Reformed Forum

Latest Episodes:

Vos Group Excursus: The More Excellent Ministry Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

Danny Olinger, Lane Tipton, and Camden Bucey discuss Geerhardus Vos’s sermon, “The More Excellent Ministry” from 2 Corinthians 3:18. This sermon is included in Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Theological Seminary. In this sermon, Vos proclaims the good news of the consummate and unfading glory of Christ’s new covenant ministry and its implications for the church this side of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
04:21 The Polemical Context of 2 Corinthians 3
10:59 The New Covenant Ministry
17:08 2 Corinthians 2:14–17 and Christ’s Triumph
28:06 Transitory vs. Eternal
31:32 Covered vs. Uncovered
34:54 The Function of Moses’ Veil
40:13 New Covenant Ministry Is Bound Up with Christ
42:28 A Ministry of Abundant Forgiveness and Righteousness
50:08 The Transforming Power of the New Covenant
53:39 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Reformed Missions and Evangelism Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Eric Watkins joins us to speak about missions and evangelism from a Reformed perspective. Dr. Watkins is senior pastor of Harvest Presbyterian Church (OPC) in San Marcos, California as well as Director of the Center for Missions and Evangelism at Mid-America Reformed Seminary.

The Center for Missions and Evangelism is a new initiative at Mid-America Reformed Seminary designed to enhance the current M.Div. program with a great emphasis upon the Great Commission, as well as developing a new set of classes, conferences, cohorts, and internships focused on areas of evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and foreign missions.

The CME is hosting a conference in just a few weeks. There is still time to register:

More Salt, More Light: Church in an Age of Opportunity
January 28–29, 2022
Anastasia Church
St. Augustine, Florida

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
03:48 Background to the Center for Missions and Evangelism
11:29 Focusing on Missions and Evangelism
20:17 The More Salt, More Light Conference
30:54 Additional Benefits of the Conference
39:44 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Eric Watkins

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Highlights from 2021 Dec 31, 2021

Show notes

It’s that time of year again. Since 2008, we have been taking a beat around New Year’s Day to bring you some of the top moments from the preceding year. We have a bunch of great clips lined up for you today.

Throughout 2021 we continued to develop Reformed Academy, our online learning platform. We doubled our student base from last year to more than 3,800 people in 73 countries. These brothers and sisters are taking our on-demand courses in Reformed theology, and many of their churches are using these resources in study groups and Sunday school courses.

We are committed to having each of our courses translated and subtitled in languages where we have established relationships with Reformed missionaries and indigenous churches.

Over the last two years, we have had many wonderful opportunities but not enough people and time in the day to complete many of these projects. We have grown significantly in terms of our reach, but we need to mature in terms of our ministry’s staff and infrastructure.

Please consider supporting us prayerfully and financially in these efforts. Visit https://www.reformedforum.org/donate

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Top Clips from 2021

Episode 689 with Christopher Watkin — Foucault on Sexuality and Identity
Episode 689 with Christopher Watkin — Foucault on Power
Episode 695 with Bruce Pass — Bavinck and Supralapsarianism
Episode 706 with Jim Cassidy — Comparing PCA and OPC General Assemblies
Episode 687 with Benjamin Gladd — Israel and Dispensationalism
Episode 712 — Van Til Group #5 with Lane Tipton and Carlton Wynne — Natural Theology, Experience, and Reason
Episode 699 with G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd — Inaugurated Eschatology
Episode 713 with Danny Olinger and John Muether — Premillennialism among Presbyterian Fundamentalists
Episode 709 — Listener Questions with Ryan Noha and Jeff Waddington — Thomas, Van Til, and Classical Theism
Episode 696 with Crawford Gribben — Christian Reconstruction and the Religious Right
Reformed Forum Hot Ones

Episode Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:13 2021 in Review
00:10:19 Foucault on Sexuality and Identity
00:16:18 Foucault on Power
00:20:32 Bavinck and Supralapsarianism
00:23:55 Comparing PCA and OPC General Assemblies
00:28:45 Israel and Dispensationalism
00:31:35 Natural Theology, Experience, and Reason
00:36:16 Inaugurated Eschatology
00:44:14 Premillennialism among Presbyterian Fundamentalists
00:49:54 Thomas, Van Til, and Classical Theism
00:55:09 Christian Reconstruction and the Religious Right
00:59:56 Reformed Theology Meets Spicy Wings
01:06:14 Looking Ahead to 2022

Participants: Benjamin Gladd, Bruce Pass, Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne, Christopher Watkin, Crawford Gribben, Danny Olinger, Greg Beale, Jeff Waddington, John Muether, Lane G. Tipton, Ryan Noha

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Christiane Tietz speaks about her tremendous biography, Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2021).

Dr. Tietz is Professor for Systematic Theology at the Institute of Hermeneutics and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Zurich. From 2008 until 2013 she was Professor for Systematic Theology and Social Ethics at the University of Mainz. She was visiting lecturer or research scholar in Cambridge, Chicago, Heidelberg, Jerusalem, New York, and Princeton. Dr. Tietz is a judge for the Karl Barth-Prize and a member of the Advisory Board of the Karl Barth-Foundation, Basel.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Christiane Tietz, Jim Cassidy

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Sixth Annual Christmas Special Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

For our Sixth Annual Christmas Special, Rob and Bob attempt to bring some holiday cheer and silliness to you, but end up being rather “Bah Humbug” about it all. With some reflections on the pandemic for this Christmas season and some of our least liked Christmas songs out there, we’re just a bowl full of laughter for your listening pleasure. More seriously, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you. Thank you for listening to Theology Simply Profound. We so appreciate your support.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Signature Psalms: Psalm 110 Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Rob and Bob continue a series on familiar psalms that we tend to be drawn to more than others for one reason or another. Psalm 110 is quoted more than any other psalm in the New Testament. Why? What makes it so worthwhile for the New Testament writers to make use of when writing about Jesus?

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Perichoresis, Endoxation, and the Glory-Spirit Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Lane Tipton delivers a plenary address from the annual Reformed Forum Theology Conference, which was hosted October 8–9 at Providence OPC in Pflugerville, Texas. Dr. Tipton’s address is titled, “Perichoresis, Endoxation, and the Glory-Spirit: Foundations for Image-Endowment and Covenant Theology in the Work of Meredith G. Kline“

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:36 Perichoresis, Endoxation, and the Glory-Spirit
00:18:22 Endoxation and Incarnation
00:32:50 Endoxation as the Initial Creational Replication of Trinitarian Perichoresis
00:46:42 The Glory-Spirit and the Image of God
01:01:21 Special Revelation and Covenantal Advancement
01:09:16 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

The Life and Ministry of Thomas Chalmers Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

Sandy Finlayson speaks about the life and ministry of Thomas Chalmers. Finlayson is the author of Chief Scottish Man: The Life and Ministry of Thomas Chalmers (Evangelical Press). Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was a significant figure in nineteenth-century Scotland. Without his vision, organizational skills, and his ability to mobilize opinion, it is unlikely that the Free Church would have come into existence. This new and updated biography—expanded significantly from Finlayson’s Bitesize Biography—tells the story of visionary thinker, minister, and preacher Thomas Chalmers and the many years of struggle for the spiritual independence of the Church of Scotland.

Purchase the book at 10 of Those and receive discounts on bulk orders.

Mr. Finlayson is director of library services and professor of theological bibliography at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:43 Developing an Interest in Chalmers
00:12:09 The Chief Scottish Man of His Time
00:18:49 The Establishmentarian Principle
00:23:10 Scotland in Turmoil
00:26:53 Chalmers’ Early Life and Education
00:36:45 Parish Ministries
00:37:36 The Kilmany Bible Society
00:41:07 Chalmers’ Growth and Transition
00:48:40 Time at St. Andrews University
00:51:59 The Disruption of 1843
00:56:04 Lessons for Today
01:07:48 Conclusion

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Signature Psalms: Psalm 23 Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Rob and Bob begin a new series on familiar psalm that we tend to be drawn to more than others for one reason or another. We begin with one of the most well-known psalms, Psalm 23. Charles Spurgeon calls Psalm 23, “the pearl of the psalms.” Why is this psalm so well loved? We discuss this and other things on today’s episode.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Van Til Group #6 — The Christian Philosophy of Reality Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Carlton Wynne, Lane Tipton, and Camden Bucey open Cornelius Van Til’s book, The Defense of the Faith to pages 40–43, in which Van Til describes the Christian philosophy of reality. While to some degree it is necessary to use categories of God, man, and universe common to unbelievers in order to engage them apologetically and to evangelize, Christians must clearly set forth the distinctly Christian philosophy of reality. Van Til commences that work in chapter two and promptly addresses eternal unity and plurality with regard to the problem of the one and many.