A Mighty Fortress is Our God’s Memory. In this episode, we read and discuss Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher. Why is communal memory important to preserving correct doctrine? What happens to families when communal memory is lost? When do traditions enable soft totalitarianism to infiltrate our churches and culture? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W List of Federal Agencies https://en.wikipedia....
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 46 min
Remember That Time We Forgot to Remember? In this episode, we continue our reading and discussion of "Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents" by Rod Dreher. What happens when we forget our familial, social, and Christian history? What have been the effects of therapeutic ideology on the churches? What is the benefit, and detriment, of communal memory? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W The Bondage of the Will by Ma...
Oct 16, 2021•2 hr 6 min
The Truth Is Like A Good Steak. In this episode, we continue to read and discuss Rod Dreher’s book “Live Not by Lies.” Do we hold our pastors to a specific evangelical standard for preaching and ministry? What damage is done to churches whose members don’t have a firm theological and moral grounding in what’s good, right, and true? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W What Hot Dogs are Made Of - Great Outdoors https://www.youtube...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 25 min
Lies Are Like Hotdogs. In this episode, we continue to read and discuss Rod Dreher’s “Live Not by Lies.” What harm is done to the churches by abandoning the Truth, and what about a society the lives by lies? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W What Hot Dogs are Made Of - Great Outdoors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=001dtJ0srBI David Chapelle’s Lutheran Take https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/10/08/brendan-on-dave-chapelle/ CON...
Oct 09, 2021•1 hr 4 min
The Cake Is A Lie. In this episode, we read Rod Dreher’s “Live Not by Lies,” discuss Vaclav Havel, and how the churches’ learned passivity and helplessness have rendered their ministry and outreach impotent. — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W Masada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada Subtle Art of… https://amzn.to/3FdaBRc CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram Telegram Chat SUBSCRIBE YouTube Apple P...
Oct 02, 2021•1 hr 47 min
We’re Not Going Anywhere Fast, So Keep Going! In this episode, we read Rod Dreher’s book on being a Christian dissident, and discuss the myth of progress. What happens when the church adopts the myth of progress and how does it effect its ministry and outreach? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W Dark Docs https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl3SuH2Ue044b7ACX1syk4A The Fog of War https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/ Operation Lock...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 56 min
In this episode, we continue to read Rod Dreher’s book "Live Not By Lies." What happens when therapeutics captivate the church’s teaching? How do we repent of willfully rejecting the incarnation of God In the Church’s worship, and in our vocations? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W The Other Guys (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386588/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_31 Noble Lie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_lie Monsters of Rock ...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min
It’s So Soft, And Squishy. In this episode, we continue to read Rod Dreher’s book on being a Christian dissident. We discuss soft totalitarianism and its effects on the church and culture. What happens when everyone has a grievance and nobody can forgive? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W The Other Guys (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386588/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_31 Noble Lie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_lie Monsters o...
Sep 18, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Riley and Gillespie spin off into a pastoral debrief on the effects of soft totalitarianism on the Church and Christians within their vocation. — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD – ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN https://orthochristian.com/47643.html Twilight of Idols - Nietzsche https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52263/52263-h/52263-h.htm CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram Telegram Cha...
Sep 15, 2021•43 min
Christians Rush in Where Fools Fear to Tread. In this episode, we read Rod Dreher’s “Christian Dissidents.” What is totalitarianism? What are the consequences of soft totalitarianism? What is the Christian response to tyranny? — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W Fools rush in where angels fear to tread https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fools_rush_in_where_angels_fear_to_tread Generational warfare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genera...
Sep 12, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Christians Get Ready, There’s a’Change That’s Coming. In this episode, we read Rod Dreher’s book, Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents. We discuss what happens when society and the churches turn away from God’s Word and the Church, and defect, choosing instead to worship and obey people and things that are not Christ. — SHOW NOTES: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher https://amzn.to/2Wpmm4W MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD – ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN https://ortho...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 59 min
Run, Rabbit, Run! In this episode, we read and discuss Spiritualizing Cowardice, by Garrett Mullet. When we read and consider the life of David, how has the popularity of psycho-therapeutic language and post-modern cultural norms in the past century influenced the way we read and teach on Scripture at present? SHOW NOTES: Spiritualizing Cowardice: The Christian Bystander Effect https://onthe.rocks/spiritualizing-cowardice/ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Re...
