109: Joel Biermann on the Good and Bad of Lutheran Identity and Online Seminary, and Why Christianity Is More than a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Nov 11, 2025

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Dr. Joel Biermann of Concordia Seminary unpacks the good and bad of Lutheran identity, debates the effectiveness of online seminary, and explains why theology matters not just for pastors but for every disciple of Jesus. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

Sponsor Section

Today’s episode is brought to you by Red Letter Living. We create resources to help the church produce greater disciples. This season we are launching a series of videos on our YouTube channel called “The Voices of the LCMS,” where we are unpacking data from our survey of 1054 Lutheran leaders. These videos are opening up questions, conversations, and opportunities to help us walk together in the future.

Joel’s Challenge

Slow down this week and delight in God’s creation. Notice a tree, a person, a cloud—something ordinary—and thank God for the beauty He’s placed around you.

Are You Following Jesus?

Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don’t know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going. In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it’s free! You will receive your results immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.

You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here.

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