Author

  1. 456: Nestingen - The Gospel and Repentance

    book
    10/05/26
    13 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough! In this episode, we continue our conversation about repentance, reading Rev. Dr. James Nestingen’s article on the Gospel and Repentance. We discuss Luther's view of the Gospel’s relationship to repentance, preaching a doable law, and what awaits those who leave the Church in a state of unrepentance. This and much, much more on this week’s episode of the podcast.
    456: Nestingen - The Gospel and Repentance

  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. 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

  5. Why Women Need Good Theology with Mary Van Weelden

    book
    07/21/26
    5 mins
    By Kelsi Klembara
    Content Manager for Sola Media, Mary Van Weelden, joins Kelsi to talk about the importance of making sure Christian women receive sound theological teaching and training from the local church, especially in the digital age where Tiktok and Instagram influencers often serve as our guides to theology, life, and more.
    Why Women Need Good Theology with Mary Van Weelden

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. The Culture of God's Word with Hal Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford

    book
    04/28/26
    7 mins
    By Kelsi Klembara
    Kelsi chats with co-authors, Hal Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford of the newly released "The Culture of God's Word: Faithful Ministry in a Post-Christian Society."
    The Culture of God's Word with Hal Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford

  9. 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

  10. Understanding the American Religious Landscape with Ryan Burge

    book
    01/13/26
    5 mins
    By Kelsi Klembara
    Kelsi is joined by data analyst, Ryan Burge, to discuss the current American Religious Landscape as well as his newest book, The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us.Dr. Ryan Burge is an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University.
    Understanding the American Religious Landscape with Ryan Burge

  11. Has Lutheranism Failed?

    book
    01/11/26
    5 mins
    By Caleb Keith | Adam Francisco | Bruce Hillman | Scott Keith
    Has Lutheranism Failed? In this episode, the Thinking Fellows discuss the purpose and aim of the church to examine if Lutheranism in America has failed.
    Has Lutheranism Failed?

  12. 414: Luther - God is extravagantly rich in His grace

    book
    10/31/25
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    An Arm-Twisting Confession. In this episode, we read Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles on the gospel, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Why did he have to have “his arm twisted” to write them? What is he trying to teach the churches about the gospel? How does the gospel circumscribe and define the Church, worship, and Christian life? Why does something written in the 1530s matter today? We look to answer all these questions and more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast.
    414: Luther - God is extravagantly rich in His grace