Author

  1. 418: Luther - God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament

    book
    11/28/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Son of a Preacher Man. In this episode, we conclude our study of Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles, discussing the office of the keys and confession. We go through and sum up the previous episodes — the gospel, the mass, repentance, sin, and the law — then sit with the function and power of the forgiveness of sin. What is the office of the keys for? Where does it come from? Who gets to use the keys? Then, we talk over confession and its consequences for pastoral care and its effect on the churches.
    418: Luther - God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament

  2. 417: Luther - A deep, evil corruption of nature that reason does not comprehend

    book
    11/21/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    How Deep Is Your Love! In this episode, we continue our reading of the Smalcald Articles, focusing our attention on sin and the law. What is sin? What does it do to us? What are its effects? And, in following, what is the relationship of the law to sin? Does the law empower us to sin less? Can the law produce good works and good fruits? What is the function of pastoral care in relation to sin and the law? All this and much, much more on this episode of the podcast.
    417: Luther - A deep, evil corruption of nature that reason does not comprehend

  3. Where Lutheranism Disagrees with Thomas Aquinas

    book
    11/18/25
    5 mins
    By Scott Keith | Caleb Keith | Adam Francisco | Bruce Hillman
    In this episode of the Thinking Fellows, we take a closer look at the growing interest in Thomas Aquinas especially among younger evangelicals and even many Lutherans.
    Where Lutheranism Disagrees with Thomas Aquinas

  4. 416: Luther - To this office of the law, however, the New Testament immediately adds the consoling promise of grace through the gospel

    book
    11/13/25
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Don’t Look Back in Anger. In this episode, we continue reading Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles, focusing on contrition, repentance, and freedom. Why does the law need to terrify and leave us hopeless? How does attention to the self lead us into death and hell? What happens when belief is preached as something “we do” rather than something “done to” us? Likewise, when repentance is self-activated and self-actuated, what are the consequences for our daily lives? This and much, much more on this episode of the show.
    416: Luther - To this office of the law, however, the New Testament immediately adds the consoling promise of grace through the gospel

  5. 415: Luther - The Mass is a dangerous thing, fabricated and invented without God’s Word and will

    book
    11/07/25
    9 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Mass Effect. In this episode, we continue our reading of The Smalcald Articles, focusing on Luther’s critique of the Roman Mass and all its consequences for the churches and Christian life. We discuss mimetic desire, sacrificial religion, the exclusive work of Jesus.
    415: Luther - The Mass is a dangerous thing, fabricated and invented without God’s Word and will

  6. 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

  7. 413: Debrief on the Bondage of the Will

    book
    10/24/25
    12 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    The Never-Ending Story of our Bound Will & Election. In this episode, we write an epilogue —so to speak— to our series on the Bondage of the Will and wrap up our thoughts about the Here We Still Stand Conference 2025. We ask, “From whence comes a preacher?” Where does one go for gospel-comfort and the gifts of salvation? What is the Gospel? What is the purpose of the Church? What are the practical consequences of having a will that is bound up to sin, the world, and the evil one? What happens when the churches reject the “hinge” upon which all doctrines turn? And we talk about fantasy and science-fiction writing, 80s children’s movies, and other pop culture nostalgia.
    413: Debrief on the Bondage of the Will

  8. 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?

  9. The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: the Luther Show, Part 1

    book
    09/27/25
    7 mins
    By Dan van Voorhis
    Weekend Edition for September 27-28, 2025
    The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: the Luther Show, Part 1

  10. 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

  11. The Law Before Sin

    book
    09/17/25
    5 mins
    By Caleb Keith | Steven Paulson
    In this episode of the Outlaw God, hosts Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith delve into the theological implications of the law before sin, exploring Luther's perspective on prelapsarian law and its distinction from postlapsarian law.
    The Law Before Sin

  12. 408: Nestigen - Luther and Erasmus on the Bondage of the Will

    book
    09/12/25
    8 mins
    By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley
    Dazed & Confused. In this episode, we continue our series on The Bondage of the Will (1525), by Martin Luther. We read Dr. James Nestingen’s historical introduction to the treatise and delve into the ways two theologians differed in their exegesis of Scripture, their interpretation of Christian doctrine, and the early and medieval church-theological traditions that influenced Erasmus and Luther as they engaged in a back-and-forth.
    408: Nestigen - Luther and Erasmus on the Bondage of the Will