The Westminster Podcast

This episode of the Westminster Podcast features Blake Franze and Randy Caldejo in conversation with Nate Shannon, reflecting on their experience at the 1700th anniversary conference of the Council of Nicaea in Istanbul. The discussion explores the enduring theological significance of the Nicene Creed as both a historical response to heresy and a continuing model for faithful doctrinal clarity grounded in Scripture. Drawing from the global and ecumenical nature of the conference, the conversation highlights the unity and diversity of the worldwide church, the urgent need for theological education amid rapid church growth, and the importance of recovering a robust, Scripture-shaped theological method.

The episode also reflects on how ancient confessional truths continue to inform modern challenges, from ministry in closed countries to emerging issues like artificial intelligence, calling the church to ongoing reformation and faithfulness in every age.

Brandon McLean Smith is Joined by Pierce Taylor Hibbs to talk about his new book Our Hope is in Help. The conversation covers the concept of autonomy and how none of us can truly be independent from the Lord. We rely on his for everything and thus should always be quick to seek help from him and others.

Buy your copy of Our Hope is in Help now.

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Driven from England as the fires of Marian persecution begin to consume the very church he helped build, John Knox watches from exile as his friends burn, his flock scatters, and his life’s work is undone. What begins as grief hardens into fury, as Knox wrestles not only with the suffering of his people but with his own absence from their trials, forced into a retreat that feels like betrayal.

But the terror engulfing England was not born overnight. Behind the flames lies a dynastic crisis decades in the making—Henry VIII’s obsession with legacy, a marriage unraveling under political and theological strain, and a young princess shaped from birth to be a pawn in the ruthless game of European power. As Queen Mary ascends the throne, the personal becomes apocalyptic: a kingdom convulses, a church is purged by fire, and Knox is left to ask not only how it happened, but what must now be done.

Warning: This episode contains some graphic depictions of Martyrdom so listener discretion is advised.

If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Recorded live at the Kuyper Conference in Grand Rapids, this episode features a conversation with Greg Parker Jr., a theologian and scholar of Herman Bavinck, reflecting on his academic journey, current work in theological education, and research in neo-Calvinism. Parker discusses his engagement with Abraham Kuyper’s pastoral theology, particularly his exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Lord’s Prayer, highlighting themes of ascent and descent as a framework for understanding prayer, the Christian life, and communion with God. The conversation also explores the importance of translating and retrieving Bavinck’s works for the church, the pastoral dimension of systematic theology, and the need for careful theological engagement with contemporary questions such as human identity, bioethics, and artificial intelligence.

If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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