Theology on the Go

Divine Knowledge Jonathan and James share an informal conversation about the knowledge of God.  What are we really saying when we claim that God knows all things? What’s the scope of God’s knowledge? Is God continuously learning everything at the moment it happens?  James affirms that God is “uneducated”—what does he mean by that? Join us for another mind-expanding episode of Theology on the Go!  

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? Michael Morales, professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, joins us on the podcast to discuss his latest work, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? Who is able to approach God’s presence? This investigative study examines the book of Leviticus and the Regulative Principle of Worship, with a focus on Psalm 15 and...

Theoretical-Practical Theology Vol. II 17th-century Reformed theologian Petrus Van Mastricht wrote a comprehensive treatment of theoretical-practical theology. This extensive collection is gradually being made available in English by Todd Rester, lead translator of this massive work. The second volume, Faith in the Triune God, was released this year. Todd is an associate professor of church histor...

All Things for Good  James and Jonathan remove the dust from the cover of a classic book that’s played a big role in their lives. All Things for Good, formerly known as A Divine Cordial by Thomas Watson was originally published in 1663, and it reads as a series of sermons or expositions of Romans 8:28. Throughout the book, Watson offers reflections on the two greatest difficulties he faced in past...

Banner of Truth: A Conversation with Mark Johnston Mark Johnston is the pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church in Cardiff, Wales. Mark also writes for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals on the Place for Truth website, has authored several books, and serves on the board of Banner of Truth Trust. Johnston joins Jonathan and James to talk a bit about the work of Banner; how it started and a few of...

From Shadow to Substance What is Federal Theology? Sam Renihan joins our hosts to address this very question. Sam is a pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, CA and author of From Shadow to Substance: the Federal Theology of the English Particular Baptists.   Is it fair to say that Federal theology was the theology of the post-reformation English Puritan? If so, how? Sam focuses h...

No Place for Truth Jonathan and James are discussing a book that influenced both of them decades ago. Why would they be talking about it now, and what is the book’s relevance for today?  25 years ago, David Wells wrote No Place for Truth, a microscopic analysis of how the purpose of the church and of pastoral ministry was shifting. Wells recounts a few responses from church members at large and th...

Pastoral Visitation Chad Vegas, founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, CA, visits with Jonathan and James to talk about his journey from pragmatism to conviction. Chad gives us his background, and tells us who the Lord has used to change his ministry, and how God did so! Chad discusses his relationship with his congregation through pastoral visitations, and how those encounters...

Simonetta Carr joins Jonathan and James today. She opens up about very difficult times in her life, during which she dealt with schizophrenia in her family, which would ultimately claim her son.  In Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them, Simonetta recounts her experience as she learned much about schizophrenia and its forms of treatment, while she and her family experienced the love and support...

Aquinas Among the Protestants Should Protestants read and engage with anything written by Thomas Aquinas? David VanDrunen sits in with Jonathan and James to talk about a book he co-edited with Manfred Svensson, titled Aquinas Among the Protestants. David is the Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary in California.  In this episode, David ta...

How Then Shall We Feel? In the house today is Dr. Keith Plummer. He’s a professor of a variety of topics related to pastoral ministry, apologetics, and spiritual formation at Cairn University. The topic of our conversation is the place that feelings or emotions have in the life of a Christian. How are our feelings to be shaped? Can emotional responses be right or wrong? If so, can they be directed...

Grace Worth Fighting For To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort, Daniel Hyde has written Grace Worth Fighting For: Recapturing the Vision of God’s Grace in the Canons of Dort. Hyde’s work is a reminder for us to protect and proclaim the Gospel of grace. Danny is the pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in CA…adjunct instructor, prolific author…and the editor of Meet the Pur...

The Identity and Attributes of God Jonathan and James have the pleasure of speaking with Terry Johnson. Terry is the senior pastor of Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, GA, and the author of several books including his latest, The Identity and Attributes of God by Banner of Truth. What was initially meant to be a small sermon series on the attributes of God, turned into 82 sermons, and e...

