Reformed Forum

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss Malachi 2:10-16. In these verses, Malachi addresses the covenant unfaithfulness of his people as the men divorce the wives of their youth for the daughter of foreign gods.

Mountains appear throughout the Bible as an important symbol of God meeting with man. In this episode, we trace the biblical-theological theme of mountains in an effort to understand more deeply God's plan and purpose in bringing his covenantal people to glory. https://vimeo.com/359649096

In Episode 78 the panel discusses how the story of redemption shifts focus from Abraham to his descendants, and particularly to Isaac and Jacob. Employing a covenantal and redemptive-historical hermeneutic becomes important in understanding the significance of this shift and its implication for the inclusion of the Gentiles.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob reads from J. Gresham Machen's 1923 classic work, Christianity and Liberalism, Chapter 2, Doctrine.

In this episode, we turn to pages 216–220 of Vos's book, Biblical Theology, to discuss the reception of divine revelation through speech and hearing. Vos treats this topic because, among other things, it lies at the heart of true religion. If God is not speaking, then we do not know him. If it is merely men who speak, we do not know God and therefore are not in a religious bond of covenantal fellowship with him. It is of the essence of true religion to affirm that God speaks and that prophets hear God speaking and then speak that same Word to the church. You cannot have true religion without such supernatural verbal revelation. This requires that God speaks to the prophet before the prophet spoke. This is critical, since it utterly destroys the liberal theories that locate the actual words in human agency alone, such as the kernel theory we talked about earlier. The speaking of God is not meant in a figurative way, "but in the literal sense it appears in various ways" (p. 217). Vos next makes a point that the verbal communication from Jehovah is both external and internal, and that internal (to the soul or audible only to the prophet) does not collapse into the "consciousness theology" and the subjectivism of the liberal concept of "revelation" where revelation simply means a heightened moral consciousness or awareness of nearness to the ethical ideal of the prophetic religion. Vos urges us not to probe the proportion of internal and external revelation, but to accept that both forms come to the prophets, making them bearers of words that have divine authority. https://vimeo.com/359289084

The Book of Malachi speaks to the people of God after their return from exile in Babylon. They and their leaders are being called to account for offering their worst to the Lord. And now, in chapter 2, the priests are specifically addressed for their unfaithfulness. Rob and Bob discuss these things and many more on this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound.

Doctrine is not optional for the body of Christ. Yet, neither is it to be pursued in abstraction. Christians must speak the truth in love, applying that truth in the changing circumstances of daily life. Using the biblical metaphors of a shepherd and a pilgrim, Jeff Waddington and Camden Bucey comment on a variety of challenges in the ministry and the importance of presenting every person mature in Christ (Col. 1:28). https://vimeo.com/358120644

In this episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the first chapter of Malachi and the concern he has for the cold worship offered by his people and those who lead the people in this way.

Darryl G. Hart speaks about J. Gresham Machen's classic work, Christianity and Liberalism. In becoming familiar the content and historical context of this book, people will gain an understanding not only of twentieth century Presbyterianism but also of global Christianity to a degree. And in contemplating the lessons of this era, people will also be better equipped to meet the challenges that face the contemporary church. Westminster Seminary Press has issued a new edition of Machen's classic work and has included new essays by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, the institution Machen founded in 1929 after the reorganization of the board of Princeton Seminary. Dr. D. G. Hart is Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College and the author or co-author of many books on American religious history, including Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism, Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America, and The Selected Shorter Writings of J. Gresham Machen. https://vimeo.com/356221024

This week on Theology Simply Profound, we begin a series of readings of J. Gresham Machen's 1923 classic book, Christianity and Liberalism.

Travis Fentiman and James M. Garretson speak about the new book, God, Creation, and Human Rebellion: Lecture Notes of Archibald Alexander from the Hand of Charles Hodge (Reformation Heritage Books). Fentiman discovered the handwritten notes through the Internet Archive and embarked on a crowdsourcing project to transcribe the notes. Dr. Garretson contributed a wonderful introduction. In this episode we discuss the historical context of American Presbyterianism in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the unique contribution of Archibald Alexander, and the significance of Princeton Seminary to both American and global presbyterianism. https://vimeo.com/355421749

The New Testament cites the book of Isaiah more than any other Old Testament book. Scripture itself treats the book as a literary work by a single author. In this episode, Will Wood, discusses critical approaches to this prophecy that tend to view the book of Isaiah as a composite work of many different people and even different groups. All the while, we will come to see that the question of authorship is not self-contained; it raises significant issues regarding fundamental matters of the faith. Will Wood is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. https://vimeo.com/354080171

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob begin to discuss the Book of Malachi.

We turn to pages 214–216 of Geerhardus Vos's book, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, to discuss the kernel and divination theories of the reception of prophetic revelation. Critical scholars seek to identify human beings as the origin of the prophetic message. Vos defends the orthodox notion that God reveals himself in objective verbal revelation to the prophets, who delivered that inspired and inerrant message to the people. https://vimeo.com/352799081

In this 67-verse chapter we examine some of the patterns and themes in this narrative full of intrigue. We discuss the transition of the covenant promises to Isaac, the providence of God overseeing all of these events, the theme of suspense, and the direct link to the offspring of Isaac and Rebekah.

