Author

  1. 332: Norman Nagel - The Lord has more than one Elijah

    book
    12/16/23
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Won’t Get Fooled Again. In this episode, we discuss all things Advent - repentance, John the Baptist, preaching Christ, pastoral care to the afflicted and the unrepentant, and how to get to hell - while reading Norman Nagel’s Advent 3 sermon.
    332: Norman Nagel - The Lord has more than one Elijah

  2. 331: Martyn Lloyd-Jones - The End of the World

    book
    12/11/23
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    All Day and All of the Night. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Advent and the second coming of Jesus Christ while reading a sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Along the way, we talk about the symbols and meaning of Christmas, how preaching a biblical sermon doesn’t mean it’s a gospel sermon, and why that matters, all with an extra echo for dramatic effect.
    331: Martyn Lloyd-Jones - The End of the World

  3. 330: Aelfric - The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

    book
    12/01/23
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Sober Up, He’s Coming! In this episode of the Banned Books podcast, we read Aelfric’s Advent homily while discussing decorating churches for Christmas, the importance of symbolism for the Christian faith, what a tide is, and why the books Genesis and Revelation reference everything regarding faith and life.
    330: Aelfric - The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

  4. 329: Venerable Bede - On the Song of Songs

    book
    11/25/23
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    We Need More Mother’s Milk & Pomegranate Seeds. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss the Song of Songs and read the seventh-century monk, Bede, who takes us on a wild ride through the text; we converse about exegesis, cosmology, the church, why the meaning of words matters, how to read the Bible like an early medieval theologian, and why the story about Jesus changes the world.
    329: Venerable Bede - On the Song of Songs

  5. 328: John Piper - Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, Past and Future

    book
    11/18/23
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Parable of the Lawless, Polygamist Groom. In this episode, we discuss the parable of the ten virgins as preached by John Piper. We converse about law and promise, red herrings, who’s wise and foolish in the parable, the bondage of the will and the doctrine of election, and the consequences for hearers of such parabolic sermons.
    328: John Piper - Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, Past and Future

  6. 327: Karl Barth - How to Preach to Prisoners

    book
    11/08/23
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    In this episode, we discuss preaching to those in prison, the consequences of sin, and the power of the gospel. We read excerpts from Karl Barth’s prison sermons and converse about preaching, pastoral care to the vulnerable, where Jesus locates himself for the preaching of the Gospel, and how we can all “set the captives free” through the power of the Gospel proclaimed for the forgiveness of sin. 
    327: Karl Barth - How to Preach to Prisoners

  7. 326: Forde - Loser Takes All, the victory of Christ

    book
    10/21/23
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    I’m A Loser, Baby, So Why Don’t You Resurrect Me? In this episode, we discuss the difference between our ideas of Jesus as a “winner” who gives us big wins in life versus Jesus, who wins by losing to sin, death, and the devil. We read Gerhard Forde’s article “Loser Takes All” and consider how we bend Jesus to our ideas of satisfaction, safety, and success.
    326: Forde - Loser Takes All, the victory of Christ

  8. 325: Ristau - The Word and Armor of God

    book
    10/15/23
    11 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    One More Movie Reference Ought to Do It. In this episode, we discuss God’s Word and Armor. We return to Harold Ristau’s book, Spiritual Warfare: For the Care of Souls, to converse about God’s Word, ministry, being a soldier in the army of Christ, and angelic backup, and we make many movie references as we go!
    325: Ristau - The Word and Armor of God

  9. 324: Ristau - Demonic Games and Mental Health

    book
    10/09/23
    11 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    In this episode, we discuss spiritual warfare and its effects on clergy and laity alike. We read Harold Roseau’s book to discuss the realities of spiritual warfare, what’s at stake, and what happens when we take seriously what the Bible teaches us about the unseen and seen war raging around us.
    324: Ristau - Demonic Games and Mental Health

  10. 323: Korby - Prayer: Pre-Reformation to the Present

    book
    10/01/23
    10 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Saddle Up! In this episode, we discuss prayer and spiritual warfare while reading Dr. Ken Korby’s essay, Prayer: Pre-Reformation to the Present. We converse about the purpose and goal of prayer, what Jesus is doing when we pray, and how the Holy Spirit acts in and through prayer.
    323: Korby - Prayer: Pre-Reformation to the Present

  11. 322: An Early Lutheran Ordination

    book
    09/23/23
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    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!
    322: An Early Lutheran Ordination

  12. 321: Luther - The Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers

    book
    09/16/23
    10 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    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.
    321: Luther - The Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers