This episode is a conversation with Dr. William Marsh of Cedarville University. We discuss truths and myths regarding the late medieval church and Luther's concerns (3:03), Luther's hermeneutics and their relationship to the Christian tradition (19:37), the Reformers on reading and preaching Scripture (31:57), how the Reformation can help the church today (40:09), and more. Buy William's books here, here, and here. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible and Cedarville Univer...
Oct 26, 2022•52 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Darian Lockett of Talbot School of Theology. We discuss how the Catholic Epistles fit together in the biblical canon (1:22), faith and works in Paul and James (22:52), scholarship on James (28:05), scholarship on 2 Peter and Jude (34:17), and more. Buy Darian's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. You can preorder Brandon's new book, The Trinity in the Book of ...
Oct 12, 2022•51 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Bobby Jamieson of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. We discuss the benefits of theological resources in doing exegesis (2:15), partitive exegesis as a rule for reading Christologically (19:28), things that "need to die" in biblical studies scholarship (38:06), and more. Buy Bobby's books for the church and for the academy. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. You can preor...
Sep 26, 2022•51 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Tyler Wittman of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss the relationship between theology and exegesis (2:18), honoring God in exegesis (9:34), the Trinity and the New Testament (20:07), inseparable operations and appropriations (27:23), and more. Buy Tyler's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. You can preorder Brandon's new book, The Trinity in ...
Sep 07, 2022•57 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Bingham of Oak Hill College. We discuss how to understand Baptist history (1:28), the shared identity of 17th-century baptistic churches in the context of the English Reformation (4:50), the development of a Baptist identity (25:57), popular Baptist history truisms (30:37), what it means to be a "Reformed" Baptist (45:46), and more. Buy Matthew's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nob...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr
This episode is a repost of a conversation with Dr. Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School. We discuss being a Baptist and appreciating the Great Tradition (2:00), ecumenism and catholicity (7:35), the future of Christian higher education (22:35), and more. Buy Timothy's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, a co-founder of th...
Aug 08, 2022•29 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Jarvis Williams of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss the phrase "redemptive kingdom diversity" (1:27), a biblical theology of the people of God (4:42), the difference between "race" and "ethnicity," and avoiding extreme positions on personal and corporate responsibility (12:54), the church's mission in pursuing diversity (34:51), how to fight for unity (48:09), and more. Buy Jarvis's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian S...
Jul 15, 2022•54 min
This episode is a conversation with Drs. Madison Pierce of Western Theological Seminary and Ched Spellman of Cedarville University. We discuss the anonymous authorship and audience of Hebrews (7:50), the hermeneutical effect of anonymous authorship (24:26), the development of the canon and tradition (46:05), and more. Buy Madison's and Ched's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is A...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 14 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Steven Duby of Phoenix Seminary. We discuss "classical theism" as an aid for reading Scripture and doing Christology (3:12), boundaries the doctrine of God provides for the doctrine of the incarnation (19:12), the best case for the covenant of redemption/pactum salutis (32:09), engaging other scholars with clarity and humility (41:15), and more. Buy Steve's books. GIVEAWAY: Go to ps.edu/churchgrammar to enter to win one of five (5) free copies and to read ...
May 30, 2022•47 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 18, 2022•38 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Michael Svigel of Dallas Theological Seminary. We discuss the Lord's Supper in the early church (2:19), philosophy's influence on early Christian theology (6:45), where the doctrine of the Trinity came from (13:48), the role of Constantine and the Roman Empire in the church (17:45), and the Great Schism (27:30), the Reformers and sola scriptura (33:07), and more. Buy Michael's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music:...
May 05, 2022•46 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Jeremy Treat of Reality LA. We discuss the NBA (1:33), integrating the Kingdom and the cross in atonement theories (5:20), a definition the gospel (11:23), how atonement theories relate to one another (14:07), the implications of living out the gospel (20:49), pastoring in the pandemic (26:38), and more. Buy Jeremy's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon...
Apr 14, 2022•39 min
This episode is a conversation with Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. of the Angelicum. We discuss the continuity and discontinuity between Scripture and Nicaea (3:17), the relationship between ontology/theology and economy (10:30), omnipresence and incarnation (20:00), simplicity and persons (29:21), personal distinctions and eternal relations (35:56), filioque and spiration (43:02), and more. Listen to our previous conversation on tough Christology questions. Buy Thomas's books and check out his b...
Mar 31, 2022•54 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Matthew Bennett of Cedarville University. We discuss what we can learn from Islamic culture (3:52), the history of Muhammad and Islam origins (7:58), Jesus in the Qur'an (15:18), the role of the Bible in the Qur'an (21:00), truths and myths about jihad and violent Islamic groups (21:48), Christianity's truth vs. Islam (28:36), tips for Christian missions and evangelism to Muslims (33:48), and more. Buy Matt's books. Church Grammar is presented by the Chris...
Mar 11, 2022•43 min
This episode is repost of my conversation with Dr. Carmen Imes of Talbot School of Theology. 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 the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith i...
Mar 01, 2022•39 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. John Meade of Phoenix Seminary. We discuss early biblical canon lists (1:06), the Old and New Testaments and "other writings" in the lists (7:00), the canon up to the Reformation (18:11), the unity and diversity of "authoritative" books (25:42), why we can trust our Bible (40:54), Origen the text critic (45:10), and more. Buy John's books and check out the Text & Canon Institute. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music:...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr
This is a crossover episode with Dr. Matthew Emerson from the new Center for Baptist Renewal podcast and YouTube Channel. We discuss one of the books from our CBR Theology Classics Reading Challenge, Gregory of Nazianzus's Theological Orations. Subscribe to the CBR podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube 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 ...
Feb 01, 2022•51 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Kyle Strobel of Talbot School of Theology. We discuss the fall of leaders (2:37), a brief Jonathan Edwards troll session (7:40), what is missing in books on prayer (8:58), what we need to unlearn about prayer (12:37), true confession in prayer (22:39), unanswered prayers (29:33), reality vs. fantasy (34:12), and more. Buy Kyle's books. This episode is sponsored by the D.Min. program at Phoenix Seminary. Check out their upcoming seminar with Dr. Steven Duby...
Jan 18, 2022•40 min
This episode is a conversation with Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. of the Angelicum. We discuss his journey from Atlanta, GA to Rome (1:35), the life of a Dominican friar (5:45), basic guardrails for the doctrine of incarnation (9:50), avoiding problems of the Son "subtracting" or "adding" in the incarnation (14:17), could Christ have sinned? (19:50), the relationship between Christ's divine and human knowledge (25:28), Christ's beatific vision and "self-awareness" (31:47), the Holy Spirit's role...
Dec 16, 2021•55 min
This episode is a repost of our conversation with Dr. Thomas Kidd of Baylor University (soon-to-be Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary). We discuss becoming a scholar (2:50), the Great Awakening (9:50), the faith(?) of America's founding fathers (14:40), how to define "evangelical" (27:17), and more. Buy Tommy's books. Church Grammar is presented the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Episode sponsor: Speak for the Unborn. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. S...
Nov 24, 2021•43 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Ephraim Radner of Wycliffe College. We discuss a figural reading of Scripture (2:20), the relationship between Scripture and time/history (9:06), examples of figural readings in church history and modern practice (12:38), how to think about figural reading in preaching and teaching (31:52), human suffering (38:35), and more. Buy Ephraim's books. This episode is brought you by the Text & Canon Institute of Phoenix Seminary. Check out the new and improve...
Nov 08, 2021•45 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Today is a listener Q&A with a wide range of questions on theology, biblical interpretation, and more. Buy Madison's books. 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, on the Board of Directors for the Center for Baptist...
Oct 27, 2021•48 min
This episode is a short talk from a piece I wrote at the Center for Baptist Renewal, seeking to introduce the doctrine of eternal generation with some help from Athanasius. 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, a director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @br...
Oct 11, 2021•8 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Rhyne Putman of Williams Baptist College. We discuss why we disagree on theology (2:49), hermeneutical issues that create division (6:15), when we should divide (20:40), procedures for good theological method (26:35), and more. Buy Rhyne's books. 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 ...
Sep 15, 2021•34 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Michael Bird of Ridley College. We discuss the Apostolic Fathers and early Christianity (2:28), problems in biblical interpretation (26:40), the origins of the biblical canon and its authority (29:23), tips for reading (33:30), and more. Buy Mike'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 Professor of Theology &...
Sep 01, 2021•40 min
This is a repost of one of our most popular episodes. Brandon and Matt 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 D...
Aug 20, 2021•48 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. We discuss ways to see the Trinity in Scripture (2:21) and tips for academic publishing, job searches, etc. (29:12). 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 Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director fo...
Aug 06, 2021•47 min
This episode is a repost of my 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). Buy Jen'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 Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarvi...
Jul 19, 2021•36 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Adonis Vidu of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. We discuss the basics of the doctrine of inseparable operations (IO) (1:30), the biblical basis for IO (11:12), the relationship between IO and the work of the persons (19:01), IO and the incarnation (25:43), IO and the Holy Spirit (30:37), and more. Buy Adonis's books. Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Kat...
Jul 12, 2021•57 min
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Daniel Treier of Wheaton College. As a follow up to our conversations with Madison Pierce and Ched Spellman about TIS and the Wycliffe Colloquium, we discuss the development of TIS, theological commentaries and monographs, and books/articles to read. Buy Dan'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 ...
Jun 28, 2021•49 min
