Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey introduce Christification: A Lutheran Approach to Theosis, by Jordan Cooper, Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment, by Gregg Allison, Christ Crucified: Understanding the Atonement, by Donald Macleod, China’s Reforming Churches, edited by Bruce Baugus, Heaven (Theology in Community), edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, and The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity (Oxford Handbooks), edited by Gilles Emery O. P. and Matthew Levering.

Camden mentions Reformed Media Review 58 in the podcast.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

Dr. Lane Tipton is back for Vos Group #11, considering chapter 6 of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, “The Period Between Noah and the Great Patriarchs.” This week we look at part 2 of the chapter, points 3, The division of tongues, and 4, The election of the Shemites to furnish the bearers of redemption and revelation (pp. 59-65).

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Historia Ecclesia will now be featuring audio of the series of posts “Presbyterians of the Past,” by Barry Waugh. This week, we highlight A.T. McGill, a Princeton Seminary professor from the time of Dr. Charles Hodge. Click here for the text of Barry’s biography of McGill.

Participants: Camden Bucey

James W. Scott speaks about the question of whether Machen himself wrote a history of the Presbyterian conflict that led to his defrocking, and accidentally, his death. His articles “Machen’s Lost Work on the Presbyterian Conflict,” Parts 1 and 2, introduce the idea that Edwin Rian’s book, The Presbyterian Conflict, drew on heretofore undiscovered work by Machen himself.

Jim Scott is Managing Editor of New Horizons in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Publications Coordinator for the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC. His first article is available online via Westminster. Edwin Rian’s book can be found online.

Participants: Camden Bucey, James W. Scott, Jim Cassidy

This Reformation Day, Pastor Glen Clary speaks about Ulrich Zwingli, leader in the reform of Christian worship at the time of the Reformation. Pastor Clary highlights “the affair of the sausages” in which Zwingli took a bold stand for the unique authority of Scripture. Sola Scriptura! And happy Reformation Day!

Rev. Clary is the Associate Pastor of Providence OPC, Austin (Pflugerville), Texas. Glen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern Christian University, Bethany, Oklahoma, and a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Erskine Theological Seminary, studying Reformed worship under Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old at the Institute for Reformed Worship.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Glen Clary, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy

Sections

5. Though man has still the faculty of willing, there is no soundness in it. He falls under the bondage of sin necessarily, and yet voluntarily. Necessity must be distinguished from compulsion. The ancient Theologians acquainted with this necessity. Some passages condemning the vacillation of Lombard.

6. Conversion to God constitutes the remedy or soundness of the human will. This not only begun, but continued and completed; the beginning, continuance, and completion, being ascribed entirely to God. This proved by Ezekiel’s description of the stony heart, and from other passages of Scripture.

7. Various Objections.—1. The will is converted by God, but, when once prepared, does its part in the work of conversion. Answer from Augustine. 2. Grace can do nothing without will, nor the will without grace. Answer. Grace itself produces will. God prevents the unwilling, making him willing, and follows up this preventing grace that he may not will in vain. Another answer gathered from various passages of Augustine.

8. Answer to the second Objection continued. No will inclining to good except in the elect. The cause of election out of man. Hence right will, as well as election, are from the good pleasure of God. The beginning of willing and doing well is of faith; faith again is the gift of God; and hence mere grace is the cause of our beginning to will well. This proved by Scripture.

9. Answer to second Objection continued. That good will is merely of grace proved by the prayers of saints. Three axioms—1. God does not prepare man’s heart, so that he can afterwards do some good of himself, but every desire of rectitude, every inclination to study, and every effort to pursue it, is from Him. 2. This desire, study, and effort, do not stop short, but continue to effect. 3. This progress is constant. The believer perseveres to the end. A third Objection, and three answers to it.

