In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus continues his discussion of Philip Hahn's "Enthusiasm Among Us" by turning to J.P. Koehler's 1914 essay "Legalism Among Us." Kaler's warning is directed specifically toward conservative, confessional Lutherans: even our zeal for pure doctrine, proper worship, sanctification, and church discipline can subtly become legalistic when we lose sight of the Gospel.

Pastor Preus explores the difference between living from the Gospel and allowing the Law—or our outward forms, traditions, and intellectual formulations—to become the source of our Christian life. He discusses how the old Adam can even take good things like pure doctrine and use them to feed pride, suspicion, selfishness, and fear rather than faith, hope, and love.

The episode also considers intellectualism, proof texts, traditionalism, ecumenical spirit, and how Christians should interact with those who hold doctrinal errors. The goal is not to abandon sound doctrine or discipline, but to remember why we guard them in the first place: because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our life.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the dangers of legalism

02:00 Historical background of legalism among Lutherans

04:24 Legalism as a subtle infiltration in church practice

06:47 The difference between law and gospel

10:08 Manifestations of legalism in doctrine and worship

13:09 The role of faith, hope, and love in the Christian life

16:07 The danger of intellectualism and traditionalism

18:55 The importance of the gospel as the foundation

21:49 The false reliance on proof texts and doctrine

24:46 The ecumenical spirit rooted in the gospel

28:06 Practical application: guarding the gospel in church life

31:51 The life of faith as rooted in Christ

36:05 The danger of externalism and superficiality

39:52 The importance of the Holy Spirit's work

44:10 Summary and concluding thoughts on Christian freedom

What does Christian freedom actually mean when it comes to worship, church traditions, and adiaphora?

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus revisits the Lutheran teaching of adiaphora—things neither commanded nor forbidden by God—and considers what Christian freedom means for the church's worship and life together.

Drawing on the Wauwatosa theologians and a recent article, "Enthusiasm Among Us," Pastor Preus examines the dangers of both legalism and enthusiasm. We can fall into legalism by treating traditions as laws simply because "we've always done it this way," but we can also fall into enthusiasm by trying to manufacture spiritual experiences through atmosphere, emotion, or entertainment.

The answer is neither prohibition nor indifference. Rather, Christian freedom sends us back to Scripture, where we learn to use the forms and traditions of the church as witnesses to the Gospel.

Ultimately, our confidence is not in a particular liturgical form, a tradition, or a manufactured experience—but in Christ and His life-giving Word.

"Christian freedom includes a lot of disciplining of your own flesh. It includes a lot of digging into Scripture and a lot of repentance, but it is a wonderful life because it is one that relies only upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ and His life-giving Gospel."

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0:00 — Introduction: Freedom, Adiaphora, and Christian Life

0:25 — Revisiting Wawatosa Theology and Gospel-Centered Teaching

3:22 — Why Doctrine Must Serve Life, Not Become Legalism

8:06 — The Ministry Debate and the Pastoral Office

15:12 — Christian Freedom and the Problem of Tradition for Tradition's Sake

20:27 — "Enthusiasm Among Us" and Gospel Freedom

24:42 — What Reveals the Church's Real Instinct?

30:16 — Adiaphora, Ordination, and Sunday Worship

37:48 — Worship Wars, Forms, and What They Actually Teach

43:11 — Holding to Christ, Not Just to Forms

52:13 — Why Adiaphora Exists for the Christian Will

57:09 — Theological Conclusion: Freedom, Repentance, and the Gospel

What exactly is the Gospel? And why does it matter how we define it?

In this episode of Christendom and the World, we discuss the distinction between the Gospel in its broad sense and the Gospel in its narrow sense, along with the proper distinction between Law and Gospel.

The Gospel in its narrow sense is the promise of forgiveness and salvation freely given through Jesus Christ. The Law exposes our sin and brings us to recognize that we cannot establish our own righteousness before God. The Gospel, however, points us entirely outside of ourselves—to Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification.

We also discuss baptism, faith, repentance, and the danger of turning God's gracious gifts into something we must accomplish for God rather than receiving what Christ has done for us.

