Banned Books

Featured text: "Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis" — Norman Nagel Won't Get Fooled Again. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss all things Advent - repentance, John the Baptist, preaching Christ, pastoral care to the afflicted and the unrepentant, and how to get to hell - while reading Norman Nagel's Advent 3 sermon. SHOW NOTES:   Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel...

Featured text: "The End of the World" — Martyn Lloyd-Jones All Day and All of the Night. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Advent and the second coming of Jesus Christ while reading a sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Along the way, we talk about the symbols and meaning of Christmas, how preaching a biblical sermon doesn't mean it's a gospel sermon, and why that matters. SHOW NOTES:   Transc...

Featured text: "The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church" — Ælfric Sober Up, He's Coming! In this episode of the Banned Books podcast, we read Aelfric's Advent homily while discussing decorating churches for Christmas, the importance of symbolism for the Christian faith, what a tide is, and why the books Genesis and Revelation reference everything regarding faith and life. SHOW NOTES:   The Homilies...

Featured text: "On the Song of Songs" — Bede We Need More Mother's Milk & Pomegranate Seeds. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss the Song of Songs and read the seventh-century monk, Bede, who takes us on a wild ride through the text; we converse about exegesis, cosmology, the church, why the meaning of words matters, how to read the Bible like an early medieval theologian, and why the stor...

Featured text: "Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, Past and Future" — John Piper The Parable of the Lawless, Polygamist Groom. In this episode, we discuss the parable of the ten virgins as preached by John Piper. We converse about law and promise, red herrings, who's wise and foolish in the parable, the bondage of the will and the doctrine of election, and the consequences for hearers of such parabolic...

Featured text: "Sermons to the Basel Prisoners" — Karl Barth In this episode, we discuss preaching to those in prison, the consequences of sin, and the power of the gospel. We read excerpts from Karl Barth's prison sermons and converse about preaching, pastoral care to the vulnerable, where Jesus locates himself for the preaching of the Gospel, and how we can all "set the captives free" through th...

Featured text: "Loser Takes All: The Victory of Christ" — Gerhard Forde I'm A Loser, Baby, So Why Don't You Resurrect Me? In this episode, we discuss the difference between our ideas of Jesus as a "winner" who gives us big wins in life versus Jesus, who wins by losing to sin, death, and the devil. We read Gerhard Forde's article "Loser Takes All" and consider how we bend Jesus to our ideas of sati...

Featured text: "Spiritual Warfare: For the Care of Souls" — Harold Ristau One More Movie Reference Ought to Do It. In this episode, we discuss God's Word and Armor. We return to Harold Ristau's book, Spiritual Warfare: For the Care of Souls, to converse about God's Word, ministry, being a soldier in the army of Christ, and angelic backup, and we make many movie references as we go! SHOW NOTES:   S...

Featured text: "Spiritual Warfare: For the Care of Souls" — Harold Ristau In this episode, we discuss spiritual warfare and its effects on clergy and laity alike. We read Harold Ristau's book to discuss the realities of spiritual warfare, what's at stake, and what happens when we take seriously what the Bible teaches us about the unseen and seen war raging around us. SHOW NOTES:   Spiritual Warfar...

Featured text: "Prayer: Pre-Reformation to the Present" — Ken Korby Saddle Up! This episode discusses prayer and spiritual warfare while reading Dr. Ken Korby's essay, Prayer: Pre-Reformation to the Present. We converse about the purpose and goal of prayer, what Jesus is doing when we pray, and how the Holy Spirit acts in and through prayer. SHOW NOTES:   Text—Christians at Prayer, p. 113 https://...

Baptized, Confirmed, and Ordained. In this episode, we discuss the early Lutheran formulation of calling and ordination of pastors and preachers. What is ordination, when does it happen, are their rules and rites that must be followed, and much, much more! SHOW NOTES:   The text: https://bannedbooks.libsyn.com/71708669689__f28ba2aa-7a7a-4579-abb3-d145fcc87f98pdf     SUPPORT : 1517 Podcast Network...

Featured text: "The Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers" — Martin Luther You can call me any day or night. Call me! In this episode, we read Martin Luther's verbosely titled treatise, "That a Christian Assembly or Congregation has the Right and Power to Judge all Teaching and to Call, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers, Established and Proven by Scripture."...

