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In this episode of The Berean Bookclub Podcast, we dive into Deep Discipleship by JT English, exploring what it truly means to cultivate mature disciples in the church. Have we misdiagnosed the problem of discipleship, and how does that shape the way we approach it? Are we stuck in an either/or mindset, when discipleship requires both community and deep learning?

We also discuss what disciples actually need to grow—how Bible, Doctrine, and Spiritual Habits work together to form resilient faith. Finally, we reflect on how deep discipleship fuels mission and why a theologically rich church is not at odds with evangelism, but essential to it.

Join us as we wrestle with these questions and think deeply about how to build a culture of discipleship that is both faithful and effective.

Book Giveaway!

We’re excited to partner with Christian Book Discounters to give away a copy of Deep Discipleship by J.T. English this month! Want to enter? Here’s how:

Follow @thebereanbookclub on Instagram
Follow @christianbookdiscounters on Instagram
Tag two friends in the comments
Subscribe to CBD’s newsletter - link

Find all the links here: https://linktr.ee/thebereanbookclub

One lucky winner will be announced at the end of April, so don’t miss out.

In this episode, we explore Counterfeit Kingdom by Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett, diving into the world of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and its impact on churches both globally and here in South Africa. We discuss the dangers of this movement and the theological flaws that can cause serious harm in churches and families.

Understanding these issues is crucial for discernment, so we encourage you to listen and learn what to watch out for.

Hope you find the discussion helpful!

Links:

Buy the book: https://www.goodneighbours.org.za/shop/doctrine-and-theology/doctrine-and-theology-other_religions/counterfeit-kingdom/

Holly Pivec's Blog on the NAR movement: https://www.hollypivec.com/

In this first episode of Season 4, we explore productivity from a Christian worldview by engaging with Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose. We discuss the five pillars of productivity—the "why" behind productivity—and the five practical habits Reagan offers to help us pursue fruitful lives for the glory of God.

Beyond methods and principles, we reflect on how our ultimate rest is found in God's finished work in Christ, which forms the foundation of our identity and motivates us to live for His glory.

We hope you enjoy the episode! You can learn more about Reagan and his work by visiting his website https://redeemingproductivity.com/.

Also, check out the proposed book list for Season 4 in 2025—available on Everrand https://www.everand.com/lists/26644465/The-Berean-Bookclub-2025.

Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose

Counterfeit Kingdom by Holly Pivec & R. Douglas Geivett

The Two Books of Homilies by Thomas Cranmer

Parenting by Paul David Tripp

Bavinck on the Christian Life by John Bolt

The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church by Justin Schell

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress

Digital Liturgies by Samuel James

Deep Discipleship by J.T. English

What is Covenant Theology? by Ryan M. McGraw

Grace and peace

In the last episode for the year, we sit down with Ferdie Mulder, who recently returned from the UK, to learn more about his family, his current work, and the heart behind the Institute for Reformation in South Africa. We dive into their latest book release on the life and legacy of Tiyo Soga, exploring the key factors that shaped him into a pivotal figure in South African church history.

Links:

Tiyo Soga Book: https://www.reformationsa.com/product-page/tiyo-soga-and-his-mentors

The Institute for Reformation in South Africa Website: https://www.reformationsa.com/

IRSA Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IRSAStellenbosch

Sola Platform Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SOLAplatform

In this episode, we discuss J. Gresham Machen's classic book, Christianity and Liberalism. We reflect on Machen's legacy and examine how this work clearly outlines the distinct differences between the Christian faith and the ways in which liberal Christianity undermines it at its core. Though written nearly a century ago, this book remains strikingly relevant to the challenges we face today. We hope you enjoy the discussion!

In the ninth episode of this season, we examine Compelling Community by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop. This thought-provoking book presents a vision of the church that goes beyond shared interests or demographics, aiming instead to display the supernatural unity found in Christ.

Together, we discuss how Compelling Community challenges us to cultivate church relationships that reflect the gospel, deepen our love for one another, and ultimately show the world a picture of the kingdom. Join us as we explore how to foster a church community that glorifies God.

In the eighth episode of this season, we dive into Untangling Emotions by Alisdair Groves. The book tackles the complex topic of emotions, emphasizing that our emotions ultimately flow from our hearts. To truly deal with and untangle our emotions, we need to better understand our hearts and align them with who God is—what He loves and what He hates.

In this episode, we explore how Alisdair helps us do just that, and we discuss practical ways to help ourselves and others manage emotions in a way that glorifies God.

This episode dives into Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, where we explore the pattern of lament and its powerful role in guiding us from suffering to praise. We discuss how following this biblical practice not only helps us process pain but also reveals our idols and misplaced trusts. Join us as we wrestle with the challenges of living in a broken world and find hope through the discipline of lament.

In this 6th Episode of season three of the Berean Bookclub we chat about Tim Keller’s little book: The Freedom of Self-forgetfulness.

In this book, Keller offers an alternative to both the ego which is puffed up and ego which is self-pitying. Based off of Paul's instruction to the church in Corinth, Keller shows how the gospel does not make the heart puffed up or deflated, but forgetful.

In this episode we speak about the difference between traditional and contemporary views of the ego, the evidence of pride in both the boastful and self-pitying heart, why forgetfulness might be a better alternative, and how the gospel of Jesus helps us to forget.

In this fifth episode of Season 3, we discuss "Raising Confident Kids in a Confusing World" by Ed Drew. This book offers Christian parents insights on grounding their children's identities in Christ and the implications for engaging with topics like gender, sexuality, and body image.

Joining me in this episode is my lovely wife, Jessica, and we share some of the practical applications for parenting that we gained from Ed's book.

