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9 mins read|08/01/26Ride On… In this episode, we engage a listener question — is Lutheran teaching double predestination within his debate with Erasmus? How are we to understand arguments for the bound will, such as: “Man’s will is like a beast standing between two riders. If God rides, it wills and goes where God wills… If Satan rides, it wills and goes where Satan wills. Nor may it choose to which rider it will run, or which it will seek; but the riders themselves fight to decide who shall have and hold it”? And so, we discuss God’s will, divine necessity, predestination versus election, the preacher's vocation, the effects of free will theology on American churches, the scandal of arguing for a bound will in relation to Christ, and much, much more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast.
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9 mins read|07/25/26Talk of the Town. In this episode, we discuss Christian conversation — cultural, institutional, and in our encounters with the living God. Our guide is Prof. Robert Kolb, who wrote about the ‘Art of Christian Conversation’ in his book, “Speaking the Gospel Today.” What is Christian conversation, and what is its purpose? On the other side of the table, what is a worldly conversation, and what is its ultimate purpose? Is there any difference between pre-modern and post-modern Christian conversations and secular talks? Is there anything we can learn from “Christian conversations” that can be applied and/or help us appreciate myths, legends, folk tales, and storytelling? Is it possible for our conversations to awaken us to a greater reality than what our material generation tells us about the limits of reality?
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12 mins read|10/24/25The 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.
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8 mins read|06/28/25Little Willy Plays in Duty. In this episode, we read Steven Paulson’s Outlaw God, discussing the appeal of the Law (in the abstract), why old Adam loves pretending he has free will, the Ninevite Conundrum, Jonah’s wormy preacher, and our obsession with placing therapy alongside Christ as a means of grace.
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9 mins read|06/12/25All That and A Bag of Chips. In this episode, we return to Steven Paulson’s book, The Outlaw God. We discuss law and Gospel, why God sends a preacher, why we hate Christ preached, and what therapy can do for the walking dead.
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8 mins read|05/30/25Strong Words for a Strong Word. In this episode, we read Steven Paulson’s book, The Outlaw God. We discuss preaching, doing God’s Word to listeners, calling out curses and blessing confessions, using strong words to expose and condemn the devil and the world, and much, much more.
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11 mins read|05/16/25Come 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.
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9 mins read|02/09/25You 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.
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10 mins read|11/16/24Break on Through (To The Other Side). In this episode, we discuss preaching to the dead and how to unlock doors when one doesn’t have a good lock pick. We also discuss Robert Capon’s book, Foolishness of Preaching, reading his Easter sermon on John 10. This podcast episode includes preaching, polity, pastoral care, and renegade priests.
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9 mins read|01/20/24Keep The Beat. In this episode, we converse about good and bad sermons as defined by J.R.R. Tolkien. We discuss cosmology, truth, love, and why how we use words matters.
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9 mins read|01/08/24The Man Who Sold The World. In this episode, we discuss what attachment to things rather than Christ gets us while reading George Macdonald’s Unspoken Sermons. The conversation leads us through the topics of higher and lower things, bread-making, willing and wanting, God-gifted vocations, and how to properly end a sermon.
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9 mins read|12/16/23Won’t Get Fooled Again. In this episode, we discuss all things Advent - repentance, John the Baptist, preaching Christ, pastoral care to the afflicted and the unrepentant, and how to get to hell - while reading Norman Nagel’s Advent 3 sermon.
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