Banned Books

Featured text: "True Spirituality" — Francis Schaeffer We Can Be Heroes… In this episode, we discuss death and resurrection, hierarchy and authority, corporatism, Christian nationalism, self-sacrificial love, building a body without Christ as its head, the symbolism of salvation without the Lamb, pop culture tropes, the hero's journey, and teaching Christians not to doubt their salvation. SHOW NOT...

Featured text: "False Presence of the Kingdom" — Jacques Ellul Watching The World Go Down in History. In this episode of Banned Books, we read "False Presence of the Kingdom" by Jacques Ellul and discuss worldly Christianity, the lessons of history, the Machine, focusing on heavenly things to answer earthly questions, seeking the origin of things, and the dangers of being trapped in the present. S...

Featured text: "False Presence of the Kingdom" — Jacques Ellul It's Hip to Be Square. In this episode, we discuss the errors of high anthropology, the kingdom of God, theology of glory, theology of the world, realized eschatology, adding "isms" to Christianity, the necessity of the embodied Word of God, John's gospel, Colossians, and real antinomianism while reading False Presence of the Kingdom b...

Featured text: "Transfiguration Homily for Lent" — Bede This Too Shall Pass. In this episode, we discuss temporary and eternal things, transfiguration, cosmic events, dancing on the liminal edge, mammon, profiteering, earthly vocations, the Trinity, and the music of the spheres. SHOW NOTES:   Bede bio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede Homilies on the Gospels: Book One - Advent to Lent (Volume 110...

Featured text: "Letter 58 To Basil" — Gregory of Nazianzus Dear Prudence. In this episode, we focus our discussion on prudence, temperance, and modesty regarding church, marriage, public discourse, and social media while reading Gregory of Nazianzus' letters to Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa about their doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Basil's later death. SHOW NOTES:   Gregory of Nazianzus B...

Featured text: "The Life of Moses" — Gregory of Nyssa Get Down, Manna. In this episode, we discuss manna, the incarnation, liturgy, Christian life, materialism, techno-authoritarianism, modern feminism, divine election, hierarchy and authority, unity in multiplicity, and the power of God's Word, all while reading The Life of Moses by St. Gregory of Nyssa. SHOW NOTES:   Gregory of Nyssa - THE LIFE...

Featured text: "The Anglo-Saxon Hexameron" — Ælfric, Basil Break on Through (To The Other Side). In this episode, we discuss creation, the eating of forbidden fruit, cosmology, the meaning of things, Jesus clearing the way for us to enter back into paradise, and how the Bible ends up changing culture by translating God's Word into the vernacular while reading The Hexameron of Basil the Great as pr...

Featured text: "Luther's Works, Vol. 19: Lectures on the Minor Prophets II" — Martin Luther Who Stole The Soul? In this episode, we finish our discussion of Luther's commentary on Habakkuk, talking about history, what happens when the Word walks amongst us, what a blessing is, earthly matters of vocation and calling, and churches as islands of salvation. SHOW NOTES:   Luther's Works, Vol. 19: Lect...

Featured text: "Lectures on Habakkuk" — Martin Luther Love Will Keep Us Together. In this episode, we discuss the Song of Habakkuk, Martin Luther's commentary on the song, Jesus as the foundation of reality, why mirrors are dangerous, trans-humanism, pop culture, church architecture, consumerism, why liturgy is an expression of the truth, how the Holy Spirit covers all things in meaning, and how t...

Featured text: "Luther and the Old Testament" — Heinrich Bornkamm Day Trippin'. In this episode, we talk about Easter, altars, cosmic mountains, church history, open fonts, restored virtue, saints, angels, powers of darkness, idols, icons, images, searching for the truth, and how Jesus is the archetype of all archetypes, and in between we read Luther on the Old Testament by Heinrich Bornkamm. SHOW...

Featured text: "On the Passion" — Irenaeus Passion. In this episode, we read Irenaeus on Christ's passion and discuss Holy Week, the consequences of following Christ, what happens when things lack clear definition, and the consequences for the Church. SHOW NOTES:   Proof of the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus, Saint, Bishop of Lyon https://archive.org/details/proofofapostolic0001iren/page/90/mode/...

Featured text: "Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness" — Eugene H. Peterson Just My Imagination. In this episode, we read Eugene Peterson's book, Under the Unpredictable Plant, and discuss theological imagination at length. What are the consequences when the church takes its cues from a culture with no imagination? Can Christians tell biblical stories without a theol...