Aug 21, 20210
In this episode, we discuss pastoral topics, congregational life, the challenges Christians face today, and how things have changed for clergy and the churches since 2020. SHOW NOTES: Spiritualizing Cowardice: The Christian Bystander Effect https://onthe.rocks/spiritualizing-cowardice/ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolution_Will_Not_Be_Televised — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram Telegram Chat SUBSCRIBE YouTube Apple Pod...
Aug 17, 2021•56 min
Enemy at The Gates. In this episode, we read and discuss David Mark Whitford’s book, "Tyranny and Resistance." What are Christians to do when state and church unite to enforce laws that are in opposition to God’s Word and Christian freedom? SHOW NOTES: Tyranny and Resistance: The Magdeburg Confession and the Lutheran Tradition by David Mark Whitford https://amzn.to/3xHBbg0 Big Rock Candy Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rock_Candy_Mountain — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Face...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 48 min
Breaking Your Rules — In this episode, we continue our reading and conversation about Dr. Steven Paulson’s breakdown of Martin Luther’s explanation of the two kingdoms. Marriage, children, preaching, serving our neighbor, and standing up to evil. SHOW NOTES: Luther for Armchair Theologians https://amzn.to/3zVq44z — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram Telegram Chat SUBSCRIBE YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play TuneIn Radio iHeartRadio SUPPORT...
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 13 min
I’ve Got a Gun aka The Whole Armor of God. In this episode, we read and discuss Dr. Steven Paulson’s breakdown of Martin Luther’s explanation of the two kingdoms doctrine. Faith, family, and false idols form the backbone of our talk. SHOW NOTES: Luther for Armchair Theologians https://amzn.to/3zVq44z — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram Telegram Chat SUBSCRIBE YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play TuneIn Radio iHeartRadio SUPPORT Gillespie Co...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, we read and discuss Alexis de Tocqueville’s apology for religion’s relevance to politics in Democracy in America. What happens when the two kingdoms are divided or collapsed into each other? SHOW NOTES: Democracy in America, p.330 (PDF) http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/LojkoMiklos/Alexis-de-Tocqueville-Democracy-in-America.pdf Tocqueville’s Faith https://lawandreligionforum.org/2013/08/01/tocquevilles-faith-2/ Biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_de_Tocqueville Tocq...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Faith in What? Faith in Who? In this episode, we read Robert J. Delahunty’s article about Alex de Tocqueville’s faith. Tocqueville is a remarkable study in Enlightenment faith because he straddles the line between Christianity and the Enlightenment: Law and religion, belief and despair that concerns the relationships between Church and State in the United States and France. SHOW NOTES: Tocqueville’s Faith https://lawandreligionforum.org/2013/08/01/tocquevilles-faith-2/ Democracy in America http:...
Jul 13, 2021•55 min
“Remember again part of our charge against religion, our belief that it is fundamentally wicked and antihuman, is precisely its eschatology. Religion is predicated on the idea that our time here is short and should be shorter, that our job is to bring on the end of days. This is just a veil of tears and guilt and shame. This, the only life we have—the only life we have that contains music and art and literature and solidarity and sex and love—all of this should be swept away. We can’t wait for t...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 28 min
“We were baffled by climatic and cataclysmic events: earthquakes, tidal waves, storms, lightning. All of this was to us terrifying. Religion works as an attempt, then, to make sense of things. We are pattern-seeking mammals, after all. It’s a good thing that we are, because if we weren’t pattern-seeking mammals, our curiosity would have no outlet and we wouldn’t be capable of the great innovations that have liberated us from so many things, including religion.” SHOW NOTES: “God is Not Great” htt...
Jun 24, 2021•1 hr
Christians Aren’t Good, or Moral. In this episode, we continue to read and discuss Christopher Hitchens’ speech on religion and morality. Does religion delete our need to confront reality? SHOW NOTES: “God is Not Great” https://ffrf.org/outreach/awards/emperor-has-no-clothes-award/item/11978-christopher-hitchens Hitchens books: https://amzn.to/3iGsX3S Hitchens vs. Hitchens https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=christopher+and+peter+hitchens Petersen vs. Harris https://www.youtube.com/resu...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr
God is Good… or Not. In this episode, we read and discuss Christopher Hitchins’ speech about religion and morality. What’s the point of attaching the forgiveness of sins to morality? SHOW NOTES: “God is Not Great” https://ffrf.org/outreach/awards/emperor-has-no-clothes-award/item/11978-christopher-hitchens Hitchens books: https://amzn.to/3iGsX3S Hitchens vs. Hitchens https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=christopher+and+peter+hitchens Petersen vs. Harris https://www.youtube.com/results?se...
