Libsyn Directory

396: Paulson - God's Law, God's Gospel

Release Date: 06/13/2025

Banned Books

The Hangman’s Nous. In this episode, we read an excerpt from The Maniac, by G.K. Chesterton, followed by Myth Became Fact, from C.S. Lewis’ book of essays, “God in the Dock.” The primary question we discuss, then, is whether men and women can live a healthy and sane life with mystery, without myth, and without higher truth. What has happened to modern churches that exorcised mystery from preaching, teaching, evangelism, and worship? What anchors the Body of Christ when it’s unmoored from Church history and tradition? What have been the consequences for churches that treat the...

424: Kleinig - The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Divine Service

Banned Books

In this episode, we learn about the Holy Spirit and the Divine Service from Dr. John Kleinig. In particular, we discuss how Christ gives the Spirit to the church through his word, how Christ institutes the divine service and empowers it with God’s Spirit, and how the church receives the Holy Spirit by faith in God’s word as it is proclaimed and enacted in the divine service. The conversation revolves around the central question: How then can we be sure that the Spirit is at work in our worship? SHOW NOTES: Text: ESV Reader's Edition: Bibliotheca: More from 1517: ...

423: Graff - Rationalism's war on everything "magical."

Banned Books

Who Made Who. In this episode, Gillespie takes the wheel and steers us into tradition, liturgy, worship styles, and the various “-isms” that have sprung up within the churches over the centuries. What’s the purpose of the Divine Service? What is the fundamental meaning of Christian meaning? Have we jettisoned mystery for sensible explanations that find no seat pulled out for them in God’s house? Is Christian worship, polity, and piety about what we know, experience, feel, or conformity to specific doctrines? Why is the old magic not welcome amongst sensible worshippers? What’s the...

422: Post-Christmas and Post-New Year Debrief

Banned Books

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? In this episode, we gather for a post-Christmas, post-New Year pastoral debrief. We talk about symbols and meaning, Christmas and holidays, signs and seasons, and how modern churches quietly cleared the path for culture to push Christ out of Christmas without much resistance. We explore the strange and largely arbitrary ways the world measures time, along with the old Adam’s never-ending pyramid project. That is, his need to build meaning upward by effort, progress, and control rather than receive it as a gift. From there, we return to symbol and meaning. We...

421: Chesterton - Mankind would have a much worse time if there were no such thing as Christmas or Christmas dinners

Banned Books

Going Cold Turkey at Christmas? In this episode, we read G.K. Chesterton’s essay, On Christmas, wherein he discusses celebrating Christmas too early, vivisection, vegetarians versus turkeys, and what to do about the poor at Christmas. It’s another curmudgeonly Christmas episode with one of our favorite British apologists and satirists. SHOW NOTES: "On Christmas" by G. K. Chesterton A Christmas Message for Contemporary Pagans https://www.1517.org/articles/a-christmas-message-for-contemporary-pagans More from 1517: : http://www.1517.org/podcasts : :...

420: C.S. Lewis - Christmas is unfortunately everyone's business

Banned Books

I’m Wasted, and I Can’t Find My Way Home. In this episode, we again invite C.S. Lewis to teach us about Christmas. We also discuss the early church fathers, worship, symbolism, mystery, Freud and Jung’s influence on modern Christians, consumerism and gift-giving, and, of course, Christmas: all this and much, much more on this episode of the podcast. SHOW NOTES: What CHRISTMAS means to me... Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus Christian Wonder Tales by Martin Shaw The Quest for the Holy Grail by Dr. Martin Shaw More from 1517: :...

419: C.S. Lewis - All that Christianity adds to Paganism is the cure

Banned Books

In this episode, we read C.S. Lewis’ “A Christmas Sermon for Pagans.” Why does the post-Christian person need to become pagan again to be prepared to hear the gospel? How has a mechanistic view of nature led us to kill each other? Why do we reject the good news that Jesus ended the need for guilt-offerings, sin-sacrifices, and fear about the afterlife? What happened as a consequence of moderns pushing heavenly truth out of the material world? What is the message of Christmas that offers a cure for all that ails us? SHOW NOTES: A Christmas Sermon for Pagans More from...

418: Luther - God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament

Banned Books

Son of a Preacher Man. In this episode, we conclude our study of Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles, discussing the office of the keys and confession. We go through and sum up the previous episodes — the gospel, the mass, repentance, sin, and the law — then sit with the function and power of the forgiveness of sin. What is the office of the keys for? Where does it come from? Who gets to use the keys? Then, we talk over confession and its consequences for pastoral care and its effect on the churches. SHOW NOTES: The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles Smalcald Articles history ...

417: Luther - A deep, evil corruption of nature that reason does not comprehend

Banned Books

How Deep Is Your Love! In this episode, we continue our reading of the Smalcald Articles, focusing our attention on sin and the law. What is sin? What does it do to us? What are its effects? And, in following, what is the relationship of the law to sin? Does the law empower us to sin less? Can the law produce good works and good fruits? What is the function of pastoral care in relation to sin and the law? All this and much, much more on this episode of the podcast. SHOW NOTES: The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles Smalcald Articles history The Smalcald Articles are a summary of...

416: Luther - To this office of the law, however, the New Testament immediately adds the consoling promise of grace through the gospel

Banned Books

Don’t Look Back in Anger. In this episode, we continue reading Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles, focusing on contrition, repentance, and freedom. Why does the law need to terrify and leave us hopeless? How does attention to the self lead us into death and hell? What happens when belief is preached as something “we do” rather than something “done to” us? Likewise, when repentance is self-activated and self-actuated, what are the consequences for our daily lives? This and much, much more on this episode of the show. SHOW NOTES: The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles ...

More Episodes

All That and A Bag of Chips.

In this episode, we return to Steven Paulson’s book, The Outlaw God. We discuss law and Gospel, why God sends a preacher, why we hate Christ preached, and what therapy can do for the walking dead.

SHOW NOTES:

Steven Paulson - Outlaw God https://amzn.to/4kHmP8s

Outlaw God Podcast https://www.1517.org/podcasts/outlawgod

Theology is for Proclamation https://amzn.to/4kNVRw5

Where Pride Fails, Grace Breaks In https://www.1517.org/articles/where-pride-fails-grace-breaks-in

How Christians Should Regard Moses - Martin Luther https://bishopmike.com/2023/09/11/how-christians-should-regard-moses/

More from 1517: