Let the Bird Fly!

00:00 - Introduction

02:43 - Scripture Narrative (Galatians 5:1)

06:33 - Free-for-all (Going back to school)

18:30 - Main Topic (Consider the Lobster)

On episode TWENTY-TWO of Let the Bird Fly! Wade and Peter find themselves alone in the studio...no Ben, no guest, no kids. But don’t worry, they still manage to find something to talk about; even if that something turns out to be lobsters (Ben may need to rethink missing episodes). Before discussing crustaceans, however, Wade discusses Galatians 5 and they both talk about going back to school, as the new school year is just now beginning. Eventually, as always happens though, the guys make it to the main topic. This week they discuss an essay by David Foster Wallace entitled Consider the Lobster. (If you haven’t read David Foster Wallace’s essay, follow the link above, and do yourself the favor now. Or if you prefer a PDF version, you can find that here.) The essay turns on the question: is it at all right to boil a sentient creature alive? But before you turn off the episode, this isn’t an episode designed to turn you into a vegan, but rather one that we hope gets you to ask the questions that sometimes hide in plain sight. Wade also mentions a commencement address by David Foster Wallace, This Is Water. (It’s worth a listen, but as Wade mentions in the episode, he does use a bad word...you have been warned.) In that address David Foster Wallace points directly to these questions as well. It may be a bit headier of an episode (but let’s be honest, it’s Wade and Peter, so you know it can’t be too heady); we hope it gets you thinking about some of those things that you hadn’t even thought to think about.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two!

If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at [email protected], or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.

Thanks for listening!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

“Gib laut” by

In this Wingin' It episodette Wade discusses another topic from his book An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism’s First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today. In this session Wade discusses the Osiandrian Controversy over justification, which is named for Andreas Osiander, who argued for a justification more akin to the infused grace that the Catholic church had taught and not the forensic justification taught by Luther and the Lutheran church. (Wade discusses this a bit more in the episodette, but by “forensic justification” he means that justification declared by God for the sinner.) In so doing Osiander manages the rare feat of unifying most of early Lutheranism, even if they were unified against his teaching. Osiander believed his understanding of justification would be a greater comfort for believers, but most early Lutheran theologians not only disagreed with his assessment, but even more they believed this to be simply inaccurate doctrinally. Indeed, the Formula of Concord will eventually leave little room for dispute when it defines justification as a forensic act.

Peter interviewed Wade on his book in Episode 12, so if you haven't listened to that episode yet, it will provide a broader view of Wade's book. And, as promised in that episode, Wade provides a more in-depth discussion of one aspect of his book in this Wingin' It session. If you'd like to listen to Wade's other Wingin' It episodettes on his book, head on over to our Wingin' It page where you'll find them all.

Stay tuned for more Wining' It sessions on Wade's book!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 Intern

00:00 - Introduction

05:22 - Scripture Narrative (Luke 2:1-2)

10:12 - Free-for-all (What did you want to be when you were a child?)

26:59 - Main Topic (History Isn’t Bunk!)

On episode TWENTY-ONE of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome Professor Sheena Finnigan to discuss the value of history (spoiler alert: she’s a professor of history). Wade points out that history is important enough to find a prominent place in the Gospel according to St. Luke, and Oliva gets a bit too dark for Wade and Peter during the free-for-all. As always happens, however, we eventually make it to the main topic, where Professor Finnigan and Wade enjoy geeking out over history stuff (don't worry, it doesn't get too heady). Sheena discusses her primary research area, which is the history of motherhood and birthing in ancient Rome. This leads into a discussion of home births, which naturally causes Peter to mention Jim Gaffigan’s hilarious bit on home birth (if you haven’t seen it yet, you can do so here). Wade enjoys picking Professor Finnigan’s brain about some specifics and a whole lot of general history questions. The discussion ranges from home births to the difference between social/cultural history and intellectual history to uteri and even to some propaganda talk. We’re tremendously grateful to Professor Finnigan for joining us. Whether history is your thing not, we’re confident you’ll enjoy this episode.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two!

If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at [email protected], or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.

Thanks for listening!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

“Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.

“Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner

“Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.

00:00 - Introduction

03:27 - Scripture Narrative (Ephesians 2:8-10)

07:26 - Free-for-all (I love YouTube!)

19:17 - Main Topic (Vocation)

On episode TWENTY of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome the Reverend Doctor Michael Berg to discuss the topic of vocation. Before getting to our main topic, though, Wade brings up his kids’ love of YouTube. Peter compares YouTube to Aldous Huxley’s soma; and Wade claims that he’s not responsible for his children, because they were raised by YouTube. Shortly after Wade’s defensive confession, the guys find their way to the main topic of Christian vocation. Dr. Berg leads the guys through a fascinating conversation (one that hopefully leads to some Wingin’ It episodettes and maybe even another full-length episode at some point), which includes a discussion of the masks of God, Law and Gospel, vertical and horizontal ethical orientations, the radical freedom that the Gospel provides, and more big questions than you can shake a stick at.

