Podcasts about christianizing

No other American colony projected such extensive power with so few people. We recount how the French explored the vast northern region they called “Canada” for decades in pursuit of furs and the Northwest Passage, but repeatedly failed to plant a lasting colony in the harsh and forbidding land—until they found in Samuel de Champlain a leader with the shrewdness and grit to overcome the severe cold, the vast distances, and the treacherous politics of the Saint Lawrence basin. We trace the growth of Quebec from little more than a warehouse in the frozen wildnerness to a thriving town, controlling the most critical gateway into the continent and serving as the hub of a lucrative trading network, a vast constellation of mission towns and outposts (including the Christianizing experiment known as Montreal), and most importantly, a formidable indigenous alliance system that dominated the continenet from the Atlantic to Lake Superior. Finally, we consider the disasters of the mid-1600s, including deadly epidemics and warfare with the Five Nations, that brought Canada's most important allies to their knees and threatened to wipe the colony off the map. Please sign up as a patron to support the podcast! -- https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632 Previous lecture discussing the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (aka the Iroquois Confederacy or Five Nations): https://historiansplaining.com/individual-episodes/the-hiawatha-belt/ Previous lecture, discussing the dynamics and importance of the fur trade: “History of the United States in 100 Objects, no. 24 – Beaver-Fur Stovepipe Hat” -- https://historiansplaining.com/individual-episodes/beaver-fur-stovepipe-hat/ Previous lecture on the first French colony on the North American mainland, Acadia: https://historiansplaining.com/individual-episodes/acadia-first-foothold-in-the-north/ Image: Engraving depicting the battle of Lake Champlain, July, 1609, published in Samuel de Champlain's “Les Voyages du Sieur de Champlain,” 1613, based on a drawing by Champlain himself Suggested Further Reading: Riendeau, “A Brief History of Canada”; David Hackett Fischer, “Champlain's Dream: The European Founding of North America”; Moogk, “La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada”; Linteau, “The History of Montreal”; Greg Koabel, “The Nations of Canada” podcast,

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. 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Trinity Press International, 1996. Key use: Essential source for early Christian architectural adaptation, especially the shift from domestic and semi-domestic gathering spaces toward more specialized Christian buildings. White's work is useful for showing that early Christian architecture develops inside a broader Roman social and architectural world, not in isolation.White, L. Michael. The Social Origins of Christian Architecture, Volume II: Texts and Monuments for the Christian Domus Ecclesiae in Its Environment. Trinity Press International, 1997. Key use: Companion volume for the textual and archaeological evidence behind the domus ecclesiae, early meeting spaces, and the built environment of pre-Constantinian Christianity.Yale University Art Gallery. “Christian Building.” Dura-Europos: Excavating Antiquity. Key use: Strong anchor for the Dura-Europos Christian building and its wall paintings. Yale notes that the Christian paintings were uncovered in 1932 and that Clark Hopkins described the murals as preserved from more than three-quarters of a century before Constantine recognized Christianity in 312.Yale News. “House Call: A New Study Rethinks Early Christian Landmark.” 2024. Key use: Useful cautionary source for not oversimplifying Dura-Europos as merely a domestic “house church.” The report highlights recent scholarship reexamining how domestic the Dura Christian building really was and why its architectural classification needs care.Smarthistory. “Dura-Europos.” Key use: Accessible overview of Dura-Europos as a multicultural Roman frontier site, including the adapted Christian building used as a meeting place and baptistery in the first half of the third century.Peppard, Michael. The World's Oldest Church: Bible, Art, and Ritual at Dura-Europos, Syria. Yale University Press, 2016. Key use: Major source for the Dura-Europos Christian building, its baptistery, biblical imagery, ritual use, and the danger of reading the site too simply through later church categories.Snyder, Graydon F. Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine. Mercer University Press, revised edition, 2003. Key use: Important archaeological source for Christian life before Constantine, especially material evidence for worship, burial, symbols, and everyday Christian practice before public imperial privilege. Mercer University Press identifies the book as focused on archaeological evidence of church life before Constantine.Jensen, Robin M. Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity: Ritual, Visual, and Theological Dimensions. Baker Academic, 2012. Key use: Core source for baptismal images, ritual meaning, water, initiation, death and rebirth, and the way visual programs frame baptismal practice.Jensen, Robin M. Understanding Early Christian Art. Routledge, 2000. Key use: Early Christian visual culture, catacomb imagery, baptismal scenes, Good Shepherd imagery, Jonah, Daniel, Lazarus, and the visual language of salvation and resurrection.Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. Eerdmans, 2009. Key use: Major historical and theological source for baptismal practice, initiation, immersion, anointing, catechesis, and the development of baptismal rites.Johnson, Maxwell E. The Rites of Christian Initiation: Their Evolution and Interpretation. Liturgical Press. Key use: Development of initiation rites, catechumenate, baptism, post-baptismal rites, and how Christian initiation becomes structured over time.Spinks, Bryan D. Early and Medieval Rituals and Theologies of Baptism: From the New Testament to the Council of Trent. Ashgate, 2006. Key use: Long-range ritual and theological development of baptism, useful for tracking how early baptismal space later becomes more formalized.Britannica. “Catacomb.” Key use: Baseline definition of catacombs as subterranean cemeteries composed of galleries or passages with recesses for tombs; useful for correcting the popular misconception that catacombs were primarily secret churches rather than burial landscapes.Stevenson, James. The Catacombs: Rediscovered Monuments of Early Christianity. Thames & Hudson, 1978. Key use: Classic overview of Roman catacombs, burial architecture, inscriptions, symbols, and early Christian memory.Rutgers, Leonard V. Subterranean Rome: In Search of the Roots of Christianity in the Catacombs of the Eternal City. Peeters, 2000. Key use: Catacombs as archaeological and social evidence, including burial practice, community identity, and the relationship between Jews, Christians, and Roman funerary culture.Fiocchi Nicolai, Vincenzo, Fabrizio Bisconti, and Danilo Mazzoleni. The Christian Catacombs of Rome: History, Decoration, Inscriptions. Schnell & Steiner, 2002. Key use: Detailed treatment of catacomb history, inscriptions, burial spaces, and visual programs.Brown, Peter. The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity. University of Chicago Press, enlarged edition. Key use: Essential source for the holy dead, saint veneration, relics, tombs, pilgrimage, and the way corporeal remains became central to Christian religious life. The University of Chicago Press describes Brown's work as exploring how worship of saints and their corporeal remains became central to religious life in Western Europe.Brown, Peter. The Body and Society: Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity. Columbia University Press, 1988. Key use: Christian body theology, asceticism, holiness, discipline, and why the body is so central to late antique Christian imagination.Yasin, Ann Marie. Saints and Church Spaces in the Late Antique Mediterranean: Architecture, Cult, and Community. Cambridge University Press, 2009. Key use: Churches, saints, relics, cult practice, community identity, and how sacred spaces are organized around holy bodies and memory.Grabar, André. Martyrium: Recherches sur le culte des reliques et l'art chrétien antique. Key use: Classic work on martyr shrines, relic cult, and the relationship between architecture, art, and the holy dead.van Gennep, Arnold. The Rites of Passage. Key use: Separation, liminality, and incorporation. Crucial for baptism, catechumenate, thresholds, initiation, and the movement from outsider to insider.Turner, Victor. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Key use: Liminality, threshold states, ritual transition, and communitas. Useful for baptism, catacomb descent, martyr devotion, and controlled access.Kilde, Jeanne Halgren. Sacred Power, Sacred Space: An Introduction to Christian Architecture and Worship. Oxford University Press, 2008. Key use: Christian buildings as arrangements of power, worship, divine presence, and embodied access. Useful for thresholds, sanctuary divisions, nave, altar, and congregation.Kieckhefer, Richard. Theology in Stone: Church Architecture from Byzantium to Berkeley. Oxford University Press, 2004. Key use: Church architecture as theology made spatial. Useful for altar, pulpit, nave, threshold, symbolic layout, and worship practice.Krautheimer, Richard. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. Yale University Press / Pelican History of Art. Key use: Classic architectural history for early Christian and Byzantine buildings, including the shift from pre-Constantinian spaces to basilicas, baptisteries, martyr shrines, and later monumental forms.Mathews, Thomas F. The Clash of Gods: A Reinterpretation of Early Christian Art. Princeton University Press, 1993. Key use: Early Christian imagery, visual conflict, ritual meaning, and the development of Christian art within the Roman world.Elsner, Jaś. Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph: The Art of the Roman Empire AD 100–450. Oxford University Press, 1998. Key use: Roman visual culture, Christian adaptation, imperial imagery, and the shift into Christian public art and architecture.MacMullen, Ramsay. Christianizing the Roman Empire: A.D. 100–400. Yale University Press, 1984. Key use: Social and historical context for Christian expansion before and after Constantine, useful for understanding how Christian space changes as Christianity grows.Mango, Cyril. Byzantine Architecture. Key use: LonAlso want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sound-studies

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated their power by bringing order to chaotic sound worlds, replacing cacophony with harmony. In late antiquity, Christians took up this archetype and applied it to Jesus. For many early Christians, the advent of Christ resembled the modern phenomenon of a musical key change, but on a grand scale: Jesus initiated a recalibration of the cosmic soundscape, ushering in a new world. However, according to many Christians in late antiquity, this universal key change was not yet complete. Late ancient Christians believed that they could participate in the ongoing sonic work of Christ by Christianizing the acoustic landscapes of the world.In Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 2026), Dr. Philip Abbott explores how late ancient Christians envisioned themselves as participants in the worldwide retuning effort, harmonizing the Classical world to the new Christian reality. Rejecting the sounds of traditional Greco-Roman and Persian cultures, Christians advocated a variety of sonic practices to realize their grand retuning endeavor, including shouting, singing, silent meditation, chanting, and even belching. From the Latin West to the Syriac East, late ancient Christians formed a polyphonous chorus of diverse voices all joining in the great harmonizing work of Jesus as they Christianized the soundscapes of the world.For years, scholars have noted the monumental changes that took place in early Christianity during the so-called Constantinian Revolution. But Dr. Abbott turns our attention to an unexplored aspect of this transitional moment, arguing that it was not simply a political or religious revolution - it was a revolution of the senses. Central to this sensorial transformation was sound. As Christianity gained imperial power in the fourth century, Christians began the process of re-tuning the world for Christ. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/13/26), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom, and, as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.Hank also answers the following questions:Why didn't God actualize the angels in righteousness before they fell? Crystal - Kansas City, KS (15:39)Since Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:10 says there should not be divisions amongst believers, what does this say about all the different denominations within the body of Christ today? Jessie - IA (17:09)Could you explain the story of the fish with a coin in its mouth in Matthew 17:24-27? Gus - Oklahoma City, OK (20:06)Would the command to obey the government in Romans chapter 13 apply to Sharia law? Cameron - OK (21:51)

Intro: The basics and some comments on our very early history during COVID.3:30: Molly's afternoon substituting for a sick teacher at the girls' school, what a daughter was supposed to be doing last year, a student tries to run things, and boredom for an hour.12:30:Jesus to the elite, Isaiah 2 and Molly's Epstein file dump reaction.17:20: J.R.'s reaction and The Hittite Warrior and the Christianizing influence on society. 22:50: God is sovereign over all things and separate realities and deepfakes.28:00: Cross-generational distrust of the government and the rise and fall of civilizations.31:37: Trusting God, living a quiet of life, planting gardens, and parents' rights.35:23: Something Big Is Happening (AI), some theoretical musings.46:47: Molly interrupts. 49:49: AI is creating itself and the potential benefit to your ideas.53:13 Recalibrating how we train our kids, future eduction, nefarious directions.59:44: Titus' language immersion program and some of Molly's ideas for AI use, and is there a demonic influence on AI?1:05:30: Would it be better to have an AI that doesn't learn what you want? Molly's Poison Hemlock story.1:11:30: Some ideas we have for AI.1:12:50: J.R.'s has been playing with a paid version of AI (Claude) and here's his experience so far.1:21:15: Show Close Get full access to Too Busy to Flush at www.toobusytoflush.com/subscribe

