On The Line

Join us at the long table as we explore how stories shape the Christian imagination, from the parables of Christ to the poetry of Tolkien, where beauty, suffering, virtue, and vocation meet in the narrative of redemption.About Today’s GuestRev. Jacob Benson is director of admissions and assistant professor of humanities at Luther Classical College in Casper, Wyoming. Ordained in 2019, he previously served parishes in Connecticut and Wyoming, and holds degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and the University of Wyoming. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English at Trinity College Dublin, where his research explores how fiction and hagiography shape virtue. Known for his love of classical education and his deep pastoral care, Rev. Benson brings theological clarity and a joyful sense of vocation to both church and academy. He and his wife, Mary, have one son.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Join us at the long table as we dig into what it means to be wholly citizens of both heaven and earth, recover a robust Lutheran ethic, and consider how virtue, identity, and vocation shape Christian witness in a fragmented age.About Today’s GuestRev. Dr. Joel Biermann is professor of systematic theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and one of the LCMS’s leading voices on vocation, virtue ethics, and Christian identity in the public square. He holds a Ph.D. from Concordia Seminary and is the author of A Case for Character and Wholly Citizens. Dr. Biermann’s work challenges Christians to live faithfully in both the Church and culture, rooted in doctrine, yet active in the world.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Join us at the long table as we trace the roots of Christian tradition, wrestle with the legacy of the Church Fathers, and recover a vision of doctrine, discipline, and ministry shaped by the clarity and strangeness of the early Church.Dr. James Lee is a scholar of historical theology and teaches Church History and Religious Studies at Concordia University Chicago, where his courses range from Christianity and the Modern World to Lutheran Worship and Liturgy. He holds a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, an S.T.M. from Yale Divinity School, and degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Concordia University Chicago. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on nineteenth-century German theology, the Confessional Revival, and the development of doctrine in modern Lutheran thought. A respected author and frequent speaker, he bridges deep historical scholarship with contemporary questions facing the Lutheran Church. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Join us at the long table as we confront the seven deadly sins not just as abstract categories, but as real spiritual threats—and explore how humility, gratitude, and daily repentance lead us toward the virtues that shape faithful Christian life.Rev. Dr. David H. Petersen has served as Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 2000. A graduate of Central Michigan University and Concordia Theological Seminary (M.Div., S.T.M., D.Min.), he is known for his deep commitment to the Church’s liturgical and theological heritage. Dr. Petersen is a contributing editor for Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy, teaches D.Min. and continuing education courses at CTSFW, and serves on the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations. In addition to his pastoral and academic work, he has helped found both Redeemer Classical School and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church, and frequently contributes to Lutheran Witness, Issues, Etc., and conferences across the country.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Rev. Dr. David H. Petersen has served as Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 2000. A graduate of Central Michigan University and Concordia Theological Seminary (M.Div., S.T.M., D.Min.), he is known for his deep commitment to the Church’s liturgical and theological heritage. Dr. Petersen is a contributing editor for Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy, teaches D.Min. and continuing education courses at CTSFW, and serves on the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations. In addition to his pastoral and academic work, he has helped found both Redeemer Classical School and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church, and frequently contributes to Lutheran Witness, Issues, Etc., and conferences across the country.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Rev. Dr. Christian Preus is pastor of Mount Hope Lutheran Church in Casper, Wyoming, and Chairman of the Board of Regents for Luther Classical College. He holds a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Iowa and an M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. A scholar and translator, his works include Philip Melanchthon’s Loci Communes 1521 and contributions to Luther’s Works. Dr. Preus is also editor of Christian Culture: A Magazine for Lutherans and a frequent contributor to LOGIA. He and his wife, Lisa, are raising their nine children at the foot of Casper Mountain.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy is a former district president in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and a member of the President of the Concordia University System. A lifelong Lutheran, Hardy was born in Bay City, Michigan, and attended Lutheran schools before earning his bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Wisconsin and his M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. He brings pastoral care, administrative leadership, and theological clarity to his roles within both church and higher education. Dr. Hardy is a passionate advocate for confessional fidelity, strong pastoral formation, and the future of Lutheran institutions.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

About Today’s GuestDr. Joel P. Okamoto is the Waldemar and Mary Griesbach Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he has served on the faculty since 1998. A former MIT graduate turned theologian, he brings rigorous thought to questions of truth, Christian witness, and systematic theology in a post-Christian world. His writing explores the intersection of faith, American culture, and Lutheran theology, and he has played a key role in shaping seminary curriculum and theological education. Dr. Okamoto’s work challenges the Church to articulate timeless truths in the language of a changing age.Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/📧 Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.netSend us a text

Caleb Keith is a Lutheran theologian and podcast producer at 1517, where he serves as the voice behind The Thinking Fellows and Outlaw God podcasts and oversees the 1517 Podcast Network. He graduated summa cum laude as an Honors Scholar from Concordia University Irvine and holds an MA in systematic and philosophical theology from the University of Nottingham. In 2018, he published a translation of Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation. Caleb lives in California with his wife Erika and their four children: Esther, Emerson, Edmund, and Euna.Check Out Our New Website! https://ontheline.net/Support The Launch of LIT- https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/Send us a text

Rev. Dr. Joel C. Elowsky is Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he also directs the Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts. A leading scholar of the early church, African Christianity, and patristic exegesis, Elowsky has edited and authored numerous works, including volumes in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and Ancient Christian Texts series. He previously served at Concordia University Wisconsin and held academic and research posts connected to Drew University, Eastern University, and the Center for Early African Christianity. Elowsky has been active in global theological dialogue, patristic translation, and mission education—bringing deep historical insight to bear on the needs of the Church today.Check Out Our New Website! https://ontheline.net/Support The Launch of LIT- https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/Send us a text