Basics in Reformed Theology

In partnership with the Office of Christian Formation of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators is hosting a FREE webinar on Thursday, February 20. Registration for the webinar is full. 

You will find the recorded webinar by clicking here!

The Reverend Dr. Cynthia Rigby will dive into the “Basics of Reformed Theology” using the description and questions below:

Ever wonder what it means, really, to be part of the “Reformed Christian tradition”?  In this webinar,  we will spend a few minutes reflecting on where Reformed theology came from, historically.  The bulk of the hour will be spent exploring central theological emphases of the Reformed tradition, including:  the sovereignty of God, the goodness of creation, the problem  of sin, the centrality of Christ, the tenacity of grace, the livingness of the Word, the inextricable joining of Word and sacrament, and the Holy Spirit’s work in and through the community of faith.   Special attention will be given to some of the most difficult and controversial Reformed teachings, including  election, predestination, and total depravity.   Throughout the session, we will ask the  pressing question:  So what? What are the basics of Reformed theology and why do they matter to ourselves and this world?

Some questions we will consider:

1. How does the Reformed understanding of the divine sovereignty relativize destructive worldly powers,  extinguishing our fear?
2. How can we say “everything is providential” without thinking of God as a puppet master?
3. Didn’t Calvin think poorly about human beings?   What did he mean when he called sin an “aberration”?
4. Ephesians says that we are saved “by grace through faith.”  How does the Reformed tradition understand this, practically speaking?
5. Presbyterians are not biblical literalists. What do we mean, then, when we say, “the Bible is the Word of God”?
6. Why does the Reformed tradition insist that going to church is important?   What should be the church’s role in the life of an individual? In the life of the world?

Cynthia L. Rigby

Cynthia L. Rigby is the W. C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas. Rigby is the author of more than thirty articles and book chapters. She is the coeditor (with Beverly Gaventa) of Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary and editor of Power, Powerlessness, and the Divine: New Inquiries in Bible and Theology.