Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org Reformed Theological Resources Tue, 27 Aug 2024 17:18:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2020/04/cropped-reformed-forum-logo-300dpi-side_by_side-1-32x32.png Medieval Church – Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org 32 32 Reclaiming the “Dark Ages” https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc871/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000 https://reformedforum.org/?post_type=podcast&p=45282 In Reclaiming the ‘Dark Ages’: How the Gospel Light Shone from 500–1500 (Christian Focus), authors Iain Wright and Yannick Imbert challenge the popular Protestant perception of the Middle Ages as […]]]>

In Reclaiming the ‘Dark Ages’: How the Gospel Light Shone from 500–1500 (Christian Focus), authors Iain Wright and Yannick Imbert challenge the popular Protestant perception of the Middle Ages as a period of spiritual darkness and theological decay. They argue that this millennium was not devoid of Christian influence and that it produced many significant and influential Christian thinkers.

Wright and Imbert join us to present a more nuanced view of the medieval period, highlighting the spiritual and theological contributions of figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Anselm of Canterbury, and John Wycliffe, among others. They emphasize the continuity of orthodox Christian theology and the guiding hand of providence throughout this era, urging modern Christians to appreciate the historical richness and spiritual insights of the Middle Ages.

Iain Wright is pastor of Covenant OPC, Orland Park, Illinois. Yannick Imbert holds the William Edgar Chair of Apologetics at Faculté Jean Calvin, Aix–en–Provence, southern France. He also serves on the theological committee of the National Council of French Evangelicals.

Watch on YouTube and Vimeo.

Chapters

  • 00:07 Introduction
  • 06:01 Thinking about the Middle Ages
  • 15:24 Reconsidering the Middle Ages
  • 21:57 Selecting the Theologians to Include in the Book
  • 27:24 Anselm of Canterbury
  • 36:19 Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus
  • 42:10 Lessons for the Church Today
  • 46:42 Conclusion

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In Reclaiming the Dark Ages How the Gospel Light Shone from 500 1500 Christian Focus authors Iain Wright and Yannick Imbert challenge the popular Protestant perception of the Middle Ages ...MedievalChurchReformed Forumnono
Van Til, Aquinas, and the Natural Knowledge of God https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc745/ Fri, 08 Apr 2022 04:00:00 +0000 https://reformedforum.org/?post_type=podcast&p=35576 Lane Tipton speaks about his new course on Van Til’s doctrine of revelation, which is the third course in our Fellowship in Reformed Apologetics. In this course, Dr. Tipton covers: […]]]>

Lane Tipton speaks about his new course on Van Til’s doctrine of revelation, which is the third course in our Fellowship in Reformed Apologetics. In this course, Dr. Tipton covers:

  1. The implications of the self-contained and immutable Trinity for a doctrine of revelation in the work of creation and in the special act of providence in covenantal condescension
  2. The distinctive character of natural revelation and the natural knowledge of God in Reformed theology, set in comparison and contrast to the views of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth
  3. The relation between natural and supernatural, or general and special revelation, giving special attention to Van Til’s key essay, “Nature and Scripture”
  4. The Vosian doctrine of eschatology as it bears upon the distinction and the relation of God’s revelation in nature and God’s revelation in covenant (and in Scripture).

The course gives sustained attention to a close reading of central primary sources in Van Til’s corpus that bear on his doctrine of the revelation of the self-contained Trinity in nature and in covenant.

Before sharing one of the lectures from the course, Lane and Camden compare and contrast Cornelius Van Til’s theology with that of Thomas Aquinas on the natural knowledge of God as well as man’s religious fellowship with God.

