This is the third lesson in Dr. Camden Bucey’s Reformed Academy course, Defending Our Hope: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics. Before we can defend the Christian faith, we must know the God we are defending. This lesson explores the heart of Christian apologetics: the doctrine of God. We explore the nature and attributes of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as revealed in Scripture and expressed in the Reformed tradition. From God’s simplicity and independence to his communicable and incommunicable attributes, we see how every aspect of his character undergirds our hope. Learn how the Trinity shapes our understanding of reality, strengthens our confidence in the gospel, and compels us to a bold yet humble defense of the faith in a world longing for ultimate truth.

• 03:10 Theology Proper: A Study of the Triune God
• 15:15 The Attributes of God
• 21:46 God’s Communicable and Incommunicable Attributes
• 24:14 Relative Attributes
• 27:31 Divine Transcendence
• 31:46 Summary and Conclusion 

Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress, download supplemental resources, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to more than two dozen more video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/def...

Camden Bucey (MDiv, PhD) is Executive Director of Reformed Forum and a minister of Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Grayslake, Illinois. He is the author of Karl Rahner (Great Thinkers) and Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: A 12-Week Study.   Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/   #apologetics #evangelism #presupp

In this episode we welcome Dr. Michael Morales—professor of biblical studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary—for a conversation exploring the profound theological vision of the book of Numbers. Drawing from his newly released two-volume commentary in the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series, Dr. Morales unveils Numbers as more than ancient census lists and wilderness wanderings. Instead, it emerges as a richly textured narrative of covenant community, leadership, and the Lord’s presence among his people.

Listeners will discover how the structure of Israel’s camp reflects Edenic hope and eschatological promise, how Numbers addresses the roles of prophet, priest, and king, and why the priestly blessing and Balaam’s oracles form theological bookends to this journey toward the Promised Land. Dr. Morales also shares personal reflections from his ten-year labor on the commentary, emphasizing the pastoral power and redemptive-historical depth of this often-overlooked book.

Whether you’re a pastor, seminary student, or serious Bible reader, this conversation will reinvigorate your love for the Pentateuch and deepen your grasp of how all Scripture points us to Christ.

Resources Mentioned

• Numbers Volumes 1 & 2 (Apollos Old Testament Commentary)
• Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
• Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption

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Chapters

• 01:10 Introduction
• 03:22 Update About Current Projects
• 05:55 The Experience of Working on This Project for 10 Years
• 12:39 The Camp Metaphor
• 19:02 God Dwelling in the Midst of His People
• 23:53 Grumbling and Rebellion
• 28:47 The Orientation of God’s People
• 34:40 The New Generation
• 43:19 The Close of the Book
• 45:12 Conclusion

In this final installment of our introductory series on Eastern Orthodoxy for Reformed Christians, Camden Bucey explores Orthodox worship and sacramental theology through a Reformed lens. This episode provides a careful and charitable overview of Eastern Orthodox liturgical practices, including the Divine Liturgy, veneration of icons, and the centrality of the Eucharist.

What makes Eastern Orthodox worship distinct? Why are icons and incense used? What theological principles undergird these practices? Camden discusses the symbolism of Eastern Orthodox worship while also addressing key doctrinal differences—especially concerning the second commandment, the regulative principle, and the doctrine of salvation.

Whether you’re a Reformed believer curious about the traditions of the East or seeking to understand why some are drawn to Orthodoxy’s mystery and aesthetic, this episode offers insight, clarity, and biblical reflection.

Series

• Part 1 (The Church and Scripture)
• Part 2 (The Doctrine of God and Salvation)
• Part 3 (Worship and the Sacraments)

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Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 00:26 – Worship and the Sacraments in Eastern Orthodoxy
• 01:49 – Theology of Liturgy and Participation
• 04:14 – Worship as Theology in Action
• 05:36 – Icons, Veneration, and the Second Commandment
• 10:02 – The Eucharist
• 14:09 – Reverence and Symbolism
• 15:33 – Prayers for the Dead
• 16:44 – Summary of Theological Differences
• 18:10 – Final Reflections

On today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. We discuss Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation by Daniel found in chapter 2:31-45.

This is the second lesson in Dr. Camden Bucey’s Reformed Academy course, Defending Our Hope: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics.

How do we perceive reality accurately amidst competing perspectives? This lesson examines worldviews and explores how everyone—whether consciously or not—interprets life through fundamental beliefs. You will learn how Scripture, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, serves as a lens bringing spiritual clarity to metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Based on Colossians and the Reformed tradition, we compare the Christ-centered worldview with philosophical approaches grounded solely in human reasoning. This lesson enhances your understanding of worldviews, strengthens your ability to identify inconsistencies in contrary perspectives, and empowers you to articulate a gospel-centered understanding of reality with confidence.

• 01:30 Viewing the World through the Lens of Faith
• 03:04 Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics
• 11:01 Worldviews in Contrast
• 21:25 The Pre-Eminence of Christ in Colossians
• 34:04 Seeing Clearly with Biblical Spectacles
• 37:12 Examples of Worldly Vision
• 39:48 Summary and Conclusion.

Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress, download supplemental resources, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to more than two dozen more video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/defending-our-hope-an-introduction-to-christian-apologetics/

Camden Bucey (MDiv, PhD) is Executive Director of Reformed Forum and a minister of Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Grayslake, Illinois. He is the author of Karl Rahner (Great Thinkers) and Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: A 12-Week Study.

Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/  #apologetics #evangelism #presupp

Leonardo De Chirico and Mark Gilbert join the program to discuss the enduring significance of the Nicene Creed as it marks its 1700th anniversary. Drawing from their recent edited volume, The Nicene Creed: The Nature of Christian Unity and the Meaning of Gospel Words (Matthias Media), the guests explore how shared creedal language can mask deep theological differences, particularly between evangelical and Roman Catholic traditions.

Leonardo De Chirico is a pastor of a Reformed evangelical church in Rome, a scholar of Roman Catholic theology, and a leader in the Reformanda Initiative, which seeks to equip evangelical engagement with Roman Catholicism. Mark Gilbert serves as a chaplain in Sydney, Australia, and leads the ministry Certainty for Eternity, which focuses on evangelism among those from Roman Catholic backgrounds. Both men bring rich theological and pastoral insight to bear on the question of unity in Christ.

The conversation traces the origins of the creed, its Trinitarian framework, and the implications of confessing shared historical truths while diverging in doctrinal substance—especially concerning Christology, the church, and salvation. Leonardo and Mark also share personal insights from their ministries engaging Roman Catholics, underscoring the need for unity rooted in biblical truth rather than institutional alignment or superficial consensus.

This episode invites thoughtful reflection on what true Christian unity looks like in light of Scripture, and how the creeds function as faithful, yet insufficient, summaries apart from a Reformed understanding of the gospel.

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Chapters

• 01:11 Introduction
• 04:03 Background to the Book
• 11:27 Can We Have Meaningful Unity with Roman Catholics?
• 17:31 Unity in Truth
• 25:32 The Trinitarian Theology of the Creed
• 29:31 The Christology of the Creed
• 38:16 The Scope and Usefulness of the Nicene Creed
• 44:31 The Work of Christ
• 51:50 Pursuing Christian Unity
• 57:55 Conclusion

On today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. We discuss Nebuchadnezzar’s dream found in Daniel 2:31-49.

This is the first lesson in Dr. Camden Bucey’s Reformed Academy course, Defending Our Hope: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics.

What does it mean to defend our hope in a world filled with doubt and competing worldviews? In this opening lesson, you will be introduced to the discipline of apologetics—not as an academic abstraction but as a deeply personal, biblically grounded calling for every believer. Drawing from 1 Peter 3:15, we explore how the hope of Christ’s resurrection transforms the way we engage with others, and why a distinctly Reformed approach—centered on Scripture, the sovereignty of God, and covenant theology—offers a robust framework for defending the faith with gentleness and respect. This lesson sets the foundation for a life of confident and compassionate witness.

• 00:09 Introduction
• 03:20 Foundations of Hope: Understanding Apologetics
• 08:13 The Benefit of Apologetics
• 15:14 A Distinctly Reformed Apologetic

Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress, download supplemental resources, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to more than two dozen more video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/defending-our-hope-an-introduction-to-christian-apologetics/

Camden Bucey (MDiv, PhD) is Executive Director of Reformed Forum and a minister of Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Grayslake, Illinois. He is the author of Karl Rahner (Great Thinkers) and Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: A 12-Week Study.

Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/ #apologetics #evangelism #presupp

In this episode Camden Bucey welcomes Dr. Jonathan Master, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and host of the new podcast Dead Presbyterians Society. Together, they reflect on the theology and practice of public prayer, drawing upon the insights of 19th-century Presbyterian theologian Samuel Miller and his underappreciated classic, Thoughts on Public Prayer.

