Podcasts about Lutheranism

Join Lead Time Plus and support honest, hopeful, Christ-centered conversations for the future of the Church:https://app.echometric.org/go/lead-time-plus-audioTim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg welcome Dylan Owens, manager of the Bulldog Fan Shop and shooting sports coach at Concordia University, Nebraska. Dylan shares his journey from a Southern Baptist and charismatic background into the Lutheran Church, including the questions about Baptism and Communion that initially challenged him—and ultimately helped him discover the assurance and sacramental gifts of confessional Lutheranism.The conversation then turns toward one of the LCMS's greatest untapped opportunities: identifying, discipling, and empowering gifted laypeople to serve alongside their pastors. Dylan describes how leaders with experience in finance, law, nonprofit development, administration, and other fields helped prepare his congregation to receive a new pastor without placing the entire operational burden on his shoulders.⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️Care about the future of the LCMS?Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Lutherans sometimes have a reputation for being boring and “vanilla” — but is this stereotype always justified? Sarah's putting it to the test with this week's all-new Adventure in Lutheranism: LERT Basic and Chainsaw Training!  Lutheran Early Response Teams are groups of volunteers specially trained by LCMS Disaster Response to serve in afflicted areas following a natural disaster. Sometimes that means praying with and for people; sometimes it means mucking out flooded homes — and sometimes (as Sarah found out when she recently attended a certification training session at her home church) it means wielding chainsaws to clear fallen trees and brush.   Click to learn more about LCMS Disaster Response or find out how you can support or volunteer with a Lutheran Early Response Team near you.     Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pitman sits down with Andrew R. Jones to discuss his new book, Ten Treasures of Learning to Pray, the third and final installment in his trilogy built around Martin Luther's framework of oratio, meditatio, and tentatio. Andy walks through several of the treasures God deposits into our lives through prayer — from persistence and solitude to forgiveness — and shares the biblical prayer guides, like Hannah and Hagar, who have shaped his own life of faith.Episode Timestamps0:00 — Introduction & Welcoming Andy Jones Back1:15 — Andy's Feelings as the Trilogy Comes to a Close2:00 — Understanding Luther's Oratio, Meditatio, and Tentatio5:00 — What Sets Ten Treasures of Learning to Pray Apart7:00 — Why Prayer Is a Treasure9:00 — The Story of Andy's Grandfather and His Baseball Cards11:00 — The Treasure of Persistence14:00 — Solitude and Community as Paired Treasures17:00 — Forgiveness: A Treasure to Be Hoarded and Shared19:00 — Why We Can't Forgive Ourselves22:00 — Andy's Favorite Prayer Guides: Hannah and Hagar24:00 — How to Pray Using the Collect Format27:00 — A Prayer Practice to Try This Week29:00 — ClosingAbout the GuestAndrew R. Jones lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he enjoys running, hiking, and adventuring with his wife, Stephanie. He has served the church in a variety of roles and locations, utilizing the gifts of speaking, teaching, and writing. As a curious author and parish pastor, he is known for conveying deep spiritual concepts in ways everyone can understand. You can find his weekly writings on his Substack, Bible Curious.Resources MentionedTen Treasures of Learning to Pray by Andrew R. Jones — cph.orgTen Lies Satan Loves to Tell by Andrew R. Jones - cph.orgTen Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible - cph.orgConcordia Publishing HouseBringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world.

August 11, 2026 Today's Reading: Romans 9:30-10:4 or 1 Corinthians 12:1-11Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.When I converted to Lutheranism in 2005, I was amazed by the clarity of confession and the certainty of the Lutherans I met. Though I had grown up in and around the church, I didn't understand much of what was being said; however, every time my pastor preached the stern law which crushed me and the sweetest gospel to comfort me, it overwhelmed me with joy. I understood for the first time that because Christ forgives me, I lack nothing. Tough theological questions and discussions eventually came, but one thing remained steadfastly true through it all: Christ kept me in His Divine service to receive His Gifts with exceeding joy. Justification rests in Christ alone, who gives it freely by His work, His merit.Try telling that to the people of Paul's day… try telling many in our own day, try convincing yourself of this when you're drowning in sin. Paul wrestled with a profound mystery… righteousness… justification… just what is it? Where can it be found? Paul narrows it down to just two places. People either believe it comes by what a person does, thinks, acts, and says, OR it comes by faith in the only One, Jesus, Who actually did, thought, acted, and said EVERYTHING perfectly for us.Paul knew that the law wasn't the problem; the law is good, just, and holy. The problem was that many misused it for self-justification instead of its proper use of exposing sin and killing the sinner. Article 4 of the Apology clearly states: “The Law always accuses. Therefore it does not justify, because the conscience terrified by the Law flees from the judgment of God. Faith, however, comforts and saves.” (Apology IV) The law… drives us to Christ. St. Paul taught that the Gentiles had received the righteousness of God through the preaching of the Gospel, which meant that righteousness is received and imputed to us through faith in Christ. That is a great offense to the self-righteous. The stumbling block is Christ — because He overturns all self-reliance. He fulfills the law for us. The Gospel is offensive because it freely gives what we cannot produce: forgiveness, peace with God and neighbor. Jesus alone bears the curse the Law pronounces. (Gal. 3:13) The Law is not a sentence of death, but God lovingly revealing our desperate need for Jesus. Luther writes: “The Law says, ‘Do this,' and it is never done. The Gospel says, ‘Believe this,' and everything is done already.” (Luther's Works, Vol. 26, p. 5.)In the Name + of Jesus.Let us pray: Seek Him alone, Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, all you who thirst for grace that fails you never. In every need seek Him indeed; to every heart he will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.

How does Lutheran Heritage Foundation work around the globe? The Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise (executive director, Lutheran Heritage Foundation), the Rev. Dr. Dinku Bato (Translation Coordinator, Africa, Lutheran Heritage Foundation), and the Rev. Dr. Ted NaThalang (Translation Coordinator, Southeast Asia, Lutheran Heritage Foundation) join Sarah at the LCMS Synod Convention to share updates in Icelandic and Norwegian languages, the Spanish Book of Prayer, materials in Swahili, the African translation seminary, pastors seeking Lutheranism in South Sudan, materials in Chinese and Indonesian, a new regional office in Malaysia, and how LHF approaches materials for second-generation immigrants around the globe. Learn more about Lutheran Heritage Foundation at lhfmissions.org. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

It's time for another Adventure in Lutheranism — and this time, the Ladies are cutting to the very heart of the Christian's daily life.   In this episode, Sarah reports on her quest to read the Bible straight through for the first time in her life.  Along the way, she also talks through a range of practical questions she's had to answer in her first 187 days of consecutive Bible reading, including:  What time of day is best for building a routine around the Word?  Is a one- or two-year Bible reading plan better for beginners?   Is it easier to establish a daily practice using a print, digital, app, or audio edition?   Does journaling make it easier or harder to commit to a daily reading plan?   How can one remain faithful during a busy season of travel and other disruptive commitments?   Throughout, Sarah offers generous encouragement to listeners to start or maintain their own Bible reading plans as she shares the many positive benefits that this spiritually enriching daily discipline has already had in her own life.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

In episode THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE, Wade discusses what a confessional Lutheran is, the history of the Synodical Conference in American Lutheranism, and the need to think about what Lutheran identity is. We hope you enjoy the episode! Let us know if you have questions you'd like us to address in a future episode.  For more about the show and the hosts, visit the Let the Bird Fly! website. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music and Image used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner. “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

July 24, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 8 - Psalm 48:1, 3, 11, 14; antiphon: Psalm 48:9-10Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:1-22; Acts 21:15-36“As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.” (Psalm 48:10)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Praise” gets met with hesitancy too much in our little pocket of Lutheranism. Yesterday's reflection was about the dangers of enthusiasm. There are places where an insistence on praise goes awry. Measuring praise as a feeling and insisting that the only right expression of faith is joy and gratitude is dangerous. There are Psalms of lament, too. Faithful Christians hurt, worry, and weep this side of glory. It isn't a question of whether or not we should feel these things. It's a question of whether or not there's a place to take them. Bring them to Jesus. This is actually right praise. Praise is not measured by how much you feel gratitude. Praise is an expression of judgment. God has done something good. Here's the thing about praise, and why we hesitate too quickly when it comes to praise. You can't praise God unless He's first done something for you. To praise God is to first recognize what He has done. God only does that which is good. So everything God does is praiseworthy, even when you also need to lament something. Praise doesn't mean everything around you feels good. Praise means God has worked good in everything around you. And the only way this is possible to see is through the lens of the cross. Nothing looks praiseworthy there, but it's the most praiseworthy act of all time. The cross is the reason God is always working good for us. He has redeemed you. He is not punishing you or casting you off. Even if you hurt now. He has promised to work all things for your good. So there is reason to praise Him even if we don't feel it, and even if it needs to be joined to a psalm of lament. As God's name goes out into the ends of the earth, it brings praise, because His right hand, where Christ is seated, is filled with righteousness. He who is seated at the right hand of the Father makes you righteous by His death. He has died for all. So let His name and so His praise reach the ends of the earth. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. (LSB 805)Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Andrew makes the case for why the Old Testament is indispensable to the Christian faith, and walks through some of Scripture's most perplexing passages — from the mysteries of Job to the hidden hand of God in Esther.Episode Timestamps0:00 — Introduction & Welcoming Dr. Andrew Steinmann Back1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip the Old Testament4:00 — Wrestling with Perplexing Passages in Job7:00 — Proverbs 8 and Christ's Role in Creation8:00 — Understanding How Numbers Are Used in the Old Testament12:00 — Where Is God in Ruth, Esther, and Song of Songs?17:00 — Coincidence or Providence? God Behind the Scenes in Esther19:00 — Discovering the Trinity Throughout the Old Testament23:00 — The Aaronic Benediction and the Three Persons of God25:00 — Advice for Those Struggling with Difficult Passages27:00 — The Writing Partnership Behind Wrestling with God29:00 — ClosingAbout the GuestDr. Andrew Steinmann taught at Concordia University Chicago as a Distinguished Professor of Theology and Hebrew beginning in 2000 until retiring in July of 2023. At Concordia, he taught a wide variety of classes, including Hebrew I and II, Hebrew Readings, Readings in Hebrew, and Introduction to the Old Testament. His research interests are focused on Hebrew, Aramaic languages, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and biblical chronology. Throughout his career, Dr. Steinmann has written over 50 articles and book reviews that have been published in national and international journals. He serves as a regular guest on numerous radio programs. Dr. Steinmann holds the following degrees: PhD, Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; MDiv, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; BSChE, chemical engineering, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Steinmann is married to Rebecca. Resources MentionedWrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.orgConcordia Publishing House: Bringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world.

Clint and Wendy discuss the concept of sainthood in various religions. How saints are recognized in Catholicism, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Methodism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Judaism. They note that while Catholicism has a formal canonization process, other religions often recognize saints through community reputation and spiritual realization. Wendy is considered a saint in her faith.

How does someone journey from a career in mechanical engineering to enrolling in seminary? Zachary Jacob (former mechanical engineer, now first year seminarian at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about his path to Lutheranism, his conviction about and passion for being a faithful Christian husband and father, his career in mechanical engineering and what led to his decision to apply to seminary, the role his wife's continual support has played in this journey, his experiences so far at seminary, and his encouragement to others who might be considering seminary. Christ's church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Pr. David Haberstock, President-Elect of Lutheran Church Canada The post Confessional Lutheranism in Canada – Pr. David Haberstock, 7/16/26 (1973) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

In this episode, we interview Fr. Brad Elliott, OP, a priest of the Dominican Order who converted to the Catholic Faith from Lutheranism. In addition to sharing his conversion story, he also shares prescient warnings about how modern people relate to technology.Fr. Elliott is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA.BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONHas our content blessed you or those you love? Then please consider becoming a monthly patron for $10/month or more.➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).VISIT OUR WEBSITE➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro: Conversion, Technology, and the Church's Social Teaching02:43 - Welcome, Prayer, and Episode Roadmap09:35 - Technology, Demonic Interference, and the Spiritual Life16:41 - Tools, Machines, AI, and the Dangers of Progress32:02 - Fr. Brad's Conversion Story Begins43:00 - Sola Fide, Grace, Merit, and Catholic Transformation1:20:06 - The Temple, Mortal Sin, and Being Restored by Grace1:40:40 - Scripture, Protestant Tensions, and Catholic Clarity1:53:02 - The Church Fathers and the Road to Catholicism1:54:44 - Catholic Social Teaching, Autonomy, Consent, and American PoliticsThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Clint and Wendy discuss the spiritual practice of anointing with oil across various religions on their podcast. They explore its origins, purposes, and benefits in Christianity, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Mormonism, Judaism, Hinduism, Rastafari, Wicca, and historical civilizations. Anointing is used in rituals such as baptism, confirmation, healing, and royal ceremonies. They highlight the Old Testament recipe for anointing oil and its significance in divine blessings and physical healing.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) was a Preacher, spiritual director, missionary, diplomat, confidant of princes and emperors, Papal Emissary, military chaplain, Provincial Vicar of the Capuchins, and Vicar General of the Franciscan order. Called the greatest preacher in the history of the Church, during his lifetime people treated him like a rockstar. He was also one of the most prominent Catholic apologists of his generation. Links Excerpt from The Image of Lutheranism: https://romanseraphicbooks.substack.com/p/st-lawrence-of-brindisi-vs-lutheranism Excerpt from The Mariale: https://www.franciscan-archive.org/laurentius/lau01005.html Pope Benedict XVI General Address on St. Lawrence of Brindisi (2011): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9578&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2658399 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/ Dr. Papandrea's latest book - Praying the Wisdom: Inspired Prayers for Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/praying-the-wisdom/ Dr. Papandrea's YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/  

