Reformed Forum

What Is Critical Theory?

Christ the Center — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Bradley G. Green joins Camden Bucey to discuss What Is Critical Theory?: A Concise Christian Analysis. They trace the Frankfurt School’s Marxist roots and explain why thinkers such as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, and Herbert Marcuse turned from a narrowly economic account of oppression toward culture, institutions, authority, family, and religion.

Bradley G. Green is professor of philosophy and Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a PhD from Baylor University, co-founded Augustine School in Jackson, Tennessee, and is a co-founder of Christ Overall.

The conversation evaluates critical theory as a counterfeit religious vision with its own accounts of creation, sin, redemption, and eschatology. Drawing on Cornelius Van Til, Green shows how unbelieving thought oscillates between rationalism and irrationalism; drawing on Henry Van Til, he explains why culture is “religion externalized.” The result is a rigorous, accessible framework for Christians seeking to understand critical theory without caricature and to answer it from the truth of God’s revelation.

Resources

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
04:30 Introducing What Is Critical Theory?
08:14 Marxism after the failed German revolution
10:43 The major Frankfurt School thinkers
12:35 Culture, oppression, and the long march through the institutions
15:54 Critical theory as a counterfeit religion
19:06 What the critical theorists see—and miss
21:56 Creation, givenness, and the autonomous individual
24:05 Sin relocated from the heart to the system
25:18 Marcuse’s vision of sexual liberation
29:42 Utopian hope and Adorno’s “Grand Hotel Abyss”
33:11 Walter Benjamin and a “messianic rupture”
36:45 Repressive tolerance and the authoritarian personality
42:35 Van Til on rationalism and irrationalism
46:31 Culture as religion externalized
49:22 Pastoral and educational applications
53:55 Using the book for personal and group study
56:20 Conclusion

Participants: Bradley G. Green, Camden Bucey

Human Dignity in the Age of AI

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence does more than raise technical questions; it presses the deeper question of what it means to be human. Camden Bucey speaks with Jason Thacker, author of The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity, about human dignity, the image of God, and the crucial distinction between a human person and a machine.

They consider how Christians can receive technology as a tool under God’s providence without confusing imitation with intelligence, convenience with communion, or productivity with personal worth. The conversation also explores how technology forms its users, why embodied life and genuine relationships matter, and how transhumanism redirects the human longing for life beyond death toward technological self-salvation.

Against both utopian promises and dystopian fear, Thacker points to the sufficiency of Scripture and the hope of the risen Christ. Christians can engage emerging technologies wisely because human identity is given by the Creator, human dignity cannot be earned or erased, and Christ remains Lord over every age.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:19 Jason Thacker background
03:24 From public policy to AI ethics
06:05 Teaching ethics, philosophy, and technology
09:53 AI’s anthropological challenge
12:58 What has changed since The Age of AI?
14:55 Humanizing machines and dehumanizing people
19:55 The image of God and human dignity
25:39 AI companionship and simulated relationships
28:11 How technology forms and disciples us
34:00 Embodiment, materialism, and personal identity
42:20 Transhumanism and the longing for immortality
48:35 Engaging Pope Leo XIV’s AI encyclical
53:22 Technology as ecological change
54:43 Scripture, Christian hope, and the future

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jason Thacker

A Christian View of Economics in the Age of AI

Christ the Center — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Camden Bucey speaks with economist Shawn Ritenour about what makes an account of economics distinctly Christian. They discuss economic law as part of God’s created order and the biblical principles shaping stewardship, private property, labor, capital, exchange, and care for those in need. Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas provides the occasion for a searching conversation about the universal destination of goods, Big Tech, data, subsidiarity, sphere sovereignty, GDP, and human dignity.

The conversation presses beneath policy to theology. Neither markets nor governments escape the effects of sin, and material prosperity must never be confused with sanctification. Christians seek just and prudent arrangements in this age while recognizing that scarcity, exploitation, and disordered desire will not finally be overcome by human construction. The church’s hope rests in the crucified and risen Christ and the consummation of his kingdom.

Topics Discussed

Economic law, creation, and Christian stewardship
Private property, labor, capital, exchange, and human dignity
Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and Catholic social teaching
GDP, inequality, and the common good
Data, privacy, Big Tech, and non-rivalrous goods
Subsidiarity and Kuyperian sphere sovereignty
Universal basic income and the economic disruption of AI
Sin, scarcity, eschatology, and Christian hope

Shawn Ritenour is Professor of Economics at Grove City College and a Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute. He is the author of Foundations of Economics: A Christian View.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Shawn Ritenour

Beyond Babel: Building Faithfully in the Age of AI

Christ the Center — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Camden Bucey speaks with Derek C. Schuurman, professor and chair of computer science at Calvin University, about Christian wisdom in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing upon his book Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology, Schuurman explains why technology is never neutral: people shape their tools, and those tools in turn reshape habits, institutions, and communities.

