New Persuasive Words
"The revival in religion will be a rhetorical problem - new persuasive words for defaced or degraded ones." - Thornton Wilder
Episodes
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Episode 173: The Eight Hour Sermon?
October 17th, 2017 | 33 mins 4 secs
In this episode we discuss a recent book entitled "8 Hours or Less: Writing faithful sermons faster", by Ryan Huguley. We also consider the nature of preaching and the life and calling of preachers.
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Episode 172: Theology In Outline, Part 6: Where Does One Begin?
October 14th, 2017 | 30 mins 3 secs
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.
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Episode 171: Guns
October 6th, 2017 | 33 mins 43 secs
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.
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Episode 170: The Lost Art Of Disagreement
September 30th, 2017 | 34 mins
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.
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Episode 169: Theology In Outline, Part 5: The Problem of Evil
September 27th, 2017 | 28 mins 12 secs
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.
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Episode 168: Praying Angry?
September 23rd, 2017 | 41 mins 3 secs
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?
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Episode 167: Theology In Outline, Part 4: The Nature of Sin
September 19th, 2017 | 32 mins 33 secs
We continue our revisiting of the Reformation, commemorating its 500th anniversary, through a comparison of brief works of Robert Jenson and Brian Gerrish.
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Episode 166: The Challenge of Living in the Present
September 17th, 2017 | 29 mins 3 secs
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.
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Episode 165: Theology In Outline, Part 3
September 10th, 2017 | 36 mins 23 secs
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?"
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Episode 164: Theology In Outline, Part 2
August 30th, 2017 | 36 mins 58 secs
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.
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Episode 163: Theology In Outline, Part 1
August 29th, 2017 | 35 mins 48 secs
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.
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Episode 162: Luther Versus Augustine
August 26th, 2017 | 39 mins 13 secs
In this episode we consider the difference between the traditional Augustinian conception of the spiritual life and Martin Luther's conception of it.
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Episode 161: Bullgeschichte: Nietzsche and the Neo-Nazis, with Ben Maddison
August 21st, 2017 | 41 mins 8 secs
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.
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Episode 160: A Lasting Hope
August 18th, 2017 | 34 mins 54 secs
In this episode we consider where to find hope at a time that seems for many so dark in our country right now.
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Episode 159: Anxiety and Hope
August 15th, 2017 | 31 mins 41 secs
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.
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Episode 158: Bullgeschichte: Horton hears a...?, with Nikki Kelley Kleinberg
August 15th, 2017 | 47 mins 20 secs
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.