Blessed are the Merciful

Carl Truman and James Talarico's Faith

In a Washington Post Op Ed [https://wapo.st/4bnREf9], Carl Truman takes a shot at James Talarico’s faith. Truman claims Talarico’s Faith is “not the future of Christianity”. Truman’s concern, of course, is gender and sexuality. Is Truman’s version of Christianity the future of Christianity? I’m not convinced. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe [https://reformational.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Why we are called to love our immigrant neighbor

How does Bonhoeffer's Discipleship speak about the love the Christian community owes our immigrant neighbors? Bonhoeffer explores what he calls an "extraordinary love"—the love Christians must show, not only to our enemies, but to those who are different from us. Love for those who are like us—our families, our community, our nation—this is natural love. The love of God revealed in Jesus Christ is a cruciform love—it loves those who are different, those who hate us, those who are our natural enemies. In a time when empathy and compassion are seen as weak, it is important to be reminded by people like Dietrich Bonhoeffer about the true nature of love that reconciles us to our enemies, overcomes our differences, and calls to to a new way of life. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe [https://reformational.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Blessed are the Merciful

What does it mean to follow Jesus in this strange cultural moment in the U.S.? Should the Christian community use political power to support their way of life? Bonhoeffer interprets the sermon on the mount as the heart of Christian discipleship. The call to be merciful is a call to let go of honor, to let go of power, and to go to the margins with the poor and suffering. This episode explores what this means at a time when Christians seem to be struggling for political power as a way to secure honor and status. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe [https://reformational.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

To Hunger and Thirst for Justice

The sermon on the mount is the heart of what it means to be a Christian disciple. For Bonhoeffer, this includes hungering and thirsting for God's justice. There are some who think Christians should not be concerned with justice, that somehow this is part of some woke liberal agenda. Yet, at the heart of the gospel is God's desire for justice--God's righteousness. To be a Christian means we must be concerned with justice because God is concerned with justice. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe [https://reformational.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Taking the First Step in Discipleship

In chapter two of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer talks about the first steps of faith. Discipleship is about action, about leaving our nets or getting up from the table, and following Jesus. This is not a program or an idea, but an action. It’s recognizing the concrete reality of my neighbor and the call God makes upon my life. This episode explores Bonhoeffer’s understanding of discipleship not as religious or doctrinal principle, but decisive action in response to God’s call. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe [https://reformational.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]