Introduction: John 4:23–24 - But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Why Should I Sing on Sundays? (Colossians 3:16) Because singing works the WORD INTO MY HEART. (Col 3:16a) Because singing encourages the HEARTS OF EVERYONE WHO HEARS ME. (Col 3:16b) Ephesians 5:19 - ...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart... Psalm 34:3 - Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 107:32 - Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. Psalm 100:1 - Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Because singing voices my HEARTFELT THANKFULNESS TO GOD. (Col 3:16c) Ephesians 5:19 - ...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart... Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Colossians 3:16What was your big take-away from this passage / message and the entire series?What are your biggest barriers to passionately singing on Sunday mornings? How can you begin to overcome these barriers and be a more faithful worshiper?How does singing help the Word dwell in you richly?How does singing on Sundays encourage others around you? What does their singing teach you?What did Taylor mean that your greatest instrument is your heart? How is your mouth like an amplifier?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3 verse 16.Colossians chapter 3 verse 16.Have you ever gone to someone else's houseand witnessed family traditions that didn't make sense to you?You had a friend in college, I went to visit his family onceand he's a part of a family that kisses each other on the lipswhenever they say hello or goodbye.And that's not my experience at all in my family.And to be clear, I'm not judging you,that's how your family does greeting time.You are loved and we're moving on from that, okay?I also had another friend I grew up with,his family drank milk with every single meal they ate.Three meals a day, three glasses of milk a day.And they thought it was really weirdthat I didn't want to drink milk with my pizza.And I thought it was really weird that they wanted meto drink milk with my pizza.Have you ever visited a different countryand been surprised and thrown off by the customs they have?In Netherlands, the person who's throwing a birthday partycongratulates every single person in the room,not just the person having the birthday.In Japan, it is not customary to tip.If you try to leave a tip,the server will probably be very offended by that.I've talked to a lot of people who've visitedor immigrated to America,who are really thrown off that we use,how are you, not as a genuine question,but as a throwaway hello.I've been to Kenya twice,and the first time I was there, I was surprisedthat as I walked from village to village,talking to a certain man,he would hold my hand as we walked.Now guys, will we do that in America?That's never happened to me, stateside.But in Kenya, it's a sign of friendship.It's a sign that person is really listeningto what you have to say.Many traditions and customs seem to be a bit randomand mysterious.When you press people on why they carry out these traditions,they usually don't know why.They don't know the origin or rationale.I don't know, it's what we've always done.We've always had milk with our pizza.We've always eaten funyons at Thanksgiving.One tradition that doesn't really make that much sense,but I'm glad you enjoy it, Pastor Jeff.Traditions and customs can become mechanical,can become rote.If you don't know why you're doing them,it can become a mechanical processof going through the motions.And the saying can be said for Christians in the church.If you pull many professing believersas they exit a Sunday morning serviceand ask them to provide the biblical rationalefor why they did what they just did,I think you'd receive a lot of blank stares.You'd hear a lot of us and ums.You'd hear a lot of hemming and hawing.Why is that?Because they are engaging in worshipwithout thought or intention.They are going through the motions.The traditions and customs that God has laid downin His word for the family gatherings of His peoplemay seem strange.Hard to explain and a bit random.I mean, think about it.Why do we gather once a week to listen to a guy like metalk about the Bible for 30 to 45 minutes?Every few months, why do we watch people get dunked in water?At the end of this service,why will we eat a cup of bread and a thimble full of juice?Why do we do that?Why do we spend almost half of the service singing together?And that final question is particularly hardfor some Christians to answerbecause they don't like to sing on Sundays.They don't want to sing on Sundaysand they don't even know why we sing on Sundays.They don't always see the point.And maybe you were a part of the demographicthat isn't really down with singing.Maybe this biblical tradition seems odd to you.It seems mysterious.You don't know why you have to do it.So what do you do?As Pastor Jeff and Pastor Rich have said in previous sermons,you barely sing above a whisper.You tune out.You mouth the words until you're told to sit down.Or maybe you arrive intentionally lateto skip the singing portions of the service.So you slip out early to skip the final song.You just don't get singing, so you just don't sing.This is the final sermon in a series calledGod is Seeking Worshipers.In John chapter four verses 23 through 24,Jesus makes it clear what kind of worshipis God's on the lookout for.Let's listen to what Jesus has to say.He says, "But the hour is coming and is now here"when the true worshipers will worship the Father"in spirit and truth,"for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him."God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship"in spirit and truth."God is seeking those who will worship Him"in spirit and in truth."Two weeks ago, Pastor Rich dug into what it looks liketo worship God according to the truth of His word.And last week, Pastor Jeff focused on worshiping Godin spirit, you were to have passionand not cold detachment.And this morning, we're gonna focus in particularon the importance of congregational singing.Whether you can't wait to sing or you can't stand to sing,I wanna help you answer one question this morning,just one question.Why should I sing on Sundays?Why should I sing on Sundays?There are a lot of places to turn to answer this question,but there is no place that is clearer and more concisethan Colossians 3/16, just one verse.Before we continue any further,let's go to Lord and ask for His help.Please pray for me, that I'll faithfully proclaim God's wordand I will pray for you, that you will faithfully receive it.Father, we come to you and we thank youfor this most important appointment of the week.This isn't the throwaway time that we can take or leave,Lord, it is the time we come togetherto worship your holy name.Come around your word to be challenged, to be convicted,to be encouraged, to be lifted up,to be pointed to your Son, Jesus Christ.We thank you in advance for what you will doand we pray more than anythingthat you would be pleased with what we do today,that you would be worshiped in spirit and in truth.And we ask all this in Jesus' name, amen.So Colossians is a New Testament letterwritten by the Apostle Pauland it is focused on the supremacy of Christ in all things.Christ is better than anything or anyone.Life is from Him, life is through Him, and life is for Him.In chapter three of Colossians,Paul calls the Colossians to live in light of who Christ isand where He is seated.Christ is Lord and He is seated in heaven,so we are called to submit to His heavenly standards.To be able to put on new clothes,you have to take off your old clothes.Or to put on the new self, you are to put off the old self.You are to put off old, ungodly attitudes and behaviorsso you can put on new and godly behaviors.In verse 12, Paul says the Colossiansare to put on compassionate hearts.And in verse 15, he says, "Let the peace of Christrule in your hearts."Then in verse 16, our passage for today,Paul says there to have worshipful and thankful hearts.And you and I are called to have these worshipful hearts as well.Why is that?What's the result?Well, worshipful and thankful hearts bless God.It blesses others, and it will bless you as well.Now that we have that background in mind,let's answer our main question.Why should I sing on Sundays?Why should I sing on Sundays?Number one, because singing works the word into my heart.Because singing works the word into my heart.Let's read Colossians chapter 3 verse 16."Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,singing psalms and hymns and spiritual psalmswith thankfulness in your hearts to God."Let's focus on that beginning chunk."Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."What does that mean?It means that your copy of God's word doesn't gather duston your bedside table.The words on these pages, don't just stay on these pages.The word of God finds a place in your heart.It lives within you.Scripture digs down deep into the very core of your beingto change how you think, how you feel, how you love,how you act, and how you react.How does this happen?It happens by reading the word.It happens by studying the word, meditating upon the word.I'm packing what it means and how it applies to your life.It involves writing notes in the margins,jotting down questions, highlighting verses,becoming a student of God's word.But according to Paul, this also happens through singing.And that may surprise you because you don't see the connection just yet.How does singing work the word into your heart?How does singing cause the word of Christ to dwell in you richly?Because lyrics set to music is the most effective methodof memorization and internalization.We all know this to be the case, right?In other areas of life.How did you learn the ABCs?Through your song, right?Prove it to me.ABCD.Very good. Very good.Wow. As a kid, how did you learn the basics of anatomy?Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees, and toes.Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees, and toes.Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees, and toes.We're all cleaning up.Clean up, clean up.Everybody everywhere.Look at you guys.Those lessons are dwelling in you richly to this day.Do you see the point?Growing up in the church, I learned a lot of important biblical factsthrough songs.If you know the song I'm going to sing, please sing it with me.Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.He climbed up the ladder in the country,the Lord he called to see, and the Savior asked him to pray.He looked up in the street, and the Lord said,"Zacchaeus, you come down, for I'm going to your house today,for I'm going to your house today."The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that's the book for me.I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.Isn't it astounding how much biblical truth can be containedin such simple and childlike songs?I sang these songs 30 years ago, and they still dwell in my heart richly.They worked the word into my heart.How arrogant we can be as adults by believing that we maturepast the need to learn and love the word of God through song.Do you feel that way right now?Do you think that the sermon is the only aspect of the Sunday servicethat teaches you something?That's just not true.Every single aspect of the service teaches you God's word.At harvest, we read the word, we preach the word, we pray the word,we see the word in baptism in the Lord's Supper, and we sing the word.All of these elements cause the word of Christ to dwell in you richly.All of these elements work the word into your heart.This is why it's important that we only sing what God's word says.And thankfully, Paul tells us what to sing in this verse.He gives us three types of songs, Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.Psalms are self-explanatory, right?He's talking about the 150 songs and prayers in the Old Testament book of Psalms.When you sing the Psalms, you're singing God's own word back to him.It's like you're speaking God's language.You're using his own divine vocabulary.And when Paul references hymns in this verse, he's not talking about the hymnsas we understand them in 2026.Remember Paul's writing about 2,000 years ago.He's not commanding us to buy old dusty hymns off eBaythat have this singing sheet and all the parts for men and women.But what is he saying?Well, back in his day, hymns were a pagan practice.Hymns were sung to a false God, a famous hero, or a military leader.These hymns were focused on a particular person.Paul is Christianizing and retrofitting this pagan practice for the church.He's saying instead of singing to that lame guy who's not as cool as you think he is,instead of singing to that bloodthirsty general,instead of singing to that false God, praise the Lord God Almighty.Praise him for who he is.Praise him for his sovereignty.Praise him for his glory.Praise him for his majesty.Praise him for his majesty.Praise God for who he is.And most likely spiritual songs were songs of personal testimony.If hymns mainly emphasize who God is,spiritual songs focus on what God has done for you,what he is doing for you, and what he will do for you in the future.Praise God that he gave you another day to worship him and to serve him.How many of us woke up today going, "Ugh, today's going to be terrible.I don't want to do this."Instead of doing that, praise him that he gave you breath in your lungs.Praise him that he has forgiven all of your sin past, present, and future.Praise him that he delivered you from the domain of darknessand has transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved Son.Praise him that he will never, ever let go of you, no matter what you do.Praise God for all the good gifts he has given to you.That is Psalms and hymns in spiritual songs.Why does Paul give us this breakdown of songs?In the past, did you ever make someone a mixtape?Did you ever burn someone a CD?Or for you teenagers who have no idea what I'm talking about?Have you ever made a playlist and shared it with someone else?Why did you do that?Because you wanted that person to experience the songs that you love.You wanted that person to get out of the rut of listening to that same kind of songover and over and over again.That's what Paul is doing here.He's giving the Colossians a godly mixtape, a CD.He's sharing a heavenly playlist with them.He wants to keep them from singing the same type of song over and over and over again.It's often said that variety is a spice of life.Variety is also the spice of worship.God wants to be worshiped by the inspired classics of the Psalms.He also wants to be worshiped as Pastor Jeff just read to us from Psalm 96 with a new song.He wants to be worshiped for who he is.But he also wants to be worshiped for what he does, what he has done, and what he will do.Singing these types of songs will keep us from only emphasizing the truth and missing spiritor only emphasizing spirit and missing the truth.Sticking to this list of songs will cause you to worship in spirit and in truthbecause both are needed to truly worship God.So much damage can be done.If the sermons we hear on Sundays get an A+ in theology,but the songs we sing receive a failing grade.Well, why is that?Because you'll remember the words you sing on Sundayfar longer than the words you hear from the pastor's mouth.If you don't believe me, have you ever been with a Christian on their deathbed?I gotta tell you, they don't invite their pastors then to repreach their favorite sermons.What do they do instead?They sing worship songs that are lodged in their brains and stuck in their hearts.As tired and as feeble as these saints feel, they belt out amazing grace in Christ alone.Crown Him with many crowns.It is well, blessed assurance.Biblically rich songs have the power to instruct your intellect.Spark your passions, engage your emotions, and involve your body.When the Word of Christ dwells in you richly, it will flow out of your mouth freely.Do you begrudgingly sing?Do you barely sing?Do you refuse to sing?If you've answered any of those questions with a yes,I want you to come to grips with what you're truly sacrificing.You are laying aside the blessing of knowing and loving the Word of Godon every single level of who you are as a person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.You are cutting your spiritual growth off at the knees.You're saying, "I'm going to mature this far and no farther."You are cutting yourself off from a major source of the Word of Christ dwelling in you richly.Of the Word being worked into your heart.You are hurting yourself.But the damage doesn't just end with you.If you have a negative view of singing, you will negatively affect others around you.But in Colossians 3, 16, Paul shows us the opposite as well.If you have a positive view of singing, you will positively affect others around you.Let's read verse 16 for a second time."Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God."Why should I sing on Sundays?Second reason, because singing encourages the hearts of everyone who hears me.Because singing encourages the hearts of everyone who hears me.Paul says that we as a church should be teaching and admonishing who?One another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.He shares an almost identical truth in Ephesians 519.He says the believer should be addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.Pastor Rich and Pastor Jeff have made it clear over the past few weeks that the primary audienceof our worship is who?God, first and foremost, our worship is for and before the Lord.Again, He is the primary audience.But according to Paul, there is a secondary audience of our singing.And who is that secondary audience?One another.Every single person in this room, that person in front of you, those people behind you,those people next to you.To be clear, you're not worshiping other people as you sing.You are only worshiping God, but you are instructing and teaching others as you sing.The goal isn't to impress, the goal is to instruct.By singing, you are reinforcing the glorious truths of God's Word.By singing, you are warning, admonishing others to avoid the consequences of disobeying God's Word.You are playing an important role of the working of the Word into their hearts.You are playing an important role of the Word of Christ dwelling in their hearts, richly.Do you understand that Sunday morning is not your private worship time with God?Yes, it is personal, but it's by no means private.You are commanded to have your private worship time with God throughout the week.As you read the Bible, as you pray, as you fast,Sunday morning is the corporate worship time of God's people.It's not just about you and Jesus, it's about us and Jesus.Why is it so important that we gather together and we sing together?Why do we do that?Well, one pastor puts it this way.The people of God sing together because they have been saved together.And we see this truth in the book of Exodus.In Exodus 12 and 13, the Israelites are let go from slavery in Egypt.They're guided by the very presence of God.But then what happens?Pharaoh changed his mind to the armies of Egypt.Go after the Israelites.But God rescues them.He makes the Red Sea's part.He takes them through the water.Then those waters drown the Egyptian army.The Israelites are saved together by God.How do they respond to being saved together?According to Exodus 15, they sing together.Their voices become one communal voice to their God and their Savior.And we see this in the Psalms.There is a ton of "I," "me," "my," and "my" language in the Psalms.But there are 346 appearances of "we," "our," "us," as well.Again, it's not just private.It's corporate.In Psalm 343, David gives this command,"O magnify the Lord with me.Let us exalt his name together."Psalm 107.32."Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,and praise him in the assembly of the elders."Paul commands the Colossians and the Ephesiansto sing to the Lord together because they have been savedby the blood of Jesus Christ together.You and I are commanded to sing together because we have been savedby the blood of Jesus Christ together.You were not rescued and redeemed from your sinto be your own spiritual island by yourself.You were rescued and redeemed to be a part of the holy people of God,to be adopted into the family of God.You are not an only child.You have a countless number of brothers and sisters across this globeand throughout human history.But let's focus on our church for a minute.If you are a member at harvest,you have committed yourself to the holiness and maturityof the brothers and sisters you have in this roomand in the other service.By becoming a member,you have acknowledged that your faithful attendance,your active participation contributes to the unity and purity of this church.You have chosen to link arms with these peopleand marched through this evil world towards heaven together.You have agreed that I'm going to build up and encourage these peoplebecause they are my family.Do you realize that this service isn't just something you can slip in and slip out of?This is your family.This is a family gathering and you are here to encourage others,not just to be encouraged yourself.So how do you encourage others around you?You sing with passionate enthusiasm.You cannot teach and admonish other people around you with their singingif other people around you cannot hear your singing.You know what this means?This means that you do not have the biblical right to opt out of singing.You do not have God's permission to mumble or mouth the words you see on the screens.You are not given a hall pass from God to come late or to leave early.You are not allowed to be a conscientious objector during the worship set.I know exactly what some of you are thinking right now.I know you are internally sweating and thinking,"Pastor Taylor, you just don't get it.I have a horrible singing voice and I don't want anybody to hear me."Does God expect you to be a trained musician or a world-class vocalist to sing?I sure hope not because you all just heard my voice a few minutes agoand I fall way short of that standard.Does God command you to sing well in Scripture?He calls you to sing, period.Psalm 100 verse 1, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth."Can your mouth make noise?Make noise to your mouth by saying yes.Can your mouth make noise?Can you make that noise sound joyful?Even better than you are the perfect person to sing to the Lordto encourage other people in this room with your singing.All of you are not expected to stand on stage and lead the worship time,but you are expected to instruct others during the worship timeas you sing from where you stand.How many of you watched Elf last month before Christmas?Very few of you.Wow, okay, this may be harder for you than I thought.What is Buddy the Elf's singing advice for Christmas?The best way to spread Christmas cheer is..."Lose your mouth for all of the years."I'm going to steal that quote and use it for corporate worship.The best way to spread Christian cheer is..."Lose your mouth for all of the years."I read a study recently that laid out two markers of a healthy church.They're obviously way more than just two,but these two were the focus of the study.The first one was children.Children are being born.Children are being discipled.That discipleship is being reinforced in the life of the church,as Pastor Jeff often says, "Children are a sign of life."How are we doing with that first marker here at Harvest?If you're wondering, just count how many kids almost knock you over after the service is over.Here's the second mark.The second mark is "Men who sing."How are we doing with that one?I got to tell you, not as well as the first.I know what some of you might be thinking."Taylor, singing on Sundays just seems a little feminine.It doesn't seem very masculine to me."That's interesting.You didn't seem to have that same objectionwhen you were singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"at the pirate game this past summer.So let me understand this.It's masculine to sing about going to a baseball game,but it's feminine to sing to the Lord God Almighty.You didn't seem to have that same objectionwhen you were singing in the shower this morning,or singing in the car the way to work last week.You didn't seem to have this objectionwhen you were singing at the top of your lungswhen you saw your favorite band in concert.So let me get it straight.All those things are masculine,but singing to Jesus Christ,who laid down his own life to save yours, that's feminine.Do you see how ridiculous that objection iswhen you really think about it?Moses sang, "Are you more masculine than Moses?When was the last time you were used by Godto defeat the mightiest army on the planetand to lead a bunch of complaining people to the wilderness?"David sang to the Lord and even danced to himas we saw last week."Are you more masculine than David?You were killed a giantor ruled over God's chosen nation?Jesus sang in the Gospels.Are you more masculine than Jesus?Your entire life cannot compare to one secondof the masculinity Jesus displayedduring his time on this earth."Men, please stop making excuses for why you can't sing.Sing for the sake of your wife.Sing for the sake of your kids.Sing for the sake of the church.Your silence is deafening and destructive.Harvest, we should be teaching and admonishing one anotherand all wisdom by singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.We should be instructing and encouraging one anotherby how we sing.This starts at an individual leveland it has corporate ramifications.You have no idea how big of an impactyour singing has on the people around you.And you have no idea how much their singinghas an impact on you.Imagine that there is a woman in the seat in front of youwho is fighting a losing battle with a serious illness.Yet every single Sunday she is worshiping the Lordwith hands lifted high.Does that teach you something?That teaches you that God is worthy of your praiseeven when your physical strength is being sapped from your body.Imagine that there is a dad down the aisle from youwho just lost his son.Yet he is still worshiping the Lord with tears in his eyesand sorrow in his heart.Doesn't that teach you something?That teaches you that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.Blessed be the name of the Lord.That group of teenagers in the intersectionis rejecting the worldly desire to look coolby worshiping God with reckless abandon.Doesn't that teach you something?That teaches you that age doesn't always equal maturityand they can set you an example to follow.Please sing.Sing to encourage your own heartbut also sing to encourage the hearts of other people around you.Why should I sing on Sundays?Final reason.Because singing voices my heart felt thankfulness to God.Because singing voices my heart felt thankfulness to God.Singing blesses you.Singing blesses others.But most importantly, singing blesses God.Let's read verse 16 and a third and final time.Let the word of Christ dwell in you richlyteaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songswith thankfulness in your hearts to God.Once again, Paul shares a very similar truth in Ephesians 519.He says that you should sing and address other Christians in songwhile making melody to the Lord with your heart.You realize that your mouth isn't your primary instrument of praise.It's your heart.Your heart is where everything starts.Your heart is where your passions live.Your heart is where your emotions reside.What is in your heart will come out of your mouth.Your heart is like a guitar or a keyboard.While your mouth is a speaker.Your mouth amplifies what is inside.Your mouth amplifies what is in your heart.If your heart is full of negativity and complaining,what will come out of your mouth?Negativity and complaining.If your heart is full of love and praise to the Lord,what will be amplified by your mouth?Love and praise to the Lord.You were made to worship God.And God has revealed that he loves to be sung to.And if you refuse to sing to him,you were refusing to give him the love and thanks that he deserves.At this point, you may be waving the white flag.Okay, Taylor, I get it.I get it.You and other pastors can stop selling me.These sermons have convinced me.I just sing a little bit louder.Fine, I guess I'll sing.Is that honoring to the Lord?You know, my wife has revealed to me that she loves flowers.And she feels loved by me whenever I give her flowers.But imagine that she loves flowers.But imagine I come home after service with a frown on my faceand shove some flowers in her arms and say, "There you go.Will you stop bugging me about the stupid flowers?I did what you wanted.You're not getting more until your birthday.Hope you enjoy it."Would my wife feel very loved by that?I shouldn't buy my wife flowers because I have to.I should buy my wife flowers because I love her and I want to.And the same way, singing to the Lord shouldn't be viewed as something you have to do.It should be viewed as something you want to do.It should be your greatest joy to verbally and physically express the love you feel for him on the inside.And if that's not how you feel, there's a problem going on that you should address.The worship team can make their way forward.God is seeking worshipers.God is seeking those who will worship him in truth.God is seeking those who will worship him in spirit.God is seeking those who will worship him in song.How do you feel about this job description?How do you feel about being a full-time worshiper of God?Some of you in this room are not a worshiper of God.You have not yet trusted in Christ.You are worshiping yourself.You are living for yourself.Let me ask you something.How is that working out for you?I'm guessing not very well.You may think you're happy.You may act happy, but you know something is missing.You know something is wrong.You know there is someone far greater than you who deserves the glory and honor that you're hogging for yourself.This person is God who reveals himself most clearly to the person and work of his Son.Jesus came to this earth to serve sinners.Choose to serve him for all of eternity.Jesus humbled himself by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for sin,even though he was and still is fully perfect and sinless.Choose to exalt him forever and ever.Jesus will not turn you away if you come to him with genuine faith and repentance.Choose to believe in him.Stop believing in yourself.Choose to worship him.Stop worshiping yourself.The role of a full-time worshiper is being offered to you.Accept that job offer.Others of you have accepted that job offer in the past,but you haven't been carrying out your responsibilities lately.Maybe you've been making excuses for why you can't sing.Maybe you've been distracted by a million other things you sit in this service and you're not focusing on Jesus Christ.Maybe you're not truly singing with passionate enthusiasm.If you're honest, you would say, "I've been lazy in my worship."If that's true, let me give you one final exhortation.If Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, 2000 years ago,you can get up bright and early every Sunday to worship his holy namewith every ounce of energy and passion that you have.It's not too late.You can do it right now.You can do it today.Others of you have been faithful and you've been consistent in your worship.Obviously, it's not perfect, but you have been consistent.If that's you, keep it up.Keep up the good work.Do not waver in the job that God has saved you to carry out.We spend a lot of time talking about singing.Let's actually stand.Let's actually sing.Stand and do what you are made to do.Do what you are saved to do.Do what you should want to do.Let's sing to the Lord.

