Leper Messiah. In this episode, we read Bo Giertz’s commentary on Jesus’ healing of a leper and Cornelius’ servant… boy… slave boy. Giertz addresses textual criticism, catechesis, miracles, and the liturgy of the Church, and we delve into the effect of disbelief in Jesus’ power to heal and make whole affects modern Christians and non-believers alike.

In this bonus episode, Chad Bird joins Kelsi in person to discuss his newest book, ⁠Hitchhiking with Prophets: A Ride through the Salvation Story of the Old Testament⁠, which is out next week!

Tick, Tick, Boom. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Romans 3 while reading Philip Melanchthon’s commentary on Paul’s epistle. The main topics of conversation are the limitations of the law, faith that saves, gratuitous forgiveness and the living, and the present tense power of the gospel.

This is an excerpt from Romans 14 in Romans: A Devotional Commentary by Bo Giertz, translated by Bror Erickson. (1517 Publishing 2018), pgs 79-80.

What We've Got Here Is Failure to Communicate. In this episode, we discuss Karl Barth’s Roman’s commentary, which cast a long and influential shadow over much of twentieth-century theology, and what it can teach today.

Hamilton writes lucidly. He has that rare gift of walking the tightrope between the academy and the church, being able to communicate to both groups in the same book.

What I like about Giertz’s approach is the devotional nature of these commentaries. He’s a pastor concerned with what these texts have to say to us today.

This is an excerpt from “The New Testament Devotional Commentary: Volume 1: Matthew, Mark, Luke” written by Bo Giertz and translated by Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2021).

"Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream?" Poe is wrong. Though we have lulled ourselves asleep, the reality is far brighter and beautiful than we imagine. Christ is risen and so shall we. The dreamer who dreams is He.

What follows is a little crash course in how to read Calvin with respect, for our benefit, and with an eye to how we keep Reformation giants at a proper historical arms distance.