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theology that faithfully summarizes its teachings.
Older episodes
- 337The Plan of SalvationRev. Dr. Lane Tipton walks us through the soteriological taxonomy offered by B.B. Warfield in his book The Plan of Salvation. In the book, Warfield asks a series of questions designed to distinguish biblically-consistent Christianity from other accounts of salvation. Who saves? How? And on what basis? As Dr. Tipton rehearses and adds to Warfield’s argument, we come to see how Calvinism is distinguished from paganism, Catholicism, Lutheranism, and all forms of Arminianism. Dr. Tipton is Associate Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton
- 338A Review of Popologetics by Ted TurnauJonathan Brack reviews Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective by Ted Turnau, a book on apologetics in the midst of pop culture. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jonathan Brack
- 339Bavinck on Marriage and the FamilyNelson Kloosterman speaks about Herman Bavinck’s theology of marriage and the family. Kloosterman recently translated Bavinck’s book The Christian Family. Though he wrote in early 20th century Netherlands, Bavinck’s book is relevant for the present day. In distinction from so many contemporary works, Bavinck establishes a theology of marriage and the family that can be applied to the manifold challenges facing families in the present day. Dr. Kloosterman is Executive Director of Worldview Resources, International and works as a translator of important theological works. Listen as he unfolds Bavinck’s doctrine of sin and redemptive-historical focus as they pertain to God’s design for the family and society as a whole. Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Nelson Kloosterman
- 340Genesis 1:1-13 – The First Three Creation DaysIn this episode we discuss verses 3-13 of Genesis 1: the first three creation days. We discuss the covenantal character of creation, the theological dimensions of these days, God’s dominion and interpretive prerogative in naming and ordering the days. We also look at the significance of those things which are the focus of each day: light, the separation of the waters above and below, the separation of the seas and try land, the creation of vegetation, and many other things. We welcome your questions and feedback in the comments. Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
- 341A Review of The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal DenaultJonathan Brack reviews The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal Denault and published by Solid Ground Christian Books. This is a helpful treatment of historic Reformed credo-baptist arguments. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jonathan Brack
- 342The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous WorldToday we welcome Melissa Kruger to the program to speak about her book The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World published by Christian Focus. Melissa is on staff in women’s ministry at Uptown Church (PCA) in Charlotte, NC, a mom to three kids and the wife of Dr. Michael Kruger, President and Professor of NT at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte. Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Melissa Kruger
- 343What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’anToday we welcome Dr. James R. White to the program to speak about his book What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an. In the book, Dr. White presents Islamic beliefs about Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the afterlife, and other important topics. White shows how the sacred text of Islam differs from the teachings of the Bible in order to help Christians engage in open, honest discussions with Muslims. Dr. White is the Director of Alpha & Omega Ministries and is an active apologist and debater. He is the author of several books, including The Forgotten Trinity and The Potter’s Freedom. Participants: Adam York, Camden Bucey, James White, Jim Cassidy
- 344Genesis 1:14-28 – The Next Three Creation DaysIn this episode of Proclaiming Christ we discuss days 4-6 of the creation account in Genesis 1. We continue the discussion of light and darkness in creation as it pertains to the fourth day, the kingdom of God in creation, and the creation of humanity in the image of God. Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
- 345A Review of The Theology of Augustine by Matthew LeveringDavid Filson reviews Matthew Levering’s recent book, The Theology of Augustine: An Introductory Guide to His Most Important Works. For thoughtful students of Church History and Historical Theology, who may find the sheer bulk of Augustine’s corpus daunting, and don’t know quite where to begin, this accessible, substantive, and crisply written volume offers a historically contextual and theologically analytical guided tour of seven of St. Augustine’s key treatises (On Christian Doctrine, Answer to Faustus, a Manichean, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, On the Predestination of the Saints, Confessions, City of God, and On the Trinity). Throughout, Levering reveals things, such as the nature of Augustine’s Trinitarian theology, hermeneutic of continuity between the OT and NT, and a properly ordered and graciously expressed Christian love. Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson
- 346Aspects of Presbyterian GovernmentFor this in-house episode, we speak about different aspects of presbyterian government. While church polity may seem like a tedious and perhaps arbitrary task, Scripture lays out a structure for how Christ chooses to rule his church in the present age. Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy, and Jeff Waddington speak about offices in the church and key features of presbyterianism such as plurality, parity, and connectedness in light of several key biblical texts. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy
- 347Genesis 1:28-2:3 — The Creation Mandate and Sabbath RestIn this episode of Proclaiming Christ we discuss the creation mandate given to Adam and the promise of Sabbath rest. We invite your comments and questions. Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
- 348Book News and NotesCamden Bucey and David Owen Filson speak about several new books, and journal, and one interesting out-of-print title. Links The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Reclaiming the Psalter: Praying and Praising with the Psalms by Gordon Wenham Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church by John Thavis Netherlanders in America: Dutch Immigration to the United States and Canada, 1789-1950 by Henry S. Lucas Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson
- 349Approaches to ChristologyChristology is at the heart of the gospel for it is the study of the God-man, the savior of sinners. In this episode, Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey speak about several fundamental doctrines of Christology and uncover a number of different approaches to its questions. As they describe formulations of theologians such as Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, Jim and Camden expose how alterations to the basic doctrines of Christology have drastic implications for soteriology. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy
- 350Jonathan Edwards on Adam Before the FallThe Christ the Center panel gather for an informal discussion about Jonathan Edwards and his treatment of the question of how Adam, who was created in righteousness and holiness and knowledge could ever fall into sin. Historically this has been a problematic issue and proves to be a challenge even to Edwards. Jeff Waddington has written a dissertation on Edwards’ anthropology as it pertains to apologetics, and one of the chapters deals specifically with this matter. Listen as we discuss this difficult issue. Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Jeff Waddington
- 351Genesis 2:4-7 — Creation ExpandedIn this episode of Proclaiming Christ we address the issue of whether there are two different creation accounts: one in chapter 1 and another in chapter 2. We discuss the covenant name of God which is introduced in chapter 2. We also reflect on the repeated use of the phrase “these are the generations of” which first appears in chapter 2 and provides a way of dividing the rest of the book. We also consider the description of the creation of man in chapter 2. Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
- 352The Polemical Theology of the Old TestamentScholars disagree on the relationship between portions of the Old Testament and similar ancient Near Eastern accounts. Many believe Moses simply plagiarized material from existing literature. In this episode, we welcome Dr. John Currid to speak about his book Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament. In this book, Dr. Currid questions the higher critical trend by highlighting the highly polemical nature of Moses’ writings. From the Genesis creation account to the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, Currid shows how the biblical author’s continually emphasized the futility of paganism in contrast with the unparalleled worldview of the Hebrews. Dr. Currid is the Carl MacMurray Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. Prior to coming to RTS, he served as Associate Professor of Religion at Grove City College, as Byington Hebrew Teaching Fellow at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and as a member of the faculty at Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Currid serves as Project Director of Bethsaida Excavations Project in Israel (1995-present). He lectures and preaches in many countries including Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Australia, and Brazil. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, John Currid
- 353Trinity and OrganismRev. Carlton Wynne reviews Trinity and Organism: Towards a New Reading of Herman Bavinck’s Organic Motif by James Eglinton and published by T&T Clark. Eglinton demonstrates how Herman Bavinck connected doctrines such as Christology, general and special revelation, ecclesiology. Carlton recently reviewed the book in The Westminster Theological Journal. Participants: Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne
- 354Covenant SolidarityChris Brauns visits Christ the Center to speak about covenant solidarity through his book Bound Together: How We Are Tied to Others in Good and Bad Choices published by Zondervan. Chris is the pastor of The Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley, Illinois and has also written Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds, an excellent treatment and call to return to a biblical conception of forgiveness. Participants: Camden Bucey, Chris Brauns, David Filson
- 355In Defense of the DescentIn this episode, Carlton Wynne reviews In Defense of the Descent by Daniel Hyde. In the book, Hyde seeks to explain and defend an orthodox understanding the Apostles’ Creed when it claims that Christ “descended into hell.” Hyde analyzes this controversial claim, bringing valuable light to this long confessed doctrine. He presents the arguments raised against the descent clause, discusses the various understanding of it throughout church history, explains how the Reformed churches have adopted it, and demonstrated the benefits of retaining it as a point of our Christian confession today. Participants: Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne
- 356The Early Text of the New TestamentToday we welcome Dr. Michael J. Kruger to speak about New Testament textual criticism and the early text of the New Testament. Dr. Kruger has co-edited an excellent book with Dr. Charles E. Hill, titled The Early Text of the New Testament and published by Oxford University Press. The book aims to examine and assess from our earliest extant sources the most primitive state of the New Testament text now known. What sort of changes did scribes make to the text? What is the quality of the text now at our disposal? What can we learn about the nature of textual transmission in the earliest centuries? In addition to exploring the textual and scribal culture of early Christianity, this volume explores the textual evidence for all the sections of the New Testament. It also examines the evidence from the earliest translations of New Testament writings and the citations or allusions to New Testament texts in other early Christian writers. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Michael Kruger, Nick Batzig
- 357Genesis 2:8-15 — A Garden In EdenOn Today’s episode we discuss the garden of Eden and the description given to it in Genesis 2:8-15. We discuss how the garden motif found in Genesis 2 permeates the rest of Scripture. Also, we consider how the garden imagery is used within Scripture to describe God’s dwelling place among His people. We discuss similarities and polemical differences between the garden elements in Scripture and in Ancient Near Eastern writings. Finally we discuss Adam’s place in the garden and his priestly duty to “guard and keep” God’s garden. Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
- 358Better Than the Beginning: Creation in Biblical PerspectiveJim Cassidy reviews Better Than the Beginning: Creation in Biblical Perspective by Richard Barcellos. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy
- 359Typology and JehoiachinWe welcome Matthew Patton to the program to speak about the nature and use of typology using Jehoiachin as an extended example. Mr. Patton is Visiting Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and a PhD candidate in Old Testament at the Wheaton Graduate School. This Mr. Patton’s second time visiting Christ the Center, having spoken with us previously about restoration prophecy in Ezra-Nehemiah. Participants: Adam York, Camden Bucey, Matthew Patton, Nick Batzig
- 360Genesis 2 – The Covenant of WorksOn Today’s episode we discuss Genesis 2 broadly and the covenant God made with Adam. We consider objections to and reasons for saying that Adam was in a covenant. We discuss the nature of this covenant. We also consider how the “first Adam” relates to Jesus Christ, the “second” and “last Adam.” Finally, we discuss how Adam’s role as a covenant head relates to the gospel and the implications for denying this role for Adam. We invite your comments and feedback! Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta
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