Voices of Renewal

Today on Voices of Renewal, Dr. Mark Noll, one of the world’s leading historians of American Church History and Evangelicalism, speaks to us about Renewing our Commitment to the Bible. Dr. Noll is an emeritus professor of history at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame and is currently the Research Professor of History at Regent College. It is truly an honor to have such a distinguished guest. 

Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) was a missionary and a critically acclaimed author and speaker. For over half a century, her life of obedience, timeless teachings, and best-selling books have influenced both believers and seekers of the Christian faith. For thirteen years, Elliot opened her daily radio program “Gateway to Joy” with these words: “You are loved with an everlasting love, that’s what the Bible says, and underneath are the everlasting arms. This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot.” Hear more about Elisabeth’s life and legacy from Lucy S. R. Austen, author of Elisabeth Elliot: A Lifeand teacher who has spent over a decade studying source materials on Elisabeth Elliot. 

In today’s episode of Voices of Renewal, we interview Dr. Jarvis Williams on his new book The Spirit, Ethics, and Eternal Life. This episode focuses on the vertical, horizontal, and cosmic relationships Christians now have through Christ by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Williams is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. 

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and an influential neo-Calvinist theologian. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upon its foundation became the second largest Calvinist denomination in the country behind the state-supported Dutch Reformed Church. Today, Kuyper is remembered and studied as a proud inheritor of the Reformed tradition and proponent of biblical morality. To learn more about his life and renewal legacy, hear from Dr. Michael Wagenman, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Scripture Collective at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge (UK). You can also reference Dr. Wagenman’s book on Abraham Kuyper, Engaging the World with Abraham Kuyper (Lexham Press, 2019).

William Perkins (1558-1602) was an influential English minister and theologian during the Elizabethan era and was also one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England. His most influential work, The Arte of Prophecying, or, A Treatise Concerning the Sacred and Onely True Manner and Methode of Preaching, is still read widely today. To learn more about Perkins’ life and renewal legacy, hear from Dr. Andrew Ballitch, the associate pastor of preaching and ministries at Westwood Alliance Church in Ontario, Ohio. You may also check out Dr. Balltich's new book, The Gloss and the Text: William Perkins on Interpreting Scripture with Scripture (Lexham Press, 2020). 

This is a privileged episode of Voices of Renewal, as we are speaking to a giant in the field of the History of Christianity: Dr. George Marsden. Dr. Marsden is an Emeritus Profess of History at the University of Notre Dame and a Distinguished Scholar in the History of Christianity at Calvin College. We are speaking with him on his new book An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the Twenty-First Century (IVP, 2023). 

On this unique episode of Voices of Renewal, we interview Dr. Matthew Barrett, Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, on his new book Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This book strikes at the heart of our mission to by demonstrating that the Reformation was at its core a renewal of evangelical catholicity. 

Demetrios of Thessaloniki (270?-306) was a Greek Christian martyr in the late third and early fourth century. Demetrios was martyred during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), being speared to death in prison. His Feast is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on October 26th and in the Greek tradition, he is known as the Myhrbearer, because his relics miraculously produced holy oil. To learn more about Demetrios’ life and legacy, hear from Dr. James Skedros, the Michael G. and Anastasia Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies and Professor of Early Christianity at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential and his book The Cost of Discipleship is described as a modern classic. To learn more about his life and renewal legacy, hear from Pastor Nicholas Abraham, Lead Pastor of Reformation Bible Church in Navarre, Ohio, and author of Living Together in Unity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lexham Press, 2023). 

In this episode of Voices of Renewal, we speak with Dr. Dean Weaver about the historic and present revival going on in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). Dr. Weaver was elected as the Stated Clerk of the EPC in 2021, which is the denomination’s highest elected office. The hope of Voices of Renewal is to not only recover the lost voices throughout Church history but to hear from current ministry leaders going through renewal.