Religion & SpiritualityChristianity

On The Line

Bryan Stecker

OTL is the Lutheran, Long-Form podcast that engages Theology and Culture. New Episodes Every Monday!

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23 episodes
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Avg 2 hr 11 min
English

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S1 · E142
September 21 · 1 hr 58 min
Peter Bloedel | Why Creativity Needs Tradition
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Peter Bloedel to talk about creativity, storytelling, theater, magic, Christian education, and the arts. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Peter Bloedel serves at Bethany Lutheran College, where he runs the theater department and teaches on creativity, theater, and the arts. He is also a performer, playwright, musician, magician, and creator of the YouTube channel 'Hey Pete', where he explores sleight of hand, music, backstage work, set design, and the creative life. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E141
September 14 · 2 hr 14 min
Dr. Josh Miller | The Church Cannot Become a Political Tool
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Joshua Miller to discuss Hermann Sasse, confessional Lutheranism, Nazism, political idolatry, and the dangers facing the Church when Christianity becomes a tool of power. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Joshua Miller serves as pastor of Jehovah Lutheran Church in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is also an adjunct professor in the Theology and Ministry Department at Concordia University, St. Paul, and serves as a vice president of the Minnesota South District of the LCMS. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E140
September 7 · 38 min
Duncan McLellan | That’s a Wrap, Folks—OTL is Headed to Ft. Wayne!
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Pastor Duncan McClellan to reflect on the past, present, and future of On the Line. They also announce the next major chapter for OTL: becoming an independent nonprofit, moving the studio to Fort Wayne, and preparing for new opportunities in Lutheran teaching, apologetics, and long-form media. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Pastor Duncan McClellan serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Waconia, Minnesota. Trinity helped launch and support On the Line from its beginning, providing the space, resources, and mission support that made the podcast and Lutheran Institute of Theology possible. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E139
August 31 · 2 hr 25 min
Dr. Donna Harrison | The Pill, Abortion, IVF—and the War on Human Life
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Donna Harrison to talk about abortion, contraception, IVF, and the medical realities Christians need to understand. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Dr. Donna Harrison is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and longtime pro-life medical leader. She previously served as CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and later as its Director of Research. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E138
August 24 · 2 hr 18 min
Dr. Alfonso Espinosa | The Rapture, Israel, & End Times: Is Dispensationalism Biblical?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa to talk about dispensationalism, the rapture, Christian apologetics, and how Lutherans should engage a confused and anxious culture. Dr. Espinosa explains why popular end-times teaching has shaped American Christianity, politics, and attitudes toward Israel, and why the Lutheran Church rejects a theology driven by fear, prediction, and political power. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa serves at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, and was recently elected Third Vice President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for the West-Southwest Region. He is the author of several books on faith and culture, including Faith That Sees Through the Culture, Faith That Engages the Culture, Faith That Shines in the Culture, and Contending for Christ Through the Creed. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E137
August 17 · 2 hr 20 min
Dr. Benjamin Mayes | What Does Christianity Actually Teach About Marriage and Divorce?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Benjamin Mayes to talk about divorce, remarriage, and the difficult work of pastoral discernment. Dr. Mayes explains what Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and the old Lutheran pastoral tradition teach about the grounds for divorce, the difference between abandonment and ordinary marital hardship, the need for repentance and forgiveness, and why pastors and congregations must handle these cases with clarity rather than vague sympathy or avoidance. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes has served as a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, since 2016. His work focuses on Lutheran theology, pastoral care, church history, and the Lutheran tradition of casuistry—cases of conscience where pastors and Christians must discern how God’s Word applies to difficult real-life situations. In this conversation, Dr. Mayes discusses his book Divorce and Remarriage: Ecclesiastical Discernment and Pastoral Care. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E136
August 10 · 3 hr 32 min
Javier Perdomo | Why I Left the Baptist Church (and Why I Didn't Become Catholic)
Javier Perdomo discusses his journey from Baptist evangelicalism into Lutheranism, the online apologetics world, and the deep questions that lead many young Christians toward Rome, Orthodoxy, or confessional Lutheranism. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Javier Perdomo is a Lutheran writer and YouTube creator whose work focuses on theology, church history, apologetics, and the claims of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E135
