The Perspectivalist

Welcome back to The Perspectivalist. I’m your host, Uri Brito, joined again by my good friend Austin Brown. Our goal is simple: to think more clearly as Christians with Scripture as our starting point.In today’s episode, we continue our series on the psychology of conversion, turning our focus to Eastern Orthodoxy. We’ll discuss the challenges of tradition, liturgy, and continuity, and interact with Pastor Josh Shooping’s book Disillusioned. Along the way, we’ll raise some key questions: What does it really mean for a church to claim apostolic tradition? How do we discern between authentic continuity and the “mirage of the ancient”? And what can the early church fathers teach us about these debates?Let’s dive in.Resources:Book: Disillusioned by Josh SchoopingPart 1: In this episode, Pastor Uri Brito welcomes Austin Brown for a thoughtful conversation on the psychology of conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy in the age of social media. They explore the rise of “Twitter conversions,” where personality-driven online voices attract seekers who are weary of shallow evangelicalism and searching for depth, antiquity, or beauty.Together, they wrestle with the despair and uncertainty that often accompany these journeys, the overwhelming complexity of historical debates, and the temptation to trade truth for aesthetics or novelty. They reflect on the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture, the importance of local church community, and the need for patience and discernment in exploring different traditions.The discussion offers both pastoral counsel and personal testimony, reminding listeners that truth, not taste, must remain central; that beauty and antiquity are valuable but secondary; and that faith should be nurtured in community, prayer, and Scripture before making life-shaping decisions.Whether you’ve felt the pull of Rome or the East, or you’re walking alongside friends who are, this episode provides clarity, caution, and encouragement to walk slowly, faithfully, and wisely.

I interacted with a TikTok bible teacher who raised the question and offered a response to his analysis, as well as considered the phrasing of the question itself. For more details, see my summary of the life of Samson in this episode.

If you are not listening to or watching The Wade Show With Wade, you are missing out on five exhilarating minutes of humor and insight. Wade has brought a unique flavor to comedy. He's Trinitarian and he is embarrassed about the God who made a funny world. So, he looks at the world and ponders, "What's Stupid About it?" then he navigates the news through those lenses. Truly, the enemy makes a mockery of their own lives, and the Christian sees the world with the eyes of laughter. In this interview, we talk about how God's creation is funny in its biblical narrative, its historical realities, and in our own lives. Without humor, we can't take ourselves lightly like angels.

This week's guest is Rev. Zach Parker, Assistant Pastor and Athanasius Press Managing Editor in Monroe, LA. Zach is an award-winning journalist, gifted writer, and thinker. We sat down in his office to discuss the role of typology in biblical interpretation and how typology strengthens our reading of good literature. Zach shares some of his unique insights into Moby Dick and other pieces from Herman Melville. Follow Zach's substack

Adam McIntosh, the pastor of St. David's Reformed, published a great article at Theopolis with a provocative title, "Christians Should Baptize Their Children, but Not Because of Circumcision." Adam builds on the biblical theology of the Old Testament and argues that the infant baptism argument, which equates circumcision and baptism, can be confusing and unhelpful at times. Instead, Rev. McIntosh says that the case for infant baptism is infant baptism all throughout the Bible. A baptismal theology must begin in creation. We also touch on the mode of baptism at the end of the conversation.

Getting Joffree on the podcast is always a blast of fresh insights. This giant Brazilian has just published a gem of a work! It's brief, but its brevity encompasses the longevity of the human experience. Poetry on pipes and martyrdom, food and manly churchmen. I think this is just in time for Father's Day. Ladies get two joys in purchasing this for their husbands/sons: a) Men fully in touch with their masculine whole. b) Men who think poetically about life. Made In The Image: Plain Poems by Joffre Swait To wield a world, to work a deed, To speak it soft or stern, at need, Whether with much chanting, or cheering with delight, Or thundering strength forth from the height, This is to gods only given, and getting should be dear. But the Lord of love, who allows no peer, Has untwisted our tongues and tooled us new, To wield our words and whole worlds hew.

I sat down with Mr. Jordan Bush, a contributor to Thank God for Bitcoin: The Creation, Corruption, and Redemption of Money. We had a good conversation on the nature of Bitcoin and why it offers a dramatic shift in how to think about money in our day. We discuss the favorability of it among missionaries and its future among evangelical ministries. In an age of devaluation of values and morals by our political legislators, is it time to begin thinking about a currency that cannot be devalued by central banking? We hope you will join the conversation. Follow Jordan on Twitter Music by George Reed

Welcome to this new season of The Perspectivalist! Episode 1 of Season 4 begins with an interview with one of the world's foremost scholars on full-preterism, Dr. Samuel Frost. This movement has gained some notoriety recently due to controversies that erupted on social media. Sam was deeply invested in the movement speaking at their main conferences and engaging their main leaders. Still, he recognized that the movement lacked biblical ground and sought to re-invent central doctrines of the Christian faith. He wrote a book to tell his story. You can purchase his book here. We discussed many things, including the history, appeal, and esoteric nature of the movement, questions concerning infinity, Christology, and a look at the central Ascension text in Acts 1. In addition, we will provide tomorrow another 30-minute conversation for our paid subscribers, where we discuss the Gary Demar controversy and a few pertinent biblical passages in this present discussion. You can subscribe for special episodes and interviews for $1 a month. Our music for this season is from Mr. George Reed.