
The Ridley Institute Podcast
From The Ridley Institute at St Andrew's Anglican Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: conversations on Christian faith and discipleship in our secular age. Hosted by Sam Fornecker.
Episodes
Galahad and the Grail, with Malcolm Guite
What would it be like to live in a world where one rash action could lead to a wasteland for all? What if we live in just such a world? What might the old tales tell us about how to live in such a world by the hope of the Gospel? Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with priest and poet Malcolm Guite, about the first of his four-volume Arthuriad, Merlin's Isle, entitled, Galahad and the Grail. Find
Light on Darkness, with Cosima Clara Gillhammer
Humans cannot help but understand ourselves and our story through ritual. For Christians, as also for many irreligious people in the west today, this happens nowhere more powerfully than through the liturgy of the Church. Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Cosima Clara Gillhammer of Oxford University's Lady Margaret Hall. Drawing on insights from her new book, Light on Darkness: The Untold Sto
Patristic Biblical Theology, with Stephen Presley
We apologize to listeners for our error in the first release of this episode, and have corrected the error in this release. Please enjoy this interview with Stephen Presley!In the West, the term "God" has become virtually a placeholder, a moniker kept pristinely vacant. Even Christians have been known to treat the scriptures as butterflies to pin, probe and prod, comb and codify, until s
The Age of Hitler, with Alec Ryrie
For centuries, the lodestone of the West's moral compass pointed to Jesus. Today, it points away from Hitler. That shift from a positive to a negative moral touchstone can be seen in popular culture's panoply of dark lords—Darth Vader, Sauron, Voldemort—each a rather unsubtle echo of Hitler himself.Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christian
Follow Jesus Like It's 199 :: Stephen Presley on Christian Witness in the Age of Caesar
How can Christians stay embedded within our culture while pursuing virtue and rejecting vice, in personal and in public life? Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Stephen Presley, author of Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World like the Early Church (Eerdman's, 2024), about what the modern church has to learn from Christians of the second and third centuries.
According to Presley (Cultural Sa
Jesus and the Powers, with Mike Bird
What has God to do with politics? What has the kingdom to do with the cross? And what does it mean to work for a kingdom whose origin lies beyond creation, but whose destiny lies within it?
Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Mike Bird, deputy principal and lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia, about insights unpacked in Mike's new book with NT Wright, entitl
"We Are Underdone Eschatologically": On Gospel Theology, with Tim Patrick
What do Christians miss when we extol the cross of Christ (three cheers!), but fail to place emphasize correspondingly the resurrection of Christ, with all its implications for our lives today? How do we turn up the volume on this critical element of the gospel message?
Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Tim Patrick (Principal, Bible College of South Australia). Drawing on two of Tim'
A Praying Church, with Paul Miller
Sam Fornecker speaks with Paul Miller about his recent book, A Praying Church: Becoming a People of Hope in a Discouraging World (Crossway, 2023).
Why does God care if I pray with other Christians? Is a prayer meeting really the best use of my time? What would God do through corporate prayer that He wouldn't do in response to private prayer—or, for that matter, regardless of any prayer at all
Five Lies of an Anti-Christian Age, with Rosaria Butterfield
Sam Fornecker speaks with Rosaria Butterfield, about her most recent book, Five Lies of an Anti-Christian Age (Crossway, 2023).
What's the difference between being a Christian in 1992 and 2024? What distinguishes a post-Christian, from an anti-Christian, age? To paraphrase St Paul (Rom. 13:11–14), do we know what time it is?
In this conversation, Sam Fornecker speaks with Rosaria Butterfield
Echoes of the Incarnation: Early Christian Formation, with Alex Fogleman
No affirmation more roundly rebuts the modern presumption that humans are merely "brains-on-sticks" than the core Christian confession that, in Jesus, God assumed human nature. To reckon fully with this fact is to enter into "a complex set of practices oriented toward the transformation of one's being and understanding of the world," the learning of "habits of body and
Lost in the Chaos, with R.J. Snell
Sam Fornecker chats with philosopher R.J. Snell about his latest book, Lost in the Chaos: Immanence, Despair, Hope (Angelico, 2023).
What have frenzied activists, scheming rationalists, and men in Gandalf garb got in common? Why is each symptomatic of societal despair? And what hope can the Church offer a world no longer pining for the forgiveness of sins?