On this episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob talks with the Zecharias Weldeyesus and Christopher Cashen, ministers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church serving in the Atlanta area, about suffering and persecution for the sake of Christ and ministry to refugees.

Glen Clary leads us in a consideration of the biblical-theological themes in the Cain and Abel narrative of Genesis 4. Much more than a mere commentary on anger and murder, this passage has much to teach us about worship and God's plan of communion with those made in his image. https://vimeo.com/349982242

Daniel Schrock speaks about self-conception in light of the Revoice movement and the Nashville Statement. Looking to the believers' union with Christ in his death and resurrection, Schrock provides a way to answer questions such as, "Is it proper to speak of being gay as a Christian's identity?" The basis of this episode is Schrock's article, "The Gospel and Self-Conception: A Defense of Article 7 of the Nashville Statement." https://vimeo.com/349977242

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob sits down with Dr. Stephen J. Nichols to discuss Reformation Bible College, some recent writing projects including a recent book for children, Reformation ABCs: The People, Places, and Things of the Reformation—from A to Z, books he's reading, as well as the Young, Restless, and Reformed. After the conversation, Rob and Bob discuss Dr. Nichols thoughts on the YRR. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is President and Professor of Apologetics at Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. He has authored or edited over twenty books, and hosts the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book.

Dr. Cornelis Venema speaks about the doctrine of election. His book, Chosen in Christ: Revisiting the Contours of Predestination, is available in Mentor's Reformed, Exegetical, and Doctrinal Studies series. Venema addresses the subject from exegetical, historical, contemporary, and pastoral vantage points. In this conversation, he addresses the doctrine of election in the Old and New Testaments, the relationship between covenant and election, the polemical discourse between Augustine and Pelagius, and the revisionist doctrine of Karl Barth. Dr. Venema is President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. He is the author of several books, including Promise of the Future, Christ and Covenant Theology, and Children at the Lord's Table? Assessing the Case for Paedocommunion. https://vimeo.com/347567061

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob bring their discussion of John Bunyan's, The Pilgrim's Progress, to a close. Here Christian, Hopeful, and Ignorance make their way through the River and to the Gate. However, only Christian and Hopeful enter; Ignorance has a completely different end. We hope you enjoyed this walk through The Pilgrim's Progress with us.

Leonardo De Chirico speaks about evangelical responses and assessments of Roman Catholicism post-Vatican II. Vatican II was an ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church held from 1962–1965 and widely interpreted as bringing the Catholic Church into a new relationship to the world and other religions. De Chirico analyzes the several prominent evangelical scholars, including G.C. Berkouwer, Cornelius Van Til, and John Stott, in order to identify various strengths and weaknesses in evangelical perspectives on modern Roman Catholicism. De Chirico concludes that evangelicalism typically misses how two foundational aspects of Catholic theology (the relationship of nature to grace and a Christological ecclesiology) serve to undergird an entire theological system. Leonardo De Chirico planted and pastored an Evangelical church in Ferrara (northern Italy) from 1997 to 2009. Since 2009 he has been involved in a church planting project in Rome and is now pastor of the church Breccia di Roma. He earned degrees in History (University of Bologna), Theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and Bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London) and it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism (Bern-Oxford: Peter Lang 2003). https://vimeo.com/347560188

This week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to discuss John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. We discuss Christian and Hopeful's conversation with Ignorance and Temporary. The pilgrim's attempt to engage them on important spiritual matters like the nature of backsliding.

We turn to pages 212–213 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the mode of reception of the prophetic revelation. In the fourth section of his book, Vos continues to contrast the modernist conception with that of confessional orthodoxy. He stresses that revelation does not originate naturally but is in its essence, "a real communication" from God to the prophets. Our study of Vos is focused on biblical theology, or what Vos termed "the history of special revelation." A modernized conception of revelation construes history as natural and mechanical in character. History is encased in patterns of natural cause and effect. It is a closed reality. For the Kantian, the mind of man imposes rational categories onto nature. Others view the mind and discovering natural and immutable laws, which don't exhibit any variation. It is an anti-supernaturalist conception of history. For the modernist, supernatural revelation cannot exist in the sphere of natural history. Vos, however, is unwavering in his commitment to the self-attesting word of God, which is a supernatural word from the transcendent God, who nevertheless condescends voluntarily to speak to those made in his image. https://youtu.be/-TEzQ7P6rEA

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. In this episode, Christian and Hopeful find themselves at first forgetting the warning of the Shepherds about their upcoming journey and end up falling into a net, but they learn from this forgetfulness. Then comes Atheist walking toward them with back toward Sion and the Enchanted ground where they feel very sleepy in faith. How do they deal with Atheist? And how do they stay awake?