Jun 17, 2021•1 hr 14 min
The God that won’t stay dead. In this episode, we wrap up our discussion of God, Nietzsche, and how Jesus fights against our attempts at self-atonement. SHOW NOTES: A God Torn to Pieces: The Nietzsche Case (Studies in Violence, Mimesis & Culture) https://amzn.to/3fXcir1 A God Torn to Pieces: Good Friday, Nietzsche, and Sacrifice https://sojo.net/articles/god-torn-pieces-good-friday-nietzsche-and-sacrifice — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram SUBSCRIBE YouTube A...
Jun 12, 2021•1 hr 9 min
God is Dead again, because of us. In this episode, we discuss whether Friedrich Nietzsche was closer to the kingdom of God than most modern Christians, and how we can learn from him. SHOW NOTES: A God Torn to Pieces: The Nietzsche Case (Studies in Violence, Mimesis & Culture) https://amzn.to/3fXcir1 A God Torn to Pieces: Good Friday, Nietzsche, and Sacrifice https://sojo.net/articles/god-torn-pieces-good-friday-nietzsche-and-sacrifice — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitte...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 9 min
SHOW NOTES: A Prayer for Memorial Day https://blog.cph.org/read/a-prayer-for-memorial-day Gracious Lord, heavenly Father, on this day we pause to remember the sacrifices made for freedom throughout the past centuries. We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to those who have paid dearly for the liberty we enjoy. Yet, O Lord, I know that good government, peace, and freedom are really gifts granted from Your fatherly hand, as I confess in the Creed. As we remember those who have served our nation, he...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 46 min
God is Dead. In this episode, why the New Testament is more radical than Friedrich Nietzsche in its critique of false religion and false gods. SHOW NOTES: Eagleton - Nietzsche and Christ http://trinitycollegechapel.com//media/filestore/sermons/EagletonNietzsche231108.pdf Terry Eagleton bio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Eagleton 1979 Life of Brian church debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeKWVuye1YE Thus Spoke Zarathustra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thus_Spoke_Zarathustra — CONTACT a...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Nietzsche is Dead. In this episode, learning from Friedrich Nietzsche how to repent and believe in Christ Jesus as Savior. SHOW NOTES: Eagleton - Nietzsche and Christ http://trinitycollegechapel.com//media/filestore/sermons/EagletonNietzsche231108.pdf Terry Eagleton bio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Eagleton 1979 Life of Brian church debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeKWVuye1YE Thus Spoke Zarathustra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thus_Spoke_Zarathustra — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBook...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min
This, That, and Another Thing. In this episode, we do a pastoral debrief, discussing vocation, doctrine, and the daily struggles and afflictions of Christians. SHOW NOTES: Strauss–Howe generational theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss–Howe_generational_theory — CONTACT and FOLLOW BannedBooks@1517.org Facebook Twitter Telegram SUBSCRIBE YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play TuneIn Radio iHeartRadio SUPPORT Gillespie Coffee ( gillespie.coffee ) Gillespie Media ( gill...
May 23, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Three Men Enter, One Man Leaves. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Scott Keith about Christian doctrine and vocation. How do we live faithfully in Christ while simultaneously living in our vocations in a sinful, evil world? SHOW NOTES: Dr. Scott Keith https://www.1517.org/contributors/scott-keith Scott Keith is the Executive Director of 1517 and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine. He is a co-host of The Thinking Fellows Podcast and a contributor to 1517 and Christ Hold F...
May 22, 2021•54 min
A Seditious Gospel. In this episode, Martin Luther preaches when Christians must rebuke sinful rulers, and when the Gospel becomes a seditious doctrine. SHOW NOTES: Luther's Works, Volume 69 (Sermons on the Gospel of John 17-20), p. 237 & 248 https://amzn.to/2Q7MpLe Bo Giertz, The Hammer of God https://amzn.to/3hc3Aq5 D. Martin Luthers Werke, Weimar 1883-1929 http://lutherdansk.dk/WA/D.%20Martin%20Luthers%20Werke,%20Weimarer%20Ausgabe%20-%20WA.htm The King's Two Bodies by Ernst H. Kantorowic...
May 15, 2021•1 hr 31 min
