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. 451: Listener Question on the Work of the Holy Spirit

    book
    08/29/26
    13 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    All Apologies. In this episode, we respond to another listener question. What does it mean to “sit with a text” and yet be prepared at all times to give an apology for the hope that is in us? How does the Holy Spirit work in and through believers to testify to the truth about Jesus? Does the Spirit work through non-Christians, and if so, how and to what purpose? How has modern Christian evangelism differed from pre-modern evangelism and apologetics? What do the gospels teach us about the character of evangelism? This and much, much more in this week’s episode.
    451: Listener Question on the Work of the Holy Spirit

  3. 448: Marquart - Luther and Theosis

    book
    08/07/26
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    As Alive As You Need Me to Be. In this episode, we sit with Rev. Dr. Kurt Marquardt and listen as he teaches us about theosis, deification, justification, Christology, myth and ethics, materialism and rationalism, sacramentality, vocation, relational versus philosophical exegesis, sanctification, glorification, and much, much more.
    448: Marquart - Luther and Theosis

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 439: Rose - Explanation of UFO Phenomena

    book
    05/15/26
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    UFOs are Rebel Angels. In this episode, we read Father Seraphim Rose’s “classic” text, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, about the true nature of UFOs and the nefarious origins of modern narratives about extraterrestrials, spaceships, what’s “out there” in the universe, and so on. What do Christians have to say to a culture that is awash with UFO sightings and prolifically promises to “reveal the truth about UFOS”?
    439: Rose - Explanation of UFO Phenomena

  8. Acts 19:1-20 (Episode 429)

    book
    02/24/26
    3 mins
    By Daniel Emery Price | Erick Sorensen
    Have You Heard of the Holy Spirit?
    Acts 19:1-20 (Episode 429)

  9. 424: Kleinig - The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Divine Service

    book
    01/16/26
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    In this episode, we learn about the Holy Spirit and the Divine Service from Dr. John Kleinig. In particular, we discuss how Christ gives the Spirit to the church through his word, how Christ institutes the divine service and empowers it with God’s Spirit, and how the church receives the Holy Spirit by faith in God’s word as it is proclaimed and enacted in the divine service. The conversation revolves around the central question: How then can we be sure that the Spirit is at work in our worship?
    424: Kleinig - The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Divine Service

  10. Monday, January 5, 2026

    book
    01/05/26
    12 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we head to the mailbag to answer a question about Eastern Orthodoxy and the Bible.
    Monday, January 5, 2026

  11. The CHA Christmas History Edition Presents: Hark the What? Angels and the Christmas Story

    book
    12/06/25
    6 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for December 6-7, 2025
    The CHA Christmas History Edition Presents: Hark the What? Angels and the Christmas Story

  12. Written vs Spoken

    book
    10/31/25
    4 mins
    By Steven Paulson | Caleb Keith
    In this episode of the Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith focus on Paul's interpretation of Moses in 2 Corinthians.
    Written vs Spoken