Baucum: There is a rise of new interest in Reformed thinking with the new Calvinism, especially among younger pastors. Are you hopeful this will translate into a serious interaction with the core of what the Reformers taught, or just more posturing among those in various camps?
Trueman: I do hope so. My major concerns with the movement are not theological but ecclesiological. It seems to be focused on a few big personalities and a number of big conferences. My wish would be to see it taking deep root in churches and also to become more self-consciously confessional in the way it connects to the great church documents of the past. Still, I do rejoice at what I see: when I was at college, being a `Calvinist’ placed one on the lunatic fringe even of the evangelical world. It is weird to realize that, for the moment anyway, this theology is enjoying such a positive reception in many quarters.
Baucum: What is your advice to new pastors coming out of seminary where the vast number of churches want a “theology of glory” rather than dealing with the reality of the Cross and its claim upon us in radical obedience and culture opposing living?
Trueman: Preach the Bible as it centres in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no better antidote to a theology of glory than that; and in a church of Christians, such preaching through the power of the Holy Spirit should change priorities. Also, read 1 and 2 Corinthians regularly: the first lays out the theology of the cross, the second applies it to the realities of ministerial life
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