More MP3 Recommendations

• "How A Christian Worldview Produced Science" - This presentation by John Mark Reynolds (professor of Philosphy at Biola; PhD in Greek philosophy) at the 2009 Norton Lectures at SBTS does a nice job of describing why Homeric, Platonic, and Aristotelian philosophy could not produce science, and why Christianity is the only worldview that provides the necessary assumptions for science.  I had never heard this explanation of why Paul's statement on Mars Hill about them being "very religious" was so scandalous.  This clearly explains why Christianity is fundamentally different from Greek philosophy (and sheds some light on why it's silly to equate common sense reason with Greek philosophy). Highly recommended; warning: some of the philosophy by quickly & Reynolds likes to run down rabbit trails occasionally. All 3 lectures are excellent if you're academically inclined.
• Marvin Olasky presented at the 2009 Norton Lectures at SBTS.  The first two are not bad; the first is an application of the Elder Brother / Younger Brother mindset to today's culture. The second discusses understandings of "social justice."  I might tweak the theology in places, but Olasky is a subject matter expert on governmental efforts to take care of the poor.  I'm not so sure about his emphasis on the linking of righteousness & justice in the OT ... but I see his point and think it has merit.
• "The (too?) Young, (too) Restless, (too) Reformed" - an interesting interview on The Christian Worldview radio show about a movement I was largely unaware of.  Well worth reading / listening to if you follow movements like the Emergent/Emerging Church.  BTW, this is not the first time I've seen someone state recently that, just like the megachurch movement, the emergent/emerging church movement is fading.  Maybe the Internet is shortening the lifecycle of these kinds of movements.
• "N.T. Wright and the Doctrine of Justification" - a SBTS panel discussing what I think is one of the more subtle controversies these days, the "New Perspective on Paul."  N.T. Wright is very orthodox in many areas, but in this area is considered a bit heterodox since the New Perspective tends to undermine the understanding that Christ (a) atoned for our sins (b) by suffering the penalty of death on the cross (c) in our place, but asserting that justification depends in part on works instead of wholly on Christ's sacrifice. Anyway, that's what I got out of it.  I get the impression that Wright perhaps puts more emphasis on the restoration of the created order in this life (vs. eternal life or hell) than Christ did.