This episode is a conversation with Dr. Ched Spellman of Cedarville University. As a follow up to our conversation with Madison Pierce about TIS and the Wycliffe Colloquium, we discuss the relationship between TIS, biblical theology, and canon studies. Buy Ched's books. Watch the Wycliffe Colloquium here. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Th...
Jun 04, 2021•55 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. We discuss her recent paper at the Wycliffe Scripture and Theology Colloquium and consider the past, present, and future of TIS. Buy Madison's books. Watch the Wycliffe Colloquium here. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min
This is a crossover episode with Dr. Luke Stamps from the new Center for Baptist Renewal podcast and YouTube Channel. We discuss the first book in the CBR Theology Classics Reading Challenge, Athanasius's On the Incarnation. Subscribe to the CBR podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament...
May 19, 2021•46 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. J.R. Gilhooly of Cedarville University. We discuss the nature of angels (2:12), depictions of angels in the Bible and art (6:05), the "angel of the Lord" (20:13), the "fall" of Satan and the angels (32:28), the power and abilities of Satan and his demons (40:54), and more. Buy J.R.'s books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is ...
Apr 23, 2021•53 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. We discuss student and listener critiques (2:49), the relationship between Christ's work and the atonement (5:26), in what sense(s) Jesus was human (29:24), March Madness predictions (50:01), and more. Buy Madison's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Prof...
Apr 07, 2021•55 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Fred Sanders of Biola University. We discuss the names for the Holy Spirit in Scripture (2:16), the seeming "silence" of the Spirit in major moments in the biblical narrative (5:17), the Spirit in the OT (15:40), the Trinity in salvation (20:34), theological retrieval (24:30), the Trinity and theological education (31:30), and more. Buy Fred's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinos...
Mar 30, 2021•37 min
This episode is a short talk from a piece I wrote at the Center for Baptist Renewal by the same name, seeking to navigate the tricky issues surrounding the Spirit's role in Jesus's ministry. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writ...
Mar 18, 2021•15 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Levering of Mundelein Seminary. We discuss becoming a Christian and his path to Catholicism (4:40), major doctrines Catholics and Protestants agree on (14:22), what Catholics believe about justification by faith (15:50), the veneration of Mary (22:13), and the role and authority of the Pope (40:15), the necessity of the Reformation and where we can find unity among disagreement (55:06), and more. Buy Matthew's books. *Note: Dr. Levering mentioned “...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 11 min
This is a crossover episode with Dr. Matthew Emerson from the new Center for Baptist Renewal podcast and YouTube Channel. We discuss the first book in the CBR Theology Classics Reading Challenge, Irenaeus's On the Apostolic Demonstration (or Preaching). Subscribe to the CBR podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of...
Feb 09, 2021•44 min
This episode is a repost of our conversation with Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer. We discuss becoming a scholar (2:25), the rise of theological interpretation of Scripture (TIS) in evangelicalism (11:15), the good and bad of TIS (15:11), guardrails for doing TIS (17:39), doctrines Protestants should agree on (19:40), the relationship between the academy and church (27:47), pastor-theologians (29:23), and more. Buy Kevin's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bib...
Feb 01, 2021•44 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She begins her new role as a recurring guest talking about action films (3:40), hermeneutics and theological method (7:10), other topics we would like to research (31:30), a slow round on weird experiences while teaching (36:40), ranking Star Wars (43:10), contributing uniquely to Hebrews scholarship (57:35), and more. Buy Madison's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christi...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 12 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Andrew Abernethy (Wheaton College) and Dr. Joshua Jipp (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). We discuss the Messiah in the OT and NT in general (4:00), divine and human expectations for the Messiah (16:30), modeling the NT authors' hermeneutics (51:00), and more. Buy Andy's and Josh's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Episode sponsor: L...
Jan 11, 2021•1 hr 6 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Thomas Schreiner of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He returns to discuss the major revision of the HCSB to the CSB (5:55), how translators work through "formal" and "dynamic" renderings (10:28), how a translator tries to keep his/her presuppositions out of translation (26:10), what pastors should consider when choosing a translation (33:27), translation issues in developing language and culture (39:06), and more. Buy Tom's books. Church Grammar...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 1 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She returns to discuss first jobs (3:20), a "slow round" on books that shaped our scholarship, missing Texas, and favorite movies (12:00), Madison's ETS paper on the Trinity in Hebrews (25:55), interpreting Revelation (33:40), a second "slow round" on what other areas of scholarship we would like to study, the authorship of Hebrews and Johannine literature, and favorite sports teams (46:50), frustratio...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 11 min
This episode is a short talk based on my recent piece over at Mere Orthodoxy, "In Defense of Premodern Exegesis," where I lay out the fundamentals of premodern exegesis and how evangelicals can employ their method. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Episode sponsor: Lexham Press. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editoria...
Nov 18, 2020•15 min
This episode is a repost of our conversation with Dr. Richard Bauckham. We discuss becoming a scholar (2:04), early Christology (7:50), the theology of the Book of Revelation (15:10), the testimony of Jesus's eyewitnesses (24:37), the city of Magdala (37:15), poetry (46:26), and more. Buy Richard's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testame...
Nov 11, 2020•48 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Steven Duby of Grand Canyon University. We discuss divine simplicity (2:28), Trinitarian analogies and metaphors (9:34), Christology's place in theology proper (17:45), and Thomas Aquinas on theological knowledge (27:35). Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville Univ...
Oct 26, 2020•44 min
Dr. Patrick Schreiner of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary returns to discuss the NBA (2:56), the importance of the ascension (7:41), and the theology of Acts (30:50). Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitt...
Oct 05, 2020•47 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Christopher Wright of the Langham Partnership. We discuss becoming a Christian and scholar (1:40), Christ-centered hermeneutics (8:29), the Holy Spirit in the OT and NT (18:22), the mission of God and the creation mandate (21:20). Our sincere apologies for the poor audio in portions of this episode. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Profe...
Sep 15, 2020•42 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. We discuss divine discourse in the Book of Hebrews (1:50), the hypostatic union (17:17), the authorship and authorial intent of Hebrews (25:00), female evangelical scholarship and getting along with those with whom we disagree (32:50). Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is A...
Sep 07, 2020•50 min
As the 2020 election approaches, we will be posting two conversations on culture, politics, and ethics. Part 1 was a conversation with Alan Noble and Part 2 is a conversation with Matthew Arbo. This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Arbo of Oklahoma Baptist University. We discuss the definition of Christian ethics (2:00), good and bad versions of doing evangelical ethics (3:15), how Christians should view and engage politics (8:25), studying with Oliver O'Donovan (30:00), walking throug...
Aug 24, 2020•44 min
As the 2020 election approaches, we will be posting two conversations on culture, politics, and ethics. Part 1 is a conversation with Alan Noble and Part 2 is a conversation with Matthew Arbo. This episode is a conversation with Dr. Alan Noble of Oklahoma Baptist University. We discuss basketball fandom (3:45), the weirdness of the Shawnee, OK mall (7:30), overrating Flannery O'Connor and C. S. Lewis (16:45), how the intersection of technology and secularism impacts our worldview (21:25), the im...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 2 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Joshua McNall of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. We discuss the depth of the Bible's portrait of the atonement (1:40), the different aspects of the atonement (6:30), and pastoral theology (36:07). Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director ...
Jul 30, 2020•48 min
This episode is a conversation with Jen Wilkin of The Village Church Institute. We discuss teaching hermeneutics in the church (2:55), theological education in the church (14:13), and tips for raising confident and secure children (24:12). Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Dire...
Jul 17, 2020•36 min
Brandon and Matthew Emerson of Oklahoma Baptist University pick from a pool of 14 patristic theologians in a fantasy sports-style draft. The 14 on the board are: Augustine, Gregory of Nazianzus, Jerome, Basil of Caesarea, Hilary of Poitiers, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, John Chrysostom, John of Damascus, Cyril of Alexandria, and Maximus the Confessor. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by n...
Jun 24, 2020•48 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Kyle Strobel of Talbot School of Theology. We discuss Jean Vanier and the fall of leaders (2:44), defining and practicing contemplation (10:19), the Puritans on spiritual formation (20:56), and a theology of spiritual discipline (28:44). Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at...
Jun 18, 2020•41 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Carmen Imes of Prairie College. We discuss the Institute for Biblical Research (2:05), YHWH and Sinai (3:00), God's covenants and the Great Commission (16:43), Gentile inclusion and the "spirit" of the Law (24:58), and practical implications for bearing God's name (34:50). Buy Carmen's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith i...
Jun 08, 2020•39 min
Today, we are celebrating Church Grammar's first year with a repost of our very first episode with Dr. Thomas Schreiner of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss parenting (3:50), becoming a scholar (6:30), the development of Pauline scholarship over the past 30 years (8:30), favorite books on Revelation (29:40), what complementarians get right and wrong (35:40), and more. Buy Tom's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro musi...
May 28, 2020•43 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Gavin Ortlund of First Baptist Church of Ojai, California. We discuss how evangelicals can retrieve theology from the past (2:50), benefits and dangers of retrieval (6:05), evangelicals who "leave" to other traditions (11:01), retrieving Augustine and getting beyond modern theology debates (13:53), why theological triage is important and what it looks like (17:34), doctrines that we rank too high or too low (27:34), and more. See my review of Finding the R...
May 20, 2020•38 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Barrett of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss the Lakers and the NBA (2:44), the connection of systematic and biblical theology (12:10), the relationship between the covenants and Christology (17:20), Christ and the doctrine of Scripture (21:12), and authorial intent and sensus plenior (25:55). Buy Matt's books and check out his Credo Podcast, where this conversation will be posted at a later date. Church Grammar is presented by B&...
May 06, 2020•42 min
