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.

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.

Like petulant children they bemoan their lot and continue to question their very existence. Nevertheless, God loves His wayward children.

Through baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper, Christ meets you with his radical forgiveness which changes everything, even the self!

We can willingly admit the fact that we're just like tax collectors and thieves.

This is the first in a series of articles entitled “Getting Over Yourself for Lent.” We’ll have a new article every week of this Lenten Season.

We can’t remove our crosses or the reality of our deaths. Only Jesus can.

In this episode of Tough Texts, Dan Price and Scott Keith look into Proverbs 29.

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.

Christian spirituality is not a flight from the world, but a deep dive into its brokenness.

Jesus does search out people who have been beaten up by sin and He does rescue them from certain death.

One might say that the first statement of the Reformation was that a saint never stops repenting.