Dr. Robert Letham joins Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey to discuss Dr. Letham’s recent book The Eternal Son (P&R Publishing). Their conversation presses into a simple but urgent claim: Christology is not a side department of theology—it is the living center. When the church loses clarity about who the Son is, the gospel itself becomes unclear, because salvation depends on the identity of the Savior. They also explore why the church must listen carefully to the whole ecumenical tradition, especially the often-neglected debates after Chalcedon. Letham explains why it matters that the acting subject in the Gospels is the eternal Son, who assumes a true human nature without change in his divine person. From there, they engage contemporary confusions—especially biblicism that isolates Scripture from the church’s confession—and they address the claim that Christ was “adopted” at the resurrection, showing how such proposals unravel both orthodox Christology and the gracious character of adoption for believers.
Chapters
- 00:07 Introduction
- 02:04 This Book within the Trilogy
- 04:36 Christ and the Center of Christianity
- 11:05 Reading the Bible in Isolation
- 16:44 The Ecumenical Councils After Chalcedon
- 26:44 The Pre-Existent Son
- 30:24 Christology from Below
- 35:54 The Doctrine of Adoption
- 44:48 Twin Errors of Christology and Soteriology
- 53:15 An Exhortation to Re-Examine the Historical Confession of the Church
- 56:19 Conclusion
Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton, Robert Letham
Christ the Center focuses on Reformed Christian theology. In each episode a group of informed panelists discusses important issues in order to encourage critical thinking and a better understanding of Reformed doctrine with a view toward godly living. Browse more episodes from this program or subscribe to the podcast feed.
