Welcome to the Thinking Fellows podcast. My name is Caleb, and I'm joined by Dr. Rod Rosenblot, Dr. Scott Keith, and Dr. Adam Francisco.

We are in the middle of our great thinkers of the Christian faith series, and today we're talking about perhaps one of the most challenging figures in Lutheranism, somebody that...

No, he's certainly a disputed figure.

That's right.

Disputed is a good way to put that.

Philip Melanchthon.

And Dr. Keith is, what, one of the biggest Malankton scholars in Lutheranism right now?

Well, I don't know.

I'd say that.

Yes, you are.

I've done some work in Malankton, um there are some certainly some some bigger ones in

america but the thing is is that he's he's a character when we try to conclude you know was he

was he helpful was he not helpful there's certainly been disagreement on that question over the years

you know was he a true true Lutheran or not?

If we're talking about Melancton, if you'd allow me, Caleb,

but I'd like to, we never open our show with a prayer,

but I love opening talking about Melanchthon with some of the prayers that he wrote,

mainly because I spent some time in my life translating them.

And so I'll just start with this one.

It gives you, I think, a flavor of Melancthens, at least his feel and his theology, just by seeing how he encourage other people to pray.

So this is his prayer. It's from 1555. God Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, eternal son of God, an image of the eternal Father, who for us has been crucified and rose again from the dead and lives and reigns eternally in divine power

you who has been ordained to be our mediator to reconcile us and to make us righteous and blessed

...