Resources by Mike Brown

Episode 1574 Aired June 6, 2021

In his Genesis commentary, Walter Brueggemann notes that in chapters 16 to 18, Abraham and Sarah “are not offered as models of faith but as models of disbelief.” In this part of the narrative, he says, “the call is not embraced, but is rejected as non-sensical.” This helps to explain why the couple sought to fulfill God’s promise with Hagar’s assistance. But as Paul explains in Galatians chapter 4, this entire narrative is a tale of two covenants: one of grace, and another of works. Shane Rosenthal talks with Mike Brown about these issues and more as we continue our series on the Gospel in Genesis.

Episode 1573 Aired May 30, 2021

The story of Abraham is a record of both faith and doubt. While we’re told in Genesis 15 that “Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness,” in the very next chapter we find him agreeing with his wife Sarah to attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promises by impregnating her maidservant Hagar. Later in the story, Abraham actually falls on his face and laughs at God as he reiterates the promise that his wife Sarah, even in her advanced age, would conceive and bear a son. What is the point of this narrative, and how does it help us to better understand both the complexity of sin and the grandeur of God’s grace? Shane Rosenthal discusses this with Mike Brown, co-author of Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored.

Episode 1554 Aired January 17, 2021

Who was Abraham and why did God choose to bless him along with his descendants? Was it because he was a particularly holy and righteous man? What was the nature of God’s promise, and what did Abraham need to do in order to make it happen? Also, how does the covenant ritual described in Genesis […]

Episode 1548 Aired December 6, 2020

Why did Jesus refer to himself as the Son of Man? Did he ever specifically make the claim that he was God? Why did the world need “God in human flesh” to rescue us in the first place, and was this idea of a divine descent ever mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament? The hosts […]

Episode 1542 Aired October 25, 2020

On this episode of White Horse Inn, Shane Rosenthal talks with Mike Brown about some of the forgotten figures of the short-lived Italian Reformation such as Peter Martyr Vermigli, Don Benedetto, and Juan de Valdes. During the second half of the program, Shane talks with Mike about some of the challenges he faces as a […]

Episode 1515 Aired April 19, 2020

In light of the fact that there are so many interpretations to choose from, how do we properly read and study the Bible? On this program Shane Rosenthal and Mike Brown, co-author of Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored, discuss a number of approaches to avoid when reading and applying Scripture, and also recommend a variety […]

Episode 1498 Aired December 22, 2019

Especially at this time of the year, many people tend to think that the ultimate mission of the little baby Jesus was to inspire warm and sentimental feelings, or some vague ideal of peace on earth and goodwill towards men. But is this really what Christmas is all about? On this program, Michael Horton and […]

Episode 1446 Aired December 23, 2018

According to Isaiah, “all we like sheep have gone astray,” and as a result we are full of transgression and iniquity. But all this is credited to the account of the one who came to bear our sins. And yet the suffering servant comes not only to take away our sin, but also to grant […]

Episode 1445 Aired December 16, 2018

The hosts are continuing their series on The Suffering Servant, and in this program they’ll begin to explore the first few verses of Isaiah 53. In this amazing prophecy, we have a clear example of what theologians from across the centuries have referred to as “the great exchange.” This coming servant suffers the punishment which […]

Episode 1444 Aired December 9, 2018

In verse 15 of Isaiah 52, we’re told that the suffering servant “will sprinkle many nations.” What’s interesting is that this word “sprinkle” is the same one we find in Leviticus 16:14 which speaks of sacrificial blood being “sprinkled” on the mercy seat. In other words, Isaiah is saying that the coming Messiah will be […]

Episode 1443 Aired December 2, 2018

On this program, the hosts will begin a new series that seeks to explore the Bible’s amazing prophecy from Isaiah 52 and 53. In this text, written over half a millennium before the time of Christ, Israel’s Messiah is not described as a life coach, or social transformer, but as a sacrificial lamb whose role […]

Episode 1436 Aired October 14, 2018

Let’s face it, we all long for justice. But this longing of ours, if we’re honest, is typically focused on the really big sins of other people. It’s the evil we witness on the nightly news, not the evil lurking in the dark recesses of our own fallen hearts that we’re really concerned about. Sure, […]