The Westminster Podcast

When it comes to the Christian life Orthodoxy (right belief), Orthopraxy (right practice), and Doxology (worship) work together like a 3-fold braided cord. If any of the 3 are compromised, the whole cord suffers. So, at Westminster, we don't just commit to theological education in the abstract. Some might be tempted to say "I'm just going to study theology and not worry about my moral life, my per...

Culture is the air that we breathe. It informs how we view the world around us and is a necessary consideration for any apologetic discussion. Dr. Nate Shannon sits down with Dr. Bill Edgar to discuss culture, apologetics, and cultural apologetics. If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content like it at wm.wts.edu. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in th...

Stafford Carson has been associated with Westminster Seminary for nearly half of its existence. He has also had a rather prolific preaching ministry with experience in proclaiming the Word of God in many diverse contexts. Dr. Nate Shannon sits down with Stafford to discuss a range of topics including not just how to preach well but how to listen to preaching well. If you enjoy this episode, you ca...

Many of Cornelius Van Til's critics claim that Van Til did not sufficiently base his apologetic method on Scriptural exegesis. Van Til himself acknowledged that robust exegesis wasn't as prominent in his work as it could have been. That was not, however, an admission that his method was not built on exegesis, just that it's exegetical foundation was assumed more than it was argued. The second gene...

With the book The Future of Reformed Apologetics now available, we figured giving you a taste of the audiobook would be a great companion to this podcast. So enjoy chapter 2: Van Til Goes Pop. If you enjoy what you hear, check out wtspress.com to grab yourself a hard copy and/or and audio copy of The Future of Reformed Apologetics.

With no "Oliphint in the room," Brandon goes it alone for a long form, free ranging interview with Nathan D. Shannon (The Great Thinkers series). They touch on Nate's essay in the book, The Future of Reformed Apologetics, as well as his monograph Absolute Person and Moral Experience.

Mr. Anderson punches a plot-hole through simulation theory... In the final episode of this book companion podcast series, Brandon and Scott don't go as all-in on The Matrix references as the guy who wrote this description has. Instead, they follow the white rabbit down Greg Bahnsen Lane as Scott discusses how to interpret one of Van Til's foremost interpreters. Read James Anderson's essay "Van Til...

You couldn't ask for a better guide through The Future of Reformed Apologetics than Dr. Strange (No, not that Dr. Strange). Brandon Smith (No, not that Brandon Smith) and Scott Oliphint (Yes, that Scott Oliphint) take us back to Rust Auditorium in the Winter of '23 and review Dan's rousing lecture titled "Van Til Goes Pop." To enjoy Strange's essay in another dimension (print), visit Westminster S...

Brandon and Scott sample a draught of Christopher Watkin's cask strength "Van Til's Two-Handed Apologetic." While some claim that Van Til's original malt was tainted with notes of idealism and even (shriek!) "biblicism," Scott suggests that when it comes to the good stuff there's only one ingredient that matters... For a full pour, check out the book The Future of Reformed Apologetics and enjoy Ch...

Episode II: There is unrest in the theological senate. . . Brandon and Scott revisit Brian G. Mattson's lecture "Attributes, Roots, and Fruit." They get into Van Til's criticism of Herman Bavinck and then into some criticism of Van Til's criticism of Bavinck. If you ride with Bavinck and want to size up this Van Til fellow, please visit Westminster Seminary Press's website and lasso yourself a cop...

BONUSODE! Enjoy an extra slice of Reformed apologetics as Brandon and Scott go off script and talk about Van Til's friendship and theological affinity with J. Gresham Machen, as well as the early days at Westminster Theological Seminary. Visit Westminster Seminary Press's website and order a copy of the book The Future of Reformed Apologetics: https://wtspress.com/products/the-future-of-reformed-a...

Scott Oliphint has had enough of the bad caricatures of Cornelius Van Til. . . but a brand new book is on the way that might change things. The Future of Reformed Apologetics gathers nine essays from the eponymous 2023 conference, and addresses the state and future of the Reformed apologetic that Van Til developed. In this first episode of our podcast companion series, Brandon McLean Smith and K....

