In the Christian Life, there is often a disconnect between our hearing and confessing and our doing. In light of this perennial problem, Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer joins Matt, Alastair, and Derek to discuss his work, Hearers and Doers: A Pastor's Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine, and share why we should never be content to let doctrine live in the abstract untethered from our hearts.
This episode is sponsored by our friends at Lexham Press, and also features a new special: Mere Fidelity’s Lexham Book of the Month.
For the month of October, our listeners will get a 25% discount on their purchase of Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicalism, edited by Timothy Padgett. Dual Citizens is a collection of essays originally published in Christianity Today which reveals a variety of evangelical thought towards political developments from 1956-2016.
Be sure to visit the link above to automatically apply the 25% discount to your purchase or use the promo code MEREFIDELITYOCT as you checkout.
Timestamps:
Dr. Vanhoozer's writing policy [0:00 - 5:00]
He do we become "doers of the word"? [5:00 - 7:15]
The imagination as the pivot point in living the Christian life [7:15 - 11:12]
How doctrines help us to inhabit the Christian story [11:12 - 15:20]
Theological interpretation as essential for stabilizing and balancing us in Christ [15:20 - 24:05]
Which doctrines we need to “shape-up” on [24:05 - 27:37]
The church’s struggle as Israel’s struggle [27:37 - 31:15]
Where do you see the need for better pedagogy in the church? [31:15 - 35:31]
Encouragement for the pastor theologian [35:31 - 39:50]
Whose imagination matters in the church? [39:50 - 43:33]
How can the church practice formation in its members? [43:33 - 47:12]
Resources mentioned:
Pictures at a Theological Exhibition: Scenes of the Church's Worship, Witness and Wisdom by Kevin Vanhoozer
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Finally, as always, follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Motte for his sound editing work. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.
Caleb Wait
Caleb Wait (MATS, Westminster Seminary California) is a writer and the producer of Mere Fidelity. He and his wife Kristin have two children and live in Northern California. You can follow him on Twitter @calebwait and he invites you to email him at ciwait93@gmail.com.