The episode ultimately comes back to the foundation of Christian faith and certainty: Christ and Him crucified. Christ alone.

#ChristendomAndTheWorld #Lutheran #LutheranTheology #LawAndGospel #TheGospel #ChristAlone #ChristCrucified #Justification #Faith #Baptism #ChristianDoctrine #ConfessionalLutheran #Gospel #Christianity

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus examines LCMS Resolution 5-09A and the ongoing debate over lay readers and the public reading of Scripture in the Divine Service.

Pastor Preus discusses 1 Timothy 4:13, the nature of public Scripture reading as an act of teaching, and the biblical distinction between the various stations and vocations God has given to Christians. He also considers the arguments surrounding women serving as lectors, the history of the practice in the Missouri Synod, and the importance of allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

The episode also looks at the role of the pastor, the historical use of trained male lay readers, the 2026 LCMS convention debate, and the importance of grounding our church practices in the Word of God rather than simply in historical precedent or contemporary custom.

For questions or comments, email [email protected].

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This week on Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus is joined by Pastor Jesse Schlie for a conversation about mysticism and enthusiasm and whether there is such a thing as true, biblical Christian mysticism.

Luther strongly warned against enthusiasm—the idea that God speaks to us apart from His external Word. But what does that mean for prayer, meditation, spiritual experience, and a Christian's personal awareness of God's work in their lives?

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Luther meant by enthusiasm
• Why God speaks to our hearts through His Word, not out of our hearts
• The dangers of seeking signs, dreams, visions, and extra-biblical revelation
• Mysticism and its place throughout church history
• Luther's theology of the cross
• Oratio, meditatio, tentatio — prayer, meditation, and testing
• The relationship between Christian experience and Scripture
• How Luther's understanding of faith differs from the mysticism that came before him

True Christian spirituality isn't found by looking beyond God's Word for something new. Rather, the Christian is brought deeper into the mystery of Christ through the Word, through faith, prayer, meditation, and the trials of life.

For questions or comments, email [email protected].

#ChristendomAndTheWorld #Lutheran #LutheranTheology #MartinLuther #Mysticism #Enthusiasm #ChristianMysticism #Theology #Scripture #Bible #TheologyOfTheCross #Pietism #Christianity #ConfessionalLutheranism

What does it really mean that Christians are simultaneously righteous and sinners?

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus is joined once again by Pastors Joseph and Jesse Schlie of the Dynamis Podcast. They begin by answering a listener question about the new heavens and new earth, the resurrection of the body, and what Scripture teaches about the eternal life Christians have to look forward to.

The conversation then turns to the Lutheran teaching of simul iustus et peccator—that a Christian is simultaneously righteous and sinner. The pastors explain the distinction between justification and sanctification, the difference between the old man and the new man, and why this teaching is meant to comfort Christians struggling against sin rather than provide an excuse for continuing in unrepentant sin.

The Christian life involves repentance, faith, and a continual battle against the sinful flesh. Yet throughout that struggle, the righteousness of Christ remains the foundation of the Christian's confidence and assurance.

Listen as the pastors discuss why we must take sin seriously while always keeping the Gospel at the center.

Questions or comments? Email [email protected].

#ChristendomAndTheWorld #Lutheran #ConfessionalLutheran #ChristianPodcast #Gospel #Repentance #Sanctification #Justification #SimulIustusEtPeccator #Theology

The Schlie Brothers are back for another round of digging deeper than the clichés!

Pastors Joseph and Jesse Schlie join Pastor Andrew Preus for another wide-ranging conversation about Lutheran theology, Scripture, tradition, church history, and the phrases Christians often use without stopping to consider what they really mean.

This time, the conversation begins with sola Scriptura and what it actually means to say that Scripture is the sole source and norm of Christian doctrine. From there, they explore the relationship between Scripture and the historic witness of the Church, the canon of Scripture, the early Church Fathers, the Apocrypha, and the danger of allowing history or tradition to become the authority over Scripture.

They also discuss why some people leave Lutheranism for Rome or Eastern Orthodoxy, the desire for something that feels more "authentic," and how that search can ultimately become a question of where we place our confidence.

As always, the goal isn't simply to reject clichés but to dig deeper: What is true? What is being misunderstood? And what does Scripture actually teach?

Join Pastor Andrew Preus and Pastors Joseph and Jesse Schlie for Round 3 of digging deeper than the clichés.

📩 Questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

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Why do faithful Christians suffer? Why do bad things happen even to those who trust in God?

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus and Pastor Jim Wilshusen dive into Job to examine one of Scripture's most challenging questions. They explore Job's suffering, the accusations of his friends, the role of Elihu, and the difference between earthly wisdom and God's heavenly judgment.

Most importantly, they show how the Job points beyond human explanations to Jesus Christ—the true Mediator and Redeemer who gives hope in the midst of suffering. Rather than offering easy answers, Job teaches us to trust God's promises, wait on His Word, and find comfort in the Gospel.

Whether you've wrestled with loss, grief, illness, or simply wondered why God allows suffering, this conversation offers a deeply biblical perspective rooted in Christ.

📧 Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

#BookOfJob #WhyDoesGodAllowSuffering #Bible #Christianity #Jesus #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #Faith #Gospel #LCMS #Lutheran #OldTestament #ChristianLife #Theology #ChristendomAndTheWorld

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus and Pastor Jim Wilshusen examine a timely 1916 essay by Francis Pieper written during the early years of World War I. Together, they explore the biblical distinction between Church and State, the Church's responsibility to proclaim God's Word, and why calling sin to repentance is not the same as engaging in partisan politics.

The discussion covers topics such as war, government, the Church's role in addressing public sin, caring for the poor, and the dangers of allowing political ideologies to shape our understanding of Scripture. Drawing from Luther, Pieper, and Scripture itself, Pastors Preus and Wilshusen explain why the Church's true weapon has always been the Word of God and prayer—not political power.

Whether you're wrestling with the relationship between faith and politics or seeking a clearer understanding of the Church's God-given vocation, this episode offers a thoughtful, distinctly Lutheran perspective grounded in Scripture.

Questions or feedback? 📧 [email protected]

#ChristendomAndTheWorld #Lutheran #LCMS #FrancisPieper #ChurchAndState #Christianity #BibleStudy #Theology #Pastor #ChristianPodcast #MartinLuther #Government #Faith #Repentance #JesusChrist

Who were the Nephilim? Were the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 fallen angels, believers, or something else entirely?

In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus responds to a popular discussion surrounding Genesis 6 and examines its claims in light of Scripture. Rather than relying on speculation or extra-biblical sources, he carefully works through the identity of the Nephilim, the role of the Book of Enoch, the nature of angels and demons, and what the Bible teaches about God's judgment before the Flood. Throughout the discussion, Pastor Preus emphasizes the importance of letting Scripture interpret Scripture and keeping the focus on Christ and God's saving work for mankind.

This episode is Pastor Andrew's response to the On the Line podcast episode, "The Nephilim: Giants, Demons, and the Unseen World of Scripture," featuring Bryan Stecker and Noah Hahn. Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/TV5KvGNb8RY

📩 Have a question or topic you want us to cover? Check below for our email and send it in—we'd love to include it in a future episode!

[email protected]

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Chapters

00:00 The Genesis of the Nephilim

02:40 Understanding the Nephilim: Giants or Fallen Ones?

09:04 Theological Perspectives on the Nephilim

17:32 Cultural Fascination with the Supernatural

22:24 Demons, Aliens, and the Occult

29:43 The Nature of Humanity and Divine Judgment

36:25 Understanding Substance and Accident in Theology

39:22 Exploring the Nature of Angels and Demons

40:46 The Nephilim: Theories and Interpretations

45:05 Demonic Influence in Intermarriage

48:34 Genetic Manipulation and the Nephilim

51:52 Rituals and the Demonic Realm

56:34 Biblical Evidence for Demonic Activity

01:00:56 The Subtlety of Demonic Influence

01:05:42 The Importance of Human Substance in Theology