Reformed theology for ordinary church questions.
The gist
Reformed Podmatics brings pastoral Reformed theology into ordinary church questions, from communion frequency to hospitality and artificial intelligence. Its tone is measured, conversational, and historically aware, with frequent attention to Scripture, Reformed history, and ministry practice.
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About Reformed Podmatics
Reformed Podmatics is a pastor-led Reformed theology show with both classroom patience and local-church immediacy. Its episodes treat doctrine as something that eventually shows up in worship schedules, sermon preparation, hospitality teams, youth questions, and cultural habits. A discussion of sola scriptura becomes a careful distinction between ministerial tradition and ultimate scriptural authority. A communion episode reaches back through medieval practice, the Reformation, Jan Hus, and Christian Reformed practice before asking what a congregation should actually do. The show likes the middle distance. It is neither a devotional whisper nor a culture-war blast. Pastor Mark Van Dyke and Pastor Zach Dewey speak in conversational turns, circling definitions, biblical examples, and pastoral consequences until a practical shape emerges. Some episodes are tightly theological. Others are plainly congregational, such as the conversation about welcome and hospitality that distinguishes warmth from an overwhelming greeting gauntlet. The AI episode is especially revealing: the concern is not novelty panic, but the loss of intellectual labor, spiritual formation, and discovery in sermon work. Interviews broaden the frame. Mario Matos brings attention to Christian education in the Dominican Republic and beyond, while Justin N. Poythress frames identity as both stability and growth in Christ. The show also addresses American Christian culture, including halftime-show reactions and the pull of surface-level religious branding. Its critiques can be direct. Still, the recurring aim is formation: clearer reading, wiser ministry, deeper worship, and more durable Christian identity. Reformed Podmatics suits listeners who enjoy distinctions and do not mind a bit of denominational texture. It rewards people who want Scripture, Reformed history, and ordinary church life held together in the same conversation.
Made for: This show is for Reformed and broadly Protestant listeners who want pastoral conversations about doctrine, worship, ministry, and culture. It especially fits church leaders, thoughtful laypeople, and Christians who enjoy biblical and historical reasoning.
What sets it apart: Its strength is the way it keeps doctrine close to congregational reality: communion tables, welcome teams, sermon work, education, and cultural discernment. The tone is slower and more pastoral than argumentative, even when the theology is firm.
In their own words
Welcome to Reformed Podmatics! Hosted by Pastor Mark VanDyke and Pastor Zac Dewey of Almond Valley CRC in Ripon CA, this podcast exists to promote the vibrant, biblical, and historically informed face of Reformed theology both in our context and beyond.
As heard by us
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · August 2026
Two Reformed pastors trace present-day practices like communion frequency and sola scriptura back to their historical roots, favoring context over sermonizing.
Reformed Podmatics pairs two pastors from a Christian Reformed congregation for weekly conversations built around a simple structure: one raises a historical or doctrinal question, the other works through it out loud, with enough back-and-forth that it feels more like sitting in…
Why you'd press play
You want Reformed pastors who can side-eye populist evangelical spectacle and still cite Jan Hus.
Press play if you want
- historic Protestant roots without pretending 2000s new Calvinism was the whole Reformation
- communion talk that treats bread, cup, frequency, and self-examination as real pastoral questions
Talks about
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Episodes
- 1
Did the Roman Catholic Church Give Us the Bible? A Discussion on Sola Scriptura - Episode 232
Reformed Podmatics episode 232 asks whether the Roman Catholic Church "gave us the Bible" and whether that claim defeats sola scriptura.
Apr 17, 2026·45m·3 clips - 2
The Reformed View of Communion - Episode 231
Pastors discuss the Reformed view of communion, emphasizing a middle ground between transubstantiation and mere symbolism, where the spiritual blessing is objective but requires faith.
Apr 3, 2026·40m - 3
Creating A Healthy Culture of Welcome & Hospitality at Your Church - Episode 230
Pastors Mark and Zach discuss the challenges of creating a genuine culture of welcome in churches without overwhelming newcomers.
Mar 20, 2026·46m - 4
Truth & Work in the Age of AI - Episode 229
Pastors discuss the value of intellectual effort in sermon preparation versus relying on AI shortcuts.
Mar 14, 2026·46m - 5
Interview on Global Christian Education with Mario Matos of EduDeo Ministries - Episode 228
Interview with Mario Matos of EduDeo Ministries about global Christian education, focusing on over 1,600 schools serving 500,000 students worldwide.
Mar 6, 2026·43m - 6
How Frequently Should We Have Communion? - Episode 227
Hidden gemReformed Podmatics Episode 227 asks how frequently churches should celebrate communion, using 1 Corinthians 11:26 and Acts 20:7 as the main texts.
Feb 27, 2026·46m·2 clips - 7
Who Am I and What Am I Doing with My Life? Interview with Justin N. Poythress - Episode 226
Hidden gemReformed Podmatics interviews Justin Poitras, a Presbyterian pastor at All Saints Presbyterian in the Boise, Idaho suburbs, about his book Who Am I and What Am I Doing with My Life?, set for release on April 1.
Feb 21, 2026·39m·3 clips - 8
A Tale of Two Halftime Shows - Episode 225
Hidden gemMark Van Dyke and Zach Dewey compare the regular Super Bowl halftime show with TPUSA’s “all American halftime show,” then ask why Christians want a branded alternative at all.
Feb 12, 2026·39m·2 clips - 9
The Rise & Fall of the "Young, Restless, & Reformed Movement" - Episode 224
Hidden gemThe episode links the Young, Restless, & Reformed movement to a rejection of "chronological snobbery" and a return to historic sources.
Jan 31, 2026·1h 2m·2 clips - 10
Satan, Sin, & Temptation - Episode 223
Jan 24, 2026·45m - 11
Addressing the Overlooked Sins of Greed, Gluttony, & Grumbling - Episode 222
Jan 17, 2026·49m - 12
What Are the Best Go-To Books for New Christians? - Episode 221
Jan 9, 2026·42m - 13
A Look Back at 2025: Conspiracies, Conservatives, & the Importance of Trust - Episode 220
Jan 3, 2026·45m - 14
The Real Christmas Story Vs. the Pop-Christmas Story - Episode 219
Dec 23, 2025·51m - 15
The Reformed Tradition & the Church Calendar - Episode 218
Dec 12, 2025·46m - 16
Christmas Carols: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Episode 217
Dec 5, 2025·42m - 17
Ministry in Ripon California - Episode 216
Nov 7, 2025·45m - 18
The Case for the 'Long Prayer' - Episode 215
Oct 30, 2025·39m - 19
Is Gambling A Sin? - Episode 214
Oct 24, 2025·38m - 20
On Nuance, Third Way-ism, & Navigating Politically Fractious Times - Episode 213
Oct 16, 2025·39m - 21
Escaping the Soul-Crushing Trap of Cynicism - Episode 212
Sep 26, 2025·42m - 22
How to Sift through the Failures of Our Faith Heroes - Episode 211
Sep 19, 2025·51m - 23
Are Christians Allowed to Doubt? - Episode 210
Sep 11, 2025·41m - 24
Jesus, the Psalms, and Reformed Worship w/ Rev. Peter Holtvlüwer - Episode 209
Sep 2, 2025·53m - 25
Should Churches Have A "Ministry Year"? - Episode 208
Aug 26, 2025·42m - 26
Union with Christ: The Shape and Structure of Salvation - Episode 207
Aug 19, 2025·38m - 27
Food Regulations, Haircuts, and Sexual Ethics: Navigating Old Testament Ethics as the New Testament People of God - Episode 206
Aug 12, 2025·37m - 28
Burial vs. Cremation - Episode 205
Pastors Mark and Zach discuss the ethical and theological considerations of cremation versus burial for Christians.
Aug 7, 2025·38m - 29
Covenant Theology in the Reformed Tradition - Episode 204
Jul 11, 2025·39m - 30
Caricatures & Misconceptions of the Reformed Tradition - Episode 203
Jul 2, 2025·58m - 31
CRC Synod 2025 Preview - Episode 202
Pastors Mark and Zach preview the upcoming CRC Synod 2025, noting a shift away from high-stakes decisions as the dust settles from previous years.
Jun 5, 2025·1h - 32
Can We Trust the Bible? - Episode 201
May 22, 2025·37m - 33
The Beauty of Reformed Theology and the CRCNA (w/ Simon Veenstra) - Episode 200
May 15, 2025·51m - 34
Why Should Lay Christians Move Beyond Spiritual Milk to Solid Food? - Episode 199
May 2, 2025·41m - 35
Reset, Rejoice, and Rest: 3 Ways to Have Hope - Episode 198
Apr 25, 2025·40m - 36
Are We Living Through A 'Quiet Revival'? - Episode 197
Apr 12, 2025·52m - 37
A Conversation with Todd Zuidema of Dordt University - Episode 196
Pastors Mark and Zach interview Todd Zuidema of Dordt University about the university's new tagline 'until all is made new' and the Reformed perspective on redemption and faithfulness.
Apr 4, 2025·59m - 38
Some Spring Reading Recommendations - Episode 195
Mar 28, 2025·43m - 39
The Priesthood of All Believers: Comparing the Reformed & (Ana)Baptist Views - Episode 194
Mar 20, 2025·39m - 40
Sharing the Gospel with Family - Episode 193
Pastors Mark Van Dyke and Zach Dewey discuss how sharing the gospel with family members is similar to evangelism with others, drawing from Colossians 4.
Mar 14, 2025·49m - 41
Caring for the Poor - Episode 192
Mar 7, 2025·49m - 42
Am I (Or Is Someone I Know) Being Called to Ministry? - Episode 191
Feb 28, 2025·57m - 43
On Listening "Enough" to Pro-LGBTQ Arguments
Feb 21, 2025·49m - 44
Theological Humility - Episode 189
Feb 14, 2025·51m - 45
Young Men, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Importance of Reformed Catholicity - Episode 188
Jan 31, 2025·50m - 46
Can People Really Change? - Episode 187
Jan 24, 2025·42m - 47
Predestination & Whether God Is A Gentleman - Episode 186
Jan 17, 2025·54m - 48
Encouraging Trends in the Church Today - Episode 185
Jan 8, 2025·49m - 49
Denominations, Discernment, & Mere Christianity - Episode 184
Jan 6, 2025·56m - 50
Christmas Movies & the Christian Faith - Episode 183
Dec 19, 2024·52m