Episode 200: Recovering the CRC's Doctrine of Covenant

“‘Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching/doctrine’...First, it’s on an individual level, keep a close watch on yourself. You are living your life as you are being conformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ…Also, your doctrine, because the two are interconnected…There’s a covenantal aspect to this, too, that [is] the accountability structure. We are to be keeping a close watch on each other and on our doctrine.” -Willy Krahnke

Summary of This Episode

Welcome to Episode 200 of the Messy Reformation podcast! Jason and Willy sit down together to reflect on what’s gone on over the last four years. First of all, thanks from the Messy Reformation team to all of you who faithfully listen or keep up with the podcast and other materials we’re putting out as well as continue to support in a variety of ways. 

Looking back to 2020, we get to hear a little bit of the podcast origins. Jason shares that he was thinking about what it would take for him to stay in the denomination, which was to get involved in reformation, to do something. He was already a podcast consumer and had long been interested in other forms of downloadable audio content. Willy’s willingness to be involved came from a desire and expectation that they would be in ministry together sometime after Jason left Minnesota. Self-admittedly, he was not a big podcast listener and is quieter, but he saw this as possibly filling a need in the denomination. Especially since then, there are a variety of CRC-related podcasts that interested audiences can tune into, and each continue to be unique in their own way. Jason shares how the style of the Messy Reformation interviews allows him to put something out, to talk with pastors–which he always enjoyed, without having to write out brand-new content each week. 

Willy points out one of the benefits of their format has been showing that there are plenty of good pastors in the CRC–enough that even after 200 episodes, there are still more to talk to! For him, that speaks to how God continues to use ordinary means of grace to feed his people. Jason picks up on how this is one way the podcast has helped over the last four years. Back in 2020, it wasn’t uncommon for solid, confessional pastors to feel alone in many parts of the denomination. Yet through means like the Messy Reformation as well as synods and Abide, we now recognize we’re the majority in the CRC. The whole conversion has changed by making people visible.

Both agree, while this reformation isn’t always easy to stay positive about, it’s good to see the progress. Willy shares a “proverb” that sticks with him, “It’s not necessarily fair or right to evaluate how things are going by how things are going with me.” Jason shares a lesson from Bill Mounce’s “Basics of Biblical Greek.” It can often feel in the midst of something confusing or that you’re learning like you’re not making progress, but if you look back, you’ll realize how much progress you’ve made. In Mounce’s terminology, there’s a fog when you’re going through difficult things. In this messy reformation, the fog is all the work that needs to be done and how slow it’s going, but let’s not miss how far we’ve come.

With that in mind, reformation can continue. They agree that the necessary and best path forward is starting locally. Pastors tend the flock under their care–they have to shepherd well. Classes, and especially church visitors, need to do the difficult work among themselves. We can hold the seminary and Candidacy office accountable for who and how people enter the office of Minister of the Word, but that doesn’t mean pastors never go off the rails once in office. Willy reminds us of the importance of a two-prong reading of 1 Timothy 4:16, “‘Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching/doctrine’...First, it’s on an individual level, keep a close watch on yourself. You are living your life as you are being conformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ…Also, your doctrine, because the two are interconnected…There’s a covenantal aspect to this, too, that [is] the accountability structure. We are to be keeping a close watch on each other and on our doctrine.” Jason wraps up this episode and will pick up next time the message that we need to recover our covenantal identity.