Featured text: "Tyranny and Resistance: The Magdeburg Confession and the Lutheran Tradition" — David Whitford Resistance to Tyranny is Obedience to God. In this episode, we discuss tyranny and resistance while reading a book of the same title by Reformation scholar David Mark Whitford. What is tyranny? When are Christians called to resist tyranny, and what does that entail? Are there any standards...

Featured text: "Baalism in the Life of the Church" — Warren Graff We Need to Get Ba'aled Out. In this episode, we read Warren Graff's article, "Baalism in the Life of the Church," and discuss the roots of Baal worship in Israel and its consequences for Israel and churches today. Pastor Warren Graff (Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque) holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of...

Featured text: "Luther on Marriage, Vocation, and the Cross" — James Nestigen All In The Family. In this episode, we discuss marriage, vocation, and cute theology of the cross. How can Luther's teaching and preaching on marriage and vocation help Christians at present resist the temptations of the world and Satan, which pervert and disrupt God's will for marriage? What does baptism have to do with...

Featured text: "Pastoral Care of the Sick" — Wilhelm Löhe Spiritual War, What Is It Good For? In this episode, we discuss pastoral care to the healthy and sick and spiritual warfare while reading Wilhelm Loehe's book, The Pastor. SHOW NOTES:   The Pastor - Wilhelm Loehe https://www.amazon.com/Pastor-Wilhelm-Loehe/dp/0758650272 Three Books on the Church - Wilhelm Loehe   Drei Bücher von der Kirche...

War, What Is It Good For? In this pre-show discussion, we warm up with a conversation about Martin Luther, current events and headlines, and spiritual warfare. SHOW NOTES:   Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel https://amzn.to/3Q7EJoO   Peter Santenello https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterSantenello/ Nomad and Gen-X https://www.thegenxfiles.com/tag/nomad/ G.E.M. Anscombe https://plato.stanford.edu/entr...

Featured text: "Letters of Spiritual Counsel" — Martin Luther Shout At The Devil. In this episode, we discuss various questions regarding spiritual warfare while reading Martin Luther's letter to his friend and pupil, Jerome Weller. SHOW NOTES:   Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel https://amzn.to/3Q7EJoO   Peter Santenello https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterSantenello/ Nomad and Gen-X https://www.th...

Don't Pull Anything… In this pre-show discussion, we warm up with a conversation about Rene Girard, current events and headlines, and Jesus and the Christian faith. SHOW NOTES:   The End of Scapegoating BY S. MARK HEIM https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/264317.pdf Summary of Girard's Christianity | René Girard's Mimetic Theory https://youtu.be/2sT2u2THf9A   Girard bio https://iep...

Featured text: "The End of Scapegoating" — René Girard Hey Man, Nice Shot. In this episode, we discuss Rene Girard's argument for why Jesus' death as a scapegoat is unique to all other sacrifices in human history. What is violence for? What is a scapegoat, and why is one necessary for peace and good order? How does Jesus break the law machinery that demands a victim? SHOW NOTES:   The End of Scape...

Featured text: "I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightning" — René Girard 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. SHO...

Featured text: "The Captivation of the Will: Luther vs. Erasmus on Freedom and Bondage" — Gerhard Forde Sermonator 2: Judgment Day. In this episode, we read two sermons from Gerhard Forde and Steven Paulson, then discuss preaching to bound wills, the consequences for Christians when free will sermons are preached, and what's to be done about bad preaching. SHOW NOTES:   The Captivation of the Will...

Featured text: "Preaching Categorically to Bound Wills" — Steven Paulson A Total Eclipse of The Heart. In this episode, we discuss preaching to bound wills, and the consequences for both preachers and listeners, as we read Steven Paulson's essay, Preaching Categorically to Bound Wills. SHOW NOTES:   Concordia Pulpit Resources • Volume 19, Part 4, Series B https://concordiahistoricalinstitute.libra...

Featured text: "Proclamation: The Present Tense of the Gospel" — Gerhard Forde In this episode, we discuss the good and bad of preaching, the difference between proclamation and teaching, how we lie to ourselves about God, and how to "preach the text" so that Christ is delivered "for you" for the forgiveness of sin. SHOW NOTES:   Proclamation: The Present Tense of the Gospel https://archive.org/de...

Featured text: "Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume 1" — Hermann Sasse It's the Cross, Stupid. In this episode, we discuss how God makes a theologian of the cross, how the theology of glory infiltrates churches and their doctrine, and how the cross of Christ reveals the truth about human history. SHOW NOTES:   Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume 1 https://amzn.to/45HmRXf   President Dwight D. Eise...