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55:12
Mere Christian Hermeneutics with Kevin Vanhoozer
Is it literally possible to read the Bible literally? Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer joins Derek, Alastair, and Matt as the penultimate guest of 2024 to talk about frames of reference, transfigural reading, how the New Testament uses the Old Testament, and how to create a culture of reading at your church. You will literally love it! Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: The Alastair Roberts Endorsement [0:00] Penultimage Delight [1:27] Literally Reading the Bible [2:44] Figural Reading [8:04] Frames of Reference [10:35] Literary Tropes [14:42] Covenant [17:07] Eschatological Meaning [20:48] Lifting the Veil [29:11] The Transfiguration [33:15] The New Testament Model of Reading [38:44] Creating a Reading Culture [44:41]
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49:09
Widening Gap
When a prominent Biblical theologian changes his position on the legitimacy of same-sex marriage, it prompts numerous questions for Derek, Alastair, and Matt to tackle in this episode of Mere Fidelity. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: Against Worldview [0:00] A Change of Mind [1:41] What Kind of Change? [3:06] Hays’s Shift [6:55] “Using” Scripture [9:13] The “Right” Community [12:59] Ignoring Marriage [17:57] Different Questions Entirely [23:03] No Longer a Sin [29:57] Orthodoxy [35:22] Leadership and Esteem [38:08]
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50:51
Broken Bonds, with Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi, Mere Fi’s snarkiest online critic has written a novel—a historical novel—about the heroes of the Reformation. Matt and Alastair bring her on the show to talk about it, what historical fiction can do that theology can’t, what the central issue of the Reformation was, and what it’s like inside the heads of Luther, Erasmus, and Melanchthon. Plus, Matt gets it exactly right at least once. Stick around to the end for a big announcement about the future of Mere Fidelity. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: A Big Tease [0:00] Delighted and Terrified [1:48] Psychologically Intense [4:55] Historical Fiction [10:56] Hazards [15:49] Those Particular Years [23:05] Melanchthon FTW [29:10] The Peasants Are Revolting [34:45] Ambivalence [45:13] Mythological Force [50:17]
From the Mere Orthodoxy Podcast Network: The Podcast reflecting on God's Word and our world. Thoughtful weekly conversations about theology, the culture, and the church, hosted by Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts. Featuring Andrew Wilson, Brad East, James Wood, and Joseph Minich.
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