The conversation sets contemporary AI within the biblical story of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Bucey and Schuurman contrast Christian hope with technicism—the belief that technology can solve humanity’s deepest problems and build a technological heaven on earth. They also discuss human nature, transhumanism, responsible design, Christian higher education, autonomous weapons, and the need to keep human moral judgment and accountability in the loop. Christians need neither withdraw from technology nor place their hope in it. They are called to serve as faithful, wise architects whose work seeks the good of their neighbors while awaiting the new Jerusalem that comes from God.

Resources

Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology by Derek C. Schuurman
A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers by Ethan J. Brue, Derek C. Schuurman, and Steven H. VanderLeest
Wisdom in the Age of AI Conference, Calvin University, October 8–10, 2026
Magnifica Humanitas

Participants: Camden Bucey, Derek C. Schuurman

Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution

Christ the Center — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

We welcome Darryl G. Hart back to Christ the Center to discuss Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution (University of Notre Dame Press). Hart traces the transatlantic story of Presbyterianism from the Reformation through the age of revolutions, asking why presbyterian polity so often became a political irritant in Britain, Ireland, North America, and beyond.

The conversation ranges from Calvin’s Geneva and the French Reformed connection to the Scottish Covenanters, the English civil wars, John Witherspoon, the American founding, the 1788 revision of the Westminster Confession, and contemporary debates over Christian nationalism. Along the way, Hart helps us see how questions of church government, civil authority, establishment, liberty, and public memory are bound up with the church’s confession that Christ alone is head of his church.

Watch on YouTube

Chapters

0:00 Introduction and the road to episode 1,000
2:00 Protestants and Patriots and the Presbyterian question
3:10 The project’s origins and teaching the big picture
5:12 Calvin’s ecclesiastical ordinances and Presbyterian polity
7:26 Was the American Revolution a Presbyterian revolution?
10:12 Lumpers, splitters, and Presbyterian identity
11:09 Reformed and Presbyterian: why the names matter
15:01 Presbyterians, nationalism, and the godly society
16:12 Covenanters, national covenanting, and regicide
19:31 Geneva, exiles, and the French connection
22:26 The true Presbyterian revolutionary moment: the 1630s and 1640s
24:21 Why Scotland became a Presbyterian laboratory
28:29 Why England and Scotland became Reformed rather than Lutheran
30:52 What did Presbyterians want? Church independence and state support
34:43 The Glorious Revolution, moderation, and establishment compromises
39:15 Regium donum, Canada, Ireland, and voluntary giving
42:34 John Witherspoon and Presbyterian moderation in the American founding
48:16 Revising Westminster Confession chapter 23
55:30 American Heretics, Two Sons of Oil, and anti-liberal Presbyterianism
60:30 Further conversations and Protestants and Patriots
65:05 Independence Hall, historic preservation, and public memory
70:07 Conclusion

Resources mentioned

Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution by D. G. Hart
University of Notre Dame Press interview with D. G. Hart
American Heretics by Jerome Copulsky
Two Sons of Oil by Samuel B. Wylie
Independence National Historical Park

Participants: Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart

Christ and Culture Roundup

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Jeff Waddington and Camden Bucey roundup the entire Christ and culture series with a single episode overview of the issues.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington

Christ and Culture, Round 3: Darryl Hart

Christ the Center — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:00:51 +0000

Darryl G. Hart brings his final remarks to the Christ and culture discussion table. Dr. Hart has authored A Secular Faith: Why Christianity Favors the Separation of Church and State, Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestant, and Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Four Views on… books published by InterVarsity Press. We recorded each participant independently over the course of three rounds – swapping recordings to the other participants between each round. These are Dr. Hart’s closing remarks.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart

Christ and Culture, Round 3: Bill Dennison

Christ the Center — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:00:38 +0000

Bill Dennison brings his final remarks to the Christ and culture discussion table. Dr. Dennison has authored Paul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics and The Young Bultmann: Context for His Understanding of God, 1884-1925. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Four Views on… books published by InterVarsity Press. We recorded each participant independently over the course of three rounds – swapping recordings to the other participants between each round. These are Dr. Dennison’s closing remarks.

