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414: Luther - God is extravagantly rich in His grace

Release Date: 10/31/2025

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 ...

415: Luther - The Mass is a dangerous thing, fabricated and invented without God’s Word and will

Banned Books

Mass Effect. In this episode, we continue our reading of The Smalcald Articles, focusing on Luther’s critique of the Roman Mass and all its consequences for the churches and Christian life. We discuss mimetic desire, sacrificial religion, the exclusive work of Jesus. SHOW NOTES: The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles Smalcald Articles history The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrine written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League, which aimed to unify Lutheran territories against Roman Catholic forces. Although they were not officially...

414: Luther - God is extravagantly rich in His grace

Banned Books

An Arm-Twisting Confession. In this episode, we read Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles on the gospel, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Why did he have to have “his arm twisted” to write them? What is he trying to teach the churches about the gospel? How does the gospel circumscribe and define the Church, worship, and Christian life? Why does something written in the 1530s matter today? We look to answer all these questions and more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast. SHOW NOTES: The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles Smalcald Articles history Edward Riojas Study Guide...

413: Debrief on the Bondage of the Will

Banned Books

The Never-Ending Story of our Bound Will & Election. In this episode, we write an epilogue —so to speak— to our series on the Bondage of the Will and wrap up our thoughts about the Here We Still Stand Conference 2025. We ask, “From whence comes a preacher?” Where does one go for gospel-comfort and the gifts of salvation? What is the Gospel? What is the purpose of the Church? What are the practical consequences of having a will that is bound up to sin, the world, and the evil one? What happens when the churches reject the “hinge” upon which all doctrines turn? And we talk about...

412: Forde - The gospel, and only the gospel, spells the end of the hidden God

Banned Books

For What It’s Worth. In this episode, we conclude our reading of Gerhard Forde’s "Captivation of the Will." We discuss the conclusion of Luther’s treatise on the bound will, arriving at Christ and election, which reveals Erasmus’s fundamental error — his argument for the human will is actually the original sin, choosing between good and evil. SHOW NOTES: The Captivation of the Will: Luther Vs. Erasmus on Freedom and Bondage by Gerhard O. Forde HWSS SD 2025 The Gospel for Those Broken By the Church Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” episodes: , , , , , , ,...

More Episodes

An Arm-Twisting Confession.

In this episode, we read Martin Luther’s Smalcald Articles on the gospel, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Why did he have to have “his arm twisted” to write them? What is he trying to teach the churches about the gospel? How does the gospel circumscribe and define the Church, worship, and Christian life? Why does something written in the 1530s matter today? We look to answer all these questions and more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast.

SHOW NOTES:

The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles https://thebookofconcord.org/smalcald-articles/part-iii/article-iv/

Smalcald Articles history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalcald_Articles

Edward Riojas https://edriojasartist.com

Study Guide for Impossible Prize steve@1517.org

Simul Iustus et Peccator https://duckduckgo.com/?q=simul+justus+et+peccator+site%3A1517.org

The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrine written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League, which aimed to unify Lutheran territories against Roman Catholic forces. Although they were not officially adopted at the meeting, they later became an important part of Lutheran confessional writings included in the Book of Concord.

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