Participants: Robert Tarullo

Dr. Vern Poythress joins us to discuss divine and human authorship, in connection with his recent article in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS), “Dispensing with Merely Human Meaning: Gains and Losses from Focusing on the Human Author, Illustrated by Zephaniah 1:2-3.” The major emphasis in current biblical scholarship is upon the Bible’s human authors compared to the divine author, but Dr. Poythress, in his article, questions this trend.

Dr. Poythress is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA and Editor of the Westminster Theological Journal. Many of his writings are available here.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Vern Poythress

Camden Bucey and Jim Cassidy discuss the significance of the Reformation in its own time and its continuing relevance for today.

The European Reformations, Carter Lindberg

Reformed Forum’s first theology conference begin’s today, and the conference talks will be livestreamed here.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

Dr. Lane Tipton returns for Vos Group #10, to speak about the first two points of chapter six of Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 56-59). The first point of chapter six is The prophetic deliverances of Noah [Gen. 9:20-27], and The table of the nations.

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Christ the Center regular Dr. Jim Cassidy discusses the present state of Calvinism in evangelical Christianity. Following up on a previous Christ the Center and Reformed Forum blog post, Dr. Cassidy highlights some of his concerns for the contemporary Calvinistic movement.

Links

• John Piper’s lecture from the 2014 WTS Gaffin lecture.
• Collin Hansen’s book, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists
• Jared Oliphint’s synopsis, John Piper’s Twelve Features of the New Calvinism
• Jim Cassidy, 5 Reasons Why I Am Not a New Calvinist

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

Drs. Michael J. Kruger and Charles E. Hill speak about a book to which Dr. Hill contributed, How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature, a response to Bart D. Ehrman’s How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee. The thesis of Dr. Ehrman’s book is that the doctrine of Jesus’ divinity was an early accretion onto the original truth of Jesus identity – neither Jesus nor Jesus’ disciples believed he was divine. How God Became Jesus is the first book-length response to Ehrman’s latest, and includes a contribution by Dr. Chuck Hill. Their thesis is that Jesus and his disciples rightly believed him to be divine, and that the later formulations of this doctrine reflected that early and accurate tradition.

Dr. Charles Hill is John R. Richardson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. His most recent publications include Who Chose the Gospels? Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy (Oxford University Press, 2010) and The Early Text of the New Testament (Oxford University Press, 2012), edited with Dr. Kruger. He contributed to How God Became Jesus, which also features contributions by Michael Bird, Craig Evans, Simon Gathercole, and Chris Tilling.

Dr. Michael Kruger is President and Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He received his Ph.D. from New College, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the author of Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Crossway, 2012), The Early Text of the New Testament (Oxford, 2012; edited with Dr. Hill), and The Question of Canon (Intervarsity, 2013). Dr. Kruger has spoken on Christ the Center episodes 217 and 283 and 318.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Charles Hill, Jared Oliphint, Michael Kruger

Dr. Lane Tipton joins us to speak about the rest of chapter 5 (pgs. 51-55) of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology, “The Noachian Revelation and the Development Leading Up to It.” In this portion, Vos explains the significance of the Noahic covenant in its common application to the blessed line of Seth and even to the cursed line of Ham.

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Drs. Michael Haykin and Jeffrey Robinson Sr. join us to speak about John Calvin and Calvinism’s legacy in missions. Their book To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin’s Missional Vision and Legacy explores John Calvin’s theology concerning missions, the history of his involvement in foreign missions, and the influence of other Calvinistic missionaries of later times.

Dr. Haykin is Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He received his Th.D. in Church History from Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto and has written several books.

Dr. Robinson is adjunct Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, editor for The Gospel Coalition, and a senior fellow at the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He received his PhD at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has contributed to the forthcoming volume from Crossway, One God in Three Persons.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jeffrey Robinson Sr., Michael A.G. Haykin

Jared Oliphint reviews Molinism: The Contemporary Debate, edited by Ken Perszyk.

