Mid-America Reformed Seminary Unknown

In this episode, Dr. Alan Strange discusses scholasticism and mysticism in the medieval era of church history. He provides an in-depth look at scholasticism, explaining its origins in the monas-tic schools of the 9th and 10th centuries and how it contributed to the rise of universities in the 12th and 13th centuries. He analyzes the strengths and potential pitfalls of the scholastic method, which emphasizes making distinctions and applying Aristotelian logic to theological problems. The conversation then turns to mysticism, which arose partly in response to the arid intellectualism that scholasticism could produce at times. Dr. Strange examines the mystics' pursuit of direct, immediate experience of God and union with the divine. He weighs both the insights and ex-cesses of mysticism, contrasting its quest for the affective and experiential aspects of faith with the more rationalistic tendencies of some scholastics. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Strange provides historical context on key figures from both traditions, offering a nuanced perspective on scholasticism and mysticism as interconnected streams of medieval theology and philosophy. We hope this episode deepens your understanding of these influential movements while highlighting the need to ground reason and religious experience in God's revelation.

In this episode, Dr. Alan Strange explores the complex relationship between Christianity and Islam, examining whether the Islamic faith served as a -check- on defective Christian practice in the medieval era. He then dives into the Crusades - the series of religious wars waged by European Christians against Muslims in the medieval period, providing an overview of the reasons, motivations, and tremendous bloodshed that occurred. He then relates church-state entanglements of that era to the same tensions that still exist today, discussing how faith and politics can function properly.

In today's episode, Rev. Paul Ipema concludes his series on catechism preaching by highlighting the advantages of preaching from the catechism. He'll explain how the catechism's simplicity and clarity make it an accessible resource for systematically teaching core Christian doctrines to congregants of all ages. He'll also share insights from his own experience using the catechism in prison ministry and in children's catechism classes. Whether you're a pastor looking for reasons to prioritize catechism preaching or want to understand this historic practice better, this conversation will provide a helpful perspective.

In today's episode, we're discussing objections to the practice of catechism preaching. Rev. Paul Ipema joins us once again and addresses common criticisms, including claims that it's not truly expounding the Word of God, that the catechism is outdated, and that its tone is too polemical against other Christian traditions. While acknowledging the need for prudent handling, Rev. Ipema argues that catechism preaching has an important historical precedent and remains a valid way of faithfully teaching key biblical doctrines to congregations today. He unpacks the nuances of these objections and makes a case for why catechism exposition is still a valuable practice.

Rev. Josh Engelsma, pastor at Crete Protestant Reformed Church in Crete, Illinois, delivers a chapel message aimed at those aspiring to gospel ministry. Drawing from 1 Timothy 4-6-16, Rev. Engelsma exhorts his listeners to remain vigilant in examining their personal conduct and safeguarding the doctrinal integrity of their teaching and preaching.

In today's episode, Rev. Paul Ipema begins a series discussing the history, practice, and relevant issues associated with catechism preaching. Catechism preaching has long been an important tradition in Reformed churches, where the doctrinal summaries contained in the Heidelberg Catechism were not just taught but expounded upon regularly from the pulpit. However, there are some concerning trends today where catechism preaching is being sidelined or abandoned, par-ticularly as churches move away from having a Sunday evening service. Rev. Ipema explores the importance of maintaining this practice to preserve our theological rootedness and identity as Reformed churches. He'll also touch on how some ministers entering Reformed churches lack training in this aspect of pastoral ministry and how we here at Mid-America Reformed Seminary offer unique preparation for prospective ministers in this area of ministry.