Weighed in the Balance
Weighed in the Balance, the show where we weigh claims against scripture and see if they hold up, of if they fall flat.
Episodes
84 episodes
Was the PCA Right to Leave the PCUS? | Schism & the 1973 Split
What is schism? When is separation from a church sinful—and when can separation actually be necessary?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, I begin examining the debate between Redeemed Zoomer and Dr. Matthew Everhard over ...
Cameron Bertuzzi's Argument Fails
Does Irenaeus prove the Roman Catholic papacy?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we continue examining Cameron Bertuzzi's argument that Protestantism faces an inescapable dilemma when it appeals to early Christian writer...
Turretin’s Argument for the Perspicuity of Scripture (We Finally Got to It!)
Is Scripture clear concerning the things necessary for salvation?After spending several episodes working through what the question of Scripture’s perspicuity is not, we finally arrive at Turretin’s first positive argument: Scripture its...
This "Protestant Dilemma" Doesn't Work
Cameron Bertuzzi presents another supposed dilemma for Protestants—this time involving the early church, the authorship of Luke, and Irenaeus's statements about the Church of Rome. But does the historical evidence actually establish what the ar...
Are Unitarians Christians? Responding to the "Biblical Unitarian" Argument
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, Jonathan responds to a Biblical Unitarian argument that Protestants are inconsistent when they call Unitarians heretics.The argument compares Trinitarianism and Unitarianism to the disa...
"Biblical Unitarianism" vs. the Trinity: What Does Scripture Actually Teach?
Is the Trinity really taught in Scripture?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, Jonathan responds to a series of objections to the doctrine of the Trinity from the YouTube channel Biblical Unitarians.The episode exam...
The Trinity Explained: What Christians Actually Believe About God
What is the doctrine of the Trinity—and what does Scripture actually teach about it?Before responding to anti-Trinitarian arguments, we need to establish what historic Trinitarian Christianity actually confesses. In this episode of W...
The Early Church Doesn't Prove Roman Catholicism | Canon Debate (Part 2)
Cameron Bertuzzi argues that if Protestants accept the New Testament canon, they must also accept the authority claims of the Roman Catholic Church. In this second installment, I examine that claim by looking more closely at the historical evid...
Francis Turretin on Scripture's Clarity (Part 3): What Perspicuity Is Not
For the third week, we're still asking what the doctrine of the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture isn't.That may sound tedious, but Turretin is doing exactly what a careful theologian should do: defining his terms before answerin...
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Can Protestants Account for the Canon of Scripture? | Responding to Cameron Bertuzzi (Part 1)
Roman Catholic apologists often argue that Protestants cannot account for the canon of Scripture. If Scripture alone is our only infallible rule of faith, how do we know which books belong in the Bible?In this episode of Weighed in t...
Francis Turretin on the Perspicuity of Scripture (Part 2): Defining the Question
What does the doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture actually claim?Continuing our study of Francis Turretin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology, we examine how Turretin carefully defines the question before defending the clarit...
Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Response (with Rev. Matt Duraski)
What exactly is Christian Nationalism? Is it simply a desire for Christian influence in society, or is it something more?In this episode, Jonathan Brooks is joined by Rev. Matt Duraski to discuss one of the most debated topics in America...
Is Scripture Really Clear? | Turretin on the Perspicuity of Scripture (Part 1)
Roman Catholic and Protestant debates frequently become bogged down in discussions about Mary, the saints, church government, or other secondary issues. But beneath those disagreements lies a more fundamental question:Is Scripture suf...
The PCA's Christian Nationalism Report: What It Actually Says (And What Critics Get Wrong)
The Presbyterian Church in America recently released a pastoral letter from its Ad Interim Committee studying Christian Nationalism. Almost immediately, critics began claiming the report promotes compromise, liberalism, and even the destruction...
Former Protestant Pastor Couldn't Defend These 5 Beliefs... Neither Can I
Keith Nestor says there were five Protestant beliefs he could no longer defend—and that those beliefs eventually led him into the Roman Catholic Church.As a Presbyterian pastor, I watched his arguments carefully. Surprisingly, I agree th...
Did John Calvin Try to Erase Ignatius from History?
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we take a deep dive into the historical and theological relationship between the Reformer John Calvin and the early church father Ignatius of Antioch.Recently, Roman Catholic creator Ca...
5 Skeptical Claims vs. 1st Century History
I received five all-caps comments from a skeptic that demanded a response. Today, we're putting those claims—from the trial of Jesus to the dating of the Gospels—under historical scrutiny. Was Jesus a failed Revolutionary exe...
King James Onlyism: A Final Word on Bible Translations and Textual Criticism
Is the King James Version the only trustworthy English Bible? How should Christians think about textual criticism, Bible translations, and the doctrine of preservation?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, Jonathan Brooks i...
King James Onlyism Debate Ends in Controversy: What Really Happened?
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we conclude the 2021 King James Onlyism debate between Nathan Cravatt and Mitch Canupp, focusing on a key moment involving Titus 2:13 and the translation of “our great God and Savior, Jesus Ch...
Baptist Successionism and KJV Onlyism: Two Double Standards Exposed
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we continue our review of the 2021 debate on King James Onlyism by examining two audience questions that reveal what I believe are significant inconsistencies within the King James Only and Landmark Ba...
Can Protestants Disagree and Still Be Christian?
Can Christians disagree on doctrine and still recognize one another as genuine believers?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we examine arguments against Protestantism that claim doctrinal disagreement inevitably leads to chaos, r...
The REAL Problem with King James Onlyism
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we continue examining audience questions from the 2021 debate between Mitch Canupp and Nathan Cravatt on the King James Only controversy.This section of the debate reveals some of the deepest th...
Are You Studying the Bible for Truth… or Just to Be Right?
Are we studying Scripture to discover what’s true—or just to defend what we already believe?In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we break down a key issue behind so many theological debates: confirmation bias. Using...
Do Modern Bibles Remove “the Blood”? | KJV Onlyism Answered
Do modern Bible translations actually remove references to the blood of Christ?And what about people who struggle to understand the KJV—don’t we want people to actually read and understand the Bible for themselves?In this episode,...
KJV Onlyism, Origen, and Manuscripts: Let’s Think Clearly
In this episode of Weighed in the Balance, we continue working through audience questions from the Cravat–Canupp debate, focusing on King James Onlyism and textual criticism.Can anything good come from Egypt? Should manuscripts be dismi...
