Reformed Forum

The following books are on our radar for April 15, 2021. Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from Leviticus: Foundations for Expository Sermons (Eerdmans, March 2021). 344 pages. $35.00. Paperback. Ryken, Leland and Mathes, Glenda Faye. Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the Good, the True, and the Beautiful (Crossway, March 2021). 304 pages. 21.99. Paperback. Bredenhof, Reuben. Weak Pastor, Strong Christ: Developing a Christ-Shaped Gospel Ministry (Reformation Heritage Books, March 2021). 144 pages. $14.00. Paperback. Tietz, Christiane. Karl Barth: A Life of Conflict (Oxford University Press, April 2021). 448 pages. $32.95. Hardcover. Baucham Jr., Voddie T. Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Salem, April 2021). 270 pages. $24.99. Hardcover with jacket. Levering, Matthew & Plested, Marcus. The Oxford Handbook of the Reception of Aquinas (Oxford University Press, March 2021). 856 pages. $165.00. Hardcover. Nichols, Stephen J. R. C. Sproul: A Life (Crossway, March 2021). 400 pages. $34.99. Hardcover with jacket.

We pick up on our conversation from episode 655 with Jeremy Boothy on covenant theology in the book of Hebrews by focusing upon Vos’s Triangle and the heavenly-centered understanding of typology expressed by the author of Hebrews. This leads us to discuss a redemptive-historical hermeneutic as well as the nature of new covenant membership in our present covenant-historical era.

The following books are on our radar for April 8, 2021. Barrett, Matthew. Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker, March 2021). 368 pages. $24.99. Paperback.  Van Dam, Cornelis. In the Beginning: Listening to Genesis 1 and 2 (Reformation Heritage Books, March 2021) 384 pages. $30.00. Hardcover. Gribben, Crawford. Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest (Oxford University Press, March 2021). 224 pages. $29.95. Hardcover.  Kuhn, Chase R. and Grimmond, Paul. Theology is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method and Practice (Lexham, March 2021). From the Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology series. 416 pages. $29.99. Paperback. Piper, John. Providence (Crossway, March 2021). 752 pages. $39.99. Hardcover.  Waltke, Bruce and Ivan D. De Silva. Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary (Eerdmans, March 2021). 500 pages. $38.00. Paperback. 

We turn to pages 250–255 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider God’s righteousness—particularly as it is revealed during the time of the Old Testament prophets.   Vos speaks of God’s righteousness as "midway between the transcendental and communicative attributes" (250). God is the righteous judge. In human terms, a judge is righteous because he adheres strictly to the standard or law over him. How does this apply to God, who has no standard or law above him? "Underlying the decisions of Jehovah lies His nature" (251). The law is righteous because it is based upon God's nature, not the other way around.   Vos speaks of God's forensic or judicial righteousness branching out in several directions, as a righteousness of cognizance, retribution, vindication, salvation, and benevolence.

These are the books on our radar for April 1, 2021. Kuyper, Abraham. On Business and Economics (Lexham; Acton Institute, February 2021). From the Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology series. 192 pages. $29.99. Hardcover with jacket. Selvaggio, Anthony T. Considering Job: Reconciling Sovereignty and Suffering(Reformation Heritage Books, February 2021). 184 pages. $14.00. Paperback. Carr, Simonetta. Questions Women Asked: Historical Issues, Timeless Answers(Reformation Heritage Books, February 2021). 240 pages. $18.00. Paperback. Balserak, John. A Companion to the Reformation in Geneva (Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition, Volume 96) (Brill, February 2021). 478 pages. $222.00. Hardcover. Sweeney, Douglas A. and Jan Stievermann (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Jonathan Edwards (Oxford University Press, February 2021). 608 pages. $145.00. Hardcover. Dodson, Rhett P. With a Mighty Triumph: Christ’s Resurrection and Ours (Banner of Truth, February 2021). 159 pages. $10.00. Paperback. Wellum, Stephen J. The Person of Christ (Crossway, Feb 2021). Short Studies in Systematic Theology series. 208 pages. $18.99. Paperback.

All Christian parents are called to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). In Deuteronomy 6:4–9, the Lord commands his covenant people, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. It is non-negotiable for covenant families to raise their children according to the Lord’s commands. However, this education may take different forms amidst different circumstances. In this episode, Erica Bucey, Director of Development at Westlake Christian Academy in Grayslake, Illinois, speaks about various trends in Christian education given the COVID-19 pandemic, which has uprooted education in America. Families have been influenced to think about education in ways that they have not before. We speak about different approaches to education, the trade-offs involved in each form, as well as current legislation in Illinois that encourages a form of progressive indoctrination in public schools. We conclude by discussing ways in which churches can support families by talking about these matters and educating them. Links Cornelius Van Til, “What Shall We Feed Our Children?” The Presbyterian Guardian, Vol. 3 No. 2 (October 1936) Cornelius Van Til, Foundations of Christian Education Cornelius Van Til, Essays on Christian Education Doug Wilson, The Case for Classical Christian Education David Engelsma, Reformed Education: The Christian School as Demand of the Covenant Stanley Kurtz speaking with Mark Bauerlein on the First Things podcast George F. Will, “The Worst-Governed State Now Turns to Indoctrination”

Whether you are a scholar, pastor, theological student, Bible study teacher, or someone engaged in serious personal study, it is critical to document your sources. Regrettably, most people don’t do this well. Along with many best practices, there are tested tools used by many scholars in a wide range of disciplines. One of these is Zotero. At root, Zotero is a citation manager. But it does much more than that. It is a tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research.

Occasionally the New Testament provides a direct connection to the words of the Old, pointing like a bright beacon to the person of Christ. We find that is the case as we look at the story of God’s ladder from Genesis 28. Angels ascend the ladder with a message for God from Jacob and descend from heaven with a message from God for Jacob.

Lane Tipton discusses “Van Til’s Trinitarian Theology,” the latest on-demand video course released with Reformed Academy. Designed to equip the student to engage critically central issues in trinitarian theology, this course will focus on the architectonic significance of the Trinity both in Van Til’s theology and apologetics. Special attention will be given to Van Til’s historical and theological context, his theology of triune personhood, the structure and function of the representational principle, the distinctively trinitarian character of the transcendental method, and his rejection of all species of correlativism, ranging from Karl Barth to contemporary expressions of Evangelical mutualism. Enroll for free at https://www.reformedforum.org/courses/van-tils-trinitarian-theology

Ryan Noha brings his collection of Van Til books to the studio for show-and-tell. Join us for a surreal Reformed home shopping network experience. This was recorded in the summer of 2020 along with our course Introduction to the Theology and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til.