Weekend Edition for August 23-24, 2025

Little Plastic Castles. In this episode, we read the first Inkling, Owen Barfield, as he defends the use of old words, old stories, and old ways of expressing what’s good, beautiful, and true against modern proponents that argued for more modern “scientific” ways of judging language, esp., poetics and myth, as well as religion and culture.

Liturgy Amongst the Rubble. In this episode, we read poems by W.H. Auden about pulp fiction, ancient myths, conversion, liturgy, poetics, and how industrialization and corporatism build a new Babel inside and around the churches.

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we pause to remember the beginning of the “Lenten” season (and this year, with the East and the West together!)

In episode THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE, Mike, Jason, and Wade discuss the Protestant fear of formalism, or ritualism?

Runnin’ Down A Dream. In this episode, we dig deeper into liturgy and “action”—who’s doing what and why in Christian worship? How did the ancient pagans worship their gods, and why? What did the 16th-century Reformers teach about worship? Why should we moderns care? Mimesis, anamnesis, liturgical action, ritual, myth, sacrifices, and sacraments—we’ve got it all this week.

In episode TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-ONE, Jason and Wade discuss sola scriptura, Scripture alone.

In episode TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY, Mike and Wade discuss Christianity and time. In a world with so many calendars and seasons, how do Christians ground themselves?

The Chairman’s Intent. In this episode of Banned Books, we converse about the Gospel, ritual, and how and why God embodies his grace while reading John Kleinig’s article, Rituals and the Enactment of the Gospel.

Spurred on by last week's conversation, Craig and Troy discuss how tradition is part of an entire philosophy of Christian worship and Christian living.

TradiSHUUUUNNN! TRADITION! Spurred on by last week's thoughts on All Saints' Day, Craig and Troy think about the traditions of the liturgical calendar and the lectionary reading cycle.

Seriously, what even IS All Saints' Day?