Podcasts about first council

In part 6 of our series on the 21 Ecumenical Councils, Justin Hibbard discusses what happened at the 3rd council - The Council of Ephesus. Now that Arianism was finally dying out, what was the major debate happening among Churches? How did tensions between the major hubs of Christianity play a role in the theological divisions? And how did the understanding of the Blessed Virgin Mary help settle this Christological debate? HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST* Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.* Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).* Invite Justin to speak at your next event. Inquire at whycatholic@substack.com.SOCIAL LINKS* Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.* Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.SOURCES:* Map of the Roman Empire in 5th Century* The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History by Joseph Kelly* The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology by Leo Davis* History of the Popes Podcast (Series on West Meets East - beginning with episode 52)* Council of Ephesus | Church Councils Explained (Part 3)* New Advent: First Council of Ephesus* Papal Encyclicals Online: Council of EphesusPREVIOUS EPISODES IN THIS SERIES* Episode 146: Introduction to the 21 Ecumenical Councils* Episode 147: The World that Led to the Council of Nicaea* Episode 148: The First Council of Nicaea (325)* Episode 149: From Nicaea to Constantinople* Episode 150: The First Council of Constantinople (381) Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

In part 5 of our series on the 21 Ecumenical Councils, Justin Hibbard discusses what happened at the First Council of Constantinople. What did they accomplish that the Council of Nicaea left incomplete? Which heresies did they address? And why is this council sometimes referred to as an “unecumenical council?”HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST* Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.* Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).* Invite Justin to speak at your next event. Inquire at whycatholic@substack.com.SOCIAL LINKS* Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.* Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.SOURCES:* Episode 146: Introduction to the 21 Ecumenical Councils* Episode 147: The World that Led to the Council of Nicaea* Episode 148: The First Council of Nicaea (325)* Episode 149: From Nicaea to Constantinople* Map of the Roman Empire Under Constantine* The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History by Joseph Kelly* The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology by Leo Davis* History of the Popes Podcast (Series on the Arian Century - beginning with episode 39)* First Council of Constantinople | Church Councils Explained (Part 2)* New Advent: First Council of Constantinople* Papal Encyclicals Online: First Council of Constantinople* Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

ABOUT THE EPISODEListen in as David Schrock and Stephen Wellum interview Bryan Litfin on his Christ Over All essay: "From Nicaea to the “Nicene Creed”: Sixty Years of Confusion and Controversy"Timestamps00:48 – Intro04:15 – Introducing Dr. Litfin's Book on the Trinity05:30 – What Has Helped Dr. Litfin to be a Good Storyteller?07:18 – What Is10:44 – Why Does the History Around the Nicene Creed Matter?13:08 – Did the Council of Nicaea Anticipate the Fight that was Going to Come?15:10 – The Legend of Saint Nicholas17:13 – The Demise of Arius19:35 – How Did Athanasius Become a Main Figure in the Fight for Orthodoxy?24:38 – Athanasius' Two Volumes Against the Arians26:25 – The Different Theological Groups Around the Time of Nicaea30:26 – How Athanasius Made His Arguments32:20 – History of the Political Influence Between 325-38134:24 – The Cappadocians37:56 – Why Was There Less Participation in the Time of Theodosius?39:57 – What Changes Took Place in the Statements Between 325 and 381?42:38 – Why Was There Not as Much Said about the Holy Spirit?48:14 – The Pneumatomachians50:27 – What Conception Did They Have in Terms of the Spirit's Saving Power?53:08 – The Nicene Fathers' Understanding of the Church and Baptism56:08 – Should We Go Back to the Apostolic Fathers to Clarify Our Doctrine?1:00:57 – A Trinitarian Approach to the Gospel1:03:57 – The Trinity and Salvation1:06:21 – OutroResources to Click“From Nicaea to the “Nicene Creed”: Sixty Years of Confusion and Controversy” – Bryan Litfincom – Bryan LitfinRufinus of Aquileia: Historia Ecclesiastical, Book 10, chs. 1-6 (Excerpt on the First Council of Nicaea)Letter of Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea to a Council – Fourth Century ChristianityThe Death of Arius (Post Nicene Fathers Excerpt) – Philip SchaffThe Dialogue Against the Luciferians – Jerome; Philip SchaffThe Nicene Creed – Book of Common PrayerTheme of the Month: The Nicene Creed: 1700 Years of HomoousiosGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadThe Story of the Trinity: Controversy, Crisis, and the Creation of the Nicene Creed – Bryan LitfinThe Church History of Rufinus of Aquileia: books 10 and 11 – Rufinus of Aquilea trans. Philip R. AmidonThe Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions – Clyde Pharr

In part 4 of our series on the 21 Ecumenical Councils, Justin Hibbard discusses what happened in the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea? Did the Church become unified, or did it devolve into disarray and abandon Nicene Christianity? Why was the 4th century perhaps one of the most pivotal centuries for Christianity? And what led the Church to once again gather for a second council, this time in Constantinople? HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST* Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.* Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).* Invite Justin to speak at your next event. Inquire at whycatholic@substack.com.SOCIAL LINKS* Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.* Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.SOURCES:* Episode 146: Introduction to the 21 Ecumenical Councils* Episode 147: The World that Led to the Council of Nicaea* Episode 148: The First Council of Nicaea (325)* Map of the Roman Empire Under Constantine* The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History by Joseph Kelly* History of the Popes Podcast (Beginning with Episode 27)* First Council of Nicaea | Church Councils Explained (Part 1)* First Council of Constantinople | Church Councils Explained (Part 2)* New Advent: First Council of Nicaea* Papal Encyclicals Online: First Council of Nicaea* Original Nicene Creed of 325 Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone. The 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea is upon us, and we are pleased to present you with an interview on the subject. Ben Wyatt is an author, podcaster, and Episcopal priest, who has recently published his first book, Christ and the Council: Conflict, Politics, Theology, and the Outrageous, Extraordinary Story of the Church's First Creed. In the course of our interview, we discuss the nature of the theological debate surrounding Christ's divinity at the Council, the role of Constantine the Great on its outcome, and the legacy of Nicaea and its creed for Christians today. You can find Ben's book on Amazon and other outlets, and you can listen to his podcast, the Road to Nicaea, on Spotify and other major platforms. Thanks to Ben for sharing his time and discussing his book with us at Controversies in Church History.

In Part 3 of our series on the 21 Ecumenical Church Councils, Justin Hibbard discusses the first ecumenical council in Church history - the Council of Nicaea. What does Santa Claus have to do with this council? Who attended this council? What did this council decide? And how did this council change the course of history while also failing to be all that effective within the next few decades?HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST* Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.* Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).* Invite Justin to speak at your next event. Inquire at whycatholic@substack.com.SOCIAL LINKS* Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.* Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.SOURCES:* Episode 146: Introduction to the 21 Ecumenical Councils* Episode 147: The World that Led to the Council of Nicaea* Best St. Nicholas Memes* The Might be Giants - Istanbul (not Constantinople)* Map of the Roman Empire Under Constantine* The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History by Joseph Kelly* History of the Popes Podcast (Beginning with Episode 27)* First Council of Nicaea | Church Councils Explained (Part 1)* New Advent: First Council of Nicaea* Papal Encyclicals Online: First Council of Nicaea* Original Nicene Creed of 325* Excursions on the Canons of the Council of Nicaea Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

