Christ the Center revisited with Dr. Richard B. Gaffin, professor of biblical and systematic theology, emeritus, at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, about the significance of Pentecost for redemptive history and the life of the church. Drawing from his book Perspectives on Pentecost and his “Acts and Paul” lecture notes, Dr. Gaffin explained the place of Pentecost as the culmination of that complex of events surrounding the person and work of Jesus Christ which includes his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. Pentecost, then, occurs as part of the accomplishment of redemption and is therefore unrepeatable although its significance and effects reverberate throughout the Christian life. This is a rich biblical theological discussion that will repay frequent rehearsals.
episode photo by knowhimonline
Books by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.
The old Christ the Center crew met with Dr. Ben Shaw, associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in one of those Carolinas, to converse about the Christological basis of the Old Testament sacrifices and festivals. It was a fascinating and enriching discussion about biblical hermeneutics and biblical theology, typology and eschatology, and the forward looking nature of Old Testament religion. Old Testament saints while saved in the same way as New Testament saints, lived with a sense of incompleteness and longing that would only be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Bill Dennison returns to Christ the Center to bring the fire about the eschatological structure of Paul’s thought and its relation to apologetics. Dr. Dennison has written a wonderful book title Paul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics which was originally his ThM thesis at Westminster Theological Seminary. This is a fantastic discussion regarding the interconnectedness of the theological encyclopedia.
Dr. Dennison is Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA as well as Visiting Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Northwest Theological Seminary. In addition to the book which is the topic of discussion today, Bill has authored The Young Bultmann: Context for His Understanding of God, 1884-1925 and A Christian Approach to Interdisciplinary Studies: In Search of a Method and Starting Point.
Read the rest of this entry »
Christ the Center was pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner to discuss New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Dr. Schreiner’s book has been warmly welcomed by many respected scholars in the reformed community and listeners will understand why when they hear Dr. Schreiner detail his project.
Bibliography
Ridderbos, Herman. The Coming of the Kingdom. Edinburgh: Christian World Publications, 1979.
Schreiner, Thomas R. New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Baker Academic, 2008.
Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology. New Ed. Banner of Truth, 1975.
———. Pauline Eschatology. P & R Publishing, 1979.
———. The Eschatology of the Old Testament. P & R Publishing, 2001.
———. The Kingdom of God and the Church. Presbyterian & Reformed Pub Co, 1972.
Vos, Geerhardus, and Richard B., Jr. Gaffin. Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos. P & R Publishing, 2001.
Other Formats
Miles Van Pelt, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Academic Dean at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS speaks about the importance of the original languages for biblical study. Miles has helped produce several popular books and resources for original language study including Basics of Biblical Hebrew and Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew. Dr. Van Pelt encourages pastors and scholars to a renewed sense of the importance and efficacy of biblical study in Greek and Hebrew.
photo by nyello8
Read the rest of this entry »
Christ the Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Richard C. Gamble to talk about volume one of his systematic theology. Many people have looked forward to The Whole Counsel of God v.1: God’s Mighty Acts in the Old Testament and the panel had the pleasure of discussing the influences and aims of this great book. Dr. Gamble incorporates the best of the reformed tradition into a highly enjoyable biblical-systematic theology. Read the rest of this entry »
Did you know that last things come first? If that sounds confusing, then you are in for a treat as the Christ the Center panel interviews Dr. R. Fowler White and Dr. Keith Mathison, president and dean respectively, of the brand new Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies. We learn about this new educational endeavor of Dr. R. C. Sproul’s Ligonier Ministries. Additionally we discuss eschatological perspectives from Genesis to Revelation, focusing on Dr. Mathison’s new book From Age to Age. Dr. White is the editor or contributor to several books, including Whatever Happened to the Reformation? Dr. Mathison is a prolific author who has written, among many titles, When Shall These Things Be? and Given for You. Listeners will want to listen carefully to this episode in order to ascertain whether Dr. Mathison is an optimistic amillennialist or a pessimistic postmillenialist. Read the rest of this entry »
The Christ the Center panel had a fascinating conversation with Rev. Danny Olinger, general secretary for the Committee on Christian Education for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and editor of The Geerhardus Vos Anthology, about all things Vos. Rev. Olinger gives the listener a brief biographical sketch of the life and ministry of Vos and gets to the heart of Vos’ contribution to Reformed theology: Biblical theology of a Reformed and orthodox variety. Several key aspects of Vos’ work are explained, including the expression “eschatology precedes soteriology.” By the end of the discussion, listeners will understand the importance of Vos for a proper grasp of Reformed theology in general.
Please contribute to the wiki entry for this episode. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. Richard B. Gaffin, Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, joined the Christ the Center panel to discuss the nature of the gospel and the relation of the benefits of redemption to union with Christ. The significance of the contribution of John Calvin was delved into, especially his handling of the duplex gratia dei or two-fold blessing of justification and sanctification and how this relates to our union with the risen Lord.
Of special interest was the conversation about how justification and sanctification relate to each other within union. A discussion was also had regarding the distinction between definitive and progressive sanctification and the biblical basis for that distinction. The panel also discussed the relation of the historia salutis (the history of redemption or the accomplishment of redemption) to the ordo salutis (the order of salvation or its application).
Dr. Gaffin is the author of numerous articles and books, including Resurrection and Redemption, Calvin and the Sabbath, Perspectives on Pentecost, By Faith, Not By Sight and he has edited a collection of the shorter writings of Geerhardus Vos, Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation. In May of 2008 Dr. Gaffin entered into honored retirement and was the recipient of a festschrift entitled Resurrection and Eschatology co-edited by Lane G. Tipton and Jeffrey C. Waddington.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Christ the Center panel, ably augmented by Dr. Carl R. Trueman of Westminster Theological Seminary, interacts with Dr. Greg K. Beale, the Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament and coordinator of the MA program in Biblical Exegesis, at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, IL, about his recent book The Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism. In addition to this book, Dr. Beale has written the New International Greek Testament Commentary on Revelation, The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Texts?, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, We Become What We Worship, and several other books and articles. Dr. Beale discusses the significance of Biblical inerrancy, its Scriptural basis, and the problems with jettisoning the doctrine. In addition to a proper concern for inerrancy, Beale explains how scholars can rightly approach the use of Ancient Near Eastern and 2nd Temple Jewish literature without undermining the authority and perspicuity of Scripture. Along the way the panel considers the influence of postmodernism on Biblical studies. All in all, this is a very interesting discussion that hopefully will lead to further interaction. Read the rest of this entry »
