"...to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." Follow The Westminster Podcast to listen to stories, interviews, and archive audio from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA. Featuring interviews and in-depth conversations with renowned authors, theologians, pastors, and historians, The Westminster Podcast is meant to help listeners in deeper exploration of the Christian faith. Visit wm.wts.edu to Read, Watch, and Listen to more content like this.
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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 conversatio...
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. 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 ou...
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 decad...
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 . Thanks for listening!
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, ...
Recorded live at the Kuyper Conference at Calvin University, this episode features a conversation with Dr. Gray Sutanto, alumnus of Westminster Theological Seminary and professor of systematic theology at RTS Washington, D.C. Sutanto reflects on his academic work in neo-Calvinism, particularly his efforts to retrieve and clarify the theological legacy of figures like Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck. He highlights the coherence between neo-Calvinism and confessional Reformed theology, emphasizi...
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Dr. Ransom Poythress, professor of biology at Houghton University, reflects on the relationship between Christian faith and the scientific enterprise, beginning with Psalm 104 as a vision of a world created and sustained by God. He addresses the limits of hyper-specialization and the scientific method, arguing that science itself depends on realities—mind, order, and a knowable world—that are best explained within a Christian framework. Moving beyond c...
Nate Shannon is joined by Iain Duguid as they explore the depths of the Song of Songs. They discuss the challenges of translating poetry, the interpretive strategies, and the profound biblical insights into love, marriage, and Christ's relationship with the church. 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 Chri...
In light of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, Nate Shannon is joined by Westminster professor of Church History Todd Rester to reflect on the life and witness of St. Patrick. Moving beyond popular legends, the conversation traces Patrick’s remarkable story from his upbringing in fifth-century Roman Britain, to his capture and enslavement in Ireland as a teenager, to his eventual return to the very land of his enslavement as a missionary of Christ. Drawing from Patrick’s own Confession , Dr. Rester hig...
Nate Shannon is joined again by Justin Poythress to discuss the complex issues of digital identity, its impact on relationships, and how Christians can navigate the digital age with biblical wisdom. Their conversation explores the influence of social media, online relationships, and the importance of representing Christ in digital life. 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...
Jeremy Schmucker joins Nate Shannon to recount the Lord’s providential leading through sorrow, theological formation, and vocational redirection. Raised in a Christian home and later shaped by a wide range of evangelical contexts, Jeremy describes a growing conviction that ministry must be ordered not merely around giftedness (including music) but around the shepherding of souls through the Word. That path eventually brought him to Westminster for the MATS and into a deeper appreciation of the g...
In this episode, Nate Shannon interviews Rev. Dr. Justin Poythress about his forthcoming book Who Am I and What Am I Doing With My Life? The conversation explores the modern “identity crisis” often expressed in debates about sexuality and gender but argues that these are only surface manifestations of a much deeper question: what it means to be human. Poythress explains that contemporary culture’s emphasis on radical self-creation, amplified by social media, limitless vocational options, and hyp...
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, host Nate Shannon engages with Dr. S.A. Fix, an Old Testament scholar, to discuss the significance of John Thompson and his work on the Shorter Catechism. They explore the historical context of American Presbyterianism, the Adopting Act, and the impact of the Great Awakening on the church. Dr. Fix emphasizes the importance of confessionalism and the value of understanding theology as a means to glorify God and deepen one's faith.
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Nate Shannon is joined again by Jeremy Manacuchi for a searching exploration of the Book of Lamentations, one of Scripture’s most haunting and least-studied books. Beginning with the stark poetry of Jerusalem’s fall, they situate Lamentations within its historical context: the Babylonian siege, exile, and the covenantal judgment foretold in Deuteronomy. The discussion traces why the book is so emotionally and theologically difficult: its graphic imager...
In this episode, Paul Woo recounts how his academic path converged with his personal theological journey. Though initially trained in seventeenth-century theology, his long-standing passion for Presbyterian history led him to accept an unexpected invitation to pursue doctoral research on John Murray. Murray’s influence, was first felt in reading Murray on Romans 6. Definitive sanctification gave him new categories for understanding the Christian struggle against sin as a battle fought from union...
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, host Nate Shannon welcomes Dr. Brandon Crowe to discuss the relationship between Scripture and the Nicene Creed in the 1700th anniversary year of the Council of Nicaea. Drawing from his recent paper, Christology: Mark on the Road to Nicaea , Crowe explains how creeds arise from Scripture rather than being imposed upon it, functioning as faithful summaries and syntheses of the Bible’s teaching. He explores how extra-biblical theological language—such as...
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Nate Shannon and Blake Franze welcome Dr. Augustus Nicodemus Lopez, Westminster alumnus, pastor, theologian, and former chancellor of Mackenzie University in São Paulo. Broadcasting from Istanbul during the Nicaea Conference, they reflect on Dr. Lopez’s lecture on Colossians and deep Christology before turning to his formative years at Westminster in the early 1990s. He recounts studying under Moses Silva, wrestling with liberal European scholarship du...
This week Nate Shannon speaks with Westminster doctoral student Jeremy Menicucci about his journey to Westminster, his pastoral background, and his doctoral research on the Book of Lamentations. They focus on Jeremy’s dissertation work on Hebrew poetry, focusing especially on deviations from unmarked word order in Lamentations. He explains how poetic structure, acrostic form, and word order function not merely as literary devices but as vehicles for theological meaning. Lamentations, he argues, ...
In this episode of The Westminster Podcast , Nate Shannon speaks from Istanbul with Göksel Erdoğdu, the first—and so far only—graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary from Turkey. Göksel shares his remarkable personal story as a second-generation Christian in a predominantly Muslim context, recounting how the gospel first came to his family amid social pressure, cultural shame, and political instability. From his upbringing in the Turkish church to his theological formation at Westminster, G...
In this episode of The Westminster Podcast , Brandon McLean Smith is joined again by Brian Selby for a wide-ranging theological conversation on Herman Bavinck, Christology, and the enduring significance of the infralapsarian–supralapsarian debate. Selby explores recent developments in Bavinck scholarship, arguing that Bavinck is far more decisive than often assumed in ordering creation, fall, and redemption with a view to Christ as the telos of all things—while firmly rejecting problematic forms...
Recorded at the Nicaea Conference in Istanbul, this episode of The Westminster Podcast features a wide-ranging and incisive conversation with Pastor Leo de Chirico, a Reformed Baptist pastor serving in Rome, Italy. Drawing on his unique experience and years of evangelistic and theological engagement in a Roman Catholic context, Leo reflects on the significance of the Council of Nicaea, the purpose of the Nicene Creed, and what it really meant to confess Christ’s divinity in the face of Arianism....
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Brandon McLean Smith speaks with Jordan Bush, executive director of Thank God for Bitcoin and they explore the practical and theological implications of Bitcoin as a tool for missions and ministries in places cut off from traditional banking, how it can protect individuals and organizations from financial censorship, and the dangers posed by central bank digital currencies. Jordan ties monetary questions to a broader Reformed framework—invoking “sowing...
In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, host Nate Shannon, along with co-host Blake Franze, engage in a deep conversation with Sharif Fahim, a New Testament scholar from Alexandria, Egypt. They explore Sharif's journey from a nominal Coptic Christian to a reformed theologian, the critical need for reformed literature in Arabic, and the challenges of translating theological works. The discussion also delves into the complexities of Paul's theology in Romans, the significance of justification ...
In this episode Nate kicks off a series of interviews conducted in Istanbul at the Nicea Conference. He begins with his colleague, the latest addition to the Westminster Faculty, Blake Franze. They discuss Blake's PhD dissertation which was on the concept of reward in the Pauline epistles. 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 co...
In this episode Nate Shannon engages with Dave Garner, Chief Academic Officer and future president of Westminster Theological Seminary, to discuss the complex topic of spiritual gifts, particularly tongues and prophecy. They explore the importance of theological discourse, the role of the church in shaping theology, and the necessity of handling disagreements with respect and tenderness. Dr. Garner emphasizes the need for a thoughtful approach to these discussions, recognizing the personal stake...
Dr. James Baird discusses his book, "King of Kings: A Reformed Guide to Christian Government," arguing that civil government has a duty to promote and protect Christianity. He delves into the Reformed tradition's historical views on faith and government, clarifies misconceptions around "Christian Nationalism," and explains the confessional basis for his claims, contrasting liberty of conscience with liberty of action. The conversation also explores the historical context of religious freedom in America, the role of blasphemy laws, and a nuanced approach to political strategy and inter-denominational alliances.
Nate returns to the home of Dr. Edgar this week to continue their discussion of the role of persuasion in Christian Apologetics. This time they are talking about the point of contact, where the rubber meets the road. 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...
Timothy Brindle and Brandon McLean Smith discuss definitive sanctification, a foundational yet often overlooked aspect of the believer's union with Christ. They explain how this distinct, once-for-all event, rooted in Romans 6, breaks sin's enslaving power, providing the basis for progressive sanctification. The discussion also covers the practical implications for resisting sin, Christian identity, and navigating contemporary cultural issues from a biblical perspective.
Joshua Jacobs is an alumnus of Westminster Theological Seminary currently serving as a missionary in France. He sits down with Nate to discuss his ministry and how hospitality is a key element to the proclamation of the gospel in a society as "secular" as France's. 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...
This week Nate is joined by Tom and Damaris Otremba. They discuss their path from Eastern Europe, to Westminster and plans for proclaiming the Gospel in Poland. Sign up for the Preaching conference here https://wtspreachingconference25.rsvpify.com 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,...
