‘An Introduction to Theological Anthropology,’ with Dr. Joshua Farris

Joshua Farris joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to introduce us all to theological anthropology.

Joshua Farris

What does it mean to be human? Who am I? and Why do I exist? Dr. Joshua Farris—Chester and Margaret Paluch Lecturer for 2019-2020 at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and former assistant professor of theology at Houston Baptist University—joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss his new volume, An Introduction to Theological Anthropology Humans, Both Creaturely and Divine, where he seeks to answer these questions using the vast tradition of Christian theology. Listen in to hear theological reflection on anthropological issues such as sexuality, gender, race, posthumanism, the image of God, vocation, the constitution of man, the beatific vision, and more.

Resources mentioned:

Human Nature from Calvin to Edwards by Paul Helm

Disembodied Souls: The Nefesh in Israel and Kindred Spirits in the Ancient Near East, with an Appendix on the Katumuwa Inscription by Richard Steiner

Timestamps

0:00
Where does theological anthropology start and what does it encompass?
5:45
Why does the tradition move the human constitution to the foreground of theological anthropology, and is this the right foreground to have in this field of study?
13:18
What school of thought should we allow or choose as interlocutors when discussing theological anthropology?
19:35
Distinct markers for a Reformed theological anthropology
22:50
The theological importance of narrative identity for the human person
26:25
How theological anthropology fits into the larger framework of Christian theology
29:30
Where sex and gender fit in theological anthropology
41:54
How can we take the resources of theological anthropology to deal with some of the science-fiction-like issues we are facing today?

Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Caleb Wait for keeping us organized. Special thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.

Theological Anthropology Systematic Theology Reformed Theology Imago Dei Gender Sexual Ethics
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