Book review mentioned: link

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint

Reformed Forum contributor Nick Batzig speaks about Jonathan Edwards: “Preaching Christ in the Song of Songs.” This talk was given at the 2014 Jonathan Edwards for the Church conference.

http://www.edwardsconference.org/media

Participants: Camden Bucey, Nick Batzig

Once again, we are joined by Dr. Marcus Johnson, author of One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation. This time Dr. Johnson spells out the implications of the doctrine of union with Christ for the application of salvation and for Christ’s body, the church. For the first part of our interview with Dr. Johnson, click here.

Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. He received his M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his Ph.D. from Trinity College, University of Toronto. Camden Bucey reviewed One with Christ on a recent episode of Reformed Media Review.

Link to Austin theology conference.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Jim Cassidy, Marcus Johnson

Dr. William Schweitzer speaks about Jonathan Edwards: “Faithful Ministers are Conduits of the Means of Grace.” This talk was given at the 2014 “Jonathan Edwards for the Church Conference.”

http://www.edwardsconference.org/media

Participants: Camden Bucey, Nick Batzig, William Schweitzer

Dr. Marcus Johnson speaks about One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation, his recent book, published by Crossway. While many books have been published recently on the topic of union with Christ, Dr. Johnson’s book stands out for its up-to-date analysis and unique approach. One with Christ charts a via media between federalist and realist approaches to the doctrine of union with Christ, a way which Johnson calls Christological realism. Listen to understand Dr. Johnson’s unique but scriptural treatment of the doctrine of union with Christ.

Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. He received his M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his Ph.D. from Trinity College, University of Toronto. Camden Bucey reviewed One with Christ on a recent episode of Reformed Media Review.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Jim Cassidy, Marcus Johnson

This week, Dr. Lane Tipton leads Christ the Center’s “Vos Group” through chapter 5 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology, “The Noachian Revelation and the Development Leading Up to It.” In the first part of the chapter, pages 45-51, Vos explores the significance of the Canaanites and the Sethites in the biblical story, prior to Noah. Next time, we will discuss the rest of chapter 5, pages 51-55.

Check out Banner of Truth’s new cloth-bound hardcover edition of Biblical Theology! (Select “cloth-bound.”)

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Dr. Douglas Sweeney speaks about Jonathan Edwards on the Divinity, Necessity, and Power of the Word of God in the World, from the 2014 “Jonathan Edwards for the Church Conference.”

http://www.edwardsconference.org/media

Participants: Camden Bucey, Douglas Sweeney, Nick Batzig

Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, and Bob Tarullo tackle listeners’ questions this week, concerning redemptive-historical hermeneutics and preaching as well as apologetic arguments. Please send in your own questions which we can address in a later episode!

Our last Listener Feedback episode was Christ the Center episode 317.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Robert Tarullo

This week, Proclaiming Christ explores the provision for life as seen in Adam and Eve’s response to God’s curse.

Genesis 3:20–24: The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (ESV)

Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta

Dr. Chad B. Van Dixhoorn visits Christ the Center to speak about his forthcoming book, Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession (Banner of Truth Trust, 2014). The book is a thorough help for understanding the Westminster Confession, useful for pastors and for Christians seeking to deepen their knowledge of Reformed doctrine. Today, Dr. Van Dixhoorn discusses questions concerning the Confession’s treatment of the doctrine of Scripture, of Salvation, of the Church, and more.

Dr. Van Dixhoorn is a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv, ThM) and the University of Cambridge (PhD). He has taught theology at the University of Nottingham, and has held three fellowships at the University of Cambridge, where he has researched the history and theology of the Westminster assembly and taught on the subject of Puritanism. A former British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, in 2013 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Van Dixhoorn has lectured at RTS DC since 2008 where he teaches church history and practical theology. Van Dixhoorn has served as associate minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church and Grace Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA, where he preaches weekly. He and his wife Emily have five children. He is also the editor of The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly, 1643-1653 and he was featured on Christ the Center episode 134.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Chad Van Dixhoorn, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy

The seventh episode of Vos Group, we arrive at chapter 4 of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, with Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey. Having completed discussion of pre-redemptive special revelation, Vos moves to consideration of the first redemptive special revelation, which includes three curses, mention of the seed of both the woman and of the serpent, and prophecy of human suffering.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Nancy Guthrie joins us to talk about seeing the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament prophets. The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets is the fifth in her Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series, and in it she explores everything from the suffering servant of Isaiah and the love of the prophet Hosea for his unfaithful wife, to Daniel’s stone that crushes every human kingdom and Ezekiel’s vision of the heavenly temple.