As modern schools became bastions of compliance for secular ideology, the home education movement in Alberta grew. Wanting to preserve their faith from erosion, many parents chose to escape schooling, entrusting dedicated home education providers to support their programs, as parents believed these providers held a common objective of faith in God. However, with home education being funded in Alberta, the character of home education began to transform into being more of an industry than a ministry as nearly every school began providing for home education with the intent of increasing cash flow. Along with the increasing number of home education providers came the natural advancement of public curriculum. Taking advantage of parental ignorance and its associated fears, the normalization of secular programming started to win the day as many of the formerly dedicated faith-based providers began to offer government programs. The two primary motivations for doing so should be obvious. The first is that attracting students who believed in the need for government programs meant more money. The second reason, which often escapes parental notice, is that increasing public programming resulted in more funding. It is by far in the best financial interest of schools to provide increasing amounts of secular public programming. Knowing this should cause us to question why the government would fund its secular programming at a higher level than traditional Christian programming. The answer should be obvious: it is the advancement of secular ideology in direct opposition to faith-based programming. Exposing that schools have always had a hidden agenda of compliance toward something and that modern day schools aim to instill compliance within a Godless secular society, begs us to question why any home education board or parent would want to bring that ideology home. If parents are keeping their children home to assure compliance with God's will, why would any believer, whether board or school, want to use curricular programs in direct opposition to that goal? With the advent of the normalization of school programs in the home, the home education movement became corrupted by its own money-driven motivation and drifted to advancing another form of compliance: that of normalizing, accepting, even Christianizing public secular programs in opposition to advancing parental authority and freedom. Parents need to beware of being drawn in the opposite direction of their original motivation of obeying God. https://eu-wp-media.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/11/9-Parental-Motivation.mp3

The government of Israel has been criticized for building fences in Gaza and the West Bank, but now it's geofencing American churches. Will its plan reverse the decline of evangelical support for the Jewish state? Donald Trump says he's making the country more Christian, but data shows his immigration policy favors secular immigrants and rejects Christians. Rich Villodas is back to talk about his new book for Advent, "Waiting for Jesus." He says we should use this season to resist consumerism, commercialism, and Christian culturalism. Also this week, a giant flightless parrot has issues Down Under. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144923335/   Advice-ish: https://www.patreon.com/posts/advice-ish-im-in-144823944   66 Verses to Explain the Bible:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/144916622/   0:00 - Show Starts   4:43- Theme Song   5:06 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!   6:05 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly purity-tested, and filled with stuff you need. Get the AG1 welcome pack when you order from https://www.drinkag1.com/HOLYPOST   7:35 - Toucan Butt Disease!   14:35 - Israel Geofencing Ads Around Churches   29:00 - Deportations Making America More Secular?   48:42 - Sponsor - World Relief - Start a monthly partnership with World Relief to help families in crisis at https://www.worldrelief.org/holypost   49:51 - Sponsor - Aura Frames - Need a Great Christmas Gift? Use code HOLYPOST at checkout to save $45-off the Carver Mat Aura Frame at https://www.AuraFrames.com   51:00 - Sponsor - Blueland - Just for this holiday season, Blueland has a special 30% off deal to help you keep your home clean this Christmas! Go to https://www.blueland.com/holypost   52:10 - Interview   54:06 - Church Calendar Explained   1:03:50 - Spirit of Herod   1:17:37 - End Credits   1:18:09 - Sponsor - The Pour Over - Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Check it out at https://links.thepourover.org/holy-post   Links Mentioned in News Segment: Kakapo Crusty Butt Disease! https://www.popsci.com/environment/kakapo-antibiotics-crusty-bum/   Immigration Crackdown Making Us Less Christian? https://religionnews.com/2025/11/18/why-trumps-immigration-crackdown-may-make-america-less-christian/?utm_source=RNS+Updates&utm_campaign=506d68c8ac-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_11_19_01_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c5356cb657-506d68c8ac-387424458   Other Resources: Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal: An Advent Christmas Devotional by Rich Villodas: https://amzn.to/3Me8e8v   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  