ABOUT THE EPISODEThis is the story of how the heresy of Arianism almost become the official doctrine of the early church, and the story of a few brave men who stood in the way. Resources to Click“From Nicaea to the “Nicene Creed”: Sixty Years of Confusion and Controversy” – Bryan Litfincom – Bryan LitfinRufinus of Aquileia: Historia Ecclesiastical, Book 10, chs. 1-6 (Excerpt on the First Council of Nicaea)Letter of Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea to a Council – Fourth Century ChristianityThe Death of Arius (Post Nicene Fathers Excerpt) – Philip SchaffThe Dialogue Against the Luciferians – Jerome; Philip SchaffThe Nicene Creed – Book of Common PrayerTheme of the Month: The Nicene Creed: 1700 Years of HomoousiosGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadThe Story of the Trinity: Controversy, Crisis, and the Creation of the Nicene Creed – Bryan LitfinThe Church History of Rufinus of Aquileia: books 10 and 11 – Rufinus of Aquilea trans. Philip R. AmidonThe Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions – Clyde Pharr

In part 2 of our series on the 21 Ecumenical Church Councils, Justin Hibbard discusses some of the challenges in the early church particularly in the third to early fourth centuries that led to the Council of Nicaea. Why was an ecumenical church council really only possible in the early fourth century? What were some of the key places, people, and events that led to the church desperately needing to meet in order to keep the Church (and the Roman Empire) from splitting apart?HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST* Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.* Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).* Invite Justin to speak at your next event. Inquire at whycatholic@substack.com.SOCIAL LINKS* Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.* Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.KEY TERMS TO REMEMBER:* Lapsi - Those Christians who lapsed during the Roman persecution by renouncing their faith. * Antioch (Syria) & Alexandria (Egypt) - Major metropolitan sees of Christianity.* Paul of Samosata - Bishop of Antioch from 260-268, influential in unitarian theology. * Unitarianism - Overarching heterodox belief that there is one God in one single person. Other persons like Jesus or the Holy Spirit are not divine.* Trinitarianism - Orthodox theological position that there is one God in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.* Arianism - Heterodox unitarian theology promoted by Arius that claimed that Jesus was created by God. * Arius - Founder of the major heresy of Arianism. Originally from Libya, studied in Antioch, and was ordained (and then excommunicated) in Alexandria.* Melitius of Lycopolis - Bishop of Lycopolis (Egypt) that performed unauthorized ordinations in the See of Alexandria, including ordaining Arius to the Diaconate.* Constantine the Great - Conquered the Roman Empire in 312 and became the first Roman Emperor who was an ally of Christianity. * Edict of Milan - Document issued by Constantine in 313 that legalized the practice of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. * Eusebius of Nicomedia - Bishop of Nicomedia who was a major advisor in Constantine's court and aggressively promoted Arianism. * Hosius of Córdoba - Influential Latin-speaking bishop from modern day Spain who who as an advisor to Constantine. SOURCES:* The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History by Joseph Kelly* History of the Popes Podcast (Beginning with Episode 27)* First Council of Nicaea | Church Councils Explained (Part 1)* Episode 146: Introduction to the 21 Ecumenical Councils* Church History by Eusebius* Timeline of the Roman Emperors* Chi Rho Symbol* Constantine the Great* Roman Empire Under Constantine* Thalia by Arius Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode: The Washington DC Council faces an unprecedented situation as Ward 8 holds a special election on July 15th following the expulsion of Trayon White, the first council member ever removed from office in the district's history. White, who was charged with federal bribery in August after allegedly being caught on video accepting cash envelopes in exchange for steering city contracts, won reelection with roughly ¾'s of the vote in November 2024 before being unanimously expelled by his colleagues. Now running to reclaim his seat against three challengers—advisory neighborhood commissioner Salima Dofo, former mayoral aide Sheila Bunn, and attorney Mike Austin, to name a few—White's potential return creates a complex political dilemma for the council. The situation is further complicated by President Trump's recent threats to take over DC's government and the symbolic significance of Ward 8 as the political base of former mayor Marion Barry. Council members must weigh whether to expel White again if he wins, risking backlash from Ward 8 voters who have twice supported him, while considering the broader implications for federal interference and the district's reputation as White's federal trial looms in January 2026.Catch up on the race: https://news.ballotpedia.org/2025/06/27/seven-candidates-are-running-in-a-special-election-for-ward-8-of-the-washington-d-c-city-council/ Follow our guest's reporting: https://wamu.org/person/alex-koma/ Complete a brief 5 minute survey to review the show and share some feedback: https://forms.gle/zPxYSog5civyvEKX6 Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

In his latest teaching episode, Bishop Wack talks about the historical significance of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which established the Nicene Creed and repudiated Arianism, affirming Jesus' divinity and consubstantiality with God.

We conclude our discussion of the First Council of Constantinople, 381AD, the second ecumenical council. We continue to discuss the theological controversies of semi-Arianism and Appolinarianism, as well as some of the issues covered in the canons.

It's Thursday, May 22nd, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Pakistani Muslim man abducted, forcibly converted, and “married” Christian teen A Christian 15-year-old girl in Pakistan reunited with her parents yesterday after being abducted five months ago. A 29-year-old Muslim man, Muhammad Anees, kidnapped her with four other men from her aunt's home, forcibly converted her to Islam, and married her. The girl suffered abuse for months and is now pregnant.  Attorney Hanif Hameed told Morning Star News, “This is a clear case of false conversion and fake marriage to cover the crime of abduction and rape.” Sadly, such cases are increasing in the South Asian country. Pakistan is ranked eighth on the Open Doors' World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.  Billy Graham Association to host evangelism meeting in Germany The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is hosting the largest meeting on evangelism in 25 years in Berlin, Germany later this month. It's the same location that Rev. Billy Graham held the first World Congress on Evangelism in 1966. Evangelist Franklin Graham is focusing the upcoming event on the church in Europe. Listen to his comments to CBN News. GRAHAM: “We want to ignite a fire in Europe to where there's an excitement for evangelism and the churches are willing to be bold and not ashamed of the Gospel. “We've got Ukrainian churches coming. We have churches coming from Russia. You know, some say, ‘These countries are at war.'  Yes, they are, but the Gospel is more powerful than any of that stuff.” In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” Trump announces “Golden Dome” missile defense system U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for a $175 billion missile defense system on Tuesday. U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein is leading the project, known as the “Golden Dome.”  Trump said the system should be completed in about three years. Defunding Planned Parenthood remains in Trump's budget bill A handful of conservative Republicans, who hesitated to support Trump's “big, beautiful bill,” appear ready to support the massive package after a furious pressure campaign from President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, reports The Hill. After meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, and then huddling together afterward on Capitol Hill, the members of the conservative Freedom Caucus emerged to say they're on the cusp of supporting the package — if a laundry list of changes promised by the White House is reflected in the final proposal. Their newfound enthusiasm appears to stem from assurances Trump and Johnson made during the White House meeting, including a promise from the president to issue more executive orders addressing some of the spending concerns the conservatives couldn't secure in the legislation, and expanding the rollback of green energy tax credits enacted in the Democrats' 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.  The bill seeks to deliver on Trump's key campaign promises, including making permanent Trump's 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips.  And, thanks in part to the calls of Worldview listeners, the defunding of Planned Parenthood remains in the bill. Court: Florida should require parental consent for a minor's abortion Last Friday, a federal appeals court ruled against a Florida law that allows minors to get abortions without parental consent. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled that the law was unconstitutional and violated parental rights. The decision stated, “Whatever asserted constitutional abortion rights may have justified Florida's [law] in the past unequivocally have been repudiated by both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court.” Married, employed, church-attending people happier Harvard University recently published their Global Flourishing Study which surveyed 200,000 people across 22 countries over the past five years. The study found people experienced higher levels of wellbeing when married, employed, and attending religious services. Professor Tyler VanderWeele led the research. He noted, “Religious service attendance was one of the factors most consistently associated with present or subsequent wellbeing, across countries and across outcomes.” Anniversary of First Council of Nicaea And finally, this month marks the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, 1,700 years ago. In May A.D. 325, about 300 Christian leaders convened in the city of Nicaea, located in modern-day Turkey.  The council dealt with the doctrine of the Trinity. In particular, the church at the time had to refute the heresy of Arianism, which denied that Jesus is fully and eternally divine.  The council went on to affirm the Trinity and Christ as fully God in the Nicene Creed. It is recited by churches worldwide to this day.  The creed affirms there is “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made.” John 1:1 and 4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, May 22nd, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Japan exemplifies Proverbs 14:34 unlike any other nation, turning into a reproach and an embarrassment in the world scene. Japan's birth implosion and economical debacle is the worst in the world. But here's the history of it, beginning with a visit by the most evil woman in the world in 1922. The nation invited this American Jezebel back to address their parliament in 1954. They went on to kill 70% of their children throughout the 1950s, setting themselves up for a gross humiliation in later centuries. This program includes: 1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Married, employed, church-attending people happier; Pakistani Muslim man abducted, forcibly converted, and "married" Christian teen; Anniversary of First Council of Nicaea) 2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

We discuss the background, people, and events related to the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), including the Arian controversy, the school of Antioch vs the school of Alexandria, and the original version of the Nicene Creed.