Nancy Guthrie’s website is http://www.nancyguthrie.com/. Nancy has spoken on Christ the Center about the first three books in this series, The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis, The Wisdom of God: Seeing Jesus in the Psalms and Wisdom Books, and The Son of David: Seeing Jesus in the Historical Books.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Nancy Guthrie

Mark Bube and Kurt Vetterli speak today about ecumenism and inter-church relations. Mark Bube, general secretary of foreign missions in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, plays an important part in the OPC’s ecumenism because the OPC collaborates with other NAPARC denominations in foreign missions, supporting the missionaries of other denominations and receiving support for their own missionaries. Kurt Vetterli is a pastor in Basel, Switzerland, in a reformed church connected to the OPC.

Links:

• NAPARC
• International Council of Reformed Churches
• OPC Foreign Missions
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Westminster Bekenntnisses (Evangelical-Reformed Church, Westminster Confession)

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Kurt Vetterli, Mark Bube

Dr. Alan Strange comes to the program to discuss the animus imponentis. Animus imponentis is a legal term that refers to the meaning of the words of an oath or confession that is intended by the body imposing the oath or confession. The concept clarifies what it means for officers of a modern church to subscribe to a confession composed by men who lived several centuries ago. On today’s episode, Dr. Strange explains the animus imponentis in greater detail and applies it to the issue of the days of creation, the topic of an OPC committee of which Dr. Strange was a part.

Dr. Strange is Professor of Church History, Registrar, and Theological Librarian at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. He recently completed a Ph.D. from the University of Wales.

Conference talks on the animus imponentis: http://www.pncnopc.org/audio/audio-presbytery/2009-animus-imponentis-conference/

“What is the ‘System of Doctrine?'” – Charles Hodge: http://www.pcahistory.org/documents/subscription/hodge.html

OPC report on the creation days: http://opc.org/GA/CreationReport.pdf

Participants: Adam York, Alan Strange, Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

Dr. Lane Tipton returns to Christ the Center for the sixth episode of Vos Group, concerning the second half of chapter three of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 33-40). Vos established in the previous chapter the presence of special revelation in the garden of Eden, in the probationary covenant of works. In this chapter, he highlights four principles made known in the covenant, the first two of which are “the principle of life” and “the principle of probation,” discussed last episode. This episode, Drs. Tipton and Bucey discuss “the principle of temptation and sin symbolized in the serpent,” and “the principle of death symbolized by the dissolution of the body.”

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Today we welcome to the program hip-hop recording artist Shai Linne to speak about his brand new album Lyrical Theology: Doxology, part two of a three-part hip-hop album series. Shai’s album is based on the conviction that all thinking about God should lead to worship of him. Our discussion covers cultural engagement and contextualization, with Shai’s music as a prime example, as well as the theology that underlies this album and Shai’s other albums.

Shai Linne is a hip-hop artist with Lamp Mode Recordings and a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. His album Lyrical Theology: Doxology can be found on iTunes and Amazon, and on Youtube, a music video of his track “Be Glorified (Psalm 55).”

Timothy Brindle is a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and his record label is Lamp Mode Recordings. We interviewed Timothy about his music in episode 300.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Shai Linne, Timothy Brindle

Dr. William Edgar discusses the question, How Did Evil Come Into the World?, which is also the title of his recent addition to the Christian Answers to Hard Questions series. Today’s conversation covers the same territory as the booklet, how a good God can be the creator and sovereign of a world now filled with evil, and how scientific developments related to Darwinism and evolution challenge or harmonize with the Biblical account of suffering and sin. Dr. Edgar guides listeners and readers to a view of God and evil that recognizes both the terrible reality of evil and the supreme reality of God’s good plan.

