Episodes

  • TLHP 61 The Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum and Its Role in Founding the CELC with Timothy Plichta
    Nov 1 2024

    Timothy Plichta is a WELS homeschooled high school student living in Germantown, WI. He loves Lutheran history in general and is especially enthralled with anything related to the CELC.

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
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    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
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    34 mins
  • TLHP 60 Wyneken in Baltimore: Contesting Lutheran Identity 1845-1850
    Oct 18 2024

    This episode is a fuller version of my presentation given at the 2024 Lutheran Historical Conference in Baltimore. Link to the full video of this episode.

    One church historian observed that “ It would require pages and pages to report Wyneken's work during his pastorate [in Baltimore].”
    This episode will examine one specific topic- how Wyneken contested for a genuine Lutheran identity and practice in the following arenas in Baltimore:

    • 2nd German Evangelical Lutheran Church
    • Evangelical Lutheran General Synod
    • Forming the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, etc.
    • The IOOF, Red Men, and other lodges

      https://youtu.be/T9m8usSbwSE
    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • TLHP 59 Johannes Bugenhagen and Poor Relief with Jason Oakland
    Oct 4 2024

    Image: Johannes Bugenhagen

    During the Reformation Martin Luther restored many Christian teachings to its proper biblical understanding. One of the men who worked with Luther in communicating those teachings was Johannes Bugenhagen. This episode explores one specific way Bugenhagen communicated the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms in The Christian Order of the Honorable City of Braunschweig. His answer to the question is especially evident in the section of this Kirchenordnung that deals with relief for the poor.

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • TLHP 58 U.V. Koren and C.F.W. Walther’s views on American Government with Andrew Soule
    Sep 20 2024

    Image U.V. Koren

    “How is our America doing?” That is the poignant question that C.F.W. Walther (1811 1887), the President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, asks in his Synod’s theological journal, “Lehre und Wehre” in 1863. In a series of articles written in the Spring of that year, on the eve of the Civil War, Walther addressed topics such as slavery, abolitionism, the nature of America as having been founded on “Enlightenment” principles, as well as how Lutherans can remain faithful to God’s Word in the face of fiery political debates in a democratic context. Of course, Walther was grappling with a much broader question that endures to this day among Lutherans living in America, and that is, what does it mean to be both an “American” and a “Lutheran”?

    Rev. Andrew Soule discusses the views of Clausen, Koren, and Walther.

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • TLHP 57 Becoming Lutheran: The Community of Brunswick from Evangelical Reform to Lutheran Culture with John Maxfield
    Sep 6 2024

    Image: city of Brunswick (Braunschweig) in the 16th century

    In Becoming Lutheran, Dr. John Maxfield discusses several key aspects of Lutheran culture that shape the identity and practice of Lutherans as the Reformation grew and developed outside of the center of Wittenberg. The story of Brunswick engages with Reformation historiography in a way that takes genuine religious convictions seriously as pamphlets and preaching spread the Gospel to every level of society.

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • TLHP 56 Lutheran Sermons and Walther's Pastoral Theology with Scott Henrich
    Aug 16 2024

    We welcome back Pastor Scott Henrich, a WELS pastor serving in Knoxville, Tennessee. His experiences reading historic Lutheran sermons inspired him to research Lutheranism's homiletical heritage in a way that may challenge some contemporary assumptions about the historic perception of Lutheran preaching. (See TLHP 39)

    You can contact him here: scottwhenrich@gmail.com

    Today he offers further thoughts and research after studying Walther's Pastoral Theology.

    "While C. F. W. Walther needs no introduction for conservative American Lutherans, his Pastoral Theology does. Originally published in 1872, it was not translated into English in its entirety until 2017. (An abridged version, found under various titles, was published in 1995.) In it, Walther condenses a tradition of over 300 years of Lutheran pastoral practice. In a purely historical sense, it is a contribution of great interest, without which the non-specialist would be cut off from centuries of his heritage. Walther’s project, however, goes beyond remembrance, or even repristination. The “American” in the book’s original title (Americanisch-Lutherische Pastoraltheologie) was no accident (3). His intent was to help pastors apply that heritage, mined from God’s Word and initially expressed in the state churches of Europe, to their own time and place. To that end especially, this book is a gift to the Lutheran pastor." -S.H.

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 16 mins
  • TLHP 55 Sassy Lutherans, the House of Cleves and the Reformation with Heather Darsie
    May 3 2024

    Heather R. Darsie lives in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in German Languages and Literature, and a Juris Doctorate. During her time at university, she had the privilege of studying in Costa Rica and France, with visits to Germany and other countries.

    Ms. Darsie first became interested in the Renaissance time period when she read a biography about Elizabeth I of England. She found Elizabeth I to be very inspiring and her world to be both foreign and familiar.

    Ms. Darsie has spent the last ten years researching the history of the Holy Roman Empire. This has helped her gain perspective as to the political world stage during the Renaissance.

    As a bibliophile, she turned her attention to illuminated manuscripts. She is learning more each day and is glad to share it with you. Today we talk about Lutheran connections to the House of Cleves.

    Her book:

    Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings



    https://maidensandmanuscripts.com/

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • TLHP 54 Did Luther have a 3rd Use of the Law? With Bob Kolb
    Apr 5 2024

    Image: Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Younger

    "Wittenberg Uses of Law and Gospel"
    Our guest today Dr. Robert A. Kolb is a professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. See the emeritus faculty page at Concordia Lutheran Seminary:

    Kolb retired in 2009 after 16 years of distinguished service as missions professor of Systematic Theology and Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis. Before joining the Seminary, he served as director of the Center for Reformation Research, and in various teaching roles in the religion and history departments at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn. He has taken much time over many years to teach abroad. He also has been involved in several boards—serving both officially on behalf of the LCMS on commissions, and a leader of 16th century and Reformation societies.

    There is not enough time to list everything he has written, but I included a selection today: He is the author of several books, including The Christian Faith: A Luther Exposition; The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church with Dr. Charles Arand; Studies of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century; Lutheran Ecclesiastical Culture, 1550-1675; Bound Choice, Election, and Wittenberg Theological Method from Martin Luther to the Formula of Concord; Sources and Contexts of the Book of Concord, co-edited with James A. Nestingen; Teaching God’s Children His Teaching, a Guide to the Study of Luther’s Catechism; and the list goes on. Perhaps where his name is on most Lutheran bookshelves is in the Book of Concord—he was one of the editors and translators of the most used English edition today. He also has written more than 100 articles and a collection of essays. One of the most recent, titled Wittenberg Uses of Law and Gospel, was published in the Fall edition of the 2023 Lutheran Quarterly and is

    Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement

    Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Support the show

    • Lutheran History Shop
    • Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
    • Facebook
    • Website
    • Interview Request Form
    • email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com
    • About the Host
      • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
        Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
        Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins