Talks with Dad Rod

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Society & Culture Philosophy Religion & Spirituality Christianity

What's Talks with Dad Rod about?

Rod Rosenbladt was well known for the free-flowing conversations with students, family, and friends on his back deck in Irvine, Ca. Join Rod and his son Ted as they recreate this experience 6 min at a time on Talks was Dad Rod.

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Talks with Dad Rod episodes:

01.15.2024
Given the stern warnings against idolatry, isn’t a metaphorical understanding of Communion better?
Ted asks about what is true about what the Lord’s Supper is and what it does. Rod talks about when Luther went to Marburg to debate with Zwingly, how he made the case for what the Lord’s Supper actually is,...
01.02.2024
What does it mean to have an infant priest?
Ted asks about what it means that God has been born in the flesh, a baby in our presence. Rod talks about what C.S. Lewis calls “the grand miracle” and what Jesus showed us His true vocation is and why...
12.26.2023
What is your favorite thing about Father Christmas in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”?
Ted asks about C.S. Lewis’ Father Christmas in Narnia, and reads the scene in which he shows up. Rod talks about how Lewis was such a good communicator, what we see in the Narnia scene and how it points to...
12.19.2023
How many shepherds were in Bethlehem that first Christmas night?
Ted asks about the shepherds who received the heavenly announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ. Rod reads from Ezekiel 34 and talks about the shepherd’s vocation, and with regard to any fear Christians have that Jesus’ work isn’t sufficient...
12.11.2023
What does it mean to talk of Jesus being long expected as we sing in the Advent hymn and elsewhere?
Ted asks about the long wait for Jesus’ prophesied arrival, reading from the hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”. Rod talks about what ‘the factual story’ is in Scripture, the prophesies of Jesus, those prophesies’ fulfillment in Jesus Christ’s birth, and...
11.27.2023
What does it mean to say that for Paul justification by faith was a weapon with which to contend?
Ted asks about what Paul meant when he spoke about justification by faith, reading a quote from author F.F. Bruce. Rod talks about how we see in the writings of Paul that Jesus’ words divide, Jesus’ connection to the Old...
11.20.2023
How could Paul be blameless as to the law when through the law comes the knowledge of sin?
Ted asks about how Paul describes himself in Philippians vs what we learn in Romans that the law does with sinners. Rod talks about Paul’s (when Saul) ‘flawless’ striving toward works of the law, that the law is correct to...
11.14.2023
Did C.S. Lewis believe dogs were bad at arithmetic?
Ted asks about C.S. Lewis’ rhetorical comment in one of his letters, in which he mentions dogs and arithmetic. Rod talks about critical thinking, what Lewis faced when he made claims with his mentor, William Kirkpatrick, and the difference between...
11.07.2023
When Jesus acts like we’re bad at figuring out who’s saved and who’s not, should we believe Him?
Ted asks about how well we are able to figure out the status of someone’s faith, reading from Matthew 13:24-29. Rod talks about Jesus’ efforts to first include people, rather than exclude, and who Jesus brings His ‘invite’ to, how...
10.30.2023
Is the lizard removal incident in “The Great Divorce” a good illustration of salvation by grace?
LIVE FROM ‘HERE WE STILL STAND 2023’! (Audio Only) Ted asks a question about C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Great Divorce”. Rod talks about “objective justification”, who gets the credit for our salvation, free will, Who pursues whom, and who Jesus...
10.23.2023
My life goes from bad to worse. Does that mean I was never saved?
Ted asks about how my struggles in my Christian faith and walk reflects on my eternal salvation. Rod talks about the story in Scripture about the Pharisee and the Publican, and which man went home justified, and studying words connected...
10.16.2023
Do Lutherans talk about being saved?
Ted asks about how Lutherans speak of the idea of ‘being saved’. Rod talks about sola fide (faith alone), the idea that baptism saves sinners (1 Pet 3:21), what our contribution to our salvation is, and what our condition is...
10.09.2023
When we say the law always accuses does that mean the law always condemns?
Ted asks about what the law means for us sinners regarding accusation and condemnation. Rod talks about how the law does accuse, what role the third use of the law has in the Christian life (from the Lutheran “Book of...
10.02.2023
Dad, you often put Christian actions such as repentance in the passive voice. Why?
Ted asks about Rod regularly putting Christian actions in the passive voice. Rod talks about the sinners impotence to do some things, what repentance means, the idea that God’s command implies that we are capable of doing what is commanded,...
09.25.2023
Is the goal of Christian education just learning the talking points and their answers?
Ted asks about what the focus of Christian education should be. Rod talks about ‘thinking Christianly’ or ‘thinking Biblically’, the history of our Ivy universities, the teaching paradigms used by American churches as well as grade schools and colleges, and...