Paul, Paton, and Missions Paul Schlehlein joins in today all the way from South Africa to talk about the life of one of the great Scottish missionaries of the 19th century, John G. Paton. Paul has written a biography of Paton, published by Banner of Truth, which features practical applications for the 21st century lay Christian. Schehlein tells us how the life of John G. Paton played a role in his...

Christians Heresies 101 Today’s conversation might “trigger” you with some pretty big words…but there’s nothing to worry about. Jonathan and James are willing to break them down and carefully explain what they mean. What are “heresies?” The duo discusses the historical definition of the word, and gives us an introduction to some of the most famous heresies in church history.

Theoretical-Practical Theology One admirer has said that Petrus Van Mastricht’s works were the best thing ever written in any language, short of the Bible itself. That is indeed a high compliment! Jonathan and James have invited Dr. Joel Beeke to talk about the translation of Mastricht’s Theoretical-Practical Theology Vol. 1 that was published this past year. Is there a need for another translatio...

Some Influential Preachers Jonathan and James share today about the preachers who have the greatest influence on their personal lives and ministry, and the qualities that make these preachers so remarkable. Whether a Baptist, Presbyterian, or Anglican minister, there is much in common between Jonathan and James’ favorite picks. Listen in to identify what makes for faithful Biblical preaching. Show...

Obedience and Submission  The eternal submission of the Son to the Father in the Godhead has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. After the internet debate of 2016, Glenn Butner was motivated to conduct a thorough investigation into the topic. Glenn has summarized his findings on the pages of The Son Who Learned Obedience, and he’s in today to talk about the importance of differenti...

Reformed Preaching: Biblical, Doctrinal, and Practical Joel Beeke is a prolific author, professor, and president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He’s also the pastor of Heritage Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, MI. Beeke recently published Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God’s Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People, which is the topic of today’s conversation...

Union with Christ While James enjoys a vacation, Jonathan has the pleasure of speaking with Ian Hamilton about Union with Christ, one of the topics Ian will be addressing at the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Grand Rapids, MI, March 15th - 17th. Speaking passionately, and quoting a few of his favorite theologians, Ian talks about the benefits that flow from our union with Christ....

Incomprehensible but Knowable Words are important, and some of them carry meanings that can be crucial for our understanding of God; words that will eventually affect the way we live the Christian life. Incomprehensibility is one of these words. But what exactly does it mean? Jonathan and James make use of some grammatical definitions and traditional Reformed theology to help us understand why God...

Commentary Connoisseur Do you know anyone who loves the book of Romans to the point of owning more than 120 commentaries on the epistle? Jonathan and James know one such fan! Rob Ventura is the pastor of Grace Community Baptist Church in North Providence, an author, and blogger for Reformation21. Rob is crafting a commentary on the book of Romans, and promises it’ll be a concise and very practical...

Hell Podcast We managed to catch Jonathan and James in their offices having a conversation about hell. The topic might not be a very popular one, but—if Scripture addresses it—we should pay attention to it. The Bible uses a few different words referring to hell, describing it as a place of punishment. But, is the word punishment used in the sense of "retribution," or as meaning "corrective and reh...

Word, Sacrament, and Discipline You’ve moved to a new area, and are looking for a church. What are the main things you should consider in your search? As a visitor, what are the visible signs that indicate you’re in a true church? Barry York is a pastor…president of Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a co-host of 3GT podcast…and, the author of Hitting the Marks: Restoring the Essential Id...

For Instruction, Doctrine, and Morals James and Jonathan have a few questions about biblical interpretation, and Keith Stanglin is the right man to answer them. He’s the associate professor of historical theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology, and has written The Letter and Spirit of Biblical Interpretation, an overview from the early church to our day. How helpful, really, is the history...