CRUX Episode 37 - Six Books

October 2, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

The Lord of the Rings to Why Men Hate Going to Church. That’s the range of books Scott and Todd talk about in episode 37 of The Crux of the Matter. Why is it that the range of knowledge and skills that a pastor needs are so far-reaching, and how do we continue to learn without going stagnant? Join us in this episode and find out how.

WHAT ARE WE TEACHING

Genesis 2:15
St. Michael and All Angels

FOLLOW UP

Quotation from Pope Francis’s UN speech:

"The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic. This common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature.”

SHOW NOTES

The Democratization of American Christianity, by Nathan Hatch (TODD)
Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, by Gene Edward Veith (SCOTT)
- Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Why We’re Not Emergent, from Two Guys Who Should Be (BONUS)
Speaking of Sadness: Depression, Disconnection, and the Meanings of Illness, by David Karp (TODD)
The Shallows, What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr (SCOTT)
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien (TODD)
Why Men Hate Going to Church, David Murrow (SCOTT)

JOY BRINGERS

SCOTT

Hymn 522, LSB, Lord God, to Thee We Give All Praise

TODD

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

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 is an assistant professor of theology and bioethics at Concordia University Irvine.

Email the show at feedback@thecruxofthematter.net

To subscribe directly, please paste the following link into your pod-catcher of choice: https://thecruxofthematter.squarespace.com/podcast/?format=rss

To subscribe via iTunes, please go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-the-crux-of-the-matter/id959171811

Intro and Outro Music is “BWV 1103: Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort” (by J.S. Bach, recorded by James Kibbie). Licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.

CRUX Episode 36 - The Pope Comes to America

September 25, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

Pope Francis is in the midst of making his first visit to North America. But why should Lutherans care? Scott and Todd discuss the Pope’s speech before Congress, his upcoming speech before the United Nations, and lament why he didn’t speak about Jesus Christ, the unborn, and the very least and lowest in our society. Hear more from Todd and Scott in Episode 36 of The Crux of the Matter.

CRUX Episode 35 - Pastor's Salaries

September 18, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

No pastor worth his salt likes talking about his own salary. But in order to care for his family and himself, he does need to be paid. What is the way of Christ? How are we to be faithful to both our families and our congregations? Join us for episode 35 of The Crux of the Matter.

CRUX Episode 34 - Islam and Western Europe

September 12, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

While Islam seems to be taking over the world, there is a small revolution taking place. One Lutheran Church, Trinity (SELC) in Berlin, Germany, has seen their membership grow from 150 to 600 members over the past two years. Trinity and their pastor, Rev. Gottfried Martens, have been getting press all over the wrold because of this phenomenon. Are these conversions real, or just political expediency? How do we tell? Hear Pastors Todd Peperkorn and Scott Stiemeyer get to the Crux of the Matter in episode 34.

CRUX Episode 33 - Pastoral Care in Times of Crisis

September 4, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

Times of crisis are difficult at best. Who do I talk to and why? Where does the Church fit in to the conversation? Oftentimes, pastors are the last to know about a major crisis in the life of their parishioners. In this episode, Scott and Todd discuss what role pastors play in times of crisis, as well as what role(s) they should or could play if they knew about what was going on. Join us for episode 33 of The Crux of the Matter.

LINKS AND OTHER STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT

How the World Began, by Helmut Thielecke

WHAT'S BRINGING JOY THIS WEEK

SCOTT

Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

TODD

Imagination Redeemed, by Gene Edward Veith and Matthew P. Ristuccia

WHERE TO FIND US

You may find Scott Stiegemeyer @scottstieg on Twitter or Facebook.com/scottstiegemeyer on Facebook. Scott is an assistant professor of theology and bioethics at Concordia University Irvine.

Email the show at feedback@thecruxofthematter.net

To subscribe directly, please paste the following link into your pod-catcher of choice: https://thecruxofthematter.squarespace.com/podcast/?format=rss

To subscribe via iTunes, please go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-the-crux-of-the-matter/id959171811

CRUX Episode 32 - The Pro-Life Pastor

August 29, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

It is easy to say one is pro-life. It is much harder to actually do it in practice. In this episode, Scott and Todd talk about what it means to be a pro-life pastor today, how it affects preaching, catechesis, and pastoral care, and how things have changed over the decades. Join us for episode 32 of The Crux of the Matter.

CRUX Episode 31 - The 2nd century and the 21st

August 22, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

It has been said that the struggles the Church faces today are much closer to the second century than to the sixteenth century. In this episode, Scott and Todd wrestle with what this means, what we can learn from the martyrs and apologists of the early church, and how it applies today.

CRUX Episode 30 - Preaching the Gospel, Part Two

August 13, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

It has been said that Protestants lack imagination, and that this is why they have a hard time with the Sacraments. In this discussion of preaching the Gospel, Todd and Scott discuss the role that the imagination plays in preaching, and especially how preaching the reality of God’s love for His people draws the hearer in with the mind and the heart. Oh, and they talk about the Pope again.

LINKS AND OTHER STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT

WHAT'S BRINGING JOY THIS WEEK

SCOTT

Men and Women are from Eden, by Mary Healy
Good news about sex and marriage, by Christopher West

TODD

Postilla, Volumes One and Two, by Johann Gerhard

WHERE TO FIND US

You may find Scott Stiegemeyer @scottstieg on Twitter or Facebook.com/scottstiegemeyer on Facebook. Scott is an assistant professor of theology and bioethics at Concordia University Irvine.

Email the show at feedback@thecruxofthematter.net

To subscribe directly, please paste the following link into your pod-catcher of choice: https://thecruxofthematter.squarespace.com/podcast/?format=rss

To subscribe via iTunes, please go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-the-crux-of-the-matter/id959171811

CRUX Episode 29 - Preaching the Gospel, Part One

August 7, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

Lutherans have a difficult time occasionally in preaching to the whole person. In this episode, Scott and Todd try to unpack what it means to preach the text in a way that engages the mind, the body, the heart, and the imagination. This conversation goes from Dr. John Kleinig to Minecraft and the modern fascination with world building games. At the end, there is also a long overdue mention of the Pope.

CRUX Episode 28 - Preaching the Law, Part Two

July 30, 2015 Todd Peperkorn

What does it mean to be human? What did Naomi mean when she prayed that the Lord would "deal kindly" with Ruth? Can the preacher actually use the Law in a certain way, or is that the Holy Sprit's job? All this and more are the topics of discussion in episode 28 of The Crux of the Matter. Join Pastor Todd Peperkorn and Professor Scott Stiegemeyer as they tackle the issues of the day, written by pastors and for pastors.