Dr. Carlton Wynne, an expert on John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, discusses Calvin's theology, natural revelation, the effects of the fall on human reasoning, and the impact of modernism on the church. Comparisons to Thomas Aquinas and Cornelius Van Til are also explored.
Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion serve as a valuable resource for both laypeople and scholars, fueling true piety and worship.
Calvin's theology emphasizes the absolute transcendence of God and serves as a means of maintaining true religion in a modernist world.
Understanding Christ's person and work, especially his substitutionary atonement and righteousness credited to believers, is of utmost importance according to Calvin's final lecture.
Deep dives
The podcast discusses the recent Reformed Theology conference and the role of Calvin's Institutes in the church and academia
The podcast episode focuses on a recent Reformed Theology conference that discusses the influence of Calvin's Institutes in both the church and academia. The conference, titled 'Christianity or Modernism,' explores the impact of the modernist spirit on the church. The guest speaker, Carlton Win, highlights the importance of Calvin's theology in training pastors and building up churches. He emphasizes that the Institutes serve as a valuable resource for both laypeople and scholars, providing doxological theology that fuels true piety and worship.
The speaker provides an overview of the course taught on Calvin's Institutes
The speaker gives a detailed account of the course taught on Calvin's Institutes. The course, which focused on books one and two, aimed to make the Institutes accessible to Sunday school attendees and laypeople daunted by its 1500-page length. The lectures covered various theological topics, including the knowledge of God as the creator and redeemer, the revelation of God in nature and Scripture, the uses of the moral law, and the unity and development between the Old and New Testaments. The course provided a comprehensive understanding of Calvin's theology while highlighting his emphasis on worship and doxology.
The guest speaker reflects on the relationship between the academy and the church in doing theology
The speaker, who has experience both in academia and as a pastor, discusses the relationship between the academy and the church in doing theology. He views the church and the academy as intimately connected, with the work of the academy being in service to the local church. He emphasizes that Calvin's Institutes, though a scholarly work, has great value for laypeople and pastors. The speaker highlights the importance of maintaining true religion in a modernist world, particularly by upholding the absolute transcendence of God in the face of modernist compromises. He concludes by affirming that only a transcendent God can truly save and reveal who we are as humans.
Main Idea 1
Calvin's final lecture discusses the importance of understanding Christ's person and work. He explains the two natures of Christ as the divine son and explores his role as a prophet, priest, and king. Calvin emphasizes the significance of Christ's substitutionary atonement and his righteousness credited to believers. He also examines the Apostles' Creed, particularly the clause about Christ descending into hell, offering his interpretation in contrast to the Westminter Larger Catechism. Calvin concludes by highlighting Christ's ascension, glorious return, and the comprehensive blessings of salvation in him.
Main Idea 2
The podcast conversation delves into the topic of natural revelation and natural knowledge of God. It distinguishes between the knowledge of God stamped on the hearts of fallen humans versus the knowledge derived from reflection upon natural revelation. Calvin's belief in natural revelation is affirmed, but it's clarified that fallen humans cannot reason rightly about God without the work of the Holy Spirit. The discussion highlights the ethical aspect of knowledge and emphasizes that even if non-Christians can engage in correct reasoning or useful actions, their motivations and standards are still flawed without being rooted in faith and the glory of God. This ethical aspect of knowledge is also explored in relation to the antithesis and the need for a proper Christian perspective in all areas of life.
After recording a course on the subject for Reformed Academy, Dr. Carlton Wynne comes to the podcast studio to discuss John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. Topics covered include Calvin's theology, the right ordering of knowledge, general and special revelation, the effects of the fall on human reasoning, natural theology, and comparisons to the thought of Thomas Aquinas and Cornelius Van Til.
Carlton also shares about his experience as a pastor-theologian and his talk on maintaining true religion in a modernist world at the recent Reformation Worship Conference. The conversation touches on the legacy of J. Gresham Machen and the need for the church to guard the good deposit of faith.
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