Greystone Conversations

Imagine that leading Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians sit down at a table to discuss justification by faith. And imagine that those Protestants are not nominal liberals but are among the most celebrated, reliable, trustworthy, and representative theologians in history. Now imagine that this assembled group reaches an agreement on justification by faith. In 1541 leading Catholic and Protestant negotiators did in fact agree on a brief statement on justification by faith — Article 5 of the Regensburg Colloquy. Luther, however, described Article 5 as an inconsistent patchwork of contradictory ideas, while Calvin stated that it contained the substance of true doctrine. Both views have been held ever since.

This presentation by Prof. A. N. S. Lane, drawing on his 2019 book with Oxford University Press, argues strongly for Calvin’s assessment. It does so by examining carefully the views expressed at the time by the participants and other interested parties. Article 5 fell from favor because of misrepresentations of its teaching and because what was being sought was not agreement on one point only but agreement across the board, which of course did not happen.

This presentation was originally delivered as part of Series 1 of Greystone's Postgraduate Seminar Series, available at Greystone Connect.

What difference might it make to Reformed systematic theology if we were to recover and deploy the fundamental importance of the Trinity, the incarnation, the ascension, and especially the Church, rather than expend all our energy only on the (certainly indispensable) doctrines of justification by faith alone, epistemology and revelation, theological method, the cross, and the atonement?

In the 19th century, Presbyterian minister and professor Stuart Robinson wrote a book entitled The Church of God as an Essential Element of the Gospel. Not only would such a title certainly fair poorly in terms of sales today, but its very thesis would draw accusations--maybe even charges--of clericalism, traditionalism, and any number of others epithets expressive of the often irrational and even violent distaste amongst western Christians for the Church as organization rather than only organism--the Church as a defined body, with authoritative rituals and patterns of life, practices, and officers, apart from which the notion of an individual Christian life and faith is traditionally meaningless.

Some will no doubt fear that such a book title and theology, making the Church an essential of the gospel, is a slippery slope towards Rome. But this is really only an indication of how very far we have fallen in our day from the biblical and traditional Christian teaching regarding not only the Church but the nature of saving faith and of the Christian life. The truth is that the ordinary necessity to salvation of our relationship to the real-life flesh and blood worshipping assembly--the organization we call the Church--exists in a friction-full relationship with our modern default mode of almost rabid individualism. And so we are unable often to appreciate the teaching of the Westminster Standards about the preaching and the sacraments of the Church as means of saving grace rather than only nice and helpful edifying addenda to the central thing of the Christian's individual cognitive disembodied faith in Jesus. Reformed theology has a rich tradition of clarity on this matter, and Robinson's book is only one of many expressions of the biblical commitment to the Church as the "ark of safety."

Another work in this vein is the work of Dr. Robert Letham, who's recently published Systematic Theology explicitly teaches, and attempts to recover, the traditional Reformed understanding of the Church as essential to the gospel. How might today's church recover such a view of the gospel? And what difference might that make to Reformed systematic theology?

Today's Greystone Conversation episode is a discussion on these very questions between Dr. Mark A. Garcia and Dr. Robert Letham. The Rev. Dr. Robert Letham is a Fellow at Greystone in Theology and History. Dr. Letham is an eminent theologian and historian, and an example of Greystone's commitment to careful patristic scholarship and confessional Reformed catholicity. He will be teaching a Greystone course module this winter on the doctrine of the Trinity and its outworking in history. Register today!

Can we speak properly of the repentance of Jesus Christ, the One whom the Scriptures say knew no sin nor was deceit ever found in his mouth? Can we hope in him as the faithful Israel of God without doing so?

According to Deuteronomy 30:1-3, the only way for Israel to return from exile and enjoy renewed fellowship with Yahweh is for them to repent with all their heart and soul. But as Jeremiah demonstrates, Israel is constitutionally incapable of this repentance. How then will exile ever end? In this episode of Greystone Conversations, we feature a presentation by the Rev. Dr. Matthew Patton recently delivered as part of our online Postgraduate Seminar Series. Aware of the often lively debates on this subject in theology and biblical studies, Dr. Patton shares his research into how the prophet Jeremiah engenders hope for a new Israel which is capable of genuine repentance. This includes exploring how this hope is realized in both Christ and his Church which, in union with one another, comprise a new Israel whom God has decisively delivered from exile.

The Rev. Dr. Matthew Patton is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Vandalia, Ohio, a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and a personal friend of many here at Greystone. Pastor Patton graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary with an MDiv in 2009 and then went on to get a Ph.D. at Wheaton College in Biblical Theology and Old Testament, which he earned in 2014. At Wheaton, he had the great privilege of studying under the Old Testament scholar, Daniel Block. Pastor Patton is also a co-author of Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry (Zondervan, 2019), and he is currently working on a commentary on Jeremiah, which work is reflected in today's episode presentation. 

This lecture, as well as all of Greystone's recorded Postgraduate Seminar Series lectures, is available on Greystone Connect for free for all Greystone Members. The current Postgraduate Seminar Series is still ongoing and registration is open here.

How might the phenomenon of terroir--that feature of wine in which the wine truly communicates place--illuminate the task of theology, and with it the anti-modern core of faithful theological reflection and practice?

In the 228 references to wine in Holy Scripture, wine is referred to as, on the one hand, a normal part of human culture, and on the other hand, as symbolic and instrumental of God's love or wrath. It is presented biblically as a blessing from God, as an element to be used in sacred offerings and sacrifices, as gifts between people, and as a comparative of quality. For instance, in Scripture, something is (five different times) said to be "better even than wine." In 19 different biblical passages, the loss of wine is also an example of the curse of God.

For these and many other reasons, wine is a long-standing and serious topic of reflection and investigation. It was among the first topics explored in the serious study of the ancient philosophers. And most importantly, it was created by the God who intended its special function and use in the redemptive sacrifice and Table-fellowship of his Son in relation to his Church.

But what is it about wine that has for so long captivated us and which in its own way seems to put on display the very vulnerability and vitality of the human condition? In that conversation, one thing must at least be mentioned: the phenomenon of terroir; that special power of wine to communicate place. But the history of terroir as a concept, and the nature of terroir as a philosophical question, is the history and nature of our modern condition--one which has posed special challenges to theological study, reflection, and fellowship. Indeed, the task of theology bears striking similarities to viticulture and viniculture, to winemaking, and the aim of theology bears more than a passing resemblance to the idea of a wine's terroir.

To discuss this and more, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology at Greystone Theological Institute, is joined by the Rev. Jesse Crutchley, pastor at Severn Run Evangelical Presbyterian Church (PCA) and member of Greystone’s Presidential Ministerial Council.

Our ethical relationship to technology is not exhausted by the familiar issues of too much screen time, pornography, or the vulnerabilities of social media. Neither is it as simple as using or not using this or that technology. Tech ethics is an implicate of theological anthropology--an aspect and fruit of understanding who we are and what we are for.

In various episodes of Greystone Conversations, we've sought to introduce you to the growing network of thoughtful, capable, and helpful scholars and church leaders who make up Greystone's core workforce. And so it is our great pleasure today to introduce two talks by Greystone associate fellow and founding board member, Mr. Michael (L. M.) Sacasas. What follows are the first two talks in a series of lectures Mr. Sacasas gave at Greystone under the title "Tech, Faith, and Human Flourishing," the full set of which is available at Greystone Connect. The first of the two talks that we have stitched together for today's episode is called "Challenge Accepted: Thinking About Technology," and addresses the critical need for thinking about technology that avoids both thoughtless pessimism and uncritical optimism. Common misconceptions and assumptions about technology that impede thoughtful consideration of technology are also examined. 

Beginning with a discussion of what technology criticism entails, the second talk "Defining Technology," then takes up the surprisingly thorny task of delimiting the concept designated by the word technology. This semantic exercise is a useful introduction to the task of technology criticism which Mr. Sacasa caries out in the remainder of this series which explores traditions of technological criticism; ethics of technological mediation; humanist technology criticism; technology, habit, and the body; technology, embodiment, and intention; algorithm, technological outsourcing, and the religion of technology; algorithms and the life of the mind; and memory, outsourced and automated. 

Many of you may remember Mr. Sacasas from the first two episodes of Greystone Conversations in which we talked through the ethical difficulties experienced in our day in the context of personal interaction, communication, and engagement. Mr. Sacasas' series on Technology, Faith, and Human Flourishing explores the technological aspect of that difficulty in greater depth and with great effect. Those who find these lectures valuable might consider listening to the whole series of talks by Mr. Sacasas available at greystoneconnect.org, or perhaps even consider becoming a greystone member in order to gain access to this series and all other full course lectures, postgraduate seminars, and symposia and lecture events held by Greystone and our Lydia Center for Women and Families.

