Banned Books

Featured text: "Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther Sit still; this won't hurt... much. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Martin Luther's Galatians commentary. This episode, active and passive righteousness. Text: Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535) Show Notes:   The Bondage of the Will - Martin Luther Banned...

The show is about nothing! Gillespie and Riley read nothing in this episode. Instead, it's pastoral care debrief about the quarantine, worship, and how to balance faith and love. Show Notes:   109: Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning," part 1 110: Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning," part 2 The Problem of Suffering: A Father's Hope by Gregory Schulz Young Men in Fire, Norman McLean — Qu...

Featured text: "Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Martin Luther's Galatians commentary. This episode, the easiest way to get rid of Jesus. Text: Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535) — Questions? Com...

Featured text: "Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther Oh, he's very popular... they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Martin Luther's Galatians commentary. This episode, self-righteousness, false virtue, and human works. Text: Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)...

Featured text: "Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther Luther moves pretty fast. You don't stop and read carefully once in a while, you could miss it. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians (1535). This episode, Jesus, jerks, COVID-19, and foxes. Text: Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galati...

Featured text: "Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther Luther's Gospel Piñata! Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Martin Luther's 1535 Galatians commentary. This episode, true wisdom, Satan, and the point of Paul's letter to the Galatian church. Text: Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535) Show Notes:   Jefferson's Bible   — Qu...

Featured text: "The Antichrist" — Friedrich Nietzsche I'm Not Really A Joiner. Gillespie and Riley finish their reading and discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's "Antichrist." This episode, state religion, Christian civil religion, and being your own god. Text: The Antichrist (1888), Aphorisms 16 Show Notes:   Nietzsche (bio) — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBooks@1517.org...

Featured text: "The Antichrist" — Friedrich Nietzsche Welcome to A Church of Pure Imagination. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Friedrich Nietzsche's "Antichrist." This episode, what happens when Christianity disconnects itself from what's concrete and real, especially the incarnation of God. Text: The Antichrist (1888), Aphorisms 15 Show Notes:   Nietzsche (bio) Problem of Evil Wh...

Featured text: "The Antichrist" — Friedrich Nietzsche All right, let's put a pin in this, I gotta help your pathetic faith. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Friedrich Nietzsche's "Antichrist." How does the Christian church promote weak piety and a denial of life? How does Christianity as a religion of pity weaken believers and society? What happens to Christianity when it mixes phi...

Featured text: "The Antichrist" — Friedrich Nietzsche That was really traumatizing! I quit! I'm out! Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Friedrich Nietzsche's "Antichrist." This episode, we talk about how Nietzsche's critique of Christianity can help us check our presuppositions about what Christianity is and is not today. Text: The Antichrist (1888), Aphorisms 2, 4, ff   Show Notes:   Nietzsche...

Featured text: "Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation" — Desiderius Erasmus Alright. That's it. No more Old Testament proofs for you. Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Erasmus' diatribe on Salvation and Free Will. This episode, how to squeeze free will out of the Old Testament. Text: Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation , p. 56   Show Notes:   Erasmus (bio) The Bondage...

Featured text: "Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation" — Desiderius Erasmus What, Have You Come to Rub My Face in Inferences Again? Gillespie and Riley continue their reading and discussion of Erasmus' diatribe on Salvation and Free Will. This episode, forgiveness, free will, and how to get around the Bible not saying what you need it to say. Text: Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation...

Featured text: "Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation" — Desiderius Erasmus Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man! Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Erasmus' diatribe on Free Will and Salvation. How does Erasmus read the Bible and how does his interpretation continue to influence the church today? How does Erasmus' anthropology determine how the church con...

Featured text: "Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation" — Desiderius Erasmus Hey, careful, man, there's a theologian here! Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Erasmus of Rotterdam's discourse on The Freedom of The Will. In his debate with Martin Luther, how did Erasmus lose the battle but win the war over the doctrine of free will? How does it continue to influence the church today? Text: Lu...

Featured text: "The Stromata" — Clement of Alexandria You're not making Christianity better; you're making Stoicism worse. Gillespie and Riley continue their discussion of free will and predestination by reading Clement of Alexandria. Where does the doctrine of free will originate? What happens when a Christian blends biblical theology and philosophy? Why doesn't Riley like Star Wars sermons? Text...

Featured text: "Against Heresies" — Irenaeus I thought we had something, but then you do and pull this. Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Irenaeus on free will and predestination. What part do Christians play in their salvation? Do we choose to sin? Who goes to hell? Text: Writings of Iranaeus Show Notes:   Iranaeus (bio) Man and the Incarnation: A Study in the Biblical Theology of Irenaeus Pap...

Featured text: "First Apology" — Justin Martyr, Tatian Just Think of This As a Friendly Test That Could Get You Thrown into Hell, Or Not... Your Choice. Gillespie and Riley continue their discussion of Justin Martyr on free will and predestination. They also read and discuss the writings of Justin's student, Tatian, on the same topic. Why do we demand that the choice be ours as regards our salvati...

Featured text: "First Apology" — Justin Martyr The Only Wrong Choice Is to Not Make a Choice... Where does the belief in free will originate? Is free will a biblical doctrine? How does Justin's teaching on free will and salvation still influence the church and western culture today? Text: Writings of Justin Martyr   Show Notes:   Justin Martyr (bio) — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to...

Featured text: "The Collects of Thomas Cranmer" — Thomas Cranmer They're just psalms! It's OK to pray them! They're psalms! Gillespie and Riley take a listener request. They read and discuss the collects of Thomas Cranmer. Why pray? What should be the content and focus of prayer? How does old Adam fight against God's Word when the new man prays? Text: Book of Common Prayer Online   Show Notes:   T...

Featured text: "Man's Search for Meaning" — Viktor Frankl Must... continue... thinking... in... ways... that... lead... to... dying... with... meaning. Gillespie and Riley finish their reading and discussion of Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning. How has Frankl's book changed the way people discuss identity and meaning? How has this influenced the Church? Text: Viktor Frankl, "Man's Se...

Featured text: "Man's Search for Meaning" — Viktor Frankl We're all going to die. Come watch TV. Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Viktor Frankl's, Man's Search for Meaning. Why has a book that was written by a psychoanalyst and neurologist about his experience in the Nazi death camps had such an effect and influence on the Christian Church? Text: Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning" , p....

Featured text: "Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis" — Tim Townsend I mean, if you spend all day shuffling words around, you can make anything sound bad. Gillespie and Riley finish their discussion of the book, Mission to Nuremberg. What happens when a pastor is called to minister to Nazi war criminals? This is the third of three episodes, where we talk about...

Featured text: "Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis" — Tim Townsend There's a lesson here and we're not going to be the ones to figure it out. What happens when a pastor is called to minister to Nazi war criminals? This is the second of three episodes, where we talk about the power of the Gospel, state-sponsored religion, and pastoral care when it's attacked...

Featured text: "Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis" — Tim Townsend Believing stuff is about the stuff, not the believing. Gillespie and Riley read and discuss the book, Mission to Nuremberg. What happens when a pastor is called to minister to Nazi war criminals? This is the first of three episodes, where we talk about the power of the Gospel, state-sponsored...

Featured text: "Church Yearbook of 1932" — Hermann Sasse See Nazis, that's why you can't have nice things. Gillespie and Riley continue their discussion of Hermann Sasse's 1932 article against National Socialism. What is the individual Christian to do when his church and neighbors confess the doctrine of the state in opposition to the Gospel of Christ? Text: Sasse, Church Yearbook of 1932   Show N...