COMING SOON: Author and apologist K. Scott Oliphint joins host Brandon McLean Smith to discuss a new book, The Future of Reformed Apologetics. Addressing current debates and controversies within theological apologetics, Scott and Brandon review highlights from the eponymous 2023 conference at Westminster Theological Seminary and preview the thought provoking collection of essays from Scott, Vern P...

In the fourth episode of the series, Nathan speaks with Nathaniel Gray Sutanto (Reformed Theological Seminary) about Richard B. Gaffin Jr.'s theological methodology and development, his commitment to scripture, and his early work on Herman Bavinck. Then Nate and Thomas Keene (Reformed Theological Seminary) discuss Gaffin's 1989 essay, "Theonomy and Eschatology", which appeared in the now out of pr...

In a field like theology, epistemology (or the study of the nature of knowledge) is tremendously important. Not just because the very existence of God is debated; not only because the possibility of the knowledge of God must be addressed in a systematic way; but because the conclusions we make about God and about the security of our knowledge of him should matter for our jobs, our relationships, a...

The Usefulness of the Cross by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. is an article that has revolutionized the approach to suffering for many Christians across the world. It was first published in 1979 but has now been republished in the volume Word and Spirit which showcases the selected shorter writings of Richard B.Gaffin Jr. To find out more about the book visit wtspress.com and listen in to the episodes for...

This is the story of a theologian. A first rate, world class New Testament scholar and Systematics professor whose body of work stands quietly in the confluence of two great church traditions, Scottish Presbyterianism and Dutch Neo-Calvinism. But unless you’ve gone to seminary or happen to subscribe to peer reviewed academic journals, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Richard B. Gaffin,...

Few Reformed theologians have exerted the influence in both the church and the academy that Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. has, shaping the theology and spiritual formation of generations of pastors and teachers. Until now, his most significant published works have been inaccessible to most theological readers, published in academic journals, denominational newsletters, and out of print festschrifts and e...

Shortly before dawn on a cold North Dakota morning, a telegram was sent to John Murray, professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. “I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ,” it read, “no hope without it.” Not long after composing this telegram, J. Gresham Machen died after a short battle with pneumonia and entered the eternal rest of his savior...

In the previous episodes, we heard from J. Gresham Machen about how we can know that God exists, and about our sin that keeps us from having peace with God. In this broadcast, Machen introduces us to the hope for that grim reality, the only person who can redeem us from our sin and give us the peace with God that we need: Jesus Christ. To find out more about the book visit Wtsbooks.com and listen...

In the previous episode, we talked about how we can know and have confidence that God exists. But the difference between knowing that God exists, and enjoying a relationship with God is a vast distance. Just believing in God doesn’t explain why he seems so far away. The answer to that dilemma isn’t a popular one these days. When we talk about sin a lot of modern preconceptions come to mind. Ideas...

Creeds and confessions are the banner of the church militant. They contain statements of doctrine that are to be believed, for knowledge unto godliness; and are to be confessed, for the ministry of the church unto the world. In this way, creeds and confessions are for each member of Christ’s body, and for the body as a whole. In this podcast I chat with Dr. Peter Lillback about a project that he h...

How can you know that God is real? This question has always been difficult, but in 1935, when J. Gresham Machen broadcasted the first of these little talks, the ground had shifted. Cultural Christianity was giving way to new ideas about truth and the universe. Darwinian evolution was becoming entrenched in the public school system, and it had even become fashionable to openly question the existenc...

The year is 1935. The Great Depression grinds on in the United States, and dramatic action by the federal government is deepening political divides. Abroad, things aren’t any better. War between communist and fascist factions is about to break out in Spain, and there’s fear o f it spreading to the rest of Europe. In a word, things are looking grim. Stepping into a broadcast booth in Philadelphia,...

When theologian J. Gresham Machen died suddenly during a visit to North Dakota on New Year’s Day, 1937, he left unfinished one of the most innovative theological projects of his time. For the last two years of his life, Machen had begun work on what he hoped would be an accessible four part introduction to Christian theology. Only, he wasn’t just writing. He was broadcasting. Throughout 1935 and 1...