Banned Books

Featured text: "The Foolishness of Preaching" — Robert Capon Break on Through (To The Other Side). In this episode, we discuss preaching to the dead and how to unlock doors when one doesn't have a good lock pick. We also discuss Robert Capon's book, Foolishness of Preaching, reading his Easter sermon on John 10. This podcast episode includes preaching, polity, pastoral care, and renegade priests....

Featured text: "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" — Helmut Thielicke That's the Power of Love. In this episode, we discuss the shock of infatuation with theological concepts and young theologians' conceit while reading Helmut Thielcke's A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. We converse about laity and clergy's relationship to theology, piety, and polity. What is the purpose of theology,...

Featured text: "Once Upon a Curse" — Cindy Koch Once Upon A Time in Genesis. In this episode, we talk with author Cindy Koch about her new book, Once Upon A Curse. We discuss Semitic poetry, the Psalms, Genesis, curses and promises, child-bearing, biblical versus earthly wisdom, freedom and bondage, and the ever-needed reality that is explained and defined by the story of Jesus Christ, the Lamb cr...

Featured text: "Faith Victorious" — James Nestigen Watch Me Work. In this episode, we continue our discussion of justification and vocation as we read "Justification, Vocation, and Location in Luther's Reformation" by James A. Nestigen. Part two of our conversation continues with themes of vocation, location, repentance, humility, personal agency, divine instrumentality, atonement, the relationshi...

Featured text: "Justification, Vocation, and Location in Luther's Reformation" — James Nestigen They Call Me Rhetorical Working Man. In this episode, we discuss Luther's teaching on justification and vocation while reading James Nestingen's essay on the same topic. We cover feudalism, the rise of capitalism, how the reformation took hold in the cities in Germany, the three estates, the two kingdom...

Featured text: "The Last Supper: The Testament of Jesus" — Reinhard Schwarz Reign in Blood. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss the Lord's Supper while reading The Last Supper: The Testament of Jesus by Reinhard Schwarz. We discuss why the distinction between a covenant and a testament is of utmost importance for exegesis, sacramental theology, and Christian life, why promise and gift are...

Love, Rain On Me. In this episode, we answer listener questions about whether baptism has an expiration date, why people avoid joining a church, and comfort for women who've suffered a miscarriage. SHOW NOTES:   Luther Genesis Lectures https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48193/48193-h/48193-h.htm Luther's Counsel for Miscarriage https://www.1517.org/articles/luthers-counsel-for-miscarriage Luther's Co...

Featured text: "Liturgy as 'Action'" — Oliver K. Olson Runnin' Down A Dream. In this episode, we dig deeper into liturgy and "action"—who's doing what and why in Christian worship? How did the ancient pagans worship their gods, and why? What did the 16th-century Reformers teach about worship? Why should we moderns care? Mimesis, anamnesis, liturgical action, ritual, myth, sacrifices, and sacrament...

Featured text: "Putting Second Things Second" — Oliver K. Olson Do The Thing. In this episode, we discuss liturgy. What is the difference between a sacramental rite and a sacrificial rite? Why are' member berries' so juicy and delicious? Can a priest or the church affect God's actions? Can a church integrate non-Christian rites into its worship? SHOW NOTES:   Discord, dialogue, and concord: Studie...

Featured text: "The Duty of Resistance" — Oliver K. Olson Street-Fighting Man. In this episode, we continue our discussion of the question of when it is permissible for Christians to oppose civil authority. It's more important than ever for Christians to grasp the fundamentals of vocation, the relation of politics to liturgy, the place of the sacraments within the worship of the church, and the li...

Featured text: "Politics, Liturgics, and Integritas Sacramenti" — Oliver K. Olson We Worship & Adore… You? In this episode, we discuss the intersection of liturgy and politics as we read Oliver Olson's essay, Politics, Liturgics, and Integritas Sacramenti. It's a historical survey of liturgical practice and politics from ancient Israel to the present, discussing the importance of symbolism, meanin...

Ramble Tamble. In this episode, we do a pastor's table talk that centers on inculcating a deeper appreciation for heavenly mystery and earthly reality: prayer at home, worship on vacation, the connection of the land to God's judgment and salvation of his people, the early church's exegesis, Genesis and Revelation, and Logos theology that binds the Trinity and Creeds. More from 1517: Support 1517 :...

Featured text: "Commentary on Romans" — Philip Melanchthon Tick, Tick, Boom. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Romans 3 while reading Philip Melanchthon's commentary on Paul's epistle. The main topics of conversation are the limitations of the law, faith that saves, gratuitous forgiveness and the living, and the present tense power of the gospel. SHOW NOTES:   Commentary on Romans by Mel...

Featured text: "Fear and Trembling" — Søren Kierkegaard Life Isn't Fair, and The World Is Mean. In this episode, we discuss Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac while reading Kierkegaard's commentary and comparing it to Martin Luther and Rene Girard's comments. It's a meta-meta episode, and one of us confuses Kierkegaard's biography with that of Nietzsche for much of the episode. SHOW NOTES:   Fear and Tr...

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/...