In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Andrew makes the case for why the Old Testament is indispensable to the Christian faith, and walks through some of Scripture's most perplexing passages — from the mysteries of Job to the hidden hand of God in Esther.

Episode Timestamps

0:00 — Introduction & Welcoming Dr. Andrew Steinmann Back

1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip the Old Testament

4:00 — Wrestling with Perplexing Passages in Job

7:00 — Proverbs 8 and Christ's Role in Creation

8:00 — Understanding How Numbers Are Used in the Old Testament

12:00 — Where Is God in Ruth, Esther, and Song of Songs?

17:00 — Coincidence or Providence? God Behind the Scenes in Esther

19:00 — Discovering the Trinity Throughout the Old Testament

23:00 — The Aaronic Benediction and the Three Persons of God

25:00 — Advice for Those Struggling with Difficult Passages

27:00 — The Writing Partnership Behind Wrestling with God

29:00 — Closing

About the Guest

Dr. Andrew Steinmann taught at Concordia University Chicago as a Distinguished Professor of Theology and Hebrew beginning in 2000 until retiring in July of 2023. At Concordia, he taught a wide variety of classes, including Hebrew I and II, Hebrew Readings, Readings in Hebrew, and Introduction to the Old Testament. His research interests are focused on Hebrew, Aramaic languages, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and biblical chronology. Throughout his career, Dr. Steinmann has written over 50 articles and book reviews that have been published in national and international journals. He serves as a regular guest on numerous radio programs. Dr. Steinmann holds the following degrees: PhD, Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; MDiv, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; BSChE, chemical engineering, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Steinmann is married to Rebecca.

Resources Mentioned

Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.org

Concordia Publishing House: Bringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation: Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with returning guest Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Reed shares why we shouldn't skip or soften the Old Testament's hardest passages — and what we gain when we lean into them instead.

Episode Timestamps

0:12 — Introduction & Welcoming Reed Lessing Back

1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip or Soften the Old Testament

4:00 — What Still Perplexes the Scholars: Long Lifespans & the Trinity

5:50 — The Challenge of Distance: Hebrew Language Barriers

8:00 — Understanding Violence in the Old Testament

14:00 — Modern Israel vs. Biblical Israel: A Grievous Confusion

21:00 — The Key Question: Who Is Israel?

22:00 — Why the Church Skips the Psalms of Lament

26:00 — Where Reed Turns for Comfort in Hard Times

28:00 — What Didn't Make the Cut

29:45 — Encouragement for Those Wrestling with Scripture

33:00 — Looking Ahead: The Next Book in the Trilogy

34:00 — Closing

About the Guest

Dr. R. Reed Lessing is the The Edwin F. and Esther L. Laatsch Chair of Old Testament Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. He also serves as the University’s Director for the Center of Biblical Studies and oversees the University’s Pre-Seminary Program. Previously he was Senior Pastor at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and before that, Professor of Exegetical Theology and Director of the Graduate School at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and received the B.A. in pre-seminary studies from St. John’s College, Winfield, Kansas, in 1981. He earned his M.Div. (1985), S.T.M. (1989), and Ph.D. (2001) degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry on June 29, 1986. From 1986 to 1999, he served pastorates in West Monroe, Louisiana, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Resources Mentioned

Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.org

Concordia Publishing House

Bringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation

Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Dr. Leonard Payton, author of Prayerful Living in a Post-Christian Culture. Dr. Payton brings pastoral wisdom and biblical depth to the challenge of faithful Christian living amid cultural upheaval.

Episode Timestamps

0:12 — Introduction

1:52 — Dr. Payton’s Ministry Context: Pastoring in a Progressive Community

3:15 — How a Weekly Newsletter Became a Book

4:30 — A “What and Why” Book, Not a How-To

5:15 — Citizens of Heaven: Nationalism, Patriotism & Ultimate Allegiance

7:15 — Intercessory Prayer as the Christian’s Most Powerful Cultural Tool

10:30 — Prayer as a Priestly Act: Finding Peace Amid Cultural Chaos

11:32 — The Three Systemic Evils: Idolatry, Sexual Perversion & Greed

15:00 — Personal and Communal Repentance in a Fragmented Society

16:16 — Looking Ahead: A Less Anxious, More Prayerful Church

17:26 — Closing: The Battle Is Already Won

About the Guest

After spending many years as a church musician, Rev. Dr. Payton attended Concordia Theological Seminary and entered the ministry. He now serves at St. John Lutheran Church in Forest Park, Illinois. He has been happily married to Lori, his childhood sweetheart, since 1979, and they have four children and nine grandchildren. He likes to garden and to share that passion in their congregation’s community garden.

Resources Mentioned

Prayerful Living in a Post-Christian Culture by Rev. Dr. Leonard Payton — cph.org

Concordia Publishing House: Bringing you God’s enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation: Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Dr. A. Andrew Das, author of Dinner with the Doctor: Luke’s Gospel for the Hungry. Dr. Das brings his scholarly expertise to a broader audience, guiding readers through the unique voice, motifs, and theology of Luke’s gospel. He explores Luke’s distinctive emphasis on food, women, and possessions; the meaning of “today” in Luke’s theology of salvation; the importance of reading scripture in its first-century context; and how the book serves both pastors and laypeople hungry for deeper engagement with God’s Word.

Episode Timestamps

0:49 — Introduction

1:42 — Each Gospel Writer's Unique Voice

5:11 — Luke's "Today" — A Different Theology of Salvation

7:25 — Luke's Unique Motifs: Food, Women & Possessions

9:58 — Reading Luke in His First-Century Context

13:36 — The Rich Man and Lazarus: Wealth & the Possessions Motif

16:23 — Dr. Das's Favorite Lucan Passages

17:52 — How to Use This Book: Pastors & Lay Readers

20:05 — The Art of Good Biblical Interpretation

23:02 — What's Next: A Preview of Mark's Gospel

25:08 — Closing & Where to Find the Book

About the Guest

Dr. A. Andrew Das is the Niebuhr Distinguished Chair and professor of religious studies at Elmhurst University. He has authored several books with leading publishers in biblical studies, including Paul and the Stories of Israel (Fortress, 2016); Galatians, Concordia Commentary (CPH, 2014); Solving the Romans Debate (Fortress, 2007); Paul and the Jews (Hendrickson, 2001); and Paul, the Law, and the Covenant (Hendrickson, 2001). Dr. Das is also researching key women and their leadership in the Pauline communities and writings. Dr. Das received graduate degrees from Yale University and Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He also did doctoral work at Duke University. He teaches in biblical studies, early Christianity, and Second Temple Judaism.

Resources Mentioned

Dinner with the Doctor: Luke’s Gospel for the Hungry by Dr. A. Andrew Das — cph.org

Concordia Publishing House: Bringing you God’s enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation: Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

How do we actually raise our children in the faith? In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Dr. W. Mart Thompson, author of Family Discipleship with Christ. Dr. Thompson maps out a partnership between the home and the congregation that is both theologically grounded and practically usable. He draws on Luther’s Small Catechism, extensive field research, and his own experience of daily prayer with his family to help parents and pastors understand what faithful, grace-filled family discipleship looks like in today’s changing cultural landscape.

Episode Timestamps

1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview

2:30 — The quest begins — a seminary student’s question that launched a lifetime of research

5:00 — Map and compass — the Lewis & Clark framework for navigating family discipleship

8:00 — The compass of new creational wisdom — God’s design, sin, and grace working together

11:30 — Defining family discipleship — the partnership of home and congregation

14:00 — Starting with common ground — the bold claim that all parents want the best for their children

17:30 — Secular liturgies — how culture forms children’s hearts away from Christ

21:30 — Parents as the primary faith-formers — why God has creationally positioned them for this work

24:30 — The Flathead Lake aha moment — Luther’s catechism as a daily family prayer book

29:00 — The congregational paradigm shift — from church-centered to a home-and-congregation partnership

33:30 — Seven things for the congregation, seven for the home — the map in practice

37:30 — Tools in the book — the family audit, family mission statement, and bibliography

41:30 — All kinds of families — how this approach serves non-traditional and single-parent households

44:00 — Closing encouragement — there is always more grace in Christ

About the Guest

Rev. Dr. W. Mart Thompson is associate professor of practical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He presents at workshops and conferences on the vocation of raising children in the faith and is the project manager for the Family Discipleship Initiative at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in partnership with the Concordia Center for the Family. Prior to being called to the seminary, he served as a campus pastor, sole pastor, and senior pastor. Mart, and his wife, Cheryl, are blessed with three children who are married and have children of their own, in whose homes the legacy of family discipleship continues.

Resources Mentioned

Family Discipleship with Christ by Rev. Dr. W. Mart Thompson — cph.org

Dr. Thompson’s blog post on family discipleship (a dialogue between a professor and a seminary student, forthcoming) — concordiatheology.org

Concordia Publishing House: Bringing you God’s enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation: Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

We live in a world that constantly tells us to look inward — to follow our heart, trust our feelings, and find our identity within ourselves. But Christians are called to a completely different posture. In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer, author of Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself. Pastor Pfeiffer draws on Lutheran theology and cultural analysis to help us understand what it means to lift our eyes up to God and out to our neighbor — and why that posture changes everything about how we live the Christian life.