The Nativity of John the Baptist is a Christian high-ranking liturgical feast day observed annually on 24 June by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. It is one of only two feast days marking a saint's earthly birth (the other being the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 September); all other saint’s days mark their deaths or some other important event. The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke which states that John was born six months before Jesus; thus, the feast of John the Baptist’s birth was fixed in the 4th century A.D. on 24 June, six months before Christmas. In the Roman calendar, 24 June was the date of the summer solstice, and Saint John's Eve is closely associated with Midsummer festivities in Europe. Traditions in France & Quebec, include bonfires (Saint John's fires), feasting, processions, church services, and gathering wild plants. E122. Dan Snow's History Hit podcast at podcasthttps://amzn.to/4feSBb7 The Immerser: John the Baptist by Joan Taylor at https://amzn.to/3LEQrE4 John the Baptist books available at https://amzn.to/3LCfQy1 Gospel of Luke available at https://amzn.to/3M6sTId Gospel of Matthew available at https://amzn.to/3LEeP8F ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVine Mark's History of North America podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 X (twitter): https://twitter.com/MarkVinet_HNA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: Dan Snow's History Hit podcast 23jun2024 (Episode 1463: John the Baptist with Joan Taylor, professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London). Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full Text of Readings Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 372 The Saint of the day is Saint John Fisher Saint John Fisher's Story John Fisher is usually associated with Erasmus, Thomas More, and other Renaissance humanists. His life therefore, did not have the external simplicity found in the lives of some saints. Rather, he was a man of learning, associated with the intellectuals and political leaders of his day. He was interested in the contemporary culture and eventually became chancellor at Cambridge. John Fisher had been made a bishop at 35, and one of his interests was raising the standard of preaching in England. Fisher himself was an accomplished preacher and writer. His sermons on the penitential psalms were reprinted seven times before his death. With the coming of Lutheranism, he was drawn into controversy. His eight books against heresy gave him a leading position among European theologians. In 1521, Fisher was asked to study the question of King Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, his brother's widow. He incurred Henry's anger by defending the validity of the king's marriage with Catherine, and later by rejecting Henry's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England. In an attempt to be rid of him, Henry first had John Fisher accused of not reporting all the “revelations” of the nun of Kent, Elizabeth Barton. In feeble health, Fisher was summoned to take the oath to the new Act of Succession. He and Thomas More refused to do so because the Act presumed the legality of Henry's divorce and his claim to be head of the English Church. They were sent to the Tower of London, where Fisher remained 14 months without trial. Finally both men were sentenced to life imprisonment and loss of goods. When the two were called to further interrogations, they remained silent. On the supposition that he was speaking privately as a priest, Fisher was tricked into declaring again that the king was not supreme head of the church in England. The king, further angered that the pope had made John Fisher a cardinal, had him brought to trial on the charge of high treason. He was condemned and executed, his body left to lie all day on the scaffold and his head hung on London Bridge. More was executed two weeks later. John Fisher's liturgical feast is celebrated on June 22. Reflection Today many questions are raised about Christians' and priests' active involvement in social issues. John Fisher remained faithful to his calling as a priest and bishop. He strongly upheld the teachings of the Church; the very cause of his martyrdom was his loyalty to Rome. He was involved in the cultural enrichment circles as well as in the political struggles of his time. This involvement caused him to question the moral conduct of the leadership of his country. “The Church has the right, indeed the duty, to proclaim justice on the social, national and international level, and to denounce instances of injustice, when the fundamental rights of man and his very salvation demand it” (Justice in the World, 1971 Synod of Bishops).Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

In this episode of Thinking Fellows, Dr. Scott Keith and Caleb Keith discuss the state of Christianity in Finland with pastor and youth director Toni Kokkonen. The conversations examines how Lutheranism shaped Finnish culture and identity, the challenges posed by secularization and debates within the Finnish state church, and the role of confessional renewal movements seeking to remain faithful to Scripture. Despite cultural and ecclesial challenges, the episode highlights encouraging signs among younger generations who are deeply engaged with theology, worship, and the future of Lutheran Christianity in Finland. More from 1517: Give to the June 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser! Learn more about the 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education New Books from 1517 Publishing: By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Scott Keith  

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

We live in a world that constantly tells us to look inward — to follow our heart, trust our feelings, and find our identity within ourselves. But Christians are called to a completely different posture. In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer, author of Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself. Pastor Pfeiffer draws on Lutheran theology and cultural analysis to help us understand what it means to lift our eyes up to God and out to our neighbor — and why that posture changes everything about how we live the Christian life.Episode Timestamps1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview2:00 — The spiritual posture of looking: how the Nicene Creed sparked the idea for the book5:00 — Expressive individualism: what it is and how it shapes both culture and the church9:30 — Pastoral approach: helping people find their identity in Christ rather than in self-expression12:30 — Two realms and two kinds of righteousness: the Lutheran theological foundation of the book16:00 — Looking up — faith, worship, and lifting our eyes to Christ in the divine service20:30 — Looking out — love within the Christian community and why it has a special priority27:00 — Looking inward rightly — self-examination, mortification, and avoiding the downward spiral32:00 — Looking forward — the resurrection hope and living with one eye on the horizon35:30 — How Pastor Pfeiffer hopes readers and congregations will use the bookAbout the GuestRev. Joshua Pfeiffer is pastor of the Tarrington Lutheran Parish in the southeastern state of Victoria in Australia, where he lives with his wife, Kimberley, and their four children. He served various congregations in Australia before moving to the United States for graduate studies. He hosts a YouTube channel and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, golf, and other outdoor activities. Resources MentionedLift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself by Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer — cph.orgConcordia Publishing HouseBringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world.