In this fourth episode of season three, we chat through "Can We Trust The Gospels" by Peter Williams. The four gospels have regularly been put under the microscope in order to determine whether they can be trusted. In this book, Peter Williams presents the evidence in a comprehensive, clear and accessible way. "Can We Trust The Gospels?" is a must-have on your bookshelf. And, as always, well worth a read.

In this episode, we discuss why a book like this might be helpful for us today, how to think about the 'historical bias' of the gospel writers, the significance of external and internal evidence for the gospels, and the meaning of the undesigned coincidences in the gospels.

In this third episode of season three, we chat through C. S. Lewis' "The Inner Ring". Originally a lecture he gave at King's College University of London in 1944, Lewis describes the existence of the unseen social circles around us and warns about the dangers of our insatiable desires to enter into them. Later transcribed and published as an essay, this piece by Lewis is honest, challenging and incredibly insightful. As always, well worth a read.

In this episode, we discuss what exactly an 'Inner Ring' is, what our desires to enter them may result in, and how we might avoid the dangers of relentlessly pursuing the Inner Ring.

In this second episode of season three, we chat through Randy Alcorn's "Managing God's Money," exploring some foundational principles of financial stewardship and biblical perspectives on money. In his book, Alcorn covers key concepts addressing topics such as cheerful giving, contentment, eternal rewards, debt and more. This book is challenging, freeing and incredibly practical. Definitely well worth a read.

In this episode we discuss God's ownership of all resources and the shift from being owners to stewards, how money is not the root of all evil and the principle of working for eternal rewards.

In this first episode of season three, we chat through Hannah Hurnard's book: Hind's Feet on High Places

In this allegory, Hurnard writes of the Christian life as a journey from the valley up onto the high places. Perhaps a little less known than its counterpart The Pilgrim's Progress, Hind's Feet on High Places has breathtaking insights into sorrow, suffering, inadequacy, doubt, trust and many other aspects of the Christian life. What it lacks in popularity it holds in value, making it a hidden gem in the truest sense. It's an exhilarating journey, well worth the read.

In this episode, we discuss the best companions for a journey up to the high places, a rare flower to be found along the way, and a magnificent waterfall which calls for a closer look.

In this episode of The Berean Bookclub we chat through Songs of Suffering by Joni Eareckson.

This book walks through 25 songs which have accompanied Joni through what seems to be a lifetime of suffering. Along the way, she not only offers personal reflections on the place these songs have had in her own suffering, but reflects on the place of suffering in our lives, the purposes for which God allows suffering and the place which song has to lift our eyes to Jesus in the midst of suffering. In this book, Joni marries two of her great loves: Jesus and song. This makes it not only a sobering reflection on suffering but an incredibly practical read which seeks to equip us to love Jesus through song in the midst of suffering.

In this episode we speak through the value of memorizing God's promises through song and the place of this in suffering, how orchestrated sufferings by the master vine-dresser are an essential part of abiding in Jesus, how to press into suffering rather than fight against it, how to speak about our suffering without creating more anxiety and fear, the ability of suffering to choke out our gratitude, the power of focusing on Jesus cross rather than our own crosses, the beauty of not regaining what was lost through our suffering and trusting God to conform us to the image of Christ through our suffering.

In this episode of The Berean Bookclub we chat through The Thrill of Orthodoxy by Trevin Wax.

In this book, we walk along a path with Trevin Wax as he makes a case for why pursuing ancient orthodoxy is a thrilling adventure. He puts forth Orthodoxy as a way of life which fuses our actions with what we believe in a way which is thrilling, humbling and life-giving. This is a book which is hard to walk away from without a renewed hunger for knowing God.

In this episode, we speak through some of the concerns folk have with pursuing doctrine, why conflict around truth should be expected, how we as Christians have tended to respond to doctrinal conflict by withdrawing or accommodating, why following Jesus is not only about what we believe or only about how we act, how the pursuit of knowing God is an expression of love, how pursuing something greater than ourselves is thrilling and how pursuing orthodoxy is able to change us.

In part two of this first episode of season two of the Berean Bookclub we chat through Strange New World by Carl Trueman.

We continue our journey with Trueman to understand how the modern man has come to think about himself, and how we have come to understand our identities. Looking at various thinkers through the years, considering how they have shaped our cultures and the way we think. If you are feeling confused about the strange new world you find yourself in right now this book helps us make sense of it, see how we're complicit in it and hopefully bring us to a place where we can talk about it a little better.

In this episode, we speak through how we have come to understand psychology primarily in sexual categories: how Freud defines humanity through sexual desire and happiness, how sexuality is ingrained in modern identity markers, Freud's explanation for societies' regulation of sexual desires; how sex has moved into the political sphere: why sexual codes are perceived as oppressive, the need to overthrow any authorities which impose sexual codes, why the states must be the ones to facilitate the change, the personal offence inevitable in disagreements and how the gospel offers a hopeful alternative to expressive individualism.

In part one of this first episode of season two of The Berean Bookclub we chat through Strange New World by Carl Trueman.

In this book, we take a journey with Trueman to understand how the modern man has come to think about himself, and how we have come to understand our identities. He does this by looking at various thinkers through the years, and explaining how they have come to shape our cultures and the way we think. Not only does he look at people like Marx, Nietzche and Oscal Wild, but he also considers technology and economics and how they have contributed to how we think about ourselves. If you are feeling confused about the strange new world that you find yourself in right now this book helps us make sense of it, see how we're complicit in it and hopefully get us to a place where we can talk about it better.

In this episode, we speak through how it has come to be that our inner feelings are the most important part of us; how religion, the state and families have come to have less influence on what we believe to be right and wrong; what a world looks like that has moved from external communal authorities to internal individual authorities and the effect this has on the church and inter-generational discipleship.