Reformed Forum

Reformed Forum

Reformed Forum supports the church in presenting every person mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28) by providing Reformed theological resources to pastors, scholars, and anyone who desires to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the theology that faithfully summarizes its teachings.

  1. 1D AGO

    Jonathan Master | The History of Special Revelation: Geerhardus Vos and Reformed Biblical Theology

    In this special crossover episode—recorded at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary—Camden Bucey joins Jonathan Master, President of Greenville Seminary, for a conversation on the life, method, and enduring relevance of Geerhardus Vos (1862–1949). Vos stands as a remarkable bridge figure: Dutch by birth, deeply shaped by continental Reformed theology and close friendship with Herman Bavinck, yet firmly planted in the American confessional Presbyterian tradition as the first chair of biblical theology at Old Princeton Seminary alongside B. B. Warfield. Drs. Bucey and Master explore Vos's foundational distinction between biblical theology and systematic theology—and why both are indispensable for faithful exegesis and preaching. Biblical theology, which Vos himself preferred to call "the history of special revelation," reads Scripture as the organic, progressive unfolding of God's redemptive acts in history—from the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15 to the consummation of all things in Christ. That redemptive-historical framework opens up notoriously difficult passages (Hebrews 6, the unforgivable sin) in ways systematics alone cannot. The conversation also covers Vos's two-age eschatology, his key works (Biblical Theology, The Pauline Eschatology, Grace and Glory, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church), and the question of why Vos remained at Princeton when Machen and others departed. Chapters 0:00 Introduction: Camden at Greenville Seminary 1:08 Greenville Seminary Launches Confessional.org 3:47 Geerhardus Vos: Bridge Figure Between Princeton and the Continent 9:03 What Is Biblical Theology? The History of Special Revelation 13:49 Why We Need Both Biblical Theology and Systematics 16:33 "You Cannot Do Either Without the Other" 22:19 Why Did Vos Remain at Princeton? 27:48 Vos's Key Works 31:39 The "Vibe of Vos": Redemptive History in Practice 37:44 The Two-Age Eschatology: Already and Not Yet 40:33 Closing Remarks Participants: Camden Bucey, Jonathan Master

    41 min
  2. MAR 6

    Justin Poythress | Who You Are in Christ—Identity, Purpose, and the Christian Life

    In a culture saturated with self-help strategies, identity politics, and the language of "manifesting," where do Christians turn for a stable, coherent sense of self? On this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey sits down with pastor and author Justin N. Poythress to explore the deep theological roots of the identity crisis plaguing our age. Drawing from his new book, Who Am I? And What Am I Doing With My Life? Finding Stability and Purpose in Jesus (The Good Book Company), Poythress argues that only Christ can rightly function as our "master identity"—the organizing center beneath every role, relationship, and calling. Work, sexuality, politics, and even parenting all fail catastrophically when elevated to that ultimate position, because none of them can bear the weight of the human soul. At the heart of the conversation lies a powerful biblical framework: we are in Christ while also being conformed to his image. Romans 8:29 declares that God predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son—a settled identity and a lifelong trajectory of growth. Poythress unpacks how 2 Corinthians 3:18 reframes the secular obsession with "manifesting" into the biblical practice of beholding Christ, the true mechanism of transformation. The episode also explores the church as a "thick community" designed for the kind of multi-dimensional, embodied relationships that curated online personas can never provide. For pastors, elders, and anyone seeking maturity in Christ, the takeaway is both liberating and compelling: the Christian life is a matter of becoming what you already are in Christ. Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:07 Introduction 08:50 Master and Sub-Identities 13:53 Identity as a Theological Issue 16:58 Romans 8:29 21:22 Manifesting vs. Beholding 28:09 The Means of Grace 32:19 Thick Communities 41:12 Authenticity 46:14 Work, Sexuality, and Politics as Functional Religions 51:12 Becoming What You Are in Christ 56:29 Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey, Justin N. Poythress

    58 min
  3. FEB 27

    Robert Letham | The Eternal Son

    Dr. Robert Letham joins Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey to discuss Dr. Letham's recent book The Eternal Son (P&R Publishing). Their conversation presses into a simple but urgent claim: Christology is not a side department of theology—it is the living center. When the church loses clarity about who the Son is, the gospel itself becomes unclear, because salvation depends on the identity of the Savior. They also explore why the church must listen carefully to the whole ecumenical tradition, especially the often-neglected debates after Chalcedon. Letham explains why it matters that the acting subject in the Gospels is the eternal Son, who assumes a true human nature without change in his divine person. From there, they engage contemporary confusions—especially biblicism that isolates Scripture from the church's confession—and they address the claim that Christ was "adopted" at the resurrection, showing how such proposals unravel both orthodox Christology and the gracious character of adoption for believers. Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:07 Introduction 02:04 This Book within the Trilogy 04:36 Christ and the Center of Christianity 11:05 Reading the Bible in Isolation 16:44 The Ecumenical Councils After Chalcedon 26:44 The Pre-Existent Son 30:24 Christology from Below 35:54 The Doctrine of Adoption 44:48 Twin Errors of Christology and Soteriology 53:15 An Exhortation to Re-Examine the Historical Confession of the Church 56:19 Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton, Robert Letham

    57 min
  4. Dan Ragusa | Cornelius Van Til's Letters from America

    FEB 20

    Dan Ragusa | Cornelius Van Til's Letters from America

    In this episode, Dan Ragusa speaks about Letters from America (Reformed Forum) Between 1935 and 1940, Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987) wrote twenty-four letters from America for the Dutch magazine De Reformatie at the invitation of its editor Klaas Schilder (1890–1952). Daniel Ragusa's translation presents these letters in English for the first time. Letters from America opens a window into a critical moment in Reformed history—when orthodox and confessional Presbyterianism in America was under siege from both modernism and the rising influence of Barthianism, which Van Til labeled "the new modernism." Ragusa introduces these letters by situating them within the broader relationship between the Dutch Reformed in the Netherlands and the orthodox Presbyterians in America—a relationship that reaches back to the seventeenth century. Van Til's wartime-like correspondences—written in the heat of theological conflict—offer a firsthand account of the spiritual and ecclesiastical upheavals of the era. Through Van Til's eyes, fixed steadfastly on his risen and reigning Lord, readers witness pivotal moments in American Presbyterian history, among them J. Gresham Machen's trial, deposition, and sudden death; the founding of Westminster Theological Seminary and the evangelistic work of its graduates; and the formation of the Presbyterian Church of America and its subsequent renaming as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Far more than museum pieces, these letters bring to life a pivotal chapter in the defense and development of the Reformed faith that helps us to make sense of our present ecclesiastical and theological landscape. Chapters 00:00:07 Introduction     00:06:13 Upcoming Seminar in Raleigh, NC         00:09:29 Dr. Ragusa's Introduction to Van Til's Dutch Letters 00:20:54 Van Til's Concern for the Church 00:29:16 Highlights of the Letters             00:36:19 Van Til's Hope for the Church             00:42:38 The Afscheiding (Secession) of 1834 00:57:46 A Vision for the Future of the Church 01:06:05 Remaining Faithful Today 01:12:15 Conclusion This is Christ the Center episode 947 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc947)

    1h 14m
4.7
out of 5
345 Ratings

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Reformed Forum supports the church in presenting every person mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28) by providing Reformed theological resources to pastors, scholars, and anyone who desires to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the theology that faithfully summarizes its teachings.

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