Author

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: A Brief History of Singing in the Early Christian Church

    book
    04/18/26
    5 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for April 18-19, 2026
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: A Brief History of Singing in the Early Christian Church

  7. Demons Are Real But Christians Don’t Need to Be Afraid

    book
    04/10/26
    5 mins
    By Caleb Keith | Bruce Hillman | Adam Francisco
    Contemporary Christianity often ignores or understates the realities and existence of spiritual warfare and spiritual beings. The naturalistic Western world views these things as superstitious. How can Christians talk about the existence and work of demons without being sensationalized?
    Demons Are Real But Christians Don’t Need to Be Afraid

  8. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Easter Mailbag 2026

    book
    04/04/26
    5 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for April 4-5, 2026
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Easter Mailbag 2026

  9. Friday, April 3, 2026

    book
    04/03/26
    11 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we look at the historical development of “Good Friday.”
    Friday, April 3, 2026

  10. Thursday, April 2, 2026

    book
    04/02/26
    11 mins
    By Daniel van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we take a look at the history of Maundy Thursday.
    Thursday, April 2, 2026

  11. 435: Andersen - Ritual as the Whole Way of Life

    book
    04/02/26
    13 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Power of Ritual! In this episode, we learn from David Andersen about Christian ritual. What’s the purpose and goal of ritual? How does Christian ritual differ from other religious rituals? Where do we find ritual and ceremony outside “religious” observances? When we forget or ignore ritual and ceremony, what is the effect on individuals, groups, and societies? That and much, much more in this episode of the podcast.
    435: Andersen - Ritual as the Whole Way of Life

  12. 433: Von Schenk - The Crucifixion

    book
    03/19/26
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    What’s Love Got to do With It? In this episode, we read Berthold von Schenk’s The Presence, discussing sacrifice, sacrament, human will, anthropology, the cross, Lent, Easter, Love, and the consequences of the crucifixion for worship, faith, and Christian living. Why does our focus determine how we view these things? What is the “telos” of the Lord’s Supper, and where does it lead us? How does it change us?
    433: Von Schenk - The Crucifixion