Banned Books

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...

Featured text: "My Utmost for His Highest" — Oswald Chambers This week, Gillespie and Riley give Oswald Chambers a second go-round, reading and discussing The Collision of God and Sin. Text:   The Collision of God and Sin, Oswald Chambers, His Utmost for Our Highest, April 12 Show Notes:   My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers bio Oswald Chambers - Complete & Effective Dominion Martyrology - P...

Featured text: "My Utmost for His Highest" — Oswald Chambers Riley and Gillespie tackle a daily devotion from one of the OG's of the Holiness Movement, Oswald Chambers. Text: "Complete and Effective Dominion," Oswald Chambers, His Utmost for Our Highest, April 12 Show Notes :   My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers bio Letters of Paul and Seneca The Good Place (Netflix) Ratzinger a.k.a. Benedi...

Featured text: "The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas: Baptism" — Thomas Aquinas Riley and Gillespie dig into the Doctor Angelicus and his catechism on Baptism. Text: The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas - BAPTISM Show Notes :   Bio Luther's Small Catechism - Baptism Council of Orange Faustus de Riez Slap a confirmand — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBooks@1517legacy.com ....

Featured text: "We Are All Called to Be Christian Communicators" — Beth Moore Riley and Gillespie tackle a request from a listener to engage with Beth Moore, popular author and speaker among evangelical Christian women. Text: WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE CHRISTIAN COMMUNICATORS, Beth Moore Show Notes :   Video — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBooks@1517legacy.com . Please sub...

Featured text: "Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It" — David Zahl This week, Gillespie and Riley interview David Zahl about his forthcoming book, " Seculosity ." This week, Gillespie and Riley interview David Zahl about his forthcoming book, " Seculosity ." Text: Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Fo...

Featured text: "God or Self — Which?" — Charles Spurgeon In this episode, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Charles Spurgeon's sermon, "God or Self - Which?" This week, traditions, rituals, and a lot of talk about pastoral care. Text: God or Self- Which? by Charles Spurgeon Show Notes :   Biography Wikipedia Big in Japan - Tom Waits — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBo...

This week, Gillespie and Riley answer your questions and respond to your comments. Show Notes :   Episode 34 - Billy Graham John Kleinig - Concordia Commentary on Leviticus John Kleinig's site Episode 21 - William Seymour Episode 45 - Dostoevsky Gay Clergy Scandal Reclaiming the Lutheran Liturgical Heritage - Oliver Olson Christianity in Roman Africa   The Kite Runner — Questions? Comments? Show I...

Featured text: "Good Country People" — Flannery O'Connor Gillespie and Riley go back to O'Connor's short story, Good Country People to discuss faith, humility, and the uncomfortable truth about ourselves. Our Text: Good Country People, Flannery O'Connor Show Notes :   Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor Link to Part 1: #46 Biography (New Georgia Encyclopedia) Mark Twain - Letters from Earth — Qu...

Featured text: "Good Country People" — Flannery O'Connor This week, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Flannery O'Connor's short story, Good Country People. What does it mean that someone is a good Christian? Our Text: Good Country People, Flannery O'Connor Show Notes :   Biography (New Georgia Encyclopedia) — Questions? Comments? Show Ideas? Send them to us at BannedBooks@1517legacy.com . Pleas...

Featured text: "The Idiot" — Fyodor Dostoyevsky This week, Gillespie and Riley read from Dostoevsky's novel, The Idiot, and discuss the roots of the Roman Catholic church, atheism, socialism, and distinguishing between Christ and the Gospel and our own need to be God in God's place. Our Text: The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky Show Notes :   Ep: 104 Silence (Shusaku Endo and Martin Scorcese) Fyodor Dost...

Featured text: "The Hammer of God" — Bo Giertz This week , we read from Bo Giertz's novel, "The Hammer of God," and discuss belief, revivalism versus liturgy, and what happens when Jesus alone is the focus of all our attention. Our Text: Hammer of God, p.122-123ff Show Notes :   Luther the Seelsorger Sereneity - Shepherd Book death scene Liturgy and Spiritual Awakening - Bo Giertz 1517 article: "D...

Featured text: "Christ's Answer to the World" — Billy Graham In this episode, Gillespie and Riley read and discuss Billy Graham's sermon, and the consequences of preaching law after the Gospel, adverbs, and the importance of staying away from God where He isn't preached, revealed, and worshipped in Christ Jesus. Our Text: BILLY GRAHAM - Christ's Answer to the World (Sermon) Show Notes :   Billy Gr...