Dr. Joel Elowsky of Concordia Seminary-St. Louis The post The First Council on Nicaea – Dr. Joel Elowsky, 4/29/25 (1191) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Marion Hanks was one of the youngest modern-day GA (general authorities.) At just age 31, he was called to be one of the 7 presidents in the First Council of 70! His son Richard Hanks has written a biography called "To Be a Friend of Christ." We will learn more about Marion's life without a father growing up. Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/SWCBWl0zS-w Don't miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/ transcript to follow Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission   transcript to follow Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Auckland's 21 local boards united in a letter to Mayor Wayne Brown last week, rejecting that they must absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall tied to the Fairer Funding Initiative.  The letter, dated March 10, highlights the significant pressures imposed on local board activities due to the cost-cutting measures, asserting that local boards had “no control over the budget” and "all decisions were made without any reference to any Local Board”. While Wayne Brown responded earlier this week, ensuring that local boards would not need to seek extra funding to cover the budget shortfall this year, these discussions will become relevant again for next year's budget.  Group chief financial officer for Auckland Council, Ross Tucker, says the council "is embarking on a challenging transition to an equity-based funding model that will see local boards being empowered with more budget autonomy as well as greater budget responsibility". Also, as the need increases to address the number of roaming dogs on the street, as well as the number of dog attacks, Auckland Council has opened a council-operated dog adoption centre. Last year, less than half of roaming dogs were claimed by their owners, the lowest amount in a decade. The adoption centre which opened on the weekend will house over forty dogs in an effort to relieve the strain on animal shelters around Auckland. Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these issues this morning. To start off, she asked him to explain the purpose of Auckland Council's Fairer Funding Initiative.

In an effort to get thousands of roaming dogs off the streets and into forever homes - Auckland Council is opening the country's first council operated dog adoption centre in Pukekohe. The need is more pressing than ever - with all of the city's dog shelters at capacity and less than half of roaming dogs in Auckland reclaimed by their owners last year - the lowest level in a decade. Louise Ternouth went to Pukekohe for a sneak peak.

Dustin Young is the president of the Rutgers chess club with an interest in historiography. We will explore: - what was Newton's take on religion - why study the interface of history, science, politics, and philosophy - where does chess come from and how it evolved - how to impress friends with a Taylor series party trick   Startovač: https://www.startovac.cz/patron/misto-problemu/ FB stránka: https://www.facebook.com/mistoproblemu Web: https://www.mistoproblemu.cz/   Timestamps: (0:00) introduction (0:56) historiography, Newton, and religion (17:31) natural philosophers and seperation of sciences (22:35) sources, bias, and motivation (36:03) cultures and approaches to chess (44:35) origin and developments of chess (57:15) no true objectivity   Links: - Newton project: https://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/ - council of Nicaea: https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Council-of-Nicaea-325 - De Morgan's laws: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/de-morgans-law/ - bongcloud: https://chess.fandom.com/wiki/Bongcloud - Taylor series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_series - chaturanga: https://www.chess.com/terms/chaturanga-game - xiangqi: https://www.xiangqi.com/history

St. Nicholas: A Legacy of Faith and Generosity St. Nicholas, the revered Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, . . . . . . played a significant role in the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This pivotal council resolved the Christological question of the divine nature of Jesus Christ and His relationship to God the Father. It affirmed that Jesus is both fully God and fully human—distinct yet inseparable. St. Nicholas is celebrated not only for his theological contributions but also for the many legends surrounding his generosity and gift-giving. His life and teachings remind us of the deep generosity that stems from faith in Jesus Christ. Hear more within the Homily! St. Nicholas' Lessons As we prepare for Christmas, we are called to a dual transformation: one that rearranges our homes to welcome the Holy Family and the Nativity scene, and, more profoundly, one that reorients our inner lives. This season invites us to ask the Lord for what we truly need. Once we receive His blessings, we are sent forth to proclaim the good news: that God dwells among us, that He is Emmanuel—God with us. Listen more in this inspiring homily and Meditation Media. Listen to: St. Nicholas: A Legacy of Faith and Generosity ----------------------------- Image: St. Nicholas: Czech Painter: Jaroslav Čermák: (lived) 1830-1878 ----------------------------- Gospel Reading: Matthew: 9: 27-31 First Reading: Is 29: 17-24

Just like we did after the 2016 and 2020 elections, I spoke with my dad Ben Sidran this week about the latest presidential election.   True to form, it is a conversation that appears to be about one thing but is in fact about many things. What begins as a somber acknowledgement of the election results turns quickly to a sprawling discussion of everything from  Will and Ariel Durant's massive 11-volume work, The Story of Civilization, Seinfeld, The First Council of Nicaea, Irving Berlin, Jack Kerouac, what separates humankind from the rest of the animal kingdom, bottle service at "the party club", the importance of beauty, and what it means to “chop your wood and carry water.” www.third-story.com www.leosidran.substack.com

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When we talk about “the Early Church” many people's minds immediately go to the first generation of Christianity, recorded in the Book of Acts and addressed in the New Testament. But what happened after that, and why does it matter for Christians living today? Matt Pursley is the Executive Pastor at Park Hill Church in San Diego, California. He has a Masters in Christian History, and in this episode, Matt and I discuss the First Council of Nicaea: what led to it and what it produced. We address many of the common misconceptions about Nicaea, and we discuss the early heresies of Marcionism, Gnosticism, and Arianism, and why it's important for Christians today to understand those heresies, and why they were rejected. Along the way we also talk about Jordan Peterson, who Matt says is a modern Marcionite, and how the errors of both liberalism and fundamentalism have a similar origin. Visit the Theology for the People website at nickcady.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support

This Wonderful Words of Life program covers Acts Chapters 14 and 15. Acts 14 concerns Paul's First Missionary Journey and Acts 15 covers the First Council in Jerusalem concerning the Gentiles coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ without the need to be circumcised first. This presents to us a wonderful example of how men can come to Christ through faith in the gospel message without first passing through the hoops of religious rules and regulations. +++++++ You can find more information on my website: https://pastorjohndunning.com/ You can hear my personal testimony on this website: https://www.ifyouonlyknew.life/

On this episode of FACTS, Stephen is joined with Jonah Saller to discuss the importance of the ecumenical council of Constantinople. There were discussions of Arianism and the Holy Spirit at this council that Stephen and Jonah will unpack. Here is link to Jonah's channel on Youtube https://youtube.com/@merecatholicity?si=2wSt38eMg3rv7_M2 Here is the link if you would like to donate or partner with FACTS financially https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7

In the vast ocean of teachings, how do we discern the true Dhamma from the false?

