Church Grammar

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Jarvis Williams on Ethnicity, Diversity, and the Church’s Mission Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Jarvis Williams of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss the phrase "redemptive kingdom diversity" (1:27), a biblical theology of the people of God (4:42), the difference between "race" and "ethnicity," and avoiding extreme positions on personal and corporate responsibility (12:54), the church's mission in pursuing diversity (34:51), how to fight for unity (48:09), and more. Buy Jarvis's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, a co-founder of the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. You can preorder Brandon's new book, The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: Seeing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in John's Apocalypse (IVP Academic, 2022). *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Madison Pierce and Ched Spellman on Anonymous Authors and Audiences in the New Testament Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Drs. Madison Pierce of Western Theological Seminary and Ched Spellman of Cedarville University. We discuss the anonymous authorship and audience of Hebrews (7:50), the hermeneutical effect of anonymous authorship (24:26), the development of the canon and tradition (46:05), and more. Buy Madison's and Ched's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, on the board of directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Steven Duby on Divine Attributes, the Incarnation, and Engaging Other Scholars May 30, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Steven Duby of Phoenix Seminary. We discuss "classical theism" as an aid for reading Scripture and doing Christology (3:12), boundaries the doctrine of God provides for the doctrine of the incarnation (19:12), the best case for the covenant of redemption/pactum salutis (32:09), engaging other scholars with clarity and humility (41:15), and more. Buy Steve's books. GIVEAWAY: Go to ps.edu/churchgrammar to enter to win one of five (5) free copies and to read a free excerpt of Steve's new book, Jesus and the God of Classical Theism. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, on the board of directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Gavin Ortlund on Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals and Theological Triage (Repost) May 18, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Gavin Ortlund of First Baptist Church of Ojai, California. We discuss how evangelicals can retrieve theology from the past (2:50), benefits and dangers of retrieval (6:05), evangelicals who "leave" to other traditions (11:01), retrieving Augustine and getting beyond modern theology debates (13:53), why theological triage is important and what it looks like (17:34), doctrines that we rank too high or too low (27:34), and more. See my review of Finding the Right Hills to Die On at Christianity Today and buy Gavin's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, on the board of directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Michael Svigel on Urban Legends in Church History May 05, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Michael Svigel of Dallas Theological Seminary. We discuss the Lord's Supper in the early church (2:19), philosophy's influence on early Christian theology (6:45), where the doctrine of the Trinity came from (13:48), the role of Constantine and the Roman Empire in the church (17:45), and the Great Schism (27:30), the Reformers and sola scriptura (33:07), and more. Buy Michael's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Jeremy Treat on the Atonement and Pastoring in the Pandemic Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Jeremy Treat of Reality LA. We discuss the NBA (1:33), integrating the Kingdom and the cross in atonement theories (5:20), a definition the gospel (11:23), how atonement theories relate to one another (14:07), the implications of living out the gospel (20:49), pastoring in the pandemic (26:38), and more. Buy Jeremy's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Thomas Joseph White on Tough Trinity Questions Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. of the Angelicum. We discuss the continuity and discontinuity between Scripture and Nicaea (3:17), the relationship between ontology/theology and economy (10:30), omnipresence and incarnation (20:00), simplicity and persons (29:21), personal distinctions and eternal relations (35:56), filioque and spiration (43:02), and more. Listen to our previous conversation on tough Christology questions. Buy Thomas's books and check out his band, The Hillbilly Thomists. This episode is sponsored by Phoenix Seminary. Check out their free online masterclasses on church history and the Old Testament: ps.edu/online. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Matthew Bennett on Truths and Myths about Islam Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Bennett of Cedarville University. We discuss what we can learn from Islamic culture (3:52), the history of Muhammad and Islam origins (7:58), Jesus in the Qur'an (15:18), the role of the Bible in the Qur'an (21:00), truths and myths about jihad and violent Islamic groups (21:48), Christianity's truth vs. Islam (28:36), tips for Christian missions and evangelism to Muslims (33:48), and more. Buy Matt's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

Carmen Imes on Sinai, God’s Covenants, and the Biblical Story (Repost) Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

This episode is repost of my conversation with Dr. Carmen Imes of Talbot School of Theology. We discuss the Institute for Biblical Research (2:05), YHWH and Sinai (3:00), God's covenants and the Great Commission (16:43), Gentile inclusion and the "spirit" of the Law (24:58), and practical implications for bearing God's name (34:50). Buy Carmen's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

John Meade on the Development of the Biblical Canon, Canon Lists, and Origen the Text Critic Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with Dr. John Meade of Phoenix Seminary. We discuss early biblical canon lists (1:06), the Old and New Testaments and "other writings" in the lists (7:00), the canon up to the Reformation (18:11), the unity and diversity of "authoritative" books (25:42), why we can trust our Bible (40:54), Origen the text critic (45:10), and more. Buy John's books and check out the Text & Canon Institute. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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