Mediation and the Immediate God: 2021 J.J. Thiessen Lecture Series

October 26–27, 2021

In this lecture series, Dr. Edith M. Humphrey pursues a long-standing debated question: how we can both say that God has a direct relationship with each Christian, and that God uses others in order to bring us to health and glory? Guided by key scriptural passages, and key understandings of this topic and these passages, Dr. Humphrey will probe the significance of intercessory prayer and our mutual dependence in the body of Christ.

Lecture 1 | Mediation, the “Immediate” God, and Our Great Mediator

Tuesday, October 26, 2021
This lecture lays a common foundation by looking to the chief mediator between God and humanity, the Lord Jesus.

Lecture 2 | Mediation Inside and Outside the Household of God

Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Lecture two considers our common mediation for each other, and for those outside the Church.

Lecture 3 | Mediation, Matriarchs, and the Communion of Saints

Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Lecture 3 considers how the matriarchs in Matthew’s gospel provide a model for mediation, and venture into the debated topic of the mediation of the saints. In the end, we see how mediation is an essential mark of the Church: Christians are meant to be mediators, because we bear the image of Christ, the Great Mediator.

Dr. Edith M. Humphrey is the William F. Orr Professor Emerita of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.