Four Outstanding Interviews

By Matthew Barrett–

One of the blessings of living in the 21^st century is that we have resources at our fingertips, resources that can help us draw near to God, understand his Word better, as well as his providence in redemptive-history. We hope that Credo Magazine is one of those resources, helping you and assisting you as a Christian devoted to God. But today I want to point you to another resource that has caught my attention, namely, the Beeson podcast hosted by Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School. Here you will find a rich archive of interviews with some of today’s leading figures. If I may, I would like to draw your attention to four of them in particular that benefited me and I hope they do the same for you:

 

Puritan Spirituality, with Gerald Bray

In this interview Timothy George interviews Gerald Bray. In my opinion, Bray is one of the most brilliant and interesting historians and theologians of our day. In this interview Bray takes us back to the Puritan world and provides us with insight into how they understood the Christian life.

 

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, with Eric Metaxas

If you don’t know who Eric Metaxas is, well, shame on you. Eric has diverse talents (see here), including his well-known leadership of Socrates in the City (what a great name!). In this interview Metaxas talks about his recent biography of Bonhoeffer. Eric is a colorful, fascinating speaker to listen to and you will enjoy this interview as he shares with us his love for Bonhoeffer.

 

Preaching and Ministry, with Sinclair Ferguson

It is a close tie with Gerald Bray, but this episode with Sinclair Ferguson may be my favorite. First of all, I have much respect for Sinclair. His writings and sermons have been a goldmine in my own life. But what I liked about this interview was that Timothy George probed into the life of Sinclair, making him reflect on his entrance into the ministry, and also allowed Sinclair to give advice to young ministers on things like the role of the Spirit in preaching. Sinclair is a wealth of wisdom and you will not regret listening to this interview.

 

The Shaping of a Pastor, with Alistair Begg

If you liked Sinclair’s interview, you will also like this one with Alistair Begg, another experienced pastor, preacher, writer who has much wisdom to offer. In this interview Alistair talks about his unusual and providential move to take up ministry in the U.S. He also shares some advice about the ups and downs of pastoral ministry.

Matthew Barrett (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at California Baptist University (OPS). He is also the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett has contributed book reviews and articles to various academic journals. He is the editor, along with Ardel Caneday, of the forthcoming book: Four Views on the Historical Adam (Zondervan, 2013). He also edited Whomever He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy. He is the author of several other forthcoming books.