Richard Burnett
Richard E. Burnett is Executive Director of Theology Matters and E.J. Rice Professor of Reformed Theology at the Institute for Theological Education. He holds a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and is the author of Karl Barth's Theological Exegesis (Eerdmans).
2026
Two essays
The Courage to Stand, Part 1: Bonhoeffer’s Journey and OursSpring 2026
Bonhoeffer was not always bold. In autumn 1933 he fled to London, weary and anxious, and Karl Barth answered with a sharp letter. Richard Burnett asks…
Right belief or right worship? Doctrine or doxology? Drawing on Chesterton, Athanasius, and Calvin, Richard Burnett presents orthodoxy as a costly, moving equilibrium, never stuffy and…
2024
Four essays
Learning to Say No For the Sake of God’s YesFall 2024
From Mark 2, Burnett walks through Christ's habit of dining with sinners and tax collectors. What does the divine yes to the wrong people require us…
The Foundation of Our CallingSummer 2024
Burnett opens Ephesians 1 and finds Paul piling blessing on blessing: chosen before the foundation of the world, predestined in love, sealed for an inheritance. The…
“Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” Whether Christian Liberty Survives in the PCUSAWinter 2024
A century ago Harry Emerson Fosdick stood in a New York Presbyterian pulpit and preached against ordination standards he considered illiberal. Burnett returns to that famous…
Christianity and Liberalism – A Centennial ReviewFall 2023
A hundred years on, Machen's Christianity and Liberalism still outsells most seminary faculties combined. Burnett examines what Machen actually meant by 'liberalism,' how that target has…
2021
Two essays
The Holy Spirit and PresbyteriansSpring 2021
B. B. Warfield called Calvin pre-eminently the theologian of the Holy Spirit. Burnett walks through what Calvin actually taught, why Presbyterians have argued about pneumatology ever…
What Have We Learned During the COVID Crisis?Winter 2021
A year into the pandemic, Burnett surveys what Western churches have learned about themselves: the limits of technology, the costs of physical absence, and the question…
2020
Two essays
Jesus Christ is the Truth – Part 2Spring 2020
Part two of Burnett's keynote on Barmen Article 1: Jesus Christ as the one Word of God we have to hear. The talk takes seriously the…
Jesus Christ is the Truth – Part 1Winter 2020
The 2020 TM conference set itself the task of confessing Jesus as the way, truth, and life in a pluralistic culture. Burnett's opening keynote asks what…