Featured text: "On the Mysteries" — Ambrose Plug In, Baby. In this episode, we read St. Ambrose's work, On the Mysteries, enjoying his exegesis and defense of the body and blood of Jesus. We also discuss recognizing patterns in the Bible, testing the spirits who want to separate out the heavenly from the earthly, and the importance of symbol and meaning for Christian comfort. SHOW NOTES:   Ambrose...

Featured text: "Mystagogical Catecheses" — Cyril of Jerusalem Let's Get Weird. This episode discusses Cyril of Jerusalem's mystagogical catechesis, especially the Lord's Supper. We converse about the biblical patterns of the sacraments, anointing, and the higher truth about Jesus as bread from heaven. SHOW NOTES:   Cyril - Catechetical Lectures https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3101.htm   SUPPORT...

Featured text: "Commentary on Galatians (1535)" — Martin Luther Everybody's Working for the Weekend. In this episode, we continue our Lenten tradition of reading Luther's Galatians commentary in March, discussing past and present idolatry and why we keep falling for the same sales pitches from the same gods. SHOW NOTES:   Martin Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle To the Galatians (1535) htt...

Featured text: "The Spirit of Acedia" — John Cassian Hey, You Guys! In this episode, we discuss the dominant spirit of our age, acedia, by reading and discussing St. John Cassian's exposition of acedia in The Institutes. SHOW NOTES:   The Spirit of Acedia From the Institutes of John Cassian https://www.pathsoflove.com/acedia/cassian-acedia.html#10.1   John Cassian bio https://orthodoxwiki.org/John...

Featured text: "Homily on the Gospel of St. John Chapter Six" — John Chrysostom There's Power in the Blood. In this episode, we read a homily on John's Gospel, the power of Christ's blood, and a whole lot of symbolism in John Chrysostom's exegesis. SHOW NOTES:   St. John Chrysostom HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0345-0407,_Iohannes_Chrysostomus,_Homilies_...

Featured text: "Christ Died for the Sins of Christians Too" — Rod Rosenbladt Sure Shot. In this episode of Banned Books, we read Rod Rosenbladt's essay, Christ Died for the Sins of Christians Too. We talk about theological mentors, the Reformation, law and Gospel, justification, sanctification, the Church, and where we find our comfort at all times, in all places. SHOW NOTES:   Christ Died for the...

Featured text: "Rituals and the Enactment of the Gospel" — John Kleinig The Chairman's Intent. In this episode of Banned Books, we converse about the Gospel, ritual, and how and why God embodies his grace while reading John Kleinig's article, Rituals and the Enactment of the Gospel. SHOW NOTES:   Rituals and the Enactment of the Gospel http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/RitualsandtheEnactmentoftheGos...

Featured text: "Heretics" — G.K. Chesterton Simple Man. In this episode of Banned Books, we read G.K. Chesterton and discuss everything from simple living to the death and resurrection of Christ as the foundation of reality, the higher meaning of cups, and why a tomato is just a tomato. SHOW NOTES:   G.K. Chesterton - Heretics https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/470/pg470-images.html#chap10 Biogr...

Featured text: "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien" — J.R.R. Tolkien Keep The Beat. In this episode, we converse about good and bad sermons as defined by J.R.R. Tolkien. We discuss cosmology, truth, love, and why how we use words matters. SHOW NOTES:   63 To Christopher Tolkien, 24 April 1944 (FS 19), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien https://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/the_letters_of_j.rrtolkien.p...

Featured text: "Pastoral Rule" — Gregory the Great The Art of Noise. In this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of pastoral care — the art, the discipline, and the experience of pastoral care — while reading The Rule of Gregory the Great. It's all about church leadership and pastoral ministry in this week's episode of Banned Books. SHOW NOTES:   Rule of St. Gregory https://www.newadvent.org/fath...

Featured text: "George MacDonald - Unspoken Sermons" — George MacDonald The Man Who Sold The World. In this episode, we discuss what attachment to things rather than Christ gets us while reading George Macdonald's Unspoken Sermons. The conversation leads us through the topics of higher and lower things, bread-making, willing and wanting, God-gifted vocations, and how to properly end a sermon. SHOW...

Featured text: "The Family Altar: Brief Daily Devotions" — Frederick Herzberger The God Who Stole Christmas. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Christmas Eve and Christmas Day readings, prayers, hymns, and traditions. We also have a lot of fun jesting and critiquing time-held hymns and traditions. We talk translations, history, worship, and why Christmas is the best time to embrace the en...

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...