Kyle Padden and Paul Maxwell join Jonathan Brack and Charles Williams to discuss the importance and value of reading the Apostolic Fathers. Particular attention is given to the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, the way he dealt with the question of the nature of the church’s authority, and the impact of martyrdom as it relates to the apostolic teaching.

Participants: Charles Williams, Jonathan Brack, Kyle Padden, Paul Maxwell

Paul Maxwell joins Camden Bucey and Jonathan Brack to speak about his response to Krister Stendahl in the Spring 2013 edition of the Westminster Theological Journal. Stendahl, Swedish theologian and New Testament scholar, presented his paper “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West” before the American Psychological Association in 1961. He argued that the Western understanding of Paul as concerned about clearing his conscience before God was mistaken. Proponents of the New Perspective on Paul trace their theological perspective to Stendahl’s ideas. In this episode, Maxwell defends the Protestant reading of Paul against Stendahl’s psychological concerns. In doing so, Maxwell compares Stendahl’s article with the biblical counseling movement and a Reformed approach to psychology.

Paul Maxwell is a Ph.D. student in Historical and Theological Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He wrote, “Analyzing the Apostle Paul’s “Robust Conscience”: Identifying and Engaging the Psychological Concerns of Krister Stendahl’s Inceptive Article” in the Westminster Theological Journal, Vol. 75, No. 1 (Spring 2013).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jonathan Brack, Paul Maxwell

We speak with Nathan Sasser, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at the Pastors College for Sovereign Grace Ministries and PhD student in philosophy at the University of South Carolina. Nathan describes the format and goals of the Pastors College, as well as the subject of his doctoral work, the philosophy of David Hume.

Participants: Jared Oliphint, Jonathan Brack, Nathan Sasser, Paul Maxwell

Philosophy for Theologians opens up the subject of universals by discussing the basic approaches to reality found in thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. After laying an introductory foundation, the panel discusses Bavinck’s approach to the subject and his views of how theology relates to disciplines.

Participants: Bob LaRocca, Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Paul Maxwell

Sean Michael Lucas, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS, speaks about his book Robert Lewis Dabney: A Southern Presbyterian Life. Dr. Lucas also previously taught church history and served as academic dean at Covenant Theological Seminary.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Nick Batzig, Paul Maxwell, Sean Michael Lucas