Dr. Gregory Seltz
Co-Host of Thru the Fire
Previous to Seltz’s work in Washington D.C., he served as the Speaker of The Lutheran Hour® radio program, a position he held since February 2011. As Speaker, now Speaker Emeritus, he served as the featured speaker on Lutheran Hour Ministries’ flagship Christian outreach radio program, with over 1 million listeners, airing on more than 1,800 stations across North America as well as on the American Forces Network. He served as the organization’s spiritual leader, evangelist, and ministry emissary with The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Lutheran Church--Canada (LCC). Before joining Lutheran Hour Ministries, served as the Director of the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center, as well as professor of Theology at Concordia University in Irvine, California. He went to Concordia in 2000 to oversee the master’s program in Theology and Culture. With over 75 pastors now in the urban mission field during his tenure, His work prepared leaders from various cultures to launch ministries in a variety of cultural settings, including Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Indonesian, Indian, and African-American just to name a few.
Prior to his work at Concordia, Seltz was the Executive Director of Life’s Journey Ministries, an urban, not-for-profit evangelism ministry in Manhattan, New York. He was also the founding pastor of the first new
Lutheran mission start in New York City in more than 40 years (Church For All Nations-LCMS), started a mission church in Dallas, served as pastor of a large congregation in Tampa.
Seltz is a sought after speaker on topics such as “Church and State – The public theology and mission of Christ’s Church in the 21st Century; The Public Practice of Believers as faithful “citizens;” Two-Kingdoms – One Mission – God at work in the World to bless; Missions; Evangelism; Cross-Cultural Ministry; Pastoral leadership in an Urban, Diverse World; Preparing Pastors and Leaders for the Post-modern, urban Church. Seltz holds a bachelor’s degree in New Testament-Biblical Languages from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, plus a Master of Divinity in Systematics--New Testament and a Master of Sacred Theology in Systematics and a PhD in Theology and Culture, from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He also was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia University Irvine for his urban work in Dallas, NYC, and Los Angeles, launching churches in the city as well as training over 75 candidates for LCMS-urban Ministry in the United States. He and his wife, Marie Yvette, have one daughter, Devin.
Dr. Gregory Seltz has hosted 73 Episodes.
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Can this be the best Christmas ever?
December 24th, 2020 | 23 mins 55 secs
The reason for our Christmas celebration is grounded in something that no pandemic has power over. Yes. This CAN be the best Christmas ever!
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Technology and Your Children
December 10th, 2020 | 28 mins 40 secs
family values, social media, technology
God calls us to love our neighbors. This means we are to live in community and be in relationship with the people around us. When smart-phones distract us from forming and cultivating relationships, they not only hinder us from fulfilling God's call on our lives but also encourage inward, self-focus. When we expose our children to this technology, we may think we're giving them access to information and entertainment, but we also set them up to be distracted from the beautiful world that God created for us to enjoy.
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The Silencing of Christian Parents
December 3rd, 2020 | 25 mins 47 secs
censorship, family values, gender
As parents, it's our responsibility to advocate for our children. But when the culture censors the church and Christian parents, we are stripped of our parental right to equip our children to know right from wrong. - Do not let your voice be silenced! Do NOT leave your kids vulnerable to the lies of this world.
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Thankful Living
November 24th, 2020 | 28 mins 2 secs
family, thanksgiving
"Be thankful for what you have." -- Most of us have heard this familiar phrase from a well-meaning friend at some point. The problem with this advice is that it turns our attention inward, toward our possessions. This kind of self-focus is thankless by nature. When Christ is the source of our joy, we can live our lives for others. Our joy increases, and worry, fear, and doubt decrease.
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Election Chaos
November 13th, 2020 | 27 mins 57 secs
2020 presidential election, christian worldview, christians and politics
The 2020 presidential election has been one of the strangest in history. Would Christians be shocked to know that their religious liberties were the main item on the ballot? In a culture that is more and more aggressively antagonistic to the Christian worldview, how can we be prepared to defend our voice?
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The Virtue of Courage
November 5th, 2020 | 27 mins 58 secs
christian worldview, courage, faith
Courage is the ability to move forward in the face of adversity, even when it requires moving toward our fears. In this episode, Marie & Greg Seltz talk about how courage requires love, and love requires us to be outward focused.
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Civility in Political Discourse
October 29th, 2020 | 25 mins 45 secs
christians and politics, civil politics, family political discussions
For many of us, the holiday season means family gatherings and conversations. What do you do when political issues come up? You may be tempted to avoid these discussions altogether, but Christians need to engage and share the truth in love. In this episode of Thru the Fire, the Seltzes help us understand why these conversations can be difficult and give some practical help to keep the tone respectful and loving.
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Why Family Matters
October 22nd, 2020 | 31 mins 7 secs
family, family values
Family values are under attack in America. Are you doing your part to correct this destructive cultural and societal trend?
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The Dangers of Political Correctness & the Cancel Culture
October 14th, 2020 | 30 mins 25 secs
cancel culture, christians and politics, politically correct
How can Christians combat the Cancel Culture