"To me, that ark is: engaging deeply with our traditions. It's reclaiming some of what we lost when we were assimilating and trying to fit in. We have thousands of years of text that have such wisdom about the human condition, about how to be a good person, and lead a worthy life . . . What we can really do is, we can be Jews. And to be a Jew has always been to be different." Sarah Hurwitz—former White House speechwriter and New York Times bestselling author of Here All Along—returns to People of the Pod to discuss her new book, As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us. Hurwitz reflects on why antisemitism remains, in her words, "the least mysterious phenomenon," and how Jews can reclaim pride, wisdom, and purpose through Jewish text, practice, and community. Drawing from her work as a hospital chaplain and her conversations with Jewish students on campus, she makes a powerful case for reconnecting with the depth and resilience of Jewish tradition. Key Resources: AJC's Translate Hate Glossary AJC's Efforts to Support the Hostages Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman:     During the Obama administration, Sarah Hurwitz served as senior speech writer for President Barack Obama and chief speech writer for First Lady Michelle Obama. But after she left the White House, she did a little bit of soul searching, and in her mid 30s, reconnected with her Judaism. She wrote about it in a book titled Here All Along, and joined us at the time to talk about it. Sarah has returned with us this week to talk about the book that followed, titled As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us.  Sarah, welcome back to People of the Pod. Sarah Hurwitz:  Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here. Manya Brachear Pashman:     So your title has a very powerful accusation. So tell us who is blaming, shaming and trying to erase us? Sarah Hurwitz:   Yeah. So, you know, it's funny. My first book, as you know, was this love letter toJudaism. This, this journey of discovery of Jewish tradition, and I loved it so much, and I wanted to share it. You know, as I was writing it, I was thinking, Oh, where has this been all my life. Kind of a lovely, almost rhetorical question. But after it came out, a few things kind of happened that made me actually ask that question more seriously. Like, Wait, why did I not see any of the 4000 years of Jewish wisdom growing up?  The first thing was, I trained to be a volunteer hospital chaplain, and you know, chaplaincy is multifaith, open to chaplains of all backgrounds. But you know, the training was kind of weirdly Christian. You know, we would talk about our ministry and our theology. And I was told that prayer is God, please heal so and so who's right here in front of me, and I'm just making this prayer up spontaneously, and they can hear me, and that's prayer. And everyone prays that way, I was told. I said, You know that that's not really a common form of Jewish prayer. But I was told, No, no, as long as you don't say Jesus, it is universal. That's interesting.  And then something else that happened is I visited a college campus probably a year before October 7, and I was talking to students there at the Hillel, talking to a bunch of Jewish students. And one of them asked me, What did you do to respond to antisemitism when you were in college? And I was so stunned, I didn't even understand the question at first. And then I said, I didn't, not once, never. Not a single time did I deal with antisemitism.  And the kids just looked kind of shocked, like they didn't believe me. And they started sharing stories of the antisemitism they were facing on campus. And I thought, uh oh, something's going on here. And then I really began kind of taking a deep dive into my identity.  Of like, wait, so why did I spend my whole life being like, oh, I'm just a cultural Jew. I knew nothing about Jewish culture. Which is a beautiful way to be Jewish, being a cultural Jew, but I knew nothing about history, language, anything like that. When I said I'm an ethnic Jew, but Jews are of every ethnicity, so that's nonsense.  Or I'd say social justice is my Judaism, but I didn't know anything about what Judaism said about social justice. Unlike these wonderful Jews who do know about social justice and spend their lives acting out Jewish social justice.  And so I took a deep dive into history, and what I discovered was 2000 years of antisemitism and anti-Judaism and 200 years of Jews in Western Europe in a very understandable attempt to escape that persecution, kind of erasing many of our traditions. And I think that was kind of my answer to, where has this been all my life? And also my answer to, why did I have such an apologetic Jewish identity for so much of my life? Manya Brachear Pashman:     In my introduction, I left off half the title of your first book because it was very long, but I am curious, kind of, when did you realize . . . well, let me give the full title of your book, it's Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There).  So I guess, how was that delayed connection to Judaism, can you elaborate a little bit more about how it was tied to these forces that you just talked about? Sarah Hurwitz:  Yeah, so, you know, something that I didn't really fully understand, I had intimations of this, but didn't really understand this, is that, you know, 2000 years ago, early Christianity very much defined itself against Judaism. There was actually a name for this, the Aversos Judeos tradition, which means against the Jews in Latin.  And you know, early Church Fathers very much were defining Christianity against Judaism, because back then, both of these traditions had originated from Judaism. And you know they parted ways at some point, and the Church Fathers were really trying to distinguish Christianity from Judaism, and to get people to stop kind of practicing both traditions. This tradition really continues with Judaism defined as unspiritual, legalistic, depraved, dead, spiritually superseded. A lot of very, very ugly tropes that kind of have common themes that say that Jews are diabolically powerful, so supernaturally powerful, you can't even believe it. They are also profoundly depraved, evil, bloodthirsty, perverse, and they're in a conspiracy to hurt you. So there may be very few of them, but man, they are working together to really do harm.  And you see these three themes kind of making their way through history, unfortunately, all the way basically, until the Holocaust. And I based a lot of my writing on the work of a number of really distinguished Christian scholars who make this argument. It's actually a pretty common argument among Christian scholars.  And, you know, in recent decades, the church has very much disavowed its historic anti-Judaism and has worked very hard to, you know, fight antisemitism in the church. But, you know, these things really did kind of continue on through the 20th century. Manya Brachear Pashman:     So you do describe in your book moments when you got oddly defensive about your Judaism, or perhaps a bit revisionist about Jewish history and the origin of Jewish traditions, or the reason why they exist now in modern day. Can you elaborate on some of those moments for our listeners and explain how you've self-corrected thatdefense? Sarah Hurwitz:  You know, I think a lot of it took the form of, oh, I'm Jewish, but not that Jewish. It was just sort of this immediate, but I'm not one of those Jews. You know, those really Jewish Jews. Well, I'm sorry, would it be a problem if I were? What if social justice wasn't my Judaism, but Judaism was my Judaism? Would that be okay? You know, just beginning to notice, like, Why am I always kind of pushing it away, claiming that I'm not too Jewish? That's a very strange way to announce someone's identity. I think, you know, Dara Horn has actually a really, quite an amazing essay called The Cool Kids, and she talks about these two different types of antisemitism. And one is this kind of eliminationist antisemitism which says the Jews are bad, there's nothing they can do to be good. We must kill them. And you know, that is the Holocaust, pogroms. We learn about that kind of antisemitism in school. But there's another kind of antisemitism, which is conversionist, which says, yes, the Jews are bad, but there is something they can do to be okay and saved. And that is, they can disavow whatever we, the majority, find disgusting about Jewish civilization.  So you know, back in the day, it was, reject Jewish religion and convert to Christianity, and you'll be saved, maybe. For some amount of time, possibly. In my parents and grandparents generation, it was, you know, reject your last name, get a nose job. Stop being so "Jewy", be a little bit more "waspy," and then maybe we'll let you into our club. Then maybe we'll accept you.  And today, what you see is you have to reject your ancestral homeland, you know, reject Israel, and then you'll be okay. And, you know, I visited 27 college campuses, and I kind of saw how this sometimes takes on the format of almost like a Christian conversion narrative, where it goes something like, you know, growing up, my rabbi and my parents told me Israel was perfect and amazing and a utopia. And then I got to college, and I realized that actually it's a colonialist, Nazi, racist society, and I had an epiphany. I saw the light, and I took anti-Zionism and anti-colonialism into my heart, and now I'm saved. Now I'm a good Jew. And their classmates are like, now you're a good Jew.  And as Dara Horn puts it, this kind of antisemitism involves the weaponization of shame. It involves really trying to convince Jews that there is something fundamentally shameful about some aspect of themselves, their identity, their tradition. And today, that thing is Israel. This idea that there's something fundamentally . . . it's like the original sin of the world. Manya Brachear Pashman:     And you also talk about the tradition of circumcision, and how that came up, and you found yourself explaining this to someone. Can you elaborate on that for our listeners? Which I thought was really interesting.  Sarah Hurwitz:  This was during an encounter with a patient. I was doing a chaplaincy shift, and  usually I don't tell my patients my religious background, I'm very neutral, unless they're Jewish, in which case, I do tell them I'm Jewish. But, you know, I was finishing up a conversation with this very lovely lady. And she was very curious about my background. And so I told her, you know, I'm Jewish. And her eyes kind of lit up, and she said, Oh, you know, many of my neighbors are Jewish. I've actually been to two brisses in the past month.  And she just, you know, and she was so lovely, like, she actually seemed to be just really happy to be included in this tradition of her neighbors. And I got weirdly defensive, and was like, Oh, well, you know, just so, you know, medical professionals, they say whether you circumcise or don't circumcise, it's really, it's equally safe either way. And you know, we often, you know, when we do brisses, they're often done by a medical provider.  And I'm going on and on and like, this woman did not say the slightest negative thing about this tradition, but suddenly I am defensive. Suddenly it's like, Huh, interesting. You know, I think that it was an illustration to me of the way that we can sometimes really imbibe all of the kind of negative views about Jews and Jewish traditions that are around us, and become defensive, and sometimes we don't even realize that they're there. It's almost like they're the air that we breathe. Manya Brachear Pashman:     But let me challenge that and push back a little bit. I mean, is it okay to not agree with some of the traditions of the Jewish faith and be open about your disagreement with that? I certainly know a lot of Christians who don't like things that emerge from their tradition or from their community. Is that okay? Or is it not when Judaism is threatened? Sarah Hurwitz:  So I actually do think that's okay. You know, I have no problem with that, but I think the problem in this situation was that I have no problem with circumcision, but I'm suddenly getting defensive and trying to convince this woman that it's not weird. And I'm thinking, why am I doing this? It was very interesting to me that I felt so suddenly defensive and anxious. You know, it was very surprising to me. Manya Brachear Pashman:     And similarly, it's okay to criticize Israeli policy too, right? I mean, it's totally acceptable.  Sarah Hurwitz:  Absolutely. This is the thing that I'm so confused about. Where people are saying, well, you know, you're saying that it's not okay to criticize Israel. And I'm like, I'm sorry. Have you been to Israel? It's like the national pastime there to criticize the government. I criticize the Israeli government all the time, as do millions of American Jews.  This idea that this is somehow… that we're somehow reacting to criticism of Israel, that's ridiculous. I think what we're reacting to is not criticism of Israel, but it's something else. You know, when you have students on a college campus saying from water to water, Palestine should be Arab, or Israelis are Nazis. I just, with all due respect, I don't see that as criticism. Nor would I see it as criticism if, God forbid, a Jewish student ever said from water to water, Israel should be Jewish, or, Palestinians are terrorists. That is hateful, disgusting, racist, eliminationist language. And if I ever heard a Jewish student say that, I mean, let me tell you, I would have quite a talking to with that kid.  So that's not criticism. Criticism is, I am vehemently opposed and abhor, this policy, this ideology, this action, for these reasons. That's criticism. And I think you can use real strong language to do that kind of criticism. But there's a difference between a criticism and slurs and baseless accusations. And I think we need to be just clear about that. Manya Brachear Pashman:     All right, so you just use the term from water to water instead of from river to sea. Was that on purpose? Sarah Hurwitz:  Not necessarily. It's just a clearer illustration of what I think from the river to the sea really means, you know, I think  that is the Arabic that is used. Infrom the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free. It's like, you can kind of make an argument that this is about Palestinian Liberation. And okay, fair enough. But I think when you get the from water to water, it shall be Arab, that's when I think there's less of an argument that it's about freedom, and it seems a little bit more eliminationist to me. Manya Brachear Pashman:     Interesting. I've not heard that before. But I like that. So you call antisemitism the least mysterious phenomenon. Can you please explain what you mean by that? Sarah Hurwitz:  Yeah, you know, I think, like a lot of young people, my antisemitism education was mainly just Holocaust education. And I kind of walked away thinking like, huh, how wild that the civilized world just lost its mind in the mid-20th century and started killing Jews. That's so shocking and disturbing, you know, why is that? And the answer was kind of like, well, you know, the Germans lost World War I. They blamed the Jews. There was a depression. They blamed the Jews.  And when you ask why the Jews, it's like, well, because of prejudice and scapegoating. I'm like, Okay, right. But again, why the Jews? Prejudice and scapegoating, that's the answer. It's like, well, actually, the answer really is because of 2000 years of Christian anti-Judaism that preceded that. It wasn't mysterious why the Jews were targeted.  This was a 2000-year neural groove that had been worn into the Western world psyche. And this is not my argument. This is the argument of countless Christian scholars whose brilliant work I cite. And so I think that the unfortunate thing about some forms of Holocaust education is that it leaves you with the impression that, oh, this is so mysterious, it's just kind of eternal and kind of comes out of nowhere. Or even worse, you might even think maybe we did something to deserve this. But it's not mysterious. I can show you its path through history.  And I think it's very important that Jews understand this history. And look, I think this is very hard to teach in an average American public school. Because, you know, we live in a country where, you know, saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas is very upsetting for some people. They feel very threatened and triggered by that.  So for a teacher to say, like, Okay, kids today we're going to learn about how 2000 years of Christian anti-Judaism paved the way for the Holocaust . . . I don't think that's going to go well. Even if many mainstream Christian scholars would agree that that's true, this is a challenge that we face. Manya Brachear Pashman:     So you have continued, as you said, to visit college campuses where antisemitism has been an issue since October 7, more of an issue than it even was beforehand. And yet, when you were at Harvard and Harvard Law, you've said you could have walked through Harvard Yard wrapped in an Israeli flag and no one would have said a word or reacted negatively. So what has changed, and does it signal a more general shift on campuses of kind of uncensored, unbridled speech?  In other words, if black students support black lives matter, or gay students are marching for pride, do you feel like there's a sense that students who disagree with that from either the right or the left, have kind of claimed a license to criticize that too? Sarah Hurwitz:  No. I try to explain to college students when they say, Well, okay, my campus isn't that bad, you know, I can wear my Jewish star, and I won't get, you know, harassed or ostracized. And I say, like, okay, great, if it's not that bad, I'll just wear my Israel t-shirt and we'll see how it goes. They're like, No.  And then I have to go through this long litany of like, okay, if your black classmate said to you, well, this campus isn't so bad for black students, but I can't wear my Black Lives Matter t-shirt or else I'll be harassed and ostracized. I hope you would say that's not okay, that's racism, pretty clear. Or if your queer classmate said, Well, this campus is pretty good for queer people, but I can't wear my pride t-shirt, I hope you would say, That's not pretty good. That's homophobia.  You know, when the majority feels entitled to decide how the minority can embody and express their identity, I think we have a really serious problem. And  sometimes the kids will push back on me. Well, no, no, but the problem isn't being Jewish. It's Israel. I'm like, okay, but if your Chinese American classmate wore a t-shirt that said China, even if all your classmates knew that the Chinese government had been interning a million Muslim Uighurs in camps and subjecting them to horrific human rights violations, would they harass and ostracize her?  And they're like, Well, probably not. Right, because they would assume that she has a relationship to China that maybe involves having heritage there, or maybe she studied abroad there, or maybe she's studying Chinese, maybe she has family there. I think they would assume that she has some connection to the country that doesn't involve agreeing with the policies of the Chinese government, and Jewish students on campus really aren't afforded that courtesy.  And I'll tell you, most of the Jewish students I spoke with on campus, they, like me, are extremely critical of this current Israeli government. Extremely, extremely critical. They have all sorts of criticisms about what's happening in Gaza, of the occupation.  You know, their views are quite nuanced and complex, but there is no room given for that. You know, I think on some college campuses, Israel has been put into the same bucket as the KKK and the Nazi party. So I can't say to you, look, you know, I'm a Nazi, but I'm a liberal Nazi. Or, oh, you know, I'm in the KKK, but I'm not racist. It's like, come on, right?  These are vile entities with which no connection is acceptable, period. And I think once Israel ceases to be a country and instead becomes the representation of all evil in the world, there's really no relationship that you can have with it that's acceptable. And I think that is a pretty devastating place for it to be today.  And I'll tell you, I think it's a really challenging moment right now where I, like a lot of American Jews, I'm a Zionist. I believe that Jews have a right to a safe and secure home state in their ancestral homeland. I believe we have the right to national independence and self determination, like Japanese people have in Japan and Latvians have in Latvia, and on and on. And you know, we've run that experiment of Jewish powerlessness for 2000 years, and it didn't go well. Even as late as the 20th century. It wasn't just that two thirds of Jews in Europe got wiped out because of the Holocaust.  It's that nearly a million Jews who lived in Arab lands had to flee persecution, most of them to Israel. It's that 2 million Russian Jews had to flee persecution, half of them to Israel. It's that 10s of 1000s of Ethiopian Jews, I can go on and on. So we know, we've run that experiment of Jewish statelessness, and it doesn't go well.  And at the same time, we are looking at this current Israeli government, and we are appalled. We're appalled by the ideology, we're appalled by many of the policies. And you know, for me as an American, this feels very familiar, because I love this country. I'm a proud, patriotic American, and I happen to very much disagree with the current president. I happen to be very much appalled by the current president's policies and ideology. And so, I think many people are able to hold that, but somehow it's harder with Israel, because of what is in the air right now. Manya Brachear Pashman:     So, really you're saying that antisemitism has distorted history. Distorted people's understanding of Israel's history, their understanding of modern Israel's rebirth and existence. It spawned anti-Zionism. Correct?  Sarah Hurwitz:   Yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:     Did you encounter that during your time in the Obama administration? Do you see it now, in hindsight or or is it a more recent emergence? Sarah Hurwitz:   I think this is more recent. I mean, you know, probably in some spaces it was, you know, I was in the administration from 2009 to 2017. I never once saw any kind of anti-Zionism or antisemitism. I mean, it was one of the best places to be a proud, passionate Jew. I knew my colleagues could not have been more supportive of my Jewish exploration. They were so proud when I wrote my first book.  So I never saw any of this ever, once. And I think, you know, I think what is so confusing about this is that we often think about antisemitism as a kind of personal prejudice, like, oh, you know, Jews are fill in the blank, nasty thing. They are dirty, cheap, crass. I don't want my daughter to marry one. I don't want one in my country club.  You don't really see that kind of antisemitism in the circles where I travel anymore. What you see instead is more of political antisemitism, which is antisemitism as a kind of conspiracy theory that says that we, the majority, are engaged in a grand moral project, and the only thing stopping us are these Jews. We the majority are Christianizing the Roman Empire.  The only thing stopping us, these Jews who won't convert. We the majority are bringing about the brotherhood of man, the great communist revolution. The only thing stopping us, these capitalist Jews. We the Germans, are bringing about the great, racially pure Aryan fatherland. The only thing stopping us – these race-polluting Jews.  And today in America, you see it on the right and the left. On the right, it's, you know, we white Christian Americans are bringing back white Christian civilization to America. And the only thing stopping us are these Jews who are importing black and brown immigrants to replace white people. That is the extremely racist and antisemitic theory known as the Great Replacement theory. It is an ugly, disgusting lie.  On the left you have, you know, we this very moral group of people. we are bringing about the revolution of anti-colonialism, anti-Zionism. And the only thing stopping us are these colonialist Zionists, which is a polite way of saying Jews. And so, you know, I think it's very important to understand, as Yossi Klein Halevi, the journalist, puts it, you know, what you see again and again is whatever is the worst thing in a society, that is what the Jews are deemed to be. Whatever is the worst thing among a particular population, that is what the Jews are deemed to be. And I think we're kind of seeing that on both the right and the left today. Manya Brachear Pashman:     If antisemitism defines so much, or has defined so much of Jewish identity, how do we reclaim that? How have you reclaimed that? And how have you found joy in your Jewish identity, especially after doing this book and immersing yourself and all of this extremely depressing perspective? Sarah Hurwitz:   I hear this kind of line among many Jews that breaks my heart. It's this sort of self-flagellation, of like, if we just had the right PR campaign, if we just had the right tweet, then we would fight antisemitism. It's our fault, we're doing such a bad job fighting antisemitism. And, you know, I love the ambition there. I think that is so sweet.  But there are 16 million of us in the whole world. That's with an M, million, like the size of like, the fifth largest city in China. We are a Chinese city. There are billions of people who don't really love us out there. And the idea that we, this tiny group of people, is going to somehow change the minds of billions of people. I really respect the ambition, but I think that's a tough one.  I think it's sort of like trying to bail out a tsunami with buckets. You know, if enough of us do it, I'm sure we can make a difference. And I have such respect for the people who are doing that work. I think it's very important. But I also would just suggest that maybe we should put a little more of our energy into building an ark to weather the storm.  And you know, to me, that ark is, engaging deeply with our traditions. It's reclaiming, I think, some of what we lost when we were assimilating and trying to fit in. You know, we have thousands of years of text that have such wisdom about the human condition, about how to be a good person and lead a worthy life and find profound spiritual connection. We have just so many beautiful traditions. And so I think that what we can really do is, we can be Jews. And to be a Jew has always been to be different.  That was kind of our value proposition thousands of years ago when we came along and said, hey guys, monotheism. Totally different way of thinking. We said, hey, every human being is created in the image of God, which is an idea that every human being is infinitely worthy. Which, again, this is the idea that underlies things like liberalism, democracy, human rights. These are really Earth-shatteringly different counter cultural ideas, and we have so many more of those that I still think the world needs today.  So I think that rather than just being anti-anti-semites, that we can be proud Jews instead, and we can really focus on becoming more learned, more vibrant members of our communities, you know, engaging in more of our traditions and our rituals.  I also think, you know, Dara Horn has been doing a lot of great work about educating kids about Jewish civilization. Rather than having young people only know about the Jews via the Holocaust, she really wants to teach young people about Jewish civilization, ideas, and people. I think that is a very, very powerful and very helpful idea. Manya Brachear Pashman:     So how are you doing this? How do you spend each week? How do you reclaim some of these traditions and joy? Sarah Hurwitz:    For me, it's studying. That's really how I engage, you know, I have various chavrutas or I study Jewish texts. I love reading Jewish books, and I love participating in the Jewish community. You know, I love engaging with various Jewish organizations, you know, serving on various committees, and just trying to be part of this project of reclaiming Judaism, of making it more accessible to more Jews. This is what I love doing, and I'll be starting in January. I'm actually going to be starting a rabbinic program at the Hartman Institute. It's a part time program.  And I'm not not planning to be a congregational rabbi, but I do want to keep writing books, and I am really grateful for this opportunity to get a much deeper, more thorough Jewish education than the one I've kind of given to myself, and, you know, kind of cobbled together. I think this is going to be a really extraordinary opportunity. So I'm very excited about that.  Manya Brachear Pashman:     Oh, wow. Well, congratulations. I look forward to welcoming you back to the podcast and calling you Rabbi.  Sarah Hurwitz: Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman:     Thank you so much for joining us, Sarah. Sarah Hurwitz:  Such a pleasure. Thank you for having me.   

