Reformed Forum

Jim Cassidy speaks about Karl Barth and his relationship with idealism. On the heels of Lane Tipton's recent course, Introduction to the Theology and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til, the panel compares and contrasts Barth's ontology and doctrine of revelation in the Christ-event with Van Til's critique of idealism and warnings of correlativism.

We turn to pp. 238– of Vos's book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the Old Testament prophets and their understanding of the nature and attributes of God. Vos affirms that God is Spirit. This brings into view not that God is immaterial per se, as Vo

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss living in this present evil age while living life in the Spirit. How does a Christian live in the midst of the chaos and the confusion, the virus and the violence? Is God sovereign over the affair

Glen Clary speaks about the biblical basis and covenantal context of the call to worship and benediction. These elements of worship are rooted in Christ's work on behalf of his covenant people. In the call to worship, God calls his people to have covenant communion with him in his heavenly temple. He calls us to enter his house—to draw near to him—to have communion with him. The benediction is the bestowal of the covenant blessing by the successful probationer. Had Adam obeyed, he would have received for himself and for all his posterity the covenant blessing. The covenant blessing would be given to those whom he represented in the covenant of works on the basis of his obedience. Now, Christ as redeemer and mediator of the covenant, the obedient federal head (successful probationer) receives and bestows the blessings of the covenant.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob reads J. I. Packer's (1926-2020) well known "Introductory Essay" to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ as a tribute to this great Anglican theologian.

In this episode, we discuss a new online course wherein Dr. Lane G. Tipton teaches a thorough introduction to the theology and innovative apologetic method of Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987), a pioneer in a distinctly Reformed approach to defending the faith. This course investigates the context, structure, and significance of Van Til's theology and apologetics. It is designed to introduce students to the main influences and fundamental concerns of Van Til's theological approach to apologetics. Topics include a general introduction, Trinity, image of God, covenant, revelation, worldview, antithesis, common grace, and idealism. Special attention is given to the programmatic deep structures of Van Til's thought, distinguishing his views from Roman Catholicism, Barth, and Evangelical approaches to theology and apologetics. This is Christ the Center episode 656 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc656)

Jeremy Boothby speaks about covenant theology through the biblical-theological lens of the book of Hebrews. In so doing, he compares and contrasts 1689 Federalism and other particular baptist approaches to covenant theology with that of confessional Reformed covenant theology. Following the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, Boothby gets to the heart of the difference between particular baptists and Reformed paedobaptists. The matter hinges on the present life-setting of the New Covenant Church in the wilderness. The author of Hebrews compares the church, which is presently in the New Covenant, to the first generation of Israelites in the wilderness. They were on their pilgrimage and had not yet entered their promised rest. As such, there was a real possibility of apostasy from the covenant. Likewise, the New Covenant Church has not yet entered the New Heavens and New Earth, to which earthly Canaan pointed. The author encourages covenant members to strive to enter their rest, not to fall away as they follow their forerunner and heavenly high priest, Jesus Christ. Rev. Boothby is pastor of Christ Covenant OPC in Amarillo, Texas.

Biblical exegetes have long discussed the relationship of justification in James to that of Paul. On the surface, James 2:24 appears even to contradict many of the key Pauline passages that speak clearly of justification as occurring by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and not by works of the law. In this episode, we discuss the different uses of the words "justification" and "justify" in James, specifically, and in the Bible, generally.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob continues a reading of Geerhardus Vos's 1903 book, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. In chapter 4, endeavors to test two opposing views about the kingdom of God to determine whic

We turn to pp. 235–238 of Vos's book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the Old Testament prophets and varying views of monotheism.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob continues a reading of Geerhardus Vos's 1903 book, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. In chapter 3, Vos discusses the nature of "kingdom" as well as the the difference between the difference between the usage of "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven."

We discuss the doctrine of the covenant of works, including its biblical basis as well as common objections to it. The Reformed tradition has spoken of the relationship between God and Adam as a covenantal relationship. Without the covenant of works, we cannot rightly understand man's relationship to God in the garden. Neither can we understand the gospel, for the work of our Lord Jesus Christ was a redeeming work necessitated by the Fall into sin. This is Christ the Center episode 652 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc652)

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the Kingdom of God and the Four-fold Estate of Man reflecting on the disciples expectations of the kingdom of God and the change that takes place in them, especially as we see

William Reddinger speaks about strands of resistance theory in the American Revolution, considering Lockean, Continental, and Anglo interpretations of Romans 13. Dr. Reddinger has authored "The American Revolution, Romans 13, and the Anglo Tradition of Reformed Protestant Resistance Theory" in the Summer 2016 issue of American Political Thought. Some scholars argue that the theology of the American Revolution was fundamentally Lockean and largely incompatible with Christianity, a view that this article calls the Lockean view; more recently, others who advocate what this article calls the Lockean–Reformed view argue that the American Revolution was both Lockean and Reformed and that there is no incompatibility between these sources. This article critiques the Lockean–Reformed view and argues that there were two traditions of resistance theory in early Reformed Protestantism—the Continental tradition and the Anglo tradition. While these two traditions were not monolithic, the distinction is helpful in understanding how the theology of resistance during the American founding was different from the Continental tradition of resistance. It also allows one to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses both of the Lockean view and of the Lockean–Reformed view. Dr. Reddinger is Associate Professor of Government, History, and Criminal Justice at Regent University. Prior to coming to Regent, he taught political science at Wheaton College in Illinois and at South Texas College. He received his undergraduate degree from Grove City College in Pennsylvania before completing his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science at Northern Illinois University, where his studies focused on the history of political philosophy and American political thought. This is Christ the Center episode 651 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc651)

For the 200th episode of Theology Simply Profound, Bob begins a reading of Geerhardus Vos's 1903 book, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. In chapter 1 and 2, Vos introduces the subject with an overview of Jesus' public min

We turn to pp. 234–235 of Vos's book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the nature and attributes of God as understand by the Old Testament prophets.