It's Thursday, May 23rd, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Eritrea's religious freedom violations The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released an article last week, highlighting religious freedom violations in Eritrea, Africa. This month and next month mark 20 years since Eritrean officials arrested and imprisoned three pastors. The prisons remain in atrocious conditions. As of last year, officials are also holding about 500 Christians as prisoners. Frederick Davie with the commission said, “Religious freedom conditions in Eritrea remain extremely poor. The Commission was hopeful last year when Eritrean authorities started releasing some of those detained because of their faith or belief. Unfortunately, this effort included only a small number of prisoners.” Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” According to Open Doors, Eritrea, Africa is the fourth most difficult country worldwide in which to be a Christian. Majority of Scots have no religion Scotland began releasing its 2022 Census data on Tuesday. For the first time on record, a majority of Scots said they have no religion. Fifty-one percent of the Scottish population did not identify with a religion, up from 36.7% in 2011. Also, 20.4% identified with the Church of Scotland in 2022, down from 32.4% in 2011. Roman Catholic identification at 13.3% and “other Christian” identification at 5.1% has remained somewhat stable over the last decade. Muslim identification is 2.2%, up from 1.5%.  35% of Americans are not religious Professor Ryan Burge with Faith Facts released a report this week on religious identification in the U.S. Based on the Cooperative Election Study, he noted that 21% of Americans identified with no religion in 2008. That percentage grew to 35% in 2019. Since then, the percentage of non-religious Americans has plateaued. Oddly enough, the youngest generation appears to be growing more religious. Forty-two percent of Gen Z was religiously unaffiliated last year, down from 48% in 2022. Burge noted, “The share of non-religious Americans has stopped rising in any meaningful way.” CVS fired Christian nurse for refusing to dispense Abortion Kill Pill First Liberty Institute reached a settlement on behalf of a Christian nurse with CVS Health Corporation this week. CVS fired Robyn Strader for refusing to dispense abortion drugs. She had been operating under a religious accommodation to not prescribe the drugs for years. Stephanie Taub, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute, said, “We are thrilled that Robyn was able to reach a resolution with CVS. We are hopeful that companies across the country will recognize the religious liberty of their employees and work to protect those rights.” South Carolina protects kids from transgender drugs and surgeries On Tuesday, South Carolina's Republican Governor Henry McMaster announced he signed the Help Not Harm bill into law. The law protects children from transgender drugs and surgeries and bans public funding of them. South Carolina is the 25th state to ban such procedures.  Trump leading Biden in 7 swing states A new Bloomberg poll found former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in seven swing states. The states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump led Biden 48% to 44% in a head-to-head matchup.  Trump also led Biden when the survey added in third-party and independent candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein. Home sales are down The sale of existing homes unexpectedly fell by 1.9% last month on an annual basis. Meanwhile, the housing inventory was still tight at the end of April. It was up 16% on an annual basis, but that only amounted to a 3.5-month supply. A six-month supply is considered normal. Tight supply affects prices. The median sale price of a home last month was $407,600, up 5.7% from last year.  Why the Nicene Creed was conceived And finally, this week marks the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea nearly 1,700 years ago.  In May A.D. 325, about 300 Christian leaders convened in the city of Nicaea, located in modern-day Turkey.  The council dealt with the doctrine of the Trinity. In particular, the church at the time had to refute the heresy of Arianism, which denied that Christ was fully and eternally divine.  The council went on to affirm the Trinity and Christ as fully God in the Nicene Creed. It is recited by churches worldwide to this day.  Speaking of Christ, the creed affirms “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made.” John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, May 23rd, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldView.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