If you’re looking for more on vocation, Dr. Berg mentioned Gustaf Wingren and Gene Edward Veith as two authors to check out. So to get you started, here are a couple of links:

* Gustaf Wingren’s Luther on Vocation

* Gene Edward Veith Jr.’s God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life

Wade also mentioned Steven Paulson’s Lutheran Theology, so check that out too. And finally Wade mentioned his Wingin’ It session on Luther’s On the Bondage of the Will, which you haven’t listened to yet, you can do right here.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two!

If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at [email protected], or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.

Thanks for listening!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

00:00 - Introduction

02:53 - Scripture Narrative (Philippians 1:12-18)

06:20 - Free-for-all (Do modern comforts make us soft?)

25:44 - Main Topic (A Confessing Church)

On episode NINETEEN of Let the Bird Fly! the guys clear the studio and just have a good ol’ conversation with themselves (no guests or kids around this time). Wade’s been thinking about what it means to be a confessing Church lately, because he recently wrote an article about it (which you can find over at 1517. the Legacy Project). And since the guys pretty much do whatever Wade says, on this episode they grapple with what it means to be a confessing Church. But as always before getting to the main topic they deal decisively with a major question in their free-for-all. This episode they ask, Do modern comforts make us superior to our ancestors, or just soft? After some thought provoking and (less than) profound discussion, they turn to the main topic. During their discussion they mention Wade’s writing at the 1517. the Legacy Project. Some of Wade’s articles have been linked at the Let the Bird Fly! Facebook page, but if you’d like to see everything he’s written over there, you can do so here.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two!

If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at [email protected], or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.

Thanks for listening!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

“Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.

“Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner

“Not Drunk” by

In this Wingin' It session Wade discusses another topic from his book An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism’s First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today. In this session Wade discusses the Majorist Controversy over good works, which is named for Georg Major, who argued that good works are necessary for salvation. The controversy is handled not by minimizing good works, but rather by emphasizing that our confidence is placed not in good works, but in the work of Christ. Listen in and grab a copy of Wade's book for more on Georg Major and the Majorist Controversy.

Peter interviewed Wade on his book in Episode 12, so if you haven't listened to that episode yet, it will provide a broader view of Wade's book. And, as promised in that episode, Wade provides a more in-depth discussion of one aspect of his book in this Wingin' It session. If you'd like to listen to Wade's other Wingin' It episodettes on his book, head on over to our Wingin' It page where you'll find them all.

Stay tuned for more Wining' It sessions on Wade's book!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 Intern

01:08 - Introduction

05:55 - Scripture Narrative (Proverbs 22:6)

09:55 - Free-for-all (Self-driving cars)

21:55 - Main Topic (Classical Education)

On episode EIGHTEEN of Let the Bird Fly! we welcome Dr. Jason Merritt to discuss classical education. Dr. Merritt has been a classical educator for over a decade teaching mostly classical Greek, as well as serving as HeadMaster for four years. He currently teaches at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Merritt has also taught Greek at Texas Christian University, has done translation work in Swahili, Croatian, Japanese, and Haitian Creole, and is the author of Devils and Deviants: Religious Schism in 1 and 2 John.

In addition to Dr. Merritt, the guys are joined by two pastors that happened to be on campus for the Return to Wittenberg Conference that was recently held in Milwaukee. Pastor Johann Caauwe currently serves Trinity Lutheran Church in El Paso, TX and Pastor Nathanael Seelow serves Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kearney, NE. Rev. Caauwe homeschools his children and has recently presented on the topic of Classical Education in the early Lutheran church. He has also offered Latin classes to children in El Paso as an extension of his homeschooling efforts.

Before arriving at the main topic, however, the guys waste their time (and yours, should you choose to listen) by discussing--in perhaps the most uninformed way possible--the positives and negatives of self-driving cars. The discussion comes to it’s logical (and merciful) conclusion when Oliva questions how confident Wade should be about where he might find himself in the event of a tragic airplane crash.

Moving on the main topic, Dr. Merritt offers a glimpse into his personal background as well as a brief description of his book Devils and Deviants: Religious Schism in 1 and 2 John. This leads into our conversation about classical education, where Dr. Merritt walks us through a discussion of how classical education differs from what Peter ham-handedly refers to as “modern” education. While acknowledging that there are many different ways classical education can--and is--understood, Dr. Merritt provides us with a sophisticated articulation of what he believes to be central to classical education in regards to its content, method, and telos (i.e., “end” or “objective”). Leave it to a Greek teacher to use Greek words in his answer, but it turns out to be perhaps the most essential part of Dr. Merritt’s view of the value of a classical education. Forming the student, he believes, NOT to be first and foremost getting them into a good school and getting them a good job, etc., etc. (although it may be a secondary effect). Rather, he believes that putting in front of students those things that participate in truth and goodness and beauty gives educators the opportunity to teach students to love those things that have truth and goodness and beauty. So, if you’re a longtime defender of classical education, or someone who’s never even really heard of it before, we think you’ll enjoy this episode. And if you’d like to contact Dr. Merritt,

00:00 - Introduction

05:55 - Scripture Narrative (Matthew 24-25 and 1 John 4)

16:01 - Main Topic (Beware the Sky is Falling!)

