This We Believe: Exploring the Essential Texts of the Christian Faith

What does it mean to use the Lord’s name in vain? Does this refer simply to using God’s name as a swear word, or does it apply more broadly to our speech? How does our own vanity lead us to use God’s name in vain? Do our words and actions cohere with our affirmations of God’s name? This episode discusses the third commandment, "Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. "

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If the images, the pictures, that we view with our eyes each day were food, what would our diet consist of? Would it make us healthy and strong or weak and sickly? We consume thousands of images each day—are these images drawing us closer to, or further away from, God?
This episode discusses the 2nd Commandment, where God prohibits the making and worshiping of graven images. 

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

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Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

The first commandment, to worship God alone, seems on the surface to be easy. Most of us probably don’t have wooden statues of Zeus that we bow down to in the morning. But what does it mean to have other gods? What are the things that occupy center stage in our hearts? This episode discusses the preamble and first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

The 10 Commandments have long been associated with the virtue of Love in Christianity. Now, for some of us this might seem odd: Isn’t the Ten Commandments after all a list of negative statements—thou shall not do this or thou shall not do that? Are the 10 Commandments really about love, or are they divine impositions on human freedom?

This episode begins season 2 of This We Believe, where we'll go line by line through the 10 Commandments.

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

Why doesn’t the creed say anything about the Bible? Why does it not mention love, or mercy, or justice? What is the relationship between the church, the bible, and the Apostles’ Creed? This episode answers listener questions that were submitted in response to the completion of season 1 and our examination of the Apostles’ Creed. We can summarize these submissions in one question: What has left out of the Apostles’ Creed, and why was it left out?

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

What do Christians mean when we say that we worship one God in three persons, and how are these three persons related? Is a belief in the Trinity a mere academic curiosity, something too difficult for most to grasp, or is it an essential belief that can impact the way we personally relate to God? This episode concludes our examination of the Apostles’ Creed by discussing the revelation of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

Who gets to heaven and who gets to hell, and who gets to decide? What does an eternity with God look like? How does our eternal life not get old or boring? This episode addresses the final statements of the Apostles’ Creed: the final judgment, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  We'll discuss the relationship between justice and judgment, the qualifications of salvation, and the final goal and hope for Christians: to see Jesus face to face.

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

If belief in Jesus as Lord and God enables us to enter into a relationship with God, why do Christian’s still insist on gathering together as a community? Why must one go to church if they are saved? What is the purpose of the church? The Apostles’ Creed asserts a belief in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints. In order to understand the significance of the church, it’s important to understand these three key adjectives. What does it mean for the church to be a communion, and for the church to by holy and catholic? 

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

One of the most challenging notions for Christians to grasp is an understanding of God the Holy Spirit. It’s easy for us to picture God the Son, Jesus. It is also easy for many of us to think of God as Father. But what comes to mind when we think of the Holy Spirit? Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does the Holy Spirit work in the lives of Christians? This episode addresses these questions by examining the Apostles' Creed's statement of belief in the Holy Spirit.

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]

One of the most perplexing questions that few Christians ever ask themselves is this: Why didn’t Jesus stay on earth, travel the world, and reveal his resurrected body to all peoples? Wouldn’t it have been better if he stuck around, so that we could visit him right now? This episode addresses these questions by examining the Apostles' Creed's statement that Jesus "ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father."

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*New Book* From Word to Worship: How the Lectionary Welcomes You into Sacred Time Through Story, Symbol, and Sacrament https://a.co/d/02dKL9Ub

https://michaelniebauer.substack.com/
Twitter: @We_Believe_Pod
E-mail: [email protected]