Reach for The Sky. This episode discusses the Augsburg Confession, the Church, and what makes a good fanatic. We dig into the Church's language, symbolism, meaning, and rites today. How can we best use narrative theology to catechize? Did Jesus have to die for your traditions and worship? Is there anyone in heaven that hasn’t fallen into sin? This and much more today on the show!
That’s the Power of Love. In this episode, we discuss the shock of infatuation with theological concepts and young theologians' conceit while reading Helmut Thielcke’s A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. We converse about laity and clergy’s relationship to theology, piety, and polity. What is the purpose of theology, its study, teaching, and conversations? How can theology become deadly? What happens when the truth is detached from love? All this and more on a new episode of the podcast!
They Call Me Rhetorical Working Man. In this episode, we discuss Luther‘s teaching on justification and vocation while reading James Nestingen’s essay on the same topic. We cover feudalism, the rise of capitalism, how the reformation took hold in the cities in Germany, the three estates, the two kingdoms, church life versus social life, and the consequences for Christians of not being grounded in faith and prayer as detailed by Luther, in particular, in his explanations to the petitions of the Lord Prayer.
Reign in Blood. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss the Lord’s Supper while reading The Last Supper: The Testament of Jesus by Reinhard Schwarz. We discuss why the distinction between a covenant and a testament is of utmost importance for exegesis, sacramental theology, and Christian life, why promise and gift are central to Luther’s understanding of the sacrament, and how rejecting the sacrament leads to a denial of Christ.
Street-Fighting Man. In this episode, we continue our discussion of the question of when it is permissible for Christians to oppose civil authority. It’s more important than ever for Christians to grasp the fundamentals of vocation, the relation of politics to liturgy, the place of the sacraments within the worship of the church, and the life of Christians, why there cannot be such a thing as a Christian nation.
We Worship & Adore… You? In this episode, we discuss the intersection of liturgy and politics as we read Oliver Olson’s essay, Politics, Liturgics, and Integritas Sacramenti. It’s a historical survey of liturgical practice and politics from ancient Israel to the present, discussing the importance of symbolism, meaning, and the purpose of liturgy for faith and life.
Watching The World Go Down in History. In this episode of Banned Books, we read "False Presence of the Kingdom" by Jacques Ellul and discuss worldly Christianity, the lessons of history, the Machine, focusing on heavenly things to answer earthly questions, seeking the origin of things, and the dangers of being trapped in the present.
It’s Hip to Be Square. In this episode, we discuss the errors of high anthropology, the kingdom of God, theology of glory, theology of the world, realized eschatology, adding “isms” to Christianity, the necessity of the embodied Word of God, John’s gospel, Colossians, and real antinomianism while reading False Presence of the Kingdom by Jacques Ellul.
This Too Shall Pass. In this episode, we discuss temporary and eternal things, transfiguration, cosmic events, dancing on the liminal edge, mammon, profiteering, earthly vocations, the Trinity, and the music of the spheres.
Dear Prudence. In this episode, we focus our discussion on prudence, temperance, and modesty regarding church, marriage, public discourse, and social media while reading Gregory of Nazianzus’ letters to Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa about their doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Basil's later death.
Day Trippin’. In this episode, we talk about Easter, altars, cosmic mountains, church history, open fonts, restored virtue, saints, angels, powers of darkness, idols, icons, images, searching for the truth, and how Jesus is the archetype of all archetypes, and in between we read Luther on the Old Testament by Heinrich Bornkamm.