In this conversation, Sam Fornecker spe
Charismatic Christianity, with Helen Collins
Sam Fornecker chats with theologian Helen Collins about her recent book, Charismatic Christianity: Introducing Its Theology through the Gifts of the Spirit (Baker Academic, 2023).
What is "charismatic Christianity"? What are its signal emphases, its prevailing values, its cardinal foci? How is it to be understood in relation to Pentecostalism, on the one hand, and the wide world of evan
Doorway to Artistry, with Esther Lightcap Meek
Sam Fornecker chats with philosopher Esther Lightcap Meek about her book, Doorway to Artistry: Attuning Your Philosophy to Enhance Your Creativity (Wipf & Stock, 2023).
The implicit philosophical outlook of the modern world thwarts and damages our humanness, severing us from the "real." Modernity aims to master nature by arrogantly reducing things to bits and uses. Nothing is legiti
Leading Christian Communities, with C. Kavin Rowe
Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with C. Kavin Rowe (George Washington Ivey Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Vice Dean for Faculty, Duke Divinity School). Drawing on Rowe's recent book, Leading Christian Communities (Eerdman's, 2023), this conversation focuses on how the New Testament enables the communities it shapes to envision a faithful and compelling vision of Christi
Gospel Witness through the Ages, with David Gustafson
Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with David Gustafson (Chair of Mission and Evangelism at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). Drawing on insight's from David's book, Gospel Witness through the Ages (Eerdman's, 2022), this conversation focuses on how Christians can learn to fulfill our charge to "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5) by learning from the evangelistic stren
Gender as Love, with Fellipe do Vale
What is gender, how does it relate to sex, and what's love got to do with it? Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Fellipe do Vale, Assistant Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Drawing on do Vale's recent book, Gender as Love: A Theological Account of Human Identity, Embodied Desire, and Our Social Worlds (Baker Academic, 2023), this episode
[From the Archives] Advent, with Abigail Hull Whitehouse
Happy Thanksgiving! On this episode, Sam chats with Abigail Hull Whitehouse (a fellow priest in the Diocese of the Carolinas) about the season of Advent that begins this Sunday. Sam and Abigail discuss the meaning of the Advent season, the apocalyptic theology it brings to the fore, and how listeners can "bring Advent home" through spiritual disciplines and practices, both individually and as fami
Just Discipleship, with Michael Rhodes
In this episode, Sam Fornecker chats with Michael Rhodes (Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College). Dipping toes into Michael's recent book, Just Discipleship: Biblical Justice in an Unjust World (IVP Academic, 2023), this conversation considers a range of questions: What is justice? Does God care about justice—and if so, why? What does God say about justice in the Bible? What is a
Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine, with Andrew Davison
Would the discovery of "alien life" overturn the Christian faith? As we gain a clearer picture of the universe — it is estimated that there exist around 400 billion billion potentially habitable planets — it's important that Christians answer with a ready, "Of course not"! Join Sam Fornecker and Andrew Davison, Starbridge Professor of Theology and Natural Sciences at Cambri
Is God a Vindictive Bully? with Dr. Paul Copan
If God is love (1 Jn 4:8, 16), why does the Bible make Him look like a bully? Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Dr. Paul Copan (Pledger Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University) about violence in the Bible: from criminal justice to divine smiting, from cursing psalms to holy war. This conversation draws on Paul's recent book, Is God a Vindictive Bully? (Baker Academic,
Burden or Vocation? Dani Treweek on the Meaning of Singleness
Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Dani Treweek, founding director of the Single Minded ministry and adjunct teacher at Moore Theological College, about the Christian vision of singleness. Dani's recent book on the subject—The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church (IVP Academic, 2023)—assesses the Church's frequent failure to walk well along
More than Things: Paul Louis Metzger on Personhood and Christian Ethics
Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Paul Louis Metzger, professor of Christian theology and theology of culture at Multnomah University and Seminary, about the role of personhood in Christian ethics. This chat focuses on Paul's remarkable book, More than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture (IVP Academic, 2023). The "reader's guide" mentioned in the episode
Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? Stephen Tong on the Edwardian Reformation (1547–1553)
Season 3 kicks off with Steve Tong, History Master at Sydney Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. Drawing on Steve's new book, Building the Church of England: The Book of Common Prayer and the Edwardian Reformation (Brill, 2023), this episode looks at how the English Reformers sought to give visible form to the invisible Church, through a gospel-centered ecclesiology and a Bible-based liturgy—
New Parker Society :: First Series Recap
Join Sam Fornecker, Alice Soulieux-Evans, and Jake Griesel, as the gang draw together many of the key themes and insights that have arisen from the seminal reformation texts studied thus far on the New Parker Society series. The New Parker Society series will return after a hiatus, and The Ridley Institute Podcast will be back, Fall 2023!