On episode SEVENTEEN of Let the Bird Fly! Wade breaks out on his own providing an expanded discussion of his blog post Beware the Fearmonger. (If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? Head over to our website now!) After deciding not to argue with himself--and so skipping the free-for-all, Wade discusses the ease with which we push others into various boxes or labels and then assume that we then know all we need to know about the other. Pushing back against this cultural impulse, Wade encourages us to evaluate the role ideology plays in our own thoughts first. By doing so, we may find that those we’ve shoved into different boxes might not be everything we thought they were (or perhaps even more than we thought they were). Relatedly, Wade encourages us to view the “crises” of the day with a more critical lens, in order to avoid giving these political and cultural debates too central of a role in our lives as Christians. The sky hasn’t fallen yet, and although we look forward to Christ’s second coming as Christians, worrying about the sky and it’s fealty to remaining fixed above us won’t change any of that. Life is full of tensions and paradoxes, and while that may not always be comfortable for us as Christians, it is something that all of our worrying, side-taking, and fearmongering won’t even begin to change. The law accuses us and tells us how very wretched we truly are (and this world is), but let’s not forget the reason Christ came; namely, to be the balm that frees us from the law, allowing us to live freely in His Gospel assurance. The sky doesn’t look so bad afterall...so, let the bird fly!

Peter did stop by in the middle of the episode to remind the listeners of what we have going on the website. He mentioned the blog posts, the devotions, the Wingin’ It episodettes, and the email lists. So stop on by and see what else we’ve been up to. Peter did forget which episode he’d interviewed Wade about his book An Uncompromising Gospel (at lease he remembered the name of the book this time), but if you’re interested in that, it was episode 12, which you can find here. And if you’d like to listen to Wade’s Wingin’ It episodettes on his book, you can find those here.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or

In this Wingin' It session Wade discusses the next section from his book An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism’s First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today. This section we pick up one of the central debates from On the Bondage of the Will; namely, synergism and the free will. The synergistic controversy has proved to be one that persists up to today (and I'm guessing it may make it to the next generation too). So despite its fancy name, it is one that deserves perennial attention.

Peter interviewed Wade on his book in Episode 12, so if you haven't listened to that episode yet, it will provide a broader view of Wade's book. And, as promised in that episode, Wade provides a more in-depth discussion of one aspect of his book in this Wingin' It session. If you'd like to listen to Wade's other Wingin' It episodettes on his book, head on over to our Wingin' It page where you'll find them all.

Stay tuned for more Wining' It sessions on Wade's book!

Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

“The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

“Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 Intern

00:00 - Introduction

03:42 - Scripture Narrative (Hymns: Abide with Me and For All the Saints)

10:24 - Free-for-all (Review of the MLB season, with a focus on the Tigers and Brewers)

27:17 - Main Topic (We’re All Gonna Die: Ars moriendi)

On episode SIXTEEN of Let the Bird Fly! we welcome back Rev. John Bortulin, who first joined us on episode three (which you can find here, if you missed it). This time we asked Rev. Bortulin to join us for a discussion of death and dying and what it means (and doesn’t mean) for the Christian. Before getting to our discussion, however, Wade cheats with the Scripture Narrative (but in a very “Lutheran” way) by talking about two hymns that he associates with funeral: For All the Saints  and Abide with Me. Next we move into a discussion of the first half of the 2017 MLB season, with a special focus on the Tigers and the Brewers. (If you want to know what we thought at the beginning of the season you can go back and listen to the first few episodes.) Somehow that discussion devolves into a “debate” over the relative merits (or lack thereof) of the State of Illinois. In fact, the discussion keeps popping up so much that we considered titling this episode “Death and (Illinois) Taxes.” Rev. Bortulin becomes oddly quiet during this discussion, bet he does manages to throw some shade on the Chicago White Sox. As must be the case, though, we do eventually manage to get to the main topic: death and dying. Death is always an uneasy topic, but it is nonetheless an inescapable reality for humanity, and a reminder of our fallen state. As Christians, however, we also have the confidence that comes through that one perfect death. This paradox is what allows Rev. Bortulin and Wade discuss the joy and privilege of a pastor to be present at the deathbeds of the faithful. Wade reads a section from Johann Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, in which Gerhard reminds us that Christ in his death turns death from curse into gift.

A huge thanks once again to Rev. Bortulin for joining us. If you’d like more information on the church he is currently serving, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mukwonago, WI, you can find it at www.stjohnslutheran-muk.org.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two!

If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at [email protected], or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.