Dr. Edgar is Professor of Apologetics and John Boyer Chair of Evangelism and Culture at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelpia, PA. Dr. Edgar serves as part of the Christian Renaissance Foundation, the European Leadership Forum, and the Huguenot Fellowship, among other responsibilities.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, William Edgar

Dr. David Garner comes to the program to speak about the topic of his new booklet, “How Can I Know For Sure?” from the Christian Answers to Hard Questions Series, published by P&R Publishing. Church members and especially college students are breathing in the air of popular postmodernism, and the question of certainty requires an answer. Dr. Garner argues that to find answers we must look to the Bible as God’s authoritative word for mankind.

Dr. Garner is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA.

Participants: A. Craig Troxel, Camden Bucey, David Garner, Jared Oliphint

Dr. Vern S. Poythress, Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, speaks about his new book, Chance and the Sovereignty of God: A God-Centered Approach to Probability and Random Events (Crossway). The fifth in a series of “God-Centered Approaches,” Chance and the Sovereignty of God explores the mathematics of probability as well as the relationship of God’s sovereignty to chance events. Today, Dr. Poythress explains how Christians can approach chance in practical events as well as in academic study, whether scientific or mathematical.

Dr. Poythress is the author of a number of books, including Redeeming Science, In the Beginning Was the Word, Redeeming Sociology, and Logic. He has also spoken on Christ the Center episodes 52, 98, 188, and 235, and on Philosophy for Theologians episode 20.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Jeff Waddington, Vern Poythress

For the fifth episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey examine the first portion of chapter three of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 27-33). Vos has established the presence of special revelation in the garden of Eden, God’s words to Adam and Eve concerning the probationary covenant of works. In this chapter, he highlights four principles made known in this special revelation, the first two of which are “the principle of life in its highest potency sacramentally symbolized by the tree of life,” and “the principle of probation symbolized in the same manner by the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, and Jim Cassidy discuss John Murray’s article, “Who Raised Up Jesus?” from The Westminster Theological Journal 3.2 (May 1941): 113–123. An answer to Murray’s question requires a search of the biblical text, an analysis of Greek grammar, a discussion of the doctrine of the Trinity—in short, the use of all the resources that Christian students of the Bible have at their disposal. Listen to this informative discussion.

Links

• John Murray’s Collected Writings
• OPC Church Plant in Austin, TX.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy

Camden Bucey reviews One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation by Marcus Peter Johnson.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

This fourth episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey tackle chapter 2 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology (pp. 19-26). Topics of discussion include the relationship of general/natural and special/supernatural revelation, sin and revelation, and divine covenants.

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Matt Perman is the author of What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way We Work, a book about productivity and the stewardship of time and work. Matt highlights all the good that can be gained from the literature on business and productivity, showing how the best principles observed by secular thinkers conform to the pattern of biblical teaching. Of course, the gospel the world did not know by its wisdom, so Matt’s gospel-informed advice goes beyond other literature in a particularly Christian way.

Matthew Perman formerly served as the senior director of strategy at Desiring God Ministries in Minneapolis, MN, and is a frequent speaker on the topics of leadership and productivity from a God-centered perspective. He has an MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute. Matt regularly blogs and contributes to a number of other online publications as well. He lives in Minneapolis.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Matt Perman

K. Scott Oliphint, Jared Oliphint, and Camden Bucey review the Logos Reformed Base Package.

• List of resources in Platinum package.
• Previous post on the package from Jared Oliphint.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, K. Scott Oliphint

Jim Cassidy reviews The Bonhoeffer Reader (Fortress Press) edited by Clifford Green and Michael DeJonge.

From the Publisher:

For the first time, a representative collection of all Bonhoeffer’s theological works is available in a single volume, edited by Bonhoeffer scholars Clifford J. Green and Michael P. DeJonge. The Bonhoeffer Reader follows on the heels of the newly completed 16-volume Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works English Edition (DBWE), a major 25-year translation project supported by the International Bonhoeffer Society and published by Fortress Press. From this massive collection of books, lectures, articles, letters and sermons, about 800 pages of all Bonhoeffer’s key theological writing have been chosen to reveal his central theological ideas and their development. The Reader is formatted so that students can easily go back to the original DBWE volumes and all the additional resources included in them, making it easier than ever to pursue a more comprehensive study of Bonhoeffer’s brilliant theological career.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

Justin Taylor joins us to speak about The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived, which he has coauthored with Dr. Andreas Köstenberger. Mr. Taylor speaks about the book not only as an author but also as a publisher and editor at Crossway Books. The conversation highlights the format of the book, the gap the book fills in the literature on Easter, and some of the authors’ conclusions about the biblical accounts of Jesus’ last week.

Justin Taylor is vice president of book publishing and an associate publisher at Crossway, and a PhD candidate at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has edited and contributed to several books including A God-Entranced Vision of All Things and Reclaiming the Center, and he blogs at Between Two Worlds—hosted by the Gospel Coalition.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Justin Taylor

Dr. James N. Anderson speaks about his recent book What’s Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions, published by Crossway. The book takes the reader through important theological and philosophical questions in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style, leading to a label and description of the reader’s own worldview. Dr. Anderson explains the setup of the book and a number of ways it might be used, and also discusses the idea of a worldview and what important elements constitute one.

Dr. Anderson is associate professor of theology and philosophy at the Charlotte campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh, writing about paradox in Christian theology. That study became his book, Paradox in Christian Theology: An Analysis of Its Presence, Nature, and Epistemic Status, which was the subject of a previous episode of Christ the Center.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne, James Anderson, Jared Oliphint

Today’s panel recently attended the 2014 Desiring God Pastors’ Conference titled, “The Pastor, the Vine, and the Branches: The Remarkable Reality of Union with Christ,” as representatives for Reformed Forum and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA. The group speaks about the opportunity to spread the ministry of Reformed Forum beyond the bounds of Presbyterianism and the relationship of confessional Reformed theology to the broader, more loosely Reformed community. This episode also features an interview with David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell of Desiring God Ministries about their recent book, How to Stay Christian in Seminary.

David Mathis is executive editor at desiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN. He has edited several books and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.

Jonathan Parnell is a writer and content strategist for Desiring God Minstries and co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary. The book was inspired by a series of blog posts at desiringGod.org.

B.B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students

Participants: Camden Bucey, David Mathis, Jared Oliphint, Jonathan Brack, Jonathan Parnell

For the third episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton joins Camden Bucey to discuss the final portion of the first chapter of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology (pp. 11-18, “Guiding Principles” through the end of ch. 1). Vos’s view of biblical authority governs his method of studying Scripture and particularly the use he makes of knowledge of the biblical authors’ historical contexts. Today’s discussion also covers the relationship between biblical and systematic theology.

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/resources/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Dr. Richard B. Gaffin Jr. joins us to speak about his book By Faith, Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation, now in its second edition and published by P&R Publishing. This study in Paul’s theology begins with the recognition that what is of first importance for Paul is the history of salvation, Christ crucified and raised. But the history of redemption does not exclude the application of redemption to believers. Rather, the application of redemption is grounded in its once-for-all accomplishment. Listen in to hear an exciting discussion about an illuminating book.

Dr. Gaffin is Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is also 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. Christ the Center has featured Dr. Gaffin on several episodes.

Dr. Gaffin’s book was given to the attendees at the 2014 Desiring God Conference for Pastors. The topic of the conference was union with Christ. To introduce the attendees of that conference to Reformed Forum, we compiled many of episodes and links to resources on the doctrine. Please visit our union with Christ page.