How to Find Yourself, with Brian Rosner
Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Brian Rosner (Principal of Ridley College, Melbourne) about how the gospel addresses the collective identity crisis of modern society. Exploring the real-life implications of what scholars call expressive individualism, this conversation looks at how the gospel addresses arguably the most urgent question of modern people: "Who am I?" Find Brian&
Biblical Critical Theory, with Chris Watkin
"Make good men wish [Christianity] were true," wrote Blaise Pascal, "then show them that it is." Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Chris Watkin, Associate Professor in French Studies at Monash University, about how a robust understanding of the Bible's story equips Christians to follow Pascal's advice. Introducing listeners to the riot of ideas in Chris's recent bo
New Parker Society :: Nicholas Ridley's Conferences with Hugh Latimer (1556)
In 1556, imprisoned in London's Tower, two Protestant bishops, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer, encouraged one another through smuggled letters as they awaited the day of their demise. Those letters became the basis of a publication in 1556, which spurred on evangelical believers to stick to Christ, even when their life was at stake. Join Sam Fornecker, Alice Soulieux-Evans, and Jake Griesel
The Story of Abortion in America, with Leah Savas
Join Abigail Whitehouse and Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Leah Savas, coauthor with Marvin Olasky of The Story of Abortion in America: A Street-Level History, 1652–2022 (Crossway, 2022). Synthesizing the book's key findings and implications, this conversation equips Christians to (re)integrate reflection on abortion—including its history and attendant present-day realities—into the rea
Smuggling Jesus Back into the Church, with Andrew Fellows
Sam Fornecker and pastor/apologist Andrew Fellows discuss why "worldliness" is so poorly understood, and weakly challenged, in contemporary Christianity. Drawing on Fellows' recent book, Smuggling Jesus back into the Church: How the Church Became Worldly, and What to Do about It (IVP, 2022), as well as his experience in Christian leadership (including 21 years with the English L'Abri, and a period
St. Augustine and a More Hopeful Politics, with Michael Lamb
Join Sam and political theorist Michael Lamb, to see how St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.) helps us to navigate the bleak and cynical political culture of our day. Key to Augustine's approach is the virtue of hope — the virtue that prevents one from veering into the ditches of presumption or despair.
Michael Lamb serves as F. M. Kirby Foundation Chair of Leadership and Character at Wake
A Relationship of Trust with God, with Teresa Morgan
In this episode, Sam speaks with Teresa Morgan, McDonald Agape Professor in New Testament and Early Christianity at Yale Divinity School, about the role of trust in the Christian life. Drawing on insights found in Morgan's most recent monograph, 'This Rich Trust': The New Testament and the Theology of Trust (Oxford University Press, 2022), this chat explores what it means to enter into a rela
New Parker Society :: Hugh Latimer's Sermons on the Cards (1529) and on the Plough (1548)
In this latest installment of the New Parker Society, Sam is joined by Jake Griesel and Mark Earngey (Head of Church History at Moore Theological College, Sydney), to discuss selections from the preaching of the English Reformer, Hugh Latimer (c.1487–1555). To follow along with the Sermons on the Cards and the Sermon on the Plough, click here (see pages 3–24 for the Sermons on the Cards and 59–78
Freedom: Christianity's Gift to the World, with D.C. Schindler
Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with D.C. Schindler, Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C., about Christianity's gift to the world—the gift of freedom. Drawing on a wealth of insights in Schindler's new book, Retrieving Freedom: The Christian Appropriation of Classical Tradition (Notre Dame, 2022), this conversation explores vital questions, rang
Testament, with Micheal O'Siadhail
In this episode, Sam is joined by Micheal O'Siadhail, Distinguished Poet in Residence at Union Theological Seminary, to reflect on themes inspired by O'Siadhail's latest collection of poetry, Testament (Baylor University Press, 2022).
