The Reformational

Bonhoeffer writes a letter to his friend’s baby on the day of his baptism. The letter explores the future of Christian faith—how the church must change following the violence of war. He focuses on the language of faith—how do we talk about Christian faith using words and concepts that have been rendered meaningless? What happens when phrases, practices, and institutions, are co-opted by ideology?...

As he sat in prison, Bonhoeffer asked important questions about what the war and its aftermath would mean for Christianity. Belief in God had provided justification for World War I, and the result was catastrophic as Christians violently tore each other apart. Sitting in prison, Bonhoeffer had no such illusions about this war. Hitler had co-opted the institutional churches in Germany, but religion...

As he sat in prison, Bonhoeffer asked important questions about what the war and its aftermath would mean for Christianity. Belief in God had provided justification for World War I, and the result was catastrophic as Christians violently tore each other apart. Sitting in prison, Bonhoeffer had no such illusions about this war. Hitler had co-opted the institutional churches in Germany, but religion...

How do the views of the person of Jesus Christ relate to the doctrine of the Trinity? This episode explores how early Christians made sense of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, and how this shaped the Trinitarian views in the East and West.  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

In the middle of the 20th century, a Peruvian priest names Gustavo Gutierrez wrote an important book A Theology of Liberation that provided a critique of Western theology. This episode explores a few of the main themes of this book and the importance of liberation theology. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

How do we do theology after the death of God? This episode focuses on the meaning of Nietzsche's proclamation of God's death, and how both Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann provide a theological perspective grounded in the 20th century. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

What does theology look like in a post Cartesian / post Kantian world? How do we makes sense of "liberal theology" and its "fundamentalist" response? This episode talks about the developments in theology post reformation.  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

The Anabaptist wing of the Reformation did not believe Luther and Calvin went far enough. They believed that every part of life, not just the church, should be reimagined according to the New Testament pattern. This episode will explore these ideas, as well as the Catholic response to the Reformation known as the Council of Trent. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/...

John Calvin was a Frenchman trained in law who became a big player in the Reformation. Who was John Calvin and what did he believe? This episode explores central themes of Calvin's theology.  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

What did Luther mean by the "two kingdoms"? Luther challenged the philosophical foundations of the Medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also the way the church functioned in society. His "Two Kingdoms" theory focused on the place of a Christian in the broader society. This lectures explores the significance of Luther's ideas.  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subsc...

Any discussion of theology needs to start with the conditions of our belief. When we read Augustine or Aquinas, it’s very clear there are linguistic and philosophical building blocks that help us make sense of reality. Charles Taylor describes this as “social imaginary”. Making sense of social imaginary is an important first step in theology. The sources of Christian theological reflection include...

In this episode we focus on the meaning of Christ's ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection. What does it mean to say that Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God? How can we understand the death and resurrection of Christ in the context of exile and alienation?  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

What are the themes of John's gospel? How does John frame the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the context of the Exodus? This episode will focus on the themes of John's gospel, showing how it presents Jesus as leading the new people of God through the wilderness. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

This episode will focus on the relationship between faith, finitude, and the eternal in an attempt to answer this question: What is Christian faith for the contemporary Western world? Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

Matthew's gospel has a specific objective--to convince you that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament. This episode focuses on the themes of Matthew's gospel, why he has Jesus giving a sermon from a mountain, and how Jesus fulfills the hope of the Israel. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

Mark's gospel is focused on action. Jesus is in a hurry, and he is headed to Jerusalem where he is going to die. Mark's gospel is also full of questions. Different groups are trying to figure out who Jesus is. All of this culminates in the question Jesus asks his disciples: Who do you say I am? This is the question Mark wants everyone who reads his gospel to answer. This episode explores the theme...

What is the "good news" of the Gospel? For many contemporary Christians the good news is understood to be personal--Jesus died to save me from sin. While this is true, this isn't the whole picture. The gospel is much bigger than this! To understand the good news we need to place it in the context of the Old Testament: What were they waiting for? What was their hope? This episode provides an introd...

How do we make sense of books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastics, and Job? Is the creation ordered by God? Or is everything meaningless? Are those who listen and obey God blessed and the foolish cursed? Or does God send rain on the just and unjust? This conversation will explore these questions as well as a brief discussion of the writings of the Old Testament.  Get full access to The Reformational at r...

When it comes to controversial issues in the church there are some who claim wanting to dialogue is a bad thing. As if having conversations and trying to understand another person’s point of view leads to compromising your faith. St. Benedict begins his rule with the word “Listen”. Of course, he’s talking about listening to God, and to him as he writes the rule, but there’s also a case to be made...

This episode focuses on the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, and how they speak to Israel’s exile and hope of restoration. By speaking to Israel, they connect to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

This episode focuses on the story of Israel being given the land, and the rise of the Davidic monarchy. (As well as a guy getting what’s coming to him with a hammer and tent peg.) Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

The Old Testament law is part of God’s covenant with the people of Israel. How do we make sense of the strange laws and prohibitions in books like Leviticus? This episode will explore the purpose and function of God’s law. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

The Exodus is the story of God’s deliverance of the Israelites through the water. This episode explores the theological implications of this event as the pattern of God’s action throughout the biblical story. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

This episode explores the call of Abraham and the covenant God makes in Genesis 15 and 17. We will also talk about Ishmael and Isaac, and how Abraham demonstrates Israel’s role as a priestly nation. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we explore the biblical story as it moves from Adam and Eve to Abraham through Cain and Abel, Noah, and the Tower of Babel. The focus will be on the impact of human sin as it reverberates out into the world, and on the corresponding acts of grace that culminates in the call Abraham. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe