Collars & Calluses

Bill and Rich introduce Collars and Calluses and begin a series shifting from Proverbs to ecclesiology, responding to online “ortho bro” and Roman Catholic apologetics urging Protestants to convert. Drawing on decades of pastoral experience and personal study, they argue that both Rome and the East market stability, certainty, masculinity, and unbroken historical continuity, but that church history is messy, diverse, and contested. They contend Protestantism can affirm true believers and visible-church status in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy without identifying a single denomination as the true church, and they critique papal and conciliar claims, the Filioque dispute, and selective appeals to church fathers. They preview a historical flyover from the ante-Nicene era through early councils and urge listeners—especially young men—not to convert based on vibes, but to read and do the work.
For questions: collarsandcalluses@gmail.com. Bill on X: @wrs2_. Rich on X: @Vicar1973.

Continuing their Proverbs series, Bill and Rich focus on speech and the art of persuasion as a dominion tool meant to order life under Christ’s lordship. Using Proverbs 16:20–24, they distinguish persuasion (truthful, for another’s good) from manipulation (as in Proverbs 7), and connect persuasion to leadership, preaching, parenting, courtship, and even self-persuasion (Psalm 42). They highlight practical principles for persuasive rhetoric, including ethos/pathos/logos and four “Cs”: credibility, contrast (folly vs. wisdom), congeniality (gracious speech), and clarity, warning against reliance on force, anger, shaming, and authoritarianism.

Bill and Rich return to Proverbs to address speech as a major theme, emphasizing Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” They argue words can genuinely harm or heal and that a man’s speech reveals his heart, requires self-mastery, and is essential to leadership, including tone and authority. They ground a theology of language in God’s creative and sustaining speech in Genesis and connect human language to dominion, community, and the breakdown at Babel. They discuss cultural battles over definitions and propaganda, noting how controlling words shapes behavior, and highlight persuasion as a key skill, citing Paul’s warfare of ideas in 2 Corinthians 10. Using Proverbs’ metaphors (water, food, swords, fire), they warn against rash, venting speech—especially online—since words and posts can bring lasting consequences.

For feedback, email collarsandcalluses@gmail.com; Bill is @wrs2_ and Rich is @Vicar1973.

Conference talk by Rich.

A sermon by Bill from Proverbs.