Chapters

  • 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:01:23 The Fellowship in Reformed Apologetics
  • 00:17:51 Van Til and Thomas Aquinas on the Natural Knowledge of God
  • 00:23:33 Differences between Roman Catholic and Reformed Natural Theology
  • 00:31:15 Thomas Aquinas on the Natural Knowledge of God
  • 00:38:10 Aquinas on Ontological Re-Proportioning to Participate in the Essence of God
  • 00:44:35 Preview Lecture on Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Knowledge of God
  • 01:11:24 Conclusion

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Lane Tipton speaks about his new course on Van Til s doctrine of revelation which is the third course in our Fellowship in Reformed Apologetics In this course Dr Tipton ...Anthropology,CorneliusVanTil,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
Participation in the Divine Life: Aquinas and Vos on the Lord’s Supper https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/rf18_05_clary/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/rf18_05_clary/#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2018 04:00:14 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=11417 Glen Clary delivers a plenary address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Download the handouts. Participants: Glen Clary]]>

Glen Clary delivers a plenary address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Download the handouts.

Participants:

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The Trinitarian Christology of Thomas Aquinas https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc564/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc564/#comments Fri, 19 Oct 2018 04:00:46 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=11384 Dominic Legge, O. P. speaks about the deep connection between Thomas’s Christology and his trinitarian theology. Dr. Legge is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic Institute […]]]>

Dominic Legge, O. P. speaks about the deep connection between Thomas’s Christology and his trinitarian theology. Dr. Legge is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic Institute Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2017).

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc564/feed/ 3 Dominic Legge O P speaks about the deep connection between Thomas s Christology and his trinitarian theology Dr Legge is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic ...Christology,ThomasAquinas,TrinityReformed Forumnono
Thomas’s and Dionysius’s Use of the Great Chain of Being https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/rf18_03_waddington/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/rf18_03_waddington/#comments Wed, 17 Oct 2018 04:00:36 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=11411 Jeff Waddington spoke at the fifth annual Reformed Forum Conference, which was held October 5–7, 2018 at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois. The theme of the conference was “Seeing God: […]]]>

Jeff Waddington spoke at the fifth annual Reformed Forum Conference, which was held October 5–7, 2018 at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois. The theme of the conference was “Seeing God: The Deeper Protestant Conception.” The speakers addressed important theological challenges and controversies facing the contemporary Reformed church by exploring the theologies of Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and Geerhardus Vos on the beatific vision and glorification of man.

Participants:

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The Beatific Vision and the Eucharist in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc560/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc560/#comments Fri, 21 Sep 2018 04:00:21 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=11217 Dr. Lawrence Feingold brings us a Catholic’s perspective on Thomas Aquinas and the important connection between his doctrines of the Eucharist and the Beatific Vision. Dr. Feingold is Associate Professor of […]]]>

Dr. Lawrence Feingold brings us a Catholic’s perspective on Thomas Aquinas and the important connection between his doctrines of the Eucharist and the Beatific Vision. Dr. Feingold is Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. He is the author of The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion and The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas and His Interpreters. Dr. Feingold expresses the deep congruence between Thomas’s metaphysic and doctrines of the Beatific Vision and Eucharist. Rather than treating different loci of his theology and philosophy as disparate elements, it is much better and more appropriate to embrace Thomas as a monumental thinker developing an organic whole. While we have deep differences with the Roman Catholic tradition, we found this conversation to be utterly stimulating and instructive. Our understanding of Thomas and Catholicism was sharpened, and we trust listeners and viewers will benefit from careful consideration of Dr. Feingold’s teaching.

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc560/feed/ 3 1:24:26Dr Lawrence Feingold brings us a Catholic s perspective on Thomas Aquinas and the important connection between his doctrines of the Eucharist and the Beatific Vision Dr Feingold is Associate ...Lord'sSupper,SystematicTheology,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
Previewing Karl Barth and Thomas Aquinas on Analogy https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc559/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc559/#comments Fri, 14 Sep 2018 04:00:06 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=11119 Jim Cassidy previews his address at the 2018 Reformed Forum conference by speaking about Barth on the analogy of being and the analogy of faith and how his views relate […]]]>

Jim Cassidy previews his address at the 2018 Reformed Forum conference by speaking about Barth on the analogy of being and the analogy of faith and how his views relate to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Jim and Camden also speak about Barth’s views of natural theology and how they relate to the views of Cornelius Van Til. This is in response to recent remarks from Dr. Michael Allen on the Credo Magazine podcast (around minute 37). If you’d like to jump directly to that portion of our discussion, you can watch it on YouTube.

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc559/feed/ 2 Jim Cassidy previews his address at the 2018 Reformed Forum conference by speaking about Barth on the analogy of being and the analogy of faith and how his views relate ...CorneliusVanTil,KarlBarth,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
2018 Theology Conference Reading List https://reformedforum.org/2018-theology-conference-reading-list/ https://reformedforum.org/2018-theology-conference-reading-list/#comments Sat, 01 Sep 2018 13:25:09 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=10697 We have compiled a list of suggested reading to help those coming to the 2018 Theology Conference. We realize people like have neither the time nor financial budget to work […]]]>

We have compiled a list of suggested reading to help those coming to the 2018 Theology Conference. We realize people like have neither the time nor financial budget to work through each of these titles in advance of the conference. Nonetheless, even a first-level reading of a few of these resources will help attendees make the most out of the conference. One of the things we love most about our events is the personal interaction. Working through the issues together is what makes the Reformed Forum community so special. Study and contemplate the deep mysteries of the God-man relationship and the future consummation. In October, let’s take the discussion to the next level.

Primary Sources

General Reading on the Beatific Vision

Thomas Aquinas

Karl Barth

Catholicism and Protestantism

* Check back for updates.

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Still Protesting https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc555/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc555/#respond Fri, 17 Aug 2018 04:00:40 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=10570 Darryl G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College, joins us to speak about his book, Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters (Reformation Heritage Books). This book addresses the divide between […]]]>

Darryl G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College, joins us to speak about his book, Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters (Reformation Heritage Books). This book addresses the divide between Protestants and Roman Catholics, considering some of the reasons that prompted the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. It emerges particularly from the context of the increasing number of Protestants who convert to Roman Catholicism, and Hart’s aim is to address some of the most frequent reasons given for abandoning Protestantism.

Links

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc555/feed/ 0 Darryl G Hart Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College joins us to speak about his book Still Protesting Why the Reformation Matters Reformation Heritage Books This book addresses ...MedievalChurch,ModernChurch,TheReformationReformed Forumnono
The Essential Van Til – Aquinas and Barth: Their Common Core https://reformedforum.org/the-essential-van-til-aquinas-and-barth-their-common-core/ https://reformedforum.org/the-essential-van-til-aquinas-and-barth-their-common-core/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2018 14:15:10 +0000 http://reformedforum.org/?p=9070 “Yet the Aristotelianism of Rome, with its idea of potentiality, offers, we are bound to think, a point of contact with the underlying philosophy of Dialecticism. Rome occupies an intermediary […]]]>

