The Ridley Institute Podcast Sam Fornecker

Happy Thanksgiving! On this episode, Sam chats with Abigail Hull Whitehouse (a fellow priest in the Diocese of the Carolinas) about the season of Advent that begins this Sunday. Sam and Abigail discuss the meaning of the Advent season, the apocalyptic theology it brings to the fore, and how listeners can "bring Advent home" through spiritual disciplines and practices, both individually and as families. 

On this episode, Sam chats with Ulrich Lehner, William K. Wood Professor of Theology at the University of Notre-Dame, who believes that reason lies at the heart of the good life. Drawing on themes explored in his book, Think Better: Unlocking the Power of Reason (Baker Academic, 2021), Lehner outlines an approach to reasoning that is intimately shaped by a Christian worldview, yet simultaneously remains accessible to anyone seeking a richer, clearer, and more empathic experience of life. 

Happy Reformation Day! 

On this episode, Sam is joined by two friends, Alice Soulieux-Evans and Jake Griesel, to discuss the Parker Society Library — a collection of key texts from the English Reformation during the sixteenth-century. In coming episodes, Sam, Alice, and Jake will guide listeners through select works from the Library. But first, the team meets to discuss the origins, significance, and ongoing relevance of the Parker Society Library. 

The Ridley Institute Podcast will continue running, as previously, on a biweekly basis. "New Parker Society" episodes will release every other month. NPS listeners, join us again on December 21 for a reading of our first text—William Tyndale's The Obedience of a Christian Man (1528).

Dr Eric Ortlund joins Sam for a conversation about the book of Job, and why this profoundly painful book may be the most joyful one in the Bible. Unfolding insights from his recent book, Piercing Leviathan: God's Defeat of Evil in the Book of Job (IVP Academic/Apollo, 2021), Ortlund shows how Job transforms us through uncomfortable reflection on the place of suffering in the Christian life, the ways of wise and life-giving counsel to suffering Christians, and what it means to love God for God's sake.

Dr Catherine Wright joins Sam for a conversation about apprenticeship to Jesus. Unfolding themes from her book, Spiritual Practices of Jesus: Learning Simplicity, Humility, and Prayer with Luke's Earliest Readers (IVP Academic, 2020), Dr. Wright discusses how Luke's gospel, especially  as read with the help of the early church fathers, calls readers to a relationship that entails new ways of relating to poverty, status, and desire.

Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin joins Sam for a conversation about how to communicate the gospel with humanity and humility. Drawing out themes from her book, Confronting Christianity (Crossway, 2019), Dr. McLaughlin addresses some common pitfalls of Christian apologetics, the difficulty and promise of genuine listening, and (perhaps?) the hardest question raised by the claims of the Christian faith.