Podcast Overview

Author

455: Nestingen - Preaching Repentance Is a Problem

09/26/26

13 mins

By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley

In this episode, we sit with Rev. Dr. James Nestingen’s writing on the gospel and repentance. We talk at length not only about law and repentance, but also about the consequences of therapeutic culture for the preaching and reception of calls to repent in the churches. If the law is known by its uses, who is the user? What is it to have a God? What do you have if you have one? How does it work? How does the law summarize the non-negotiables of creaturely life? Can the devil use the law? What is the preacher’s use of the law? How does this lead us to the topic of repentance? All this and much, much more on this week’s podcast.
453: Athanasius - Against the Wiles of Satan

09/12/26

13 mins

By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley

The Cost of Discipline. In this episode, we sit with St. Athanasius and his writings on the life of St. Antony. How did Christians in the 4th century view spiritual warfare and affliction? What is the relation of discipline to prayer, piety, and resisting temptation? What did 4th century Christians think about virtues and vices, and whether they were (or weren’t) related to the Christian life? Is it better for Christians to seek a place of solitude or community when focusing on heavenly things versus worldly things? How does Mammon factor into this? What does Scripture teach about the evil one, demons, dark powers, and evil spirits? Do we as modern Christians agree with Athanasius and Antony’s views about spiritual warfare, and if not, why? This and much, much more on this week’s episode.
- Spiritual Disciplines
- Repentance
- Wisdom
- Angels
- Fasting
- Conscience
- Idolatry
- Good Works
- Hell
- Sacrifice
- Sanctification
- Holiness
- Obedience
- Satan
Breaking and Turning Stiff Necks (Proverbs 29:1-3)

01/23/26

5 mins

By Daniel Emery Price | Scott Keith

In this episode of Tough Texts, Dan Price and Scott Keith look into Proverbs 29.
Grace and Absolution in Wake Up Dead Man with David Zahl

12/19/25

3 mins

By Kelsi Klembara | David Zahl

Kelsi chats with David Zahl about themes of faith and grace in Rian Johnson's newest film, Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man.
Jim Nestingen's Legacy with John Pless

12/16/25

6 mins

By Kelsi Klembara | John T. Pless

Kelsi talks with Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, John Pless, about compiling and editing, ⁠The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation.⁠
- Jim Nestingen
- Book Review
418: Luther - God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament

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

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

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.
380: Anselm - Bracing the Heart Against Despair

02/09/25

9 mins

By Christopher Gillespie | Donavon Riley

You May Be Right… In this episode of Banned Books, we read Anselm of Canterbury’s Meditation on Sin and Penance. We discuss the consequences of sin, the Fountain of Mercy, Jesus’ excuses, the doctrine of simul iustus et peccator, theological presuppositions, and how we speak influences our behavior.
Absent Absolution (Matthew 27:1-10)

01/30/25

5 mins

By Daniel Emery Price | Scott Keith

In this episode of Tough Texts, Daniel Emery Price and Scott Keith take a look at Matthew 27:1-10, offering a nuanced perspective on a figure often vilified in Christian tradition.
Struggle in the Belly of the Whale

11/14/24

5 mins

By Caleb Keith | Steven Paulson

The whale has swallowed Jonah. Paulson emphasizes Luther's analysis of this text, asserting that this is not a metaphorical pilgrim's journey.
- Repentance
- Bondage of the Will
Our Sin Nature

06/30/24

5 mins

By Katie Koplin | Gretchen Ronnevik

Does believing in a sin nature, or that all our works have sin, lead to depression?