Dr. James N. Anderson speaks about the philosophy of David Hume, one of the foremost thinkers of the Western tradition. Hume is well known for his influential system of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. Throughout his work, Hume developed a naturalistic science of man that examined the psychological basis of human nature. Dr. Anderson is the Carl W. McMurray Professor of Theology and Philosophy and Academic Dean (Global and New York) of Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the author of David Hume (Great Thinkers) published by P&R Publishing.

Danny Olinger and Camden Bucey discuss Graham Greene's novel, The Power and the Glory, which raises many questions about the nature of faith, ordination, and the sacraments through the lens of Roman Catholic theology. Greene said, "The aim of the book was to oppose the power of the sacraments and the indestructibility of the Church on the one hand with, on the other, the merely temporal of an essentially Communist state" (Goodman, 88). John Updike called this novel, "Graham Greene's masterpiece." Danny Olinger is General Secretary for the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the Kingdom of God and the Four-fold Estate of Man by chatting about the power of darkness in this fallen world.

Editor, teacher, and translator, Ryan M. Hurd speaks about the theology of Gisbertus Voetius. Hurd has translated a significant disputation of Voetius' published as "Gisbertus Voetius: God's Single, Absolutely Simple Essence" in The Confessional Presbyterian Journal (Volume 15, 2019). Gisbertus Voetius (1589–1676) was a Dutch theologian born in Heusden, Netherlands, and educated at Leiden. He became a professor of theology at the University of Utrecht and wrote several significant works, including Politica ecclesiastica (3 volumes, published 1663–1676) and Selectae disputationes (theologicae) (5 volumes, published 1648–1669). In his treatment, Voetius mediates between two of the major Medieval schools of thought—Thomistic and Scotistic. Hurd writes, Yet the early modern period saw the rise of the Socinians and Vorstians, and this was to the dismay of all orthodox regardless of their communion. The emergence of this heterodox movement met with immediate response that would last until the eclipse of Reformed orthodoxy in the darkness of the modern age. In our own context today, we observe similarly that among the Reformed there are likewise those who uphold orthodoxy and affirm divine simplicity, and likewise those who have emerged and put themselves against it. As a historical testimony, Voetius's disputation underlines several points to both sides. Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/AirFwWi4P8Y

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the Kingdom of God and the Four-fold Estate of Man by chatting about Israel and how God used the nation in the development of the Kingdom of God in the coming of the Messiah.

Dr. Gregg Allison and Dr. Carl Trueman speak about the theology of Benedict XVI, pope emeritus of the Roman Catholic Church. Allison's article, "Faith, Hope, and Love" and Trueman's article, "Is the Pope (Roman) Catholic?," are published in The Theology of Benedict XVI: A Protestant Appreciation edited by Tim Perry and published by Lexham Press. Dr. Allison is Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment and The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants after 500 Years. He appeared on Christ the Center episodes 363 and 461. Dr. Trueman is Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He hosts the Mortification of Spin podcast with Aimee Byrd and Todd Pruitt. He is also the author of several books, including The Creedal Imperative and Luther on the Christian Life. Dr. Trueman has joined us many times before. Watch the episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtoWuQf_1tU

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob wanted to pick up their discussion of the Kingdom of God and the Four-fold Estate of Man with a consideration of Abraham and how God used him in the development of the Kingdom of God in the coming of the

We turn to page 234 of Vos's book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the understanding of monotheism which the biblical prophets possessed. On pages 206–211 of the book, Vos dealt with the modernist conception of the issue, adding a footnote that his positive treatment would be saved for later. Now we arrive at that later portion. As we begin to address this new section, we revisit some of the ground we covered in Vos Group #55, while expanding that material. On pages 206–211, Vos gives us the key conception of the modernist critics: The prophets, from Amos and Hosea onwards, are credited with the discovery and establishment of the great truth of ethical monotheism, in which the distinctive and permanent value of Old Testament religion is to be found. To explain this as crisply as possible, Vos is saying that a particular ethical conception of Jehovah gives rise to the monotheism of the later prophets in the 8th century. It is a monotheism of a particular kind–a monotheism of a specific variety. There is a concrete, historical, situated, ethical dilemma that forges an ethical conception of Jehovah that otherwise would not be formed. In contrast, Vos emphasizes that the prophets are God-centered. They are religious—meaning they find their delight in spiritual (Spirit-wrought) communion with God. The ethical aspect of monotheism is itself subservient to the glory of God and delight in fellowship with God. The "prophetic orientation" does not view God as a means to an end, but rather delighting in God himself, as he has revealed himself as sovereign Judge and condescended Lord and Savior of his covenant people. The prophets delight in the God they proclaim and do not re-conceive him as a means to an end other than the glory of God himself as the chief end and delight of his people.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob wanted to pick up their discussion of the Kingdom of God and the Four-fold Estate of Man with a consideration of Noah and the Flood.