My Seminary Life

Did you know that at one point in time we as Protestants did not have a clear ethical stance on the sanctity of human life? Seems pretty impossible given the current climate, but not that long ago, Bonhoeffer set out in his book Ethics to formulate a clear ethical stance on the subject. In this episode I boil down some of Bonhoeffer's thoughts on this topic and explore the idea of living in a Prot...

The Summer of Bonhoeffer resumes with a partial look at "Prayer Book of the Bible" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In this episode, I break down the general premise of the book as we learn how to pray by speaking the Word of God, specifically the Psalms back to God. I also wrestle with some of the implications of this approach to prayer, like what do we do with songs and prayers written by man or even AI?...

Coming to you live from the Every Tribe, Denomination, and Tongues Convention, it's My Seminary Life! In this special live recording episode of the show, I am joined by a whole host of people to discuss things that are often assumed about denominations from people outside of that particular group. Instead of FAQs, we're talking about FATs, Frequently Assumed Things. Do Pentecostals really believe...

In this edition of the Summer of Bonhoeffer, I sit down to review one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's most beloved books, "Life Together." This book, which spawned out of Bonhoeffer's experience with being the head of a small, illegal seminary in Nazi Germany, covers his reflections on what it means to live in Christian community together. From defining what community is and is not, to what a day togethe...

In this episode of the Summer of Bonhoeffer, I am joined by friend of the show Joshua Noel, host of The Whole Church Podcast, Systematic Geekology, and Dummy for Theology, to discuss what Dietrich Bonhoeffer and CS Lewis, both prominent theologians during World War II had to say to their respective students about pursing their studies during times of change. MSL website: https://myseminarylife9833...

Things are taking a dark turn in Germany in 1933. The Aryan Paragraph has been passed, removing those of non-Aryan descent from civil roles, and now churches are beginning to pass religious versions removing non-Aryan believers from churches and pastorates. In this episode, I discuss Bonhoeffer's response to this religious version of the Aryan Paragraph, and how partiality based on race or anythin...

What's a catechism? Today on the Summer of Bonhoeffer, we go back to the summer of 1931 to look at a draft of a 39 question catechism Bonhoeffer and his friend Hildebrandt were working on for the Lutheran church at the time. In this series of questions and answers, we get a look into what was on the mind of Bonhoeffer for his people at that time, along with a couple surprising answers to a few of...

What is theology? That is a question that we've actually asked a few times here on the show. Today, we get Bonhoeffer's take on the subject and how that should affect how we live. We also get Bonhoeffer's perspective on another topic we've covered on here a number of times, preaching. All that, plus I give my take on what Christians should be posting during Pride Month and I ramble about my anxiet...

The Summer of Bonhoeffer continues with a look a speech that Bonhoeffer delivered frequently during his time here in the US. Bonhoeffer is appealing to Americans for sympathy towards their German brothers and sisters in the faith. This episode contains honest reflections of how Bonhoeffer's words about relying on our own strength is still true today along with many other takes on social justice an...

Welcome to the Summer of Bonhoeffer! All throughout the summer we will be diving into the writings of the famous Lutheran German minister during the 30s and 40s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In today's episode, I am joined by Lutheran Parish Pastor Will Rose to discuss why we need to continue to study the life and theology of this man. We breakdown some of Bonhoeffer's best works and some of the works on...

It's summertime, so that means School is out! Welcome to the first ever Schoolz Out special from My Seminary Life where we are going to kickback, relax, and have some fun! In this episode, I am joined once again by my brother Bradley to discuss one of our all time favorite summer movies, Recess School's Out. Along with discussing our favorite moments in this film, we also talk about how we started...

Time to celebrate! In this episode, my wife Claire hops on as we discuss graduation weekend. Hear the exciting events the lead up to the moment where I finally got my diploma! Where is the best place to get gluten free pizza? Is Producer Cooper a good traveler? How should someone deal with feelings of inadequacy and homelessness? What's Ritters? All this, plus we rib Liberty University, the Presid...

