Sermons & Lectures

In this lecture, Dr. Leith examines Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's landmark work The Phenomenon of Man, tracing his evolutionary vision of creation and its implications for Christian thought.

Dr. Leith continues his engagement with Teilhard de Chardin, turning to The Divine Milieu and its spirituality of the world as the arena of divine presence and action.

The concluding lecture of the Teilhard de Chardin series draws together a Reformed theological assessment of Teilhard's thought.

The fourth lecture turns from Teilhard to Karl Rahner, examining his prospects for dogmatic theology and his engagement with the modern world from a Roman Catholic perspective.

The opening lecture of this series articulates the distinctive perspective of the Reformed theological tradition: its commitments, its sources, and its enduring relevance to the life of the church.

Dr. Leith reflects on the relationship between Scripture and the Holy Spirit in the Reformed tradition, exploring how the Word comes alive through the Spirit's work in the community of faith.

How does serious theological reflection find its home in the ordinary life of the congregation? This lecture examines the task and the means of theological education in the parish.

Dr. Leith opens this series with a careful account of the Reformed doctrine of Christ: who he is and what he has done for the salvation of the world.

This lecture examines the work of the Holy Spirit through the ordained means of grace, namely Word, Sacrament, and prayer, as the Reformed tradition has understood them.

Dr. Leith treats the twin doctrines of justification and sanctification, showing how together they define the Christian life as God's gift and the believer's calling.

The fourth Doctrinal Theology lecture draws together the patterns and visions of the Christian life as formed by the Word, the Spirit, and the community of the church.

The closing Doctrinal Theology lecture turns to the Christian hope of resurrection and eternal life, the last chapter of Reformed dogmatics and the ground of confidence for both pastoral care and faithful witness in the present.

The opening Warfield Lecture at Princeton Theological Seminary explores the nature of theological tradition: how the church receives its heritage and the obligations of trust that heritage places upon every generation.

The second Warfield Lecture examines the nature of the church and its ordained ministry within the Reformed theological framework, drawing on Scripture and the classic Reformed confessional tradition.

Dr. Leith's third Warfield Lecture addresses the theology and practice of preaching in the Reformed tradition: the primacy of the proclaimed Word and the preacher's faithful stewardship of the gospel.

The fourth Warfield Lecture turns to the teaching ministry of the church, exploring how theological education forms the people of God for faithful witness and life in the world.

In the fifth Warfield Lecture, Dr. Leith examines pastoral care as a theological discipline, rooted in the gospel and exercised through the particular relationships of congregational life.

The concluding Warfield Lecture broadens the horizon to the world mission of the church, addressing the Reformed understanding of evangelism and the proclamation of the gospel to all peoples.

A sermon on gratitude as a constitutive posture of the Christian life, grounded in the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Dr. Leith argues for the indispensable place of historical theology in the formation of ministers, contending that the church's past is not merely background but living resource for present ministry.

A historical and theological account of the Presbyterian tradition in America: its origins, its development, and its distinctive contributions to the church and the culture.

A lecture on what is distinctive about the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage: theologically, ecclesially, and in its approach to ministry and the Christian life.

A sermon on the call of the church to be a transforming presence in the world, preserving, illuminating, and bearing witness to the truth of the gospel.

Dr. Leith reflects on what it means for the church to read its moment in history through the lens of Christian faith, discerning what God is doing and what faithfulness requires.