Author

  1. The Bondage of the Will: A Simple Overview

    book
    10/14/25
    5 mins
    By Scott Keith | Caleb Keith | Steven Paulson
    What led Martin Luther to write The Bondage of the Will? This podcast explores the historical background and central message of one of Luther’s most significant works.
    The Bondage of the Will: A Simple Overview

  2. 411: Forde - Are we puppets, being jerked around against our wills by a malevolent puppeteer?

    book
    10/04/25
    9 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    Master of Puppets. In this episode, we continue our exploration of the Bondage of the Will, with Gerhard Forde’s book, The Captivation of the Will. We discuss the human will — what it is, what it does, what it wants — and why we are compelled to insist that we have free choice. We also talk about the two paths: one, the path of forgiveness, and the other, the way of morality. Why do we default to morality in matters of choice, and why is the preaching of God’s grace over against morality so offensive to Christians who confess that our knowledge of good and bad is a direct consequence of the original sin in the garden? We also talk about drunkenness, women’s ordination, the offense of irresistible grace, and what the Holy Spirit is up to amidst the disruption that occurs when he sends his preachers to declare an end to the illusion of free choice and reveal his death sentence to bound wills.
    411: Forde - Are we puppets, being jerked around against our wills by a malevolent puppeteer?

  3. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Ideas that Changed the World- On Tour with Dan

    book
    09/20/25
    7 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for September 20-21, 2025
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Ideas that Changed the World- On Tour with Dan

  4. 409: Forde - Take away assertions and you take away Christianity

    book
    09/19/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out of My Mouth? In this episode, we read Gerhard Forde’s monograph on Luther’s treatise on The Bondage of the Will. We discuss scriptural exegesis, its internal and external clarity, how modern readers interpret texts, and why we often misread the Bible, as well as why we frequently fail to understand biblical texts that are overt and explicit in their clarity. This, and a conversation about Erasmus’s word study method, Luther’s assertions, living words, and the vibrating, dangerous energy of Scripture.
    409: Forde - Take away assertions and you take away Christianity

  5. 408: Nestigen - Luther and Erasmus on the Bondage of the Will

    book
    09/12/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Dazed & Confused. In this episode, we continue our series on The Bondage of the Will (1525), by Martin Luther. We read Dr. James Nestingen’s historical introduction to the treatise and delve into the ways two theologians differed in their exegesis of Scripture, their interpretation of Christian doctrine, and the early and medieval church-theological traditions that influenced Erasmus and Luther as they engaged in a back-and-forth.
    408: Nestigen - Luther and Erasmus on the Bondage of the Will

  6. 406: Giertz - The Parish Church

    book
    08/30/25
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Take Me to Church. In this episode, we read Bo Giertz’s "Christ’s Church: Her Biblical Roots, Her Dramatic History, Her Saving Presence, Her Glorious Future." The Church, who is she? What kind of life is present within the church walls? Who wants to understand that life better and know more about it? We read Christ's Church and take you on a walk from her biblical roots toward her glorious future.
    406: Giertz - The Parish Church

  7. Hide and Seek with God

    book
    08/27/25
    5 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    On this episode of The Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith and continue discussing Luther’s early engagement with mysticism, Augustine and the Heidelberg Disputation.
    Hide and Seek with God

  8. Wednesday, August 13, 2025

    book
    08/13/25
    13 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we remember the 7th century’s “most interesting man” and a link between the East and West.
    Wednesday, August 13, 2025

  9. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: A Brief History of Bad Ideas (and What We Can Learn From Them) Part 1

    book
    08/09/25
    5 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for August 9-10, 2025
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: A Brief History of Bad Ideas (and What We Can Learn From Them) Part 1

  10. Was Peter the First Pope?

    book
    07/25/25
    5 mins
    By Scott Keith | Caleb Keith | Adam Francisco
    Caleb, Scott, and Adam take up the question: was Peter the first pope?
    Was Peter the First Pope?

  11. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Legend of Honey Mouth—St. Bernard and the Middle Ages

    book
    07/12/25
    5 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for July 12-13, 2025
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Legend of Honey Mouth—St. Bernard and the Middle Ages

  12. Monday, June 23, 2025

    book
    06/23/25
    12 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we head to the mailbag to answer a question about the persecution of Christians, often by other Christians (!)
    Monday, June 23, 2025