First Council Of Nicaea(Sunday May 14th 2024AD) by Duchovny Dom Monastery

Jesus prayed, “I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves” (Jn. 17). Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 Friendship According to Aristotle and Jesus 1. “We seek one mystery, God, with another mystery, ourselves. We are mysterious to ourselves because God's mystery is in us.” [i] Gary Wills wrote these words about the impossibility of fully comprehending God. Still, we can draw closer to the Holy One. I am grateful for friends who help me see our Father in new ways. This week my friend Norwood Pratt sent me an article which begins with a poem by Li Bai (701-762). According to legend he died in the year 762 drunkenly trying to embrace the moon's reflection in the Yangtze River. Li Bai writes, “The birds have vanished from the sky. / Now the last cloud drains away // We sit together, the mountain and me, / until only the mountain remains.” [ii] For me this expresses the feeling of unity with God that comes to me in prayer. This poet was one of many inspirations for a modern Chinese American poet named Li-Young Lee (1957-). Lee's father immigrated to the United States and served as a Presbyterian pastor at an all-white church in western Pennsylvania. Lee feels fascinated by infinity and eternity. He writes this poem about the “Ultimate Being, Tao or God” as the beloved one, the darling. Each of us in the uniqueness of our nature and experience has a different experience of holiness. He writes, “My friend and I are in love with the same woman… I'd write a song about her.  I wish I could sing. I'd sing about her. / I wish I could write a poem. / Every line would be about her. / Instead, I listen to my friend speak / about this woman we both love, / and I think of all the ways she is unlike / anything he says about her and unlike / everything else in the world.” [iii] These two poets write about something that cannot easily be expressed, our deepest desire to be united with God. Jesus also speaks about this in the Gospel of John, in his last instructions to the disciples and then in his passionate prayer for them, and for us. In his last words Jesus describes the mystery of God and our existence using a surprising metaphor. At the center of all things lies our experience of friendship. On Mother's Day when we celebrate the sacrifices associated with love I want to think more with you about friendship and God. To understand the uniqueness of Jesus' teaching, it helps to see how another great historical thinker understood this subject. 2. Long before Jesus' birth the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) studied at Plato's school in Athens (from the age of 17 to 37). After this Aristotle became the tutor of Alexander the Great and founded a prominent library that he used as the basis for his thought. Scholars estimate that about a third of what Aristotle wrote has survived. He had a huge effect on the western understanding of nature. He also especially influenced the thirteenth century theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and therefore modern Roman Catholic approaches to Christian thought. For Aristotle God is eternal, non-material, unchanging and perfect. He famously describes God as the unmoved mover existing outside of the world and setting it into motion. Because everything seeks divine perfection this God is responsible for all change that continues to happen in the universe. We experience a world of particular things but God knows the universal ideas behind them (or before them). For Aristotle God is pure thought, eternally contemplating himself. God is the telos, the goal or end of all things. [iv] Aristotle begins his book Nicomachean Ethics by observing that “Happiness… is the End at which all actions aim.” [v] Everything we do ultimately can be traced back to our desire for happiness and the purpose of Aristotle's book is to help the reader to attain this goal. Happiness comes from having particular virtues, that is habitual ways of acting and seeking pleasure. These include: courage, temperance, generosity, patience. In our interactions with others we use social virtues including: amiability, sincerity, wit. Justice is the overarching virtue that encompasses all the others. Aristotle writes that there are three kinds of friendships. The first is based on usefulness, the second on pleasure. Because these are based on superficial qualities they generally do not last long. The final and best form of friendship for him is based on strength of character. These friends do not love each other for what they can gain but because they admire each other's character. Aristotle believes that this almost always this happens between equals although sometimes one sees it in the relation between fathers and sons (I take this to mean between parents and children). Famous for describing human beings as the political animal, Aristotle points out that we can only accomplish great things through cooperation. Institutions and every human group rely on friendly feelings to be effective. Friendship is key to what makes human beings effective, and for that matter, human. Finally, Aristotle believes that although each person should be self-sufficient, friendship is important for a good life. 3. The Greek word for Gospel, that particular form of literature which tells the story of Jesus, is euangelion. We might forget that this word means good news until we get a sense for the far more radical picture of God and friendship that Jesus teaches. For me, one of the defining and unique features of Christianity as a religion comes from Jesus' insistence that our relation to God is like a child to a loving father. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven.” Jesus clarifies this picture of God in his story of the Prodigal Son who goes away and squanders his wealth in a kind of first century Las Vegas. In the son's destitution he returns home and as he crests the hill, his father “filled with compassion,” hikes up his robes and runs to hug and kiss him. Jesus does not just use words but physical gestures to show what a friend is. In today's gospel Jesus washes his friends' feet before eats his last meal with them. The King James Version says, “there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (Jn. 13:23). [vi] Imagine Jesus, in the actual embrace of his beloved friend, telling us who God is. Jesus explicitly says I do not call you servants but friends (Jn. 15). A servant does not know what the master is doing but a friend does. And you know that the greatest commandment is to love one another. Later in prayer he begs God to protect us from the world, “so that [we] may have [his] joy made complete in [ourselves]” (Jn. 17). 4. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 332-395) was born ten years after the First Council of Nicaea and attended the First Council of Constantinople. He writes about how so many ordinary people were arguing about doctrine, “If in this city you ask anyone for change, he will discuss with you whether the Son was begotten or unbegotten. If you ask about the quality of the bread you will receive the answer, “The father is the greater and the Son is lesser.' If you suggest a bath is desirable you will be told, ‘There was nothing before the Son was created.'” [vii] Gregory with his friends Basil and Gregory Nazianzus wondered what description of Jesus would lead to faith rather than just argument. [viii] Gregory of Nyssa came to believe that the image of God is only fully displayed when every human person is included. [ix] In his final book Life of Moses Gregory responds to a letter from a younger friend who seeks counsel on “the perfect life.” [x] Gregory writes that Moses exemplifies this more than all others because Moses is a friend to God. True perfection is not bargaining with, pleading, tricking, manipulating, fearing God. It is not avoiding a wicked life out of fear of punishment. It is not to do good because we hope for some reward, as if we are cashing in on the virtuous life through a business contract. Gregory closes with these words to his young admirer, “we regard falling from God's friendship as the only dreadful thing… and we consider becoming God's friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This… is the perfection of life. As your understanding is lifted up to what is magnificent and divine, whatever you may find… will certainly be for the common benefit in Christ Jesus.” [xi] On Thursday night I was speaking to Paul Fromberg the Rector of St. Gregory's church about this and he mentioned a sophisticated woman who became a Christian in his church. In short she moved from Aristotle's view of friendship among superior equals to Jesus' view. She said, “Because I go to church I can have real affection for people who annoy the shit out of me. My affection is no longer just based on affinity.” [xii] 5. I have been thoroughly transformed by Jesus' idea of friendship. My life has become full of Jesus' friends, full of people who I never would have met had I followed Aristotle's advice. Together we know that in Christ unity does not have to mean uniformity. Before I close let me tell you about one person who I met at Christ Church in Los Altos. Even by the time I met her Alice Larse was only a few years away from being a great-grandmother. She and her husband George had grown up together in Washington State. He had been an engineer and she nursed him through his death from Alzheimer's disease. Some of my favorite memories come from the frequent summer pool parties she would have for our youth groups. She must have been in her sixties when she started a “Alice's Stick Cookies Company.” Heidi and I saw them in a store last week!   At Christ Church we had a rotating homeless shelter and there were several times when Alice, as a widow living by herself, had various guests stay at her house. When the church was divided about whether or not to start a school she quickly volunteered to serve as senior warden. She was not sentimental. She was thoroughly practical. She was humble. She got things done… but with a great sense of humor.   There was no outward indication that she was really a saint. I missed her funeral two weeks ago because of responsibilities here. I never really had the chance to say goodbye but I know that one day we will be together in God. Grace Cathedral has hundreds of saints just like her who I have learned to love in a similar way.   Ram Dass was a dear friend of our former Dean Alan Jones. He used to say, “The name of the game we are in is called ‘Being at one with the Beloved.' [xiii] The Medieval mystic Julian of Norwich writes that God possesses, “a love-longing to have us all together, wholly in himself for his delight; for we are not now wholly in him as we shall be…” She says that you and I are Jesus' joy and bliss. [xiv]   We seek one mystery, God, with another mystery, ourselves. We are mysterious to ourselves because God's mystery is in us.” [xv] In a world where friendship can seem to be only for utility or pleasure I pray that like Jesus, you will be blessed with many friends, that you find perfection of life and even become friends with God. [i] Gary Wills, Saint Augustine (NY: Viking, 1999) xii. [ii] Li Bai, “Zazen on Ching-t'ing Mountain,” tr. Sam Hamill, Crossing the Yellow River: Three Hundred Poems from the Chinese, (Rochester, NY: BOA Editions, 2000). About 1000 poems attributed to Li still exist. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48711/zazen-on-ching-ting-mountain [iii] Ed Simon, “There's Nothing in the World Smaller than the Universe: In The Invention of the Darling, Li-Young Lee presents divinity as spirit and matter, profound and quotidian, sacred and profane,” Poetry Foundation. This article quotes, “The Invention of the Darling.”  https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/162572/theres-nothing-in-the-world-smaller-than-the-universe [iv] More from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: “Aristotle made God passively responsible for change in the world in the sense that all things seek divine perfection. God imbues all things with order and purpose, both of which can be discovered and point to his (or its) divine existence. From those contingent things we come to know universals, whereas God knows universals prior to their existence in things. God, the highest being (though not a loving being), engages in perfect contemplation of the most worthy object, which is himself. He is thus unaware of the world and cares nothing for it, being an unmoved mover. God as pure form is wholly immaterial, and as perfect he is unchanging since he cannot become more perfect. This perfect and immutable God is therefore the apex of being and knowledge. God must be eternal. That is because time is eternal, and since there can be no time without change, change must be eternal. And for change to be eternal the cause of change-the unmoved mover-must also be eternal. To be eternal God must also be immaterial since only immaterial things are immune from change. Additionally, as an immaterial being, God is not extended in space.” https://iep.utm.edu/god-west/ [v] Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. H. Rackham, Loeb Classical Library vol. XIX (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975) 30-1. [vi] h™n aÓnakei÷menoß ei–ß e˙k tw◊n maqhtw◊n aujtouv e˙n twˆ◊ ko/lpwˆ touv ∆Ihsouv, o§n hjga¿pa oJ ∆Ihsouvß (John 13:23). I don't understand why the NRSV translation translate this as “next to him” I think that Herman Waetjen regards “in Jesus' bosom” as correct. Herman Waetjen, The Gospel of the Beloved Disciple: A Work in Two Editions (NY: T&T Clark, 2005) 334. [vii] Margaret Ruth Miles, The Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005), 105. [viii] Ibid., 108. [ix] From Jesse Hake, “An Intro to Saint Gregory of Nyssa and his Last Work: The Life of Moses,” 28 July 2022: https://www.theophaneia.org/an-intro-to-saint-gregory-of-nyssa-and-his-last-work-the-life-of-moses/ “For example, Gregory says that the image of God is only fully displayed when every human person is included, so that the reference in Genesis to making humanity in God's image is actually a reference to all of humanity as one body (which is ultimately the body of Jesus Christ that is also revealed at the end of time): In the Divine foreknowledge and power all humanity is included in the first creation. …The entire plenitude of humanity was included by the God of all, by His power of foreknowledge, as it were in one body, and …this is what the text teaches us which says, God created man, in the image of God created He him. For the image …extends equally to all the race. …The Image of God, which we behold in universal humanity, had its consummation then. …He saw, Who knows all things even before they be, comprehending them in His knowledge, how great in number humanity will be in the sum of its individuals. …For when …the full complement of human nature has reached the limit of the pre-determined measure, because there is no longer anything to be made up in the way of increase to the number of souls, [Paul] teaches us that the change in existing things will take place in an instant of time. [And Paul gives to] that limit of time which has no parts or extension the names of a moment and the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).” [x] Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses trans. Abraham J. Malherbe and Everett Ferguson, “Preface” by John Myendorff (NY: Paulist Press, 1978) 29. [xi] Ibid., 137. [xii] Paul Fromberg conversation at One Market, Thursday 9 May 2024. [xiii] Alan Jones, Living the Truth (Boston, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000) 53. [xiv] Quoted in Isaac S. Villegas, “Christian Theology is a Love Story,” The Christian Century, 25 April 2018. https://www.christiancentury.org/lectionary/may-13-easter-7b-john-17-6-19?code=kHQx7M4MqgBLOUfbwRkc&utm_source=Christian+Century+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1ccba0cb63-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_SCP_2024-05-06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-31c915c0b7-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D [xv] Gary Wills, Saint Augustine (NY: Viking, 1999) xii.

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. New York Governor Kathy Hochul breaks down the state budget and WNYC/Gothamist's Jon Campbell offers analysis (First) | Council member Shaun Abreu on proposed changes to tipping on delivery apps—and a plan to curb the city's rat population (Starts at 32:15) | George Takei discusses his debut picture book, an age-appropriate personal history a childhood in Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII (Starts at 1:14:35) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

DAY 340 CHALLENGE “The Bible originally taught reincarnation, but the relevant passages were struck out by the Council of Nicaea.” DEFENSE This claim is not credible for numerous reasons. First, the surviving records of the First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) and the Second Council of Nicaea (A.D. 787), as well as the writings of those who took part in them, give no indication the topic of reincarnation was even discussed, much less was anything as dramatic as taking passages out of the Bible contemplated. Second, the fathers of these councils regarded Scripture as the inspired word of …

One of the most important events in Christian history is the First Council of Nicaea that took place in 325 AD. Christianity […]

SPECIAL GUEST Brother Andre Marie Host of the ReConquest Show aired only on The Crusade Channel. Follow Brother on GAB and Twitter - @Brother_Andre Grant money and big donors -  Church Triumphant Church Suffering  Church Militant Christopher Derrick HEADLINE: In Praise of Triumphalism by Brother Andre Marie  So what's wrong with triumphalism? I suspect that the enemy of triumphalism has a deeper problem, though. Triumphalism presumes there is something to be triumphal about. That would be the immense treasures of our Faith and its attendants: the good, the true, and the beautiful, wherever they are to be found; for these come from the Author of nature, who authored the supernatural order, too. Triumphalism also presumes that there exist evils over which we ought to triumph: the bad, the false, the ugly; sin, death, Satan; and their attendants — namely, whatever in the created order refuses to conform to God's holy will. These ought to be hated, opposed, and combated, while God and all that stands on the side of God ought to be loved. There is no middle position, no compromise: Love of God implies hatred of evil and the will to triumph over it. Lunar Cycle -  HEADLINE: Sanctifying Time as the World Ends by Brother Andre Marie  The Church's traditional liturgy sanctifies our time — the day, the week, the month, the season, the year. What is quite literally mundane and temporal is thus transformed into something heavenly and spiritual, an anticipation of our partaking in God's own eternity. At this time of the Catholic year when we look to the end of time, and also to its beginning again with the first Sunday of Advent next week, I would like to take a quick glance at how four natural divisions in the solar year coincide with four Christian feasts, how the Church dates Easter, how the beginning of the Church's year is determined, and, lastly, how our superior Gregorian calendar came to replace its Julian predecessor. “Praise Ye Him, O Sun and Moon” (Ps. 148:3) The four seasons are traditionally sanctified by the four sets of Ember Days, but there are also four feasts on the sanctoral cycle that touch upon the astronomical events that define those seasons, to wit: the Annunciation, March 25, corresponding roughly with the Vernal Equinox; the Nativity of John the Baptist, June 24, corresponding roughly with the Summer Solstice; the Conception of Saint John the Baptist, September 23, corresponding roughly with the Fall Equinox; and Christmas, December 25, corresponding roughly with the Winter Solstice. There is some variation on the exact dating of these quarterly astronomical events, and there are useful tables online, like this one, which give the dates with astronomical precision. THERE ARE 4 FEASTS  The 24th and last Sunday after Pentecost.  Sanctoral Cycle - Saints Cycle actually begins today! Temporal Cycle -  Vernal (Spring) Equinox: March 20 (Near the Annunciation, March 25) Summer Solstice: June 21 (Near the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist: June 24) Autumnal (Fall) Equinox: September 23 (The exact date of the Conception of Saint John the Baptist: September 23) Winter Solstice: December 21 (Near Christmas: December 25) 4 Feasts that fall on or very near to those 4 astrological events.  First day of Creation -  It comes down to hours and seconds! They had to calculate it, map it, chart it… There is an edifying First Council of Nicaea - defended the date when Easter is but they said Rome will tell the world WHEN Easter is but the Egyptians will tell Rome when the Equinox is.  25th of December HEADLINE: In Defense of Christmas by Brother Andre Marie According to St. John Chrysostom, the foundation for the Nativity occurring on the 25th of December is a strong one. In a Christmas Sermon, he shows that the Western Chruches had, from the very commencement of Christianity, kept the Feast on that day.

The New Plymouth District Council has held its first public workshop after the Ombudsman reprimanded local authorities for holding too many secret meetings. Peter Boshier says excuses such as allowing elected members a "safe space" to ask "silly questions" don't stand up to scrutiny. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went along to witness the great reveal.

IntroductionWelcome back to Good Distinctions! Before we begin, I want to invite you to consider contributing financially to Good Distinctions. Good distinctions are the spice of life, and Teresa and I are enjoying producing content, finding good distinctions, igniting conversation, and inviting you all to do likewise! In order to continue, we need your help. Consider becoming a paid subscriber and show your support for as little as $5/month by clicking subscribe at gooddistinctions.comIn today's episode, we will take a quick walk through the Nicene Creed to examine what Catholics believe! Of course, the Catechism of the Catholic Church does a much better job than I will do here. And there are books that provide an even deeper dive. My goal here is to provide a 30,000 foot view of the Nicene Creed, the Symbol of Faith. The Creed has been referred to from ancient times as a Symbolon. The Greek word Symbolon means to “throw together” - the Creeds, as Symbols of Faith - draw the followers of Christ together in like belief. Scott Hahn, in his book on the Creed, refers to the recitation of the Nicene Creed at Holy Mass during the Liturgy of the Word as analogous to receiving Holy Communion during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In our public recitation of belief, we identify ourselves boldly as Christians in union with those around us and all those who have come before. The Niceno-Constantinopolitan CreedThe Nicene Creed, technically called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is professed every Sunday at Mass in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. In the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and in our separated Orthodox brethren, this same Creed is professed in its original formulation.The only difference between the Creed of the East and West is the later addition of the phrase “and the Son” to the paragraph on the procession of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, this disagreement has caused great difficulty and division between Eastern and Western Christianity.The Nicene Creed arose from the first two ecumenical councils of the Church. The first ecumenical council is the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and the second is the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. This Creed is ancient and it has preserved the faithful from a variety of heresies for over 1,600 years. To understand it is to understand what we believe as Catholics.Walking through the CreedLet's take a quick walk through the Creed and try to understand it a bit more in depth. Of course, each word in the phrase is packed with meaning and endless depth. Truly, the reality of our Faith is that we are diving into the mysteries of an infinite God. So, there is always more to learn.Paragraph 1 – God the FatherI believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.We believe in one God in three Persons. We do not believe in three gods. Our one God is not only our king and Lord, He is our Heavenly Father. We are His adopted son or daughter through Baptism. He created everything that we can see, but He also created all the things that we cannot see. For example, we believe in the angels, in our own souls, and in demons. God is Lord over all of it and has all might. Even though He is tremendously powerful, our God and Father draws us into a relationship with Him and invites us to share eternal blessedness in another invisible reality: Heaven.Paragraph 2 – The Lord JesusI believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is the Word of God, the Son of God. This Word of God, Jesus Christ, proceeds from the Father. He was “born” and “begotten” but not made. This is a mystery that is very difficult to understand. Much ink has been spilled in theology on how Jesus can be both God and man. In other words, Jesus is fully God and He is eternal, just as the Father is eternal. This paragraph emphasizes that there is one God but the Father is nonetheless distinct as a Person from the Person of the Son. Though distinct Persons, these Persons share in the one metaphysical “substance” of the Godhead. This is what the word “consubstantial” means - the Son being of one substance with the Father. In others, the Person of the Son and the Person of the Father share in the one, same Divine Nature. The Council Fathers went to great lengths to combat the Arian heresy which claimed that Jesus was created and was not truly God. We believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. As the Word of God, He has existed forever and will always exist. He proceeds from the Father as God from God and Light from Light, true God from true God. I will go into more detail on this in the fifth paragraph on the Holy Spirit.There is also the realization that it is through the Word of God that all things were made. God reveals to us in Genesis God speaks in order to create. He says, “Let there be light.” And there was light. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, was sent on a mission by the Father to come down from heaven in order to redeem humanity and offer us salvation.Paragraph 3 – The Incarnation and The Virgin Maryand by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.By the free choice of Mary, our Mother, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God took on flesh. Jesus Christ, the uncreated Word through which all things were made, condescended to share in our humanity. The almighty God emptied Himself and took on the form of a slave, to use the language of St. Paul.In the Latin Rite, there is a tradition of bowing during this paragraph in honor of the Incarnation. During the Liturgies for Christmas and the Feast of the Annunciation, we kneel down during this phrase when we recite the Creed. In the Roman Missal of 1962 and before, this practice of kneeling happens at every single Mass during the Last Gospel when the phrase “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” from John chapter 1 is uttered. If you have attended the Latin Mass, then you will be familiar with hearing the words “et Verbum caro factum est” and genuflecting.  The Incarnation is literally the “enfleshment” of Jesus; it is what we celebrate at Christmas. This paragraph marks one of the most important moments in human history. Our God became one of us.Paragraph 4 – The Paschal MysteryFor our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven  and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.This paragraph is directly connected to the previous. Jesus became man in order to accomplish the work of our salvation. It was for each of us that Jesus was crucified. The Council Fathers include “under Pontius Pilate” to show that this was an historical reality. It really happened. So too, Jesus truly rose from the dead on the third day after being buried.Forty days after rising from the dead, He lifted Himself up into Heaven in a mysterious fashion and He now reigns in Heaven as King at the right hand of the Father. We believe that He will come again in glory. This is what we call the Second Coming. At the second coming of Christ, we will all be judged; everything we have done will be laid bare and true justice will be accomplished. This second coming will result in the passing away of the old Heaven and the old Earth and the establishing of Jesus' everlasting kingdom.Paragraph 5 – The Holy SpiritI believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.We believe in one God in three Persons. The third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, who we also rightly call Lord and the giver of life. God breathed life into the first man, after all. This holy breath of God is the Spirit which gives life and sustains life. He is glorified and loved as God, along with the Father and the Son. We believe that the Holy Spirit, before the Incarnation as well as after, inspired the prophets.The Trinity is the mystery of God, as He is. It is difficult to wrap our minds around this mystery in any meaningful way. Our metaphors are usually material, like a three-leaf clover or the states of water as ice, liquid, or vapor, and because they are material, they always fall short. God is spiritual, not material. The best explanation I have heard of the Blessed Trinity is from St. Augustine's Analogy of the Mind. I will try my best to offer a simplified version. Though, it is far from simple. And remember, this is an analogy. In our own minds, we have intellect and will. We know things and act freely. When we learn or know things, we have a procession of the intellect. When we act freely upon ourselves or the world, we have a procession of the will. If we analogously apply this understanding to the “mind of God,” we see a procession of the intellect and a procession of the will. God is perfect and so these processions must be infinite and perfect. The procession of the intellect, within the mind of God, is God the Father's perfect knowledge of Himself. This perfect image of Himself is the Son. The Son, in return, perfectly loves the Father. God is love. Therefore, the procession of His will is perfect love which proceeds as the love shared between the Father and the Son. This is the Holy Spirit. However, we must understand that He does not proceed in time, as He is as eternal as the Father and the Son. Paragraph 6 – The ChurchI believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.The Church of Jesus Christ is His Mystical Body. Before being an institution of human beings, the Church is divinely constituted. In other words, the Church was begun by the action of the Holy Trinity, is sustained by the Holy Trinity, and is ordered towards the Holy Trinity. Therefore the Church is holy, even if the human beings who compromise it are not always holy. The Church is one because Christ is one. She is also one in her teaching, preaching, governance, and means of sanctification. The Church is catholic because the Church is “universal.” Catholic means universal - the Greek is kata holon which means “according to the whole.” And the Church is apostolic because Christ founded it upon the Apostles and apostolic teaching and continued in governance and preaching by their successors. We enter into this Church through the one Baptism of Christ, by which we are cleansed of original sin, are grafted into Christ, and become adopted sons and daughters of God.We believe that when Christ comes again, we will be reunited with our bodies in a glorified way, similar to Christ's resurrected Body. We do not know exactly what this will look like. And we look forward to the life of the world to come which is eternal blessedness in the company of the angels and the saints in constant praise and love of God. We will want for nothing and all suffering will be no more.Paragraph 7 - AmenAmen.And finally… amen! Amen means “yes,” “so be it,” and “I believe.” It is the only ending to the Creed that we can offer as human beings. God has revealed all He is and all that He has done for us, and our confident and faithful “Amen” is the response of our heart. We should also keep in mind that the Creed does not exist apart from the Sacred Liturgy. The entire Liturgy of the Word, and especially the Creed, is preparing us for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Second Century, St. Justin Martyr writes in his Apologia that after the prayers of thanksgiving and consecration were finished by the priest, all responded by saying “Amen.” This is not simply a word found at the end of a conversation. It is not like saying, “Ok. Goodbye, God,” after a prayer is finished. St. Paul writes, “Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?” So, it would seem that the word Amen packs a punch. But what does it mean?Amen is a Hebrew word which means “so be it.” St. Augustine translated it as “it is true (Latin: verum est).” In  a tract explaining the Mass from the Middle Ages, we read, “Amen is a ratification by the people of what has been spoken, and it may be interpreted in our language as if they all said: May it so be done as the priest has prayed (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907).”It is custom in most of the Rites of the Catholic Church, both East and West, to say “Amen” after receiving Holy Communion. In the Missale Romanum of 1962, the priest says, “Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam, Amen (May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen).” So, even though the communicant does not say “Amen” like in the Missale Romanum of 1970, the priest has said “Amen” for them. The language of “Amen” seems to be like a contract. When two people enter into an agreement with one another, they may mark it with a handshake and say, “so be it” or “I agree.” Is that what is happening at Mass? Certainly, what we are entering into at Mass is far more important, meaningful, lasting, and beautiful. Perhaps more than a contract, the “Amen” shows us that the language of the Mass is that of a covenant. A contract can be broken. A covenant cannot be broken.When we approach our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, we are approaching the Bridegroom as the Bride. We are uttering our wedding vows to the King of Heaven each time we receive Holy Communion. We are saying, “I do” when we say “Amen.” The meaning of the word is very close to this understanding. We are using the language of marriage to show that we are accepting the Bridegroom into our body and soul to remain with us always. As husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, the communicant and our Lord become one in the Eucharist. “Communion” means “one with.” We are becoming more closely joined to the Lord in reception of Holy Communion. Every time we say “Amen” we should clearly state what we are doing. We are giving our assent of Faith. We are not saying “Okay” or “Sure”, we are saying “so be it.” Do we know what we are saying “yes” to? Do we know what we are entering into? Our “yes” to God cannot be half-hearted or wishy-washy. It must be sure and resolute, by His grace. Our Lord Jesus is a strong proponent of authenticity and resolution. We hear in the Book of Revelation: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:16).” And in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes' or ‘No'; anything more than this comes from evil (Mt. 5:37).” Let our Amen mean Amen. ConclusionI hope this brief reflection has been a help to you. Ideally, we will all continue to grow in our knowledge, love, and service of the Lord until the glorious day when we will see Him face to face in Paradise, God willing. Having the right belief on matters of doctrine is not a matter of triumphalism that we should lord over others. In humility and gratitude, we should accept this ancient formulation and symbolon and allow Jesus to enter us ever more fully into the heart and mind of the Church. If you have enjoyed this episode and feel that it has been a help to you, please share it on your own personal social media. And more importantly than that, please consider sharing Good Distinctions with 2-3 people at church or at work in person this week. The sort of topics that we are dealing with are universally applicable and should be of benefit to anyone and everyone. Also, if you are listening to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please follow the show and leave a rating and review, that tells the algorithm that more people should listen to Good Distinctions. On YouTube, the best thing you can do is subscribe to the channel, like the episode, and leave a comment. If you are listening natively on Substack and you use Notes, please consider restacking this episode, liking it, or sharing it on your social media. Just a note on Substack - if you have not subscribed at gooddistinctions.com, please consider doing so. Besides the weekly video and audio episodes, we will be releasing quite a bit more written content (short Scripture reflections, commentaries on current events, or little reflections on various topics). You won't want to miss out on that. And as I said at the top of the show, if you believe in what Teresa and I are doing here at Good Distinctions, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for as little as $5/month to support our mission. We believe that good distinctions are the spice of life, of course. But our mission is this: to seek out the best distinctions, to reignite good conversations, and inspire others to do the same. Thanks for listening, reading, and watching. Good Distinctions are the Spice of Life! To end today, please join me in praying through the Nicene Creed. The Nicene CreedI believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Get full access to Good Distinctions at www.gooddistinctions.com/subscribe

In this episode, Nick Cady and Jason Cralley respond to the best arguments for Biblical Unitarianism, the a non-Trinitarian interpretation of biblical texts about who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are. In doing this, they look at the history of Arianism and Trinitarian formulations of who God is, including a discussion about Constantine and the First Council of Nicaea, and the Nicene Creed. Further, they look into the arguments put forth regarding certain Biblical passages that Unitarians point to as evidence of God's non-trinitarian, or unitarian nature, and give a defense for trinitarian beliefs. Make sure to visit the Theology for the People website at nickcady.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support

In the year 325 at the First Council of Nicea, leaders of the early church adopted a very important statement of belief in response to a false teacher named Arius. Arius was an Egyptian presbyter from Alexandria who introduced a new theology that stated while Jesus was the Son of God, He wasn't really God- he was a created being who had been given some divine attributes. The early church responded to this heresy by official denouncing it and issuing the Nicene Creed, which states that Christian orthodoxy affirms a belief in- “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made.” It's been a long time since the year 325, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Arian heresy has persisted stubbornly throughout the last 1,700 years of church history in various forms and iterations. There are many fringe groups that claim to represent Christian orthodoxy, but in reality are simply peddling this same old heresy. So was Jesus really God? Or was Jesus a created being with divine attributes that was sent by God? Was Jesus made into a God by the early church? Or was Jesus a god just like you and I are “gods”? …shouldn't we be checking our Bibles for the answers to this?

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. Eric and Austin discuss a variety of topics including the ongoing debt limit negotiations. What do Eric and Austin think of this problem that shows up every few years? Mayor Brandon Johnson presided over his first city […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. Eric and Austin discuss a variety of topics including the ongoing debt limit negotiations. What do Eric and Austin think of this problem that shows up every few years? Mayor Brandon Johnson presided over his first city […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. Eric and Austin discuss a variety of topics including the ongoing debt limit negotiations. What do Eric and Austin think of this problem that shows up every few years? Mayor Brandon Johnson presided over his first city […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. Eric and Austin discuss a variety of topics including the ongoing debt limit negotiations. What do Eric and Austin think of this problem that shows up every few years? Mayor Brandon Johnson presided over his first city […]

The fun, non-threatening side quests are over, and now it's time to meet back up with Leosin and seek the aid of the most powerful factions of the Sword Coast. No pressure, right? Fleeple counts some jewels. Mal stays strategically silent. Lance opens up. • • • Twitter / Instagram: @ICastFireball20 Facebook: @ICastFireball2020 Email: ICastFireball2020@gmail.com Donations: ko-fi.com/icastfireball20 • • • AUDIO CREDITS Mynoise.net Ambience made on the incredible Mynoise.net. If you're looking for customizable background sound while you're creating, or studying, or playing your own dnd campaign check out this site and consider donating because it's a great site. Including: Acid drop groove   Zapsplat.com -  Many sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com   The following songs from Nihilore.com were used:  A Vision of Light Alone by the Fire Against My Better Judgment You can find it on “Epic” playlist: http://www.nihilore.com/epic/#itemId=5acdab660e2e72484fd67d3c License:http://www.nihilore.com/license   The following songs from Nihilore.com were used:  Kanai Found on the Horror Playlist - http://www.nihilore.com/horror License:http://www.nihilore.com/license   “Melody of my Dreams” By: Whitesand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si89RLFreaw Composer: Whitesand (Martynas Lau) Year: 2018 Title: Melody Of My Dreams   “Forgotten” By: Whitesand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tehAg8GVFeA Released on: 2018-01-25   Public domain sound effects used throughout    And as always a HUGE thank you to Hayden Allred for our amazing theme music!

In today's episode, Dr. Alan Strange, Professor of Church History, describes the famous first Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381 that brought a decisive defeat to the threat of Arianism and its warped teachings on the person of Christ.

In today's episode, Dr. Alan Strange, Professor of Church History, describes the famous first Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381 that brought a decisive defeat to the threat of Arianism and its warped teachings on the person of Christ.

The Ante-Nicene Fathers covers the period between the beginning of Christianity until the promulgation of the Nicene Creed at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. In this episode Phil brings his experience and expertise to bear on whether or not the early Church Fathers believed in a Pre-Trib Rapture.philsbaker.com

Michael Lofton tackles the canon 6 of the First Council of Nicaea argument used by Orthodox apologists like Jay Dyer.

In which an emperor convenes the first ever ecumenical council to figure out just whom Christians have been worshiping all this time, and John thinks the invention of the wheel led to mass depravity. Certificate #23027.

Women have always played pivotal leadership roles in serving the mission of the Church. The New Testament provides ample evidence of this important reality. Women depicted in the art of early church structures also support this historical fact. Since the First Council of Nicaea through the 12th century, there are depictions of women preaching, women marked as clergy, and even one carrying a Communion chalice. In this episode, Lynn Cohick talks with Dr. Sandra Glahn about her discoveries and the work she is doing to make this history more accessible to church leaders. More Information on Dr. Sandra Glahn's work: Dr. Sandra Glahn's Blog - http://aspire2.com/ Christianity Today Article "What Ancient Italian Churches Tell Us About Women in Ministry" - https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/november/women-ministry-art-italy-early-church-photographs.html