Shame affects us all — but do we truly understand it? In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Dr. John Kleinig, author of From Shame to Glory: God's Surprising Remedy for Injustice and Failure. Dr. Kleinig draws on decades of pastoral experience to help us understand what shame is, how it differs from guilt, and how Jesus frees us from its weight through baptism, Holy Communion, and the blessing of the Church.Episode Timestamps1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview2:00 — Guilt vs. shame: the key differences — behavior vs. identity, actions vs. wounds9:00 — What caused Dr. Kleinig to start thinking about shame?13:50 — Dr. Kleinig's story: his Wendish ethnic minority background and experiences of discrimination25:30 — How Jesus frees us from shame: Holy Communion, the blood of Christ, and John the Baptist's words29:00 — Jesus as the Lamb of God who bears and carries the sin of the world33:00 — The divine service as the ongoing remedy for shame; blessing vs. absolution34:10 — Encouragement for listeners struggling with shame — and how to use the bookAbout the GuestRev. Dr. John Kleinig is professor emeritus at Luther College, Adelaide, SA, Australia. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cambridge University, Doctor of Divinity from Fort Wayne (1998) and Concordia University, Irvine (2014). He is the author of numerous articles and books. Dr. Kleinig and his wife, Claire, have four children and many grandchildren.  Resources MentionedFrom Shame to Glory: God's Surprising Remedy for Injustice and Failure by Rev. Dr. John Kleinig — cph.orgConcordia Publishing HouseBringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world.

This week we continue our conversation with pastor, author, and publisher at B&H Academic, Dr. Michael McEwen about the influences of 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. How did Nietzsche's thought correspond to social Darwinism? We talk further about Nietzsche's Ubermensch, his "will-to-power," and "eternal recurrence" and their influence on our culture today. Be sure to check out Michael's new book we're discussing! The Devil Reads Nietzsche - A Public Theology for the Post-Christian Age. Michael McEwen (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an author and publisher for B&H Academic and pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Trenton, Tennessee. Free Watchman Profile articles. The profiles provide an overview of the person and ideas as well as a concise biblical response. Charles DarwinNaturalismScientismDeconstructionAtheismRichard DawkinsNihilismAdditional Resources:FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreePROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (two volumes totalling over 700 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/NotebookSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/GiveApologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

On the last two episodes of the Profile we discussed the influences of 19th-century German philosopher Karl Marx on our culture today. This week and next we'll be examining the influences of another popular 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche had a solid Christian upbringing in the Lutheran tradition and a loving relationship with his pastor father Ludwig. Why then did Nietzsche become so hostile toward Christianity in his mature philosophical thought and how do his ideas still influence us today? We'll be examining these and other questions this week and next on the Profile with author, pastor, and publisher with B&H Academic Dr. Michael McEwen. We'll be talking about his new book The Devil Reads Nietzsche - A Public Theology for the Post-Christian Age. Michael McEwen (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an author and publisher for B&H Academic and pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Trenton, Tennessee. Free Watchman Profile articles. The profiles provide an overview of the person and ideas as well as a concise biblical response. Charles DarwinNaturalismScientismDeconstructionAtheismRichard DawkinsNihilismAdditional Resources:FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreePROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (two volumes totalling over 700 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/NotebookSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/GiveApologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

"The Lutheran church in Ethiopia is just under three times larger than all the Lutheran church bodies in America combined," said Dr. Samuel Deressa, Associate Professor of Theology and the Global South at Concordia University, St. Paul. "We can learn from each other to address and apply Lutheran theology in different contexts," said Deressa. He asked, "How can we embrace this diversity and move towards a multicultural and multiethnic kind of church?" Join Deressa and Dr. Leo Sánchez, Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in a conversation about Lutheranism in the Global South.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

This episode covers the thought of Johann Wolfgang Jager who introduced Federal Theology into Lutheranism in the beginning of the eighteenth century.

In this week's bonus show, Matthew and Keith chat about the "debate" between Lisa Sharon and Evan from this week's main show. Plus, your calls into the hotline. If you want to call in to the Bonus Show, leave a voicemail at (530) 332-8020. We'll get to your calls on next Friday's Bonus Show. Or, you can email Matthew at matthew@quoir.com. Join The Quollective today, and use Promo Code "matthew50" to save an additional 50% off a yearly subscription (which is already 10% off a monthly subscription). Pick up Keith and Matt's book, Reading Romans Right, today! Please consider signing up to financially support the Network: QuoirCast on Patreon If you want to be a guest on the show, email keith@quoir.com. LINKS QuoirCast on PatreonQuoirCast on Patheos Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

“If 10 people say the Holy Spirit told them 10 different meanings, how do I know who's right?” A raw conversation on Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and the early Church.He tried to quit porn for the millionth time, sat down in silence, and opened the Bible at random. Proverbs 5 stared back like a warning with his name on it and that was the moment Tremayne Collins (https://www.instagram.com/tremaynecollins001/) stopped being a “fan” of church and started taking Christ seriously. What follows is a story of repentance, recovery, and rebuilding a life around Scripture, mentorship, and real spiritual discipline.Jeremy Jeremiah of Cloud of Witnesses talks with Tremayne Collins about leaving atheism behind, confronting a long battle with pornography, and finding a serious Christian life through repentance, recovery, and Scripture. Then we follow the questions that hit next when sincere Christians disagree on doctrine and church history starts pointing beyond modern Protestantism.• Tremayne's background in Lutheranism, then years away from faith• A moment in Proverbs 5 that sparks repentance and change• Porn addiction recovery, mentorship, and building daily Scripture habits• Why theological disagreement in non-denominational churches creates an authority crisis• Early church fathers and what they teach about Eucharist, baptism, and holiness• Orthodoxy's critique of Western innovations and why the Reformation happened• Purgatory, Mary, papal claims, and what Orthodoxy does and does not affirm• Why sola scriptura depends on later historical conditions and canon choices• A reading recommendation for comparing Protestantism, Catholicism, and OrthodoxyBut a new problem shows up fast: theology. In a non-denominational world, smart and sincere Christians can read the same passage and still end up in opposite places on salvation, assurance, righteousness, and church practice. Tremayne asks the question many people are afraid to say out loud: if everyone claims the Holy Spirit, how do you tell which interpretation is true? That question pushes us into church authority, the limits of private interpretation, and why “Bible alone” can feel impossible to live out without a coherent guide.From there we head into early church history, the church fathers, and the surprising discovery that writers like Irenaeus and Ignatius don't sound like modern Protestantism on the Eucharist and baptism. We also dig into Catholic vs Orthodox differences, the Great Schism, “innovations” in the West, and why Orthodoxy rejects purgatory. Along the way, we recommend Rock and Sand by Father Josiah Trenham for anyone who wants an Orthodox perspective on the Reformation and a grounded introduction to Eastern Christianity.If you're sorting through Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy or you're searching for the historic Christian faith, this conversation will give you better questions and clearer next steps. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves church history, and leave a review with your biggest sticking point: authority, Mary, purgatory, or something else?Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Audio: https://cloudofwitnessesradio.buzzsprout.comPlease leave a comment with your thoughts!

