Church Podmatics

Back in 2003 the American theologian Robert W. Jenson (1930-2017) delivered the F.D. Maurice Lectures at King's College, London. Starting from the fact that 'Christ' is a title that is inextricable from Old Testament Jewish culture, and adopting Augustine's totus Christus formulation which sees Christ as somehow also identifiable with the ongoing life of the church, Jenson explores his chosen theme of "Chri...

The whole gang is back, as we look at Michelle C. Sanchez’ 2019 article: “Reading tradition as pedagogy in Calvin and Augustine: the case of election” (Scottish Journal of Theology Vol 72. Issue 1 (Feb 2019) pg 20–45)

In this article, Sanches argues that we should understand ‘Tradition’ not as opposed to scripture but as the ‘act of handing over’ sound doctrine rather than just the content of what is handed over (separate or differe...

In this week's episode, we interview our first Guest; Dr. Ben Myers (Associate Professor at Alphacrucis University College) who has written the recent article: "Can God’s work in history be discerned? The ambiguities of providence in the poetry of John Milton" in Scottish Journal of Theology (January 2023).
In this article, Myers explores the way that English Reformation thought (particularly through the poetry o...

This week Andrew Errington & Matt Wilcoxen look at Ashley Cocksworth’s article "When Prayer Goes Wrong: A Negative Theology of Prayer" (Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 7, Issue 1), which critically examines the tendency to introduce the practice of prayer as the answer to everything. Cocksworth argues that we need also a thick account of how prayer goes wrong and can be used to sustain injustice. He suggests that K...

In Matt Wilcoxen’s absence, Andrew Errington & Matthew Mason explore John M. G. Barklay’s Does the Gospel Require Self-Sacrifice? Paul and the Reconfiguration of the Self, (Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol 36, Issue 1, February 2023) in which he challenges the notion that ‘exclusive altruism’ or total self-sacrifice is the lens through which we are to understand Christian ethics. He explores the various passages of Philippians ...

In Edwin Chr. van Driel’s January 2023 article in Modern Theology “Incarnation and Israel: A Supralapsarian Account of Israel’s Chosenness”, he surveys and provides a comprehensive discussion of the choice of the triune God to become incarnate (whilst surveying different views), and what that means for our doctrine of election and how to avoid the danger of supersessionism.

Links to other resources from the same author:

“Rethink...

This week, the guys preview Oliver Crisp’s November 2022 article in the Scottish Journal of Theology, “Infant baptism and the disposition to saving faith” wherein Oliver attempts to show how there is definite scope within a reformed understanding of Infant Baptism which involves baptismal regeneration ‘or something close to it’. Crisp draws heavily on his own Scottish Reformed tradition, but proves to provide stimulating thought an...

In this episode we discuss Martin Westerholm’s recent article,  'On the Structure and Significance of Augustine’s Moral Grammar'  (Published in Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol 49:Issue 4, December 2021) . According to Westerholm, there are three constellations of concepts that one must understand in order to grasp Augustine’s moral framework and the way that framework differs from both classical and modern moral visions....

This week we look at Paul D. Molnar's recent article 'What difference does one’s view of God make in understanding sin and salvation? Some suggestions from Karl Barth' in Scottish Journal of Theology 75 (2022), pp. 55-67. 
Molnar’s article is a highly critical engagement with certain modern theologies that argue for a reconceptualisation of God. Molnar draws on Barth to argue forcefully that unless the source of ...

Stephen R. Holmes’ April 2022 article in the International Journal of Systematic Theology, “A Reformed Account of Eucharistic Sacrifice” gives an account of how the Eucharist can be considered a sacrifice within Reformed thought and doctrine. 
He suggests that the Holy Communion can and should be talked about in sacrificial terms, by thoroughly drawing on the Biblical witness and Historical understandings of the Supper and Scri...

Kevin Hargaden’s July 2021 article in the Studies in Christian Ethics, “An Apocalypse Converted: William Stringfellow and Catholic Social Teaching on Climate Breakdown” explores the issue of climate change. In the article, engaging with Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, and William Stringfellow’s (1928-1985) work on 'Apocalyptic theology', he encourages us to approach this 'issue of our time', through ...

Simon P. Kennedy’s March 2022 article in the Journal of Religious History, “The Decalogue, Resistance, and Political Obedience in Early Protestant Thought” provides an outline of how key figures in church history have interpreted and applied the command to ‘honour your father and mother” in regard to our relationship with other authority figures. In this episode, we not only discuss the article, but also the theology and Christian ...

Katherine Sonderegger's May 2022 article in Pro Ecclesia, "The Bible as Holy Scripture", argues that modern understandings of scripture have been overly determined by notions of either "history" or "story",  and the result is that the Torah has been diminished, and that Messianic readings have come to be seen as the only legitimate mode of Christian interpretation. Sonderegger wants to challenge a...

In this episode we discuss Ian McFarland's 2022 article "Rethinking Nature and Grace: The Logic of Creation 's Consummation", available in the International Journal of Systematic Theology.

Professor McFarland address an old and important theological problem, of how to construe the relation between 'nature' and 'grace' in such a way that both continuity and discontinuity may be maint...