“Yet the Aristotelianism of Rome, with its idea of potentiality, offers, we are bound to think, a point of contact with the underlying philosophy of Dialecticism. Rome occupies an intermediary position.”[1] What has Basel to do with Rome? In the above quotation Van Til is making a startling point. On the one hand earlier on in the paragraph he acknowledges that Rome has way too much orthodoxy in it for there to be an easy alignment with “the theology of Crisis.” Nevertheless, Rome’s theology and the theology of Basel are not devoid of all commonalities. So, when he speaks of “the Aristotelianism of Rome” he has in mind, of course, the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Van Til, rightly or wrongly, always associates Roman Catholicism with Thomism. But what is most important here for our purposes is to identify what he means by Rome’s “idea of potentiality.” We need to be brief here (a fuller scholarly treatment of this subject is beyond our purview). But the idea of “potentiality” entails what some call a chain, or scale, of being. Potency is understood opposite of actuality. And every thing has potency, which means it has potential toward actualization. Only God is pure actuality, having no potency in himself. Everything else is on its way toward actualization. This idea is often connected with the idea of the analogia entis – or analogy of being. Things on the scale of being – God who is the greatest being, man as an actualizing agent – relate to one another analogically. While there is much dissimilarity between God and man – God is fully actualized, we are not – there is also a commonality as well: God and man are both beings. So, it is an analogy based on the fact of what God and man have in common: being. And while God and man differ quantitatively in their being they are not qualitatively different. So, what has this to do with Barth (here Van Til uses the broader term “Dialecticism,” but he has primarily Barth in mind)? After all, does Van Til not know that Barth absolutely rejected the analogia entis (goes so far as associating it with the anti-Christ)? Does Van Til not know that Barth speaks about the “qualitative difference between eternity and time?” Where in the world could Van Til find common cause between Aquinas and Barth? While it is true that Barth begins with the “qualitative difference between time and eternity” he does not stay there. Especially as his theology develops from the time of his Romans commentary, he recognizes that he cannot stop with the qualitative difference if God and man are ever to be reconciled. Somehow God and man, time and eternity, the Creator and creature must be brought together. At the same time his actualistic doctrine of God does not allow him to have a God who is eternal or timeless in the absolute sense. So he speaks about “God’s time.” For Barth God’s time is his time of grace in the eternal decree who is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is himself both the electing God and the elect man. With that, then, Jesus Christ is both the eternal God and the temporal man. And he is such in his eternal nature. There is for Barth no logos asarkos, that is a Christ who is ever understood as being without flesh and therefore without time. Jesus Christ is himself “God’s time for us.” That means that God and man, eternity and time, are co-terminus realities. The relationship between God and man is relative and not absolute. For God is forever and from all eternity this God who has time for us in Jesus Christ. To be sure, this is not the same thing exactly as Thomas’ analogy of being. It is more like an analogy of God’s time. And while the construction differs, what remains as a common ground between Thomas and Barth are their commitment to placing God and man in a relative relationship rather than an absolute one. Both Thomas and Barth then stand over against the Reformed understanding of how God and man relate. For the Reformed God and man relate covenantally. They both have a relationship in absolute distinction from the beginning. The way in which they relate, then, is not through some kind of ontological bond. Rather, the bond is covenantal. It is a relation established by God and guaranteed and sealed by divine fiat – not through bringing God and man in under a common ontological reality (being for Thomas, time for Barth). But there is one last commonality between Thomas and Barth, and it is based on the commitment to their respective views of analogy. And that is they both stand in antithesis to the Reformed Faith. Reformed theology will not allow this common sharing or an ontological bond between God and man. For the problem between God and man is not ontology. The problem is a matter of hamartiology. And the solution is soteriological and covenantal. And therein lies the difference between the Reformed Faith on the one hand and Thomas and Barth on the other.


[1] Van Til, C. (1947). The new modernism: an appraisal of the theology of Barth and Brunner. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company: Philadelphia. P. 8.

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Reason, Revelation, and Calvin’s View of Natural Theology https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc504/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc504/#comments Fri, 25 Aug 2017 04:00:07 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com?p=5809&preview_id=5809 Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey discuss theological methodology in light of Calvin’s view of natural theology. As a starting point for the discussion, they turn to Thiago M. Silva’s article, […]]]>

Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey discuss theological methodology in light of Calvin’s view of natural theology. As a starting point for the discussion, they turn to Thiago M. Silva’s article, “John Calvin and the Limits of Natural Theology,” Puritan Reformed Journal 8, 2 (2016): 33-48.

