The Henry Center Archive

Lecture Title - Bookkeeping: Reconciling God's Words & Works

Historically the Church has faced numerous moral, philosophical, and spiritual challenges to majority or even consensus interpretations of Scripture. Evolution is regarded by many not only as a significant challenge to orthodoxy but even as decisive evidence favoring naturalism and atheism. Others regard it as fertile ground for theological reflection that not only coheres with but supports orthodox, Christian belief. Is evolution friend or foe of the faith? In this talk, Michael Murray will consider a thirteenth-century challenge to orthodoxy, the resolution of which proves instructive to contemporary Christian scholars, who are tasked with the responsibility of negotiating the boundary between the book of God's word and the book of God's works.

Michael J. Murray (PhD University of Notre Dame) is Senior Visiting Scholar at Franklin and Marshall College and President and CEO of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. He is author or editor of multiple books, including Nature Red in Tooth and Claw: Theism and the Problem of Animal Suffering (Oxford University Press, 2008).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

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Lecture Title - Matter Matters; Scripture Matters More; Creation by, through, & for Christ Matters Most

Thomas Aquinas says that Scripture transcends science and that Christian doctrine must be founded on the literal sense. Medievals read the book of Nature through the interpretive lens of the Bible. By way of contrast, modern thinkers often reverse the hermeneutical polarities. Both scientists and theologians want to say something about the world, its material nature, intelligibility, and origin. This lecture poses general questions about doctrine and its biblical basis before dealing with the specific discourse of creation. It will be argued that the “creation project” is ultimately a triune project (an economy) whose aim is summation in Christ. From this vantage point, the lecture concludes with some observations about the place of dogmatics in the discussion about the relationship between astrophysics, metaphysics, and biblical poetics.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer (PhD University of Cambridge) is Research Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology (Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship (Cambridge University Press, 2010), Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), and Hearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine (Lexham Press, 2019).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

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Lecture Title - Reading Genesis in Church: Some Pastoral Reflections along the Way

In Genesis, the book of beginnings, we discover the foundation for our understanding of who God is, who we are as human beings, and the world in which we live — both what is good about it as well as for what has gone wrong. It is thus not surprising either that we find ourselves coming back to Genesis 1-3 week-upon-week and generation-upon-generation, or that it has been among the most divisive passages of the Bible. In this opening address, Gregory Waybright narrates the story of his own church, representative of so many, and how one pastor has learned to appreciate the complex relationship between science and theology. Providing pastoral guidance for how we the church must respond, Waybright will suggest several theological priorities and attitudes of heart and mind that are vital for God-honoring church-edifying response in the midst go these divisive times.

Gregory Waybright (PhD Marquette University) is President Emeritus of Trinity International University (1995-2007). He has also pastored churches in California, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/ 

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Watch the HCTU on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HenryCenter

Connect with us!

https://twitter.com/henry_center

https://www.facebook.com/henrycenter/

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Lecture Title - The End of Protestantism: Telos or Terminus?

Anniversaries are as much about taking stock in the present and anticipating the future as they are about remembering the past. Accordingly, as reformation celebrations are happening throughout the Western world to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 theses, the prophetic-like question of rightly seeing the current state of Protestantism and faithfully guiding us into its future is no less urgent. Two of our current theological luminaries, Kevin Vanhoozer and Peter Leithart, have recently published works that engage the present state of Protestantism and propose directions for its future. Join us as these theologians tell us about their recent publications and interact on the question of the end (cessation, limit, or purpose) of Protestantism.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer (PhD University of Cambridge) is Research Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology (Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship (Cambridge University Press, 2010), Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), and Hearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine (Lexham Press, 2019).

Peter Leithart (PhD University of Cambridge) is President of Theopolis Institute and serves as Teacher at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He is author of many books, including 1&2 Chronicles (Brazos Theological Commentary) (Brazos Press, 2019). He also writes a regular bi-weekly column at First Things.

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

https://twitter.com/henry_center

https://www.facebook.com/henrycenter/

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Debate Question - Does Scripture Speak Definitively on the Age of the Universe?

Whether one traces the origins of evangelicalism to the fundamentalist-modernist controversy, or back further to the great awakenings in the 18th and 19th centuries, the age the earth has been a pressing question throughout its history. Evidenced by the question’s staying-power, a satisfying resolution has remained hard to come by. At bedrock the debate raises several important exegetical and theological questions addressing issues like biblical authority, the proper interpretation of opening chapters of Genesis, and the relation between scientific and theological knowledge, to name only a few of the more difficult ones. In this year’s debate, prominent evangelical voices C. John Collins and R. Albert Mohler will debate this important question and the wider issues surrounding how one responds to it.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (PhD Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is author of many books, including Words From the Fire: Hearing the Voice of God in the 10 Commandments (Moody, 2009) and The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church (Thomas Nelson, 2020). He hosts two programs, “The Briefing” and “Thinking in Public,” and also writes a popular blog.

C. John “Jack” Collins (PhD University of Liverpool) is Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, and was a Senior Research Fellow for The Creation Project. He was Old Testament Chairman for the English Standard Version of the Bible, and is author of Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care (Crossway, 2011) and Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11 (Zondervan, 2018).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

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Lecture Title - The Servant, the Idol, & the Image of God: Isaiah’s Conversation with the Creation Account

Genesis 1–3 introduces the reader to a unique creature. One who is not only animate and gendered, but one who, unlike all the other creatures, is made in the ṣélem (“image”) of the Almighty. Genesis describes the animation of the creature and its installation in God’s garden as a precursor to the calling of all callings—the stewardship of creation. As the great story of redemption makes clear, the role of image-bearer is ̒ādām’s first and final calling. Yet with the fall, the image is twisted, and thereby God’s servant perverts his calling. In this lecture, Richter connects these great themes of Genesis—creation, fall, restoration—with the prophet Isaiah’s vision of what was and what is to come.