New Parker Society :: John Bradford's Godly Meditations on the Lord's Prayer
Join Sam, Alice, and Jake for a conversation about the English reformer and Marian martyr, John Bradford (1510–1555). In this episode of the New Parker Society series, the team focuses broadly on Bradford's devotional works, homing in especially Bradford's meditations on the Lord's Prayer. Read along here.
On Genesis and Gender: A Tale of Two Paradigms, with Dr. Abigail Favale
Join Sam, as he sits down with Abigail Favale, professor at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, to discuss the ideas, insights, and stories told in her recent book, The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory (Ignatius, 2022). Among other things, Sam and Abigail discuss the shape of an authentically Christian feminism, the advent and meaning of the "gender paradigm
On the Gospel and the Gospels, with Professor Simon Gathercole
Sam speaks with Simon Gathercole, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Cambridge University, on early Christian gospel literature, the theological message uniting the gospels of the New Testament canon, and why The Da Vinci Code is probably not the ideal source for information on Jesus Christ (or, ahem, New Testament scholarship). Gathercole's latest book on the gospels, discussed
Virtuous Persuasion, with Michael Niebauer
In this episode, Sam chats with Michael Niebauer about the theology of mission sketched in his provocative recent book, Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission (Lexham Press, 2022). Drawing on lines of thought developed in Virtuous Persuasion, Sam and Mike survey current models of Christian mission, considering where each breaks down theologically, before exploring an alternative mode
New Parker Society :: Thomas Cranmer on the Lord's Supper (1550)
For those desiring to understand Anglican teaching on Holy Communion, one could do worse than turn to the writings of the English reformers themselves. In this episode, Sam Fornecker and Alice Soulieux-Evans revisit the great English reformer, Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556). Having previously examined Cranmer the preacher, this episode considers Cranmer the theologian, as Sam and Alice take listeners
Agrarian Spirit, with Norman Wirzba
In this finale of the inaugural season of The Ridley Institute Podcast, Sam talks with Norman Wirzba, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School. Drawing on themes from Wirzba's forthcoming book, Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022), Sam and Norman explore how the cultivation of an "agrarian" vision of core Christian
Uprooted, with Gracy Olmstead
Sam talks with Gracy Olmstead, author of Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind (Sentinel, 2021), about local culture, the American dream, and the challenges and possibilities of living with roots in a transient society.
What Are Christians For?, with Jake Meador
What would happen if you put Abraham Kuyper in a microwave with Catholic social teaching? Just possibly, something like Jake Meador's most recent book, What Are Christians For? Life Together at the End of the World (IVP, 2022). In this episode, Sam is joined by Jake, editor in chief of Mere Orthodoxy, to discuss a number of issues, ranging from place, race, and the revolutionary spirit, to the bea
New Parker Society :: Thomas Cranmer, Homilies (1547)
In this latest installment of the New Parker Society — the first of two on the great English reformer and Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer — Sam is joined Jake Griesel and Steve Tong to discuss the genre of the sermon. Key to the conversation is Cranmer's role in the construction of the Book of Homilies (1547), and the theological and pastoral genius animating, in particular, the incompara
On Faith and Meaning, with Os Guinness
In this episode, Sam chats with speaker, writer, and social critic, Os Guinness. Discussing themes developed in his most recent book, The Great Quest: Invitation to an Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning (InterVarsity, 2022), Os and Sam explore big questions about faith, reason, and the meaning of life. In the spirit of great Christian thinkers like Blaise Pascal, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Le
The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis, with Jason Baxter
In this episode, Sam is joined by Jason Baxter, Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Wyoming Catholic College, to discuss the "British Boethius," C.S. Lewis. Unfolding aspects of Jason's recent book, The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind (InterVarsity Academic, 2022), Jason and Sam discuss why Lewis treasured the middle ages, and what modern people stan
Trinity and Salvation, with Fred Sanders
On this much-anticipated episode, Sam is joined by Fred Sanders, professor of theology in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. Drawing on insights from Fred’s recent book, Fountain of Salvation: Trinity and Soteriology (Eerdman’s, 2021), Sam and Fred discuss why properly relating the doctrines of the Trinity and salvation can foster enormous fruitfulness in the realms of Christian doctri
