MARSCAST

Join Rev. Andrew Compton, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, and Dr. J. Mark Beach as they explore a new three-part series on the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. In this episode, right off the bat, they address that infamous sermon preached a couple of years ago by a prominent evangelical pastor who stated that Christians need to "unhitch" from the Old Testament. Do we though?

For this episode of Round Table, Dr. J. Mark Beach had the opportunity to interview one of our newest Instructors, Dr. Erick Watkins, on the subject of liturgics and preaching.

In our last episode, our faculty spent some time talking about Biblical Theology. What you’re going to hear from them today is how biblical studies are being practiced “out there,” in the academy, among non-Christians, among non-religious people.  There are many atheists who are engaged in doing biblical studies; they find it to be a fascinating corpus of literature as they study the Bible, and they’ve been doing so their whole career. There’s a lot of literature – magazines, journals, books – published by these individuals, and some of them are actually quite helpful and interesting, in spite of the significant areas of disagreement. But it goes to illustrate that there’s a large conversation going on in the world today about the Bible.  A good place to start is by imagining someone in a non-Christian university enrolled in a Biblical Studies program and asking yourself the question, “What will they end up doing?”  Taking part once again, in speaking order Associate Professor of Old Testament Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Assistant Professor of Old Testament Rev. Andrew Compton, and Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. Marcus Mininger

As we continue our discussion on biblical studies, we now move into biblical studies courses that are taken by our students.  What does instruction at Mid-America look like, particularly in the classes in the biblical division? Taking part once again, in speaking order, are Assistant Professor of Old Testament Rev. Andrew Compton, Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. Marcus Mininger, and Associate Professor of Old Testament Rev. Mark Vander Hart. 

We’re launching into a new three-part series on Biblical Studies here at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. We thought we’d take some time to discuss what it means to do biblical scholarship, and we thought we’d start with a discussion on the biblical languages. Mid-America is one of the seminaries which are getting fewer and fewer as time goes by that have a rigorous commitment to and requirement of the biblical languages. Mid-America not only has classes strictly in Hebrew and Koine Greek, but even during their time in exegesis classes (Old Testament and New), students are thoroughly engaged in the biblical languages as they weave their way through the biblical text. Taking part in this discussion, in speaking order, are Associate Professor of Old Testament Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Assistant Professor of Old Testament Rev. Andrew Compton, and Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. Marcus Mininger. They start with a basic question: In what languages was the Bible written?

We had the privilege of having Rev. Danny Patterson come to campus for a week, teaching a portion of the Introduction to Counselling course. He sat down with Rev. Andrew Compton, who teaches the Applied Counselling course here at Mid-America, and who also conducted this interview. Check it out.

The faculty of Mid-America have been talking about the work of the church and its efforts to be "outward" facing, to be looking out in mission, and specifically what it means to contextualize the message: to speak concretely and clearly to people in categories that they know.    But in doing this, do we risk setting ourselves up to dumb down the gospel, to dumb down corporate worship, to do something that is somehow not fitting for the worship of the Triune God?   How can we navigate some of these waters? Joining once again around the table to elaborate on this are Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Rev. Andrew Compton, Dr. J. Mark Beach, and Dr. Alan Strange.

In our last episode our faculty spent time discussing the biblical backdrop to the question of being "outward-facing,", and they started talking about this idea of “contextualization” at the end. What a great thing to explore a little bit before looking more concretely at how pastors, elders, and church leaders can take concrete steps in helping churches to have this “outward” focus. First of all: “contextualization.” It’s a word that we can hear a lot, it can sometimes be a buzz word, and yet it’s a word that has some real value for what we’re thinking about here. Joining once again around the table are Rev. Andrew Compton, Dr. J. Mark Beach, and Dr. Alan Strange.

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 4, "Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching." Something that has been a strength in Reformed churches is this focus on teaching – this focus on the public reading of Scripture, of exhortation – and yet, what can happen is that, often, we will focus so much on this that we detach it from the bigger picture of Scripture. Think of how it even relates to God's commission to Abraham in Genesis 12: "The LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" Our Faculty on this Round Table podcast are talking about Outreach (part 1 of 3). Paul's instruction to Timothy (1 Tim. 4) is a good one, and yet it is ultimately in service to these very things in the blessing of Abraham, where all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Using that as a launchpad for our Faculty to join in, you'll hear in speaking order Rev. Mark Vander Hart (Prof of OT Studies), Dr. Alan Strange (Prof. of Apologetics and Church History), Rev. Andrew Compton (Prof. of OT Studies), and Dr. J. Mark Beach, Prof. of Doctrinal Studies).

It is our pleasure to bring to you this special episode outside of our regular cycle of discussions with our Faculty. This past month we had 2nd and 3rd-year students arrive on campus before the second semester officially kicked off to take an intensive interim class. There's a new class offered each year, and this January happened to be one on Advanced Preaching, specifically on "Communicating God's Voice in Our Weakness." It's a class that seeks to teach advanced principles for communicating God's word with a primary focus upon the preached sermon. Here to elaborate more on that, and joining us here on campus to teach this interim class, is Rev. Greg Bylsma, an alumnus of 2005, and pastor of Living Water Reformed Church in Brantford, Ontario.