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc504/feed/ 10 1:01:15Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey discuss theological methodology in light of Calvin s view of natural theology As a starting point for the discussion they turn to Thiago M Silva ...Calvin,CorneliusVanTil,GeerhardusVos,HermanBavinck,Philosophy,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
The Essential Van Til — Karl Barth: A Consistent Scholastic? https://reformedforum.org/essential-van-til-karl-barth-consistent-scholastic/ https://reformedforum.org/essential-van-til-karl-barth-consistent-scholastic/#comments Mon, 17 Jul 2017 15:02:49 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=5743 It is often assumed that Karl Barth’s thought is the antithesis of medieval scholasticism. It is true that Barth is exceedingly critical of Aquinas. But does Barth offer us a […]]]>

It is often assumed that Karl Barth’s thought is the antithesis of medieval scholasticism. It is true that Barth is exceedingly critical of Aquinas. But does Barth offer us a better theological program than that offered in Scholasticism? Van Til answers that question with a resounding no. For instance, in Common Grace and the Gospel Van Til says:

In the first place it means that we cannot join Karl Barth in reducing God as He is in Himself to a relation that He sustains to His people in the world. Barth virtually seeks to meet the objector’s charge that Christianity involves a basic contradiction by rejecting the idea of God as He is in Himself and of God’s counsel as controlling all things in the world. He says that Calvin’s doctrine of God’s counsel must be completely rejected. Only when it is rejected, is the grace of God permitted to flow freely upon mankind. And that means that God’s love envelops all men. To be sure, for Barth there is reprobation but it is reprobation in Christ. The final word of God for all men, says Barth, is Yes. It matters not that men have not heard of the gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. For Jesus of Nazareth is not, as such, the Christ. All men are as men, of necessity in Christ. All grace is universal or common grace. From the historic Christian point of view this is simply to say that the concept of grace is so widened as no longer to be grace at all. How truly Herman Bavinck anticipated, as it were, this most heretical of heresies of our day when he pointed out that in the last analysis one must make his choice between Pelagius and Augustine. The grace of God as Barth presents it is no longer distinguishable from the natural powers of man. All men to be men, says Barth, must have been saved and glorified from all eternity in Christ. This is how Barth would meet the objection against the idea of the sovereign grace of God. There is no longer any sovereign God and therefore there is no longer any grace. (pp. 154-155)

What Van Til says here takes some unpacking. I will do so in several points. First, Van Til notes Barth’s rejection of Calvin’s view of God’s eternal decree (cf. CD II.2, 67-76). Calvin affirms an absolutum decretum. This is the view that God, from eternity past, has elected some onto eternal life and some unto eternal damnation (i.e., double predestination). Barth believed that this was abstract theology, beginning as it does with an abstract decree of God-in-himself. Barth proposes instead a thoroughly Christological revamping of God’s decree. The idea is that Jesus Christ himself forms the two sides of election. In his humanity he is the elected man, and in his divinity he is the electing God (CD II.2, 76). And it is this relation-in-act which constitutes God’s being as it is. As he will later say, God’s “being is decision;” i.e., his decision to elect humanity in Christ’s humanity (CD II.2, 175). Second, this means that God’s grace is to and for all of humanity in the humanity of Jesus Christ. The humanity of Jesus Christ, in the eternal decision of election, is the vicarious humanity of all humans. In other words, because his humanity is the object of God’s electing grace and since his humanity represents all of humanity, that means all of humanity receives the electing grace of God. All humans are elect. God’s grace is – as Van Til says above – permitted to flow to all mankind. That means that God’s grace is universal. Or, we might say, common. It is given to all men, regardless of whether or not they consider themselves Christians. Grace is common to all – believer as well as unbeliever. Third, Van Til says that Barth’s position is that God’s being as well as man’s being is constituted by relation to one another. There is no abstract God, or God-in-himself. God’s being is a being-in-relation (to man). Likewise, man’s being is a being-in-relation (to God). This relation is found in Jesus Christ who is himself the relation between man (his humanity) and God (his divinity). Man’s being then is a being of grace. Humanity is elected man and therefore is “full of grace.” This applies not just to his status as elect, but to his very being. Van Til is troubled by this, in part, because if everything is grace then nothing is grace. If every man is a recipient of grace then grace has lost its meaning. Grace can be understood as grace only over against condemnation. And while Barth affirms Christ is both the elect man and reprobate man, yet no man is actually reprobate. All are elect. That turns what Calvin regarded as special grace into common grace. Common grace and the Gospel are confused in Barth. Fourth, as he said earlier, this makes Barth’s position almost indistinguishable from the analogia entis of Scholasticism. Van Til notes

