Temptation (9)
  1. Are You More Spiritual Than a Medieval Peasant? In this episode, we sit with The Book of the Craft of Dying to discuss how medieval spiritual warfare was explained in the 1415 text Ars Moriendi. What temptations do Christians experience in the midst of death? How do temptations to desperation, impatience, complacency, and concern about worldly matters seduce Christians? How do we distinguish between divine actions and nefarious powers at work? How many times can Gillespie interrupt and contradict Riley before he goes apoplectic? Are there patterns Christians can look for to recognize when temptations are approaching? Is there anything we can do to avoid temptations? Is being tempted the same as sinning? Why is so much of medieval piety and discipline no longer taught by the churches? This and much, much more on today’s episode of the podcast.
  2. Fight the Power! In this episode, we learn from pastor and theologian Helmut Thielecke about the gods we worship, the God that encounters us, and what technology actually does to us. What do Satan’s temptations teach us about Jesus, God’s Word, piety, and making sense of mystery? Is Christianity supposed to be a sensible religion? What kind of “opium” does the evil one offer us to lead us away from the Truth? What is distinctive about the worshippers of the God of power? What happens when technology becomes a means of power rather than merely a tool? What does God’s fight for the world look like, and how does it conclude?
  3. The Christ who rescues does not wait for you to be clean. He comes to clean you. He does not need your strength. He brings his own.
  4. Jesus Christ is relentless. He does not give up. And with him comes the certainty of redemption.
  5. It is of the utmost importance that pastors teach their congregation that through faith in Jesus Christ, they are fortified against the machinations of the adversary.
  6. Satan Drives Out Satan? In this episode, we dig deep into Jesus’ question, Can Satan drive out Satan? With the help of Rene Gerard’s book, I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightening. This episode goes into some extremely deep waters regarding the mimetic tradition, the nature of sacrifice, scapegoating, Satan’s power, and Jesus’ crucifixion.
  7. Jesus rejects what we believe is most necessary and instead points us to his pain, suffering, death, and self-sacrifice.
  8. Only God's Word of Gospel can permanently help and heal the addicted.
  9. What a person quickly realizes when sin, death, and Satan attack in concrete reality is how inadequate and ill-equipped they are to fight them off.