I interviewed Professor Christine Helmer about her work Theology and the End of Doctrine. We talk about how doctrine became a dirty word; that doctrine inhabits a dialectic of construction and surprise, time and eternity; the lure of eternity; why so many have got Schleiermacher wrong; she critiques the cultural-linguistic approach which situates doctrine as grammar of a worldview; and what contemporary doctrinal work excites her today. In the latter part of the interview we talk about her new book How Luther Became the Reformer – which explores partly, how Luther became a figure of German nationalism, a prescient conversation for our time. Listen in iTunes

“Doctrines point to eternal mysteries to be enjoyed and contemplated but never exhausted”