Religion & SpiritualityChristianity

On The Line

Bryan Stecker

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

Play

Open in

27 episodes
weekly
Avg 2 hr 12 min
English

Episodes 27

Newest Oldest Longest

All7 Unplayed7 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

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
S1 · E122
April 27 · 2 hr 31 min
Rev. David Ramirez: What New Data Reveals About Generational Change in the Church
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Pastor David Ramirez to discuss generational fracture, family formation, and the real opportunity before the Church today. Why do older and younger generations increasingly struggle to understand one another? What happens when economic pressure, cultural collapse, political polarization, and the breakdown of family life all converge at once? 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 David Ramirez serves as a thoughtful voice on questions of culture, family, and generational inheritance within the Church. In this conversation, he walks through extensive research on the growing divide between generations, the pressures facing young men and women today, and the practical ways congregations can better understand, support, and strengthen the next generation of Christian families. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E121
April 20 · 1 hr 26 min
Dr. Christian Einertson: Pietism, Adiaphora, and the Third Use Debate
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Christian Einertson for part two of our conversation on the Formula of Concord, Lutheran identity, sanctification, pietism, and the question of adiaphora. When does Lutheranism stop sounding like Lutheranism, even while keeping the name? How should Christians think about sanctification, spiritual discipline, ceremony, and the use of the law without falling into reductionism or confusion? This episode explores the shape of faithful Lutheran piety, the danger of flattening doctrine into slogans, and the need for churches to confess clearly in both teaching and practice. From sanctification and fasting to pietism and church ceremony, this conversation presses toward a fuller understanding of how Lutheran theology is actually lived. 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. Christian Einertson is a pastor and theologian with a deep interest in Lutheran confessional theology, catechesis, and the practical shape of the Christian life. In this second conversation, he reflects on sanctification, the third use of the law, spiritual discipline, pietism, and adiaphora—showing how Lutheran theology guards both Christian freedom and doctrinal clarity. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail
S1 · E120
April 13 · 1 hr 45 min
Dr. Christian Einertson: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Lutheranism (And the Truth)
Join us at the long table as we sit down with Dr. Christian Einertson to talk about catechesis, virtue, the Small Catechism, and the Lutheran logic of law, gospel, and good works. How is the Christian faith actually formed in people over time? Why do habit, story, liturgy, and repetition matter so much in raising children and teaching the faith? This episode moves from Paul, music, martial arts, and the saints into a deeper discussion of the Formula of Concord—especially the place of good works, the third use of the law, and the Lutheran tendency to fall off the horse in predictable directions. Rather than flattening the Christian life into slogans, this conversation argues for a fuller, more human, more scriptural account of formation, obedience, and sanctification. 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. Christian Einertson serves as a pastor and theologian with particular strengths in catechesis, Lutheran doctrine, and the confessional tradition. In this conversation, he reflects on Christian formation through habit, prayer, story, and virtue, while also offering a careful introduction to the Formula of Concord and the distinctly Lutheran errors it was written to correct. 🔗 Stay Connected with Us 📷 Instagram: @otl_podcast_ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/onthelinepod 𝕏 Twitter/X: @otl_podcast_ Send us Fan Mail