Lectures by Dr. Gaffin on union with Christ at Calvary OPC, Ringoes, NJ. Lectures at Matthews OPC. iTunes U: By Faith, Not by Sight. Also available is a PDF version of “The Puritans on Justification, Union with Christ, and Regeneration” in A Puritan Theology, edited by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Jeff Waddington, Richard B. Gaffin Jr.

In “The Peace Which Christ Gives His True Followers,” Edwards calls us to listen in on the most affectionate and affecting discourse Christ gave (Jn 14:27), in which he promised to give his disciples, not just peace, in the sense of a generic feeling of well-being, but his very own peace. This peace he secured for us by his own fulfilling of the covenant. It is a peace that is given to us as a gift to be enjoyed with the Giver – Christ, himself! In this sermon, we are invited to leave aside the idols that cannot satisfy, and seek our “better portion” in Jesus.

Participants: David Filson, Jeff Waddington, Nick Batzig

Dr. Michael J. Kruger speaks with Christ the Center about his recent book, The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate. The book deals not with why we have the books we do in the canon but with the question of the very definition of “canon” and the origin of the idea. Contemporary biblical scholars insist that the idea of canon was a late development in the construction of the New Testament, which imbued with authority texts whose authors did not think of them as authoritative. Dr. Kruger insists that the concept of a set of authoritative books for the New Covenant era of redemptive-history existed from a very early date in the ancient church.

Dr. Michael Kruger is President and Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He received his B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary in California, and his Ph.D. from New College, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the author of three books on the issue of canon, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Crossway, 2012), The Early Text of the New Testament (Oxford, 2012; edited with Charles Hill), and now, The Question of Canon.  In addition to his faculty duties, he currently serves part-time as the Pastor of Discipleship Training at Uptown Christ Covenant Church in downtown Charlotte. Dr. Kruger has spoken on Christ the Center episodes 217 and 283, and his wife, Melissa Kruger, has spoken on episodes 276, 297, and 301.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Michael Kruger, Nick Batzig

David Owen Filson speaks about Dr. J. Oliver Buswell, theologian and former president of Wheaton College and Covenant College and Seminary. A fundamentalist involved with J. Gresham Machen in the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Buswell joined the Bible Presbyterian Church when it split with the fledgling OPC over premilennialism and teetotalism. He continued to be an interlocutor with members of the OPC and faculty at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, eventually locking heads with Cornelius Van Til over apologetic and theological method. David has recently researched the correspondence between the two men in the archives of Covenant and Westminster (PA) seminaries.

Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Jeff Waddington

Caroline Weerstra speaks with Christ the Center about the Peniel Bible Conference, based on her article “The Early History of Peniel Bible Conference, Part 1: Zeal Without Knowledge (1933-1938).” The camp was associated with Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Schenectady, New York, Mrs. Weerstra’s home church. Though associated with a reformed church, the camp was very similar to the Wesleyan and holiness movements in theology and practice. Listen to understand how this camp became associated with the OPC and how Calvary Church finally remained in the OPC.

Mrs. Weerstra is a mother of three, a blogger, and the author of several catechism workbooks for children. Her article “The Early History of Peniel Bible Conference, Part 1: Zeal Without Knowledge (1933-1938)” appeared in Vol. 75 No. 2 of the Westminster Theological Journal.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Caroline Weerstra, Jeff Waddington, John Muether

We welcome Dr. John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Dr. Frame has written a new book, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief (P&R Publishing). Listen as we speak about the importance of theology, the nature of theological methodology, and the foundational doctrines of the faith.

Dr. Frame has written extensively over the years, and you may access many of his resources online at frame-poythress.org.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy, John Frame

On today’s episode, we unpack Genesis 3:13-15, a pronouncement of judgment upon the serpent, but also of grace and good news for Adam and Eve. We examine other passages in Scripture for the pattern that is set by the antithesis between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. We also explore the relationship between verse 15 and the gospel of Christ, “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta