On The Line

By Bryan SteckerReligion & Spirituality Christianity

On The Line episodes

October 19 Bryan Wolfmueller | What Christians Need to Hear Heading Into 2027
Join us at the small table as we sit down with Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller to discuss the Holy Spirit, Christian assurance, and the challenges facing modern Lutheranism. Pastor Wolfmueller explores the dangers of false teaching, the importance of Christian vocation, and how the Holy Spirit brings comfort, courage, and confidence in Christ.
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About Today’s Guest
Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller serves as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, and is a Lutheran author, speaker, and online theological educator. He is known for his work in Lutheran apologetics, pastoral theology, and teaching the distinction between Law and Gospel.
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1 hr 51 min
October 12 John Henry | Beowulf, Courage, and the Christian Hero
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Pastor John Henry to talk about Beowulf, Tolkien, pagan courage, and Christian storytelling. Pastor Henry explains why old myths still matter, how Beowulf brings the pagan past into a Christian frame, and what courage, honor, family, monsters, and death reveal about the Christian life.
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About Today’s Guest
Pastor John Henry serves a dual parish near Fairmont, Minnesota, and has a background in English, theater, and literature. In this conversation, he discusses Beowulf, Tolkien, Old English poetry, Christian mythmaking, and the northern theory of courage.
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2 hr 58 min
October 05 Dr. Richard Stuckwisch | What Makes The Lutheran Liturgy Lutheran?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Richard Stuckwisch to talk about adiaphora, the Lutheran liturgy, the Divine Service, and why what the Church does teaches and confesses. Dr. Stuckwisch explains why Christian freedom should be used with care, order, and love for the sake of clear confession, faithful catechesis, and unity in the Church.
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About Today’s Guest
Rev. Dr. Richard Stuckwisch serves as President of the Indiana District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and previously served for more than 26 years at Emmaus Lutheran Church in South Bend, Indiana. In this conversation, Dr. Stuckwisch discusses adiaphora, Lutheran worship, the Divine Service, hymnody, and why clarity and consistency matter in the Church’s confession.
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2 hr 22 min
September 28 Dr. John Bombaro | The Biblical Vision of Marriage We’ve Forgotten
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. John Bombaro to talk about marriage, holy matrimony, and why the Church needs a deeper sacramental understanding of the union between husband and wife. Dr. Bombaro argues that holy matrimony is not merely a legal contract or emotional arrangement, but an ecclesial reality grounded in creation, transformed by Christ, and patterned after His union with the Church.

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About Today’s Guest
Rev. Dr. John Bombaro serves as Senior Pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Lafayette, Indiana, and as an LCMS chaplain in the United States Navy Reserve. He has served as a pastor, missionary, theological educator, and writer, with work spanning parish ministry, international theological education, and public Lutheran theology.

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1 hr 45 min
September 21 Peter Bloedel | Why Creativity Needs Tradition
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Peter Bloedel to talk about creativity, storytelling, theater, magic, Christian education, and the arts.

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About Today’s Guest
Peter Bloedel serves at Bethany Lutheran College, where he runs the theater department and teaches on creativity, theater, and the arts. He is also a performer, playwright, musician, magician, and creator of the YouTube channel 'Hey Pete', where he explores sleight of hand, music, backstage work, set design, and the creative life.

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1 hr 59 min
September 14 Dr. Josh Miller | The Church Cannot Become a Political Tool
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Joshua Miller to discuss Hermann Sasse, confessional Lutheranism, Nazism, political idolatry, and the dangers facing the Church when Christianity becomes a tool of power.
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About Today’s Guest
Rev. Dr. Joshua Miller serves as pastor of Jehovah Lutheran Church in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is also an adjunct professor in the Theology and Ministry Department at Concordia University, St. Paul, and serves as a vice president of the Minnesota South District of the LCMS.
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2 hr 15 min
September 07 Duncan McLellan | That’s a Wrap, Folks—OTL is Headed to Ft. Wayne!
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Pastor Duncan McClellan to reflect on the past, present, and future of On the Line. They also announce the next major chapter for OTL: becoming an independent nonprofit, moving the studio to Fort Wayne, and preparing for new opportunities in Lutheran teaching, apologetics, and long-form media.
Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/
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Contact Bryan: [email protected]
About Today’s Guest
Pastor Duncan McClellan serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Waconia, Minnesota. Trinity helped launch and support On the Line from its beginning, providing the space, resources, and mission support that made the podcast and Lutheran Institute of Theology possible.
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39 min
August 31 Dr. Donna Harrison | The Pill, Abortion, IVF—and the War on Human Life
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Donna Harrison to talk about abortion, contraception, IVF, and the medical realities Christians need to understand.
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About Today’s Guest
Dr. Donna Harrison is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and longtime pro-life medical leader. She previously served as CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and later as its Director of Research.
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2 hr 26 min
August 24 Dr. Alfonso Espinosa | The Rapture, Israel, & End Times: Is Dispensationalism Biblical?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa to talk about dispensationalism, the rapture, Christian apologetics, and how Lutherans should engage a confused and anxious culture. Dr. Espinosa explains why popular end-times teaching has shaped American Christianity, politics, and attitudes toward Israel, and why the Lutheran Church rejects a theology driven by fear, prediction, and political power.

Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/
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About Today’s Guest
Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa serves at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, and was recently elected Third Vice President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for the West-Southwest Region. He is the author of several books on faith and culture, including Faith That Sees Through the Culture, Faith That Engages the Culture, Faith That Shines in the Culture, and Contending for Christ Through the Creed.

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2 hr 19 min
August 17 Dr. Benjamin Mayes | What Does Christianity Actually Teach About Marriage and Divorce?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Benjamin Mayes to talk about divorce, remarriage, and the difficult work of pastoral discernment. Dr. Mayes explains what Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and the old Lutheran pastoral tradition teach about the grounds for divorce, the difference between abandonment and ordinary marital hardship, the need for repentance and forgiveness, and why pastors and congregations must handle these cases with clarity rather than vague sympathy or avoidance.

Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/
Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/
Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/
Contact Bryan: [email protected]

About Today’s Guest
Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes has served as a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, since 2016. His work focuses on Lutheran theology, pastoral care, church history, and the Lutheran tradition of casuistry—cases of conscience where pastors and Christians must discern how God’s Word applies to difficult real-life situations. In this conversation, Dr. Mayes discusses his book Divorce and Remarriage: Ecclesiastical Discernment and Pastoral Care.

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2 hr 21 min