Podcasts about protestant churches

Ask God to help you spread the truth of Salvation, that it comes as a gift from God through faith and not through anything we do ourselves to attain it. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below Remembering Reformation Day  (700 words)  by Lynette Kittle “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”-- Ephesians 2:8 Some may wonder what Reformation Day is all about and why it is considered such a big deal in Church history. Commemorated on the same day as Halloween, why should we as Christians take time to remember it?  Who's Behind the Reformation? Born November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, Martin Luther grew up to be the catalyst for the Reformation. A thunderstorm is accredited to beginning his spiritual journey in 1505, while he was studying law at the University of Erfurt.  Some may call his experience a crisis of faith, where a bolt of lightning striking near him, terrified him to the point of making a deal with God for divine protection by promising St. Anne he would become a monk if she would graciously spare his life. Even though Luther's father, a hard working miner, strongly disapproved, Luther diligently pursued becoming a monk. Intense in his pursuit of holiness, Luther whipped himself raw in an attempt to appease the wrath of a holy God and feel worthy and deserving enough to go to heaven. As well, he regularly confessed his sins for up to six hours a day.  During Luther's zealous studying of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the just shall live by faith and that none of his self-afflictions would justify him before God but only come through faith in Jesus Christ. How Did the Reformation Begin? With Luther's revelation concerning Salvation, came his disillusionment with the errors in the Church's teaching and practices, involving selling indulgences to raise money and convincing individuals that their giving of money for their deceased relatives could release them from purgatory. With hopes of sparking an academic debate and reform, on October 31, 1517, Luther wrote 95 theses against this revenue-generating scheme, along with other abuses he discovered within the Church, nailing his document on the Wittenberg, Germany, Cathedral door for all to see, a common practice at the time. But the Church didn't approve of Luther spreading his findings via the newly invented printing press and wasn't open to his corrections. Still his ideas spread throughout Germany, stirring up much controversy, which led to the Church Council in 1521 demanding Luther recant his thesis.  Luther Ushers in the Reformation However, Luther refused to recant his thesis, writing, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason—for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves—I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my bases: my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus, I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.” Luther's refusal to recant cost him dearly, leading to his being excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521 by Pope Leo X. His unwavering stand led him to be declared an outlaw and heretic, causing him to run for his life and find refuge with Fredrick the Wise at Wartburg Castle under an assumed name and disguise.  During his time there, Luther translated the Bible into German, which helped him to put the written word of God into the hands of the common people. His actions ushered in a new era referred to as the Reformation, of placing God's Word in the hands of individuals and giving birth to the Protestant Churches. Luther's efforts gave individuals the opportunity to read the Bible for themselves, leading to many lives being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He understood how people need to read and study God's Word on their own, believing wholeheartedly what 2 Timothy 3:16, teaches: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Intersecting Faith & Life: Ask God to help you spread the truth of Salvation, that it comes as a gift from God through faith and not through anything we do ourselves to attain it. Further Reading: 6 Reasons Christians Should Celebrate Reformation Day https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/reasons-christians-should-celebrate-reformation-day.html Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Catholicism and Orthodoxy, what are the differences and similarities? Since the Schism we have obviously found multiple differences and growths in catechisms and councils after the catholic church which seemed and have been deemed to be heretical within Protestant Churches. So we dig into the theological and dogmatic beliefs to try and identify why these have occurred.

Patrick has an insightful conversation about the power of prayer and the theological significance of offering the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus in our prayers. He also touches upon the human connection with our beloved pets and the comfort found in praying for their well-being.   Email – I'm divorced, remarried, but my first marriage is not annulled. Can I still attend Mass if I don't take communion? (00:30) Maryanne - I used to be a Protestant and I noticed that most Protestant Churches were more into the personal relationship with Jesus. The Catholic Church hasn't emphasized it as much on a local level. I think the Catholic Church could do better in this. (08:24) Rich - The Devine Mercy Chaplet says we offer divinity, but how do we offer the Divinity of Christ? (18:57) John – When I ask Siri how many books in the bible, she says 66. Richard – Your show is hateful (35:45) Aiden - I am struggling in my marriage with my wife. I was unfaithful with her. Recently I got a DUI and God showed me everything I was doing wrong with my marriage. She is now closed off to me. What should I do? (42:11)

