Reformed Forum

Dr. Keith Stanglin joins us to speak about the theology of Jacobus Arminius. Dr. Stanglin is associate professor at Austin Graduate School of Theology. Arminius was a Dutch theologian who served as a professor of theology at the University of Leiden. Many

Sections 1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony of our Saviour. Another answer, which explains the use of exhortations. 5. A third answer, which contains a fuller explanation of the second. Objection to the previous answers. Objection refuted. Summary of the previous answers.

Sections 1. Connection of this chapter with the preceding. Augustine's similitude of a good and bad rider. Question answered in respect to the devil. 2. Question answered in respect to God and man. Example from the history of Job. The works of God distinguished from the works of Satan and wicked men. 1. By the design or end of acting. How Satan acts in the reprobate. 2. How God acts in them. 3. Old Objection, that the agency of God in such cases is referable to prescience or permission, not actual operation. Answer, showing that God blinds and hardens the reprobate, and this in two ways; 1. By deserting them; 2. By delivering them over to Satan. 4. Striking passages of Scripture, proving that God acts in both ways, and disposing of the objection with regard to prescience. Confirmation from Augustine. 5. A modification of the former answer, proving that God employs Satan to instigate the reprobate, but, at the same time, is free from all taint. 6. How God works in the hearts of men in indifferent matters. Our will in such matters not so free as to be exempt from the overruling providence of God. This confirmed by various examples. 7. Objection, that these examples do not form the rule. An answer, fortified by the testimony of universal experience, by Scripture, and a passage of Augustine. 8. Some, in arguing against the error of free will, draw an argument from the event. How this is to be understood.

Today we welcome Iain H. Murray to the program to discuss his new biography, J. C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone. In 1957, Rev. Murray co-founded the Banner of Truth Trust. Ryle (1816–1900) was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool. He was an ardent de

Corey Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto discuss Friedrich Schleiermacher's philosophical influences on his theology, exploring topics such as transcendental ego, immediate self-consciousness, absolute dependence on God, and the interplay between faith, reason, and revelation in theological reasoning.

The evangelical Internet is abuzz with discussion about ad intra relations within the Trinity. Bruce Ware and Wayne Grudem have been recognized as presenting forms of Eternal Functional Subordination (EFS) of the Son to the Father in their respective books, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance (Crossway) and Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan). Owen Strachan and his co-author Gavin Peacock hold to what they term Eternal Relations of Authority and Submission (ERAS) in their book, The Grand Design (Crossway). In this episode, we address the current controversy by looking at the eternal relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three persons are one God. They are related by an irreversible taxis: the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Theologians often call this the immanent or ontological Trinity. These three persons are equal in power and glory, yet their essential relationship entails no relationship of authority, subordination, or submission. Nonetheless, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit freely will to create, and eventually to redeem, a people unto himself. This free, yet still eternal agreement, is known as the pactum salutis or Covenant of Redemption. After listening to this discussion, please consider two previous episodes of Christ the Center that deal with similar issues: Christ the Center episode 245, Eternal Generation of the Son Christ the Center episode 295, The Aseity of the Son

Dr. Alan Strange provides a window in Presbyterian history, taking us back to the nineteenth century. Charles Hodge looms large over American Presbyterianism, and his doctrine of the spirituality of the church offered an important biblical rationale for a

Dr. Brant Bosserman is an admirer of Cornelius Van Til's Trinitarian theology—so much so that he seeks to develop it further. In his book The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox, Dr. Bosserman details Van Til's view but goes further by argu

Ministry in the body of Christ is trying. We face many challenges as we battle the enemy and the flesh. While some shrink before the battle, others dive in irresponsibly and flameout quickly. Camden Bucey reviews Zeal without Burnout: Seven Keys to a Life

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we reflect upon the life and ministry of the denomination's oldest minister, 103 year-old Rev. John P. Galbraith. Galbraith was a student of J. Gresham Machen's at Westminster Th