Small Catechisms

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis interviews Dr. Taylor Cyr (Samford University) about free will. They talk about the concept of free will, theological issues related to human freedom, whether God is truly free or not, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Dr. Cyr's website - Link The Free Will Show - Link How Free Are We? Conversations from the Free Will Show (OUP, 2024) -  Link Questions or S...

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23, and Luke 24:13-35. You can find all the readings for this Sunday here . To learn more about Nativity, visit our website at  nativityarden.org . 

On this episode, Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about the various councils of Christianity. They talk about the different sorts of councils, why they're important, how they fit into a Lutheran understanding of the Church, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Church councils (Papal Encyclicals Online) - Link Conciliar Christology by Tim Pawl - Link Qu...

Dr. Aaron Davis preaches from Acts 2:14a, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, and John 20:19-31. You can find all the readings for this Sunday here . To learn more about Nativity, visit our website at nativityarden.org . 

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10. You can find the readings for this Sunday here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

On this special Easter episode, Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about the doctrine of the resurrection. They talk about why Jesus's bodily resurrection matters so much, some rival views that have tried to account for the evidence of his resurrection, what we mean by "bodily" resurrection in the first place, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Questio...

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Matthew 2:1-11 for Palm Sunday. You can find the reading for this Sunday here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about Martin Luther and antisemitism. They talk about what Luther's antisemitism consisted in, some of the historical results of it, seeking reconciliation with our Jewish neighbors as Lutherans, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Questions or Suggestions? Contact Dr. Davis with your input:  aarondavis...

In this episode our host, Dr. Aaron Davis, begins a mini-series discussing reasons why he once became an atheist and things that helped him return to the Church. Today's subject is the difficulties he had with biblical interpretation. Links Nativity's website -  Link Episode music (Means to Believe by Oh, Sleeper) - Link Questions or Suggestions? Contact Dr. Davis with your input:  aarondavis@nati...

In this episode, Dr. Aaron Davis answers the following question posed in response to his sermon on March 22:  "Why do you think John makes a point to share with us that Jesus tells the people to unbind Lazarus and let him go? I understand why he might need help moving the stone, but the unbinding seems like an odd detail."

Dr. Aaron Davis preaches from Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11, and John 11:1-45. You can find all the readings for this Sunday here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, and John 9:1-41. You can find all the readings for this Sunday  here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about theological anthropology. They talk about what this field is, why it matters in everyday life (especially for ethical considerations), and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Theological anthropology overview (Fuller Theological Seminary) - Link Christa McKirland's God's Provision, Humanity's Need - L...

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, and Matthew 4:1-11. You can find all the readings for this Sunday  here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. You can find all the readings for Ash Wednesday here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

Pastor Sean Barrett preaches from Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, and Matthew 17:1-9. You can find all the readings for this Sunday here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

On this season finale episode Dr. Aaron Davis interviews Bishop Emeritus Tim Smith (NC Synod) about the ministry of bishops in the ELCA and beyond. They talk about what bishops do, how their ministries vary across traditions, why church structure matters, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link NC Synod website - Link "Smith Retires as Bishop," Salisbury Post - Link "Seriously? Women in Ministr...

Dr. Aaron Davis preaches from Isaiah 58:1-9a, 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, and Matthew 5:13-20. You can find all the readings for this Sunday  here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about sanctification. They talk about what the term means, how we might understand it as Protestants, its relevance for everday Christian living, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Questions or Suggestions? Contact Dr. Davis with your input:  aarondavis@nativityarden.org .

In this episode, Dr. Aaron Davis discusses Tom McCall, Caleb Friedeman, and Matt Friedman's 2023 book, The Doctrine of Good Works: Reclaiming a Neglected Protestant Teaching . He talks about the book's background and contents, its strengths and weaknesses, and reasons why I think it deserves a wide readership. Questions or comments about the episode? Send a message to  aarondavis@nativityarden.org...

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis talks with Nativity's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett, about justification. They talk about what the term means, its biblical roots, historical and recent developments concerning the concept, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification - Link Questions or Suggestions? Contact Dr. Davis with your input:  aarondavis@...

Pastor Sean Barrett answers a question about John 1:29-42.  "What does it mean in this week's gospel reading when it says "You are to be called Cephas (translated as Peter)." How do you translate a name? Is one Hebrew and the other Greek, cause they don't sound remotely similar."

On this episode Dr. Aaron Davis interviews Prof. Jonathan Rutledge (Asbury University) about his book, Forgiveness and Atonement: Christ's Restorative Sacrifice . They talk about concepts like atonement, forgiveness, and sacrifice, where we see them in Scripture, what makes his view novel, and more. Links Nativity's website -  Link Forgiveness and Atonement (Routledge, 2022) - Link Jonathan's webs...

Dr. Aaron Davis answers this question: "You talked about the value of remembering one's baptism. What are some of the upsides of being baptized as an infant, even before it will be remembered by the one being baptized?"

Dr. Aaron Davis preaches from Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, and Matthew 3:13-17. You can find all the readings for this Sunday  here .  To learn more about Lutheran Church of the Nativity, visit our website at  NativityArden.org .