Angels (Sys Theo #17)

Angels are the topic of interest for lesson #17 in Systematic Theology. Subject matter includes their existence, nature, abode, organization, and classification, in addition to a biblical list of facts concerning them. Angels are also considered in relation to God's sovereignty and prayer, with a consideration of the belief in guardian angels. Finally, angels are considered in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ, including the enigmatic Angel of the Lord.

Audio and notes are available at the Systematic Theology page, which can be accessed by the link in the upper right column of this page.

Prayer (Sys Theo #16)

Prayer is reflected upon from a theological perspective in the latest class from my Systematic Theology course. The mediatorial work of Christ in relation to prayer is considered first. Then, prayer is considered in the light of God's absolute sovereignty. This is followed by some reflections on the biblical data concerning the prayer life of the apostle Paul, including his "unanswered" prayer regarding his "thorn in the flesh." Biblical reasons for "unanswered" prayer are enumerated, followed by some concluding reflections on the relational character of prayer.

Audio and notes are available here, or via the link in the upper right column of this page.

Evil (Sys Theo #15)

Evil, pain, and suffering are the focus of this lesson in the Systematic Theology series. The concept of theodicy seeks to resolve how it is that these exist in a world created by an almighty and good creator.  Evil is considered in terms of the typical categories of moral and natural evil, and how these are related to moral freedom, divine sovereignty, a cruciform design in creation, and the crucifixion. The class concludes with reflection on the redemptive purposes of evil, pain, and suffering in the light of divinely revealed ultimate purposes.

Audio and notes are available here, or via the link in the upper right column.

Vanderbilt Bible Study

For those interested: I've recently completed a Bible Study on the biblical metanarrative of redemption. I met weekly with a group of graduate and professional students from Vanderbilt and other nearby schools, as well as some who have recently graduated from such programs.

I didn't audio record the studies since they involved frequent discussion, but I've posted the notes online, which are accessible via the link below. The content is a truncated version of the 26 week course, God's Story of Redemption, available on this site with links to audio and notes.

Click here to access notes for the shorter study: Biblical Metanarrative of Redemption, which totals eleven sets of teaching notes, the last of which is a summary of the material.

Providence (Sys Theo #14)

Lesson 14 of Systematic Theology is broken into two parts. The first discusses a brief article I wrote entitled, "Worldview, Postmodernism, and Hermeneutics," located on this blog. I wrote the article in large part because of the so-called science-faith debate particularly as it involves the issue of evolutionary theory. My comments urge caution in light of the Church's historic catastrophic mistake in regards to geocentrism as understood by the Church to be the authoritative teaching of Scripture. This part of the class is really a continuation of Lesson 13 on Creation.

The second part of the class focuses on God's providence in terms of his preservation and guidance.

Audio and notes, as always, are located via the Systematic Theology link in the upper right column of this page.