August 3 · 2 hr 57 min
Marcus Gray | Why Christian Rapper FLAME Became Lutheran
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Flame to talk about his journey from Christian rap and Reformed theology into the Lutheran Church. How did a Grammy-nominated rapper move from the world of evangelicalism, Calvinism, and Christian hip-hop into the confessional Lutheran tradition? Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Flame is a Christian rap artist, author, and Lutheran theologian whose music has reached listeners around the world for more than two decades. A Grammy-nominated and Stellar Award-winning artist, he is currently pursuing doctoral work at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and is the founder of Extra Nos Academy, a project dedicated to using music, media, education, and the arts to introduce Christians to the comfort of the gospel as preserved in the Lutheran Confessions. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E134
July 27 · 2 hr 32 min
Dr. Arthur Just | Timeless Wisdom for the Church
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Arthur Just to trace his journey from the turmoil of Vietnam and the aftermath of Seminex to his recovery of mystery, the Eucharist, liturgical theology, and what he calls “the Blick”—the conviction that heaven is present on earth in the flesh of Christ. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Arthur Just has served on the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, since 1984, teaching New Testament, liturgics, homiletics, and pastoral theology. He is especially known for his work on the Gospel of Luke, the Emmaus narrative, sacramental theology, and the formative character of Christian worship. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E133
July 13 · 2 hr 12 min
Dr. John Bombaro | What the Bible Really Teaches About Mary
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. John Bombaro to talk about the Blessed Virgin Mary and why Lutherans should recover a richer, more biblical understanding of her place in the Christian faith. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. John Bombaro serves as Senior Pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Lafayette, Indiana, and as an LCMS chaplain in the United States Navy Reserve. A pastor, theologian, and former international theological educator, his work frequently explores Christology, liturgy, church history, and the embodied character of the Christian faith. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E132
July 6 · 2 hr 10 min
Rev. Zach Zehnder | The Church’s Greatest Opportunity: Forming the Next Generation
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Zach Zehnder to talk about discipleship, Christian formation, the crisis of nominal Christianity, and what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Zach Zehnder is a Lutheran pastor, author, and creator of Red Letter Challenge, a discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians move from belief to practice. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E131
June 30 · 2 hr 53 min
An Outsider Explains Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans & Evangelicals | Matt Whitman
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Matt Whitman to talk about denominational identity, the strengths and weaknesses of evangelicalism, the appeal of confessional Lutheranism, and the challenge of communicating the Christian faith clearly in a fractured age. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Matt Whitman is the creator of The Ten Minute Bible Hour and is widely known for his long-running YouTube work exploring Scripture, church history, and the beliefs and practices of different Christian traditions. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E130
June 19 · 2 hr 27 min
Dr. Matthew Harrison | A Future for the Lutheran Church
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison to talk about synodical leadership, the state of the LCMS, church work formation, liturgical integrity, and the opportunities standing before confessional Lutheranism right now. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison serves as President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and has held that office since 2010. Before serving as president, he spent years in parish ministry and also worked in LCMS World Relief and Human Care. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E129
June 15 · 2 hr 8 min
Noah Hahn | The Nephilim: Giants, Demons, and the Unseen World of Scripture
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Noah Hahn to talk about the Nephilim, giants, the spiritual realm, and the biblical logic behind paganism, demons, and the powers at work in the nations. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Noah Hahn is a PhD student in philosophy at Fordham University, where his formal research focuses on God’s relationship to time in the medieval tradition. In this conversation, he brings philosophical training and wide-ranging reading to questions surrounding Genesis 6, giants, demons, pagan mythology, spiritual phenomena, and the ways Christians can think carefully about extraordinary claims without surrendering either biblical clarity or intellectual seriousness. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ 0:14 Noah Hahn’s background in philosophy and medieval theology 7:17 How Christians should read strange biblical texts without obsession or reductionism 15:29 Genesis 6, the sons of God, and the Nephilim question 24:28 Nimrod, Babel, and the giant problem after the flood 43:22 Abraham, Sodom, and the giant thread through the Old Testament 47:24 David, Goliath, and Christ as the true giant-slayer 57:58 Why the spiritual realm should matter more to modern Christians 1:07:14 Demons, nations, and the powers behind the peoples 1:16:50 Random number generators, remote staring, and extraordinary phenomena 1:28:10 Technology, drugs, and the spiritual danger of transgressive knowledge 1:39:14 Sports, concerts, and the spiritual power of shared attention 1:46:01 The USSR, occult power, and the demonic character of political systems 1:54:29 AI, Nimrod, and whether modern man is repeating the old rebellion 2:01:58 Disorder, psychology, and the need for a richer Christian account of spiritual conflict 2:05:17 Christ’s victory over the powers and why Christians need not fear Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E128
June 8 · 2 hr 43 min
Tyrel Bramwell: The World Needs More Men With Chests
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Tyrel Bramwell to talk about bold confession, spiritual warfare, the failures of modern church strategy, and what it means for Lutherans to actually speak the truth in a hostile culture. More than a conversation about controversy, it is a call for Christians and pastors alike to recover honesty, integrity, and the confidence to say what is true without apology. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Tyrel Bramwell serves as pastor in Lovell, Wyoming, and is also known for his work in Lutheran media through Cross Defense and Truth at All Costs. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E127
June 1 · 1 hr 52 min
Dr. Timothy Rossow: Why Modern Culture is Starving for Beauty
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Timothy Rossow to talk about beauty, classical education, leadership, and why modern education has lost its way. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Dr. Timothy Rossow serves as President of Luther Classical College after decades of pastoral ministry, leadership, and theological writing. He is also known for his long work with the Brothers of John the Steadfast and for his advocacy of classical Lutheran education rooted in the great tradition of the Church. In this conversation, Dr. Rossow reflects on beauty, the failures of modern schooling, the meaning of leadership, and why classical education matters for the future of the family, the Church, and society. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E126
May 25 · 1 hr 51 min
Rev. Dr. Tobias Schütze: What Happened to the Lutheran Church in Germany?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Tobias Schütze to talk about Christianity in Germany, confessional Lutheranism in Europe and Africa, the crisis of the German state churches, and the challenge of theological formation across cultures. More than a history lesson, it is a sober and fascinating conversation about doctrine, church identity, and the future of confessional Lutheranism in Europe. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Tobias Schütze serves as lecturer in systematic theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane, South Africa, and serves in parish ministry in Durban, South Africa. Born and raised in Germany, he studied theology at Oberursel, spent time at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, completed doctoral work on church fellowship and ecumenism, and now brings a rare perspective on confessional Lutheranism across Germany, South Africa, and the wider global church. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E125
May 18 · 1 hr 29 min
Brady Finnern: The Future of Lutheranism
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Brady Finnern to talk about synodical leadership, doctrinal integrity, Lutheran media, and the future of the LCMS in a time of real challenge and real opportunity. This episode explores Finnern’s vision for the Synod, his understanding of church structure and doctrinal fidelity, and the opportunities now opening up for younger generations to receive a more serious, more rooted Christian identity. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Brady Finnern serves as President of the Minnesota North District of the LCMS and as Chairman of the Council of Presidents. He previously served in parish ministry in Wisconsin and Minnesota and has also contributed to Lutheran media through KFUO and Concord Matters. In this conversation, he reflects on doctrinal fidelity, synodical structure, visitation, worship, pastoral formation, and the challenge of leading the Church with patience, humility, and confidence in God’s Word. Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E124
May 11 · 2 hr 6 min
Dr. Joel Biermann: What Makes Lutheranism Worth Fighting For?
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Joel Biermann to talk about the future of the LCMS, pastoral formation, synodical leadership, and the theological convictions that should shape the Church in a moment of real opportunity. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Dr. Joel Biermann serves as Waldemar A. and June Schuette Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he has taught since 2002. His work has focused especially on ethics, sanctification, vocation, the Christian life, and the proper role of the law for believers. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E123
May 4 · 1 hr 51 min
Dr. Jamison Hardy: The LCMS is at a Turning Point
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy to talk about the Concordia University System, church work formation, the future of Lutheran higher education, and the opportunities standing before the LCMS right now. Check Out Our New Website: https://ontheline.net/ Support the Launch of LIT: https://institute.ontheline.net/donation/ Visit Memento: https://memento70.com/ Contact Bryan: bryan.stecker@ontheline.net About Today’s Guest Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy serves as President of the Concordia University System and previously served as Bishop of the English District of the LCMS. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail

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