The London Lyceum – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Jake and Jesse talk about Baptist systematic theology, tracing its evolution from the seventeenth century to the present. They discuss key figures like Thomas Grantham, John Gill, and E.Y. Mullins, highlighting their contributions and methodological differences. The conversation further explores Free Will Baptist and Northern Baptist systematic theologies, emphasizing the unique influences shaping these works.

Chapters

• Introduction
• The Legacy of Baptist Systematic Theologies
• Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Contributions
• Free Will Baptist and Northern Baptist Theologies
• Contemporary Systematic Theology
• Closing Thoughts

In this episode Hunter Hindsman, Leland Brown, and Stephen Presley discuss the importance of biblical theology in the life of the early church. Dr. Presley shares insights from his new book, exploring how the early church engaged with their culture and the role of the Bible in shaping their worldview. The conversation delves into the significance of ecclesial biblical theology, the influence of early church fathers, and the relationship between the rule of faith and sound biblical interpretation. They discuss the role of ecclesial context in interpretation, highlighting the necessity of discipleship and community involvement. Practical guidance for pastors is provided, focusing on how to build a liturgy that reinforces biblical interpretation. And more!

Resources:

1) Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church: Recovering an Ancient Vision, Stephen Presley

To learn more about Professor Lending, visit their website here.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the London Lyceum and Guests

02:00 Dr. Steven Presley's Background and Current Work

03:38 Cultural Sanctification and Its Relation to New Book

06:15 The State of Biblical Theology Today

08:35 Ecclesial Biblical Theology: A New Perspective

09:41 Methods vs. Assumptions in Biblical Interpretation

11:30 The Role of Early Church Fathers in Biblical Theology

12:58 First Principles of Biblical Theology

20:06 Understanding the Rule of Faith

23:19 Trinitarian Interpretation in Early Church Theology

26:36 Understanding the Literal and Historical Sense

30:04 The Role of Ecclesial Context in Interpretation

32:51 Discipleship and Community in Biblical Interpretation

35:13 Practical Guidance for Pastors

39:40 Building a Liturgy that Reinforces Interpretation

44:32 Engaging with the Church Fathers

48:15 Recommended Readings for Understanding the Fathers

Hunter and Leland talk with Dr. Michael Svigel about his latest book on 2nd century eschatology.

Jake and Jesse examine Samuel Richardson's thoughts on religious toleration and how Baptists should think about civil religion.

Jordan and Jacob talk with Joshua Schendel about the necessity of Christ's death. They cover topics like: Is Christ's death necessary? How did this question become so important? What are the various reformed views? What is the medieval background to the debate? How are medieval sources used? And more!

Resources:

1) The Necessity of Christ's Satisfaction: A Study of the Reformed Scholastic Theologians William Twisse (1578-1646) and John Owen (1616-1683)

Jordan discusses free choice in early modern Reformed thought with Layne Hancock and Michael Lynch. They cover topics like: Does early modern thought on free choice map onto how most think about free will today in any sense? What cautions might be appropriate for contemporary students (and even pastors) to be conscious of as they read older sources? Are the early moderns drawing on similar sources or are they being original/creative in any sense? What are the basic senses of freedom, contingency, possibility, and necessity? What is diachronic and synchronic contingency? And more!

Resources:

1) Beyond Dordt and De Auxiliis: The Dynamics of Protestant and Catholic Soteriology in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

2) Reformed Thought on Freedom: The Concept of Free Choice in Early Modern Reformed Theology

3) The Marrow of Theology

Jordan and Joel talk with Taylor Cyr and Matthews Grant about determinism, libertarian free will, and more.

Resources:

1) Free Will and God's Universal Causality: The Dual Sources Account, W. Matthews Grant

Jordan and Matt talk with Doug Blount about the doctrine of divine timelessness. They cover topics like: What is the doctrine of divine timelessness? Does it differ from saying God is atemporal, eternal, or the like? How do theories of time relate to divine timelessness and God's relation to time? Does divine timelessness fit best with a particular theory of time? Why shouldn’t we be swayed by those that argue against timelessness?

Resources:

1) Blountlystated.com

2) God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature

Jordan talks with Jonathon Beeke about the duplex regnum Christi and related topics in Reformed theology. They cover topics like: What did the early magisterial reformers think about it? Did they have any shared understanding of the two kingdoms or of political theology in general? How did the patristic and medieval thinkers influence the Reformers in their views here? What did Luther, Bucer, and Calvin think? Were they similar? What were the views of the Reformed Orthodox? And more!

Resources:

1) Duplex Regnum Christi, Jonathon Beeke

2) Politics After Christendom, David VanDrunen

3) Theonomy: A Theological Critique, David VanDrunen

Jordan and Matt talk with Tim O'Connor about emergent dualism. They cover topics like: What is emergentism (broadly speaking)? What is it about persons and personhood? How do you understand the nature of emergence? What is its relation to other concepts such as grounding and reduction? How do you distinguish your view from emergent dualism on the one hand and non-reductive materialism on the other? How do you avoid it collapsing into one or the other? What is the nature of the unity of the emergent individual, and how does it arise? Are emergent individuals composed of separable parts? What accounts for their unity? And more!

Resources:

1) Dance to the Tune of Life, Denis Noble

2) TOConnor.org