Mere Fidelity

Between Nature and Grace


Listen Later

Derek Rishmawy, James Wood, and Joseph Minich trace the nature-grace debate from de Lubac's challenge to neoscholastic "pure nature" through Blondel, Bavinck, and Betz's Christ the Logos of Creation — asking what's actually at stake: the gratuity of grace, the coherence of theological anthropology, and the twin dangers of secular dualism and pantheist collapse.

Get Spiritual Formation for the Family ebook for free at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family.

Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.

Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity

Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonPhD

Chapters

  • 00:00 - Introduction: Why Nature and Grace?
  • 02:30 - The Debate in Context: Neo-Calvinism, Catholic-Protestant Dialogue, and David Bentley Hart
  • 05:00 - James on De Lubac: Challenging Pure Nature and Extrinsicism
  • 08:30 - Blondel, Desire, and the Political Consequences of Separation
  • 11:30 - Derek's Five-Year-Old Explanation: What Is Actually at Issue
  • 13:30 - Joe: Natural Ends, Supernatural Ends, and the Beatific Vision
  • 16:00 - Steel-Manning the Two-Tier View: Gratuity of Grace
  • 18:30 - Bavinck, the Donum Superadditum, and Terminological Convergence
  • 22:00 - The Neo-Calvinist Peril: Immanentizing the Eschaton
  • 24:00 - Reception History: Did De Lubac Get Thomas Right?
  • 27:00 - Betz, Chavarra, and Philosophy's Openness to Theology
  • 31:00 - Participatory Metaphysics and Non-Competitive Freedom
  • 33:30 - Derek's Worry: The Pantheist Ditch
  • 36:00 - Horton's Trilogy and the Irenaean/Origenist Distinction
  • 39:00 - The Two Ditches: Extrinsic Dualism vs. Pantheistic Monism
  • 43:00 - Desire, Idolatry, and the Hook Into the Real
  • 47:00 - Was the Incarnation Part of the Plan? Creation in Christ
  • 50:00 - Closing Thoughts: Bavinck's Affirmations and Where to Go Next
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Mere FidelityBy Mere Fidelity

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

350 ratings


More shows like Mere Fidelity

View all
TGC Podcast by The Gospel Coalition

TGC Podcast

1,131 Listeners

Mortification of Spin by Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

Mortification of Spin

844 Listeners

The Russell Moore Show by Christianity Today, Russell Moore

The Russell Moore Show

1,137 Listeners

First Things Podcast by First Things

First Things Podcast

721 Listeners

Theology in the Raw by Theology in the Raw

Theology in the Raw

1,496 Listeners

Ask NT Wright Anything by Premier Unbelievable

Ask NT Wright Anything

2,065 Listeners

The Crossway Podcast by Crossway

The Crossway Podcast

637 Listeners

The Biblical Mind by Center For Hebraic Thought

The Biblical Mind

252 Listeners

Gospelbound by The Gospel Coalition, Collin Hansen

Gospelbound

341 Listeners

Life and Books and Everything by Clearly Reformed

Life and Books and Everything

642 Listeners

Trinity Forum Conversations by The Trinity Forum

Trinity Forum Conversations

221 Listeners

The Bulletin by Christianity Today

The Bulletin

581 Listeners

The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God by Justin Brierley

The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God

444 Listeners

Truth Unites by Gavin Ortlund

Truth Unites

390 Listeners

Room for Nuance by Room for Nuance Podcast

Room for Nuance

185 Listeners