In this interview, I'm joined by Fr. Ben Crosby, an Episcopal priest and Ph.D. student at McGill university, to discuss the 39 articles, Anglican theology, and how to restore the Episcopal Church to its theological roots. Along the way, Fr. Ben shares the fascinating story of how liberals and conservatives have both opposed the 39 articles, whether "via media" is a good way to describe Anglicanism, and why being more Protestant makes Anglicans more Anglican. It's a fascinating discussion, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I didhttps://substack.com/@bencrosbyBooks mentioned: IVP 1662 Book of Common Prayer: https://amzn.to/3UqkZO9Companion to the Book of Common Prayer: https://amzn.to/41zbWybAnglican Book of Homilies: https://amzn.to/412dMriWant to support the channel? Here's how!Give monthly:   / gospelsimplicity    Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicityBook a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity...Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/Support the show

Title: The Gospel: Narrow and Acclimatizing Text: Acts 19:21-41 FCF: We often struggle being ready for persecution. Prop: Because the gospel is narrow and acclimatizing, we must trust the Lord when we are persecuted for the gospel. Scripture Intro: NET [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 19. In a moment we'll read from the New English Translation starting in verse 21. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last week we closed out a remarkable narrative episode in the city of Ephesus. God's power was directly compared to the powers of magic and God proved to be quite superior. To the extent that the Ephesians of all stations were overcome with fear and began to treat the name of Jesus with reverence. The Ephesian Christians came forward and confessed and rejected their former affiliations with magic, even burning millions of dollars' worth of spell books. They understood that you cannot serve Christ and magic. This week we will see the last episode in Ephesus. The overarching theme is still God's hand of provision and protection of His gospel message. But today we get to learn more about the gospel and the church from the perspective of those who are outside of it. So stand with me today to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Almighty God, we come to You knowing that You are worthy of our undivided praise and adoration. You are worthy of our undiluted worship and honor. You are worthy of our exclusive obedience and love. We, Your people, come today to hear from Your word and know what You have purposed us to be in this world of sin. Teach us Your ways and grow us to be Your people doing Your will. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: Lots to cover today, so let's get to it. I.) The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely intolerant of any other belief systems, so we must trust the Lord when we are persecuted for the gospel. (21-27) a. [Slide 2] 21 Now after all these things had taken place, Paul resolved to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. He said, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” i. This smaller paragraph encompassing verses 21-22 gives the reader of Acts a glimpse ahead to the plans and intentions of Paul. ii. After this paragraph a difficult trial will come, but by giving us this paragraph first, Luke makes it clear that Paul does not leave Ephesus because of what follows, but is planning to leave Ephesus even before these events occur. iii. This is a clue for us as to the general purpose of Luke recording this event and relaying it faithfully to Theophilus the audience of his books both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. iv. It is important in this case for Theophilus to know that Paul's intention is to go back to Jerusalem after having spent over two years in Ephesus. v. In fact, Paul's intention is to go the long way to Jerusalem. vi. He intends to pass through Macedonia and Achaia to check on the churches that have been established by himself and others. vii. Once he does get to Jerusalem again, he intends to go to Rome on his next missionary journey. b. [Slide 3] 22 So after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. i. Here we see Paul preparing the way for him to go through Macedonia and Achaia on his way back to Jerusalem. ii. How does he do that? iii. He sends ahead two of his companions Timothy and Erastus. iv. They go and check in on these churches while Paul continues in Ephesus until the time is right for him to move on. v. We know from other passages in the New Testament that the church in Jerusalem is suffering financial hardships. Because of this Paul plans to take up a collection for the church in Jerusalem, meaning we can also assume that Timothy and Erastus are sent to begin this process. c. [Slide 4] 23 At that time a great disturbance took place concerning the Way. 19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen. i. Now Luke records for us an event that does not force Paul out of Ephesus, does not lead to a great persecution of Christians, does not lead to anyone being imprisoned, does not lead to any deaths or suffering at all. ii. In fact, this event leads to the public embarrassment and shame of these silversmiths and the Ephesians in general. iii. This is a further clue for why Luke includes this narrative episode. iv. And it all starts with a man named Demetrius. v. Demetrius has got a problem with those who follow “The Way.” vi. Who is Demetrius? vii. Demetrius is probably not the same Demetrius that John speaks highly of in 3 John. viii. Which means that the only clues we have about his identity are found in this text. ix. But we do know that Demetrius was a silversmith. x. Not only a silversmith, but one who makes shrines and idols of Artemis. xi. As we have mentioned before, the temple of Artemis, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, was located right here in Ephesus. xii. Along with this, the worship of the goddess Artemis or Diana is widely held in the city and the surrounding area, and even throughout the Roman Empire. xiii. She is depicted rather grotesquely as a goddess with many orbs on her body. These orbs have long been thought to be breasts but in recent scholarship that has been questioned. Perhaps they are bull testicles, bee eggs or even ostrich eggs. xiv. Artemis or Diana is responsible for the hunt, fertility, and a whole host of other things some of which are quite unseemly. xv. One thing is certain, the worship of Artemis had been so part of the city of Ephesus that to attack her worship would be to attack the city, its pride and prosperity. xvi. Demetrius, it seems, was making a killing on these idols in the city of Ephesus. xvii. Probably these idols would be sold in the marketplace and taken to the temple of Artemis where they would be deposited as a sacrifice and used as a channel for prayers to be made to the goddess. Hence the reason the craft was so lucrative. Much like the money changers in the temple during Christ's ministry. xviii. But Luke attributes even more to this man. Not only was he making a fortune himself but he was also bringing business to many craftsmen, not just fellow silversmiths but those of various similar trades. xix. Some scholars assume that Luke means that this man was responsible for setting up a craftsman's guild in the city of Ephesus. A Craftsman's Union as it were within the city and propped up by the sales of idols of the goddess Artemis. xx. So, we know who this man is and what he does and has done… xxi. Why is he so upset with Paul and those who follow Jesus… The Way? d. [Slide 5] 25 He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all. i. Demetrius is upset for two reasons. ii. The first of which we see here in verses 25 and 26. iii. His first problem with Paul and the message of the gospel is primarily financial. iv. Paul and the gospel have put a significant dent in his business. v. As we just saw in the previous episode, if Ephesian believers are willing to burn millions of dollars in spell books to continue following and obeying Christ, they certainly won't be purchasing any idols of Artemis either. vi. Furthermore, we see that Paul teaches not only in Ephesus but in practically all of Asia that these things made with hands are not gods at all. vii. The pagan perspective on shelf idols contrasted with the Jewish perspective on idols is an interesting discussion. viii. Idols from a pagan point of view were lightening rods or channels for their gods. The gods could inhabit or work through each idol made. It was not merely to represent the god. ix. However, the Jewish perspective which was also the Christian perspective was that these idols made with human hands are not gods at all. How could they be? Furthermore, that the gods they worshipped which supposedly inhabited these idols, were not gods either. Rather they were created beings, demons, who were vying for power and worship instead of the one true and living God. x. So, Paul teaching what the Old Testament consistently taught, that there is only 1 God Yahweh and that all other would-be gods were not gods at all merely powerful renegade creations vying for power – would put a significant crimp in the business of Demetrius and these other craftsmen. xi. This proves beyond doubt that Christianity cannot syncretize with any other faith. Paul did not teach that you could buy these idols, worship them in your home and follow Jesus at the same time. xii. This is why Demerius is upset. xiii. The second reason he is upset is found in the following verse. e. [Slide 6] 27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” i. As a secondary but related issue, Demetrius seems to think that the traction that Paul has gained with the message of the gospel has caused enough of a blow to the worship of Artemis that they could be seeing the extinction of the worship of Artemis. ii. But his fears are unfounded of course. iii. For Artemis is still worshipped today by some. Pagans/ Wiccans worship all kinds of named gods from various faith groups, including the overt worship of Artemis by some. And the worship of the things Artemis represented and embodied are still very much worshipped today. iv. So, what Demetrius says amounts to little more than fearmongering and rabble rousing. v. There is no reason for these craftsmen to fear the fall of the goddess Artemis. Not yet anyway. vi. But there will come a day when the worship of Artemis will no longer be, for whatever demon is behind her, and all her followers will be cast into the lake of fire. And they will be there forever. f. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Luke communicates his point through the eyes of a craftsman experiencing financial pressure because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That gospel, as he rightly observes, is completely intolerant of any other worship, any other faith, any other god, and any other practice than what it teaches. Paul's message was quite clear and fairly represented here by Demetrius. Paul's gospel had absolutely no room for believers to continue to purchase these idols for the temple. Because of this, Demetrius felt the shortfall in his pocketbook and planned to do something about it. As believers today, since the gospel is absolutely intolerant and incompatible with all other forms of worship, faith, gods, or practices other than what it teaches – we must be ready to be persecuted for the sake of the gospel. The intolerance of the gospel is one of its most despised attributes. This was true here in Paul's day, and I don't think I have to tell you that it is still true today. We must be ready for persecution – how? By trusting the Lord when we are in its clutches. He is good… always. And it is a privilege to suffer for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] So, the gospel is unyielding and that will be quite problematic to those who will not yield to it. But what else may cause others to persecute us? II.) The church does not wield the gospel in order to overthrow cultures, so we must trust the Lord when we are persecuted for the gospel. (28-41) a. [Slide 9] 28 When they heard this they became enraged and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The city was filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed to the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions. i. Demetrius' speech has its desired effect. ii. The craftsmen, which ironically Paul was a craftsman too, nevertheless they became enraged at the two thoughts of financial ruin and the goddess losing her prestige. iii. Immediately they began to shout what was a well-known chant in the city of Ephesus. iv. It is a blending of national pride with religious fervor. v. A similar statement today would be the expression “In God We Trust” or “God Bless the USA” vi. They immediately take this patriotic and religious chant into the Amphitheater which would be the place in the city where disputes between residents would be heard by the proconsuls 3 times a month. vii. It is possible that Demetrius chose his time to act based on a popular festival given every spring in honor of Artemis. It is called the Artemesia Festival. viii. The proconsuls would not hold court during a festival of this size, so the crowd driving these men to the amphitheater would be in the right place but not the right time for a ruling. ix. These craftsmen leading this chant of “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” in angry tones walking toward the Amphitheater would have easily drawn many festival participants toward the uproar. x. Demetrius probably knew where the most likely place to find Paul and his friends would be. xi. Alas he does not find Paul but does find his companions from Macedonia. b. [Slide 10] 30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities who were his friends sent a message to him, urging him not to venture into the theater. i. Here we see the heart of Paul. He is no coward. ii. He wishes to ride in to help Gaius and Aristarchus, his friends, and fellow brothers in Christ. iii. But many disciples prevent him from doing so. iv. We even see high ranking government leaders who had befriended Paul insist that he not go into the theater at all. v. These folks are rather important people in the Roman Empire. The word for friends here counter-balanced with the reference to disciples before it would suggest that these provincial leaders were not believers, but were friendly toward Paul and his message, perhaps influenced by his Roman citizenship. There is even some thought that these powerful people could be patrons of Paul, bankrolling him in his work. vi. It is interesting to note that none of these Roman Provencial leaders saw anything anti-Rome or anti-Ephesus in what Paul was preaching. And if they are trying to preserve his life and potentially are paying for him to be there – we might assume that they even thought what he taught was beneficial for Rome and Ephesus. vii. Here is another piece to the puzzle as to why Luke would record this event. c. [Slide 11] 32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. 19:33 Some of the crowd concluded it was about Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. Alexander, gesturing with his hand, was wanting to make a defense before the public assembly. 19:34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” for about two hours. i. In a scene that feels like it could have been ripped out of the headlines of a very recent newspaper, we see a perfect and harrowing example of mob mentality. ii. Most people had no idea why they were rioting. They were just there because everyone else was. iii. They were angry… because everyone else was. iv. Finally, the Jews put forward Alexander. v. We have no idea who Alexander is and we have no idea why the Jews put him forward. vi. Most scholars agree that Alexander is put forward by the Jews in order to disassociate the Jews from the Christians. vii. The Jews had long lived in polytheistic cities worshiping in their monotheistic way. And although they would certainly not worship the foreign gods, they also would not openly degrade or mock the gods of the city either. viii. As it happens, this whole issue blows up into not only a national and religious event but even a racial one. For as soon as the crowd sees that he is a Jew … they shout him down… ix. By yelling Great is Artemis of the Ephesians… x. For two hours. xi. Again… it seems like this could have been ripped out of the pages of our newspapers very recently. xii. So, since no one knows what is going on, how is all this going to be settled? d. [Slide 12] 35 After the city secretary quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven? 19:36 So because these facts are indisputable, you must keep quiet and not do anything reckless. i. The city secretary acts as a liaison between the Roman provincial government and the civic officials. ii. He is the chief executive officer of the city, functioning somewhat like a city mayor who reports to the provincial leaders. iii. As such, any riot that would occur in the city would be blamed… on him. iv. So, he has a vested interest in smoothing this whole thing over with the crowd because quite literally, his head is on the line. v. It is important to note that Luke dutifully records all the words the city secretary says without suggesting that everything he says is factual. vi. The words inspired by the Holy Spirit can be factually incorrect and still be inerrant. When Joseph's brothers say that a wild animal killed him, this was a lie. But it was recorded in the scriptures inerrantly. vii. Here the city secretary suggests that the city of Ephesus is and has been the keeper of the temple of Artemis the great for many years. viii. He puts forward as facts that Artemis is a real goddess whose image fell from heaven. ix. No doubt he means that a meteorite had fallen from space and the Ephesians took this as her falling from heaven. This is probably said to cut against Paul's words that these idols were not gods because they were made by human hands. Well Artemis… wasn't since she fell from heaven. x. The city secretary is assuring the rioters that no one will ever be successful in denigrating Artemis or keep her from being worshipped. Especially not with mere words. xi. He goes on… e. [Slide 13] 19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. i. The word for temple robbers can be understood in two different ways. 1. Either someone who is sacrilegious who profanes temple objects and worship implements or one who literally steals these objects from sacred sites. 2. Either of these could apply. The rioters were concerned about their idols and the financial impact it would be on people not buying them… why? Because they were told they were not gods. This is sacrilegious. But somewhere in there, you could see how some might have misheard and understood that people were stealing from the craftsman. Because in a way they were stealing business from them. 3. The city official says that none of the men brought were guilty of this… when we know for a fact that every Christian there would have been guilty of disrespecting the temple of Artemis. 4. Now perhaps Gaius and Aristarchus had never treated an idol with disrespect or profaned or stolen temple objects – but they certainly wouldn't be honoring the temple idol. ii. He continues and says that none of the men brought were blasphemers of the goddess either. 1. To blaspheme is to slander someone, and when it is directed toward a deity it is viewed as blasphemy. 2. However, in order for slander to occur it must be a lie. 3. The Christians were certainly defaming the name of Artemis… but they did so truthfully. 4. In an ironic twist, the city secretary tells the truth here while aiming for a lie. 5. It was not slander at all. Artemis is no god. She is neither great nor is she of the Ephesians. iii. So the city secretary plays relatively fast and loose with the details of the case. iv. I agree with the Puritan John Trapp who says, “This was false: but this politician held it lawful to redeem peace with a lie.” v. I believe the mayor spoke whatever he needed to in order to restore peace. vi. But is the crowd buying it? vii. Based on what he says next, I don't think so… f. [Slide 14] 19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against someone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. 19:39 But if you want anything in addition, it will have to be settled in a legal assembly. 19:40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause we can give to explain this disorderly gathering.” 19:41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. i. Perhaps looking into the faces of the crowd he notices some who disagree with his assessment of the innocence of the men in question. ii. Perhaps even Demetrius himself voices his disagreement. iii. That would make sense of the next and most powerful argument the city secretary uses to diffuse the situation. iv. What he has said so far has been debatable at best and quite misleading and dishonest at worst. v. But what he says next is really the nail in the coffin for this riot. vi. We have proconsuls and courts. If you have a problem, bring them to these people and let them try the case. Follow the law. Follow due process. vii. If you want more than a civil case and want to bring criminal charges up… then you can do that in the legal assembly. viii. What they are doing now is not at all a legal assembly. ix. It is being perceived as a riot and mob rule. x. Why? xi. Because no one can agree on why they are there, there are no proconsuls to hear the case, and there are no clear charges for which some are being accused. xii. If this continues, Rome is gonna come in and heads are gonna roll. xiii. In other words… he's not saying shut up about this … he is saying pursue your case in a legal way… or go home. xiv. Despite a poor start, he finishes well, proving that even unbelievers can be wise. xv. The result is exactly what we might expect. xvi. Everyone goes home. xvii. Again, we are reminded here that this riot did not endanger any life of any believer nor did Paul leave for this reason. xviii. We also see that the high-ranking government officials who were friends of Paul did not perceive his actions or teachings as a danger to Rome, nor did the city secretary perceive the actions of Gaius and Aristarchus to be worthy of pursuing at the expense of the peace of the city. He tries to pass them off as innocent and then concedes that even if they are guilty, it is best to take them to a legal court. xix. All of this gives us clues for why Luke records this episode for us. xx. And it is all bound up with Luke's recipient Theophilus. Theophilus is a prestigious, wealthy, and possibly even high-ranking Roman official who has believed on Jesus. xxi. Luke writes to him to assure him that what he has received is the truth beyond doubt. xxii. Part of that, is to show to Theophilus that Christianity is not anti-Rome. At least not directly. xxiii. Certainly, the whole Roman world is being turned upside down. But that is an effect of the gospel being received by many. It is not the promoted cause of the church. When many people come to Christ in the same culture, culture changes. But the goal of the church is not to change the culture, change the state, change the government. The kingdom of God is to the nations and the Lord is reclaiming the nations – but He is not doing that by leading a bunch of rebels to use every means necessary to impose gospel living upon all. Instead, the church is sharing the gospel of Christ, one soul at a time. xxiv. This entire episode proves that it was not the Christians who did this. In fact, it was the pagan Ephesians who started all this. xxv. If Rome changes because of Christianity, it won't be because the Christians endeavor to change it. It will be because the gospel powerfully changes people. And enough people changing by the power of the gospel… changes culture. g. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: So, Luke's point here again comes from the perspective of unbelievers. The Roman provincial leaders who had befriended Paul did not wish his message to end for they not only saw it as a benign message but even a beneficial message for the Roman world. And the city secretary does not see their message as dangerous enough to allow a riot to continue. He tries to deny their behavior and even insists that if they are guilty they should be tried legally. All this proves that from the perspective of those in leadership in Rome and Ephesus, the gospel message was not trying to overthrow their city. We know that it was overthrowing their city – but not in the sense that it threatened any real danger to the city or its residents. In this we see the paradoxical truths that the primary goal of the gospel message is not a call for revolution… it is a call for repentance and faith. The gospel will change people from the inside out. But certainly that change if done in enough people, will change a culture too. Therefore, as the gospel spreads and as the Spirit does His work, we should expect persecution to come against us because eventually people will perceive the change in others as a threat to their way of life. But our preparation for persecution begins and ends with trusting the Lord as we are in it. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 16] We have seen two very important truths today concerning the gospel. The first is that the gospel is absolutely intolerant of any worship, faith, or practice that it does not espouse. The gospel is the whole redemptive plan and action of God from Genesis to Revelation and in all of this, there is no room for any other worship, faith, or practice to fit. We spoke of this last week when we asserted that the Ephesian Christians realized that they could not keep following Christ and also keep their spell books. It is the same for any other faith, worship, or practice. We see this in the absolutes of the Scriptures. There is no God but Yahweh. Friendship with the world is hostility with God. You cannot serve two masters. What fellowship has light with darkness. Come out from among them and be separate says the Lord. You cannot love the world and love God. We also have seen the church's primary mission, and the gospel itself, is not a weapon we use to undo governments, cultures or otherwise force people to adopt a Christian lifestyle. We are not an overt threat to our societies or their ways of life. But make no mistake… the gospel's impact can be devastating to the culture of a village, a city, a nation, a religious group, or even an empire. Because of these two truths we've learned today – we as believers ought to expect persecution. Not because we seek it… but because when people are told that their worship, their faith, they way of life is not compatible with the gospel… when these same people see their friends and family changing and rejecting what they have always loved in order to follow this Jesus… Make no mistake… they will hate us for it. And they won't stop at hatred… they will try to destroy us. So how do we prepare for persecution? We trust the Lord. We recognize and believe all that God says and trust Him for His preservation and provision. But let me break this down further in some more practical ways. 1.) [Slide 17] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the gospel is the narrow way. a. Building off of what we have seen the last two weeks we see that the gospel is hopelessly intolerant and incredibly narrow. In saying that we must make sure we know what we aren't affirming. i. God is no respecter of persons, and He has loved the world so much that He sent His Son so that all the believing ones in the whole world would not perish but have everlasting life. ii. In this way the gospel is not narrow. The gospel is available to every nation, every social background, every economic identity, every race, each gender, poor or rich, slave or free, male of female, Jew or Gentile, the gospel call goes out to all and the gospel call will be effective on those from all backgrounds. b. But those who receive the gospel call receive it in a very narrow way. c. The gospel cannot be united together with or syncretized to any other faith. i. You cannot worship God and knowledge. ii. You cannot worship God and money. iii. You cannot worship God and Allah. iv. You cannot worship God and Zeus. v. You cannot worship God and Artemis. vi. You cannot worship God and the USA. vii. You cannot worship God and yourself. viii. No. We are not all on the same mountain climbing to the top where God is. God is not Artemis, Allah, Zeus, the USA, Money or YOU. ix. God is God and there is no other. x. He will not share worship with any. xi. And Jesus said that the only way to the Father is through Him. d. Secondly, the gospel cannot be united together with or syncretized to any other practice. i. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and love your family more than Him. ii. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and love the world. iii. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and love money. iv. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and love pleasure more than Him. v. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and love sin. vi. You cannot be Jesus' disciple and hate the law of God. vii. You cannot love Jesus and continue to intentionally disobey His commands. e. The gospel is narrow in the sense that it requires us to reorganize every single priority we have in life around the will and commands of our Lord Jesus. The first of which is to turn from our sin and believe on Him. f. The gospel is a free gift – but make no mistake – it is a gift that will dominate our life, forever. 2.) [Slide 18] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that a primary goal of the church is to change the culture. a. Now every word in this application is important. But if I had to point to a word that you must mark out it is the word “primary.” i. No one can deny that the church should aim to change the culture. Especially a culture steeped in paganism, materialism, and godless wickedness… like our own. ii. We ought not only to want cultural change, but should even fight for that change in the ways that we can. In legal ways. In ways that we have been afforded. b. But we as the church must recognize that this is NOT our primary goal. c. For if it was, any persecution we may receive would be well earned. But we are not persecuted for trying to change culture – we are persecuted for the gospel of Christ. d. Therefore, changing culture ought not occupy the majority of our time, money, energy, or efforts. e. The primary goal of the church is to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. f. Most often this is a one soul at a time kind of activity. g. Very seldom do we see large conversion experiences that actually pan out to be legitimate. h. The concept of revivals and revivalism has been twisted from a wonderful Holy Spirit phenomenon to a man-made perfectly engineered regularity where many profess Christ and then two or three weeks later, everything is the same as it always had been. i. In fact, so many of those who respond during these revivals are repeat responders. j. Because the revivals that are real happen so infrequently, we must be diligent to keep our primary focus on sharing the gospel with individuals whom we come in close contact with on a regular basis. k. To a stay-at-home mother this most certainly is her children. l. To an employee this is his co-workers and bosses. m. To an employer his employees and customers. n. To sons and daughters it is their brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and cousins. o. This is the primary aim of the church and the use of the gospel. p. If enough people are acclimatized to the gospel – changed and adapted to be part of the church by the power of God – then certainly culture will change… it must. q. But we can't affirm that the church must primarily pursue the Christianizing of our governments. This is too short sighted a goal for it to be primary. 3.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust the Lord as we face persecution. a. If we are going to make it through persecution we must trust the Lord. b. What has the Lord said about Himself that helps us in times of persecution. i. God has taught us that He is sovereign and that nothing happens without it being His will. Including when people persecute us. ii. God has said that He is all powerful. That if He wanted to remove us from persecution, nothing could stop Him from doing so. Yes… not even the will of men. See Pharoah and the persecution of Israel. iii. God has said that He will preserve us until the day of redemption. We might still loose our life for the gospel's cause… but we will never lose our eternal life. iv. God has told us that through Christ we can do all things necessary to endure anything for the cause of Christ. This is the appropriate use of the verse I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. c. Furthermore, we must obey the Lord if we are going to make it through persecution. What has the Lord called us to do in persecution? i. We must endure in our faith – which is trusting Him. ii. And we have been commanded to rejoice in sharing suffering with our Savior. iii. We ought to rejoice when we are persecuted for His name, for it assures us of our adoption into His family and allows us to share in a very small way in the sufferings of our Savior. 4.) [Slide 20] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will preserve His people. a. What can men do to us? b. If God is for us, who can be against us? c. He will hold us fast. He will keep us secure in His love. d. No one can pluck us from His hand. e. Though we endure a little light affliction now – we are merely being refined in the fire so we come through as purer gold. We are merely enduring the breaking and molding of the clay as we are being pressed into the mold of Christ. f. God will keep us until He delivers us safely and purely before His throne. g. Amen? [Slide 21 (End)] Let me close with a prayer from the Primer of 1559, a prayer book compilation authorized by Queen Elizabeth the I to attempt to restore traditional worship within the reformed church. Lord God, a sparrow cannot fall to the ground except by your will and permission. So... It is by your will and permission that I should be in this misery and adversity. You discipline me with adversity-not to destroy me and cast me away, but to call me to repentance and save me. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves" (Hebrews 12:6). Affliction and adversity bring about patience, and whoever patiently bears tribulation is made to be like our Savior Christ, our head. And in all tribulation or adversity I am assured of comfort from your gracious hand. For you have commanded me to call on you in the time of tribulation, and you have promised to hear and comfort me. Grant me therefore in all trouble and adversity to be quiet-not impatient or murmuring, and not discouraged or desperate. Help me to praise and magnify you, and to put my whole trust and confidence in you. For you never abandon those who trust in you, but you work everything for the best to those who love you and who seek the glory of your holy name. To you be glory forever and ever. We pray this in Jesus' name…Amen. Benediction: To you whose life is hid with Christ on High, Who ever lives and pleas for you; May He keep you from stumbling, And make you to stand in the presence of His glory, Blameless and with great joy. Until we meet again, go in peace.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/25), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.Hank also answers the following questions:Can you comment on Reza Aslan's book, Zealot, and his claim that there was no census at the time of Jesus' birth? Tom - Kansas City, MO (15:12)How do we understand Matthew 6:15 in light of salvation and the forgiveness we have in Christ? Mark - Wichita, KS (18:35)My wife says you don't need to attend church to be a Christian. Can you address this according to Hebrews 10:25? Ronald - Garland, TX (22:42)

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 700-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Opus by Gareth Gore https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Opus/Gareth-Gore/9781668016145 I sit down with journalist Gareth Gore to dive deep into the shadowy world of Opus Dei, a secretive Catholic organization with a long history of manipulation and control. We talk about his eye-opening book, Opus, which traces the organization's origins in Franco's Spain and shows how it's slowly, but surely, woven its way into the heart of U.S. politics—especially in Washington, D.C. Opus Dei is often associated with conservative Catholicism, but Gareth explains that their methods go beyond just religious conservatism. We're talking authoritarian strategies aimed at gaining power by targeting influential people to push their agenda of re-Christianizing society. It's a heavy topic, but incredibly relevant when you consider their rise during the 1980s under Pope John Paul II and the fact that they're still impacting American politics today, with major players like Leonard Leo and Kevin Roberts on board. We also explore how Opus Dei isn't just resisting democratic norms—they're actively trying to reshape society and the Church to fit their vision of control. This conversation is a real eye-opener, revealing the organization's lasting and dangerous influence on both religion and politics. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary, 975-1038; born a pagan, baptized at 10; succeeded his father and adopted a policy of Christianizing the country; asked the pope to provide for the church's organization in Hungary. crowned king on Christmas day, 1001; established a system of tithes to support the church; he was easily accessible to all, especially the poor; in 1031, his son Emeric died, and the rest of his days will filled with controversy over his successor; his nephews tried to kill him; he died in 1038 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/16/24 Gospel: Matthew 19:3-12

In this episode of the Money Magic Podcast Vangile welcomes Mmatshilo Motsei, an expert in African birthing practices, author, PhD holder, and former activist, as her guest.  Mmatshilo shares her journey, from feeling burdened by her family's legacy of healers to embracing it as a privilege. She shares how education often focuses on making a living rather than nurturing dreams and the pressure to conform to societal expectations, especially for women. She highlights the importance of resilience and the need to acknowledge contradictions in indigenous knowledge due to colonization. She reflects on the impact of hospital births on maternal and infant trauma and advocates for home births as a less violent alternative. She discusses the politicization of childbirth, particularly in developing countries, and the importance of education and advocacy for women's rights in birthing choices. Mmatshilo also emphasizes the significance of respecting women's choices in pain management during childbirth and cultural rituals surrounding pregnancy and naming ceremonies. The conversation extends to the undervaluation of reproductive labor and the lack of understanding among men about the birthing process. She also shares personal experiences and discusses the importance of communal support during childbirth and the transformative power of birth stories. She also announces the launch of Africa Ikalafe Pluriversity, an academy for indigenous knowledge focused on African spirituality and childbirth philosophy. This is another powerful podcast episode. Tune in.   During this episode, you will learn about: - 00:02:20: Introduction to Mmatshilo Motsei, an expert in African birthing practices - 00:08:30: Being labelled a rebel and navigating societal expectations - 00:13:09: The prize of conforming and going against your soul - 00:16:07: Life is like a dance - 00:19:17: Journey from being a nurse to midwife to PhD - 00:23:58: The trauma of birth - 00:28:42: Christianizing indigenous practices - 00:32:00: The role of Indigenous midwives in childbirth - 00:38:08: The politicization of childbirth -00:42:24: The politicization of childbirth and empowering women's birthing choices  - 00:46:00: Dealing with blame, shame and guilt after giving birth - 00:51:93: Pre-conception rituals to welcome the soul - 00:55:59: The importance of communal support after childbirth - 01:00:12: The invisibility of reproductive labor - 01:06:50: Being conceived through love and how birth stories shape us -01:11:31: Reinterpreting your birth story - 01:13:08: Launching Africa Ikalafe Pluriversity - 01:19:40 Contact Mmatshilo at: https://afrikaikalafe.org/ Or   Register for The African Spirituality of Childbirth course at: https://learn.afrikaikalafe.org/   Notable Quotes    "Success and prosperity must be our default, must be a place where we operate from."   "Once you know what your no-no is... you refuse to take it." "The womb is a carrier of life and also a carrier of pain."    "Stories are about interpretation. You reinterpret it in a way that makes sense for you in this world now.”   “Life is like a dance... You conform for some time to buy yourself time."   Additional money resources:   One on One Coaching: https://www.wealthy-money.com/coaching  7 Day Tapping into Ancestral Money Wisdom Training: https://wealthy-money.com/training Let's connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vangilemakwakwa/ 

In this conversation, Dr. Sandra Glahn, Dr. Lynn Cohick, and Dr. Amy Brown Hughes discuss the stories of strong women in the early church, focusing on Helena, the mother of Constantine. They share their experiences of discovering lesser-known women in church history, such as the sisters Praxides and Pudenziana. The conversation explores Helena's role in Christianizing the Roman Empire and her pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she oversaw the construction of significant Christian sites. They also emphasize the importance of physicality in Christianity and the dignity of the human body while reflecting on the legacy of these strong women and their impact on the church.Key Takeaways: The stories of strong women in the early church, such as Helena, the mother of Constantine, are often overlooked but have a significant impact.Helena played a crucial role in Christianizing the Roman Empire and oversaw the construction of important Christian sites in Jerusalem.The early church had a deep respect for physicality and the dignity of the human body, which is often overlooked in modern interpretations of Christianity. Visual Museum of Women in ChristianityThe purpose of this collaborative project is to create a curated, permanent visual exhibit of women in the history, ministry, and piety of early, Byzantine, and medieval Christianity that will be available online for researchers, educators, and interested laypersons.The goal of this multi-year project is to make the visual record of women in ministry and leadership available free of charge and unencumbered by permission requirements, and to include short teaching elements to guide the audience through the constitutive and pivotal role of women throughout Christian history. Together with the visual story, the accompanying narrative will make it possible for patrons to learn about women throughout history and across the globe and their unique contributions to the life and faith of the church…A history that remains mostly untold.Follow the Visual Museum on Social Media:Instagram: visualmuseum.galleryFacebook: visualmuseum.galleryTwitter: visual_museumTikTok: visualmuseum.galleryYouTube: @VisualMuseumEpisode Sponsor: The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership at: https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/24), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.Hank also answers the following questions:What are your thoughts on street preachers who publicly denounce people? How should I handle a situation where I have a friend doing this? Josh - Everett, WA (15:11)Can you clarify the Bible's use of the words, “put away” and “divorce”? My wife divorced me. Can I get remarried? Derek - Fayetteville, NC (21:11)What are your thoughts on the documentary hypothesis for the Pentateuch? Do you think there could have been two different sources for this? Tom - NY (24:07)

The invasion coming across the Southern border being engineered by the Biden administration is about more than just bringing in more Democrat voters, explains The New American magazine’s Alex Newman in this episode of Behind The Deep State. The real agenda includes de-Christianizing what used to be known as “Christendom,” undermining the nation-state, and ultimately ... The post The Real Agenda Behind Biden-backed Border Invasion appeared first on The New American.

