Gerald McDermott joins us today. He is well known to first things readers, having appeared in our pages many, many times. His many books include Israel matters why Christians must think differently about

the people and the land. Deep Anglicanism, a brief guide. And now we have something called a new

history of redemption, the work of Jesus, the Messiah through the millennia. That's our topic

today. Welcome, Professor McDermott.

Thank you, Mark. It's my great privilege to be here. First, a definition which you provide in the opening pages. What exactly do you want to tell us

redemption means? Well, redemption is more than salvation. Salvation, catholics and protestants in eastern orthodox would

say is getting to heaven but redemption is more than just getting to heaven redemption is getting ready

for heaven so as c s.S. Lewis put it,

that we can love heaven once we get there

and can enjoy it.

It's something like what Protestants call sanctification

and what Catholics call becoming holy.

But it's not just for the individual.

And typically Protestants think only in terms of the individual.

But redemption as Jonathan Edwards.

And, you know, my book is a takeoff from what Jonathan Edwards started and trying to start complete what

Jonathan Edwards started in his series of sermons called The History of Redemption, which he was

planning to turn into a massive suma, something like Thomas's two sumas, that would enfold all of the history of civilizations,

the history of the world cultures and religions.

But he was never able to finish it, Mark, because he was cut down by the side effects of a vaccine.

Okay.

And so in my hubris, I am, I decided about 10 years ago I was going to attempt to finish

...