Dr. Mark Mattes teaches at Grand View University in Iowa. His latest book is Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty. In this episode, we talk about the kenotic love of Christ poured out upon the Cross as the definition of Beauty and the beautiful for the Christian life. Referring to his recent essay in the book The Necessary Distinction, we also discuss how Wesleyans like us Crackers can reconcile 'perfection' with Martin's 'simul.'

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Jeremiah 31.31-34, Psalm 51.1-12, Hebrews 5.5-10, John 12.20-33; Why does God make new covenants? Is email inherently sinful? Should we love or hate our lives? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with guest Ben Maddison.

Joined by Rev. Drew Colby, Teer and Jason interview Dr. Andy Root of Luther Seminary and author of "Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Responding to the Church's Obsession with Youthfulness."

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Numbers 21.4-9, Psalm 107.1-3, 17-22, Ephesians 2.1-10, John 3.14-21; What's it like serving a church in a post-Christian context? Does allegory fix everything? Can we skip over Good Friday? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with guest Ben Maddison.

"If progressives want to advance their agenda, they need to relearn how to win elections."

In this episode, taped back in the late summer, I talk with Dr. Mark Lilla about his book The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics.

Mark Lilla is Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and a prizewinning essayist for the New York Review of Books and other publications worldwide. His books include The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics; The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction; The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West; and The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. VISIT MARKLILLA.COM.

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In this episode we consider how God poured himself into human form in the incarnation, and/or how Jesus emptied himself of divinity (like omniscience and omnipotence). But mostly we talk about what human qualities Jesus experienced, the good and the bad. And Jason swears that, if Scarlet Johanssen gave him directions, he would follow them.

Exodus 20.1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1.18-25, John 2.13-22; Which of the commandments is the most misunderstood? Are we more tribal now than ever? Is the law perfect? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with guest Rev. Dr. Emily McGowin.

One of the members for the retranslation of the Psalms in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, J Chester Johnson shares his experience of not only interpreting the Psalms but also how this poetic form of scripture still speaks for the church today.

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The episode where Johanna is nice to Teer, Jason tells us how to pray, and we talk about John while glossing over John 3:16.

Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22.23-31, Romans 4.13-25, Mark 8.31-38; Why does the covenant sound so boring? Does God suffer with us? Why are we so obsessed with safety? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with guest Rev. Dr. Emily McGowin.