The Restless Theologian

In our seventh episode of season one, my guest Cory Reckner and I discuss the doctrine of the Trinity. The understanding of three persons in the Godhead is a foundational belief in the Christian religion. The early church had endured much turmoil and debate over how to best understand who Christ is and whether he was equal with the God the Father. And that's where the Greek word of Homoousios, which means of the "same substance" or "same in essence", comes into view.

In our sixth episode, my guest Ben Beaver and I discuss the doctrine of Justification by Faith. We analyze this doctrine from a Biblical perspective, bringing in passages from both the Old and the New Testaments. How is one justified in the sight of God? After all, that is a question of the upmost importance that every Christian has to reflect on.

In our fifth episode, my guest Cory Reckner and I discuss the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Are Christians able to find warrant within the Scriptures to defend this doctrine? Some argue that belief in this doctrine can provide a false sense of security, while others defend it as Biblical and as an encouragement to believers. The early church father, Saint Augustine, in his work titled "the Gift of Perseverance", notably defined and defended this doctrine. While Saint Augustine held to this doctrine, it has had a mixed reception in both modern day Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Within Protestantism, the Reformed tradition has rigorously defended this doctrine and provided proof texts and argumentations as to why this doctrine has its roots in the Bible. In the 17th century, the reformed Church of the Netherlands, at the Synod of Dort, responded to the Remonstrance (the Arminians). The synod provided a rebuttal to the Arminian position that held in doubt, whether or not all of the elect will actually persevere to the end.

In our fourth episode, my guest Kathryn and I discuss the often misunderstood and controversial doctrine of Predestination. We go through what the Scriptures teach about the will of man and God's sovereignty. Is man able of his own will to respond freely to God's call? Or is man's nature so corrupted that he is unable to respond unless their is a supernatural intervention? The discussion of man's nature and God's election has been a heated issue for both Protestants and Roman Catholics. In Protestantism, the argument about these topics have been the most heated between the Calvinists and the Arminians. And in Roman Catholicism, the debate has been between the Molinists and the Thomists. Kathryn and I touch on the Gospel of John, as well as bring in the beliefs of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas to dive deeper into this crucial doctrine.

In our first episode, my guest Kathryn and I discuss the three views of human nature. We take a closer look at the fall of Adam and Eve and it's effects on humanity.

In our second episode, my guest Cory Reckner and I discuss the historical Jerusalem and contrast it with the spiritual Jerusalem. We take a look at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the prophetic words of Christ regarding it.

In our third episode, my guest Ben Beaver and I discuss the sinister vice of pride. We take a look at it's presence in the world today and on an individual level. We dive deeper into the virtue of humility and how it should be a defining attribute of a Christian.