Author

  1. 453: Athanasius - Against the Wiles of Satan

    book
    09/12/26
    13 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Cost of Discipline. In this episode, we sit with St. Athanasius and his writings on the life of St. Antony. How did Christians in the 4th century view spiritual warfare and affliction? What is the relation of discipline to prayer, piety, and resisting temptation? What did 4th century Christians think about virtues and vices, and whether they were (or weren’t) related to the Christian life? Is it better for Christians to seek a place of solitude or community when focusing on heavenly things versus worldly things? How does Mammon factor into this? What does Scripture teach about the evil one, demons, dark powers, and evil spirits? Do we as modern Christians agree with Athanasius and Antony’s views about spiritual warfare, and if not, why? This and much, much more on this week’s episode.
    453: Athanasius - Against the Wiles of Satan

  2. 452: Anonymous - Ars Moriendi

    book
    09/05/26
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Are You More Spiritual Than a Medieval Peasant? In this episode, we sit with The Book of the Craft of Dying to discuss how medieval spiritual warfare was explained in the 1415 text Ars Moriendi. What temptations do Christians experience in the midst of death? How do temptations to desperation, impatience, complacency, and concern about worldly matters seduce Christians? How do we distinguish between divine actions and nefarious powers at work? How many times can Gillespie interrupt and contradict Riley before he goes apoplectic? Are there patterns Christians can look for to recognize when temptations are approaching? Is there anything we can do to avoid temptations? Is being tempted the same as sinning? Why is so much of medieval piety and discipline no longer taught by the churches? This and much, much more on today’s episode of the podcast.
    452: Anonymous - Ars Moriendi

  3. 450: Table Talk on Suicide

    book
    08/20/26
    6 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    Suicide Solution. In this episode, we sit with Martin Luther and C.S. Lewis to discuss the topic of self-murder (“suicide”). We talk about focusing on higher truth, how individualism leads to harmful consequences, and how Christians and churches may discuss this with others.
    450: Table Talk on Suicide

  4. 445: Peterson - Buying Passage to Tarshish

    book
    07/17/26
    14 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Run for the Hills! On this episode, we sit with Eugene Peterson and Jonah, listening to what they have to teach about God’s grace, death and resurrection, threshold experiences, believing Jesus is God versus encountering him, and much, much more! What does pastoral ministry look like in Jonah’s disobedience and obedience to God’s call? What would a “Church of St Jonah” look and sound like? What is it about God’s love for sinners that drives us away from God? When will this episode description end?
    445: Peterson - Buying Passage to Tarshish

  5. 444: Tertullian - A Proper Seeking After Divine Knowledge is Always Within the Rule of Faith

    book
    06/19/26
    13 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Times They Are A-Changin’. In this episode, we sit with Tertullian’s writing on “Prescription against Heretics.” What is “the rule of faith”? What constitutes a proper seeking after divine knowledge? What does Tertullian mean by “Heretics Encourage and Perpetuate Thought Independent of Christ's Teaching”? What does he mean by “Restless Curiosity, the Feature of Heresy”? Should heretics not to be allowed to argue out of the Scriptures?
    444: Tertullian - A Proper Seeking After Divine Knowledge is Always Within the Rule of Faith

  6. 442: Giertz - A Shepherd's Letter

    book
    06/05/26
    11 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    We’re in This Together. In this episode, we sit with Bo Giertz and read his open letter to the churches — A Shepherd’s Letter. As translator, Bror Erickson says of the opening section (we read on the show), “Crises and Sources of Strength”: “Christians had been systematically persecuted by the Nazis, and this systematic persecution continued in soviet countries. However, in Western Europe, church leaders like Bo Giertz saw how increasing industrialization was also assisting an increasing secularism. There were huge population shifts into the city, and people lost track of the church even as the church lost track of the people during these shifts. Some political parties were also actively hostile to the church. The trends toward secularism and atheism in the West have continued, of course, and have also become a point of consternation for believers even to this day. This age has not ceased to be evil since Paul designated it as such in Gal. 1:4. So the church continues and will continue to suffer crises, and so the essay “Crises and Sources of Strength” takes on a sort of timeless dimension that way.
    442: Giertz - A Shepherd's Letter

  7. 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

  8. Understanding Revivalism with Dan van Voorhis

    book
    03/03/26
    5 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis | Kelsi Klembara
    What does revival really mean for the modern church?
    Understanding Revivalism with Dan van Voorhis

  9. Perfecting Pain

    book
    02/26/26
    4 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    In this episode of the Outlaw God podcast, Caleb Keith and Steven Paulson look into the themes of suffering and atonement as discussed in 1 Corinthians.
    Perfecting Pain

  10. Mysticism Through Suffering

    book
    02/19/26
    5 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    n this episode of the Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson continue their look into suffering, the theology of the cross, and the historical context of mysticism in relation to faith.
    Mysticism Through Suffering

  11. 428: Postman - A great narrative... has sufficient credibility, complexity, and symbolic power to enable one to organize one's life around it

    book
    02/14/26
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    We Don’t Need No Education. In this episode, we read The End of Education by Neal Postman, discussing the mechanisms of public education, religious catechesis, the influence of the Enlightenment and psychoanalysis on contemporary learning, and what happens when fiction replaces truth as the basis of meaning. This and much, much more on today’s show!
    428: Postman - A great narrative... has sufficient credibility, complexity, and symbolic power to enable one to organize one's life around it

  12. Suffering As a Means of Faith?

    book
    02/12/26
    5 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith examine Christian views of suffering and critiques the common idea that God sends hardship to create or strengthen faith.
    Suffering As a Means of Faith?