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Christ died and rose again. But how do we come to share in what he accomplished? What does Paul actually mean when he says that believers are “in Christ”? In this episode of Westminster Radio, Richard Gaffin explores union with Christ and why it matters for everything from our justification to our bodily resurrection. Drawing on Scripture, Calvin, and the Westminster catechisms, he explains how the Holy Spirit unites us to the Savior through faith, and why Christ’s benefits can never be separated from Christ himself. We receive the whole Christ: the priest who saves us, the prophet we listen to, and the king we obey. And his hold on us extends even to the grave. 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!

Matt Jones of Empower One joins Nate Shannon to discuss church planting, theological education, and the work of making disciples in some of the hardest places in Africa. From South Sudan and Darfur to refugee camps and unreached communities, Jones explains why slow, indigenous, deeply rooted ministry often bears more lasting fruit than strategies built around speed and numbers—and what Christians in the West can learn from pastors who remain faithful when there is nowhere else to go. Learn more about Matt's ministry at empower-one.org. 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!

How do we come to recognize the Bible as the Word of God, and what role does the Holy Spirit play in that conviction? In this archival lecture, John Frame explores the Spirit’s work in inspiring Scripture and opening our hearts to receive its truth, showing how his inward testimony works together with evidence, argument, and careful study. Frame calls us to approach God’s Word with intellectual seriousness and prayerful dependence on the Spirit who enables us to understand, believe, and obey it. 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!

Why are we so fascinated by superheroes? In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Nate Shannon talks with Ransom Poythress about superheroes, science, storytelling, and the Christian worldview. Drawing from a course he teaches at Houghton University, Poythress explores what characters like Superman and Batman reveal about our understanding of human nature, our longing to transcend our limitations, and our desire for someone powerful enough to save us. The conversation moves from the science behind superpowers to the deeper structure of superhero stories themselves. Why do stories of sacrifice, salvation, good and evil, and ultimate victory resonate so deeply with us? Poythress argues that our attraction to these stories reflects something far greater: the world really is broken, we really do need a Savior, and the fictional heroes we create can offer faint echoes of the true story fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Nate and Ransom also discuss how these stories can provide natural points of contact for evangelism and a distinctly Van Tilian approach to apologetics. 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!

What happens to the church when confidence in the Bible gives way to human judgment? In this archival address, James Montgomery Boice makes the case for biblical inerrancy, showing why the truthfulness of Scripture is essential to the church’s authority, reformation, and preaching. Drawing on his own encounters with challenges to the Bible, Boice calls Christians to face difficult questions honestly while standing firmly on the trustworthy Word of God. 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!

How should seminaries prepare faithful pastors for a world being reshaped by technology, cultural change, and growing ministry needs? Recorded during Westminster’s presidential inauguration events, this panel brings together Ligon Duncan, Joel Kim, Kevin Kang, and Valdeci Da Silva Santos, with David Garner moderating, to discuss the future of theological education in the United States, South Korea, and Brazil. From residential community and spiritual maturity to artificial intelligence and the recruitment of future ministers, they explore what must change, what must endure, and why the church and seminary need one another. 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!

Images shape what we love, what we fear, and what we believe. But how often do we stop to examine their power? In this archival address, Al Groves explores how God uses imagery throughout the Old Testament to reveal himself, communicate truth, and reach the hearts of his people. Moving from the familiar words of Psalm 23 to the images competing for our allegiance, Groves challenges us to bring our imaginations under the authority of Scripture. 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!

In this final installment of our three-part series on Dissecting the Heart by David Powlison, Pierce Taylor Hibbs and Alfred Poirier explore Powlison’s conviction that all theology is practical theology. From suffering and the possibility of genuine change to the Psalms, death, and the Beatitudes, they consider how Scripture addresses the questions people actually face, and often redirects us toward the questions we should be asking. At the center of Powlison’s approach is a deeply God-centered vision of the Christian life, in which both our weakness and our strength are understood through communion with Christ. You can preorder ⁠Dissecting the Heart here⁠. 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!

What role should evidence play in presuppositional apologetics? In this archival lecture, J. I. Packer considers the role of evidence in the covenantal approach to apologetics, arguing for their value in serving the work of Christian persuasion while insisting that neither argument nor evidence can bring a sinner to faith apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Along the way, Packer reflects on Cornelius Van Til, the traditional arguments for God’s existence, and the task of presenting Christianity as both internally coherent and uniquely able to explain the world in which we live. 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!

