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!
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.
Runnin’ Down A Dream. In this episode, we dig deeper into liturgy and “action”—who’s doing what and why in Christian worship? How did the ancient pagans worship their gods, and why? What did the 16th-century Reformers teach about worship? Why should we moderns care? Mimesis, anamnesis, liturgical action, ritual, myth, sacrifices, and sacraments—we’ve got it all this week.
Do The Thing. In this episode, we discuss liturgy. What is the difference between a sacramental rite and a sacrificial rite? Why are' member berries' so juicy and delicious? Can a priest or the church affect God's actions? Can a church integrate non-Christian rites into its worship?
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.
Love Will Keep Us Together. In this episode, we discuss the Song of Habakkuk, Martin Luther’s commentary on the song, Jesus as the foundation of reality, why mirrors are dangerous, trans-humanism, pop culture, church architecture, consumerism, why liturgy is an expression of the truth, how the Holy Spirit covers all things in meaning, and how the sacrament anchors earth to heaven.
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.
Baptized, Confirmed, and Ordained. In this episode, we discuss the early Lutheran formulation of calling and ordination of pastors and preachers. What is ordination, when does it happen, are their rules and rites that must be followed, and much, much more!
You can call me any day or night. Call me! In this episode, we read Martin Luther’s verbosely titled treatise, “That a Christian Assembly or Congregation has the Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers, Established and Proven by Scripture." We discuss ordination, church authority, the doctrine of the pastoral call, and much more.
Resistance to Tyranny is Obedience to God. In this episode, we discuss tyranny and resistance while reading a book of the same title by Reformation scholar David Mark Whitford. What is tyranny? When are Christians called to resist tyranny, and what does that entail? Are there any standards by which a Christian may judge whether a government serves God or the devil?
I’ve Got That Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart. In this episode, we discuss death, rebirth, and eternal life as examined and explained in The Joy of Eternal Life by Philip Nikolai.