Author

  1. 449: Marquart - Luther and Theosis, part 2

    book
    08/15/26
    13 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    As Alive As You Need Me to Be… Again. In this episode, we continue our wandering through church history and doctrine, conversing with Kurt Marquart as he explains justification, sanctification, and theosis. Inside this is a layer of cultural criticism, and beneath that, a layer of pastoral debriefing — and a stained-glass viewing of Scripture, art, music, worship, and much, much more.
    449: Marquart - Luther and Theosis, part 2

  2. 447: Forde - The Argument about Christ and Salvation

    book
    08/01/26
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Ride On… In this episode, we engage a listener question — is Lutheran teaching double predestination within his debate with Erasmus? How are we to understand arguments for the bound will, such as: “Man’s will is like a beast standing between two riders. If God rides, it wills and goes where God wills… If Satan rides, it wills and goes where Satan wills. Nor may it choose to which rider it will run, or which it will seek; but the riders themselves fight to decide who shall have and hold it”? And so, we discuss God’s will, divine necessity, predestination versus election, the preacher's vocation, the effects of free will theology on American churches, the scandal of arguing for a bound will in relation to Christ, and much, much more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast.
    447: Forde - The Argument about Christ and Salvation

  3. 446: Kolb - Speaking the Gospel Today

    book
    07/25/26
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Talk of the Town. In this episode, we discuss Christian conversation — cultural, institutional, and in our encounters with the living God. Our guide is Prof. Robert Kolb, who wrote about the ‘Art of Christian Conversation’ in his book, “Speaking the Gospel Today.” What is Christian conversation, and what is its purpose? On the other side of the table, what is a worldly conversation, and what is its ultimate purpose? Is there any difference between pre-modern and post-modern Christian conversations and secular talks? Is there anything we can learn from “Christian conversations” that can be applied and/or help us appreciate myths, legends, folk tales, and storytelling? Is it possible for our conversations to awaken us to a greater reality than what our material generation tells us about the limits of reality?
    446: Kolb - Speaking the Gospel Today

  4. What Is the Athanasian Creed, and Why Does It Matter?

    book
    05/30/26
    2 mins
    By John W. Hoyum | Caleb Keith
    Caleb Keith and John Hoyum discuss the content and purpose of the Athanasian Creed. What is this third ecumenical creed, and why do Lutherans still confess it today?
    What Is the Athanasian Creed, and Why Does It Matter?

  5. 441: Trueman - The Value and Role of Creeds and Confessions

    book
    05/29/26
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    With Arms Wide Open! In this episode, on the eve of Trinity Sunday, we sit with Carl Trueman’s essay, "The Value and Role of Creeds and Confession.” Is there any usefulness of Creeds and Confessions at present? Are they important as historic documents? Are they authoritative for the churches? What are the biblical origins of the ecumenical creeds, and are they the rule of faith for contemporary Christians? What about contemporary churches that write their own creeds, confessions, or statements of faith — do they participate in the catholic faith, or are they confessing something separate from historic, orthodox Christianity? All that and much, much more on this episode of Banned Books.
    441: Trueman - The Value and Role of Creeds and Confessions

  6. Friday, May 22, 2026

    book
    05/22/26
    12 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we remember the “dated” Creed of 359.
    Friday, May 22, 2026

  7. 436: Schuldheisz - Luther and the Lion

    book
    04/17/26
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley | Sam P. Schuldheisz
    The Lutherans, the Lion, and the gifts of Narnia. In this episode, we talk with Pastor Sam Schuldheisz about his forthcoming book, Luther and the Lion: A Narnian Catechism. We discuss how Lewis (and other Inklings) can help us catechize children and adults, how stories lead us deeper into the biblical narratives, and vice versa. How can great myths and stories be employed in Christian apologetics when seen through Christian liturgy and sacraments? Now is the best time to reintroduce great Christian authors, great myths, and great stories, and the best of all stories — the gospel of Jesus Christ — can carry us out of our churches into a world that’s wounded and can’t find true healing that only Christ can give.
    436: Schuldheisz - Luther and the Lion

  8. Christ in the Cleft

    book
    04/02/26
    5 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    In this episode of Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson return to Moses in the cleft of the rock to clarify what Scripture means by the glory of God.
    Christ in the Cleft

  9. David's Last Words

    book
    03/26/26
    4 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    In this episode of Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson explore the unity of Scripture and the proper distinction between Law and Gospel.
    David's Last Words

  10. Free Faith Not Free Will (HWSS 25)

    book
    03/19/26
    4 mins
    By Steven Paulson
    In this episode, Dr. Steven Paulson speaks at the most recent Here We Still Stand Conference on Martin Luther’s teaching in The Bondage of the Will.
    Free Faith Not Free Will (HWSS 25)

  11. 431: Kleinig - The Mystery of Christ and Cosmic Restoration

    book
    03/06/26
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Cosmic Debris. In this episode, we read Dr. John Kleinig on Christ and cosmic restoration. We then discuss how and why Christians confuse mysteries with secrets, what happened to the mystagogues, and why the mystery of the Christian faith has to do with the hidden presence of Christ with us here on earth and our restoration by his restoration of all creation. This episode, as Kleinig himself writes, is about how we can best commend the Christian faith to post-modern people, which is when we ourselves are captivated imaginatively by the wonder of it and live in the mystery of it.
    431: Kleinig - The Mystery of Christ and Cosmic Restoration

  12. When Suffering Replaces Preaching

    book
    03/04/26
    5 mins
    By Caleb Keith | Steven Paulson
    In this episode of the Outlaw God podcast, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson examine the story of Joseph in the pit and how it has been used in Christian theology to interpret divine election, sovereignty, and suffering.
    When Suffering Replaces Preaching