Sandra L. Richter (PhD Harvard University) is Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. She is author of The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament (IVP Academic, 2008) and Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters (IVP Academic, 2020).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

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Post-Lecture Interview with the Speaker

Lecture Title - The Servant, the Idol, & the Image of God: Isaiah’s Conversation with the Creation Account

When we think of the doctrine of creation, our minds often immediately turn to the opening chapters of Genesis. And this is where our minds should turn first–but if we stop there, we are liable to miss the full scope of the Scriptural witness of God's acts in creation. Creation is not merely a preface to Christian teaching–it permeates the whole Bible, informing nearly every aspect of what we know about God and our relationship to him. In this dialogue, Sandra Richter discusses the role that creation plays in the book of Isaiah, moving from God's good creation in the garden of eden, to his recreation of all things and the New Jerusalem.

Sandra L. Richter (PhD Harvard University) is Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. She is author of The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament (IVP Academic, 2008) and Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters (IVP Academic, 2020).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

https://twitter.com/henry_center

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Lecture Title - Reading Genesis with C. S. Lewis

Many disagreements over what to make of Genesis 1–11 stem from different ways of reading the text. I suggest that we can provide a critically rigorous approach to interpreting the Bible by taking linguistic, literary, and philosophical insights from C.S. Lewis, and bringing them into conversation with ideas from modern linguistics, such as lexical semantics, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics. Lewis gives guidance in how to talk about imagistic language as having genuine referentiality; he also provides the tools by which we can return the category of phenomenal language to respectability. Further, this study will allow us to evaluate to what extent it is proper to say, as many do, that the Bible writers held a “primitive” picture of the world, and what function their portrayal of the world and its contents had in shaping the community.

C. John “Jack” Collins (PhD University of Liverpool) is Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, and was a Senior Research Fellow for The Creation Project. He was Old Testament Chairman for the English Standard Version of the Bible, and is author of Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care (Crossway, 2011) and Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11 (Zondervan, 2018).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

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Lecture Title - Where is God? The Continuing Priesthood of Christ and Human Suffering

It is assumed that the most relevant question in contexts of suffering is the “Why?” question: “Why has God allowed this to happen?” Gallons of ink have been spilled on “theodicies” that seek to defend belief in a good God in the face of human suffering. It is not clear that any answer has proved either convincing or helpful. In this talk, Torrance will argue that it is the “Where?” question (Where is God?) that is most pertinent to the struggles of those suffering loneliness, pain and bereavement. To this question, the Gospel provides a profound response that is more pastorally relevant and, indeed, intellectually satisfying than speculative answers to the “Why?” question.

Alan J. Torrance (Dr Theol University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) is Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of St. Andrews. He is author of Persons in Communion: Trinitarian Description and Human Participation (T&T Clark, 1996) and co-editor of The Doctrine of God and Theological Ethics (T&T Clark, 2006).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Connect with us!

https://twitter.com/henry_center

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Debate Question - Whatever Happened to Israel’s Promised Kingdom?

God made various covenants with Abraham and his descendants. The promises contained in those covenants and the prophecies that grew out of them led the people of Israel to believe that God would establish a kingdom for her and greatly bless her. Kingdom blessings would include a right spiritual relation between God and Israel, but the blessings would also be material. Among those promises, the Jews understood the blessings to include the promise of land. Did Israel misunderstand what God covenanted and prophesied that he would do? If so, what did God actually promise Israel? If not, whatever happened to Israel’s kingdom? Was it fulfilled, or forfeited, or is it still future?

Richard E. Averbeck (PhD Annenberg Research Institute, Dropsie College) is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Richard co-edited the book Reading Genesis 1-2: An Evangelical Conversation (Hendrickson Academic, 2013) and recently authored The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church (InterVarsity Press, 2022).

Mitch Glaser (PhD Fuller Theological Seminary) is President of Chosen People Ministries. He is co-editor of To the Jew First: The Case for Jewish Evangelism in Scripture and History (Kregel Academic, 2008) and The People, the Land, and the Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God (Kregel Academic, 2014).

Richard L. Pratt, Jr. (ThD Harvard University) is President of Thirdmill and served as the General Editor for the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. He is author of He Gave Us Stories: The Bible Student's Guide to Interpreting Old Testament Narratives (P&R, 1993) and The Attributes and Work of God (P&R, 2022).

The Henry Center for Theological Understanding provides theological resources that help bridge the gap between the academy and the church. It houses a cluster of initiatives, each of which is aimed at applying practical Christian wisdom to important kingdom issues—for the good of the church, for the soul of the theological academy, for the sake of the world, and ultimately for the glory of God. The HCTU seeks to ground each of these initiatives in Scripture, and it pursues these goals collaboratively, in order to train a new generation of wise interpreters of the Word—lay persons and scholars alike—for the sake of tomorrow’s church, academy, and world.

Visit the HCTU website: https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/ 

Subscribe to the HCTU Newsletter: https://bit.ly/326pRL5

Watch the HCTU on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HenryCenter

Connect with us!

https://twitter.com/henry_center

https://www.facebook.com/henrycenter/

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