Christ the Center

We are pleased to welcome John Frame to the program to speak about his significant new volume,  A History of Western Philosophy and Theology   (P&R Publishing). Dr. Frame holds the J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books. He joined us previously to discuss his  Systematic Theology: An Introduction to...

Nathaniel Gray Sutanto speaks to us about his paper “ Two Theological Accounts of Logic: Theistic Conceptual Realism and a Reformed Archetype-Ectype Model ,” published in the  International Journal for Philosophy of Religion . Theologians and Christian philosophers have long debated the nature of logic and its relationship to God’s essential being. In this episode, Sutanto detail...

Today we welcome Dr. John Bolt to speak about his new book  Bavinck on the Christian Life: Following Jesus in Faithful Service . Dr. Bolt is the Jean and Kenneth Baker Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. He served as the editor of the English edition of Bavinck’s magisterial  Reformed Dogmatics . Join us as we speak not only of Bavinck’s dogmatic theology,...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 109–112 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments   to learn about the factual basis of the Mosaic organization, which consists in the redemption from Egypt. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane G. Tipton

Bill Dennison brings together the worlds of apologetics and biblical theology just as Cornelius Van Til did with the teaching of his beloved professor Geerhardus Vos. Dr. Dennison serves as Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Covenant College. Listen as we discuss Dr. Dennison’s collection of essays, In Defense of the Eschaton , edited by James Baird. Previous Episodes with Bill Dennis...

Today we speak with D. G. Hart, Glen Clary, and John Terpstra about the relationship between revivalism and Reformed piety. Looking at the history of revival and its influence on the Reformed church we explore how Reformed and Presbyterian churches have has their thinking about covenant nurture altered by the influence of revivals, specially those which were spurred on by the Tennents and Frelingh...

Daniel Strange speaks about his book Their Rock Is Not Like Our Rock: A Theology of Religions (Zondervan). We talk about how theology, redemptive-history, and apologetics all converge to inform our science of missions and our theology of “the religious other.” Dr. Strange is Academic Vice Principal and Lecturer in Culture, Religion, and Public Theology at Oak Hill College , London. Par...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 105–108 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments   to learn about the form of revelation during the Mosaic period. Vos details the significance of the pillar of cloud and fire, the Angel of Jehovah, as well as the name and face of Jehovah. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane G. Tipton

Each of us uses multiple tools each day as part of a variety of workflows that help us accomplish tasks throughout the day. We dive into the workflow tips and tricks to share several of our favorites for reading, writing, and managing information. Participants: Camden Bucey , David Filson , Jared Oliphint , Jonathan Brack

We welcome Dr. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. and Dr. Lane G. Tipton to speak about Geerhardus Vos’s seminal article, “ The Eschatological Aspect of the Pauline Conception of the Spirit ,” which is found in  Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos . This episode was recorded live as part of the pre-conference festivities at our 2015 Theology...

In this episode, we survey several biblical texts and explore the biblical theological features that unfold throughout God’s Word. We consider a biblical theology of the darkness upon Christ’s crucifixion, the use of vineyard imagery for covenant blessings and curses, the glory of the Lord upon the temple, among many other rich biblical themes. Participants: Camden Bucey , Jared Oliphi...

Jonathan Brack explains a Reformed ecclesiology which spans Old and New Testaments. He touches upon covenant theology, polity, and other foundational issues as he speaks about important books on ecclesiology. George Gillespie,  Aaron’s Rod Blossoming, or the Divine Ordinance of Church Government Vindicated Stuart Robinson,  The Church of God as an Essential Element of the Gospel Douglas Bann...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 100–104 of Geerhardus Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the place of Moses in the organism of Old Testament revelation. Critical scholars have questioned whether Moses was an historical figure, suggesting instead that the figure is a literary construct designed to offer a history and purpose to the people of...

Reformed Forum turns to the mailbag, answering several of the questions we’ve received over the last few months. In this episode, we get into covenant apologetics, biblical theology, baptism, different translations of Calvin. Participants: Camden Bucey , Jared Oliphint , Jonathan Brack , Mark A. Winder

Rev. Dr. Kevin Chiarot introduces and offers a critical look into the influential Christology of T. F. Torrance, who among other things taught that the Son of God assumed a fallen human nature. Rev. Chiarot is the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Rock Tavern, New York. He has written an excellent book titled,  The Unassumed Is the Unhealed: The Humanity of Christ in the Christolo...

Matthew Patton offers us several interpretive guidelines for understanding narrative analogies among Israel’s and Judah’s kings. These insights provide for a richer and deeper understanding of typology. Dr. Patton previously joined us to speak about Restoration Prophecy in Ezra-Nehemiah and Typology and Jehoiachin . In the latter episode we focused upon on his dissertation, and today w...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 95–99 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments   to learn about revelation during the patriarchal period. In this episode we look to the patriarch Jacob and focus upon his Bethel dream vision and his encounter with the angel at Peniel. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane G. Tipton

We celebrate the four-hundredth episode with our founders. Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy, and Camden Bucey recorded the first episode of Christ the Center in January 2008, and now they gather around the virtual roundtable again to discuss the purpose of polemical theology. Polemics is often viewed as form of degenerate theologizing—something unloving and sub-Christian. Nonetheless, when done out of...

Today we speak with Dr. K. Scott Oliphint, Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania about Cornelius Van Til’s book Common Grace and the Gospel   (P&R Publishing). Dr. Oliphint has annotated a new edition of Van Til’s important work. In the trajectory of other recently annotated volumes of Van Til, such as The...

Dr. William Edgar details the French Reformation and the Huguenots, connecting it through history in order to teach us about God’s plan for his church amidst struggle.  Dr. Edgar  is Professor of Apologetics and John Boyer Chair of Evangelism and Culture at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also serves as president of  The Huguenot Fellowship , a non-profit o...

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 93–95 of Vos’ book  Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments   to learn about the patriarch Jacob and election. Participants: Camden Bucey , Lane G. Tipton

On this episode we welcome Gerald Hiestand to speak about the pastor theologian. Gerald serves as Senior Associate Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois and Executive Director for the Center for Pastor Theologians . Along with Todd Wilson, Hiestand has co-authored  The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision (Zondervan), in which they offer a new taxonomy of pastor theo...

Brian DeJong takes us to Jesus Christ as Lord as well as the preeminent practitioner of apologetics. Listen to this important conversation on an underdeveloped topic. Rev. De Jong is pastor of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and currently serves as the chairman of the Candidates and Credentials Committee for the OPC’s Presbytery of the Midwest. His article, “...

Marcus Peter Johnson joins us once again to talk about Christology and soteriology. With his colleague Dr. John C. Clark, Dr. Johnson has co-authored  The Incarnation of God: The Mystery of the Gospel as the Foundation of Evangelical Theology   (Crossway). Johnson and Clark examine the doctrine of the incarnation and its implications fro the church’s knowledge and worship of God, understandi...

Tony Reinke joins us to speak about Newton on the Christian Life: To Live Is Christ , a new book in Crossway’s Theologians on the Christian Life  series. Newton was a brilliant letter writer, and his vision for the Christian life shines brightly in these personal correspondences to friends and the people of his congregation. Listen as Tony Reinke unfolds this miraculous life in order to demo...