well dr. Ferguson what do you think is
the greatest contribution reformed
theology can make to our secular culture
today why do we need reformed theology
Wow because we need it because you know
I think it's basically because it is
such a a holistic and beautiful
expression of the gospel and because it
it actually has a very big vision so
looking at other kinds of theology the
names that are given to them indicate
that what they're interested in is a is
a partial emphasis right or wrong it's a
partial emphasis and I think one of the
great there are so many great things
about reformed theology one of the great
things about reformed theology is its
massive vision of what the Christian
faith is another great thing about
reformed theology I have I think found
basically all my life and have tried to
encourage students to see as well is it
really gives you the Liberty to say I
don't know what the answer to that
question is and I think you know in some
spheres that has been a great liberation
for some people because they've been
real to think that the Bible gives a
simple answer to every complex question
so I think one of the great things about
reformed theology as a Christian as it
gives you a place to stand and also
remind you like those slaves they used
to put into the chariots when Roman
generals had triumphs saying home or
heirs remember you're just a man and if
you can only give partial answers to
questions that's okay that doesn't mean
that the person who can give full
answers to questions is necessarily
right to me another huge
about reformed theology is it is its
doctrine of humanity and again looking
at evangelicalism especially in the
states from the outside one of the
things I think I notice about the
infirmity of the evangelical church in
the in the gender and sexual crisis is
for example that when it's looked at the
first chapter of Genesis it has been
neurotically interested in the length of
days and it's at almost no interest in
the fact that we are Genesis one is
going as to 26 to 28 that God made man
as his image male and female and that
for the denial of God will inevitably
lead to the loss of man and you know
right from the days of of the
Reformation reformed theology is always
had a very strong doctrine of the image
of God and what it means to be the image
of God therefore how glorious it is to
be human and that opens up all kinds of
helps to me and my Christian life when I
see people whose lives are distorted I
need to look at them with this
background but they are they are made as
the image of God and this is not only
wrong and I condemn you this is the the
more basic thing about it is this is
tragic because this is someone who has
fallen short of the glory of God and
honestly 23 and that's always interested
me if I were writing Romans 3:23
I think I would have written as a good
Scottish Calvinist you know a part of
the nation that invented golf so that
Calvinists could have a good time
without actually enjoying themselves I
would have tended to write you know
we've all sinned and we've broken the
law of God but Paul is actually a bigger
picture than that and that whole concept
I think has been lost in evangelicalism
and you know I think you just go on and
on
don't add anything to the show I'm glad
that Sinclair I can go on and on right
no please hello he left me for more for
more aspects of reformed theology
extremely important at the moment one is
and it was everybody laughed last night
one of your students said she wanted to
raise she was gonna use her degree to
raise epistemological e self-conscious
children and but actually that is a that
I think that is exactly right because
look if if you're trying to if you're a
Christian in India Hindus know that you
have your beliefs I have my beliefs and
the Muslims know you have your beliefs I
have my beliefs but secular people don't
think they have beliefs it's the first
culture that says nah I'm just seeing
things as they are
and so they are the most epistemological
unselfconscious culture in the history
of the world and reformed theology
because of its emphasis on
presuppositional apologetics it's you
know bobbing kuiper Van Til it if you
immerse yourself in that you say oh I
don't know any other branch of theology
at that it puts the emphasis on that and
it helps you see what's going on a
secular culture secondly grace I mean
you know we talk about this all the time
maybe maybe we don't show it in the
Reformed churches but our theology
pushes us away from moral from either
legalism or antinomianism into grace
it's the it's so important since all
secular people today think all
Christianity is as legalism the reformed
theology is clearer than anybody else
third the emphasis on the covenant is an
antidote to the individualism or a
culture I don't think general
evangelicalism has that that idea I mean
it's it's funny it's almost like when
you ask a reformed person any question
they say covenant so how does the old
how does the Old Testament the New
Testament covenant
well why do we have to join a church why
can't we did covenant so you mean you
just do you know it's just like coming
in but it's really the the you know it's
the antidote to individualism and lastly
what Sinclair already said the world and
life view the vision that Christianity
affects every part of life and I don't
know how you talk to younger secular
people without showing them that because
they are so big on transformation they
they they have no idea what that means
and they actually have a shallow view
compared to the Christian view but if
you take the world and life view the
emphasis on grace the emphasis on the
Covenant epistemological
self-consciousness those are you add it
to what Sinclair said it's maybe the
Reformed Church doesn't have everything
that we need because we are so so we're
so we you know we just don't live up to
our theology and we just need to start
repenting about that we have more to
repent of than maybe any other Church
because our theology so grant but
nevertheless the theology is is almost
you know I mean I don't know of anything
more important than that Christians be
reformed if they're going to make it in
this secular late modern world
you