In this provocative episode of Kingdom Polemics, Pastor Aldo Leon takes on a recent public attack by Tullian Tchividjian against John MacArthur. While acknowledging MacArthur's influence and ministry, Aldo critiques both Tullian's accusations and the deeper theological trends behind them. This episode is not just about two public figures but about how grace, truth, and holiness must be understood and upheld in the church. It's a sharp reminder that neither moral laxity nor graceless rigidity is faithful to the gospel.

Referenced video: "Assured by Grace, Not Grit" by Tullian Tchividjian, Byron Yawn (https://youtu.be/QT2P9xWz3_g)

Discussion Highlights

• Overview of Tullian Tchividjian's criticisms of John MacArthur
• How celebrity culture affects theological disputes and fuels unhelpful rhetoric
• The dangers of antinomianism cloaked in "grace alone" language
• Why MacArthur's ministry, while imperfect, represents a serious commitment to biblical holiness
• A call to reject both extremes: harsh legalism on one side and careless permissiveness on the other
• How the Reformed confessions give a balanced, biblical framework for law, gospel, and sanctification
• Pastoral reflections on how these controversies affect ordinary Christians in the pews

If this episode gave you clarity or challenged your thinking, consider supporting Kingdom Polemics. Your support helps us continue to bring bold, confessional, and timely content to the church. You can contribute at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kingdompolemics

Check out Aldo Leon's book In Christ's Crown, Christianity, & The Civil Realm, which makes a compelling biblical case for the Reformed doctrine of the civil magistrate under Christ's mediatorial rule. Available now at Berith Press: https://www.berithpress.com/bookstore/p/christs-crown-christianity-the-civil-realm

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Your support and engagement help us continue strengthening the church in truth and grace.

In this timely and convicting episode of Kingdom Polemics, Pastor Aldo Leon confronts the subtle yet destructive sin of pride in the pastorate. Speaking from experience, Scripture, and confessional wisdom, Aldo offers a sober warning against the spiritual self-deception that often hides beneath confidence, gifting, and influence in ministry. He challenges pastors and church leaders to honestly evaluate the hidden motives behind their work, pointing to the dangers of building ministries on ego rather than on Christ.

Discussion Highlights

• The marks of pride in pastoral ministry and how they differ from biblical confidence
• Why success, theological precision, or platform growth can quietly inflate self-importance
• How pride disguises itself as concern for the truth, love for the church, or commitment to excellence
• The way pride can drive pastors to dominate, self-protect, or resist correction
• Biblical examples of humble, Christ-centered leadership that resists self-glorification
• Confessional insights on the pastoral call to self-denial, mutual accountability, and servant-leadership
• Why repentance, not rebranding, is the path to true pastoral renewal
• Encouragement for both pastors and congregants to cultivate gospel-centered humility in the church

If this episode helped you reflect more deeply on your walk or your ministry, consider supporting Kingdom Polemics. Your support helps us continue to offer bold, confessional content for the church. You can contribute at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kingdompolemics

Check out Aldo Leon's book In Christ's Crown, Christianity, & The Civil Realm, which makes a compelling biblical case for the Reformed doctrine of the civil magistrate under Christ's mediatorial rule. Available now at Berith Press: https://www.berithpress.com/bookstore/p/christs-crown-christianity-the-civil-realm.

We'd also love to hear your thoughts and reflections. Join the conversation by leaving a comment on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@kingdompolemics

Thank you for helping us strengthen the church by recovering faithful, Christ-centered ministry.

In this episode of Kingdom Polemics, Pastor Aldo Leon takes listeners into the heart of what has long shaped robust Reformed preaching but has recently become neglected: experimental preaching. Drawing from historic Reformed tradition, Aldo and his guest, Gavin Beers, outline how true preaching is not just doctrinal or exegetical—it is experiential, applicatory, and deeply concerned with the spiritual condition of the hearers. This episode is a call to return to preaching that engages both the conscience and the affections, helping God's people not only hear the truth but also live it.

Pastor Gavin Beers is currently the minister of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, the first North Carolina congregation of the US Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing). https://cornerstone-presbyterian.com/

Discussion Highlights

• The difference between informational preaching and experimental (experiential) preaching
• How Reformed orthodoxy historically emphasized preaching to the whole person—mind, heart, and will
• The preacher's role in pressing the implications of doctrine into the lives of the hearers
• How experimental preaching resists both hyper-intellectualism and shallow emotionalism
• The biblical mandate for preaching that convicts, comforts, warns, and directs
• Insights from 17th-century Presbyterian tradition on distinguishing the true believer from the hypocrite
• Why pastors must be soul physicians, not mere lecturers or motivational speakers
• The dangers of pulpit minimalism and the retreat from serious, pointed application
• Encouragement for ministers to reclaim the depth, force, and pastoral heart of Reformed proclamation

If you found this episode stirring or helpful, please consider supporting Kingdom Polemics by buying us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kingdompolemics.

Check out Aldo Leon's book In Christ's Crown, Christianity, & The Civil Realm, which makes a compelling biblical case for the Reformed doctrine of the civil magistrate under Christ's mediatorial rule. Available now at Berith Press: https://www.berithpress.com/bookstore/p/christs-crown-christianity-the-civil-realm.

You can also be part of the conversation by commenting on our YouTube page and subscribing to future episodes: https://youtube.com/@kingdompolemics,

Help us continue to sharpen, strengthen, and challenge the church with truth-centered, Christ-exalting content.