What does it actually mean to fight a spiritual war? In the second installment of Dissecting the Heart, Pierce Taylor Hibbs and Alfred Poirier explore David Powlison’s approach to spiritual warfare, and why both secular psychology and deliverance ministries can miss the deepest battleground: the human heart. Rather than looking for demons to cast out or psychological explanations that remove human agency, Powlison returns to Scripture’s ordinary but powerful pattern of spiritual warfare: repent, believe, and resist. Along the way, they discuss Satan as a “God mimic,” the absence of spiritual neutrality, the surprising hope found in calling sin what it is, and why sound theology must actually transform the way Christians live. The result is a vision of spiritual warfare that is less sensational than we might expect, but far more pervasive: a daily battle to turn from sin, trust the promises of Christ, and live by faith in the midst of a fallen world. You can preorder ⁠Dissecting the Heart here⁠. 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 for Christ and His global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

What difference should Reformed theology actually make in the counseling room? In this archival lecture, Jay Adams argues that biblical counseling must begin with the sovereignty of God and the sufficiency of his Word. Working through the five points of Calvinism, Adams explores how doctrines such as total depravity, election, particular redemption, effectual calling, and perseverance shape the Christian counselor’s understanding of human nature, genuine change, and the hope of sanctification. 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!

Modern culture is saturated with the language of psychology. Words like identity, trauma, boundaries, self-esteem, and triggers shape how many people understand themselves, their relationships, and even their suffering. But what happens when those categories begin to replace the Bible's own understanding of the human heart? In the first episode of this three-part series on Dissecting the Heart, a posthumous volume from David Powlison, Pierce Taylor Hibbs sits down with Dr. Alfred Poirier to explore what Powlison called our "psychologized culture." Together they discuss how modern psychology has reshaped the church's assumptions about counseling, why pastors have increasingly ceded soul care to mental health professionals, and how the gospel offers resources that no secular therapeutic model can provide. Along the way, they reflect on Powlison's extraordinary ministry, the recovery of biblical counseling at Westminster, and the church's calling to once again become a place where wounded people find genuine hope in Christ. You can preorder Dissecting the Heart here. 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 for Christ and His global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

What does it mean to preach the whole Bible as Christian Scripture? In this lecture, former Westminster president Edmund P. Clowney turns to Jesus’ description of the scribe of the kingdom who brings from his treasure “things new and old” to explore the task of Christian preaching. For Clowney, the preacher announces something genuinely new—the arrival of God’s kingdom and the renewal of all things in Christ—while proclaiming the fulfillment of promises God has been unfolding from the beginning. Clowney warns against reducing the Old Testament to moral lessons or examples to imitate. Instead, he calls preachers to locate every passage within the history of redemption, showing how the judges, sacrifices, prophets, kings, and promises prepare for Jesus Christ. And that movement works in both directions: we preach the Old Testament in light of the New and understand the New Testament in light of the Old, as both testify to the one unfolding work of God in Christ. 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!

What does apologetics have to do with preaching? In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Nate Shannon talks with Dr. Rob Edwards about his new book, Pulpit Apologetics: A Christ-Centered Apologetic for Gospel Proclamation. Drawing on the apologetic tradition of Cornelius Van Til and his own years of pastoral ministry, Edwards argues that preaching and apologetics belong together more closely than we often assume. Their conversation explores the apologetic character of the Apostle Paul’s preaching, the relationship between God’s Word and the world he created, and why apologetics should not be reduced to a specialized discipline for experts. Instead, the proclamation of Christ itself creates apologetic encounters, calling believers and unbelievers alike to reckon with the truth of God’s Word. Edwards also considers what this means practically for the pulpit: how pastors can engage contemporary unbelief without allowing the culture to set the terms of the conversation, why biblical preaching must aim deeper than merely being “relevant,” and how the preacher can press the claims of Christ upon both the mind and the conscience. Ultimately, apologetics is not simply about winning arguments. It is about bearing witness to Jesus Christ. A truly Christian apologetic therefore shares the goal of Christian preaching: to proclaim Christ and call sinners to repentance, faith, and reconciliation with God through him. Get a copy of Pulpit Apologetics: A Christ-Centered Apologetic for Gospel Proclamation here. 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!

What does it mean to live faithfully as a Christian in a culture that no longer shares a Christian understanding of reality? In this lecture at Westminster Theological Seminary, Dutch art historian and Christian thinker Hans Rookmaaker explores the relationship between Christianity and culture, moving from art, music, wealth, and the church to deeper questions of knowledge, certainty, and the Christian’s starting point for understanding the world. Rookmaaker challenges the illusion of neutral scholarship and argues that while every human interpretation is finite and shaped by its presuppositions, Christians nevertheless stand within a real, created world whose ultimate certainty is God himself. Along the way, he considers what this means for preaching, cultural engagement, and even the ordinary choices Christians make about music, art, money, and beauty. The result is a characteristically wide-ranging argument that Christianity concerns not merely a religious corner of our existence, but the whole of human life before God. 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!