Walk Worthy of Your Calling Ephesians 4:1-10 by William Klock “It's Pauline and she sounds angry.”  It was my first week working as an Apple Computer repair tech and the receptionist was telling me I had a call.  I'd repaired Pauline's computer that morning and now she was on the phone and angry.  I didn't know what to expect, but I knew there was no way her computer had the same problem.  I picked up the phone and listened as Pauline yelled at me for a couple minutes because now her printer wasn't working.  This was a new problem.  It didn't make sense.  I spent the next half hour walking her through everything I could think of to get the printer working.  Nothing worked and she was getting angry again.  I knew the printer was plugged into the wall, because we'd already verified the lights were on.  “Pauline, this may sound really stupid, but the printer cable is plugged into the computer?  Right?  You plugged it back in when you got the computer home?”  She bit my head off.  “I never had to plug it in before!” she yelled at me.  “Okay, well, nothing else is working so just humour me.  Is there a cable plugged into the side of the printer?”  “Yes.”  Follow that cable to its other end and tell me where it goes.  If it's not plugged into the printer port on the computer, the computer can't talk to the printer.”  I heard grumbling on the other end of the phone, then a bit of swearing, and then she hung up.  She didn't call back.  Problem solved.  And thus began my career as a computer repair tech. There were a couple calls like that every week.  There was lady who delete an application from her iMac and needed help to reinstall it.  I told her to put the CD in the computer and then to double click it when it appeared on the desktop.  After going round in circles for over half and hour I finally figured out that she didn't know what a CD-ROM drive was.  She was holding the CD up the screen and then putting the mouse on top of it and clicking the mouse button.  As Veronica can relate, I had stories like this all the time.  These were the ones with funny endings.  A lot of them were just exercises in hair-pulling frustration.  I had to listen as people fumed or cry when I told them their hard disk was dead and their data were lost.  I had to call to tell them how much it was going to cost to fix their computer and then figure out what to do when they couldn't afford it.  But those direct interactions with my customers reminded me where my bread and butter came from.  They were the business.  Keeping them satisfied was the mission. A few years later I was hired by a company in Seattle.  The week before I was supposed to start, I went down to meet the guys I'd be working with.  Their shop had a completely different vibe.  And that was because the techs were completely isolated from the customers.  They didn't take phone calls, they didn't offer support, they didn't even talk to them at the service counter.  All they did was fix computers.  And that changed everything.  Talking with them, I used the word “customer” and the lead tech said, “Let me stop you right there.  We don't call them customers.  We call them…”  And what he called them isn't something I can repeat.  It was really bad.  The next morning I called the general manager there and told him I didn't want the job.  I eventually did get a job with that same company in Portland.  Things were run pretty much the same way as that shop in Seattle.  Thankfully the attitude was much better, but I noticed the problem.  When you never meet or deal with the customers, it changes your perspective.  The service counter keeps handing you broken computers and your job is to fix them.  And it never stops.  And instead of seeing the broken computers as the problem, you start to see the people who broke them as the problem.  You can even start to see them as the enemy.  And it becomes all about fixing the computers.  You lose sight of the real mission, which is to satisfy the customer and to leave them happy and with a good experience.  And it's easy to not notice, because you're still fixing computers even though you've lost the real mission.  In the corporate world they have a term for that: employee misalignment.  Or when it happens to a whole department or company, it's “mission drift”.  And it can absolutely destroy a business. Brothers and Sisters, the same thing can and does happen in the church.  We lose sight of our mission.  We misidentify the enemy.  And we fail as stewards of the gospel and of God's kingdom.  If a church does that long enough, if it gets entrenched in the wrong mission, if it misrepresents Jesus and the gospel and the kingdom and refuses to get back on track, Jesus warns that he will take away our lampstand.  Remember his letters to the seven churches in Revelation.  He'll let a church dwindle and die.  Because a bad witness is worse than no witness at all. We're back to St. Paul's letter to the churches in Ephesus this morning—Chapter 4.  [Page 1161 in the pew Bibles.]  And Paul gets at something very much like this idea of “mission drift”.  First, a little bit of recap: Before Passiontide we made our way through Ephesians 1-3.  In the first half of the letter Paul made his way back and forth between prayer and praise to walk us through the story of God and his creation—through the story of Israel and how Israel's story led everything to the story of Jesus, Israel's Messiah, and how Jesus has created a new Israel, a new people of God who have been filled and given new life through the Holy Spirit God had promised to his people so long before.  In Ephesians 1:10 Paul spelled out God's plan and promise: to sum up the whole cosmos in the Messiah, everything in heaven and on earth in him.  It's a promise of a new temple.  Heaven and earth brought together and at the centre of it, at its heart is the image of God.  That image was supposed to be us—humanity.  God created us to be the stewards of his creation and the priests of his temple.  But we rejected that vocation and tried to become gods ourselves.  And so Jesus has come to restore that image—to represent it faithfully and perfectly himself and to wash us clean with his blood and to fill us with his Spirit in order to restore us to that lost vocation.  So Paul is clear: this promise has been fulfilled already in Jesus.  It is currently being fulfilled in the creation of a renewed humanity.  For Paul, the great witness of this new humanity is the church—where Jews and gentiles were being brought together into a single, united people, filled with God's Spirit and living as his temple.  And the promise, finally, will be fulfilled in the end when, as he puts it, God will do far more abundantly than we can ask or imagine. So Jesus and the church—this new people, this renewed humanity—are the evidence that God truly is at work to set his broken creation to rights.  Through this people, God will reveal his manifold, his multifaceted, his Technicolor wisdom to the world and one day, because of Jesus and the faithful stewardship of his people, the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.  Brothers and Sisters, this is why the church's witness is so important.  This is why mission drift is so dangerous.  This is why, if a church goes astray from the mission and repeatedly and repeatedly refuses God's correction, he will let us wither and die.  Because the church is meant to witness his glory to the world and that can't and won't happen unless we are faithful stewards of his gospel and his Spirit, unless we're truly heaven on earth people. So Paul now begins Chapter 4 writing, “Therefore…”  All of that (Chapters 1-3) is what the “therefore” is there for.  So knowing God's plan and his promise, knowing that he is setting creation to rights through Jesus and the faithful witness of his church, he says “Therefore, I appeal to you—yes, it's me, the prisoner in the Lord—I appeal to you to walk worthy of the calling to which you've been called.  Bear with one another in love; be humble, meek, and patient in every way with one another.  Make every effort to guard the unity that the Spirit gives, with your lives bound together in peace.” Paul's going to make three points in verses 1-10 and this is the first.  He's got something important coming in 11-16, but first he's got to lay a foundation for it.  Think of it in terms of him building a sturdy three-legged stool to support it.  So, first, here in verses 1-3 he stresses the need for humility.  He starts out stressing that it's essential for the church to live in a way that matches the gospel—the good news about Jesus.  “Walk worthy of the calling to which you've been called.”  Into the middle of this Paul interjects a reminder of his imprisonment.  They already knew he was in prison.  That's why he's writing them a letter instead of talking to them in person.  But Paul reminds them again at this point because he saw his imprisonment as an example of what it means to walk worthy of our gospel calling.  Brothers and Sisters, the ways of God's kingdom are the inverse of the ways of the world.  To the pagans in Ephesus, for Paul to be in prison was a sign that either he was out of favour with his God or that his God was powerless to help him.  But for Paul, who had made the cross and the humility of Jesus the lens through which he looked at everything, to be in prison for the sake of the gospel was a sign of faithfulness.  In the same way, the gospel virtues that he says should characterise the life of the church—the ones he lists in verse 2: loving each other, being humble, meek, and patient—those weren't virtues at all in the world of the Greeks and Romans.  To the pagans, they were signs of weakness. So Paul stresses that they've been called.  Usually Paul uses this word, this idea of “calling” to emphasise God's initiative in our coming to faith, but here he kind of wrapping everything to do with—call it “conversion”—he's rolling it all into this idea of calling: We've heard the gospel, we've received and taken to heart the gospel, we're repented, and in faith we've obeyed the gospel.  Now he reminds us just what it was we responded to when God called us.  This is the part I think we sometimes forget, but Paul wants us to remember that the gospel—the good news about Jesus and the message that once captivated us—is about God's amazing kindness and generosity and grace.  And Paul's point is that if that's the gospel that called us, then our gospel life ought to be equally characterised by kindness, generosity, and grace. When I hear that I think, “Oh yeah!  Duh.  How could I lose sight of that?”  But we do.  I don't think we ever forget it; it's more that it sort of slips into the background.  But when we let that happen—think of our Philippians 2 Epistle from Palm Sunday—when we let this slip into the background, we lose the mind of the Messiah that Paul is so insistent we should share.  We stop acting with humility and we start acting and living according to the values of the world around us.  Instead of living for others, we start using and abusing others for ourselves.  Instead of putting others before ourselves, we act out of pride and selfishness.  Instead of being gracious, we can become jerks.  To people out there.  But to our brothers and sisters in the church, too.  And when we do that, we stop working and living as the body of Jesus, our unity starts to break down, and our light grows dim.  We undermine our witness to God's new creation.  So Paul reminds us: bear with each other in love, with humility, meekness, and patience—because this is the way of the cross! The Greek word Paul uses for “patience,” it literally means “great-heartedness”.  Brothers and Sisters, consider the great-heartedness of Jesus who died for his enemies.  We ought to have that kind of great-heartedness for each other.  It doesn't happen naturally, but this is why God has plunged us into his Spirit—or maybe I should say, he's plunged his Spirit into us: to fill our hearts with love for him and for each other.  We come to the church from different backgrounds, we all have our likes and our dislikes and our preferences, we have our different personalities, we all have our hurts and traumas, and it's really easy to get bent out of shape or bend others out of shape when things don't go right.  It's really easy to want to force our desires on others.  It's really easy to use others to accomplish our own goals.  It's really easy to become divided.  Paul knew that as well as anyone and so he tells us, “No!  That's not your calling.  Your calling is be a loving, generous, and gracious gospel people who share the mind of the Messiah and overflow with the love and life of God's Spirit. And, like I said, things like humility, meekness, and patience were not virtues in their world.  This is why Israel stood out from the peoples around them.  The scriptures taught them over and over the importance of humility and love, meekness and patience.  The pagans didn't think that way and even Israel struggled and often failed to be this kind of people.  And this is why it's so important for the church—for us—to remember our calling: because our renewal through Jesus and the Spirit to this kind of life is the fulfilment of the scriptures—of God's promises.  Our gospel life is a witness to God's glory and one that confronts this broken world with what true humanity is supposed to be.  This is how the church announces the coming of God's new creation.  This is what it means to be the people who pray “on earth as in heaven” and not just the people who hope for it and pray for it, but most importantly the people who do it. Instead, we're too often like James and John (remember that scene in Mark's Gospel) conniving a way to sit at the right hand of Jesus.  And Jesus reminds us: That's how the pagans do things.  They push and shove and boss and bully their way through life, always trying to get to the top, but the son of man came to give his life as a ransom for many.  Brothers and Sisters, keep the generous humility of Jesus always in your sight.  That's the kind of people, the kind of community the church should be.  In fact, Paul writes in verse 3: the Spirit has given us unity and made us one and we need to guard that unity with our lives.  That means, first, that each of us ought to live for the sake of our brothers and sisters and not for ourselves.  If we would do that, we'd have no reason to be offended by each other and to divide.  But, too, to live for the sake of each other is to be willing and quick to forgive instead of taking offense when things do happen.  And, again, this runs totally against the grain of our culture.  Our culture says to look out for ourselves; it says to get even; or it says, at least, to cut those problem people from our lives.  The church is meant to witness a better way of being human—one that shows the world (again) the love, generosity, and patience of the cross. So that's the first leg of our stool.  Now look at verses 4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit; you were, after all, called to one hope which goes with your call.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.” I can't help but think that Paul has the shema in mind.  Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  That was sort of Israel's fundamental creed.  It's why God could not be represented by idols and it's why there was only to be one temple in Israel.  And now Paul extrapolates that out in light of Jesus and the new covenant.  One body, one Spirit, one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; and above all, there's one God.  We're so distant from the polytheistic world of Paul and the Ephesians that we might not realise what Paul's doing here, but this is him again highlighting how the church confronts the world with the reality of God and his new creation.  Hear, O Church, the Lord our God, the Lord is one…and that oneness works its way through who we are and what we do.  And it not only makes the church stand out in a world chock full of gods as in Paul's day, but it also makes the church stand out in a world that is divided by philosophies and religions and all the “isms” we can think of.  And that includes all the “isms” that divide the church: Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Catholicism, Presbyterianism, Methodism, Pentecostalism and on and on.  You and I won't fix all those divisions, but we ought to do all we can in our life as the church to live out the reality that we share one faith in the one Lord, that we've all been baptised into the one triune God, filled with the one Spirit, and live with the one hope of a world set to rights, and that we are one body despite what the signs outside our churches might imply. When it becomes more about our “brand” than it does about our one God, our one Lord, our one faith, our one baptism, and our one hope; when we start thinking of Brothers and Sisters in the Lord as enemies—we've lost the plot.  Ecclesiastical employee misalignment.  Ecclesiastical mission drift.  We need to recentre ourselves on Jesus.  We probably really need to remember his humility, because we've probably become more than little ecclesiastically or theologically snobbish.  And we need to remember that God intends to make his glory known to the world through his church regardless of our “isms” and those things won't matter when the mission is accomplished and he is above all, through all, and in all—that glorious image of a temple filled with his presence. And then then the third leg.  Look at verses 7-10: “But grace was given to each one of us, according to the measure the Messiah used when he was distributing gifts.  That's why it says [and here Paul quotes Psalm 68:18], ‘When he went up on high, he led bondage itself into bondage, and he gave gifts to men.'  When it says that ‘he went up,' what this means is that he also came down into the lower places, that is, to earth.  The one who came down is the one who also ‘went up', yes, above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.” What Paul's working towards is an explanation of God's gifts to the church—all of us having a vast diversity of gifts to be used together for the common good.  We'll get to that next Sunday.  But before he can get to the diversity of gifts, Paul wants to stress the fact that the gift of the gifts themselves is yet another thing that stresses our unity.  Because those gifts, if we run with them on our own can turn into a source of division.  So Paul quotes from Psalm 68, which is about God's enthronement on Mt. Zion, but it's also got echoes of Moses going up Mt. Sinai.  The gist of it is God enthroned on high and lavishing gifts on this people—whether that's his abundance on the nation Israel or sending down Moses with his law carved on stone tablets.  Paul knew this Psalm well, but after he met the risen Jesus, it took on another layer: It's now the Messiah who ascended to his throne and in doing that he has led bondage itself into bondage.  The long captivity of humanity to sin and death is over.  Jesus has triumphed and been exalted.  It follows Paul's prayer in Chapter 1 where he praises God for putting all things in subjection under his feet.  So Jesus' enthronement after defeating our enemies has inaugurated a new age.  And that prompts Paul to tweak the words of the Psalm.  Instead of humans bringing gifts to God as they did under the old covenant, God now pours out his gifts of grace and redeemed humans receive them.  Through that grace and through those gifts, God is setting his people to rights so that they—so that we, his people, his church—can begin to live his new creation here and now.  So, first, the gospel not only restores us to our God-given vocation, it also gives each of us a new sub-vocation to help the church fulfil that task. Second, Paul, I think, stresses that this is part of the gift of God's Spirit.  Jesus has ascended and in doing so the Spirit has “come down”.  This is again about God's new temple.  Jesus washes us clean and makes a fit dwelling place for God, and God then sends down his Spirit to indwell us—as Paul put it in 3:19 when he talked about the church being filled with all God's fullness.  And in this Paul reminds us of the mission: Again, God's purpose is to set creation to rights by filling it with the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea.  The church is his means of doing that.  We're not only the people entrusted with the good new of Jesus, crucified and risen; we're not only a people entrusted to proclaim the goodness and faithfulness, the lovingkindess and generosity of God; we're also a people filled with his presence and made stewards of his new creation, enabled to live it out—even if imperfectly—in the midst of the old.  A people called both to proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord and that he has died and risen to deliver us from sin and death, but also a people called, gifted, equipped, indwelt by God himself, in order to make known his love, generosity, and patience and to display as a community the very renewal, the very filling of all things that is our hope and towards which his plan and his promise are moving. And this—I'll just say in closing—this is why the Bible's image of the temple is so important.  It not only reminds us who we are; it reminds us of the mission.  The temple is the place of God's presence.  It's the place where people go to find, to meet, to know, to experience the God of creation.  And too often we think of it as something out there, but Brothers and Sisters, the temple is us.  Washed clean by the blood of Jesus and filled with God's Spirit, we are the temple.  And that means that the world ought to see the God of the incarnation, the God of the cross, the God who humbles and gives himself for the sake of his enemies, the world ought to meet that God in us.  We can become consumed by so many other good things, so many other things that, yes, as the church we should be doing.  But we lose sight of the real mission, of our real calling to be God's temple, to make his glory known to the ends of the earth.  Brothers and Sisters, the world ought to be drawn to God, to this temple, as it sees in us a better way to be human, as it sees the beginning of God's new creation in our life together: humanity's divisions and strifes healed here.  Humanity's tears wiped away, here.  As it finds hope here.  The grace and love, the meekness and the patience of Jesus the Messiah on display here.  As it sees the glory of God in the work of redemption taking place in us. Let's pray: Almighty Father, you gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justifiction: Grant that we may put away the leaven of the old age, and put on the life of the new that we might make your glory known in all the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Two Navy Rear Admirals on Lent, the Triduum, the Rosary, and the Holy Spirit Co-host Rear Admiral Garry Hall fills in for Fr. James Kelleher, away on pilgrimage in Europe, and welcomes guest host Rear Admiral Sonny Masso; both share their journeys from Lutheranism into the Catholic Church. They reflect on taking Lent seriously as a reset of the heart, highlight Isaiah 6:8, and discuss fully participating in the Holy Triduum—Holy Thursday's Eucharist and adoration, Good Friday's Passion, and the Easter Vigil with multiple readings, baptisms, confirmations, and people entering the Church. They pray Fr. Kelleher's Holy Spirit prayer and emphasize active Catholic faith, including a push to make Catholic schools "rosary schools" by praying one decade of a scripture rosary daily. The conversation covers Marian devotion versus worship, the Wedding at Cana, reconciliation, and stories of grace, including St. Francis de Sales and personal experiences of spiritual consolation. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Host 00:57 From Lutheran to Catholic 02:27 Lent and Isaiah Call 04:28 Holy Thursday Adoration 07:51 Good Friday and Vigil 09:15 Holy Spirit Prayer 11:01 Rosary Schools Mission 13:20 Mary and Cana Story 17:47 Desert Temptation and Confession 19:42 St Francis de Sales Mercy 23:13 Holy Spirit Guidance and Confirmation 25:19 Personal Encounters and Closing

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.       He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.  Good Friday marks both the low and high point of the Easter Triduum, as Christians remember with sorrow the suffering of our Lord and rejoice in His great mercy to us on the cross.   In this Adventures in Lutheranism episode, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel discuss the various Good Friday traditions they've cherished throughout the years, unpacking as they go the three key liturgies used for this day in Lutheran churches — Tre Ore, Tenebrae, and Chief — along with several notable liturgical features: the stripped altar, the darkened sanctuary, the reproaches, and the strepitus, among others.   However your church chooses to mark the occasion, we pray that God would bless your worship throughout this blessed Holy Week.   Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

With Holy Week upon us, we thought it would be wonderful to take a few moments reflecting on the Reformed view of Communion and how it compares to the views of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and modern Evangelicalism. As you celebrate the Eucharist this week, we hope this episode is a helpful way of deepening your participation in this sacrament.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Send us Fan MailJuly 23, 2020Dark Lutheranism and Light LutheranismIs Dark Lutheranism caused by epigenetics?Swedish foods celebrating church festivalsCoexistence of science and ChristianityCorrelation of Liberalism and Light LutheranismPH&F's work and Light LutheranismCulinary IssuesThe microwave oven—effects on foodPlastics in food—BPAExplosion in the kitchenSupport the showWrite to me at  twneuhaus@gmail.comTo learn more, visit  http://www.projecthopeandfairness.org

In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett analyze Protestantism's global evolution, exploring how sectarian dogmas, economic shifts, and historical transitions from the 1600s shaped modern Western identity. -- FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @LudwigNverMises (Austin) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:16) The Historical Impact of Protestantism (01:32) Protestantism as the Spear Tip of Innovation (03:51) The Shifting Religious and Ethnic Landscape (05:29) Modernity and the Erasure of History (11:20) Nietzsche and the Death of God (16:57) The Theological Origins of Science (21:33) The Map of Protestant Europe in 1600 (27:00) Rationality vs Modern Anti-Intellectualism (35:08) The Social Conservatism of the Reformation (38:05) John Calvin and the Power of Sincerity (40:51) Max Weber and the Calvinist Work Ethic (42:53) Psychological Drives: Busyness vs Sovereignty (44:02) The Rise of Therapy and Wellness Culture (56:01) Germanic Cultures and the Protestant Map (1:03:08) Lutheranism and the Individual Reader (1:06:50) Jante's Law and Scandinavian Conformity (1:14:33) Pietism and the Wellspring of Philosophy (1:18:17) Calvinism: Totalitarianism and Capitalist Freedom (1:35:47)) The Quakers and Social Radicalism (1:39:24) The Baptists and Adult Baptism (1:43:32) Methodism and the Great Awakenings (1:49:39) Anglicanism and the English Establishment (2:01:39) Mormonism and the Faustian Will (2:05:42) Pentecostalism and Growth in the Third World (2:14:00) Darwinism and the 21st-Century Religious Collapse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jordan Cooper of Just and Sinner Lutheranism for Non-Lutherans Dr. Cooper’s YouTube Channel Just and Sinner Dr. Cooper’s WebsiteThe post Explaining Lutheranism to Non-Lutherans, Part 3 – Dr. Jordan Cooper, 3/6/26 (0651) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Dr. Jordan Cooper of Just and Sinner Lutheranism for Non-Lutherans Dr. Cooper’s YouTube Channel Just and Sinner Dr. Cooper’s WebsiteThe post Explaining Lutheranism to Non-Lutherans, Part 2 – Dr. Jordan Cooper, 2/26/26 (0573) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

The Thinking Fellows list and discuss reasons to embrace Lutheranism in 2026. The hosts take turns outlining the compelling distinctives of the Lutheran confession of faith, from the Christ-centered nature of Lutheran theology to the shape and content of worship, the place of children in the life of the Church, and the doctrine of vocation. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: 1517 Youtube: How God Still Speaks Today Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation Philip Melanchthon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Translated by Dr. Derek Cooper More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Scott Keith Adam Francisco Bruce Hilman

Dr. Jordan Cooper of Just and Sinner Lutheranism for Non-Lutherans Dr. Cooper’s YouTube Channel Just and Sinner Dr. Cooper’s WebsiteThe post Explaining Lutheranism to Non-Lutherans, Part 1 – Dr. Jordan Cooper, 2/25/26 (0563) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Lutherans are a strange denomination in American religious history and culture. For Catholics they are certainly Protestants. For Protestants they are crypto-Catholics. While they have been around since the Swedes established their short-lived colony on the Delaware River, they have typically received as much attention in the American imagination as the short-lived Swedish colony on the Delaware River. But my guest Timothy D. Grundmeier has a different point of view. He argues in his new book Lutheranism and American Culture: The Making of a Distinctive Faith that Lutheranism was a central component of nineteenth-century American religion and of the era of the Civil War. This is because Lutherans were numerous, the nation's fourth largest denomination by 1900; they were uniquely positioned in the American religious landscape; and they almost invariably expressed the opinion of the “moderate majority” in Union states outside the Northeast. And, as with every other aspect of American society, Lutheranism was reshaped by the struggle of the Civil War, and Reconstruction.Timothy D. Grundmeier is professor of history at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Lutheranism and American Culture is his first book.Chapters00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:60 - What is Lutheranism? 00:06:21 - The Civil War Era Defined 00:09:01 - Three Varieties of American Lutheranism 00:19:44 - The Old Lutherans and Missouri Synod 00:27:38 - How the Civil War Fractured Lutheranism 00:39:36 - The Slavery Debate: Walter and the Norwegians 00:47:20 - Lutheran Quietism After the Civil War 00:52:38 - The Great Lutheran Realignment 01:02:35 - Ideas, Institutions, and Cultural Context

In this episode, we delve into Flame's transformative journey from Christian hip hop to confessional Lutheranism, discussing how theology intersects with cultural expression and the importance of doctrinal testing and community. Flame shares insights on race, church history, apologetics, and cultivating unity across diverse communities.Timestamps: 00:00 - Introducing Flame: Faith, Hip Hop, and Theology00:42 - Flame's background and upbringing in Milwaukee1:12 - How Flame's musical journey began with edutainment1:51 - Sharing the gospel through music and books2:37 - Flame's transition from Reformed to Lutheran theology6:41 - The deconstruction process and testing doctrinal ideas9:46 - Impact of church history and the Reformation on Flame's faith12:37 - Crisis of assurance and the saving work of Christ for all16:40 - Engaging culturally diverse communities and cross-cultural ministry22:53 - Addressing false teachings and false doctrines in church33:40 - The role of confessional Lutheranism and church history in modern faith43:26 - Discipleship and cultural expression through arts and vocation47:29 - Race, culture, and racial reconciliation in Lutheranism55:42 - Building bridges and practical outreach efforts for black communities62:29 - Advice to young Christian artists and future leaders63:58 - Encouragement to pursue theological and cultural training66:15 - Closing thoughts: Faith, influence, and communityFlame's Links: Book - Extra Nos: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Discovering+Grace+Outside+of+MyselfBook - Because Jesus Taught It: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Christianity+Through+the+Eyes+of+the+Church+FathersPodcast - Extra Nos Academy: https://extranosacademy.com/#podcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/flame314/Gird Up Links:https://youtube.com/@girdupministries4911?si=tbCa0SOiluVl8UFxhttps://www.instagram.com/girdup_be_a_man/https://www.girdupministries.com

Dr. Timothy Grundmeier of Martin Luther College Lutheranism and American CultureThe post American Lutheranism in the Civil War Era – Dr. Timothy Grundmeier, 2/10/26 (0412) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Dr. Jordan Cooper of Just and Sinner Dr. Cooper’s YouTube Channel Just and Sinner Dr. Cooper’s WebsiteThe post The Key Difference Between Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism – Dr. Jordan Cooper, 1/15/26 (0152) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Has Lutheranism Failed? In this episode, the Thinking Fellows discuss the purpose and aim of the church to examine if Lutheranism in America has failed. The fellows assert the importance of defining the church's mission, the role of the Augsburg Confession, and the perception of Lutheranism in American society.  Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Scott Keith Adam Francisco Bruce Hilman