The Henry Center Archive

2007 Kantzer Lecture #5 - The Presence of Christ Exalted

The primary focus of Professor Webster’s fifth lecture is upon the presence of the exalted Christ as the Church’s head. The task of filling out the presence of the exalted Christ entails developing Christ’s fulfillment as Prophet, Priest and King. The location of the exalted Christ’s presence is the Church and the Church is the social sphere where the exalted Christ’s Lordly rule is exercised. In this context, Webster articulates the relationship of Christ’s pre-existence to his existence as the exalted Christ, The nature and mode of his presence with His creatures as the exalted one, and its implications for creatures’ ongoing fellowship with their creator.

John B. Webster (1955-2016) (PhD University of Cambridge) was a notable contemporary British theologian of the Anglican Communion writing in the areas of systematic, historical and moral theology. His major publications included Eberhard Jüngel: An Introduction to his Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

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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2007 Kantzer Lecture #4 - Immanuel

In the fourth lecture of the series, Professor Webster carefully explicates each word of the all-important phrase, “The Word became flesh.” In so doing, Webster’s discussion spans an impressive breadth of theological relationships, including the relationships of immanence and transcendence, created and uncreated, human and divine, history and eternity, Word and flesh. In the midst of doing so, Webster works to situate the human history of this divine life within the history of God’s covenant with Israel.

John B. Webster (1955-2016) (PhD University of Cambridge) was a notable contemporary British theologian of the Anglican Communion writing in the areas of systematic, historical and moral theology. His major publications included Eberhard Jüngel: An Introduction to his Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

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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2007 Kantzer Lecture #3 - God Is Everywhere but Not Only Everywhere

In this third lecture, Professor Webster addresses three primary subjects relating to God’s presence with God’s creatures: the omnipresence of God to creaturely reality, divine providence, and the covenant between God and creatures. With respect to the omnipresence of God, Webster speaks in particular to the immensity of God, a special description of God that speaks to God’s unqualified transcendence over spatial relations. Webster then develops a view of providence that is both protological and teleological, and finally, Webster offers us an account of the covenant as the special history of God with God’s freely chosen creatures.

John B. Webster (1955-2016) (PhD University of Cambridge) was a notable contemporary British theologian of the Anglican Communion writing in the areas of systematic, historical and moral theology. His major publications included Eberhard Jüngel: An Introduction to his Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

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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2007 Kantzer Lecture #2 - God’s Perfect Life

Webster second lecture is composed of three sections. First, Webster offers an initial orientation to God’s perfections, most notably, the notion of God’s aseity. Second, he moves to a description of God’s perfections in God’s own life, namely, in God’s Trinitarian life. Third and finally, Webster moves to a brief exposition of the divine perfections in God’s external relations, the sending of the Son and procession of the Spirit.

John B. Webster (1955-2016) (PhD University of Cambridge) was a notable contemporary British theologian of the Anglican Communion writing in the areas of systematic, historical and moral theology. His major publications included Eberhard Jüngel: An Introduction to his Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

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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2007 Kantzer Lecture #1 - Immanuel, God's Presence With Us

In this first lecture, John Webster introduces the project at hand. Webster first reviews several proposals for the nature of Christ’s presence to us that have been offered in the last half-century, he then goes on to outline his own proposal. Webster indicates that in the coming lectures, the question of fellowship will go beyond the nature of God’s presence with us in the incarnation. Ultimately, the nature of God’s presence with humanity will be grounded in the divine perfections themselves.

John B. Webster (1955-2016) (PhD University of Cambridge) was a notable contemporary British theologian of the Anglican Communion writing in the areas of systematic, historical and moral theology. His major publications included Eberhard Jüngel: An Introduction to his Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

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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Sermon Title - Love's Knowledge: A Sermon on Philippians 1

In this chapel message, James K. A. Smith speaks to life in theological education with the Augustinian insight that in order to know rightly, our loves must be healed, particularly through the Spirit-charged practices of corporate worship and spiritual discipline.

James K. A. Smith (PhD Villanova University) is Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University. He is author of more than 15 books, including his award-winning three-volume Cultural Liturgies project, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker Academic, 2009), Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works (Baker Academic, 2013), and Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology (Baker Academic, 2017).

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

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Lecture Title - Augustine and the Secular in Christendom and Modernity

This lecture addressed the growing relevance of Augustine in debates concerning secular space. Particular attention is given to how Augustine's City of God delineates a positive conception of secular space and its role in civil society. A distinction between Augustinianism and Triumphalism is made to differentiate Augustine's conception of the secular from the secularism and statism of many modern statist projects.

Craig A. Carter (PhD University of St. Michael’s College) is Research Professor of Theology at Tyndale University. He is author of Rethinking Christ and Culture: A Post-Christendom Perspective (Brazos Press, 2007), Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis (Baker Academic, 2018), and Contemplating God with the Great Tradition: Recovering Trinitarian Classical Theism (Baker Academic, 2021).

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

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Lecture Title - The Human Person: A Grammatical Subject

TEDS professor Kevin Vanhoozer raises the question of how one can define a human person. The first step is to differentiate between a person and a non-person. A person is someone, not something. Vanhoozer traces the history of "person" in the Trinity. "Person" comes from the Latin "persona," meaning "a player's mask." Vanhoozer continues to articulate three initial questions: First, given that personhood is an interdisciplinary topic, which discipline do you think should take priority in the discussion? Second, do you agree that the discourse about personhood is often subject to dichotomizing forces? Third, echoing David Kelsey's concern, whatever the concept of person means in Trinitarian theology, it cannot be generalized to cover human beings. The modern concept of human beings is so culturally dominated and theologically inadequate as to render it unserviceable.

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

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

Connect with us!

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Lecture Title - Love is the Final Fight

Dr. Perkins, born in rural Mississippi in 1930, will share an autobiographical journey of pursuing justice in a world overwhelmed by oppression & brokenness. His perseverance through the Civil Rights Movement and his voice within the Evangelical Church continue to shape how Christians understand justice, reconciliation, and a call for multi-ethnic ministry. With his vast ministry experiences in many different contexts, Dr. Perkins’ strong biblical knowledge consistently seeps through in a reinterpretation of present situations through a Gospel perspective.

John M. Perkins is Board Chair Emeritus and Founding Member of the Christian Community Development Association. He is author of many books, including his Let Justice Roll Down (Baker, 1976), With Justice For All: A Strategy for Community Development (Baker, 1981), and One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love (Moody, 2018). He has been recognized for his work with eleven honorary doctorates, and two universities have established John Perkins centers.

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!

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Lecture Title - Loving God and a Catechesis of Civic Discipleship

Today’s moral and social challenges are complex, and Christians are often ill-equipped to address the disruptions and disputes of ideological battles. Malformed responses to the challenges expose not only deficiencies of theological imagination but also a frailty of discipleship. How does Scripture encompass culture and human flourishing as an essential aspect of faith? In response to theological reflection, we will explore practices of discipleship—a catechesis of civic discipleship—that seek to be faithful to a distinctive Christian identity and to foster a rich life in common with others in our pluralistic society.

Walter Kim (PhD Harvard University) is President of the National Association of Evangelicals. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, VA. He preaches, writes, and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day.

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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