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Podcast Throwback: Why is the Beatific Vision our Hope? Michael Allen and Matthew Barrett
The apostle John once wrote to the church and made a bold promise: “Beloved we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). What does John mean…
Read MoreWhat has Athens to do with Jerusalem? Paul Tyson and Matthew Barrett
From Plato to Aristotle, Greek philosophy posits a transcendent view of reality often not appreciated by contemporary Christians living after modernism. But transcendence in Greek thought was not lost on the biblical authors. Narratives such as John 1 and Acts 17 reveal that the biblical authors understood and critically appropriated classical Greek philosophy into their…
Read MoreWhat is the Doctrine of Participation? Andrew Davison and Matthew Barrett
“For from him and through him and to him are all things…” (Rom. 11:36) What does it mean to participate in God? In what ways do we share in Christ? Protestants today are oftentimes unfamiliar with or even suspicious towards the doctrine of participating in God. As some claim, does participation confuse the creation and…
Read MorePodcast Throwback: Thomas Aquinas, Friend or Foe? Michael Allen and Matthew Barrett
Why are evangelicals so unfamiliar with one of the greatest theologians in the history of the church, Thomas Aquinas? Is Thomas a friend or a foe to evangelicals today? Was Thomas first and foremost a philosopher or a theologian? Was Thomas a rationalist as some would suggest? What advantages are there to embracing a Reformed Thomism?…
Read MorePodcast Throwback: Why did R.C. Sproul think Classical Theism was his legacy?
From his books to the chalkboard, R.C. Sproul communicated the deep things of God in an accessible way. When asked what the core of his legacy was all about he exclaimed, “Classical Theism!” But Sproul’s commitment to classical theism was foundational to his defense of the faith as well, which explains why Sproul was so…
Read MorePodcast Throwback: What is Partitive Exegesis?
How can we hold our systematic theology in one hand and take seriously the exegetical task in the other? How do we interpret scripture in light of Christ’s two natures? Throughout the Great Tradition, biblical scholars and theologians alike have turned to partitive exegesis as an essential tool in the interpretive task. In light of…
Read MoreCredo Alliance: Why We Believe in the Beatific Vision
Theological convictions abound in matters of eschatology. But rather than focusing on secondary and often popular matters such as the rapture or the millennium, this episode of the Credo Alliance introduces listeners to the pinnacle of the Christian life: the blessed hope of the beatific vision. The doctrine of the beatific vision is often brushed…
Read MoreCredo Alliance: Why We Believe in Eternal Generation
“Begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.” With these words, the Nicene Creed sets the standard of Christian orthodoxy for pastors and church members. As Christians confess the creed today, they link arms with brothers and sisters throughout the ages in affirming their belief in the eternal generation of the Son. In…
Read MoreWhy did Calvin think the Fathers were on his side? Matthew Barrett and Ronni Kurtz
In the final episode of this Credo mini-series, Ronni Kurtz asks Matthew Barrett about his investigation of John Calvin in his new book, The Reformation as Renewal. They discuss Calvin’s juxtaposition of dead icons and living icons and his doctrine of participation. They also wrestle with misnomers over Calvin’s reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper…
Read MoreWhat is Reformed Catholicity? Matthew Barrett and Ronni Kurtz
Despite its polemic again the Roman church, the theological structures which emerged in the Swiss Reformation stood firmly on the traditional teaching of he church. This was achieved through a deliberate appropriation of the early church and a good deal of the medieval church. The Swiss reformers were grounded on historical continuity.” These words by…
Read MoreWhat was the Reformation debate over the Lord’s Supper really about? Matthew Barrett and Samuel Bierig
In episode 4 of this mini-series, Samuel Bierig asks Matthew Barrett, author of newly released book The Reformation as Renewal (Zondervan Academic), about the intense divisions over the Lord’s Supper during the Reformation and whether there is more than meets the eye. As Barrett moves below the surface he shows that at the root of the…
Read MoreWill the real Luther please stand up? Matthew Barrett and Samuel Bierig
In episode 3 of this mini-series, Samuel Bierig asks Matthew Barrett, author of the new book The Reformation as Renewal, to introduce us to another side of Martin Luther, that side of Luther often forgotten. Though the oppositional narrative claims Luther radically severed himself from tradition, Barrett shows there’s more to Luther than meets the…
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