Concord Matters from KFUO Radio

What is faith, and what is the relationship of faith and good works? Learn what "new" means in regards to obedience, whether good works are necessary for the Christian, and what we mean when we say that good works are "bound to happen". Also, hear about how true worship is a good work, why it's wrong to "rely on good works," and how you might tell the difference between relying on works and just doing them.Rev. Michael Schuermann, pastor of University Lutheran Church in Champaign, IL joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the New Obedience in Article VI of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We move on to Article V of the Augsburg Confession, on The Ministry. What is ministry, and how is it properly defined and understood? Also hear discussion on whether we sometimes have poor practices in the Church because of a poor understanding of what "the ministry" is, what God gives and produces through the ministry, and the relationship between the means of grace and the office of the ministry.Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in La Grange, MO, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Ministry in Article V of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We come to Article VI of the Augsburg Confession on Justification, the article by which the church stands or falls. Why is this article so critical? Also, learn the differences between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic concepts of "the grace of God" and the doctrine of justification, what we believe about justification and who does the work, and the implications of this article on justification for how we will read the rest of the Augsburg Confession.Rev. Charles Henrickson, pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bonne Terre & Grace Lutheran Church in DeSoto, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Article IV of the Augsburg Confession.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We move on to Article III of the Augsburg Confession on the Son of God. Why do we have an article on “The Son of God” before we get to the big article of controversy on justification? Also, learn why it's important to focus on the person of Christ as well as the work of Christ, the significance of the inclusion of the verbs "rose" and "return" with regards to the work of Christ, and how spending time considering this doctrine serves our Christian life in faith.Rev. David Wiist, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Article III of the Augsburg Confession on the Son of God.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We turn to Article II of the Augsburg Confession on Original Sin. Hear discussion on the cause of sin, why Article II places more emphasis on original sin than actual sin, what concupiscence is, whether babies are responsible for sin and stand condemned for it, why Roman Catholics couldn't accept all of Article II on original sin, and the relationship of original sin and justification.Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Article II of the Augsburg Confession on Original Sin.Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We begin studying the rich text of the Augsburg Confession with Article I: God. Learn why the confessors begin their confession of faith with a statement on God and the significance of our Lutheran identity that affirms the same faith that the Council of Nicaea confessed. Also, take a deep dive into the doctrine of the Trinity, including where in the Scriptures we find this doctrine of the Trinity, how we explain the Three Persons in One God, where we see this doctrine of God lived out in the faith and life of the Church, and the importance of confessing the doctrine of the Trinity.Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mascoutah, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the first article of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

It's time for a deep dive into the history surrounding the Augsburg Confession! In this episode, hear answers to questions like:Why did Emperor Charles V calling for a general assembly at Augsburg in 1530?How much of the significance of the Augsburg Confession in its day was political and how much was religious or theological?Why didn't Luther write the Augsburg Confession?What are the various articles that are included in the Augsburg Confession, and why they the ones the Lutherans choose to address?Why did the Lutheran confessors find it necessary to draft a reply defending the Augsburg Confession, called the Apology of the Augsburg Confession?Dr. Jack Kilcrease joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the history of the Augsburg Confession. Dr. Kilcrease is associate professor of Historical & Systematic Theology for the Institute of Lutheran Theology and member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, MI.

What is a soul? What does it mean to care for souls, and why is that important? Is it different from mental health therapy? How does right understanding of the care of souls affect how pastors care for their flock?Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Concord Matters for the care of souls.This is a rebroadcast from September 15, 2020.

What is Gnosticism? It's more than just a big word, and you've probably run across it more than you realize.Rev. Peter Burfeind joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Gnosticism in America today. Learn the historical roots and key ideas of Gnosticism and the influence of Gnosticism on historic Christianity. Then, hear how the gnostic heresy is still active in Christianity today, the dangers of hidden Gnosticism to our concord as the Church, and how we combat Gnosticism in order to maintain concord in the Church.Rev. Peter Burfeind is Pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, Michigan and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, Michigan, and serves as a Reserve Chaplain in the United States Army. He is author of the book Gnostic America: A Reading of Contemporary American Culture and Religion according to Christianity's Oldest Heresy (Amazon.com), and a series of 3 books called A Year Crowned in Goodness: Daily Meditations on the Gospels of the Historic Lectionary (Amazon.com: Part One, Part Two, Part Three) that challenge gnostic ideas.

"Synod" is in the name of our church body, but what does that word actually mean? Learn this, who the official members of synod are, and why The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod holds to confessions written in the 16th century as the basis of our unity. Also, hear about whether it's mandatory for all members to subscribe to to Scripture and the Confessions, what this subscription looks like in practical terms for the Synod, and how our commitment to a common confession helps us accomplish the work of Christ’s Church here on earth and into eternity.The Rev. Dr. James Baneck, Executive Director of Pastoral Education for the LCMS, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss life together as Synod. Dr. Baneck was a parish Pastor for 22 years until he became the North Dakota District President, where he served for 8 years before accepting the call to be Executive Director of Pastoral Education. In his current position, he has recently worked to produce the "Life Together as Synod" video series, which you can view at resources.lcms.org/life-together-as-synod-video-series.