Christ the Center

Patricia Clawson and Diane Olinger speak about the new book from the OPC’s Committee for the Historian. Choosing the Good Portion: Women of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church  captures the stories of ninety-three women who have had a great influence upon the denomination—from Mary “Minnie” Machen to women of the present day. Fifty-five women contributed to this volume to bring rich...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 137–143 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the third and fourth commandments. The third commandment prohibits taking the Lord’s name in vain. Often, this is interpreted to mean we must not swear by the Lord’s name or blaspheme it. While these are certainly things we must not do, Vos communicates a...

Marcus Mininger is Associate Professor in New Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary  in Dyer, Indiana. Today he joins us to speak about his article, “Eschatology and Protology, Christ and Culture: Marriage as a Biblical Test-Case” MAJT 25 (2014): 117–140. The substance of this article was first delivered as a lecture at Mid-America’s Alumni Conference on April 9, 2014. The relationshi...

Mark Vander Hart and Cornelis P. Venema join us to speak about the Reformed church in Latvia. Mark Vander Hart is Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary . Cornelis Venema is President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies. Both men have taught at Baltic Reformed Seminary in Riga, Latvia. Links Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary ITEM MTW Team Participants: Camd...

Cornelis P. Venema joins us to speak about his book  By His Spirit and Word: How Christ Builds His Church (Reformed Fellowship, Inc.). Venema engages in an extended exposition on the doctrine of the church and its ministry as described in the historic confessions and catechisms of the Reformation churches. These confessions emphasize the church’s indispensability to the salvation of believers, for...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 135–137 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the Decalogue and the second commandment. 1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved...

We speak with Gregg Allison and Chris Castaldo about their excellent book The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants after 500 Years   (Zondervan, 2016). Rev. Dr. Allison is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Rev. Dr. Castaldo serves as Lead Pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, Illinois. W...

We speak with William Boekestein about the Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli. Ulrich Zwingli was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. His efforts in reforming doctrine and practice serve as examples and lessons for us today. Rev. Boekestein has written two biographies of Zwingli, each capturing the significance of the man for different audiences. He serves as Pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Chur...

The panel discusses the image of God live from the 2016 Reformed Forum Theology Conference. The event was held at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois beginning on October 7, 2016. In this conversation, we address historical views of the image of God, the historicity of Adam, woman’s relationship to man, gender, and the implications of the image of God doctrine for racial...

Several traditions within the Christian church have understood the second commandment differently. Some have understood it is a prohibition against statues. Others understand the commandment to prohibit images of God in worship. Still others argue it is a prohibition against all images as representations of God. We discuss the duties required and reasons annexed to the second commandment as well a...

Dan Ragusa speaks about the United Reformed Churches in North America, biblical theology, and the book of Joshua. Dan is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and is currently studying at Westminster Theological Seminary . After a brief conversation, we share a lesson from Mr. Ragusa’s Sunday school series on Joshua taught at Oak Glen United Reformed Church of Lansing, Illinois. Partic...

Many churches may be familiar with  lectio continua  preaching in the form of the weekly practice of preaching consecutive passages through a book of Scripture. Catechetical preaching uses a catechism to organize the weekly sermons rather than the book of Scripture. Does that make catechetical preaching unscriptural? By no means! While some catechetical sermons may derive their points directly fro...

Dr. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. speaks about Calvin’s views on the Sabbath. In this conversation, we look to Dr. Gaffin’s book  Calvin and the Sabbath: The Controversy of Applying the Fourth Commandment   (Mentor/Christian Focus), which is a revised version of his ThM thesis originally written under the supervision of John Murray at Westminster Theological Seminary  in 1961–62. We also spea...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 131–135 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the world-wide application of the Decalogue, its prologue, and the first commandment. God has a special relationship with his covenant people. The prologue of to the Decalogue underscores this fact. God’s word delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai is not an abstract l...

We welcome  Dr. Dennis E. Johnson  to speak about Christ as the substance and goal of all of Scripture. Dr. Johnson serves as Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California  and Associate Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Escondido. In this conversation, he leads us through his book  Walking with Jesus through His Word: Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures (P&...

Dr. Michael J. Kruger speaks with us about  A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament . This volume introduces each New Testament book in the context of the whole canon of Scripture, helping a wide range of readers with a rich, redemptive-historical guide to each book. Dr. Kruger is President and Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolin...

Lane Tipton speaks about the report of the Committee to Study Republication of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The report describes the impetus of the committee’s work: The 81st General Assembly, in response to an overture from the Presbytery of the Northwest, elected a study committee “to examine and give advice as to whether and in what particular senses the...

We speak with Daniel R. Hyde. Rev. Hyde is pastor of Oceanside URC in Oceanside, California. He has written an article examining the Synod of Dort’s doctrine of the Sabbath, titled “Regulae de Observatione Sabbathi: The Synod of Dort’s (1618–19) Deliverance on the Sabbath.”  Originally written for The Puritan Reformed Journal , you can now find it on pages 173–184 of  The Confessional Presby...

Dispensationalism is a system of doctrine that views human history as divided into distinct eras (or dispensations). In each of these dispensations, God provides a unique test to humanity. Repeatedly, they fail these tests and receive the judgment requisite to each dispensation. We welcome Rob McKenzie and Bob Tarullo from Westminster OPC in Indian Head Park, Illinois. Rev. Tarullo serves as pasto...

The people of God presently live in between grace and glory. We look back upon the finished work of Jesus Christ while also looking forward to his return, our resurrection, and the consummation of the New Heavens and New Earth. Speaking of the faithful, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews writes, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 128–131 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider once again the function of the law and the Decalogue. Why was the law given? How does it function in the life of Israel, the redeemed typological son? God graciously gave a typological kingdom to his people, and they were commanded to obey the Lord in order to retain...

Dr. Keith Stanglin joins us to speak about the theology of Jacobus Arminius. Arminius was a Dutch theologian who served as a professor of theology at the University of Leiden. Many Calvinists will be familiar with his name as well as some version of his theological views. But are those views accurate? Today we discuss Arminius’s actual views as opposed to those of Arminians and semi-Pelagian...

Today we welcome Iain H. Murray to the program to discuss his new biography,  J. C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone . In 1957, Rev. Murray co-founded the Banner of Truth Trust . Ryle (1816–1900) was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool. He was an ardent defender of Evangelicalism in the face of opposition on several fronts, including the growing Anglo-Catholic movement within his own ecclesiastica...

Dr. Alan Strange is professor of church history and apologetics at Mid-America Reformed Seminary  and associate pastor of New Covenant Community Church in Joliet, Illinois. Dr. Strange sits with us to speak about the great American Presbyterian, Charles Hodge, and his contribution to the Doctrine of the Church. Hodge was a proponent of the doctrine known as the Spirituality of the Church. While ma...

For the last couple of weeks, many people have been discussing the doctrine of the Trinity, especially as various theologians have linked a doctrine of complementarianism to the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. This relationship has been characterized by some as an eternal relationship of authority and submission or by others as an eternal subordination of the Son. In this epis...