For it is of the essence of the analogy of faith … that the ideas of God and man be thought of as correlative to one another. God is then nothing but what He is in relation to man through Christ, and man is nothing but what he is in relation to God through Christ. If the idea of correlativity between God and man was already involved in the analogy of being, it came to its full and final expression in the idea of the analogy of faith. (Common Grace, 130)

In other words, just as man and God are related to one another by the common idea of being (something the two share), so likewise with Barth’s view of analogy. God and man are related, they are as Van Til says elsewhere, “correlative” to one another in the eternal decision of God in election in Christ. For Thomas it was being that served as a common ontological notion which God and man have in common. For Barth it is God’s act of electing grace which holds them in common. But in either scenario God becomes dependent on something other than himself in his existence. God’s being as the electing God depends on his relation to man, just as man depends on his relation to God in Christ for his being. In God’s Time for Us I argue that this relation occurs in the “time” of God’s grace in Christ. This “time” serves as a substitute for a metaphysical notion of being. But whether we are talking about time or being, either way there is an ontological tertium quid which serves as an abstract ontological commonality relating God and man. Barth, no less than Thomas, fails to properly maintain the creator-creature distinction. And with that, he – no less than Thomas – fails to properly maintain the antithesis between believer and unbeliever (since grace is common to all). This gives the unbeliever a certain kind of autonomy and libertarian freedom to believe as he wants about God. Barth, in some ways, out-scholasticizes and out-rationalizes even Thomas himself! If nature is grace for Barth then all theology is natural theology, even while it is at the same time gracious theology. If Barth were consistent with his theology, then there really could be no Nein! to natural theology, but only a full and unequivocal yes and amen.

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Reformed Catholicity https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc374/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc374/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2015 05:00:59 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com?p=4153&preview_id=4153 Michael Allen and Scott Swain discuss whether Christians and churches can be both catholic and Reformed. In their book Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation (Baker […]]]>

Michael Allen and Scott Swain discuss whether Christians and churches can be both catholic and Reformed. In their book Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation (Baker Academic), Allen and Swain suggest Reformed Christians can commit not only to the ultimate authority of Scripture but also to receiving Scripture within the context of the apostolic church. This manifesto presents a case that to be Reformed means to go deeper into true catholicity rather than away from it. At the same time, it means holding fast to sola Scriptura. Michael Allen is Associate Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology and Dean of Students and Scott Swain is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Academic Dean at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc374/feed/ 1 56:21Michael Allen and Scott Swain discuss whether Christians and churches can be both catholic and Reformed In their book Reformed Catholicity The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation ...AncientChurch,ChurchHistory,MedievalChurch,Pneumatology,ScriptureandProlegomenaReformed Forumnono
Defending Obama https://reformedforum.org/president-obama-theology-crusades/ https://reformedforum.org/president-obama-theology-crusades/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2015 10:00:46 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=4149 President Obama may some day, if not already, rue the day he compared the Crusades to the current terror tactics of ISIS. But, was his comparison completely off-based? Several well-circulated […]]]>

President Obama may some day, if not already, rue the day he compared the Crusades to the current terror tactics of ISIS. But, was his comparison completely off-based?

Several well-circulated articles have appeared by Crusades scholars to put the Presidents remarks to the lie. These articles have been very helpful in setting the record straight. To be sure, the comparison between the Crusades and ISIS is historical revisionism at best. 

Even so, I wonder if the President’s remarks were all wrong. While not an expert in history, never mind Medieval history, I have some serious theological and ethical concerns about the Crusades that I think give some justification to the President’s comparison. While his comparison was troubling in many ways (a discussion for another time!), I do not believe that it was completely without some rationale.