09.18.2023
Dad, why do you put so much emphasis on Romans 4:5?
Ted asks about why Rod speaks of Romans 4:5 so much. Rod talks about our sinful nature, and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the wicked, the mystery of the Gospel going ‘around self’ & being gifted anyway, and how...
09.11.2023
How many parts are there to the Gospel?
Ted asks about what things, exactly, comprise the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rod talks about the simplicity of the Gospel, the value of hearing Christ crucified for my rescue every Sunday morning, the sinner ‘being turned’ away from self (passively—as...
09.04.2023
Once we’ve gotten the elementary teachings about Christ, shouldn’t we move on to maturity?
Ted asks about what maturity looks like (Hebrews 6:1) after having come to have faith in Jesus Christ, and reads from Ephesians 1:17-23. Rod reads a quote from John Calvin’s Institutes, and speaks about how much we sons of Adam...
08.28.2023
Shouldn’t Christianity just flow after the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Ted asks about the idea that the Christian life should be relatively smooth after the gift of the Holy Spirit. Rod talks about what the New Testament tells us about Christianity, what saves sinners, and using some imagery from C.S....
08.21.2023
Does a real Christian ever ponder abandoning the faith?
Ted asks about Christians struggling with doubt about the faith and walking away from it. Rod talks about learning from the New Testament that such struggles are ‘not weird’, how people are not trained to know why Christianity is true,...
08.14.2023
I’m feeling like Christianity is just too hard, why is it easier for others?
Ted asks about feeling like being a Christian is difficult when it seems like others aren’t struggling. Rod talks about what diet I’m getting that can cause such a struggle to occur, or make an existing struggle worse, and asks...
08.07.2023
Is it true that when you’re saved, “You know that you know that you know”?
Ted asks about the idea of ‘knowing that you know’ regarding your salvation. Rod talks about how a Lutheran answers, “How do you know [you are saved]?”, that different churches (denominations) should be able to tell you what they confess...
07.31.2023
If you end on Gospel, does it suggest God wasn’t serious about the Law?
Ted asks about how serious God is about the law in light of Jesus’ Gospel. Rod talks about closing with ‘let us’, whether the law is a good motivator for believing sinners to go each week and do what the...
07.24.2023
Do the Ten Commandments still apply to Christians?
Ted asks about how God’s law in the Ten Commandments still applies to Christian believers. Rod talks about how rough God’s law is for sinners, the relationship between the law and Christ’s Gospel, and points to the book of Galatians...
07.17.2023
I’ve been backsliding for a while now. What should I do?
Ted asks about struggling with sin in the faith. Rod talks about what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and why His Gospel is important for sinners who also confess ongoing sin in the faith as St. Paul did in...
07.10.2023
What would it mean for a sermon to be an absolution?
Ted asks about what it would mean for sinners to hear their sins absolved in the sermon every week. Rod talks about what pastors are called to do from the pulpit, the truth of the relationship between sinners and God’s...
07.03.2023
Are Law and Gospel basically a carrot and a stick?
Ted asks about how sinners should perceive the law and the Gospel. Rod talks about the claims of the law and what it does to all sinners’ standing before God, across all cultures, St. Paul’s teachings about the works of...
06.26.2023
I keep asking God what He wants me to do. Why is He always silent?
Ted asks about struggling to determine God’s plan for my life and for work. Rod talks about ‘talking to God’ and getting answers back, how Reformation thinkers approached questions like these, and the idea of ‘breaking through’ to a transcendent...
06.19.2023
Dad, how did you come back to the faith after being an agnostic?
Ted asks about Rod’s path of faith after becoming an agnostic after his church experience. Rod talks about going to the University of Washington as an agnostic, what turned him back to the idea of theism, the idea of a...
06.12.2023
What was your childhood church like, Dad?
Ted asks about Rod’s experience in church in his youth and what it did to his faith. Rod talks about Lutheran pietism and how law-focused and improvement-focused teaching and preaching affected him, and how that church experience affected his view...
06.05.2023
I maintain servers at my tech company 70 hours a week. How do I find time to serve God, too?
Ted asks about the idea of having a vocation related to our faith along with our regular vocations. Rod talks about the Lutheran doctrine of vocation, and how freeing it can be for people to learn that God is pleased...
05.29.2023
I’ve been betrayed and hurt so often. Why should I dare to hope that Christianity is true?
Ted asks about people’s skepticism and struggle to consider the truth of Christianity. Rod talks about the kinds of experiences people may have in their pasts that influence their perspective, and what we learn from St. Paul about engaging with...
05.22.2023
Is exhortation how I cleanse my brother’s feet? How does exhortation cleanse?
Ted asks about the value of exhortation. Rod talks about what exhortation is, and what value it has for us sinners, and what our focus should be for our neighbors. Produced by: Rick Ritchie SHOW NOTES: Gene Veith, “God at...
05.15.2023
How do I know I’m in Gods perfect will?
Ted asks about how we can know we’re doing precisely what God wills for us. Rod references the old Magic 8-Ball toy about how we are tempted to approach our understanding of God’s will for us, and talks about Reformation...
05.08.2023
I’m already a believer. Isn’t your message of Good News only for those who aren’t?
Ted asks about who the Gospel is for. Rod talks about what Christians should expect their faithful lives to look like, from Scripture, what church is for, and how most seminaries are not properly preparing future pastors to deliver what...
05.01.2023
Do I sin because I’m a sinner, or am I a sinner because I sin?
Ted asks which statement of our sinful condition is accurate. Rod talks about inherited sin versus the sins we commit, what the difference is, how deep our sin really is, and what the Good News is for us and what...
04.25.2023
Is lust adultery?
Ted asks whether lusting for someone is adultery, reading Matthew 5:27-28. Rod talks about self-justification, what Jesus’ words reveal to sinners about the truth of the law when we try to find a loophole, and what sinners’ natural desires are...
04.10.2023
When the resurrected Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”, was this just a countercultural greeting?
Ted asks about what it meant for Jesus to appear to His disciples and lead with blessing them with peace, twice. Rod talks about how the Christian claims turn on the resurrection, and discusses the question of what could cause...
04.03.2023
O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken?
Ted borrows a question from a hymn title that asks why Jesus has to die, as if He sinned. Rod talks about how the Bible testifies throughout that Jesus, the Spotless Lamb, would come to take our punishment in our...
03.27.2023
Should I pray for time to amend?
Ted asks about whether we should pray for time to amend our lives. Rod talks about what sinners contribute to their salvation, the idea of a ‘mulligan’ confession, what gifts we are to receive in church, and where our true...
03.20.2023
I’m tormented by blasphemous thoughts. Do I need an exorcist?
Ted asks about good news when we can’t seem to shake sinful, even blasphemous, thoughts. Rod talks about which prevails in the end, Jesus Christ or our sins, the true difficulty we sinners can have with dark thoughts, who we...
03.13.2023
Am I under obligation to attend a church that is hurting my faith? That is Gospelless?
Ted asks about the idea of attending a church where the Gospel isn’t being preached. Rod talks about what Jesus Christ intends for sinners to receive in His church, what obligation we are under to attend a church where those...
03.06.2023
Do I need to get to work and make Jesus happy?
Ted asks if we as Christians need to get busy in order to gain or maintain our salvation. Rod talks about sanctification versus justification (using a two-column idea), what weight believers’ works have regarding their salvation, and how Reformation theology...
02.27.2023
Does God speak our faith into existence?
Ted asks about if our Christian faith is purely a gift of God. Rod talks about how the Reformation began with a doctrine of sin that was solidly Biblical, and what God speaks into the darkness of the human heart....
02.20.2023
Should I be different now that I believe in Jesus? You know, sinning less?
Ted asks if believers should expect their sinning to lessen after coming to faith in Christ. Rod talks about what the law demands of sinners, whether sinners can meet those demands, recognizing the terrors the law can create, and what...
02.13.2023
Scripture condemns those who approve the sins of others. Are we safe then if we disapprove of everybody?
Ted asks about correcting others when we feel like we are right and they are wrong. Rod talks about being in a church of Germans, and how Germans perceive things, how we sinners are tempted to treat each other, how...
02.06.2023
Yes, preaching of the Gospel is important, but people still have to accept it, right?
Ted asks about our role in accepting salvation and having faith in Jesus Christ. Rod talks about the truth of the sinner’s role in their salvation and coming to faith in Jesus Christ, and what God does for and to...
01.30.2023
My fruit seems bad sometimes. Am I a bad tree?
Ted asks about looking to our own fruit and seeing that it’s bad, and what does that mean. Rod talks about how sinners incline to moralism and synergism, how we are natural fruit-measurers who prefer to look to ourselves, and...
01.23.2023
Is it a bad thing if my pastor goes though trials in his faith?
Ted asks about what it means if our pastor goes through struggles of faith. Rod talks about how he perceives a pastor who is always ‘winning’, versus a pastor who is ‘assaulted’, and speaks of his memories and experiences with...
01.16.2023
What’s so bad about right and wrong?
Ted asks about the value of the idea of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Rod talks about how shifting toward ethics and moralism can poison the Gospel, references what we see Jesus do when He made wine for the wedding at Cana,...

What's Talks with Dad Rod about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Talks with Dad Rod episodes:

Given the stern warnings against idolatry, isn’t a metaphorical understanding of Communion better?

What does it mean to have an infant priest?

What is your favorite thing about Father Christmas in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”?

How many shepherds were in Bethlehem that first Christmas night?

What does it mean to talk of Jesus being long expected as we sing in the Advent hymn and elsewhere?

What does it mean to say that for Paul justification by faith was a weapon with which to contend?

How could Paul be blameless as to the law when through the law comes the knowledge of sin?

Did C.S. Lewis believe dogs were bad at arithmetic?

When Jesus acts like we’re bad at figuring out who’s saved and who’s not, should we believe Him?

Is the lizard removal incident in “The Great Divorce” a good illustration of salvation by grace?

My life goes from bad to worse. Does that mean I was never saved?

Do Lutherans talk about being saved?

When we say the law always accuses does that mean the law always condemns?

Dad, you often put Christian actions such as repentance in the passive voice. Why?

Is the goal of Christian education just learning the talking points and their answers?

Dad, why do you put so much emphasis on Romans 4:5?

How many parts are there to the Gospel?

Once we’ve gotten the elementary teachings about Christ, shouldn’t we move on to maturity?

Shouldn’t Christianity just flow after the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Does a real Christian ever ponder abandoning the faith?

I’m feeling like Christianity is just too hard, why is it easier for others?

Is it true that when you’re saved, “You know that you know that you know”?

If you end on Gospel, does it suggest God wasn’t serious about the Law?

Do the Ten Commandments still apply to Christians?

I’ve been backsliding for a while now. What should I do?

What would it mean for a sermon to be an absolution?

Are Law and Gospel basically a carrot and a stick?

I keep asking God what He wants me to do. Why is He always silent?

Dad, how did you come back to the faith after being an agnostic?

What was your childhood church like, Dad?

I maintain servers at my tech company 70 hours a week. How do I find time to serve God, too?

I’ve been betrayed and hurt so often. Why should I dare to hope that Christianity is true?

Is exhortation how I cleanse my brother’s feet? How does exhortation cleanse?

How do I know I’m in Gods perfect will?

I’m already a believer. Isn’t your message of Good News only for those who aren’t?

Do I sin because I’m a sinner, or am I a sinner because I sin?

Is lust adultery?

When the resurrected Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”, was this just a countercultural greeting?

O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken?

Should I pray for time to amend?

I’m tormented by blasphemous thoughts. Do I need an exorcist?

Am I under obligation to attend a church that is hurting my faith? That is Gospelless?

Do I need to get to work and make Jesus happy?

Does God speak our faith into existence?

Should I be different now that I believe in Jesus? You know, sinning less?

Scripture condemns those who approve the sins of others. Are we safe then if we disapprove of everybody?

Yes, preaching of the Gospel is important, but people still have to accept it, right?

My fruit seems bad sometimes. Am I a bad tree?

Is it a bad thing if my pastor goes though trials in his faith?

What’s so bad about right and wrong?