Responding to questions from listeners in our 2000th episode and the 2nd day of G3 about Christianizing nations, writing sermons using AI, was there a "gospel centered" movement, did Satan need God's permission to enter Judas, what is the problem with watching "The Chosen," and teaching someone reformed theology. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

“The Jesus I am talking about (that I have faith in) is for racial justice, reproductive justice, sexual justice, environmental justice, political justice, social justice, civil justice, criminal justice, cultural justice, and economic justice for all. These are His values: "Civil rights include the ensuring of peoples' physical and mental integrity, life, and safety; protection from discrimination on grounds such as sex, race, sexual orientation, national origin, color, age, political affiliation, ethnicity, social class, religion, secularity, and disability;[1][2][3] and individual rights such as privacy and the freedom of thought, speech, religion, press, assembly, secularity, and movement. Political rights include natural justice (procedural fairness) in law, such as the rights of the accused, including the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal remedy; and rights of participation in civil society and politics such as freedom of association, the right to assemble, the right to petition, the right of self-defense, and the right to vote. I interpret all verses of all religious texts through the lens of human rights, equal rights, environmentalism, gray areas, intellectual virtues, proof, and truth. He lived in poverty and homelessness. He is a survivor of organized crime. I love The Social Gospel and non-denominational liberation theology. I also love religious progressivism and religious liberalism. Savior is about the preservation of inner beauty, not about Christianizing gloom and doom. I don't see Jesus as my cult leader nor am I his cult follower. The imageries of Jesus that I invented in my own psyche are cathartic to me. By the way, he did laugh, joke, was playful, and smile sometimes. He wasn't somber and serious all of the time.” -Antonio Myers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

#evangelism #raycomfort #wayofthemaster#evangelism #raycomfort #wayofthemaster #presbyterian #thegospel #ryandenton (Season 5 Ep 7) In this episode we will continue to talk about Presbyterianism with a strong focus on evangelism. We will bring back evangelist & minister Ryan Denton pastor of Grace Covenant Reformed Church in Clovis, NM. We will discuss how Presbyterians embrace sharing the gospel that is different from how many modern Christians approach it. Enjoy! __________________________ Please Subscribe to Bibletheory Podcast on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@Bibletheoryp... ____________________________ Please Buy me a coffee- https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Thechica... ____________________________ Please Buy a T-Shirt- https://www.teepublic.com/user/thread... _____________________________ Look for me on Social media- @thechicanoknox OR @Chianoknox _______________________________ Learn more about Grace Covenant Reformed Church- https://www.clovisreformed.com/ ________________________________ Learn more about Vanguard Presbyterian Church- https://vanguardpresbyterianchurch.co... ___________________________________ Follow Pastor Ryan Denton- https://twitter.com/TexasPreacher _____________________________________ Books mentioned in this episode- 1. Christianizing the Roman Empire: A.D. 100-400- https://www.amazon.com/Christianizing... ___________ 2. Thirty Years That Changed the World: The Book Acts for Today- https://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Years-T... ___________ 3. Even If None: Reclaiming Biblical Evangelism- https://www.amazon.com/Even-If-None-R... ____________ 4. Christian Apologetics- https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Apol... _______________ 5. A Certain Sound: A Primer on Open Air Preaching- https://www.heritagebooks.org/product... ___________________ Listen on Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

SummaryThis video discusses the concept of Christian nationalism and highlights its potential pitfalls. The speaker explains that Christian nationalism seeks to change culture through human government rather than through the proclamation of the gospel. They caution against bridging the spheres of church and state and emphasize the importance of discernment. The video also touches on different eschatological positions and warns against the dangers of Christian nationalism. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of gratitude for temporal peace and the need for believers to share the gospel.Highlights- Christian nationalism seeks to change culture through human government instead of the gospel.- Caution against bridging the spheres of church and state and the importance of discernment.- Different eschatological positions and the dangers of Christian nationalism.- Importance of gratitude for temporal peace and the need for believers to share the gospel.Detailed Summary- In this video, the speaker begins by singing a song before transitioning into a discussion on Christian nationalism. They explain that their goal is to educate believers on the topic and highlight potential pitfalls associated with Christian nationalism. The speaker defines Christian nationalism as seeking to change culture through human government rather than making disciples through the proclamation of the gospel. They mention that some proponents of Christian nationalism emphasize the christianization of culture and the establishment of a Christian society. However, the speaker points out that scripture teaches that the world will be transformed through the collective efforts of human leaders as the gospel spreads. They caution against bridging the spheres of church and state and emphasize the importance of discernment in understanding the complexities of Christian nationalism.- The video discusses the concept of Christianizing the culture and living in a Christian society. The speaker explains that while they would love to live in a world like that, they believe it can only happen after Jesus physically returns to Earth and establishes a thousand-year reign. They contrast this belief with those who think that a Christian utopian state can be achieved through human efforts and the spread of the gospel. The speaker also touches on different eschatological positions, such as postmillennialism and amillennialism. They caution against the dangers of Christian nationalism and how it has been turned into a pejorative term by the media. The speaker emphasizes the difference between patriotism and nationalism, stating that while they love their country, they respect and acknowledge the patriotism of others as well. They conclude by highlighting the importance of gratitude for the temporal peace provided by the earthly city.- In this video, the speaker expresses their love for America and gratitude for the privileges and freedoms they enjoy as a citizen. They acknowledge that other countries may also be considered the best by their own citizens, and that patriotism is not exclusive to America. The speaker emphasizes the importance of seeking the welfare of the nation and promoting the general welfare as stated in the Constitution. They highlight the need to oppose things that destroy the general welfare and to speak out on issues that promote public good. The speaker also discusses the difference between patriotism and nationalism, cautioning against the belief that a nation's cultural identity should be promoted and protected by the government. They argue that meaning and purpose come from Christ, not from a nation's culture. The dangers of a culturally Christian nation are discussed, including the potential for the government to suppress other religions and beliefs. The speaker concludes by affirming the importance of religious freedom and the role of believers in sharing the gospel with others.- The video discusses the concept of Christian nationalism and its potential dangers. The speaker emphasizes that it is the responsibility of Christians to share the gospel and not the government's role. The video highlights the connection between ethnocentrism and nationalism, explaining that nationalism can lead to ethnocentric thinking and justify harmful actions against other groups. The speaker argues that the gospel does not erase ethnic and gender diversity but promotes unity among believers. The video also mentions the misplaced trust in human leaders and the negative consequences of Israel's demand for a monarchy. Overall, the video warns against the pitfalls of ethnocentrism, misplaced trust, and the potential dangers of Christian nationalism.- The video discusses the concept of Christian nationalism and its potential pitfalls. It highlights the failures of human leaders throughout history and argues that only Christ can bring about a truly Christian society. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's own sinfulness and the need for a savior, rather than relying on cultural Christianity or human leaders. The video also warns against the dangers of putting hope in human leaders, as they are bound to fail. It concludes by urging believers to be discerning and to remember that they are not at home in this world, but rather as sojourners and exiles.- In this video, the speaker discusses the concept of Christian nationalism. They emphasize that believers are chosen by God and should proclaim His excellencies. The speaker urges Christians to abstain from worldly passions and maintain honorable conduct. They highlight the importance of living in a way that glorifies God and points others to Jesus. The video also mentions the role of government in punishing evildoers and rewarding those who do good. The speaker emphasizes the need to make disciples rather than establishing Christendom. They express a longing for Jesus to reign over the earth and for all to recognize His authority. The video concludes with a prayer for guidance and faithfulness in fulfilling God's mission.

I saw all of these things growing up: “There are three major regions that center around drug trafficking, known as the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos, Thailand), Golden Crescent (Afghanistan) and Central and South America. There are suggestions that due to the continuing decline in opium production in South East Asia, traffickers may begin to look to Afghanistan as a source of heroin."[133] With respect to organized crime and accelerating synthetic drug production in East and Southeast Asia, especially the Golden Triangle, Sam Gor, also known as The Company, is the most prominent international crime syndicate based in Asia-Pacific. It is made up of members of five different triads. Sam Gor is understood to be headed by Chinese-Canadian Tse Chi Lop. The Cantonese Chinese syndicate is primarily involved in drug trafficking, earning at least $8 billion per year.[134] Sam Gor is alleged to control 40% of the Asia-Pacific methamphetamine market, while also trafficking heroin and ketamine. The organization is active in a variety of countries, including Myanmar, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China and Taiwan. Sam Gor previously produced meth in Southern China and is now believed to manufacture mainly in the Golden Triangle, specifically Shan State, Myanmar, responsible for much of the massive surge of crystal meth in recent years.[135] The group is understood to be headed by Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-Canadian gangster born in Guangzhou, China.[136] Tse is a former member of the Hong Kong-based crime group, the Big Circle Gang. In 1988, Tse immigrated to Canada. In 1998, Tse was convicted of transporting heroin into the United States and served nine years behind bars. Tse has been compared in prominence to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Pablo Escobar.[137] The U.S. supply of heroin comes mainly from foreign sources which include Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle, Southwest Asia, and Latin America. Heroin comes in two forms. The first is its chemical base form which presents itself as brown and the second is a salt form that is white.[133] The former is mainly produced in Afghanistan and some south-west countries while the latter had a history of being produced in only south-east Asia, but has since moved to also being produced in Afghanistan. There is some suspicion white Heroin is also being produced in Iran and Pakistan, but it is not confirmed. This area of Heroin production is referred to as the Golden Crescent. Heroin is not the only drug being used in these areas. The European market has shown signs of growing use in opioids on top of the long-term heroin use.[138]” I don't believe in a God of anger mismanagement. Original sin means Christianizing self-abuse and abusing others, self-abasement and the abasement of others, self-blame and blaming others, self-destructive behavior and others' destructive behavior, self-harm and harming others, self-hatred and hating others, self-neglect and neglecting others, and self-victimization and victimizing others. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

Malo rané kresťanstvo niektoré jedinečné črty? Ako s týmto rastom súvisia zázraky? Akým tempom rástlo a aké to má dôsledky? ----more---- Súvisiace dávky PD#270 Dejú sa dnes zázraky? http://bit.ly/davka270   PD#246 Ježiš a zmŕtvychvstanie, http://bit.ly/davka246   PD#234 Hume a zázraky, https://bit.ly/davka234 PD#220 S Davidom Cielontkom o Ježišovi, http://bit.ly/davka220 PD#174 Ako vznikala Biblia? http://bit.ly/davka174   Použitá a odporúčaná literatúra  Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom, 2013. Ehrman, The Triumph of Christianity, 2018. MacMullen, Christianizing the Roman Empire, 1986. Moss, The Myth of Persecution, 2013. Nock, Conversion, 1998. Stark, The Rise of Christianity, 1997. Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, 1984. *** Baví ťa s nami rozmýšľať? ❤️ Podpor našu tvorbu ľubovoľným darom, https://bit.ly/PDdar, alebo cez Patreon, https://bit.ly/PDtreon

In a  2019 interview in The Christian Post, Keith Getty, the musician who penned the Christian standard, "In Christ Alone", called the contemporary worship "utterly dangerous", saying that it was leading to the "de-Christianizing of God's people".Could this be true?  Is it possible that worship styles or songs are doing more harm than good?In today's episode of Kingdom Culture Conversations,  we are joined by worship pastor Josh James of Likewise Worship, a southern California-based worship consultancy that trains worship leaders and serves within churches across the nation to build healthy worship ministries.  Using a rather snarky article from Crosswalk.com as the point of reference for the conversation, we consider the highs and lows of modern worship."Kingdom Culture Conversations" is a podcast created through Frameworks, a Biblical worldview initiative of Northwest Christian School.For more information on Frameworks, please visit:  https://frameworks.ncsaz.org/For more information on Northwest Christian School, visit:  https://www.ncsaz.org/To reach out to Geoff Brown, please email gbrown@ncsaz.org or you can reach him by cell phone:  (623)225-5573.

In a  2019 interview in The Christian Post, Keith Getty, the musician who penned the Christian standard, "In Christ Alone", called the contemporary worship "utterly dangerous", saying that it was leading to the "de-Christianizing of God's people".Could this be true?  Is it possible that worship styles or songs are doing more harm than good?In today's episode of Kingdom Culture Conversations,  we are joined by worship pastor Josh James of Likewise Worship, a southern California-based worship consultancy that trains worship leaders and serves within churches across the nation to build healthy worship ministries.  Using a rather snarky article from Crosswalk.com as the point of reference for the conversation, we consider the highs and lows of modern worship."Kingdom Culture Conversations" is a podcast created through Frameworks, a Biblical worldview initiative of Northwest Christian School.For more information on Frameworks, please visit:  https://frameworks.ncsaz.org/For more information on Northwest Christian School, visit:  https://www.ncsaz.org/To reach out to Geoff Brown, please email gbrown@ncsaz.org or you can reach him by cell phone:  (623)225-5573.

Worldviews clash on this program, as Jen Wilkins encourages Christian families to support the public schools, allow for a pluralistic polytheistic worldview in the public schools, while being sure to avoid the “Christianizing” of public schools. Must we support a Marxist approach, allowing all children equal opportunities and equal access to wealth?  Are we supposed to send our children into learning centers that are entirely rooted in a polytheistic or pluralistic worldview? Or are we supposed to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God? This program includes: 1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (“Jesus Revolution” movie portrays revival and Greg Laurie's love story, New state poll puts DeSantis ahead of Trump, Iran pardons to imprisoned Christian converts) 2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

Could we really be experiencing our own “Groundhog Day” in the church and in our current culture? Join host Karin Peter along with Apostle (and Historian) Lach Mackay and Theologian Tony Chvala-Smith as they explore the intersection of history and theology during the Presidency of Fred M. Smith. Hear how Fred M., grandson of Joseph Smith, Jr., served as “prophet of the one true church,” while being influenced by contemporary Protestant theology of the social gospel type.   Sources used for background on Fred M. Smith: Paul Edwards, Our Legacy of Faith Richard Howard, The Church Through the Years Mark Scherer, Journey of a People, Vol 2.  Works by Walter Rauschenbusch (referenced by Tony Chvala-Smith): Christianity and the Social Crisis, 1907. Christianizing the Social Order, 1912. Theology for the Social Gospel, 1917.  Other Project Zion Podcasts related to this episode: Episode 316: Historic Sites Foundation Summer Lecture Series | Andrew Bolton Episode 333: Historic Sties Foundation Summer Lecture Series | Barb Walden Download TranscriptThanks for listening to Project Zion Podcast!Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Worldviews clash on this program, as Jen Wilkin encourages Christian families to support the public schools, allow for a pluralistic polytheistic worldview in the public schools, while being sure to avoid the -Christianizing- of public schools. Must we support a Marxist approach, allowing all children equal opportunities and equal access to wealth-- Are we supposed to send our children into learning centers that are entirely rooted in a polytheistic or pluralistic worldview-- Or are we supposed to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God--

Worldviews clash on this program, as Jen Wilkin encourages Christian families to support the public schools, allow for a pluralistic polytheistic worldview in the public schools, while being sure to avoid the -Christianizing- of public schools. Must we support a Marxist approach, allowing all children equal opportunities and equal access to wealth----Are we supposed to send our children into learning centers that are entirely rooted in a polytheistic or pluralistic worldview-- Or are we supposed to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God----This program includes---1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus --Jesus Revolution- movie portrays revival and Greg Laurie's love story, New state poll puts DeSantis ahead of Trump, Iran pardons to imprisoned Christian converts---2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

While on the west coast, Jon and Justin were invited by Chris Gordon (host of Abounding Grace Radio and pastor of Escondido United Reformed Church) to do some recording. This episode is the second portion of that conversation. The guys discuss the Great Commission. What is it? Is it a call to Christianize the nations? Or is it the preaching of Jesus Christ for the justification of sinners? (Hint: It’s the latter.) Semper Reformanda: Jon and Justin talk about theonomy--how it confuses the law and obscures the gospel.

This week we are joined by Monica Perez to discuss the origins of the well known holiday of Valentine's Day and how the semiapocryphal story relates to our current situation. We also touch on advanced libertarian bee philosophy, Carlylian theology and how Christianizing pagan rituals can be based. Also we FINALLY offend Monica. Don't forget to join our Telegram channel at T.me/historyhomos and to join our group chat at T.me/historyhomoschat The video version of the show is available on bitchute, odysee. For weekly premium episodes or to contribute to the show subscribe to our channel at www.rokfin.com/historyhomos Any questions comments concerns or T-shirt/sticker requests can be leveled at historyhomos@gmail.com Later homos --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyhomos/support

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/23), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.Hank also answers the following questions:Why didn't God actualize the angels in righteousness before they fell?Since Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:10 says there should not be divisions amongst believers, what does this say about all the different denominations within the body of Christ today?Could you explain the story of the fish with a coin in its mouth in Matthew 17:24-27?Would the command to obey the government in Romans chapter 13 apply to sharia law?