This is what I mean.

First of all, Thomas F. Madden in his First Things article makes clear that the Crusades were a “holy war.” In other words, it was a war of defense, seeking to push mack Islamic aggression that came with the promise of eternal life for its warriors. In other words, Madden notes, the wars need to be understood in penitential terms. Those who fought in the war, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice, paid for their sins and earned for themselves a plenary indulgence from the Pope. To say that this is bad theology, not to mention ethically dubious motivation for taking up arms, is an understatement. But what is interesting, for our purposes here, is that Islam sees its Jihad against the infidels in a similar way. War is a means of grace, a way to earn eternal life. Obama is not completely off in his comparison. 

Second, Madden is correct to underscore the history of just war theory in the Christian tradition. Civil magistrates, as Paul explains in Romans 13, do not bear the sword in vain. But is it the role of the church to bear arms for the sake of self-defense? Notice, this is a different question than the one about whether or not an individual Christian may use arms to exercise violence in self-defense or as a member of the state’s military. The tradition’s answer to that latter question is overwhelmingly in the affirmative. But the question is, does the Pope—or any representative of the church—have the authority to command the taking up of arms by those who represent the church and for the sake of the church? It seems to me there is a terrible confusion of spheres of authority at this point. Christ does not say take up your arms and advance my Kingdom through violence or arms. Rather, “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Cor 10:4-5). Furthermore, Jesus says that his Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and when we are reviled we are not to revile in return knowing that we are to joyfully accept the plundering of our property, since we know that we have a better possession and an abiding one (Hebrews 10:34). In other words, to attempt the advancement—or otherwise the defense—of Christianity through carnal weapons is to adopt the same ethic as Islam. Again, Obama was not too far off in his comparison. 

So, what is a Christian to do when fighting the good fight of faith and the cultural warfare we find ourselves in? How about we acknowledge the faults of our forefathers in the past? 

This is not to say that self-defense was not called for—it was. But self-defense should have been carried out by the civil magistrate, not the church. And failing that, the believers suffering under the oppressive hand of an inherently violent religion would have rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name (Acts 5:41). 

In conclusion, the Crusades were not without fault (I wonder if maybe Madden overdoes it with the theological and ethical whitewash?). In fact, it was in many ways very Islam-like. It adopted the presuppositions of Islam’s—if I can put it this way—philosophy of ministry; not to mention its soteriology. Islam believes in the advancement of a worldly religion through carnal means motivated by a semi-Pelagian soteriology. In other words, to use Luther’s distinction, both Islam and the Crusades were driven by a theology of glory rather than a theology of the cross.

Let us take the higher road. Instead of feeling like we need to defend Christian errors of the past, we would do well to confess them and then move on to the real claims of Christ seeking the reconciliation of our Muslim neighbors to the one true and living God.

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14 Free Interdisciplinary Courses to Help You Grow as a Reformed Thinker https://reformedforum.org/14-free-online-courses-help-grow-reformed-thinker/ https://reformedforum.org/14-free-online-courses-help-grow-reformed-thinker/#comments Tue, 18 Feb 2014 12:00:39 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=3266 Learning is an important part of Christian stewardship. You have been given a mind, and God desires that we grow in our understanding of him and his gospel. Growing as a Christian thinker begins with studying the Bible and then theology, church history, and other related disciplines. But it’s also beneficial to study disciplines such as world history, philosophy, and political theory. Reformed Christians especially should recognize the connectedness of knowledge. Thorough learning in any discipline can never occur in a silo. To grow as a systematic theologian, you must also develop your understanding of church history. To deepen your appreciation for Scripture, you must have a grasp of its cultural context. An increasing number of educational institutions are posting courses online, and though they are not taught from Christian conviction, they nevertheless can challenge Reformed thinkers and help them to see things in a new light. OpenCulture curates a list of free online courses (1,700 and counting!). Coursemarks also maintains a giant master list of 4,881 open courses from elite institutions, such as Stanford, MIT, Columbia, and Harvard. If you’re on our website, chances are you listen to podcasts. So add a few courses to your playlist and widen your base of knowledge. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

