Banned Books

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Fee-Fi-Fo-Fu... wait, wrong story! Gillespie and Riley continue their discussion of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. This week, giants, good friends, and more cages. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover – 1979 Show Notes:   Order "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram Past Bunyan's "Pil...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Despite all my rage, I'm still just a baptized sinner in a cage. Gillespie and Riley respond to a listener request about The Pilgrim's Progress. This week, we go back to the Interpreter's House to see about a man in a cage—the Bible, Jesus, and the problem with cages. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover – 1979 Show Notes:  ...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Get it all together and put it in a backpack, all your vanity, so it's together. Gillespie and Riley read The Pilgrim's Progress and discuss the "both-and" of Vanity Fair for Christians. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover – 1979 Show Notes:   Order "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram Wa...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan So we bailed on that reality and we came to this one. Gillespie and Riley continue to discuss The Pilgrim's Progress. This episode, why fight demons when God will do it for you? Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover – 1979 Show Notes:   Order "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram Past Bunyan...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Life... say this out loud with an aspirational sigh. Gillespie and Riley continue their series on Pilgrim's Progress. This episode, the cross, present-tense Jesus, and getting the direction right. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover – 1979 Show Notes:   Order "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and In...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Gillespie and Riley read and discuss John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress." This week, chapter one and two, The City of Destruction and Interpreter's House. We talk more about our need for a present tense Jesus, the limits of allegory, and why Jesus isn't a good example for us to follow. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern English Hardcover...

Featured text: "The Pilgrim's Progress" — John Bunyan Gillespie and Riley read and discuss John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress." This week, chapter one, The City of Destruction. We talk about apocalyptic literature, our old friend Plato, the necessity of a real present tense Jesus, and why Riley's version of The Pilgrim's Progress would be a pamphlet. Text: The Pilgrims Progress in Modern Englis...

Featured text: "The Joyful Christian" — C.S. Lewis Gillespie and Riley again read and discuss C.S. Lewis' The Joyful Christian. This episode, the Incarnation. Do we go far enough with Jesus' incarnation, to where He wants us to go with him? Text: "The Joyful Christian," C.S. Lewis, p. 50-52   Show Notes:   Order "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram On the Incar...

Featured text: "The Joyful Christian" — C.S. Lewis Gillespie and Riley read and discuss C.S. Lewis' meditation on the Fall into Sin. They go deep into the subjects of free will, dualism, retributive justice, and why discussing sin isn't as easy as we'd like. Text: "The Joyful Christian," C.S. Lewis, p. 48-50 Show Notes:   Preorder "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Ins...

Featured text: "The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It" — Robert Capon Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss Robert Capon's "The Mystery of Christ... and why we don't get it." Faith, works, and more Christian absurdity. Text: "The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It" by Robert Farrar Capon , p. 90-94 Show Notes:   Preorder "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon...

Featured text: "Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion" — Donavon Riley Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Crucifying Religion, by Donavon Riley so Riley can have a discussion about himself with himself. It's a meta, meta episode! Text: Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion , p.40 Show Notes:   Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram The Gospel for Those Broken...

Featured text: "The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It" — Robert Capon Gillespie and Riley return to Robert Capon to read and discuss the incarnation of Jesus and how we try to turn free grace into a transaction. Text: "The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It" by Robert Farrar Capon Show Notes:   Preorder "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Inst...

Featured text: "An Argument Directed Against the Nestorians" — John of Damascus Gillespie and Riley dive deep into an early church argument about Mary, why a bishop named Nestorius, and Mohammed, rejected the virgin birth, and why it's important to discuss the topic today. Text: Chapter XII.— That the holy Virgin is the Mother of God: an argument directed against the Nestorians. Show Notes:   Preo...

Featured text: "Thalia" — John of Damascus Gillespie and Riley finish their reading of John of Damascus' critique of Islam, then jump into the writings of Arius to better understand the foundation of Islam and modern American Christianity. Text: Thalia (Arius) Show Notes:   Preorder "Crucifying Religion" by Riley Donavon Riley on 1517 , FB , and Instagram Episode #64 - John of Damascus - Critique...

Featured text: "Critique of Islam" — John of Damascus An enthusiast came in here looking for you — real God and country-type. I don't know. Might further the plot. Gillespie and Riley read and discuss John of Damascus again this week. What's an enthusiast? Why are footnotes important? How do Aphrodite, Arius, and a Nestorian monk lay the foundation for Islam? Text: St. John of Damascus's Critique...

Featured text: "Critique of Islam" — John of Damascus God's prophet? Inconceivable! Gillespie and Riley read and discuss the work of John of Damascus which explains why Islam is a Christian heresy. Text: St. John of Damascus's Critique of Islam Show Notes:   John of Damascus J osh MacDowell - More than a Carpenter — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBooks@1517legacy.com . P...

Featured text: "The Infant Priest Was Holy Born" — Chad Bird Gillespie and Riley conclude their discussion of hymnody with Chad Bird's hymn, "The Infant Priest Was Holy Born." Again, they focus on pastoral care, comfort for Christians, and what happens when the church ignores the reality of sin, death, and Satan. Show Notes:   The Backstory of "The Infant Priest": From a Student's Meditation, to a...

Featured text: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" — Thomas O. Chisholm Do You Have a Great Hymn This Week? Go Fish! This week, Gillespie and Riley discuss Thomas Chisholm's poem turned hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. More discussion of hymnody, church music, and how what we sing can help or hinder pastoral care. Show Notes:   Banned Books #80 - "Amazing Grace"   Crucifying Religion - Donavon Riley Great...

Featured text: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" — Joseph Scriven Jesus joins us in our weirdness. In this episode, Gillespie and Riley continue their discussion of how to judge a hymn with Joseph Scriven's classic hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Show Notes:   Banned Books #80 - "Amazing Grace"   What a Friend We Have in Jesus What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Wikipedia) Spock's Funeral — Que...

Featured text: "Amazing Grace" — John Newton This week, Gillespie and Riley begin a four episode discussion on how to judge a hymn. In the first installment, they look at Amazing Grace and ask: "Is this a great, good, or bad hymn?" What makes a Christian hymn great? What should a church do with bad hymns? Show Notes:   Amazing Grace (Wikipedia) Amazing Grace: A Journey in Time and Faith Why Johnny...

Featured text: "The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded" — John Bunyan This week, Gillespie and Riley go live, reading, discussing, and responding to your questions and comments about Bunyan's writing on law and grace. Text: The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded, John Bunyan Show Notes:   Banned Books LIVE American Gods Law and Gospel Lectures of CFW Walther — Questions? Comments? Show Ide...

Featured text: "The Schwabach Articles" — Martin Luther In this episode, Gillespie and Riley continue to read and discuss the Schwabach Articles. Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Church, and all things churchy. Text: The Schwabach Articles, Sources and Contexts of The Book of Concord, trans. William R. Russel, p.83. Show Notes:   Banned Books #57 - Schwabach Articles, Part 1 Banned Books LIVE Blues Bro...

Featured text: "The Schwabach Articles" — Martin Luther In this episode, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss The Schwabach Articles. Sin, faith, lots of Holy Spirit, and why the Schwabach Articles are the roots of Lutheran, Reformed, and Protestant confessions of faith. Text: The Schwabach Articles, Sources and Contexts of The Book of Concord, trans. William R. Russel, p.83. Show Notes:   Banned...

Featured text: "The Marburg Articles" — Martin Luther In this episode, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss the Marburg Theses. The Reformers, Luther and Zwingli (and their colleagues), sat down to try to find common theological ground. What resulted has influenced the Church to this day. Text: The Marburg Articles, Sources and Contexts of The Book of Concord, trans. William R. Russel, p.88.   Sho...

Featured text: "Sixty-seven Theses" — Ulrich Zwingli This week, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Ulrich Zwingli's 67 Theses defending the theological reforms in Zurich. Zwingli is provocative, sometimes hyperbolic, but driven by a zeal for the reformation doctrine of Christ alone for the salvation of sinners apart from their works. Text: Ulrich Zwingli Sixty-seven Theses, 27 January 1523 Show...