In this episode, Dr. Travis Montgomery interviews Dr. Thomas Kidd—research professor of church history at Midwestern Seminary and leading historian of early America—on the perennial question: Was America founded as a Christian nation? Drawing on decades of scholarship, Dr. Kidd explains how Christian ideas shaped the founding, why the legal structure of the United States avoids a national church, and how evangelicals (especially Baptists) influenced key developments such as religious liberty. The conversation explores the First Great Awakening, the mixed personal beliefs of the founders, the relevance of church history to pastoral ministry, and how Christians today should think about political theology in light of America’s past. Students from around the world can study with Dr. Kidd through Midwestern Seminary’s Global Campus: mbts.edu/global.

About the Podcast

Local Theologians is a show for everyday Christians preparing for ministry and leadership through Midwestern Seminary’s Global Campus. Learn more at mbts.edu/global.

Keywords

American founding, Christian nation, religious liberty, First Great Awakening, Thomas Jefferson, deism, church history, Baptist political theology, America and Christianity

Takeaways

• Christian ideas deeply influenced the American founding, especially views of human nature, political power, and equality.

• The Constitution intentionally avoided establishing a national church, emphasizing free exercise of religion instead.

• Many evangelicals—especially Baptists—celebrated disestablishment because they had been persecuted under state churches.

• Not all founding fathers were Christians; several, including Jefferson and Franklin, rejected core doctrines like the Trinity and the deity of Christ.

• Studying church history helps pastors answer real questions their congregations ask about America’s identity.

• Advocating Christian morality is appropriate, but Christians should not desire a state church.

• Religious liberty helped fuel the Second Great Awakening and the greatest era of church growth in American history.

Sound Bites

• “Christian ideas are everywhere in the founding—but that doesn’t make the nation a Christian nation legally.”

• “Baptists didn’t want state support. They wanted to be left alone to preach the gospel.”

• “Calling Jefferson a Christian requires redefining Christianity—and we must not do that.”

• “Religious freedom works. It helped spark the greatest revival era in American history.”

In this Global Campus Forum, Dr. Travis Montgomery interviews Dr. Jason DeRouchie—Research Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Seminary—on why the Old Testament is Christian Scripture and how believers today can understand and enjoy it. Drawing from decades of scholarship and pastoral ministry, Dr. DeRouchie explains why many Christians struggle with the Old Testament, how he came to cherish it, and why Jesus, Paul, and the apostles treated it as foundational for Christian faith. The conversation explores biblical-theological method, the role of covenants, genealogies, how to see Christ faithfully in Old Testament texts, and practical steps for reading, teaching, and preaching Jesus’s Bible as Christians today.

About the Podcast

Local Theologians is a podcast for everyday Christians and ministry leaders from Midwestern Seminary’s Global Campus. Learn more at mbts.edu/global.

Keywords

Old Testament, biblical theology, New Testament use of the Old Testament, covenants, genealogies, Christ in the Old Testament, Christian Scripture, exegesis, preaching, Jason DeRouchie

Takeaways

• The Old Testament is Christian Scripture—Jesus, Paul, and all the apostles treated it as their Bible.

• The Old Testament authors wrote with the new-covenant church in mind.

• Many Christians struggle with the Old Testament because they have not seen it modeled as Christian Scripture or preached in depth.

• Reading the Old Testament with Jesus at the center removes the veil and opens spiritual understanding.

• The Old Testament tells one unified story of God’s redemptive plan culminating in Christ.

• Slow reading, attention to cross-references, and tracing biblical-theological patterns enrich understanding.

• Genealogies and laws reveal God’s character and point to the need for—and fulfillment in—Jesus.

• Faithful interpretation avoids forcing Christ into the text but instead follows patterns warranted in Scripture.

Sound Bites

• The Old Testament was Jesus’s Bible—and it’s ours too.”

• The prophets knew they were writing for a future, restored people—us.”

• Paul never read his Old Testament the same after meeting Jesus.

• If we keep Jesus at the center, the veil is removed.

• Every genealogy is going somewhere—either toward the Messiah or the mission field.

In this episode, Dr. Travis Montgomery talks with Dr. Taylor DiRoberto—Pastor of Preaching and Leadership at Northside Fellowship and Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Spurgeon College—about how studying ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) has shaped his life, convictions, and ministry. Taylor shares how a single week in a systematic theology class opened the door to a lifelong passion for understanding church authority, leadership, and congregational responsibility. They discuss the difference between pragmatism and prudence, the biblical basis for plurality of elders, congregational decision-making, and how doctrine forms real ministry practices in church planting, pastoral care, and discipleship.

About the Podcast

Local Theologians is a podcast for everyday Christians and ministry leaders from Midwestern Seminary's Global Campus. Learn more about online theological education at mbts.edu/global.

Keywords

ecclesiology, church leadership, plurality of elders, congregationalism, prudence, pragmatism, church planting, theology of the church, Baptist polity, pastoral ministry

Takeaways

• Ecclesiology is the doctrine of the church—what it is, how it's led, and how authority functions.

• Studying the church helps ordinary Christians grow in love, wonder, and commitment to Christ’s people.

• Scripture gives principled patterns for church governance, even if not every detail is prescribed.

• Plurality of elders is a normative New Testament pattern that protects pastors and strengthens churches.

• Prudence—not mere pragmatism—applies biblical principles to complex, real-life ministry situations.

• Congregations have God-given authority in matters of doctrine and membership.

• Studying ecclesiology helps pastors partner humbly with their people and avoid isolation in ministry.

Sound Bites

• “God has something to say about how His church is structured and led.”

• “Plurality wasn’t a strategy—it was a conviction from Scripture.”

• “The curriculum gives you boxes the algorithm never will.”

• “Prudence applies doctrine; pragmatism ignores it.”