The Westminster Podcast

This week Nate Shannon speaks with Westminster doctoral student Jeremy Menicucci about his journey to Westminster, his pastoral background, and his doctoral research on the Book of Lamentations. They focus on Jeremy’s dissertation work on Hebrew poetry, focusing especially on deviations from unmarked word order in Lamentations. He explains how poetic structure, acrostic form, and word order function not merely as literary devices but as vehicles for theological meaning. Lamentations, he argues, is carefully structured as a chiasm with chapter 3 at its center—a chapter that uniquely holds out hope through a profound declaration of God’s sovereignty and a strikingly Christological portrait of “the man” who bears God’s wrath. The episode closes with a rich pastoral reflection on suffering, comfort, and the sovereignty of God, offering listeners guidance on how to read Lamentations faithfully and how its theology equips believers to grieve, hope, and minister wisely in the midst of profound loss. If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

In this episode of The Westminster Podcast, Nate Shannon speaks from Istanbul with Göksel Erdoğdu, the first—and so far only—graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary from Turkey. Göksel shares his remarkable personal story as a second-generation Christian in a predominantly Muslim context, recounting how the gospel first came to his family amid social pressure, cultural shame, and political instability. From his upbringing in the Turkish church to his theological formation at Westminster, Göksel reflects on God’s faithfulness in sustaining both faith and witness across generations. The conversation explores the present state of the church in Turkey, including the legal challenges facing Protestant congregations, the need for sound theological resources, and the growing hunger among younger believers for serious engagement with Scripture. Göksel also describes his current ministry work as a pastor, publisher, and translator, and explains how Westminster’s emphasis on biblical foundations, apologetics, and cultural engagement has shaped his approach to ministry in a Muslim context. The episode concludes with a call to prayer and partnership, inviting listeners to consider how God may be at work in Turkey—and how the global church can faithfully support that work. If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

In this episode of The Westminster Podcast, Brandon McLean Smith is joined again by Brian Selby for a wide-ranging theological conversation on Herman Bavinck, Christology, and the enduring significance of the infralapsarian–supralapsarian debate. Selby explores recent developments in Bavinck scholarship, arguing that Bavinck is far more decisive than often assumed in ordering creation, fall, and redemption with a view to Christ as the telos of all things—while firmly rejecting problematic forms of “incarnation anyway.” Drawing on Bavinck’s engagement with Scripture, the Reformed tradition, and his 19th-century theological context, the conversation situates Bavinck as a critical foil to later neo-orthodox developments, particularly Karl Barth. The discussion also broadens to consider theological retrieval and method. Selby and Smith reflect on how Bavinck models a distinctly Reformed approach to engaging modern questions without surrendering confessional commitments—retrieving the tradition without mere repristination, and advancing dogmatics in service of the church’s witness in every age. Along the way, they address Christocentrism, revelation, apologetics, and the task of theology in a changing intellectual landscape, offering a compelling vision of how historic Reformed theology can remain faithful, catholic, and intellectually alive today. If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

Recorded at the Nicaea Conference in Istanbul, this episode of The Westminster Podcast features a wide-ranging and incisive conversation with Pastor Leo de Chirico, a Reformed Baptist pastor serving in Rome, Italy. Drawing on his unique experience and years of evangelistic and theological engagement in a Roman Catholic context, Leo reflects on the significance of the Council of Nicaea, the purpose of the Nicene Creed, and what it really meant to confess Christ’s divinity in the face of Arianism. Rather than treating the creed as a sentimental or purely ecumenical touchstone, Leo argues that Nicaea functioned as an exegetical workshop—a Scripture-driven response to heresy grounded in the authority of the Bible. From there, the conversation explores how different Christian traditions interpret the same creedal language within very different theological frameworks. Leo traces the divergent trajectories of Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism, contending that the Reformation did not reject Nicene Christianity but sought to recover what Nicaea assumed: the supremacy of Scripture as the norma normans. The discussion also turns to contemporary issues, including the renewed attraction of Roman Catholicism among evangelicals, the legacy of Vatican II, and the challenge of engaging a Catholicism that is adaptive, plural, and often misunderstood. Throughout, Leo presses a consistent theme: Christians may use the same words, but they often inhabit very different worlds—and faithful dialogue requires clarity, historical awareness, and a renewed confidence in Scripture alone. If you enjoy this episode, you can access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to join us in our mission to train specialists in the bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and his global church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wts.edu/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

In this episode of the Westminster Podcast, Brandon McLean Smith speaks with Jordan Bush, executive director of Thank God for Bitcoin and they explore the practical and theological implications of Bitcoin as a tool for missions and ministries in places cut off from traditional banking, how it can protect individuals and organizations from financial censorship, and the dangers posed by central bank digital currencies. Jordan ties monetary questions to a broader Reformed framework—invoking “sowing and reaping,” the kingdom’s economics, and the need for Christian economists—while offering concrete steps churches can take (accepting crypto donations, educating congregations, building endowments) to steward resources responsibly in an unstable monetary age. If you enjoyed this conversation and were inspired by it to consider ways to utilize Bitcoin and other Crypto currencies to support the work of the Gospel I am glad to announce that Westminster now accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most major coins and tokens. This is a great way to donate and support Westminster’s mission to train specialists in the Bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God for Christ and His Global church. You avoid capital-gains tax, You receive a tax deduction for the full fair-market value and Westminster receives 100% of the value of your donation. If you want to know more about how to go about making such a donation. Please visit wts.edu/donate to get in touch with our stewardship representatives. You can also access tons of content just like this at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wm.wts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!