Author

  1. 412: Forde - The gospel, and only the gospel, spells the end of the hidden God

    book
    10/11/25
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    For What It’s Worth. In this episode, we conclude our reading of Gerhard Forde’s "Captivation of the Will." We discuss the conclusion of Luther’s treatise on the bound will, arriving at Christ and election, which reveals Erasmus’s fundamental error — his argument for the human will is actually the original sin, choosing between good and evil.
    412: Forde - The gospel, and only the gospel, spells the end of the hidden God

  2. 411: Forde - Are we puppets, being jerked around against our wills by a malevolent puppeteer?

    book
    10/04/25
    9 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    Master of Puppets. In this episode, we continue our exploration of the Bondage of the Will, with Gerhard Forde’s book, The Captivation of the Will. We discuss the human will — what it is, what it does, what it wants — and why we are compelled to insist that we have free choice. We also talk about the two paths: one, the path of forgiveness, and the other, the way of morality. Why do we default to morality in matters of choice, and why is the preaching of God’s grace over against morality so offensive to Christians who confess that our knowledge of good and bad is a direct consequence of the original sin in the garden? We also talk about drunkenness, women’s ordination, the offense of irresistible grace, and what the Holy Spirit is up to amidst the disruption that occurs when he sends his preachers to declare an end to the illusion of free choice and reveal his death sentence to bound wills.
    411: Forde - Are we puppets, being jerked around against our wills by a malevolent puppeteer?

  3. 410: Forde - Better not to let the "common herd" in on such lofty and dangerous academic secrets

    book
    09/27/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Have You Herd? In this episode, we continue our reading of The Captivation of Will, discussing the problem of God, the death-ride of morality, scandalous election, the dilemma of sin and freedom and more sin, and the singular calling of Christ’s preachers.
    410: Forde - Better not to let the

  4. 407: Paulson - The free will is demonstrably not Jesus Christ

    book
    09/06/25
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley | Steven Paulson
    In this episode, we begin our series commemorating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s treatise, de Servo Arbitrio — The Bondage of the Will. We begin by reading Dr. Steven Paulson’s theological analysis of what’s at stake in Luther’s treatise, as well as its sharp-edged consequences for churches today. As it was received then, so it is now by dedicated students of this work: it cleaves those who seek Jesus plus philosophy, ideology, or personal interests from those who insist on Christ alone in all things relating to matters of salvation, faith, etc.
    407: Paulson - The free will is demonstrably not Jesus Christ

  5. Monday, July 28, 2025

    book
    07/28/25
    12 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Today on the Christian History Almanac, we head to the mailbag to answer a question about the Virgin Mary in Church history.
    Monday, July 28, 2025

  6. 397: Q&A Episode - Civil Disobedience

    book
    06/21/25
    7 mins
    By Donavon Riley | Christopher Gillespie
    The Long and Winding Road. In this episode, we answer another listener's question about civil disobedience, understanding the tension for old Adam that’s inherent within the two kingdoms doctrine, and we go down a bunch of alleyways picking through conspiracies, immigration, war, colonialism, and ice cream coveting.
    397: Q&A Episode - Civil Disobedience

  7. Episode # 427 Featuring Pastor Bob Hiller "Where Is Jesus?"

    book
    06/16/25
    5 mins
    By Bob Hiller
    Pastor Hiller Teaches On Luke 24:44-53
    Episode # 427 Featuring Pastor Bob Hiller

  8. 395: Questions Answered

    book
    06/09/25
    7 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Just Answer the Question. In this episode, we answer listener questions, specifically active and passive choices, active and passive righteousness, election and the bondage of the will, addiction, the limits of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the ultimate Good we all seek, and much, much more.
    395: Questions Answered

  9. 392: Keller - What Is the Church?

    book
    05/16/25
    11 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Come Together, Right Now… In this episode, we read from Tim Keller’s sermon, which asks, “What is the Church?” We discuss the relationship between churches and culture, what the church is and isn’t, where we locate faith, whether Christian faith changes one’s values, and much more.
    392: Keller - What Is the Church?

  10. 391: The gracious will and good pleasure of God in Christ Jesus

    book
    05/08/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Burning Down The House. In this episode, we continue our discussion of election, addressing the certainty of election, how we are chosen, the human limits of perseverance in faith, why the pope is a bad example of Christian piety, and how old Adam tries to invert election by burying it in our sacrifices and pious moralism.
    391: The gracious will and good pleasure of God in Christ Jesus

  11. Spirit, water, and blood

    book
    04/08/25
    4 mins
    By Troy Neujahr | Craig Donofrio
    . . . and these three testify. Testify to what?
    Spirit, water, and blood

  12. 386: Pastoral Debrief with a bit of Flacius

    book
    04/04/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Kick Out the Jams. In this episode, we focus on the raw, real work of life in the parish—the ordinary burdens, the hidden insecurities, and the quiet faith that holds it all together. We explore the distinction between philosophy and theology and why attempts to fuse them often leave both diminished. There’s talk of reformation—its drama, its necessity, and its cost. We reflect on the pervasive victim-perpetrator dynamic that shapes so much of modern life and how the gospel when rightly preached, breaks that cycle. At the heart of it all is this: the power of Christ’s mercy to open what we’ve shut tight, to drive out the bitterness we’ve made into habit, and to speak a word stronger than shame.
    386: Pastoral Debrief with a bit of Flacius