Reformed Theology

Know Nature to Know Scripture

May 21, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,” reasons Paul before saying, “just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body” (Eph 5:29–30).

Paul here moves seamlessly from the nature of human bodies to the supernatural grace of Christ’s for the church. Paul then continues moving from nature to grace by defining the church as those who are “members of his body.” By members, Paul means parts of the body: a hand, a foot, an eye, and so on.

Nature explains grace. That’s why God made everything. [Read more…] about Know Nature to Know Scripture

A Reformed Harmony between Church and Civil Authority (The Leiden Synopsis)

May 8, 2021 by wagraham 3 Comments

After the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619), faculty from the University of Leiden spent years disputing reformed orthodoxy to create a synopsis that defined the norm of reformed orthodoxy.

During these disputations, Johannes Polyander (1568–1646) rejected the Roman Catholic position, as expressed in the Council of Trent and elsewhere, that “clerics are entirely and unconditionally exempt from the yoke of the political magistrate” (§50.21).

Episode 35: Malcolm Yarnell on Confessionalism, Anabaptists, and Being Baptist

March 9, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

In this episode, Malcolm Yarnell and I discuss confessionalism, anabaptists, and being baptist. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Also, see the host page at Anchor and the Youtube page. And bookmark this page to see every episode. [Read more…] about Episode 35: Malcolm Yarnell on Confessionalism, Anabaptists, and Being Baptist

How Did 16th and 17th Reformed Theologians Interact with Post-Reformation Roman Catholics?

January 24, 2021 by wagraham Leave a Comment

In Beyond Dordt and De Auxiliis, a number of Reformed and Catholic scholars discuss, as the subtitle notes, The Dynamics of Protestant and Catholic Soteriology in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

While it may be tempting to assume that Reformed and Roman Catholic theology completely drifted apart after the Reformation and Council of Trent, Beyond Dordt puts that assumption to rest. Each chapter in the work uncovers the complex relationship between Reformed and Roman Catholic debate during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. And the conclusion is that the Reformed and Roman Catholics knew each other’s works, interacted with each other, and often did so for polemical and non-polemical reasons. [Read more…] about How Did 16th and 17th Reformed Theologians Interact with Post-Reformation Roman Catholics?

Six Ways That John Calvin Speaks about Free Will

August 26, 2020 by wagraham 1 Comment

John Calvin speaks about free will in the following six ways:

1. Adam had free will and freely chose to sin.

2. Adam lost free will because free will requires the mind to deliberate and to discern good from evil before choosing one of these ends. In this sense, free will no longer exists in humans because our natures have become corrupted.

Episode 9: Paul Maxwell on Trauma in Reformed Theology

July 14, 2020 by wagraham 2 Comments

In this episode, Paul Maxwell and I talk about his work on trauma and reformed theology. He argues that reformed theology conceptually teaches good and true dogma but that the individual experience of this theology among those who have experienced trauma needs to be considered. Maximal control and overly negative views of human nature can affect some people in unhelpful ways.

One of the most exciting parts about hosting a podcast like this is that I can learn from those with whom I disagree. Here, that is partially the case. But I learned more about reformed thinking and trauma and was challenged to think self-reflectively. I hope the same thing is true for you too when you hear Paul speak.

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Also, see the host page at Anchor. And bookmark this page to see every episode.