Christ the Center

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 155–157 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the sacrificial system of the law. Vos describes two main ends of sacrifices—expiation and consecration—and how they relate to one another. God desires to establish a covenant communion bond with a holy people. This relationship is served fundamentally by consecration...

On this episode, we open to the book of Judges with our guest, William Wood. Mr. Wood is a PhD student in Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He challenges the conventional wisdom that the author of Judges exhibits an anti-Ephraimite stance exclusively. Will joined us previously to speak about Ephesians 6:10–17 and a Biblical Theology of Clothing . Download the ...

Brett Mahlen speaks about his ministry to inmates at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois. Participants: A. Craig Troxel , Brett Mahlen , Camden Bucey , Charles Williams , Robert Tarullo

Charles Williams speaks about the life and theology of one of Christianity’s greatest figures, Augustine. Mr. Williams is Associate Pastor at Bethel OPC in Wheaton, Illinois. WTSBooks.com has generously offered a copy of Augustine’s The Trinity   for a giveaway. This is a handsome edition from New City Press. To enter your name for the giveaway, please  signup for our email list. We&#8...

Christ the Center hits the road for a series of episodes at Bethel OPC in Wheaton, Illinois. In our first of the series, A. Craig Troxel speaks about Reformed spirituality. Dr. Troxel is pastor of Bethel OPC in Wheaton and teaches adjunct at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has taught courses on Reformed Spiritual...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 154–155 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider how Christ reveals and consummates the religious principles and realities embodied in the tabernacle and then elevated into the Church. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane G. Tipton

Today we welcome Daniel Ragusa , to speak about the Westminster Standards and their teaching of the self-sufficient and self-contained triune God of Scripture. Ragusa begins with Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1: God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author o...

While many in the Christian tradition prepare to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday this week and next, we turn to consider the meaning of the gospel. Paul describes the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1–8 as a message of Jesus’ historical life, death, and resurrection for sinners. This is a matter of first importance. Participants: Camden Bucey , Glen Clary , Jim Cassidy

Earlier this week, we exhibited at The Gospel Coalition 2017 Conference , “No Other Gospel: Reformation 500 and Beyond” in Indianapolis. We were able to share 900 copies of our new book  No Uncertain Sound   with interested conference attendees. We had numerous conversations with people about confessional Reformed theology, worship, apologetics, and ecclesiology. In the few quiet momen...

Rev. Chiarot is the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Rock Tavern, New York. He joins us today to speak about “ T. F. Torrance and Apostolic Succession ,” an article he wrote for  Participatio.  He has also written,  The Unassumed Is the Unhealed: The Humanity of Christ in the Christology of T. F. Torrance   (Pickwick, 2013). Links Westminster Presbyterian Church , Roc...

K. Scott Oliphint speaks about the incomprehensibility of God as detailed in his book, The Majesty of Mystery: Celebrating the Glory of an Incomprehensible God   (Lexham Press). As creatures, we will never and can never comprehend fully God’s mysteries. Indeed, this must even be an epistemological and methodological starting point. Standing upon this biblically-based notion of mystery, Dr. O...

We welcome Dr. Brandon Crowe to speak about his book, The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels , in which he sets forth the soteriological significance of the life of Jesus in the Gospels. He offers an exegetical case for understanding the Adam-Christ parallel in the Gospels themselves, and thereby allows us to see the great glory of person and work of Christ as he is...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 150–154 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the presence of God. The tabernacle was a holy place wherein God’s people were summoned to commune with and worship the Lord. Vos describes the symbolism and typology of this holy realm. God brings his people into deeper covenant fellowship as he conforms them t...

Today we speak about John Murray’s “The Attestation of Scripture,” a chapter in The Infallible Word .  Scripture attests to its own character and authority. Being God’s Word and our ultimate authority, it could be no other way. Murray writes, The doctrine of Scripture must be based upon the witness of Scripture just as any other doctrine in the whole realm of Christian conf...

In his book Created & Creating   ( IVP Academic ), William Edgar offers a rich biblical theology contending that Christians must engage in culture. Dr. Edgar is Professor of Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary. He joins us to speak about this wonderful book. Its thesis is simple: the cultural mandate, declared at the dawn of human history, and reiterated through the different episo...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 148–150 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider types and symbols. The tabernacle is a premier symbol and type in the Old Testament. It demonstrates God’s dwelling with his people. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey turn to Vos’s discussion and consider the redemptive-historical significance of the tabernacle...

Today we welcome  Peter Gurry  to speak about New Testament textual criticism. Peter is a PhD candidate at Fitzwilliam College , University of Cambridge and has written an article titled, “ How Your Greek NT is Changing: A Simple Introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM) ” ( JETS Volume 59, No. 4, 675–689). The coherence-based genealogical method was used in editing the Cathol...

Today we speak with Austin Reed about Karl Barth’s theology of election. Austin is a student at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary  and walks us through a critical review of  Karl Barth’s Infralapsarian Theology: Origins and Development, 1920-1953 by Shao Kai Tseng. Tseng challenges the scholarly status quo, arguing that despite Barth’s stated favor of supralapsarianism...

On this episode, we are joined by Ryan McGraw, who speaks about the foundational role and practical significance of Trinitarian theology to John Owen. Dr. McGraw is Professor of Systematic Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Caroline. His article, “Trinitarian Doxology: Reassessing John Owen’s Contribution to Reformed Orthodox Trinitarian Theol...

On this episode, we are joined by Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, who speaks about the Theological Interpretation of Scripture (TIS). Gray is a PhD Candidate at New College, University of Edinburgh. His article, “On the Theological Interpretation of Scripture: The Indirect Identity Thesis, Reformed Orthodoxy, and Trinitarian Considerations” was published in The Westminster Theological Journal...

As another year gets into swing, many people have begun new Bible reading plans. Reading through Scripture each day is a powerful and transformative discipline. We discuss the practice of Bible reading personally, in the home, and in the church. Links Ligonier, “ Bible Reading Plans for 2017 “ Participants: Camden Bucey , Glen Clary , Jim Cassidy

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 143–148 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider types and symbols. This is an important discussion on redemptive-historical hermeneutics and a classic lesson from Vos’s writings. Links Christ the Center, episode 223: Baptism, Covenant, and Election with Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane...

As we head into our tenth year of Christ the Center, we look back at some of our favorite guests and moments from 2016. Episodes 425 — David VanDrunen, God’s Glory Alone 428 — Vern Poythress, The Miracles of Jesus 441 — John Galbraith and Danny Olinger on John Galbraith’s Life and Ministry 443 — Alan Strange, Charles Hodge and the Spirituality of the Church 444 — Iain Murray, J. C. Ryl...

In the second part of this special two-part episode, we discuss the observation of Christmas. This subject is perennially debated in the Reformed community. In this segment of our conversation, we address the variety of decision before local church leadership, the purported pagan roots of Christmas observance, the story of St. Nicholas and Arius, as well as the psalms and contemporary worship rela...

In this special two-part episode, we discuss the observation of Christmas. This subject is perennially debated in the Reformed community. Listen as we discuss the historical, theological, and the practical issues involved. We invoke a distinction between celebrating the nativity of Christ and observing Christmas as an annual liturgical event. Christ’s nativity has been celebrated from the moment o...