New Parker Society :: John Hooper, A Declaration of Christ and His Office (1547)
Join Alice, Jake, and Sam for the third installment of the New Parker Society series. This time, the gang meets to discuss the bishop of Gloucester and of Worcester, John Hooper's 1547 work, A Declaration of Christ and His Office. The late David Steinmetz described Hooper as a "volcano of energy, who shook the indifferent out of their self-satisfaction and who let the ignorant and slothful catch a
The Gospel of John, with David Ford
On this episode, Sam is joined by David Ford, Regius Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, to discuss his recently published The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (SPCK/Baker Academic, 2021). Drawing on decades of theological reflection distilled in that book, this conversation brings into focus key aspects of John's Gospel, including its sheer superabundance of mea
A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin, with Sam Storms
On this episode, Sam chats with Sam Storms, Lead Pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City and author of numerous books, including the recently published A Dozen Things God Did With Your Sin (And Three Things He'll Never Do) (Crossway, 2022). Join Sam (and Sam) as they discuss the cross of Christ, the grace of God, and the glorious possibility—for every guilt and shame-laden believer—of experien
Carved in Ebony, with Jasmine Holmes
On this episode, Sam is joined by Jasmine Holmes, to discuss her new book, Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women Who Shape Us (Bethany House, 2021). Drawing on the stories of ten remarkable Black women of mid-nineteenth century American history, Jasmine and Sam discuss what it meant for women like Nannie Helen Burroughs, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Amanda Berry Smith, to be God's ima
New Parker Society :: William Tyndale, The Obedience of a Christian Man (1528)
On this second installment of the New Parker Society series, Sam is joined once again by Alice Soulieux-Evans and Jake Griesel, for the friends' first deep dive into a key work of the Parker Society Library: this week, a work of the English reformer, William Tyndale (c.1494–1536). Tyndale's The Obedience of a Christian Man (1528) remains — second only to his biblical translations — the reformer's
Redeeming Expertise, with Dr Josh Reeves
On this episode, Sam is joined by Josh Reeves, Director of the Samford Center for Science and Religion at Samford University. This conversation, building on insights from Reeves' new book, Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church (Baylor University Press, 2021), explores a variety of related concerns, including the relation of science and faith, skepticism of scientific e
On Thinking Better, with Ulrich Lehner
On this episode, Sam chats with Ulrich Lehner, William K. Wood Professor of Theology at the University of Notre-Dame, who believes that reason lies at the heart of the good life. Drawing on themes explored in his book, Think Better: Unlocking the Power of Reason (Baker Academic, 2021), Lehner outlines an approach to reasoning that is intimately shaped by a Christian worldview, yet simultaneously r
New Parker Society :: Introduction to the Project
Happy Reformation Day!
On this episode, Sam is joined by two friends, Alice Soulieux-Evans and Jake Griesel, to discuss the Parker Society Library — a collection of key texts from the English Reformation during the sixteenth-century. In coming episodes, Sam, Alice, and Jake will guide listeners through select works from the Library. But first, the team meets to discuss the origins, significa
Piercing Leviathan, with Dr Eric Ortlund
Dr Eric Ortlund joins Sam for a conversation about the book of Job, and why this profoundly painful book may be the most joyful one in the Bible. Unfolding insights from his recent book, Piercing Leviathan: God's Defeat of Evil in the Book of Job (IVP Academic/Apollo, 2021), Ortlund shows how Job transforms us through uncomfortable reflection on the place of suffering in the Christian life, the wa
Apprenticeship to Jesus, with Dr Catherine Wright
Dr Catherine Wright joins Sam for a conversation about apprenticeship to Jesus. Unfolding themes from her book, Spiritual Practices of Jesus: Learning Simplicity, Humility, and Prayer with Luke's Earliest Readers (IVP Academic, 2020), Dr. Wright discusses how Luke's gospel, especially as read with the help of the early church fathers, calls readers to a relationship that entails new ways of
On Humanity and Humility, with Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin
Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin joins Sam for a conversation about how to communicate the gospel with humanity and humility. Drawing out themes from her book, Confronting Christianity (Crossway, 2019), Dr. McLaughlin addresses some common pitfalls of Christian apologetics, the difficulty and promise of genuine listening, and (perhaps?) the hardest question raised by the claims of the Christian faith.
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