Author

  1. 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

  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. 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. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  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. 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

  9. 440: Heiser - Reading Your Bible Again... for the first time

    book
    05/21/26
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Mosaic Word. In this episode, we sit with Michael Heiser's book, The Unseen Realm, on reading the Bible. What are the rules of engagement when one reads Scripture? What filters do we apply to the biblical texts, and are they helpful or do they blind us? What, then, are the obstacles that prevent us from enjoying the biblical narratives? What do we assume about the Bible that is true, and what is not? Have moderns been desensitized to the vitality and theological importance of the unseen world? Does modern Christianity suffer from two serious shortcomings when it comes to the supernatural world? Do we assume that a lot of things in the Bible are too odd or peripheral to matter? What if the weird parts of the Bible are the most important?
    440: Heiser - Reading Your Bible Again... for the first time

  10. What Do Christians Have to Say About Hell?

    book
    05/15/26
    5 mins
    By Scott Keith | Caleb Keith | Bruce Hillman | Adam Francisco
    The Thinking Fellows examine one of Christianity’s most difficult and avoided topics: hell.
    What Do Christians Have to Say About Hell?

  11. 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

  12. 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