What does the Exodus event have to do with contemporary concerns with divorce, domestic violence, biblical law, and the identity of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? And are these purely contemporary concerns?

Precisely because there is so much heated rhetoric--culturally and ecclesiastically--over the issues of gender, domestic violence, abuse, and Church power, this is not a good time for serious work to be done on these issues. To plead now for patient attention to be given to these topics and for reconsideration of various assumed principles and conclusions inevitably suggests to some that we are simply riding the cultural wave and hoping to be relevant in doing so. However, our fear of being confused with "issue people" must not deter us from what has long been and continues to be an area where further reformation is needed as part of the ongoing reformation of the church by Word and Spirit. To do so effectively, and to avoid merely parroting the cultural emptiness of so much outrage and rebellion, we must be willing again to hear the voice of God in Scripture ordering our reflections to Himself and His gospel to the end of our greater faithfulness to Him for His glory. 

For today's Conversation episode, we feature a public lecture given at Greystone's second Lydia Center Symposium. The 2018 symposium, My Sister’s Keeper: The Gospel, Domestic Violence, and Pastoral Practice, featured talks from scholars and church leaders regarding the nature and use of Church power and the law in relation to the challenging yet critically important reality of domestic violence within the visible Church.

In the course of this lecture, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, Greystone's president and fellow of Scripture and Theology and Director of Greystone's Lydia Center for Women and Families, explores the issues of divorce and domestic violence within the biblical world. In doing so, Dr. Garcia shows how we may come at this question, not with the lenses provided by liberation theology or its contemporary form, critical theory, but by way of

1) how Scripture works, especially in terms of biblical law;
2) how the Exodus as an event serves as the infrastructure of the gospel for all who are oppressed and enslaved by sin and sinners; and
3) how the questions of disordered and misused power, when biblical considered, belong to the identity of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the God of the Exodus who did indeed demand, "Let My people go."

Those who find this lecture valuable might consider listening to the other talks given at the 2018 Lydia Center Symposium available at Greystone Connect, or becoming a Greystone Member to gain access to this lecture and the growing Greystone Connect library, which includes all full course lectures, special lectures, study day and weekend lecture series, postgraduate seminars, and many other symposia and lecture events held by Greystone and our Lydia Center for Women and Families.

How will our love finally be perfected? And how will our perfected love relate directly to our final fullness of joy?

Today's Greystone Conversations episode explores Anselm of Canterbury's work Proslogion. But in exploring this great work, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, Greystone President and Fellow of Scripture and Theology, seeks to highlight an often and routinely overlooked part of Anselm's genius. While most philosophically oriented Christians perceive this work as one primarily consisting of, and purposed toward, the so-called "ontological argument" for the existence God, one may see a much more rewarding and proper understanding of Anselm's Proslogion as a work in which Anselm is leading us by the hand to look around us and begin to pay attention to the inherent goodness of so much that we know and experience—leading us by the hand to look around us and press beyond the surface of things to inquire after the greatest and ultimate Good apart from whom nothing can be recognized as good and from whom every good comes. 

In other words, there is an Anselm of myth with his work on an argument for God, and an Anselm of history with his work on so much more than that narrow consideration. By considering the latter, one may see anew the significant contribution Anselm can make to something we seldom connect him to: the fervency and final satisfaction of our desire—our holiest desires—and the consequent shape, dynamic, and nature of perfected love. In today's Greystone Conversations, Dr. Garcia seeks to answer, along with Anselm, the great question posed to all Christians throughout the history of the Church: how should our understanding of the end and realization of our love and joy inform and shape how we live now and what we take delight in? 

For more Greystone content on the Early and Medieval church Become a Greystone member today.

What does the sacramental table have to do with the confession of Lord Jesus Christ, and what do these have to do with Reformed catholicity? Today we're featuring a lecture given in Waco Texas called “The Christ of Reformed Catholicity” by Dr. Mark A. Garcia. In this lecture, Dr. Garcia seeks to answer these questions and more by focusing on two aspects of the liturgical life of the church: the confession of Lord Jesus Christ and the celebration of the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper. In much of the Church today, the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper is often regarded as a peripheral matter--something, it is assumed, the scriptures do not speak to and the Reformed tradition has not been uniform on. If, however, the Church is fundamentally Eucharistic, perhaps this assumption should be reconsidered.

Today’s lecture looks to Ignatius of Antioch to help identify what came to distinguish theologically the Reformed tradition in the 16th century, an animus that today’s Church desperately needs to recover.

In what way might this help us regain a vibrant, powerful, and compelling vision of who the Church is in the world as we know it, and having answered that question, how we come to understand who the Christian is in light of the world disclosed by the gospel--the gospel made visible at the table even as it is also proclaimed from the pulpit?

To explore more of Greystone’s vision of Reformed catholicity, become a Greystone member today and register for Dr. Garcia’s class on Reformed Catholicity.

Is Paul's famous Areopagus speech in Acts 17 a model for the Church's engagement with other religions? How so, or how not? 

Today's Episode of Greystone Conversations introduces our listeners to the Rev. Dr. Flavien Pardigon. Dr. Pardigon is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) who teaches at a variety of theological institutions on four different continents and is a Greystone Associate Fellow in New Testament. Dr. Pardigon has investigated the above question at the convergence point of New Testament studies, missiology, and the philosophy of regions. He does so especially in his 2019 book Paul Against the Idols: A Contextual Reading of the Areopagus Speech (Pickwick Publications).

From the book description, we read: “The story of Paul’s visit to the city of Athens with its speech delivered before the Areopagus council is one of the best-known and most-celebrated passages of the Acts of the Apostles. Being the only complete example of an apostolic address to 'pure pagans' recorded, it has consistently attracted the attention of historians, biblical scholars, theologians, missionaries, apologists, artists, and believers over the centuries.

Interpretations of the pericope are many and variegated, with opinions ranging from deeming the speech to be a foreign body in the New Testament to acclaiming it as the ideal model of translation of the Christian kerygma into a foreign idiom. At the heart of the debate is whether the various parts of the speech must be understood as Hellenistic or biblical in nature—or both.

Paul Against the Idols defends and develops an integrated contextual study of the episode. Reading the story in its Lukan theological, intertextual, narrative, linguistic, and historical context enables an interpretation that accounts for its apparent ambivalence. This book thus contributes to the ongoing hermeneutical and exegetical scholarly discussions surrounding this locus classicus and suggests ways in which it can contribute to a Christian theology of religions and missiology."

Those who find this conversation valuable might consider joining an upcoming Greystone micro-course with Dr. Pardigon on the Areopagus speech of Acts 17 and its implications for ministry and for the philosophy of religions. Look for more information on this event in the coming weeks. This micro-course will also be available to all Greystone Members upon its completion. Become a member today for unlimited access to the growing Greystone Connect library.

It is not enough to have a high view of Scripture if we do not also have a high use of Scripture. In fact, a failure in our use of Scripture can empty our high view of Scripture of any real value or importance. It is arguably the case that the confessional Reformed tradition has the most vested interest in ensuring that its famously high view of what Scripture is finds expression in the classroom where its ministers are being trained in the reading, teaching, and preaching of Holy Scripture. The Reformed tradition, that is, should have a greater interest than most--theoretically--in guaranteeing that there is a meaningful and lively link, that is dynamic rather than static, of what we are learning about what Scripture is and how we decide we need to preach, teach, and read those same Scriptures as thoughtful Christians. With a view to recent developments in Old Testament studies, today’s Greystone Conversations episode reflects on what difference those developments should have on what’s happening in the seminary and Bible college classroom--both in terms of Old Testament classes and the whole curriculum as well. How should that developing understanding find expression in the way we think about the most faithful theologically coherent and effective ways to order our reading of Scripture in whatever department of the seminary or Bible college?

To discuss this and more, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology at Greystone Theological Institute, sits down with Dr. Don C. Collett, Greystone's Fellow in Old Testament and associate professor of Old Testament at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA (USA). Dr. Collet has spent many years reflecting carefully on the questions we are exploring today, and he’s just recently published a book on this topic entitled Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice, released by Baker Academic in April of this year (2020). 

Dr. Collett’s Greystone course, Job as Christian Scripture, is available to all Greystone Members. Become a member today for unlimited access to the growing Greystone Connect library.