As we draw Apologetics 101 to a close, I sit down with Pastor Scott Erwin of Bethel Church in Hobart, IN, to discuss how to navigate the topic of apologetics with teens. The landscape of apologetics has shifted since we were teens. In this conversation, Scott discusses what topics were most important to the youth group students to discuss and how they went about navigating the waters. What we find...

Sometimes we like to through the word "cult" around to describe anything that we think may be toxic or misleading in their teachings. However, the word "cult" does mean something specific so it is important that we understand what a cult is. In today's episode, I run down five key characteristics of a cult with examples from the history of cults. I also wrestle with what to do if you meet someone...

There are a lot of world religions out there. As Christians, we need to better understand their history and beliefs so that way we can talk to people with tact and intelligently rather than bashing them with a Bible. Here I give the run down on Jehovah Witnesses and the complicated history of the Adventists. Website: https://myseminarylife983333216.wordpress.com/?preview_id=3&preview_nonce=2d2...

There are many people who have contributed to the subject of apologetics. In this episode, I highlight three of the biggest contributors: St. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and CS Lewis. I talk about their life, their contributions to the field, and what their ministry should influence us to do. I give some of my thoughts on these men's biggest works like Summa Theologica, City of God, and Mere Christ...

This is our big reveal! The hosts of " My Seminary Life ", " Let Nothing Move You ", " The Whole Church Podcast ", and " Systematic Geekology " have come together to officially announce the launch of our new network! This announcement may be a little informal and crazy, but so are we! Joshua Noel, Christian Ashley, Brandon Knight, and Will Rose discuss why we made a podcast network, what the conne...

The new era of My Seminary Life continues to evolve and grow! We are now apart of the Anazao Ministries Podcast Network. AMP is a collection of shows devoted to wrestling with the big questions in life. So it's fitting that our first episode on the network is devoted to wrestling with the problem of evil, pain, and suffering. Can an all powerful, benevolent God exist while evil continues reside in...

The existence of God is one of the big discussion questions in the world of apologetics. How can we know that there is a God out there? In this episode, I break down the three main arguments that are used to prove the existence of God. From creation to the intricacies of creation to our moral compasses, there are ways to argue for the existence of God without having to resort to Scripture. I also...

With April Fools out of the way, let's really get started with Apologetics 101! In this extra long edition of the show, I discuss what the word "apologetics" means and what it means when someone does apologetics. I also discuss the various approaches to doing the work of apologetics, and how reason and logic are critical parts of the process. Website: https://myseminarylife983333216....

This is it, the finale to Fish Frydays. Over the past few weeks we have been walking through the Lent season to better understand its history, what Scripture has to say on fasting, and how this is not just a Catholic church thing. When you compare Lent to the other seasons of the church calendar, it is strikingly different as it anticipates a season of sorrow. What does that sorrow look like for t...

Welcome to the Independent Study Era of My Seminary Life! We are kicking things off with Apologetics 101, the one class that I think we really should have covered in seminary. In this episode, I start things off by discussing what "apologetics" actually means. I also discuss what topics we will be covering throughout the next two months. A new into get debuted in this episode as well! MS...

It's time for another Fish Frydays! As we near the end of the Lent season, I am joined by Pastor Will Rose of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Systematic Geekology to discuss the Lutheran side of the Lent conversation. If Lent is that "Catholic Church Thing" then why do Lutherans and other Protestant denominations observe this season? Will gives us a history lesson on the subject, an...

For hitting the downloads goal for the third time, let's hang out and talk about some fun stuff! During this livestream, I discuss if the Shamrock shake the GOAT? What's going on with small religious institutions right now? What would I like to do for Doctoral work? Plus I give updates on the various goals the show has going right now. Website: https://myseminarylife983333216.wordpress.com/?previe...

We did it! Two years are in the bag! In this episode, I wrestle with if the past two years was really worth it or not. I recap what has gone on for the past year on the show, including some recent highlights. Lastly, I lay out the next several months of the show, including TWO special announcements for the summer and early fall time series! Website: https://myseminarylife983333216.wordpress.com/?p...