Episode Timestamps

1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview

2:00 — The spiritual posture of looking: how the Nicene Creed sparked the idea for the book

5:00 — Expressive individualism: what it is and how it shapes both culture and the church

9:30 — Pastoral approach: helping people find their identity in Christ rather than in self-expression

12:30 — Two realms and two kinds of righteousness: the Lutheran theological foundation of the book

16:00 — Looking up — faith, worship, and lifting our eyes to Christ in the divine service

20:30 — Looking out — love within the Christian community and why it has a special priority

27:00 — Looking inward rightly — self-examination, mortification, and avoiding the downward spiral

32:00 — Looking forward — the resurrection hope and living with one eye on the horizon

35:30 — How Pastor Pfeiffer hopes readers and congregations will use the book

About the Guest

Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer is pastor of the Tarrington Lutheran Parish in the southeastern state of Victoria in Australia, where he lives with his wife, Kimberley, and their four children. He served various congregations in Australia before moving to the United States for graduate studies. He hosts a YouTube channel and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, golf, and other outdoor activities.

Resources Mentioned

Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself by Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer — cph.org

Concordia Publishing House

Bringing you God’s enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub\

LCMS Foundation – Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

Shame affects us all — but do we truly understand it? In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Dr. John Kleinig, author of From Shame to Glory: God’s Surprising Remedy for Injustice and Failure. Dr. Kleinig draws on decades of pastoral experience to help us understand what shame is, how it differs from guilt, and how Jesus frees us from its weight through baptism, Holy Communion, and the blessing of the Church.

Episode Timestamps

1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview

2:00 — Guilt vs. shame: the key differences — behavior vs. identity, actions vs. wounds

9:00 — What caused Dr. Kleinig to start thinking about shame?

13:50 — Dr. Kleinig’s story: his Wendish ethnic minority background and experiences of discrimination

25:30 — How Jesus frees us from shame: Holy Communion, the blood of Christ, and John the Baptist’s words

29:00 — Jesus as the Lamb of God who bears and carries the sin of the world

33:00 — The divine service as the ongoing remedy for shame; blessing vs. absolution

34:10 — Encouragement for listeners struggling with shame — and how to use the book

About the Guest

Rev. Dr. John Kleinig is professor emeritus at Luther College, Adelaide, SA, Australia. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cambridge University, Doctor of Divinity from Fort Wayne (1998) and Concordia University, Irvine (2014). He is the author of numerous articles and books. Dr. Kleinig and his wife, Claire, have four children and many grandchildren.

Resources Mentioned

From Shame to Glory: God’s Surprising Remedy for Injustice and Failure by Rev. Dr. John Kleinig —

cph.org

Concordia Publishing House

Bringing you God’s enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation – Helping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries: 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast

May 27th, 2026, marks the 350th anniversary of the death of Paul Gerhardt — one of the most beloved hymn writers in the history of the Lutheran Church. In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman is joined by Peter Reske from the CPH music team for a deep dive into Gerhardt's life, his enduring hymns, and the faith that sustained him through one of history's most devastating eras. Grab your hymnal and join us.

Episode Timestamps

1:51 — Why talk about Paul Gerhardt? Previous episodes & the 350th anniversary

5:21 — Overview of Gerhardt's 17 hymns in Lutheran Service Book (grab your hymnal!)

10:44 — Paul Gerhardt's biography: Early life, the Thirty Years' War & Wittenberg

14:42 — "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" (LSB 438) — hymn as drama

25:28 — "Entrust Your Days and Burdens" (LSB 754) — comfort, acrostic structure & Psalm 37:5

37:04 — Mittenwalde, the altarpiece & the origin of "O Sacred Head Now Wounded"

44:53 — "Rejoice My Heart, Be Glad and Sing" & closing reflections

46:43 — New CPH release: Gerhardt Hymns for SAB Choir by Kevin Hildebrand

Preview the new collection of hymns at cph.org/paul-gerhardt-hymns-for-sab-choir.

About the Guest

Peter C. Reske is senior editor of music/worship at Concordia Publishing House, where he has served since 2004. He holds degrees in English literature from Marquette University and in musicology from The Pennsylvania State University. In addition to his ongoing role overseeing music publications for CPH, he was the editor of Lutheran Service Book (2006) and its attendant resources, editor of The Hymns of Martin Luther (2016), and editorial advisor for One and All Rejoice (2020). With Joseph Herl and Jon D. Vieker, he was co-editor of Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns (2019).

Concordia Publishing House – Bringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.org

Follow CPH on social: @concordiapub

LCMS Foundation – Helping congregations grow long‑term funding to support ministries: 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast