Distinctive Christianity

In this episode, we welcome Dr. David Mark Rathel to discuss his book Andrew Fuller and the Search for a Faith Worthy of All Acceptation: Exploring Fuller’s Soteriology in Its Historical Context. Who was Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), and why does he matter? One of the most important and impactful English Particular Baptist Ministers and Theologians, Fuller’s influence is often linked to The Baptist Missionary Society – as well as works such as Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation. Seen as responding to hyper-Calvinism in his time, Dr. Rathel takes us into the complex question of what indeed was the hyper-Calvinism of his time – as well as it’s historical origins and development. Originating with a matrix of English Puritanism, we are introduced to figures such as Tobias Crisp and Joseph Hussey as we see extreme anxiety over assurance of salvation lead to fundamental changes in the pactum salutis (covenant of redemption), Christology, as well as the limits of gospel proclamation. Over time, this anxiety shifts from issues of eternity into issues of “Adamic Inability” – yet consistently centered on concerns over gospel assurance and free grace. The cumulative weight of understanding the polemical and historical context of Fuller’s time contributes significantly to our clarity of why and how Fuller argues against the hyper-Calvinism of his time, while relying upon those who even held to some of the positions of the hyper-Calvinists of an earlier period of time. Yet, through all of the details of this impressive historical investigation comes many relevant questions for us today, including the place of assurance in our understanding – as well as whether or not preaching the necessity of all to exercise faith in Christ is to be guilty of legalism. What is the place of history in our understanding of both the history of redemption, as well as our own lives, when it comes to the salvation of God? We then end by asking Dr. Rathel about the true legacy of Andrew Fuller, and what that should mean for us today.Book: Andrew Fuller and the Search for a Faith Worthy of All Acceptation: Exploring Fuller’s Soteriology in Its Historical ContextGospel Worthy of All Acceptation by Andrew FullerOther resources by Dr. Rathel: - Baptists and the Emerging Church Movement: A Baptistic Assessment of Four Themes of Emerging Church Ecclesiology - Lecture on Divine SimplicityOther resources:Reading Andrew Fuller; Rooted in the Word by Michael Haykin“Student Cracks theologian’s baffling religious code” (BBC)

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Michael Haykin to discuss his book Rooted in the Word: Wisdom from the English Particular Baptists. Who are the Baptists, and what is both their place in a broader shared orthodoxy – as well as their core distinctives? With the “first clearly identifiable Particular Baptist church was founded in London in 1638”, Dr. Haykin takes us into the debates surrounding Baptist origins – as well as why he argues for their origins being found in “the matrix of English Puritanism”. How early do we see Baptist confessionalism, and how should we best understand how the Baptist confessions interacted with Baptist polity? Though there may have been some influence from the Westminster Confession of Faith upon the text of the Second London Baptist Confession, Dr. Haykin reminds us that the First London Baptist Confession of Faith was earlier than the Westminster Assembly. Listen in as we ask Dr. Haykin about some of the historic Baptist arguments for Baptist distinctive commitments to believers’ baptism, by immersion – as well as congregational polity. We also hear some highlights about men behind two of the famous hymns written by Baptists of the this early period: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (written by Robert Robinson), and “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” (written by John Fawcett). We also hear some thoughts on the life and legacy of William Carey, “the father of the modern missions movement” – and the context of his work promoting more focus on spreading the Gospel of Grace throughout the world. We end with some of Dr. Haykin’s thoughts on how Baptists should appreciate both their place in a broader Christianity, as well as their own distinctive heritage and history.Book: Rooted in the Word: Wisdom from the English Particular BaptistsSome other resources by Dr. Haykin:- Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition- Kiffin, Knollys and Keach: Rediscovering Our Baptist Heritage- Patrick of Ireland: His Life and Impact - A Thousand Beauteous Dyes: Toward a Reformed Theology of Color- Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church- The Spirit of God: The Exegesis of 1 and 2 Corinthians in the Pneumatomachian Controversy of the Fourth Century- The God Who Draws Near: An Introduction to Biblical SpiritualityPast interviews: here, here and hereAlso check out: “’Emblem of the throng that praise the Lamb’: Learning from some English Particular Baptist Associations of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries”Hymns: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “Blest Be the Tie that Binds”Other resources:Trinity and Creation by Richard BarcellosOrthodox Radicals: Baptist Identity in the English Revolution by Matthew BinghamWith Freedom Fired: The Story of Robert Robinson, Cambridge Nonconformist by Graham HughesThe English Baptists of the Seventeenth Century; The English Separatist Tradition: From Marian Martyrs to the Pilgrim Fathers by Barrington Raymond WhiteThe Tailor-King: The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptist Kingdom of Munster by Anthony Arthur

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Ed Romine to discuss his article “Elohim v. Yahweh: Divine Complexity of the LDS Church Contra Divine Simplicity of Creedal Christianity”. What is the doctrine of Simplicity, and why does it matter? Is it biblical, is it creedal – and why have so many of the great Christian theologians affirm a robust articulation of the Triune God’s Simplicity? We then ask Ed about how this contrasts with the consistent LDS prophetic teaching of a “corporeal and complex” status of godhood – consistent with a cosmology based on eternally-existent matter and law. Comparing and contrasting the care, core commitments and articulation of one like Thomas Aquinas (in his Summa Theologica) versus LDS apostle Elder Charles Penrose (in a classic 1884 talk) – Ed takes us into what this reveals about the core differences between the doctrine of LDS authorities and those of Creedal Christianity, and why this matters. Whether God is Simple “without body, parts, or passions” – or is in part defined by the complexity of an exalted status of one’s body, parts, and passions leads to completely different definitions of what one means when they say they worship Jesus. Indeed, what one means when they say Jesus is God is at the core of the very definition of Christianity, itself.Book: A Faithful Steward: Essays in Honor of Richard C. BarcellosCheck out First Baptist Church of ProvoSome other resources by Dr. Romine:The Booming Baritone Bell of England: The Pedagogy and Practice of Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s Open-Air Preaching (hear interview here, here and here)- Also check out our past review of President Nelson’s April 2024 General Conference TalkSome other resources:Trinity and Creation by Richard BarcellosAll That Is In God by James DolezalReformed Dogmatics by Herman BavinckSumma Theologica by Thomas AquinasThe Last Superstition; Aquinas by Ed FeserAquinas by F.C. Copleston“King Follett Discourse”; “Sermon in the Grove” by Joseph Smith (also here, here)President Brigham Young: JD 1. 238; 5.58President Wilford Woodruff: JD 19. 229President Lorenzo Snow: JD 14. 302“The Personality of God…” by Elder Charles Penrose“The Scriptures Speak” by Elder LeGrand Richards“The Living Christ” by Elder Bernard P. Brockbank

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Peter Gentry to discuss the book, co-authored with Dr. Christophe Rico, The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14: ‘alma and parthenos in the World of the Bible: A Linguistic Perspective. Isaiah 7:14, especially given the quotation in Matthew 1:23 – is considered one of the most controversial passages in the Old Testament. Translated traditionally as “virgin”, and yet in modern translations typically rendered “young woman” – what is the actual meaning of the world ‘alma and how do we know? Whether from arguments from etymology, to the argument of “duplicate use”, to the alleged counter-point in Proverbs 30:19, to even broad claims regarding Jewish tradition – Dr. Gentry takes us into each of these arguments, why they are made, and what is wrong with them. Focusing quite a bit on linguistic analysis, both of ‘alma and the Greek translation of “parthenos” – Dr. Gentry answers the question of whether or not Genesis 24:43 is a counter-point. What is the context of Isaiah 7, the textual evidence regarding Isaiah 7:14 specifically – and how does it tie into the larger context of Isaiah’s book as a whole? We then ask about whether or not the evangelist Matthew rightly reads and understands Isaiah 7:14 in his quotation in Matthew 1:23? Contrary to the modern consensus, Dr. Gentry explains to us some of why a close study of Isaiah suggests that the Prophet did actually predict a virgin birth in the distant future – and that Jesus of Nazareth does indeed fulfill that specific prophecy.Book: The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14: ‘alma and parthenos in the World of the Bible: A Linguistic PerspectiveOther resources by Dr. Gentry:- “Does Isaiah Predict the Virgin Birth?”- How To Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets- Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants- Text History of the Greek Ecclesiastes- Check out the Hexapla InstituteOther resources:Biblical Words and Their Meaning by Moises SilvaExegetical Fallacies by D.A. CarsonThe Virgin Birth of Christ by J. Gresham Machen- Check out our interview with Dr. Bernard Aubert about this bookScourby: Isaiah, Matthew, LukeLDS resources:1 Nephi 11:15, 18; Alma 7:10CFM Diagram“The Father and the Son” (Q15)Prophet-President Brigham Young: JD 1.46-53; 4.217-218; 8.115; 11.268Elder Heber C. Kimball: JD 8.211The Seer by Elder Orson Pratt (also JD 19.319)Jesus the Christ by Elder James TalmageDoctrines of Salvation (3 vol.’s) by President Joseph Fielding Smith (also here)Mormon Doctrine; Doctrinal New Testament Commentary (3 vol.’s); “The Mystery of Godliness” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie (also here, and here)

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Vern Poythress to discuss his book Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions. Starting with the question of what is philosophy – and contrasting the commitment to “wisdom” we find contrasted between Athens and Jerusalem. Calling for a redemption of philosophy, we ask Dr. Poythress about what is a distinctively Christian approach to philosophy. Indeed, is the Bible able to truly teach man philosophy? Writing “Genesis 1-2 provides foundational instruction to guide human learning about the world,” the Bible gives man a programmatic perspective, much larger than a shallow reading may catch. Along those lines, the fall of man into sin in Genesis 3 provides a crucial perspective into the mind of man – and it’s tendency toward the lust for autonomy, which comes in many various philosophical forms. What is the Problem of “the One and the Many”, and why don’t the approaches of brilliant thinkers such as Thales, Plato and Aristotle struggle to account for the unity and the diversity of the cosmos? Indeed, how may the Trinity actually provide a basis for both the unity and diversity in a way that avoids reduction and illusion? Why should Christians avoid the false alternatives of Idealism and Empiricism, or Modernism and Postmodernism? Listen in, as Dr. Poythress takes us through this and more – including a response to, with philosophy in mind, the question of how Christ Jesus is the wisdom of God, even “the way, the Truth, and the life”.Book: Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big QuestionsOther resources by Dr. Poythress:- Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach (hear our previous interview here)- The Mystery of the Trinity: A Trinitarian Approach to the Attributes of God- Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought- Biblical Typology: How the Old Testament Points to Christ, His Church, and the Consummation- The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation- Making Sense of Man: Using Biblical Perspectives to Develop a Theology of Humanity- Mediator: A Biblical Theology- Redeeming Mathematic: A God-Centered Approach- Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1-3- In the Beginning Was the Word: Language: A God-Centered ApproachOther resources:The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til (also here)The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God; The Doctrine of the Word of God by John FrameBiblical Critical Theory by Christopher WatkinPaul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics by William D. DennisonFrom Darwin to Hitler; Darwinian Racism by Richard Weikart From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race by J. Daniel Hays (and here)American Awakening by Joshua MitchellCheck out our previous interviews about Colossians: here and hereCheck out our previous interviews about Plato: here, here and hereMind and Cosmos by Thomas NagelGalileo’s Daughter by Dava SobelGalileo Revisited by Dom Paschal ScottiInfinitesimal by Amir AlexanderThe Origin of Science and the Science of Its Origin; The Savior of Science by Stanley JakiThe Territories of Science and Religion; The Bible, Protestantism, and the Rise of Natural Science; The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science by Peter HarrisonPersonal Knowledge by Michael PolanyiScourby: 1 CorinthiansPlato’s Euthyphro (and here, here)LDS sources mentioned:D&C 93; Abraham 3, 4Founding Prophet/President Joseph Smith’s “King Follett Discourse”; “Sermon in the Grove” (also here, here, here – and here, here, here)A Rational Theology; Joseph Smith as Scientist by Elder John A. Widtsoe“Nature of Man” (July 3, 1859) by President/Prophet Brigham Young (also JD 7.277)“Our Great Potential” (April 1977) by President Spencer W. Kimball