Today on Canterbury Trails, hosts Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel welcome guest Dr. Tom Price to talk about St. Anselm, an Italian Benedictine monk who lived at the turn of the twelfth century, and served as the Archbishop of Canterbury in England.

Anselm’s time as archbishop was marked by controversy and even exile, as he often clashed with the kings of England over the extent of royal power into ecclesiastical affairs.

But Anselm’s greatest contributions to the church were in matters theological and philosophical. For Anselm, Faith and Reason served complementary rather than conflicting roles in arriving at truth. In contrast to the Enlightenment philosopher, Descartes, who said, “I think, therefore I am,” Anselm might have replied, “I believe, therefore I think.”

Anselm is considered the father of Scholasticism, but just what is that? Is it good or bad? What influence did it have on Medieval theology and even the early Protestant Reformers?

Join C. Jay, Jared, and Dr. Price as they discuss Anselm’s many insights into such theological and philosophical questions as the ontological argument for God’s existence, the purpose and place of covenant in our understanding of God and Men, and the substitutionary theory of the atonement.

Anselm is claimed and loved by Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. He is in many ways the theologian of the Western Church. This episode of Canterbury Trails will inspire you to read St. Anselm and begin to retrieve his substantial insights to help you unpack your faith more fully in our troubled times.

Dr. Tom Price is Adjunct Professor of Christian Thought at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, where he teaches Theology, Christian Ethics, and Apologetics. He also teaches Theology, Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy at several other institutions. He is ordained and has served the church in a host of teaching, preaching, and equipping engagements. Dr. Price is also one of the co-hosts of The Theology Pugcast. He resides in Connecticut with his wife and two sons. Visit him online below:

Dr. Price at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary: https://www.gordonconwell.edu/faculty/adjunct/thomas-price

The Theology Pugcast: https://thetheologypugcast.com/

Image of Anglo-Saxon map by Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of Chippenham (AD 878). From the Atlas of European History, Earle W Dowe (d. 1946), G Bell and Sons, London, 1910 (see: File:England-878ad.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19885072