1. In this episode of the Thinking Fellows podcast, Caleb Keith, Adam Francisco, Scott Keith, and Bruce Hillman discuss the ethics of self-defense from a Christian perspective. They explore the moral complexity of using deadly force, particularly in situations involving the defense of oneself or others.
  2. In this episode, we learn about the Holy Spirit and the Divine Service from Dr. John Kleinig. In particular, we discuss how Christ gives the Spirit to the church through his word, how Christ institutes the divine service and empowers it with God’s Spirit, and how the church receives the Holy Spirit by faith in God’s word as it is proclaimed and enacted in the divine service. The conversation revolves around the central question: How then can we be sure that the Spirit is at work in our worship?
  3. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? In this episode, we gather for a post-Christmas, post-New Year pastoral debrief. We talk about symbols and meaning, Christmas and holidays, signs and seasons, and how modern churches quietly cleared the path for culture to push Christ out of Christmas without much resistance. We explore the strange and largely arbitrary ways the world measures time, along with the old Adam’s never-ending pyramid project. That is, his need to build meaning upward by effort, progress, and control rather than receive it as a gift. From there, we return to symbol and meaning. We ask why ancient liturgy’s nostalgia or ornamentation, but the distilled shape of reality itself, why the Lord’s Supper isn’t a side practice, but the beating heart of the Church, of worship, and of the Christian life. And why stories’ decorations for faith, but the way truth takes on flesh and finds us where we actually live. This is a conversation about time, worship, memory, and why the Church invents meaning but receives it again and again at the table.
  4. Kelsi chats with David Zahl about themes of faith and grace in Rian Johnson's newest film, Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man.
  5. Kelsi talks with Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, John Pless, about compiling and editing, ⁠The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation.⁠
  6. Kelsi chats with professor, pastor, and author Ryan Tinetti about his new book, The Quiet Ambition: Scripture's Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives. Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, The Quiet Ambition argues the life of the Christian often has much less to do with changing the world than it does faithfully trusting our work matters because we matter to God.
  7. Kelsi talks with Erica Sorensen about her experience in youth ministry and the affects of our current digital age on parenting and kids.
  8. Today on the Christian History Almanac, we go to Washington, D.C., to consider one of the world’s most famous cathedrals.
  9. Troy is out of the saddle this week, but Craig wrangles author and all-around good guy, Ray Keating, to sit down and talk about his new book, “Menace – an Agen Dean Cold Novel.”
  10. David and Adam discuss religious apathy and the excuses people give for avoiding church.
  11. David and Adam begin a conversation on what to think and do about the religiously unaffiliated--those who claim to be spiritual but not religious and/or check the "none" box on religious surveys.