Reformed Forum

Join Robert Arendale, pastor at Redeemer OPC in Beaver Creek, Ohio, as he dives into the depths of redemption. He emphasizes the unique roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in salvation, highlighting how modern preaching often overlooks this vital trinitarian perspective. Arendale discusses the significant cost of Christ’s sacrifice, drawing parallels with Old Testament themes while framing redemption as a profound testament to God’s love. He also reflects on the transformative power of Christ's blood and its implications for worship and grace in everyday life.

Dr. David Barry joins us to speak about his book, The Exile of Adam in Romans: The Reversal of the Curse against Adam and Israel in the Substructure of Romans 5 and 8 (Fortress Academic, 2021). In this book, Barry investigates the "divine son" motif in Romans 5 and 8 through the lens of exile and restoration. Both Adam's exclusion from Eden and Israel's exile from Palestine are, for Paul, a divine son falling short of God's holiness and forfeiting the divine inheritance and presence. The themes of Adam and Israel are complementary examples of sin and separation from God, which Paul argues are reversed in Christ and for believers in union with him. This theme of "divine sons" provides a framework for interpreting Paul's use of restoration prophecies in Romans 5 and 8. Dr. Barry is pastor at Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Powder Springs, Georgia and Visiting Lecturer in New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament from Westminster Theological Seminary (2018). Prior to his doctoral work, he studied at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, (M.Div, 2013), and Clemson University (BS, 2009).

The Lord pronounces an indictment upon Israel and convicts her of her sins. He also calls her to repentance and to return to him. The coming judgment in exile reminds of Christ who was exile in death for us, that in him we might have life and restoration in the heavenly promised land.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, we begin reposting a series of readings of J. Gresham Machen's 1923 classic book, Christianity and Liberalism. (originally posted August 27, 2019, Episode 169)

We take the podcast on the road for three episodes to visit Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. In our first episode of the road trip, we speak with Dr. Guy Richard about his book Persistent Prayer (P&R, 2021). This book is in P&R's Blessings of the Faith series. This book will prove useful to pastors, elders, and study groups as it provides encouragement and instruction regarding prayer and its blessings. Dr. Guy M. Richard is President and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He joined us for Christ the Center episode 83 on the theology of Samuel Rutherford.

Danny Olinger, Lane Tipton, and Camden Bucey discuss Geerhardus Vos's sermon, "A More Excellent Ministry" from 2 Corinthians 3:18. This sermon is included in Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Theological Seminary. In this sermon, Vos proclaims the good news of the consummate and unfading glory of Christ's new covenant ministry and its implications for the church this side of Christ's death and resurrection.

Dr. Eric Watkins joins us to speak about missions and evangelism from a Reformed perspective. Dr. Watkins is senior pastor of Harvest Presbyterian Church (OPC) in San Marcos, California as well as Director of the Center for Missions and Evangelism at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. The Center for Missions and Evangelism is a new initiative at Mid-America Reformed Seminary designed to enhance the current M.Div. program with a great emphasis upon the Great Commission, as well as developing a new set of classes, conferences, cohorts, and internships focused on areas of evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and foreign missions.

It's that time of year again. Since 2008, we have been taking a beat around New Year's Day to bring you some of the top moments from the preceding year. We have a bunch of great clips lined up for you today. Throughout 2021 we continued to develop Reformed Academy, our online learning platform. We doubled our student base from last year to more than 3,800 people in 73 countries. These brothers and sisters are taking our on-demand courses in Reformed theology, and many of their churches are using these resources in study groups and Sunday school courses. We are committed to having each of our courses translated and subtitled in languages where we have established relationships with Reformed missionaries and indigenous churches. Over the last two years, we have had many wonderful opportunities but not enough people and time in the day to complete many of these projects. We have grown significantly in terms of our reach, but we need to mature in terms of our ministry's staff and infrastructure. Please consider supporting us prayerfully and financially in this efforts. Visit https://www.reformedforum.org/donate

Dr. Christiane Tietz speaks about her tremendous biography, Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2021). Dr. Tietz is Professor for Systematic Theology at the Institute of Hermeneutics and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Zurich. From 2008 until 2013 she was Professor for Systematic Theology and Social Ethics at the University of Mainz. She was visiting lecturer or research scholar in Cambridge, Chicago, Heidelberg, Jerusalem, New York, and Princeton. Dr. Tietz is a judge for the Karl Barth-Prize and a member of the Advisory Board of the Karl Barth-Foundation, Basel.

For our Sixth Annual Christmas Special, Rob and Bob attempt to bring some holiday cheer and silliness to you, but end up being rather "Bah Humbug" about it all. With some reflections on the pandemic for this Christmas season and some of our least liked Ch