Reformed Forum

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The Diet of Worms Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

The main events of the Diet of Worms relating to Luther took place from 16 to 18 April 1521. This year marks the 500^th anniversary of the Diet of Worms, and on this occasion, we welcome Dr. Herman Selderhuis to rehearse the events of the diet and share his thoughts about its enduring significance for the church.

The Diet of Worms of 1521 was a formal deliberative assembly of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the city of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to the Diet in order to renounce or reaffirm his views in response to a Papal bull of Pope Leo X. Luther defended these views and refused to recant them. At the end of the Diet, the Emperor issued the Edict of Worms, condemning Luther and banning citizens from propagating his ideas.

Dr. Herman Selderhuis is Professor of church history and church polity at the Theological University of Apeldoorn and President of the REFORC (Reformation Research Consortium). He is the author or editor of several books:

Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography (Crossway, 2017)
John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life (IVP Academic, 2009)
The Calvin Handbook (editor) (Eerdmans, 2009)
Calvin’s Theology of the Psalms (Baker Academic, 2007)
Handbook of Dutch Church History (editor) (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014)
A Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy (editor) (Brill, 2013)

Participants: Camden Bucey, Herman Selderhuis

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

On Our Radar [15 Apr 21] Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

The following books are on our radar for April 15, 2021.

Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from Leviticus: Foundations for Expository Sermons (Eerdmans, March 2021). 344 pages. $35.00. Paperback.
Ryken, Leland and Mathes, Glenda Faye. Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the Good, the True, and the Beautiful (Crossway, March 2021). 304 pages. 21.99. Paperback.
Bredenhof, Reuben. Weak Pastor, Strong Christ: Developing a Christ-Shaped Gospel Ministry(Reformation Heritage Books, March 2021). 144 pages. $14.00. Paperback.
Tietz, Christiane. Karl Barth: A Life of Conflict (Oxford University Press, April 2021). 448 pages. $32.95. Hardcover.
Baucham Jr., Voddie T. Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Salem, April 2021). 270 pages. $24.99. Hardcover with jacket.
Levering, Matthew & Plested, Marcus. The Oxford Handbook of the Reception of Aquinas (Oxford University Press, March 2021). 856 pages. $165.00. Hardcover.
Nichols, Stephen J. R. C. Sproul: A Life (Crossway, March 2021). 400 pages. $34.99. Hardcover with jacket.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Ryan Noha

Typology and Covenant Membership in Hebrews Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

We pick up on our conversation from episode 655 with Jeremy Boothy on covenant theology in the book of Hebrews by focusing upon Vos’s Triangle and the heavenly-centered understanding of typology expressed by the author of Hebrews. This leads us to discuss a redemptive-historical hermeneutic as well as the nature of new covenant membership in our present covenant-historical era.

Rev. Boothy is pastor of Christ Covenant OPC in Amarillo, Texas.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeremy Boothby

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

On Our Radar [8 Apr 21] Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

The following books are on our radar for April 8, 2021.

Barrett, Matthew. Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker, March 2021). 368 pages. $24.99. Paperback.
Van Dam, Cornelis. In the Beginning: Listening to Genesis 1 and 2 (Reformation Heritage Books, March 2021) 384 pages. $30.00. Hardcover.
Gribben, Crawford. Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest (Oxford University Press, March 2021). 224 pages. $29.95. Hardcover.
Kuhn, Chase R. and Grimmond, Paul. Theology is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method and Practice (Lexham, March 2021). From the Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology series. 416 pages. $29.99. Paperback.
Piper, John. Providence (Crossway, March 2021). 752 pages. $39.99. Hardcover.
Waltke, Bruce and Ivan D. De Silva. Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary (Eerdmans, March 2021). 500 pages. $38.00. Paperback.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Ryan Noha

Vos Group #68 — The Nature and Attributes of Jehovah: Righteousness Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

We turn to pages 250–255 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider God’s righteousness—particularly as it is revealed during the time of the Old Testament prophets.

Vos speaks of God’s righteousness as “midway between the transcendental and communicative attributes” (250). God is the righteous judge. In human terms, a judge is righteous because he adheres strictly to the standard or law over him. How does this apply to God, who has no standard or law above him? “Underlying the decisions of Jehovah lies His nature” (251). The law is righteous because it is based upon God’s nature, not the other way around.

