“A Good Confession” is the name the adult Sunday School class Mark teaches, a line-by-line exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith. As the class reaches Chapter 20, devoted to the freedom of the Christian conscience, a complex picture is emerging of how the divines apply the Bible’s teaching on this subject. In this episode, Mark and Cameron explore some of the tensions inherent in trying to balance the demands of duty and the constraints of conscience.
We’ve tackled some serious topics in past episodes of The Commentary — but this is not one of those conversations. Instead, Cameron and Mark will tackle the heady subject of Halloween. Are the traditions of this controversial celebration at odds with Christian faith, or is it okay to dress up in a costume and go trick-or-treating? And can we agree to disagree on matters like this without violating sensitive consciences?
It’s often said that the Reformers — and later, the Pilgrims — advocated for religious liberty, which is understood to mean “the freedom to believe whatever you want.” But is this really the kind of freedom they had in mind? In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss the tensions between the biblical (and classical) understanding of liberty as the freedom to pursue the good versus the later enlightenment idea of liberty as the freedom to pursue whatever you want.
As Mark prepares for a long-anticipated Paris vacation, Cameron asks what our theology can teach us about the role of work, rest, refreshment, and (yes!) vacation. Is the God-given purpose of leisure merely to recharge our batteries for more work, or does it point us toward something deeper? Is rest more than just the absence of work? In this episode, we explore these questions and more.
The Shorter Catechism famously asserts that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” It sounds great — but what does it mean? In this episode, Cameron asks Mark to explain what the Westminster perspective on human purpose really is, and how we might actually go about fulfilling that purpose.
In Matthew 10.23, Jesus says: “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” What does Jesus mean when he refers to the coming of the Son of Man? Scholars debate the interpretation of this reference, and in this episode Cameron and Mark will weigh three of the major theories and explain why our sermon series at Grace has chosen the third as most compelling.
It’s time for a recap of Mark’s trip to Washington, D.C. for the Bible Craftsmanship Conference. In this episode, Mark tells Cameron about what it was like to visit the Museum of the Bible for the first time, and describes the tours and talks accompanying the launch of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship.
Calvin’s Institutes famously opens with the assertion that all human knowledge consists of knowing God and knowing ourselves. These two forms of knowledge are interconnected and possibly inseparable — and they are the focus of this episode of The Commentary. Here, Mark and Cameron reflect on the many different areas of life where this fundamental observation of Calvin’s shines a light on our thinking.
If you can get past the poor audio quality in this episode, you’ll hear a wide-ranging discussion of Christian mysticism. What is the role of mystery in the Christian faith? For those of us with a bent toward systematic theology and precise doctrinal formulations, mysticism often raises red flags. Is this skepticism justified, or is there a danger of mission out on something vital if we take too dismissive a stance toward mystery and mysticism? Mark and Cameron try to unravel a mystery or two in this conversation.
The Missionary Discourse in Matthew 10 gives Jesus’s instructions to the apostles as he sends them out to proclaim the presence of the kingdom. Imagine a whole chapter devoted to practical preparation on how to do the mission of the Church well! The strange thing is, Jesus doesn’t talk about a lot of topics we might consider essential for that kind of instruction — and he includes things we wouldn’t, as well. In this episode, Mark reflects on what’s missing from the missionary discourse, why it’s missing, and what we might be missing about the mission of the Church.
In this episode Mark flies solo for two segment and is joined at the end by Dan Reed, Grace’s director of discipleship and education. Mark will introduce a new sermon series on Matthew’s so-called “missionary discourse” in Chapter 10, a study we’re calling The Apostolic Foundation. Then he’ll talk about the upcoming Bible Craftsmanship Conference at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D. C., where he will be speaking. Finally, Dan and Mark will catch up on summer actives at Grace and preview what’s coming in September.
The City for God is a new collection of essays published in honor of Tim Keller, perhaps the most recognized name in our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. Mark will talk about what it was like to contribute to this volume, and together he and Cameron will discuss the influence of Tim Keller on our church, and the church in general.
We have another book recommendation, but this one is somewhat unique. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark about his 2007 book Rethinking Worldview, one of the volumes every new member at Grace receives as a gift. What made Mark write this book, and what can we learn from its three-fold focus on worldview, wisdom, and witness?
The culture practices discipleship just as surely as the Church — if anything, the world’s efforts are greater. This forming power is inescapable. But that doesn’t mean that it is unanswerable. In this episode, Mark and Cameron think about what Christian discipleship needs to look like in a culture that is actively molding us in its image. The key may be as simple as realizing that true discipleship is friction.
This time it’s Cameron’s turn to make a book recommendation. In this episode, he suggests a collection of writings by Dr. Jeremy Begbie titled A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts, which encourages creative Christians to see the benefits of theological orthodoxy in general, and even the merits of Reformed orthodoxy in particular.
Digging deeper into a point made during Mark’s recent sermon on Matthew 8, this episode explores the divine gift of authority, as well as its all too frequent abuse at the hands of sinners. Cameron and Mark will touch on aspects of a recent report on abuse in the PCA, as well as the Westminster Larger Catechism’s teaching on power and its intended uses.
This episode is one long reading recommendation! During a recent power outage, Mark read Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ by candlelight. Now, he attempts to summarize the historical controversy in the eighteenth century Scottish church which serves as a backdrop tot he book, as well as several key takeaways from the reading.
