Resources Blog 2025

Salt & Light

Dr. Gray Sutanto — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:30:00 GMT

How should we be present and faithful in the broader world as Christians? Jesus’s memorable saying is that Christians are to be the “salt” and “light” of the world (Matt. 5:13-14). Salt preserves and enhances, and light illumines the world, exposing the damages of sin and pointing forth the way forward, and the way up back to our Creator. Christians, therefore, are called to a two-directional witness: up towards God as the light of the world and horizontally to our neighbor. As grace restores nature, the gospel transforms us not to become like oil, hovering over water, but as leavening agents that reform and re-orders cultures towards the love of God and neighbor.

From Shepherding Sheep to Shepherding Shepherds: Paul Joiner's Ministry of Pastoral Care Revitalization

Reformed Theological Seminary — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:38:44 GMT

When Paul Joiner stepped away from the pulpit after fifteen years as senior pastor of Zion
Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Tennessee, he didn't step away from ministry — he stepped deeper into it.

Salt & Light: On Heavenly-Mindedness and Faithful Presence

Dr. Gray Sutanto — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:38:24 GMT

Daily Worship in the Christian Life

Dr. David Irving, Dr. Ligon Duncan — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:00:00 GMT

The May 2026 installment of the monthly RTS Jackson Online Discussion Forum features Dr. Jonathan Gibson, Dr. Ligon Duncan and Dr. David Irving discussing Daily Worship in the Christian Life.

The Scriptures in the Life of the Early Church

Dr. Chris Stevens — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

The April 2026 installment of the monthly RTS Jackson Online Discussion Forum features Dr. Chris Stevens, Dr. Ligon Duncan, and Dr. David Irving discussing The Scriptures in the Life of the Early Church.

What is a true theologian?

Dr. Ligon Duncan — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Ligon Duncan explains that a true theologian not only knows, believes, and teaches the whole counsel of God, but also lives it out. Marked by both truth and godliness, their life reflects the doctrine they profess, showing that faith and practice belong together. The following is a transcript of the video above.

What is a true theologian?

Many years ago, Hermann Vitzias, a famous Dutch Reformed minister and scholar, wrote a book titled The Character of a True Theologian. Now, what he was talking about was young men who were preparing for gospel ministry. What does their character look like? And so, asking the question, what is a true theologian? It can be answered from a variety of angles. Of course, we could go to what Jesus himself said in the Gospel of Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount. He told his disciples that he wanted them to make disciples by teaching people to observe all that he had commanded. And that means, of course, that those who are disciples of Jesus, true theologians, shepherds of the church, must be able to teach the flock to observe what Jesus has taught. And of course, that means teaching the whole counsel of God, because Jesus proclaimed the whole of the Scriptures and the truth that the Scriptures spoke about him. So a true theologian needs to know the truth of the whole counsel of God, believe it and hold to it by conviction. But it is also very, very interesting that the apostle Paul emphasizes, when he's talking about elders, that elders must not only be apt to teach, but also have a character that commends the Gospel. So Paul will emphasize in 1 Timothy that elders who ought to be true theologians are those who are characterized by truth and godliness. That is, in their personal lives, in their family lives, in their ecclesiastical lives, and in their social lives in the community. They are to live lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel. They are to live out the truth that they profess to believe, so that both truth and life, doctrine and devotion, faith and godliness go together in their lives. A true theologian is one who not only studies the truth and believes the truth and teaches the truth, but lives that truth out by grace, by the work of the sanctifying Holy Spirit in our lives.

From Trouble to Confidence

Micha Mueller — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Micha Mueller preaches a sermon at RTS Charlotte chapel on April 28th, 2026, “From Trouble to Confidence."

By My Spirit

Rev. Michael Glodo — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Scripture: Zechariah 2:5, 4:6

Is Reformed Theological Seminary for a specific denomination?

Dr. D. Blair Smith — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Blair Smith explains that while RTS is not a denominational seminary, it is a confessional one. Rooted in the authority of Scripture and the Westminster Confession of Faith, its teaching is shaped by the Reformed tradition while serving students from a variety of denominational backgrounds. The following is a transcript of the video above.

Is Reformed Theological Seminary for a specific denomination?

One of the questions we often get at Reformed Theological Seminary is whether we are a denominational seminary, whether we have formal relations with any American, North American or international denomination, and we do not. We are, in that sense, non-denominational. But that does not mean we are not rooted in a tradition, nor do we have certain specific beliefs. Every year, our faculty signs off on a document stating that we believe in the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. That's our foundation. And then we also sign off on, we believe, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the most faithful and clear expression of biblical doctrine. That makes us a confessional seminary. That is our teaching. What informs our theology here at RTS is rooted in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, as the Westminster Confession of Faith is part of that tradition. So if you come and take a Bible class or a theology class or whatever class you are going to take here, it's going to be shaped by that confessional teaching. So you will find a variety of denominations represented among our student body. And you also find that, among our faculty, though limited by the confession, they will come from a variety of Reformed and Presbyterian denominations. So if you come and study at Reformed Theological Seminary, you are not coming to a denominational seminary, but to a confessional seminary, one rooted in the Reformed tradition and in the belief that the Westminster Confession of Faith is the best expression of that tradition. We want to be as broad as the Reformed tradition as expressed in the confession is. But we, as we are broad in that sense, also have those limits, have those good borders, as this is expressive of what we believe is in God's Word, in His truth, and we want to hold to that.

The Lord Is Your Keeper

Dr. Steven Smith — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Steven Smith preaches a sermon on Psalm 121 entitled “The Lord Is Your Keeper” in chapel at RTS Jackson.