1. Today we celebrate the birthday of Jacobus Acontius, author of Satanae Stratagemata, and Thomas Erastus, author of Explicatio gravissimae quaestionis. The reading is a bit better known, a poem from Chad Bird, "Were You There?"
  2. On this day, the "Pilgrims" set sail on Mayflower in 1620. The notable patriarch of American Lutheranism, Henry Melchior Muehlenberg, was born on this day in 1711. The reading is from "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning.
  3. Once I was a pilgrim, a road warrior searching for a righteous end. Gillespie and Riley read and discuss John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress." This week, chapter one, The City of Destruction. We talk about apocalyptic literature, our old friend Plato, the necessity of a real present tense Jesus, and why Riley's version of The Pilgrim's Progress would be a pamphlet.
  4. On this day, we remember the birthday of Tommasso Campanella, utopian and astrologer, and also, Gottfried Arnold, theologian and historian. The reading is the hymn, "Thou Who Breakest Every Chain," by Gottfried Arnold.
  5. In this episode we talk about the gifts God gives His church, even in the midst of an unbelieving world.
  6. On this day, we remember Roman Catholic cardinal and archbishop František Tomášek, who helped the demise of the Czechoslovak communist regime. We also the radical Calvinist Jan van Hembyze, whose betrayal resulted in his beheading in 1584. The reading is by J.R.R. Tolkien, "Song of Aragorn."
  7. What can separate you from God's love in Christ Jesus? When bad times hit, are there blessings in it? We bear with the sufferings of this world in anticipation of the glory of God to be revealed. When the doubts of faith arise, to where do we look for comfort and assurance? Join Craig and Troy as they talk about all of these topics and more in Romans 8. Live by grace and not by the law.
  8. The Thinking Fellows are joined by Stephen Pietsch for a live recording in Bergen Norway.
  9. On this day, we remember two ecclesiastical figures, Pope Gregory, who was born in 540, and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Oliver Cromwell, who died in 1658. The reading is from C.S. Lewis, "As the Ruin Falls."
  10. On this day, we remember the most impressive Symeon the Stylite, who died in 459 on his pedestal. We also remember Danish pastor N.F.S. Grundtvig, d. 1872. The reading is "Abide Among Us, We Implore Thee" from Grundtvig.
  11. We remember French polymath Marin Mersenne, who died on this day in 1648. We also commemorate the founding of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 1831. The reading is from H.W. Longfellow, "Blind Bartimaeus."
  12. On this day, we remember two Biblical figures, Nicodemus & Joseph of Arimethea. On this day in 1688 John Bunyan died, the Puritan author of "Pilgrim's Progress." The reading is from William Blake, "And Did Those Feet."