New Persuasive Words

We were recently inspired by something David Bentley Hart wrote about atheism in First Things in 2014. For this we thank Facebook. You can find the article here:https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/05/gods-and-gopniks.

In this episode we talk about a recent Wall Street Journal piece by Yoram Hazony entitled "Is 'Classical Liberalism' Conservative?" (https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-classical-liberalism-conservative-1507931462). Our current political and cultural moment should invite self-reflection on every level. We probably wouldn't agree with him on a host of political issues, but Mr. Hazony does it well.

This week there was a controversy involving President Trump and a phone call he made to the family of a fallen Special Forces soldier who was one of four that died this month in Niger. After much back and forth between the President, a Congresswoman, the press and staffers of former presidents, Trump's Chief of Staff weighed in during a press conference, at one point asking if anything is sacred anymore. We ponder that question. This article from the Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/how-trump-commandeered-the-news-cycle/543153/) summarizes the exchange that began the controversy.

In this episode we discuss a recent book entitled 8 Hours or Less: Writing faithful sermons faster, by Ryan Huguley (https://www.amazon.com/Hours-Less-Writing-faithful-sermons/dp/0802415083). We also consider the nature of preaching and the life and calling of preachers.

We continue our revisiting of the Reformation, commemorating its 500th anniversary, through a comparison of brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish. In this episode we discuss whether theology should begin with the universal and move to the particular or do it the other way around.

In this episode we talk about guns. It wasn't our first choice for today, but reality impinges like that. We also attempt to do justice to the memory of Tom Petty (probably impossible, but it hasn't stopped us yet). May he rest in peace, alongside the countless victims of senseless violence.

In this episode, recorded on International Podcast Day, we talk about the virtues of real disagreement, built not on misunderstanding but serious attentiveness and comprehension. We were inspired by a NY Times op-ed piece written by Brett Stephens earlier this week. You can find it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/opinion/dying-art-of-disagreement.html. Scott also revealed his ignorance about the Canadian music scene. Penance to come in a future episode.

We continue our revisiting of the Reformation, commemorating its 500th anniversary, through a comparison of brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish. In this episode we're looking at the problem of evil.

In this Friday Night Lights/Bullgeschichte episode we welcome a new guest to the bunker. Brian Toews joins us to talk about imprecatory Psalms, the verses in the Bible that wish bad things on people that have wronged the ones praying. What do we do with these Psalms today? We reference a lecture about Calvin and Julian of Norwich on divine anger. It can be found in this volume: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0075D1WE8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1. Special Guest: Brian Toews.

We continue our revisiting of the Reformation, commemorating its 500th anniversary, through a comparison of brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish. In this episode we focus on Brian Gerrish's understanding of sin. Below you'll find some key quotes from the chapter we discussed. Thesis 7: Estrangement from the Creator may, as mistrust, be guiltless; but as defiance to the Creator it is sin, which arises from inborn egocentrism and the collective pressures of society, infects a person's entire existence with self-interest, and makes the self powerless to achieve the purpose of its creation without redemption. What is sin? can be fully answered only from the perspective of redemption. Hence, in harmony with his consistently christological approach, Karl Barth changed the traditional dogmatic order and dealt with sin in the context of the divine work of reconciliation in Jesus Christ, not as a separate dogmatic locus that comes before reconciliation (CD IV/ 1: 359). But there can be no objection to treat

We're taking a break from our "Theology In Outline" series to talk about midlife crises and the challenge of the living in the present. Our conversation was inspired by a NY Times piece and a forthcoming book, both by the philosopher Kieran Setiya. You can find the NY Times piece here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/opinion/the-problem-of-living-in-the-present.html?mcubz=1. You can find out more about his forthcoming book here: http://www.ksetiya.net/midlife.html.

We continue our revisiting of the Reformation, commemorating its 500th anniversary, through a comparison of brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish. In light of Jenson's recent passing, we focus on his retelling of the story of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Trinity in "Can These Bones Live?" The texts in question are brief, which is one of the reasons we chose them. Both authors also highly esteem the Reformation tradition. At the same time both have their feet firmly planted in the modern world. If you wish to read along with us you can find links to the books below. A Theology In Outline, by Robert Jenson: https://www.amazon.com/Theology-Outline-These-Bones-Live/dp/0190214597. Christian Faith: Dogmatics In Outline, by B.A. Gerrish: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Faith-Dogmatics-B-Gerrish/dp/0664256988/ref=sr1fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504008132&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=gerrish+dogmatic+outine.

We continue our revisiting of the Reformation through brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish. We consider why Jenson moves quickly to the story of Israel after his introduction, whereas Gerrish focuses on the experience of the world as creation.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. To commemorate it we are considering what it would mean to be continually reforming our understanding of the Gospel and the theological enterprise. We'll be doing this through engaging two brief theological works, one by Robert Jenson and the other by Brian Gerrish. The texts in question are brief, which is one of the reasons we chose them. Both authors also highly esteem the Reformation tradition. At the same time both have their feet firmly planted in the modern world. If you wish to read along with us you can find links to the books below. A Theology In Outline, by Robert Jenson: https://www.amazon.com/Theology-Outline-These-Bones-Live/dp/0190214597. Christian Faith: Dogmatics In Outline, by B.A. Gerrish: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Faith-Dogmatics-B-Gerrish/dp/0664256988/ref=sr1fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504008132&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=gerrish+dogmatic+outine.

In this episode we consider the difference between the traditional Augustinian conception of the spiritual life and Martin Luther's conception of it. We were inspired by a post on the Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard's blog: http://www.pastormattrichard.com/2015/08/augustinian-influenced-sanctification.html?m=1. In the post he quotes from a book written by Steven Hein. See below for the full quotations. Excerpt from: Steven A. Hein, The Christian Life: Cross or Glory (Irvine, CA: NRP Books, 2015), 64, 74-82. Much of western Christian thought from post-Apostolic times to Luther was absorbed by a quest for personal holiness. This was certainly true for St. Augustine [354-430 AD]. Even though Augustine championed salvation by grace apart from works, he understood the grace of God primarily as a divine power that progressively transforms the sinner. In other words, God requires a holy and righteous life, and by grace He continually produces what He demands. He infuses divine grace into the baptized Christian which gr

On this Bullgeschichte episode we welcome Ben Maddison to the bunker. Ben is an Episcopal priest serving in Southern New Jersey. He joins us to talk about the way the Alt-Right (as well as many others) completely misread the work of Friedrich Nietzsche. Special Guest: Ben Maddison.

In this episode we consider where to find hope at a time that seems for many so dark in our country right now.

Where do we go from here? That seems to be the question of the moment. We live in a tribal, angry, isolated culture. New York Times columnist David Brooks has some ideas that we like in his most recent column. So we decided to do a little riffing off of him. We even go from the 21st century to the 16th at the end. You can find David Brooks' column here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/opinion/fanaticism-white-nationalists-charlottesville.html.

Our guest for this bullgeschichte episode is Nikki Kelley Kleinberg. She's a United Methodist pastor and a hospital chaplain. We talk about a wide range of things, including the theology of Dr. Seuss.

We were grateful to be invited to participate in a roundtable discussion about the recent events in Charlottesville and what they mean for our country and the church. It was hosted by our friends at the Crackers and Grape Juice podcast.