The primal scene of domination and slavery inevitably produces struggle. It must. Because domination is the idolatrous effort of one to exert control over the will of the other, and we are compelled as free beings to realize and always live that freedom. So the struggle produces dignity, and that dignity, declared and acted and performed and practiced and sung and chanted and screamed and whispered—when enacted by all human beings against various and sundry forms of domination, it leads to joy and love.Vincent Lloyd (Villanova University) joins Evan Rosa to discuss his book Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination. We start with what struggle against domination is, especially how it's expressed in Black life. We entertain the feeling of struggle psychologically and culturally; the ugly and vicious temptation to idolatry that seeking domination and mastery over others entails; how the humanity of both the master and the slave are lost or found; how struggle produces dignity; and an understanding of the debate between seeing dignity as purely intrinsic as opposed to performative. We close by thinking about how the Black struggle for dignity can inform all of us about what it means to actualize our humanity, embrace the power our freedom entails, culminating in joy and love.This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House Foundation. For more information, visit tyndale.foundation.About Vincent LloydVincent Lloyd is Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Center for Political Theology at Villanova University. He is the author of Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination (Yale University Press, 2022), Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons, with Joshua Dubler (Oxford University Press, 2019), In Defense of Charisma (Columbia University Press, 2018), Religion of the Field Negro: On Black Secularism and Black Theology (Fordham University Press, 2017), Black Natural Law (Oxford University Press, 2016), The Problem with Grace: Reconfiguring Political Theology (Stanford University Press, 2011), and Law and Transcendence: On the Unfinished Project of Gillian Rose (Palgrave, 2009). Visit his personal website here.Show NotesWhat is struggle?Augustine's approach to struggle in Confessions: with oneself, with others, with the world, with the powers that bePhenomenology of human struggle: What are the features of struggle that land on the human consciousness?Struggling against not flesh and blood but powers and principalities.Righteous indignation against idolatryRejecting humanity by presenting oneself in a position of masteryMaking distinctions between individual persons, the vice of the will to dominate, and the system those vices createThe struggle of a communityOntological struggle: Aimed at defeating domination“Is struggle dependent on the existence of some prior will to dominate?”Understanding oneself as “master” and setting oneself up as a god.Mastery is a particularly vicious form of idolatry.The primal scene of master and slave is always behind the amorphous systems we struggle against.What is the psychology of the will to dominate?Is domination a special vice? Or is it a more ubiquitous vice?Black theology, Black philosophy, and the experience of the Middle PassageEnslavement continues to fuel anti-BlacknessThe humanity of master and slave are both lostBlack rage and Audrey Lorde's 1981 “The Uses of Anger”Emotion as a symphony, not a cacophonyAiring rage next to each other and clarifying our vision of the worldRethinking Human DignityRetelling the story of democratizing and Christianizing the aristocratic beginnings of “dignity”“When we perform dignity, we're struggling.”Distinguishing dignity from respectability (and turning away from respectability)“That's where dignity is truly democratized, right? What we all have in common as human is our capacity to turn away from domination, and turn toward the divine. That's where dignity has a universal quality.”Understanding the debate between seeing dignity as intrinsic vs dignity as performative or extrinsic.“We're all dominated.”How exactly does struggle produce dignity?Emmanuel Levinas and responding to the Jewish Holocaust, giving morality new content by tethering it to encounter—seeing the infinite shine through in the face of the other, allowing new concepts to flow through like love and justice.How do we finally move from domination, to struggle, to dignity, to joy and love?Production NotesThis podcast featured Vincent LloydEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Before H.G. Wells penned War Of The Worlds, the alien invasion genre as we know it didn't exist. And perhaps more than any text in this series, his landmark science fiction novel focused readers deliberately on the monster in the mirror: the British Empire's civilizing, Christianizing mission, refracted through his technologically enhanced Martian colonizers. But 120 years later, War of the Worlds and its central premise have been coopted by the forces of nationalism, and Christian nationalism in particular. Today we're going to talk about how War of the Worlds captures the tension between two visions of the future amidst escalating crises today: a world that moves beyond the hallowing of blood and soil, and a world that violently, defiantly, embraces it.  With Dr. Sarah Cole of Columbia University Written, produced, and narrated by Lucas Kwong  Voice acting: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong Special Thanks to Pixabay's audio artists for public domain FX clips Clips from various films and news used under fair use laws Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (brotherk.bandcamp.com) Closing song "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" by The Brother K Melee Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/lucaskwong! Or leave a review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-in-the-mirror/id1654399705 Further Reading Michael Barkun. A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America Sarah Bond. "Pseudoarchaeology and the Racism Behind Ancient Aliens." https://hyperallergic.com/470795/pseudoarchaeology-and-the-racism-behind-ancient-aliens/ Jason Colavito. The Cult of Alien Gods: H. P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestial Pop Culture Jason Colavito. "Review of Ancient Aliens S03E12: Aliens and Deadly Cults." //www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-s03e12-aliens-and-deadly-cults Sarah Cole, Inventing Tomorrow: HG Wells and the Twentieth Century Michael Coren, The Invisible Man: The Life And Liberties Of H.G. Wells John Carlos Frey. Sand and Blood: America's Stealth War on the Mexico Border Michael Heiser. "Ancient Astronaut Nonsense as an Interpretive Filter for the Bible." https://drmsh.com/ancient-astronaut-nonsense-interpretive-filter-bible/ Sam Moore and Alex Roberts, The Rise of Ecofascism: Climate Change and the Far Right A. Brad Schwartz. Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News Alexander Zaitchik. "Close Encounters Of The Racist Kind." https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/02/close-encounters-racist-kind Ben Zeller, Ed. Handbook of UFO Religions. Full Text of War Of The Worlds: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36/36-h/36-h.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The occult is gaining a greater and greater foothold in our culture. What was once considered evil is now being embraced and promoted. --Christianity.com recently reported that witches are being mainstreamed and promoted as cool. A former Disney star is making a documentary to explore her spiritual witchcraft journey.--Sadly, this isn't just happening in secular culture and the occult, it's also infiltrating Christian and other religious institutions. --Returning to Crosstalk to discuss this issue was Dr. David Brown. Dr. Brown is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He has a Masters in Theology and PhD in History, specializing in the history of the English Bible. In addition to his study of the English Bible he's also President of Logos Communication Consortium which operates LogosResourcePages.org. He is author of the book, The Dark Side of Halloween and also a research paper, Unmasking the Truth About Witches. He has been a resource used by law enforcement on issues pertaining to Satanism and the occult.--Dr. Brown noted that one of the key reasons the occult is moving into churches is because churches are not teaching sound doctrine. He noted 1 Timothy 4-1----Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.---He also referenced 2 Corinthians 11-14-15 that mentions Satan and how he transforms himself as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. In other words, they're basically counterfeiting the things of God.

The occult is gaining a greater and greater foothold in our culture. What was once considered evil is now being embraced and promoted. --Christianity.com recently reported that witches are being mainstreamed and promoted as cool. A former Disney star is making a documentary to explore her spiritual witchcraft journey.--Sadly, this isn't just happening in secular culture and the occult, it's also infiltrating Christian and other religious institutions. --Returning to Crosstalk to discuss this issue was Dr. David Brown. Dr. Brown is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He has a Masters in Theology and PhD in History, specializing in the history of the English Bible. In addition to his study of the English Bible he's also President of Logos Communication Consortium which operates LogosResourcePages.org. He is author of the book, The Dark Side of Halloween and also a research paper, Unmasking the Truth About Witches. He has been a resource used by law enforcement on issues pertaining to Satanism and the occult.--Dr. Brown noted that one of the key reasons the occult is moving into churches is because churches are not teaching sound doctrine. He noted 1 Timothy 4-1----Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.---He also referenced 2 Corinthians 11-14-15 that mentions Satan and how he transforms himself as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. In other words, they're basically counterfeiting the things of God.

The occult is gaining a greater and greater foothold in our culture. What was once considered evil is now being embraced and promoted. --Christianity.com recently reported that witches are being mainstreamed and promoted as cool. A former Disney star is making a documentary to explore her spiritual witchcraft journey.--Sadly, this isn't just happening in secular culture and the occult, it's also infiltrating Christian and other religious institutions. --Returning to Crosstalk to discuss this issue was Dr. David Brown. Dr. Brown is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He has a Masters in Theology and PhD in History, specializing in the history of the English Bible. In addition to his study of the English Bible he's also President of Logos Communication Consortium which operates LogosResourcePages.org. He is author of the book, The Dark Side of Halloween and also a research paper, Unmasking the Truth About Witches. He has been a resource used by law enforcement on issues pertaining to Satanism and the occult.--Dr. Brown noted that one of the key reasons the occult is moving into churches is because churches are not teaching sound doctrine. He noted 1 Timothy 4-1----Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.---He also referenced 2 Corinthians 11-14-15 that mentions Satan and how he transforms himself as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. In other words, they're basically counterfeiting the things of God.

This lecture was given on June 14, 2022 at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. as part of The Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "The City of God in Modernity: Culture and Ecclesiology." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Thomas Clemmons, a native of South Florida, is assistant professor of theology in Church History at the Catholic University of America. Dr. Clemmons joined the STRS faculty in 2016 after completing his Ph.D. in the History of Christianity from Notre Dame, where he focused on Latin Patristics, early medieval theology, and Augustine. He also holds an M.A. in Early Christianity from Notre Dame and an M.T.S. from Vanderbilt. Dr. Clemmons's teaching and research interest focus on Latin Patristics, Augustine, particularly his thought through the Confessions and his anti-Manichaean works, Late Antiquity, especially in North Africa, and the medieval reception of Augustine.

Be forewarned: Three decisions by the Supreme Court in the last 10 days--including knocking down Roe v Wade--signal that the current conservative majority is in lockstep with the extreme evangelical right's efforts to do away with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and turn America into a right-wing Christian nation. They're getting close to accomplishing that and here's what we need to do to stop it in its tracks.Support the show

Jesus calls us to ABIDE. Abide in His story, abide in His words, abide in His promises, abide in His empowerment, abide in His example, abide in His principles and abide in His mission. These things are so essential to Jesus, they become the faithful things we ABIDE in. When we think about abiding in the mission of Christ, we tend to think of Christianizing the world. It's easy for us to think the mission of Christ is to rid the earth of addiction, racism, abortion, sexual compromise, greed, poverty, and [along the way] save the planet. Those are cool and good agendas, but there is so much more to ABIDE. There is so much more to MISSION. The mission of Christ is not the establishing of a world religion, it may have parts of that, but Jesus summarized it this way: “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Luke 10:27. His mission very much involves where I am directing my heart, my action, and mind! And as we conclude our series, we'll focus on that last area, the mind. Scripture speaks of being ‘mindful' in a holy mindful way: David said: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14.Isaiah said: “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3.Paul said: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5 “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”Romans 8:6 “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4–7.Peter said: “Prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13.It's time to take our minds back to the mission of God, to being mindful of the Mission of Christ in all things and that involves ‘mindfulness'. It's not just knocking on doors or handing out tracks, but it could involve that. It's not just serving at the soup kitchen and then heading back to the suburbs with a good feeling, but it could involve that. It's not just traveling to other regions of the world for a week and building houses… but it could involve that. It begins with the remapping of our minds with His mission. It's involves thinking differently about power. Thinking differently about possessions. Thinking differently about purity. Thinking differently about people. Thinking differently about persecution.It involves us having a mind that sees mission in every experience, not just with our kindness (acting missionally – responding in the moment), but beyond that, with us being thoughtful (thinking missionally – creating future moments and spaces for kindness to happen.)You see, being missionally minded is not just the ‘answer in the moment', it is the mindfulness and thoughtfulness to create future moments of encounters with God. It's in a conversation at the coffee shop. It's right there as we tuck our little one in with a prayer at night. It's choosing to end a conversation that has turned septic. It's giving more to the needs of someone who just lost their job. It's spending less time celebrating yourself and more time celebrating others. It's seeking righteousness and purity with God in the hidden spaces. It's what Jesus said the world needs, and it's what He's called us to be.Thanks for joining us today! For more information and resources, visit www.crosstownechurch.com or download our free app! Search "Crosstowne" in your app store.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/22), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.Hank also answers the following questions:Can we command our own healing? Is this biblical?Will those who follow false teachers be denied from entering heaven?Do unbelievers have a spirit they can go to like I can talk to the Holy Spirit?

A little more than a week after the storming of the Capitol, five Americans have died, the House of Representatives has impeached the President for a second time, Twitter and other social platforms have permanently banned the sitting President of the United States, Amazon Web Services shut down alternative social media site Parler, and National Guard forces are being deployed, with 15,000 troops scheduled to surround the Capitol because, according to the FBI, armed groups are planning to protest the Inauguration, not only in Washington, D.C., but in all fifty states. There are immediate causes, of course, for the chaos that unfolded last Wednesday. Over 70 million Americans are unhappy with and deeply worried about the implications of the presidential election and, no less important, the Georgia Senate runoffs. Among that number, a sizeable group believes the election was stolen, and just-as-deeply disbelieve all media personalities, investigators, elected officials of either party, or judges who say otherwise. Among that group, agitators, after making their violent intentions clear on social media, successfully incited Trump supporters to mob the Capitol. Still, even the most-crafty agitator can only agitate a crowd that is agitate-able. One of the main headlines, not just of Wednesday but all of 2020, is just how dangerously on-edge Americans are. Only an analysis that looks beyond the rage of this day or that day, one that takes seriously the "pre-existing conditions" of our national tinderbox, will ultimately be helpful in pulling us back from the precipice. For decades, sociologists have warned just how thin American civil society has become, replaced by a growing individualism that isolates Americans from the relationships and loyalties that once nurtured a thick social fabric. This is an unsustainable path. The collapse of the family, declining church attendance, institutions losing their integrity and our trust, and the various technological vortices keeping us from our neighbors are all catalytic factors in what's been rightly called "deaths from despair" (increasing suicide rates, loneliness, addictions) and could be called "acts of desperation" (mass violence, rioting, and self-mutilation). As civil society thins and as Americans become less connected to the pre-political aspects of life, the cultural weight lands on politics. To put it bluntly, our politics cannot handle the amount of weight we currently expect of it. As a result, we are experiencing two unsustainable consequences. First, a culture that lacks the necessary resources to produce good citizens and cultivate self-control. Family, Church, community life, and volunteer groups play many roles in a society, but none more important than in providing a vision of what it means to live together, advancing things like civility and the common good. Now this point should be obvious, but the state cannot function for long without good citizens. After all, it has no resources of its own, other than power. And yet, just as the state needs a moral citizenry to keep it from abusing its power, citizens need a properly functioning state to secure rights and liberty. The state, in and of itself, is wholly inadequate to produce the citizens it needs in order to function well. That must be done elsewhere, and herein lies an essential ingredient of our current crisis. Second, when too much weight of a culture is placed on politics, when people turn exclusively (or even primarily) to politics to define and solve their problems or secure their hope, the stakes become too high. A zero-sum, winner-take-all, win-or-die kind of politics that places too much weight on the next election, the next bill, the next scandal, the next "breaking story from Washington. The anxiety level too much for people to bear. On the opposite extreme from those who want to remove Christians from politics, are those Christians who think political levers should be used as power plays. But that's merely Christianizing a secular methodology; it will never work. If we hope to be part of a solution and not add kindling to this explosive environment, we'll need clear and compelling teaching on what politics is ultimately for, what it's not for, and how it fits in the larger economy of pre-political realities and institutions. To be clear, difficult days lie ahead for anyone committed to the sanctity of human life, sexual restraint, or religious freedom. In our political and pre-political efforts, then, what the world needs most, as Chuck Colson said, is for the Church to be the Church. The thinning of civil society is our nation's greatest challenge. It is also among the Church's greatest opportunities. We've been appointed to this time and this place (Acts 17:26), but others have gone before us, and we must learn from them. We need not re-invent the wheel (or, as one of my colleagues likes to say, the flat tire). Like those whose remarkable faith is now sight, we must roll-up our sleeves and double down on loving God and neighbor, proclaiming what is true and elevating what is good, fighting for what matters but never placing our hope horses, chariots, or elections. Only in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/20), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine's Day, looking at the Orthodox Church's veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine's Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ. Hank also brings up two pieces of somber news. The first is the report that today thousands of fetal remains were found in the home of an abortion doctor in Indiana. And the second is an article from The Wall Street Journal titled “The Dangerous Denial of Sex” by Colin M. Wright and Emma N. Hilton, which notes that we are seeing a dangerous and anti-scientific trend toward the outright denial of biological sex. In the article, authors Wright and Hilton argue convincingly that this new, popular paradigm is false at every conceivable scale of resolution.