Any time a Christian engages in public sin, it is a scandal and an offense to the body of Christ. It is also a tremendous opportunity for the Church to be Church, to give mercy and forgiveness to the broken and in need. In this episode Todd and Scott try to make sense of what happens when a pastor commits a public sin. Join us for episode twenty-four of The Crux of the Matter.
Read moreCRUX Episode 20 - Depression
LINKS AND OTHER STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT
- Unmasking Male Depression: Recognizing the Root Cause to Many Problem Behaviors Such as Anger, Resentment, Abusiveness, Silence, Addictions, and Sexual Compulsiveness, by Archibald Hart
- John 21:1-19
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church's Mission, by Amy Simpson
- The Burden of Sympathy: How Families Cope With Mental Illness, by David A. Karp
FRIEND(S) OF THE SHOW
- Christ Lutheran Academy, Kenosha, Wisconsin
- St. Mark’s Lutheran School, Citrus Heights, California
WHAT'S BRINGING JOY THIS WEEK
SCOTT
- The Great Courses (The Teaching Company)
- The Catholic Church: A History, by William R. Cook
TODD
CRUX Episode 19 - Marriage
In a few short weeks the Supreme Court will be issuing a ruling about whether same-sex marriages are a constitutional right, or if it something that can be determined by each state. In this episode Scott and Todd discuss Pres. Matthew Harrison’s recent pastoral letter, what implications this may have on pastoral care, and how pastors and congregations should start responding to this.
Read moreCRUX Episode 18 - Confession and Absolution
Scott and Todd discuss the forgotten sacrament of the Lutheran Church. Confession and absolution has been in the Small Catechism for nearly five hundred years, yet is rarely practiced at the congregational level. Why? They also talk about Lutheranism 101, the Amazon Echo, and try to speak through a crying child.
Read moreCRUX Episode 16 - Holy Baptism
Pastors have struggled with how to faithfully baptize and care of their members since the time of Philip the deacon. In this episode Scott and Todd talk about why it is so difficult, and why it is such a joyful burden. Oh, and they talk about bumper sticker ethics and preaching primers.
Read moreCRUX Episode 15 - Comic Con Church
After Todd visits a Comic Con, he and Scott discuss why we have such robust subcultures, what they mean for the life of the church, the joys and dangers of such, and how it is that each one of these subcultures becomes an imitation of the life in God that is the Church. Oh, and they also talk about Craig Donofrio.
Read moreCRUX Episode 14 - Confirmation
What is confirmation and why do we do it? This week Scott and Todd start what will probably be an epic conversation about the ins and outs of confirmation in the Lutheran Church. They also talk about Bioethics, camping, first communion, Rev. Mark Surburg, and a few other random topics for good measure.
Read moreCRUX Episode 13 - Recharging After Easter
Benedictine retreat centers, Tonto, Chrism, Eugene Petersen, and Lutheran Satire. Scott and Todd discuss how to recharge and recover from Holy Week. Oh, and camping. And the Library of Congress. That about covers it for Episode 13.
Read moreCRUX Episode 09 - Restless Sheep
In this episode Todd and Scott talk about parishioners who tend to float from church to church, who are restless, and who leave one place and join another in what may appear to be a rather haphazard way. How do we care for them?
LINKS AND OTHER STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT
- Shepherd’s Staff
- IconCMO (What Peperkorn is considering)
- Luke 8:4-15
- How to Break Up with Your Church
- O Heiland Reiss die Himmel auf (organ postlude at the end of the episode. Used by permission.)
WHAT’S BRINGING JOY THIS WEEK
SCOTT
- Glenn Stanton, Loving My LGBT Neighbor
TODD
WHERE TO FIND US
Todd and Scott co-host THE CRUX OF THE MATTER.
You may find Todd Peperkorn @toddpeperkorn on Twitter or facebook.com/toddpeperkorn on Facebook. He also blogs, posts sermons, and random nonsense at Lutheran Logomaniac and Dark My Road. Todd’s parish is Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, California. You can find his sermons & bible classes on YouTube HERE.
You may find Scott Stiegemeyer @scottstieg on Twitter or Facebook.com/scottstiegemeyer on Facebook. Scott’s parish is Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Email the show at feedback@thecruxofthematter.net
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CRUX Episode 08 - Receiving a Call
Scott and Todd discuss the theology of the call from the perspective of the pastor receiving a new call. Scott also pushes his streak of not talking about the Pope to three episodes, and Todd completely messes up the title of a book.
Read more