CREDO - with James Luginbyhl
CREDO - with James Luginbyhl
5.0from 1 ratings
- 16
- Episodes
- 1
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About CREDO - with James Luginbyhl
Credo is a podcast about what I believe, why I believe it, and how those beliefs hold up against grief, doubt, failure, and ordinary life. I’m James Luginbyhl—not a theologian, priest, or scholar, but a layman trying to understand the ancient Christian faith and live it honestly. Each episode explores questions of belief through Scripture, history, the wisdom of the Church, and my own imperfect experience. This is not theology from a distance. It is lived theology for unfinished people—an attempt to find words for faith while I am still learning what it means to say: I believe My Website: jamesluginbyhl.com jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
- Publisher
- CREDO - with James Luginbyhl
- Category
- religion & spirituality · society & culture
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 4 Sept 2026
- Latest episode
- 31 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
16 episodes in the feed.
31 Oct 2026
All Saints
Why do the saints still matter? With Reformation Day and All Saints’ Day side by side on the calendar, I reflect on what Christians can learn from those who carried the faith before us. Whether or not we ask the saints for their prayers, their lives remain part of the Church’s story—and examples of what following Christ can look like. From Moses the Black and Augustine to Monica, Benedict, Francis de Sales, and Maximilian Kolbe, their stories show grace at work in very different lives. Learning about them changed my own view of faith, widening it beyond my own time and experience. The Church is older than us, and the saints remind us that we receive a faith others have lived and carried forward. Learn more at credopodcast.com (https://credopodcast.com/). My book, Hymns for the Unfinished (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFT3LY2L), is available on Amazon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
29 Oct 2026
Dependence
In this episode of CREDO, James reflects on learning to depend on Christ when life brings things we cannot fix or control. Dependence does not mean giving up on responsibility; it means doing the next faithful thing while trusting that our life does not rest on our strength alone. Through Jesus’ words about the vine, Paul’s thorn, and the invitation to come to Christ weary and burdened, James considers how we can bring God our fear, grief, work, and ordinary daily needs—and keep coming back to him. James speaks personally, too: he hasn’t figured this out; he’s still learning. We don’t outgrow our need for Christ. We grow more honest about it. Find more episodes and books at CREDOpodcast.com (https://credopodcast.com).Read James’s book, Hymns for the Unfinished (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFT3LY2L) on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFT3LY2L). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
21 Oct 2026
What is Christian Masculinity?
What does it mean to be a Christian man? In a culture that often equates strength with silence, control, or anger, James looks to Jesus for a different picture: a man whose identity is received before it is achieved, who can tell the truth, repent, ask for help, and surrender what he cannot control. Christian strength is not domination. It is strength given in love. In this episode, James reflects on responsibility, gentleness, presence, and the slow work of becoming more like Christ—not a finished man, but a beloved son still learning to be faithful. Visit credopodcast.com (https://credopodcast.com/) for more from James and CREDO. Read James’s book, Hymns for the Unfinished (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFT3LY2L) on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFT3LY2L). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
12 Oct 2026
He Wept Anyways
In “He Wept Anyways,” James reflects on what it means when we pray for suffering to end and it doesn’t. Through the story of Jesus weeping at Lazarus’s tomb, he explores how we can bring God our anger and grief without pretending the pain is good—and how God may meet us through the people who sit with us, listen, and help us take the next step. CREDOpodcast.com JamesLuginbyhl.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Oct 2026
CREDO - Sons of Thunder
James and John wanted the places of honor beside Jesus. When he asked if they could drink his cup, they said yes—before they understood what that yes would cost. In this episode of CREDO, I look at their ambition, their imperfect faith, and the way Jesus turned their idea of greatness toward service. Maybe following Christ begins with trusting him enough to take the next step, even when we can’t see the whole road. Find the podcast, my writing, and information about Hymns for the Unfinished at credopodcast.com (https://credopodcast.com/). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
24 Sept 2026
The Men We Pretend to Be
What does it mean to be a man when so much of masculinity has been built around performance? In this Season 2 opener of CREDO, James explores the pressure men feel to be strong, useful, competent, successful, and in control—even when something underneath is quietly falling apart. Drawing from his own years of work travel, loneliness, faith, grief, and the struggle to separate being needed from being loved, James asks what happens when the version of ourselves we present to the world starts to become a costume. Along the way, he looks at Peter, Elijah, Jesus in Gethsemane, confession, vulnerability, and the uncomfortable truth that being admired is not the same thing as being known. This episode expands on “The Men We Pretend to Be,” a chapter from James’s book Hymns for the Unfinished. Learn more about the book, CREDO, and James’s other writing at: https://jamesluginbyhl.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
15 Sept 2026
Why Suffering?
Why does a good and loving God allow suffering? In this episode of CREDO, James explores Christianity’s response to pain—not through easy answers or religious clichés, but through the God who entered human suffering and remains with us in its midst. Learn more about James and his memoir, Hymns for the Unfinished: A Memoir of Grief and Becoming, at jamesluginbyhl.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
13 Sept 2026
Behind the Psalms Podcast with David Shepson
In this episode David Shepson joins me in the famous Everyday Monks studio to discuss my last episode of Why the Psalms and the stories behind some of the comments I had made. Thanks to Everyday Monks for letting us use their studio and thank you David for such a great conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
8 Sept 2026
Why the Psalms?
Why do the Psalms continue to speak to us after thousands of years? In this episode of CREDO, James explores why the Psalms have become such an important part of his faith and prayer. They give us words for nearly every human experience—joy and gratitude, anger and confusion, grief and doubt. They remind us that faithful prayer does not require pretending everything is fine. We can bring our whole selves before God because the Psalms already do. The Psalms are poetry, theology, lament, worship, and the prayer book of God’s people. They were prayed by Israel, prayed by Jesus, and continue to teach the Church how to speak honestly with God when our own words fail. James A. Luginbyhl is also the author of Hymns for the Unfinished: A Memoir of Grief and Becoming, available on Amazon. Learn more about the book, the podcast, and his other writings at https://jamesluginbyhl.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
5 Sept 2026
Why Grace?
Grace is the unmerited favor of God.That definition is true—but for most of my life, I did not actually understand what it meant. I treated my relationship with God like a transaction: if I believed strongly enough, behaved well enough, and avoided enough bad things, perhaps God would be pleased with me.Then my life began falling apart, and the transactional faith I had built could not carry the weight. CREDO is a podcast from a layman exploring what he believes, why he believes it, and what Christ has patiently taught him along the way.Learn more about my writing, speaking, podcast, and memoir, *Hymns for the Unfinished*, at https://jamesluginbyhl.com .Music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
Finding Grace in a Unfinished Life
Grace is the unmerited favor of God.That definition is true—but for most of my life, I did not actually understand what it meant. I treated my relationship with God like a transaction: if I believed strongly enough, behaved well enough, and avoided enough bad things, perhaps God would be pleased with me.Then my life began falling apart, and the transactional faith I had built could not carry the weight.In “Finding Grace in an Unfinished Life,” I explore how grief, failure, doubt, depression, and an unfinished story changed the way I understand grace. Salvation is not secured by how firmly I can hold on to Christ. It is secured by how firmly Christ holds on to me.This episode began as a practice run for a talk I hope to share at speaking engagements. I decided to release it because the message is central to nearly everything I write and believe: grace is greater than our ability to ruin it.CREDO is a podcast from a layman exploring what he believes, why he believes it, and what Christ has patiently taught him along the way.Learn more about my writing, speaking, podcast, and memoir, *Hymns for the Unfinished*, at https://jamesluginbyhl.com .Music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
Why Pray?
Why pray?For many of us, prayer can begin to feel like another performance—something we have to do correctly, sincerely enough, or with the right words to earn God’s attention. But prayer was never meant to be a spiritual audition.In this episode of CREDO, James explores prayer as an honest encounter with the God who already knows us and loves us. Drawing from the words of Jesus, the Lord’s Prayer, and a remarkable letter from St. Augustine, he considers why we pray when God already knows what we need—and how prayer changes not God’s heart toward us, but our hearts toward God.You do not have to impress God. You do not have to manufacture the right feeling. You do not even have to know exactly what to say. You are invited simply to come—restless, distracted, hopeful, wounded, or unsure—and allow yourself to be known.Prayer is not a performance. It is a relationship.CREDO with James LuginbyhlEpisode 5: Why Pray?jamesluginbyhl.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
Why the Bible?
Why should anyone trust the Bible?In this episode of CREDO, I wrestle with how a collection of ancient writings—written by different people, in different places, across many centuries—can still tell one coherent story. I explore the Bible’s human authorship, historical reliability, preservation, canon, relationship to the Church, and the difficult passages that refuse easy answers.I do not trust Scripture because I can explain every verse or because Christians have always interpreted it correctly. I trust it because it brings me credible testimony about Jesus Christ, because its many voices tell one story, and because I have encountered within its pages the Christ who confronts, comforts, forgives, and makes all things new.CREDO is a podcast by James Luginbyhl—a layman exploring what he believes and why.Learn more at jamesluginbyhl.com.Theme music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
Why Christianity?
Believing in God is one thing. Christianity asks me to believe something much more particular—and much stranger.In this episode, I consider why Christianity deserves to be taken seriously: the historical claim of the resurrection, the transformation of the earliest witnesses, the miracles, the long story of Scripture, and the unsettling claims Jesus made about himself. This is not an attempt to prove Christianity in fifteen minutes. It is an explanation of why I believe Jesus cannot safely be reduced to merely a good teacher—and why I believe he may actually be who the Church has always claimed he is.CREDO is a podcast by James Luginbyhl—a layman exploring what he believes and why.Learn more at jamesluginbyhl.com.Theme music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
Why God?
Welcome to CREDO—a podcast about what I believe, why I believe it, and the questions I am still learning to ask.In this episode, I go farther upstream and ask why I believe in God at all. From Augustine’s Confessions to a late-night prayer in a Waffle House, I explore why faith began for me not with certainty, but with questions I could no longer escape—and the possibility that God was already reaching for me.Learn more about my writing and my book, Hymns for the Unfinished, at: https://jamesluginbyhl.com Theme music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise, used with permission. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
4 Sept 2026
CREDO - Introduction
Welcome to CREDO—a podcast about what I believe, why I believe it, and the questions I am still learning to ask.In this first episode, I explain what CREDO is and why I have decided to examine my faith aloud. This is not a podcast from a priest, theologian, or expert. It is one layman’s attempt to understand a faith that has survived doubt, grief, and fire—and to discover what remains when inherited answers are no longer enough.Learn more about my writing and my book, Hymns for the Unfinished, at: https://jamesluginbyhl.com Theme music: “Marfa Lights” by Feminoise, used with permission. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesluginbyhl.substack.com (https://jamesluginbyhl.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
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