Christ the Center

Caroline Weerstra speaks with Christ the Center about the Peniel Bible Conference, based on her article “The Early History of Peniel Bible Conference, Part 1: Zeal Without Knowledge (1933-1938).” The camp was associated with Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Schenectady, New York, Mrs. Weerstra’s home church. Though associated with a reformed church, the camp was very simil...

We welcome Dr. John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Dr. Frame has written a new book,  Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief   (P&R Publishing). Listen as we speak about the importance of theology, the nature of theological methodology, and the foundational doctrines of the faith. Dr. Frame has writte...

Dr. Lane G. Tipton joins Camden Bucey to begin a new series on Geerhardus Vos’ important book,  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments . For the past thirteen years, Dr. Tipton has led the “Vos Group” at Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Glenside, PA. Each month, the Vos Group gathers to discuss Reformed biblical theology by studying Scripture and important works by Vos,...

It’s often argued that because of the political climate, the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly had full rein over the Westminster Assembly and the confessional documents it produced. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Wayne Spear to analyze this common perception. Dr. Spear looks specifically at the influence of the Scottish commissioners upon the ecclesiology of...

Dr. Brandon Crowe explains the reality and significance of the virgin birth, based on his booklet, “ Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin? ,” from the Christian Answers to Hard Questions series. He explains the biblical basis for the doctrine and responds to a host of objections – those scientific, philosophical, mythological, and theological, to name a few. Dr. Crowe is Assistant P...

Dr. Mark Jones returns to  Christ the Center to revive seventeenth-century wisdom about antinomianism from his forthcoming book Antinomianism: Reformed Theology’s Unwelcome Guest? . Antinomian thinking is rooted in a weak view of the person of Christ and leads to reducing sanctification to justification. Dr. Jones addresses Martin Luther’s relationship to antinomianism, the relationshi...

The doctrine of definite atonement is the subject of this week’s episode, which features guests David Gibson and Jonathan Gibson, editors of the forthcoming From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective   (Crossway), and Carl Trueman, a contributor to the book and former guest on Christ the Center . The 700-page book fea...

Dr. Jason B. Hood speaks about the imitation of Christ, based on the biblical theological study found in his book, Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern .  The teaching of imitation is sometimes clouded by a “gospel-centered” focus on justification that loses sight of the importance of sanctification in salvation. Dr. Hood clears away these misconceptions to show how...

Dr. James Bratt speaks about Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat  (Eerdmans). Dr. Bratt places Kuyper in historical context and clarifies Kuyper’s thought and life for current reflection on theology and politics. Dr. Bratt teaches history at Calvin College , blogs , and has edited and authored a number of books, including Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader  and  By the Visi...

Paul Maxwell joins Camden Bucey and Jonathan Brack to speak about his  response  to Krister Stendahl in the Spring 2013 edition of the Westminster Theological Journal. Stendahl, Swedish theologian and New Testament scholar, presented his paper “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West” before the American Psychological Association in 1961. He argued that the Wester...

Darryl G. Hart returns to the program to speak about the history of Calvinism from his new book, Calvinism: A History . The episode gives a taste of the book, the genesis and spread of Calvinism from Geneva, through England and the Netherlands, to the West and East sides of the world. Participants: Camden Bucey , Darryl G. Hart , David Filson , Jim Cassidy

Kevin DeYoung speaks about his recent book  Crazy Busy: A [Mercifully] Short Book about a [Really] Big Problem ,  published by Crossway Books. Pastor DeYoung diagnoses the causes of busyness, some of which are innocent, but many sinful. The book touches on practical concerns like social media and technology, but goes deeper, exposing the pride in our hearts. Kevin DeYoung is the Senior Pastor at ...

Barbara Duguid speaks about John Newton’s writings on the Christian life based on her book Extravagant Grace: God’s Glory Displayed in Our Weakness . She appropriates John Newton’s wisdom to comfort and encourage Christians who feel guilt and failure in their fight against sin. Barbara Duguid is a counselor and member of Christ Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Grove City, Pennsylvani...

For Christ the Center’s 300th episode, we welcome hip hop artist Timothy Brindle to speak about his work in Christian hip hop and the recent musical movement as a whole. The episode explores hip hop’s stylistic capability to communicate the gospel and reformed theology and includes clips from Timothy’s recordings. Timothy is a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philad...

David Murray speaks about seeing Christ in the Old Testament based on his book  Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament .  Dr. Murray’s book is an accessible presentation of Christ-centered reading of “the Law and Prophets.” The interview explores the New Testament foundations for this approach to the Old Testament, challenges an implicitl...

Brett McCracken speaks about his book Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism and Liberty . The book and today’s discussion address how Christians should relate to culture – food, drink, music, movies. Brett McCracken is a Los Angeles-based writer and journalist. He is the author of Hipster Christianity: When Church & Cool Collide (Baker, 2010) and has written for The W...

Aimee Byrd  speaks about her new book,  Housewife Theologian: How the Gospel Interrupts the Ordinary , with panel Camden Bucey, Nancy Guthrie, and Melissa Kruger. The topic of her book and of this episode’s discussion is the gospel’s particular applications to the lives of women, women’s role in the family and in the church, and the relevance of theology to mundane and ordinary p...

This week, Nancy Guthrie speaks about seeing Jesus in the historical books of the Old Testament. Her book The Son of David , third in her series Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament , explains how each part of the story of Old Testament history – the leader Joshua, the judges of Israel, the redeemer Boaz, and Israel’s many kings – reveals and signifies the Christ who was to come. Na...

Scott Oliphint speaks about the aseity of the Son of God, following up on a review  of Brannon Ellis’ book Calvin, Classical Trinitarianism, and the Aseity of the Son . The thesis of the book, which Dr. Oliphint takes up, is that Calvin’s teaching on the Son’s aseity was a way of maintaining orthodoxy but also of advancing and clarifying orthodoxy. The question was, if God the So...

The Christ the Center panel discusses the book of Judges, considering its relationship to redemptive history and to the redeemer Jesus Christ. During the “no man’s land” of redemptive history, as Israel awaits the promised king, her people again and again do what is right in their own eyes under the rule of judges who appear morally ambiguous at best. The discussion illustrates h...

Dr. Mark Talbot speaks about his forthcoming book tentatively entitled,  When the Stars Disappear: Why Christians Suffer.  Dr. Talbot’s research in philosophy, theology, and psychology serve to interpret his personal experiences of suffering and inform his counseling of those who suffer. The discussion covers the definition and purpose of Christian suffering, the human need to understand lif...

Jason Helopoulos joins us to speak about his book A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home . The discussion covers what family worship is, its elements, and its relationship to private and corporate worship. Pastor Helopoulos also provides practical advice about how to practice family worship especially for those who have neglected it in the past. Jason is the Assistant Pastor at Un...

Dr. Michael Emlet discusses the recent fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is the official diagnostic manual used by mental health professionals and published by the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Emlet explains the origin and purpose of the DSM and the questions this new edition raises for Christian believers. He outlines the way Christ...

Today we discuss the story and message of the book of Ruth in light of the book’s place in redemptive history. This brief story of an unassuming young Gentile woman develops the important biblical themes of the promised land, the inclusion of Gentiles in redemption, and the line of the seed of the woman. In these ways and others, the book of Ruth is a story of redemption, redemption which cu...

Dr. Scott Oliphint returns to  Christ the Center to discuss his recent book,  Covenantal Apologetics . Oliphint’s forthcoming book is an accessible treatment of Van Tilian presuppositional apologetics, the fruit of years of teaching apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. We discuss with Dr. Oliphint the significance of the book’s title, namely, that the co...