An important recent book, On Being Reformed: Debates over a Theological Identity (2018), has engaged prominent theologians on the question of the Reformed theological identity, and whether it is possible (any more) to formulate a coherent identity behind the term.
Thinkers like Darryl G. Hart and R. Scott Clark have sought to recapture the term Reformed, using documents such as the Westminster Confession of Faith. On the other side, thinkers like Chris Caughey have argued that long and detailed confessions like the WCF are problematic, with articles that no one today (even Hart and Clark) would subscribe to.
We bring Chris on the show to talk about this at some depth: does the term Reformed have a meaning, and who gets to decide? Did it ever have a stable meaning? Are Reformed Baptists a part of it? Was the Reformed pastor Jacob Arminius a part of it? What about John Calvin, who didn’t unambiguously teach double predestination?
We conclude with the historic lessons from the Nicene Creed, and a discussion on whether confessions ought to be minimalist or exhaustive.
Chris Caughey tweets at @machenguy. He co-hosts the Glory Cloud Podcast, here:
https://meredithkline.com/podcast/
And on iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-glory-cloud-podcast/id1147518652
Many of his other books and articles on Reformed theology can be found here: http://jessup.academia.edu/ChrisCaughey
Participants:
- Chris Caughey
- Rev. Bart Gingerich
- James Syrow