History

Philosophy

Political Science, International Relations, and Law

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Thomas’ Second Way https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft11/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft11/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:00:15 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=1385 Bob LaRocca leads a discuss on Thomas Aquinas’ Second Way. The Second Way is an argument for the existence of God from efficient causes. The flow of the argument is […]]]>

Bob LaRocca leads a discuss on Thomas Aquinas’ Second Way. The Second Way is an argument for the existence of God from efficient causes. The flow of the argument is as follows:

  1. We perceive a series of efficient causes of things in the world.
  2. Nothing exists prior to itself.
  3. Therefore nothing is the efficient cause of itself.
  4. If a previous efficient cause does not exist, neither does the thing that results.
  5. Therefore if the first thing in a series does not exist, nothing in the series exists.
  6. The series of efficient causes cannot extend ad infinitum into the past, for then there would be no things existing now.
  7. Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.

Visit this site for more information regarding Thomas’ Five Ways.

Participants: , , ,

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft11/feed/ 7 45:32Bob LaRocca leads a discuss on Thomas Aquinas Second Way The Second Way is an argument for the existence of God from efficient causes The flow of the argument is ...Apologetics,MedievalChurch,Philosophy,SystematicTheology,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
Thomas’ First Way https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft9/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft9/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:00:24 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=1322 Bob LaRocca brings Thomas Aquinas’ famous first way to the table. Thomas’ ways have become staples in apologetic discussions. Participants: Bob LaRocca, Jared Oliphint, Jonathan Brack]]>

Bob LaRocca brings Thomas Aquinas’ famous first way to the table. Thomas’ ways have become staples in apologetic discussions.

Participants: , ,

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/pft9/feed/ 3 55:25Bob LaRocca brings Thomas Aquinas famous first way to the table Thomas ways have become staples in apologetic discussionsApologetics,MedievalChurch,Philosophy,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono
Thomas Aquinas https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc76/ https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc76/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00:42 +0000 http://reformedforum.wpengine.com/?p=692 Christ the Center discusses some aspects of the life and thought of Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas. Specifically Thomas’ doctrine of God and the nature/grace distinction come in for consideration. Especially useful is the discussion of the nature of Scholasticism and what value there is in reading Thomas. At the end of the day, the lesson is, do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Bibliography

Kretzmann, Norman. The Cambridge companion to Aquinas. Cambridge; New York NY USA: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

McInerny, Ralph. Aquinas. Oxford: Polity, 2003.

Stump, Eleonore. Aquinas. London; New York: Routledge, 2003.

Thomas. An exposition of the On the hebdomads of Boethius. Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2001.

_____. Aquinas scripture series. Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Albany N.Y.: Magi Books, 1966.

_____. On evil : disputed questions. Notre Dame Ind.; New York: University of Notre Dame Press; Wiley, 2002.

_____. On love and charity : readings from the Commentary on the sentences of Peter Lombard. Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2008.

_____. St. Thomas Aquinas on politics and ethics : a new translation, backgrounds, interpretations. 1st ed. New York: Norton, 1988.

_____. St. Thomas Aquinas Summa theologiæ. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.

_____. Summa contra gentiles Saint Thomas Aquinas. Notre Dame Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1975.

_____. The commentary of St. Thomas Aquinas on Aristotle’s Treatise on the soul. [St. Paul Minn.]: College of St. Thomas, 1946.

_____. Thomas Aquinas : disputed questions on the virtues. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

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https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc76/feed/ 2 70:14Christ the Center discusses some aspects of the life and thought of Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas Specifically Thomas doctrine of God and the nature grace distinction come in for consideration ...Apologetics,ChurchHistory,MedievalChurch,SystematicTheology,ThomasAquinasReformed Forumnono