Harrison Perkins | Understanding the Doctrine of Repentance
Reformed Forum
In this episode, Dr. Harrison Perkins speaks about his new book (Christian Focus). Perkins brings the warmth of pastoral ministry together with the clarity of confessional Reformed theology. He explains that repentance is often misunderstood—as if it were a dreary duty or an entrance requirement for grace. Instead, Scripture presents repentance as a saving grace, a divine gift through which Christ frees his people from sin’s enslaving power and draws them into renewed joy. Repentance is not the price we pay to come to Christ; it is the fruit of having already been brought...
info_outline
What Is the Church? Part 1 | The Doctrine of the Church (Lesson 1)
Reformed Forum
This is the first lesson in Dr. James Cassidy's Reformed Academy course, The Doctrine of the Church. This lesson covers the following topics: 00:00 The Church as the Covenant Assembly 07:18 The Church as the Dwelling Place of God 15:12 The Church as God's Chosen People 19:00 The Attributes of the Church: The Church as One 25:38 The Visible Church and the Invisible Church Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to dozens of additional video courses in covenant...
info_outline
Jim Cassidy and Dan Ragusa | Redemptive-Historical Themes in Job and 2 Peter
Reformed Forum
Reformed Forum is happy to introduce a major new publishing initiative: the Redemptive-Historical Bible Studies series. In this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey is joined by Ryan Noha, Jim Cassidy, and Dan Ragusa to discuss how these resources embody Reformed Forum’s vision for accessible, Christ-centered theological education. This series begins with two volumes—Jim Cassidy’s and Dan Ragusa’s —each drawn from Reformed Academy courses. Designed for adult Sunday schools and small groups, these studies help readers encounter Christ in every book of...
info_outline
Worship and Lawful Oaths and Vows | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Lesson 12)
Reformed Forum
This is the twelfth lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 Introduction 3:25 Old Testament Laws on Oaths and Vows 13:08 Old Testament Literary Forms of Oaths and Vows 19:30 The Faithful Vows of Jacob, Israel, and Hannah 27:07 The Negative Examples of Jephthah and Absalom 33:45 Oaths as Covenant Commitments 41:16 The Nazirite Vow 47:46 Oaths and Vows in the New Testament Epoch Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your...
info_outline
Chad Van Dixhoorn | Collaboration, Consensus, and Compromise: Lessons from the Westminster Assembly
Reformed Forum
In this rich conversation, Camden Bucey sits down with Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn—historian, pastor, and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte—to explore the remarkable work and enduring wisdom of the Westminster Assembly. Together, they discuss how the divines pursued theological clarity through collaboration, not compromise, and how their humility and respect shaped confessional standards that have guided the Reformed church for centuries. Van Dixhoorn explains why the Westminster Confession should be seen as “a document with compromises, not a compromise document,” how...
info_outline
The Book of Daniel, Part 10
Reformed Forum
On today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. Having discussed the faithfulness of God’s people in the midst of fiery trials in Daniel 3, we take a look at Nebuchadnezzar's response to that ordeal, he praises God or is it the gods?
info_outline
Worship and Tithing | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Lesson 11)
Reformed Forum
This is the eleventh lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 Introduction 3:58 Tithing in the Patriarchal Narratives 13:59 Tithing in the Mosaic Era 26:40 Tithing in Malachi 33:26 Giving in the New Testament 40:15 Giving as a Continuing Act of Worship 53:08 Concluding Observations Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-seven...
info_outline
Vos Group #103 — Faith in the Gospel of John
Reformed Forum
In this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton explore Geerhardus Vos’s profound treatment of faith in the Gospel of John (pp. 390–392 of Biblical Theology). Vos unfolds faith not as an abstract belief but as a living, continuous union with the incarnate and ascended Truth—Jesus Christ Himself. John’s theology binds faith and truth together: the Son comes down from heaven as the true light, true bread, true vine, and the Truth (John 1:9; 6:32; 15:1; 14:6). Faith, therefore, is a Spirit-wrought communion with the heavenly reality revealed in Him. Tipton and...
info_outline
Communion with God in Prayer | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Less. 10)
Reformed Forum
This is the tenth lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 What is Prayer? 10:02 Old Testament Prayer Narratives 24:20 The Role of Prayer in Liturgical Ascent 33:36 New Covenant Prayer and Christ's Heavenly Intercession Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-seven additional video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical...
info_outline
Jonathan Master | The Shape of Faithful Ministry: Doctrine and Confessional Integrity
Reformed Forum
In this conversation from the Reformation and Worship Conference, Camden Bucey speaks with Dr. Jonathan Master, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, about the unshakable relationship between doctrine and life. Drawing on J. Gresham Machen’s insight that Christianity for Paul was not only a life but also a doctrine—and logically, the doctrine came first, Master reminds us that Christianity is irreducibly doctrinal. Without doctrine, there is no gospel. They discuss Greenville’s pastoral training mission, the seminary’s remarkable 92% long-term ministry retention...
info_outlineIn this episode, Dr. Harrison Perkins speaks about his new book A Penitent People: The Doctrine of Repentance (Christian Focus). Perkins brings the warmth of pastoral ministry together with the clarity of confessional Reformed theology. He explains that repentance is often misunderstood—as if it were a dreary duty or an entrance requirement for grace. Instead, Scripture presents repentance as a saving grace, a divine gift through which Christ frees his people from sin’s enslaving power and draws them into renewed joy. Repentance is not the price we pay to come to Christ; it is the fruit of having already been brought to Him by the Spirit through faith.
Together they explore key biblical passages (Psalm 51, Psalm 38, 2 Corinthians 7, Luke 3), the Reformed confessions, unhealthy distortions of penance, and the pastoral challenge of helping people see repentance not as a terror but as a mercy. Repentance doesn’t merely involve feeling guilty—it involves embracing Christ, turning from sin, and tasting the joy that accompanies renewal. They also discuss what a repentant church culture looks like: a community marked by humility, honesty, grace, and a shared approach to the Lord’s Table as those who come on equal footing—sinners saved by a gracious Redeemer.
Harrison Perkins (PhD, Queen’s University Belfast; MDiv, Westminster Seminary California) is the pastor of Oakland Hills Community Church in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He is the author of Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction (Lexham Press 2024), Catholicity and the Covenant of Works (Oxford University Press, 2020), Righteous by Design: Covenantal Merit and Adam’s Original Integrity (2024), Created for Communion with God: The Promise of Genesis 1–2 (Lexham Press, 2025), and a number of popular and academic articles. He regularly writes articles for Heidelblog and Modern Reformation.
Chapters
- 0:00:07 Introduction
- 0:10:03 Background to the Book
- 0:16:22 Reframing Our Understanding of Repentance
- 0:20:39 The Joy of Repentance
- 0:24:35 The Reformed Confessions on Repentance
- 0:37:17 Psalms 38 and 143
- 0:43:26 Bearing Fruit in Keeping with Repentance
- 0:48:15 Distinguishing Fruits of Repentance from Acts of Penance
- 0:53:28 Illustrations of Repentance
- 1:00:41 Exodus 24, Covenant, and the Repentant Community
- 1:06:45 Hope for Readers of This Book
- 1:12:06 Conclusion
Participants: Camden Bucey, Harrison Perkins
This is Christ the Center episode 936 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc936)