The Fall and Redemption of Conscience

We welcome Andrea Ferrari to discuss his book The Fall and Redemption of Conscience: A Reformed Biblical Theology. Ferrari, pastor of the Chiesa Riformata di Perugia in Italy, explains why conscience has received comparatively little attention in modern Protestant theology and considers the influence of psychology, Karl Barth, John Webster, and John Calvin on contemporary accounts of conscience.The conversation develops a biblical and theological account of conscience from creation to new creation. Ferrari addresses whether Adam possessed a conscience before the fall, the Old Testament vocabulary of heart, kidneys, and clean hands, Calvin’s sensus divini judicii, the Trinitarian basis of human self-awareness, and the effects of justification and sanctification upon a guilty conscience. The episode concludes with practical implications for preaching, counseling, and the Christian life, along with an update on Ferrari’s ministry in Perugia.LinksEpisode pageThe Fall and Redemption of ConscienceChiesa Riformata di PerugiaChapters00:00 Introduction03:12 Andrea Ferrari’s Ministry in Perugia12:43 A New Study Center near the University19:11 The Fall and Redemption of Conscience24:33 Why Conscience Disappeared from Modern Theology28:41 Karl Barth and General Revelation32:12 Did Adam Have a Conscience before the Fall?49:27 Conscience in the Old Testament58:53 Defining Conscience as Perceptual Awareness64:23 Calvin’s Sensus Divini Judicii65:27 The Trinitarian Context of Conscience74:23 The Fallen Conscience and the Imagination80:10 Training the Senses in Hebrews 5:1481:47 The Justified Conscience86:43 Sanctification and the Healing of Conscience93:23 Pastoral Counseling and Preaching to the Conscience100:02 Ministry Reflections and Conclusion