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey

Christ and Culture, Round 3: Nelson Kloosterman

Christ the Center — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:00:40 +0000

Nelson Kloosterman brings his final remarks to the Christ and culture discussion table. Dr. Kloosterman teaches at Mid-America Seminary, and has translated The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life by Joachim Douma, a wonderful exposition of the Decalogue. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Four Views on… books published by InterVarsity Press. We recorded each participant independently over the course of three rounds – swapping recordings to the other participants between each round. These are Dr. Kloosterman’s closing remarks.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Nelson Kloosterman

Christ and Culture, Round 3: Doug Wilson

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:00:07 +0000

This marks the beginning of the third and final round of our Christ and Culture series. We have sought to bring together several different perspectives on the subject and today we share the final remarks from Doug Wilson. Mr. Wilson is pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and faculty member at New Saint Andrews College.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Doug Wilson

Kloosterman’s and Hart’s Responses

Christ the Center — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:00:10 +0000

Today we continue our second round responses in our Christ and Culture series. Nelson Kloosterman and Darryl Hart respond to the comments made by the other participants during the first round.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart, Nelson Kloosterman

Wilson’s Response

Christ the Center — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:32:58 +0000

Today we continue our second round responses in our Christ and Culture series. Doug Wilson responds to the comments made by Darryl Hart, Nelson Kloosterman and Bill Dennison in the first round.

Participants: Camden Bucey

Dennison’s Response

Christ the Center — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:00:44 +0000

This is the first installment of responses in our Christ and Culture series. William Dennison responds to the comments made by Darryl Hart, Nelson Kloosterman and Doug Wilson in the first round. Books by Bill Dennison

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey

Common Grace, Natural Law and Eschatology

Christ the Center — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:00:33 +0000

This is part four of our series entitled Christ and Culture and marks the end of our first round. Bill Dennison, Darryl Hart, Doug Wilson and Nelson Kloosterman each speak about their views of common grace, natural law, and eschatology. This series of programs strays from the typical Christ the Center format. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Counterpoints series published by InterVarsity Press. In future episodes each participant will have the opportunity to criticize the other views. post photo by vermin inc

Books and other media from the participants

Bill Dennison

Darryl Hart

Nelson Kloosterman

The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life by Joachim Douma (Kloosterman trans.)

Doug Wilson

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart, Doug Wilson, Nelson Kloosterman

Vocation, Education and Fine Arts

Christ the Center — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:00:03 +0000

This is part three of our series entitled Christ and Culture. Bill Dennison, Darryl Hart, Doug Wilson and Nelson Kloosterman each speak from their unique perspectives. Today the participants address the issues of vocation, education and engagement in the fine arts. This series of programs strays from the typical Christ the Center format. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Counterpoints series published by InterVarsity Press. In future episodes each participant will have the opportunity to criticize the other views. post photo by Craig Stevens

Books and other media from the participants

Bill Dennison

Darryl Hart

Nelson Kloosterman

The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life by Joachim Douma (Kloosterman trans.)

Doug Wilson

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart, Doug Wilson, Nelson Kloosterman

Christ and Culture: Politics

Christ the Center — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:00:07 +0000

This is part two of our series entitled Christ and Culture. Four men participate in an engaging discussion on the relationship of Christ to culture. Bill Dennison, Darryl Hart, Doug Wilson and Nelson Kloosterman each speak from their unique perspectives. This series of programs strays from the typical Christ the Center format. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Four Views on… books published by InterVarsity Press. The listener should be aware that this is a debate and should not be seen as an endorsement for any particular speaker. Please be advised that in future episodes each participant will criticize the other views. Today the participants address the subject of politics.

Books and other media from the participants

Bill Dennison

Darryl Hart

Nelson Kloosterman

The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life by Joachim Douma (Kloosterman trans.)

Doug Wilson

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart, Doug Wilson, Nelson Kloosterman

Christ and Culture: Introductory Remarks

Christ the Center — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:00:52 +0000

This is part one of a new series entitled Christ and Culture. Four men participate in an engaging discussion on the relationship of Christ to culture. Bill Dennison, Darryl Hart, Doug Wilson and Nelson Kloosterman each speak from their unique perspectives. This project is an asynchronous debate in the vein of the Four Views on… books published by InterVarsity Press. We recorded each participant independently over the course of three rounds – swapping recordings to the other participants between each round. This series of programs strays from the typical Christ the Center format. The listener should be aware that this is a debate and should not be seen as an endorsement for any particular speaker. Please be advised that future episodes each participant will criticize the other views. In the first round, we asked a series of questions under the following headings.

General/Introductory
Politics
Vocation
Education
Fine Arts, Etc.
Theological Undercurrents
- Common Grace
- Natural Law
- Eschatology
Conclusion

This introductory episode includes each participant’s opening and closing comments. The entire series is conveniently grouped under one page.

Books and other media from the participants

Bill Dennison

Darryl Hart

Nelson Kloosterman

The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life by Joachim Douma (Kloosterman trans.)

Doug Wilson

Participants: Bill Dennison, Camden Bucey, Darryl G. Hart, Doug Wilson, Nelson Kloosterman