Radical Grace/the Lutheran Difference

Part of my personal re-evaluation includes trying to discover both the lies in the world around me and the lies that I tell myself about the world around me. Lately, the world around me seems nuts, but I can also imagine that people who read Jesus' parables think that he was nuts as well. One such parable doesn't seem that strange when you realize that the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) came to a realization about the world around him. I can imagine that he also realized he'd been lying to himself as well. That's the collusion of our sinful nature and the world. They both lie to us. In this edition of Radical Grace Radio, the Prodigal Son.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

So The Pope went viral again, stating to an Italian Newspaper Magnate that Atheists and Agnostics can go to heaven if they just follow their conscience and do good works. Now, why do Lutherans care about this? And why should you? This on Radical Grace Radio.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

In this edition of Radical Grace Radio we're talking about Jesus' saying in Luke 14, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple." This is the Gospel of the Lord. The Good News of the Lord. Doesn't seem like good news now does it? We're not promising a law and gospel interpretation for this, but what we've got is pretty interesting.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

The Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark Texas recently had an outbreak of Measles. Yes, that's Measles, the disease we all get immunized for when we're kids, that one. The church in question is the same church that noted Word of Faith teacher Kenneth Copeland planted many moons ago. Now, the focus of our commentary isn't on the irony of the situation (an irony that we do recognize as tremendous), but rather on how Copeland and his church parrot many of the objections to vaccinations that parents of Autistic Children do these days. We recognized that this is a problem with rejecting the Gifts that God gives his entire creation (First Article Gifts), where regardless of whether someone is Christian or not, God gave us all Doctors who created Vaccines that prevent deadly childhood diseases. On the back half of the hour we talked "real life Parables"...   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit o

With the Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington happening this week, I've been thinking about something controversial. I think that with all the fist pumping, speech making and slogan chanting there should have a been a moment where everyone makes a pledge. A pledge to take a hard look at ourselves, make an effort for personal responsibility and take an oath to be the kind of people who treat others with respect and dignity. Take a listen and see if you agree.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

While he was writing his sermon for the days service, Pastor Gary noticed something that's likely true about every person he reads this verse from Hebrews. They likely read this verse like this, even though the word "obedience" is not in the verse. Hebrews 11: 39 These were all commended for their obedience, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.    Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

This week we're taking a break, but we're posting the very first Radical Grace Radio program.  In this program our first caller, ever, wondered what he should do to "cover all his bases" with God.  You guys will enjoy this, but Pastor Gary and I would just cringe at how inexperienced we sound.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

Because someone said, "that line 'I'm too holy for you' is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail," here's the scripture verse. "Isa 65:5 (I say to a people) who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too holy for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day." So in this special edition on how to Drive the Millennials away, we let Good Charlotte answer some of the nonsense spewed over Millennials.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

The question that keeps coming up, over and over again, is how to attract and keep the so called "millennial" generation. We at Radical Grace Radio take a different approach. We're going to research how to drive them away. Yes we are, folks. All the stupid, obnoxious things that are done in the name of Christianity that tends to make millennials roll their eyes. You betcha. All that stuff. Maybe we can get a government grant for this...    Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

I thought that this weird doctrine about the Mark of Cain had long since been put to bed. Apparently there are still some people who say that the "Mark" is that God turned Cain black. Seriously. This is still being taught. Pastor Gary, however, put that to rest in 3 seconds flat.  Also, we talked about Repentance. Pastor Gary seems to have found something interesting comparing how the word "repent" is used either by St. Paul or Jesus. Fascinating stuff.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

It's possible to angry and still be level headed. Don't argue, yes, it is possible. If you have to be angry with the criminal justice system, try to be level headed about it. Of, we're talking about the Zimmerman/Martin case, but in what we hope was a level headed way. We also talk about the last of the old testament Prophets as part of an extended study on the inter-testamental period.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

A few years ago we did a program called "The United States of the Beast" in which we showed that if you use the presuppositions that many Christians use to interpret Revelation you clearly find that the Beast of Revelation is the United States. Well, we weren't seriously proposing that this is true, but apparently there are people out there who believe it's true. They believe that United States IS the Beast of Revelation. Incredible. Also on Radical Grace Radio, a Pastor has a Hissy Fit in the Pulpit, and I find a Bible in the freezer.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

It's always good to be prepared. No one I know of would disagree with that. But isn't it interesting that we spend a lot of time being prepared to be frightened? Or depressed even? It's like that for us sinners all the time. Back in the wilderness when the people had been led by Moses out of Egypt it seems that all the people were prepared to do was complain. All too often, that's how it goes with us. We at RGR think that it's not supposed to be that way for us. We have been prepared by the mighty works of God to stand up to the trials of our lives. In this episode we look at Revelation 5, because something in there (and indeed in all the scriptures) prepares us for victory.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

In this show we were able to make one point and make it well. That people stop and listen when you mention "Zombies", and people really are interested in how to survive a Zombie Apocalypse. Wait, that's two points. Maybe we made another point about remember that the actual coming apocalypse reveals Jesus as the winner, the victor, the King... And that there's a way in which being prepared for a "zombie" apocalypse means being ready for the physical trouble that would come with the actual apocalypse.. you know, other than there's no zombies in the tribulation period. There really isn't. Trust us, there isn't.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

When the Prophet Haggai delivered to Zerubbabel and Joshua the Word of God to rebuild the temple, not only did the new temple lack the literal glory of the original temple, but the Glory of the Lord never seemed to come to the temple again the same way it did in Solomon's day. So what happened? Did God's word not come to pass? Well, let's find out on Radical Grace Radio.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

D. L. Moody once said "I can write the Gospel on a dime", and ever since then that's exactly what the Church at large seems to want to do. But if you do that, you wind up leaving out a full, robust proclaimation of the Gospel, leaving people with some "spiritual laws" to keep or who knows what. Whatever it is, it usually winds up leaving the believer in a quagmire of confusion. So this episode is dedicated to a different way of seeing the Gospel and all it's parts, seeing them rather through the lense of Christ and the work of the Godhead in history rather than through lense of "getting people saved".   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

How much would a place in Heaven be worth? Better question, how much would YOU pay for a spot in the glorious hereafter? $10,000? $50,000? $100,000? Or better yet, what's the going rate for saving the life of a dying servant?   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

When troubles or disasters come, and we know they will, do we have to be uber-ministers? What I mean by that is, do was absolutely have to give an answer as to why the troubles have come to us? Or, is it better to keep silent, at least in the beginning? Particularly if it's our neighbor who is in pain, do we have to run in and be super Christian Ministers or is it OK to just be silent and listen? Also, since it's Trinity Sunday, we talked about a certain long and scary creed.   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

After Christmas and Easter, what do the majority of Christians do with Pentecost? Is it even really on the radar? Is it just lost in the morass of mis-focused Pentecostalism? Or was there more to it than just people speaking in tongues?   Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com    

In today's show which has not been hacked by anyone (seriously, who would retitle a Christian Radio show "LIVE STONED NUDES") we talk about Pietism, beating your brothers and sisters about the head and neck with made up rules, Orbital videos, Nudes, marijuana, and broadcasting live from outer space... Not exactly in that order. We ARE the epitome of disorganized religion. Music today: Space Oddity - David Bowie, performed by Col. Chris Hadfield Space suit - They Might Be Giants  Man on the Moon - R.E.M.    Visit Matthew Pancake's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/matthew.pancake Visit Pastor Gary Held's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/garyheld Visit our Website www.RadicalGraceRadio.com