Vos speaks of God’s forensic or judicial righteousness branching out in several directions, as a righteousness of cognizance, retribution, vindication, salvation, and benevolence.

Participants: Camden Bucey, 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

On Our Radar [1 Apr 21] Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

These are the books on our radar for April 1, 2021.

Kuyper, Abraham. On Business and Economics (Lexham; Acton Institute, February 2021). From the Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology series. 192 pages. $29.99. Hardcover with jacket.
Selvaggio, Anthony T. Considering Job: Reconciling Sovereignty and Suffering (Reformation Heritage Books, February 2021). 184 pages. $14.00. Paperback.
Carr, Simonetta. Questions Women Asked: Historical Issues, Timeless Answers (Reformation Heritage Books, February 2021). 240 pages. $18.00. Paperback.
Balserak, John. A Companion to the Reformation in Geneva (Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition, Volume 96) (Brill, February 2021). 478 pages. $222.00. Hardcover.
Sweeney, Douglas A. and Jan Stievermann (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Jonathan Edwards (Oxford University Press, February 2021). 608 pages. $145.00. Hardcover.
Dodson, Rhett P. With a Mighty Triumph: Christ’s Resurrection and Ours (Banner of Truth, February 2021). 159 pages. $10.00. Paperback.
Wellum, Stephen J. The Person of Christ (Crossway, Feb 2021). Short Studies in Systematic Theology series. 208 pages. $18.99. Paperback.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Ryan Noha

Trends in Christian Education Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

All Christian parents are called to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). In Deuteronomy 6:4–9, the Lord commands his covenant people,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It is non-negotiable for covenant families to raise their children according to the Lord’s commands. However, this education may take different forms amidst different circumstances.

In this episode, Erica Bucey, Director of Development at Westlake Christian Academy in Grayslake, Illinois, speaks about various trends in Christian education given the COVID-19 pandemic, which has uprooted education in America. Families have been influenced to think about education in ways that they have not before.

We speak about different approaches to education, the trade-offs involved in each form, as well as current legislation in Illinois that encourages a form of progressive indoctrination in public schools. We conclude by discussing ways in which churches can support families by talking about these matters and educating them.

Links to Resources

Cornelius Van Til, “What Shall We Feed Our Children?” The Presbyterian Guardian, Vol. 3 No. 2 (October 1936), 23–24.
Cornelius Van Til, Foundations of Christian Education
Cornelius Van Til, Essays on Christian Education
Doug Wilson, The Case for Classical Christian Education
David Engelsma, Reformed Education: The Christian School as Demand of the Covenant
Stanley Kurtz speaking with Mark Bauerlein on the First Things podcast
George F. Will, “The Worst-Governed State Now Turns to Indoctrination”

Participants: Camden Bucey, Erica Bucey

Research Tools: Zotero Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Whether you are a scholar, pastor, theological student, Bible study teacher, or someone engaged in serious personal study, it is critical to document your sources. Regrettably, most people don’t do this well.

Along with many best practices, there are tested toolsused by many scholars in a wide range of disciplines. One of these is Zotero. At root, Zotero is a citation manager. But it does much more than that. It is a tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research.

Links

Zotero
Zotero connector for Google Chrome
ZotFile: advanced PDF management
WorldCat library catalog
Reformed Media Review, episode 126: How to Take Smart Notes

Genesis 28:10–22 — God’s Ladder Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Occasionally the New Testament provides a direct connection to the words of the Old, pointing like a bright beacon to the person of Christ. We find that is the case as we look at the story of God’s ladder from Genesis 28. Angels ascend the ladder with a message for God from Jacob and descend from heaven with a message from God for Jacob.

Participants: Mark A. Winder

New Course: Van Til’s Trinitarian Theology Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Lane Tipton discusses “Van Til’s Trinitarian Theology,” the latest on-demand video course released with Reformed Academy. Designed to equip the student to engage critically central issues in trinitarian theology, this course will focus on the architectonic significance of the Trinity both in Van Til’s theology and apologetics. Special attention will be given to Van Til’s historical and theological context, his theology of triune personhood, the structure and function of the representational principle, the distinctively trinitarian character of the transcendental method, and his rejection of all species of correlativism, ranging from Karl Barth to contemporary expressions of Evangelical mutualism.

Enroll for free at https://www.reformedforum.org/courses/van-tils-trinitarian-theology

Participants: Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne, Lane G. Tipton