The conversation addresses the enduring importance of prayer in the public ministry of the church. Dr. Master discusses why pastors must be both God’s mouthpiece to the people through preaching and the people’s mouthpiece to God through prayer. The episode includes a full episode of Dead Presbyterian Society, in which Master offers a deep and moving treatment of Miller’s work—highlighting frequent faults in public prayer, the characteristics of excellent prayer, and the secret devotional habits that sustain it.

Whether you’re a pastor, elder, seminarian, or thoughtful church member, this episode is a call to recover the dignity, order, and spiritual power of public prayer in Reformed worship.

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Chapters

• 00:00:07 Introduction
• 00:04:53 Introducing Dead Presbyterians Society
• 00:21:22 Dead Presbyterians Society, Episode 5
• 00:47:28 The Relative Lack of Attention Given to Public Prayer
• 01:01:44 How to Grow in Public Prayer
• 01:06:05 Reading Books to Help Think More Biblically
• 01:08:30 Conclusion

God begins to turn around Naomi’s life in Ruth 2:1-13, a picture of what he does for his church. Ruth ventures into the fields in faith and just “happens” to meet Boaz, who shows her unexpected kindness. Her response, “Why have I found favor?” is something Christians today have even more reason to echo.

In this second installment of our introductory series on Eastern Orthodoxy, Camden Bucey considers key theological distinctions and points of contact between Eastern Orthodox and Reformed theology. This episode focuses on the doctrine of God and the nature of salvation. We examine the shared commitment to Nicene Trinitarianism, while highlighting distinct emphases in Eastern and Western Trinitarian formulations.

The discussion also explores the Eastern Orthodox concept of the essence-energies distinction, theosis (deification), and the centrality of Christ’s incarnation and resurrection in their soteriology. Crucially, we contrast the Reformed doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone with the synergistic model of salvation found in Eastern Orthodoxy, raising important questions about assurance, divine simplicity, and the relationship between justification and sanctification. 

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 00:29 – The Holy Trinity in Eastern Orthodoxy 
• 03:32 – The Filioque Controversy
• 07:51 – Essence-Energies Distinction
• 12:46 – Theosis and Deification
• 18:54 – Justification and Forensic Categories
• 26:10 – Synergism vs. Monergism
• 31:11 – Assurance and Pastoral Implications
• 34:21 – Summary and Preview of Part 3

Watch Part 1: https://youtube.com/live/HulZlUXAJ78?feature=share

This is the ninth lesson in Dr. Lane G. Tipton's Reformed Academy course, Calvinistic Trinitarianism: A Reformed Federalist Alternative to Thomistic Sacerdotalism. Register for this free on-demand course on our website to download supplemental materials, track your progress, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-three additional five-hour video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/cal... Your donations enable us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you all across the world: https://reformedforum.org/donate/ #johncalvin #trinity #reformedtheology

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of “the Kingdom of God” or “the Kingdom of Heaven”? In this episode, we turn to Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology, pages 375–378, where he unpacks the theological and biblical contours of the kingdom in the Gospels. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey explore the critical distinction Vos draws between the abstract and concrete senses of the kingdom, the Old Testament background, and how the kingdom becomes incarnate in the person and work of Christ.

Together, we discuss:

• The kingdom as God’s sovereign reign vs. a redemptive realm
• How the Reformed categories regnum essentiale, regnum personale, and regnum spirituale frame our understanding
• The significance of Matthew’s phrase “Kingdom of Heaven”
• The kingdom’s embodiment in the incarnate Christ and its expression in the church
• The dangers of under- or over-realized eschatologies

This episode offers rich theological insight and practical clarity for pastors, students, and anyone seeking to understand the kingdom according to Scripture and sound Reformed theology.

Chapters

• 01:11 Introduction
• 01:44 Theological Topics in Romans
• 06:03 The Kingdom of God in the Gospels
• 12:59 Important Distinctions
• 24:58 Jesus’ Sense of the Kingdom in the Gospels
• 31:51 The Kingdom and the Church
• 36:25 Avoiding Under- and Over-Realized Eschatologies
• 40:34 Matthew and the Kingdom of Heaven
• 53:10 The Kingdom and Worship on the Lord’s Day
• 58:25 Conclusion

On today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. We discuss Nebuchadnezzar's dream found in Daniel 2:17-24.

This is the eighth lesson in Dr. Lane G. Tipton's Reformed Academy course, Calvinistic Trinitarianism: A Reformed Federalist Alternative to Thomistic Sacerdotalism. Register for this free on-demand course on our website to download supplemental materials, track your progress, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-three additional five-hour video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/cal... Your donations enable us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you all across the world: https://reformedforum.org/donate/ #johncalvin #trinity #reformedtheology