Podcast Summary: Renewing Your Mind

Episode: Catholic, Evangelical, and Reformed
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Nathan W. Bingham (Ligonier Ministries)
Speaker: Dr. R.C. Sproul

Overview of the Episode

This episode focuses on clarifying what Reformed theology is, particularly in relation to its systematic nature, and its relationship with Catholic (universal) and Evangelical traditions. Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses misunderstandings about Reformed theology, emphasizing its continuity with historic Christianity and its place within the broader Christian tradition. The episode sets a foundation before delving into the specific distinctives of Reformed theology in later episodes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reformation: A Recovery, Not an Invention

• The theology that arose in the 16th century was not a new invention but a recovery of historic Christian faith.
  • “It was a Reformation, not a revolution. It was an attempt in the 16th century to recover the historic Christian apostolic faith.” (A, 00:00)
• The Reformation was about returning to the roots of Christian doctrine, not creating something novel.

2. Reformed Theology is Systematic Theology

• Reformed theology emphasizes a systematic approach: doctrines are interconnected, forming a coherent whole.
  • “Reformed theology is a systematic theology... The task of systematic theology is something like [the scientific method]. It is not to come to the Bible with a preconceived system, but rather to come to the Bible, listen to the word of God in all of its particulars... and then try to discern how all of these individual truths fit together.” (A, 01:33)
• The unity and coherence of the Bible’s teachings are stressed.
  • “...one of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the way the Bible speaks about so many things over so many years and myriad details. And yet the symmetry of Scripture is there. It fits together in such a coherent way.” (A, ~03:30)
• The systematic approach isn't about imposing a human-made grid but discovering the system within Scripture itself.

3. The Doctrine of God: Paradoxically Distinctive

• The central doctrine of Reformed theology is its focus on the doctrine of God.
  • “If someone were to say to me, R.C. what do you think is the most distinctive aspect of Reformed theology? I won't hesitate to answer that question by saying, oh, it's our doctrine of God.” (A, ~06:00)
• Paradox: The Reformed doctrine of God seems similar to other traditions, yet its centrality and control over all other doctrines is unique.
  • “All Christians have a basically orthodox creedal affirmation about the character of God. But what I think happens frequently in other theologies is that when the attention is diverted to another doctrine, there is a tendency to forget your affirmation about the character of God.” (A, ~07:15)
• The Reformed tradition is relentlessly committed to examining every doctrine in light of God’s character, especially His sovereignty.

4. Reformed Theology is Catholic (Universal)

• The episode clarifies that “catholic” means universal, not Roman Catholic.
  • “The word Catholic does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church or the Russian Catholic Church, but rather the term is used in its original sense, meaning universal, the whole Church.” (A, ~12:00)
• Fundamental doctrines—Trinity, Deity of Christ, Atonement—are shared by all truly Christian traditions.
• Reformed theology stands on this common core and does not reject it.

5. Reformed Theology is Evangelical

• In the historic sense, evangelical means centering on the authority of Scripture and justification by faith alone.
  • “At the time of the Reformation is when the term or label evangelical was coined. And it was coined by the Reformers because they believed that with the doctrine of justification by faith alone, they were recovering the evangel or the gospel of the New Testament.” (A, ~17:00)
• These two doctrines—sola fide (faith alone) and sola scriptura (Scripture alone)—were the unifying cause of the Reformation and all evangelical traditions.

6. The Term “Reformed”

• Further refinement: Reformed is a subset within these broader boundaries (Catholic, Evangelical).
• Reformed Christians affirm historic confessions such as the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Westminster Confession of Faith, and so on.
  • “When we say that somebody is Reformed, we're saying all at the same time that that person embraces the distinctively Reformed creeds of history... In addition, they share a common evangelical heritage... and the whole thing is based upon the Catholic foundation.” (A, ~21:15)
• The Reformed tradition has its own distinctives, but these are built upon universal (Catholic) and evangelical foundations.

7. Warning Against Reductionism

• Sproul cautions against defining the Reformed faith solely by its five points or distinctives.
• “It would be a very serious distortion of Reformed theology to think of it exclusively in terms of... our distinctives. We must remember that those doctrines rest upon a common foundation that we share with a host of other Christian bodies.” (A, ~16:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Systematic Theology:
  • “Because every doctrine of Christian theology touches in some way every other doctrine of the faith, that is the whole of the Christian faith is intimately and intricately related in all of its pieces.” (A, 03:20)
• On the Distinctiveness of the Doctrine of God:
  • “In Reformed theology, we constantly test our doctrine by going back to our fundamental understanding of the character of God. And I really think that's the central unique factor of Reformed theology...” (A, 09:45)
• On Catholicity:
  • “...the affirmations of historic Christianity about the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the atonement of Christ, those are affirmations that are shared by all orthodox Christian bodies historically.” (A, 13:35)
• On Evangelical Unity:
  • “There was a core unity among them [Protestants] of agreement on two central theses. One, the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and two, the doctrine of the authority of Scripture.” (A, 19:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00] – Reformation as Recovery of Apostolic Faith
• [01:33] – Introduction to Reformed Theology as Systematic
• [06:00] – The “Paradox” of the Doctrine of God’s Distinctiveness
• [12:00] – Reformed Theology’s Catholic (Universal) Foundation
• [17:00] – Evangelical Roots: Justification and Sola Scriptura
• [21:15] – The Reformed Distinctives and Confessional Identity
• [24:22] – Closing and preview of next topics

Structure of Reformed Theology

• Foundation: Catholic (Universal) Christian truths, affirmed across denominations.
• Superstructure: Evangelical principles—Scripture’s authority, justification by faith.
• Distinctives: Reformed confessions and doctrines (to be discussed in detail in coming episodes).

Closing Thoughts

Dr. R.C. Sproul anchors the listener in the understanding that Reformed theology stands within the great stream of historic Christianity, distinguished by a rigorous, God-centered system of doctrine, yet united in essentials with all true Christians. The focus moving forward will be on what marks Reformed theology out specifically, built on this shared foundation.

For deeper study, listeners are encouraged to access the full series through the Ligonier Ministries app or website.