Frederick Faith Debate

In response to the Reformation, the Catholic Church heavily endorsed the work of Thomas Aquinas, elevating Thomism to a status second only to the Bible itself, it would seem.  Other philosophical systems today disagree with Thomism on many points, but Thomism remains a dominant philosophical worldview.  Here this week to continue our conversation about empiricist observations, experiences necessary for knowledge, interpreting what we see and feel and understand are…

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and most recently Founder of BRIDGES: Connecting needs and resources in Frederick County.

Haydn Booth.  Self-described layman of the Roman Catholic Church, Thomist, and lover of Christ.

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Thomism is the system of philosophy developed by Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic scholar who harmonized the philosophy of Aristotle with the theology of Christianity.  Thus, creating a system of thought that has become one of the most influential in history.  Aquinas’ philosophy was popular during his lifetime, but where did philosophy go after Aquinas?  For example, David Hume’s denial of a connection between cause and effect.  Charles Darwin’s view that is called Darwinism.  Kierkegaard’s leap of faith.  Here to help us know if something could come into being without any efficient cause, and to explain the principle of proportionate causality, are…

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and most recently Founder of BRIDGES: Connecting needs and resources in Frederick County.

Haydn Booth.  Self-described layman of the Roman Catholic Church, Thomist, and lover of Christ.

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This is the fourth and final show with our current esteemed panel.  This show will work to cover ground we’ve missed over the first three weeks, seek to take a deeper dive on particular questions, and provide an opportunity for tying up loose ends.  We’ve been using as a guide and outline for our discussions, the flow of a book which was edited by Michael J. Gorman.  It’s called “Scripture and Its Interpretation”.  Here are some questions we hoped to tackle as we entered the final show in the arc:

How has the Bible been received, and what is its significance (generally speaking)?

How does the Bible, and its interpretation, effect contemporary Christian existence?  (Spirituality, Ethics, Politics, Community)

How then shall we live?  (Mission, embodying Pentecost, etc.)

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and founder of BRIDGES.

Michelle Rader.  Lead Elder at Damascus Road Community Church, and student pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology degree from St. Mary’s College.

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Is Thomism heady stuff only for theological scholars, or can we all get a grasp of it?  Does Thomas Aquinas help us to philosophically prove the existence of God?  Ready to dive in and learn about form and matter, (hylemorphism) form without matter, (Act/Potency) pure act, and the four causes of material, formal, efficient, and final?  Oh boy!  Sounds fun.  Here to talk about this carnival of juicy topics are…

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and most recently Founder of BRIDGES: Connecting needs and resources in Frederick County.

Haydn Booth.  Self-described layman of the Roman Catholic Church, Thomist, and lover of Christ.

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Different people can tend to interpret the Bible differently.  This raises the questions of how different interpretive groups emerged and whether this is a good or bad thing.  Is it unfortunate, or is it full of potential for deeper understanding?  This month we’ve been talking through some of the different approaches by various hermeneutical schools of thought.  In other words, groups that seem to perceive the Scriptures differently and how so.  In this episode the panel will touch briefly on the major interpretative traditions across denominational lines and theological schools of thought.  (Theological, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Spirit Hermeneutics, African, African American, Latino/Latina, Asian, Asian American, others)

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and founder of BRIDGES.

Michelle Rader.  Lead Elder at Damascus Road Community Church, and student pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology degree from St. Mary’s College.

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

How do different cultures understand the Scriptures today in our country?  For example, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latin-Americans might come at the Bible from differing angles.  So, too, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Post-Modernists.  Last week’s panel is here to pick up where we left off with a discussion revolving around questions such as:

What has been the role of interpretation in the transmission and translation of the Bible?

What are the major interpretative traditions for understanding the Bible across cultures?

How about across time?  (Pre-modern, Modern, Postmodern methods)

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and founder of BRIDGES.

Michelle Rader.  Lead Elder at Damascus Road Community Church, and student pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology degree from St. Mary’s College.

How have disparate cultures understood the Scriptures historically?  For example, Jewish vs. Christian, Alexandria vs. Antioch in the patriarchs, Rome vs. Constantinople, and Rome vs. Protestants.  During this show we’ll probably need to establish, early on, the basis for accepting that different groups might find themselves inclined to interpret the scriptures in different ways.  Here are some questions we’ll work to tackle:

What are the various ways one can view the Bible?  (Book, Library, Story, Invitation)

What sorts of “big picture” principles should inform one’s interpretation?  (Setting, Geography, History, Archaeology; for the OT, for the NT)

What place do extra biblical works have in the discussion, and how should “canon” be understood?

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and founder of BRIDGES.

Michelle Rader.  Lead Elder at Damascus Road Community Church, and student pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology degree from St. Mary’s College.

How do different cultures understand the Scriptures today in our country?  For example, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latin-Americans might come at the Bible from differing angles.  So, too, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Post-Modernists.  Last week’s panel is here to pick up where we left off with a discussion revolving around questions such as:

What has been the role of interpretation in the transmission and translation of the Bible?

What are the major interpretative traditions for understanding the Bible across cultures?

How about across time?  (Pre-modern, Modern, Postmodern methods)

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and founder of BRIDGES.

Michelle Rader.  Lead Elder at Damascus Road Community Church, and student pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology degree from St. Mary’s College.

Seventeen years ago Troy Skinner’s family moved to Frederick.  During the time of transition, his family was in Maryland while he was in Manhattan.  And 9/11 happened.  This show looks back at the events of the day through the sounds and voices of that bring back such vivid images to our minds; and it looks back at the event of the day through the personal recollections of Troy’s odyssey being in NYC that fateful day.

The panel:

There is no panel for this show, just Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Everyone has a story.  Each story is unique, and yet there are significant commonalities.  Recently a nationally syndicated radio show featured the miraculous healing story of Troy’s son Tylor.  On this episode of The Faith Debate Troy and Jon share their reflections and play for you the segment as it aired on the radio program called “Our American Stories”.

You can also link directly to the feature, as heard on Our American Stories by clicking here.  (If the link fails, here’s the url that can be copied and pasted into your address bar:  http://www.ouramericannetwork.org/story?title=Dr-Asks-Mother-Who-Do-You-Pray-To-They-Just-Saved-Your-Son).  Note:  The picture used by the national show’s website is not Tylor.  Below you can see a picture of the real deal (along with the rest of the family).

The panel:

Troy Skinner.  930 WFMD Host/Moderator of The Faith Debate.

Jonathan Switzer.  Past-President of Frederick’s Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, Founder of “Frederick 48”, former candidate for School Board in Frederick County, Founder of Crossroads Valley Church, and most recently Founder of Bridges in Frederick County.