"Epistemological Reflections"
Westminster Seminary Press
In a field like theology, epistemology (or the study of the nature of knowledge) is tremendously important. Not just because the very existence of God is debated; not only because the possibility of the knowledge of God must be addressed in a systematic way; but because the conclusions we make about God and about the security of our knowledge of him should matter for our jobs, our relationships, and how we view ourselves. To find out more about the book visit wtspress.com and listen in to the episodes for a special discount on “Word & Spirit” by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. Music Licensing...
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"The Usefulness of the Cross"
Westminster Seminary Press
The Usefulness of the Cross by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. is an article that has revolutionized the approach to suffering for many Christians across the world. It was first published in 1979 but has now been republished in the volume Word and Spirit which showcases the selected shorter writings of Richard B.Gaffin Jr. To find out more about the book visit wtspress.com and listen in to the episodes for a special discount on “Word & Spirit” by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. Music Licensing Code: LRQYRKJ5TZBTS3WL BBPFSD2LLIYNW5EP FM80YYSHM9MUOS7Q 5BJBVSQ6PXR4VHOU
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"Redemption and Resurrection"
Westminster Seminary Press
This is the story of a theologian. A first rate, world class New Testament scholar and Systematics professor whose body of work stands quietly in the confluence of two great church traditions, Scottish Presbyterianism and Dutch Neo-Calvinism. But unless you’ve gone to seminary or happen to subscribe to peer reviewed academic journals, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. To find out more about the book visit wtspress.com and listen in to the episodes for a special discount on “Word & Spirit” by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. Music Licensing Code:...
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Word & Spirit - Trailer
Westminster Seminary Press
Few Reformed theologians have exerted the influence in both the church and the academy that Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. has, shaping the theology and spiritual formation of generations of pastors and teachers. Until now, his most significant published works have been inaccessible to most theological readers, published in academic journals, denominational newsletters, and out of print festschrifts and essay collections. A decade in the making, Word & Spirit gathers Gaffin’s finest works of biblical and systematic theology and arranges them in a singular, organic whole that presents Gaffin’s...
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"The Active Obedience of Christ" (Chapter 49)
Westminster Seminary Press
Shortly before dawn on a cold North Dakota morning, a telegram was sent to John Murray, professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. “I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ,” it read, “no hope without it.” Not long after composing this telegram, J. Gresham Machen died after a short battle with pneumonia and entered the eternal rest of his savior, who had redeemed his sins and given him peace with God. Not long before he left for North Dakota, Machen wrote and recorded the message you’re about to listen to. It’s these...
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"Christ our Redeemer" (Chapter 47)
Westminster Seminary Press
In the previous episodes, we heard from J. Gresham Machen about how we can know that God exists, and about our sin that keeps us from having peace with God. In this broadcast, Machen introduces us to the hope for that grim reality, the only person who can redeem us from our sin and give us the peace with God that we need: Jesus Christ. To find out more about the book visit Wtsbooks.com and listen in to the episodes for a special discount on “Things Unseen” by J. Gresham Machen. Music Licensing Codes: 3V1UAIHD9FWSWNYC
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"What is Sin?" (Chapter 33)
Westminster Seminary Press
In the previous episode, we talked about how we can know and have confidence that God exists. But the difference between knowing that God exists, and enjoying a relationship with God is a vast distance. Just believing in God doesn’t explain why he seems so far away. The answer to that dilemma isn’t a popular one these days. When we talk about sin a lot of modern preconceptions come to mind. Ideas about guilt and shame, judgment and brokenness. But none of these terms really captures what the Bible says about sin, the power that separates us from God. It’s that biblical definition of sin...
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Reformed Standards of Unity: Special Episode
Westminster Seminary Press
Creeds and confessions are the banner of the church militant. They contain statements of doctrine that are to be believed, for knowledge unto godliness; and are to be confessed, for the ministry of the church unto the world. In this way, creeds and confessions are for each member of Christ’s body, and for the body as a whole. In this podcast I chat with Dr. Peter Lillback about a project that he has been working for close to fifty years. Reformed Standards of Unity is a new volume that carries Christians down ancient paths, so that they might walk in today’s world with a living and...
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"How May God Be Known" (Chapter 2)
Westminster Seminary Press
How can you know that God is real? This question has always been difficult, but in 1935, when J. Gresham Machen broadcasted the first of these little talks, the ground had shifted. Cultural Christianity was giving way to new ideas about truth and the universe. Darwinian evolution was becoming entrenched in the public school system, and it had even become fashionable to openly question the existence of God. In the best of times, it isn’t easy to find a place to start to give answers proving the existence of God, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t answers. It just takes careful, patient...
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"The Present Emergency" (Chapter 1)
Westminster Seminary Press
The year is 1935. The Great Depression grinds on in the United States, and dramatic action by the federal government is deepening political divides. Abroad, things aren’t any better. War between communist and fascist factions is about to break out in Spain, and there’s fear o f it spreading to the rest of Europe. In a word, things are looking grim. Stepping into a broadcast booth in Philadelphia, J. Gresham Machen had all of this in mind. But for more than a decade he had grown accustomed to grim outlooks. Between leaving Princeton Seminary and being defrocked by his denomination, he’d...
info_outlineThe Church. Few institutions are more unpopular or controversial these days than the Christian church. And, let’s face it, a lot of the time, even Christians don’t appear to like it very much. Every week it seems there’s a new scandal or debate splitting congregations. It can be tempting to think that maybe the church is obsolete, maybe we’d be better off going our own way.
But there’s a tragic irony in that. Sometimes it’s lost on us that in the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus says “upon this rock I will build my church” he’s not talking about flawless rich young ruler types, or even the pharisees. He’s talking about the disciples but especially Peter, the one who would later deny Christ, who needed to be confronted by the apostle Paul, and who often had to have things repeated three times before he understood it.
The point is, from the very beginning Jesus knew that his church would be filled with the messy, sinful men and women that he gave his life to save. And so he gave his apostles specific guidance on how the church should help Christians grow in faith, in repentance, doctrine and ethics through preaching, sacraments, and prayer.
The liberals of Machen’s day didn’t believe this was enough. They began to look for ways to accommodate Jesus’ vision to the culture at the expense of our core beliefs about Christ, the Bible, Salvation, God, and even our own identity. We find ourselves at a similar crossroads today, surrounded by a culture asking the question: does the church even matter?
Visit christianityandliberalism.com for more on the book, audiobook, and show.
Music:
“Line in the Sand (C&L)” by Timothy Brindle
Produced by Nobody Special
Wrath and Grace Records
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