Today we are going to look at a key aspect of what brings about successful reformation, because one thing we all know about the Protestant Reformation was that although many great truths were restored, it didn't finish the gospel work. And in fact, as Adventists, we know that while the Protestant Reformation was a good thing, the churches it produced are actually Babylon. As Seventh-day Adventists we should all know that the second angel's message was directed primarily at the Protestant Churches and declared that they were the Babylon that fell. Note, it's not that these churches *became* Babylon. No, they were already Babylon from their beginning, and when they rejected the light of the first angel's message, they fell. So, how does God intend to give us a better reformation? Ellen White tells us! We hope you join us to learn her message on this. For more study, see:  “The King of Crises in the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” by Trent Wilde, https://www.bdsda.com/the-king-of-crises-in-the-seventh-day-adventist-church-2/ 2024 Sabbath School, Quarter 2: The Great Controversy – Week 6, "The Two Witnesses"  A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson.  www.bdsda.com  Email us bdsdalit@gmail.com for comments and study requests.             

It's Thursday, April 25th, 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 How Indian Hindus are endangering Christians in Nepal International Christian Concern reports that Christians are facing more persecution in the Hindu-majority nation of Nepal. The increased persecution appears to be bleeding over the border from India where Christians face high levels of persecution.  Hindu nationalists in India are now sending funds into Nepal, leading to more violence against Christians.  This has only made the work of Christian evangelism more dangerous across the country.  Argentina celebrates Evangelicals Last week, Argentina's Senate approved a law to make October 31 a National Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches. The South American country is about 15% Evangelical and has over 25,000 Protestant churches. Christian Hooft is the President of the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of the Republic of Argentina. He said, “To declare October 31 as the 'National Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches' is to recognize the importance of this religious tradition in Argentinian history and society.” On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany, objecting to the 95 ways the Catholic church had strayed from Biblical teaching. That was a milestone moment that marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. 67% of Christians live in South America, Africa and Asia The Global Christian Forum held its fourth gathering in Ghana, West Africa last week with hundreds of participants from 60 countries. The conference noted the geographical shift in the center of Christianity. In 1900, 82% of Christians lived in the Global North across countries in North America and Europe. Now, 67% of Christians live in the Global South across countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. Plus, 44% of Protestants now hail from Africa. Psalm 22:27-28 says, “All the ends of the Earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations.” Biden signed $95 billion foreign aid bill In the United States, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill yesterday. President Joe Biden signed it within hours of passing. The package gives $60 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion to Israel, and $8 billion to U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific like Taiwan. The legislation also moved to ban TikTok, a social media app owned by a Chinese parent company. The United States is giving the company a year to sell the app or it will be banned in America. Supreme Court hears another abortion case Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in an another abortion case. The Biden administration is challenging Idaho's law banning nearly all abortions. The administration is trying to argue that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act allows abortions in medical emergencies. However, justices appeared skeptical that state abortion bans violate the federal law. A decision is expected in June. More Americans cannot retire A new survey from the American Association of Retired Persons found about a quarter of U.S. adults do not think they will be able to retire. Many older Americans are staying in the work force due to a lack of retirement savings.  AARP noted, “Everyday expenses continue to be the top barrier to saving more for retirement, and some older Americans say that they never expect to retire.” Proverbs 23:5 says of toiling for wealth, “When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward Heaven.” Tennessee Governor bans discriminatory de-banking Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill recently to ban discriminatory de-banking. The law prohibits major banks and insurance companies from closing someone's account simply for their political or religious views. Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said, “We will not allow big corporate banks to … discriminate against consumers for their religious or political views. This troubling trend will not be tolerated in Tennessee.” House Majority Leader gives glory to God And finally, the U.S. House Majority Leader gave glory to God in a recent interview. Steve Scalise, the Republican Congressional leader from Louisiana, returned to the House in February after battling blood cancer. During a Tuesday interview on EWTN News Nightly, he said the cancer is in remission. SCALISE: “For so many people that are watching that said prayers and offered just true, genuine support, I can't thank everybody enough. Because you feel that, you know, when you're going through things and, thank God, you know, God performed a lot of miracles and answered a lot of prayers.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, April 25th 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.

Readings January 6 & 7, 2024: Epiphany / The Baptism of Our Lord While Epiphany is on Jan 6th, the Catholic Church will celebrate Sunday, January 7th.  Protestant Churches will commemorate the baptism of our Lord on Jan 7th.   Readings for Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-15 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Baptism of Our Lord Genesis 1:1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19:1-7 Romans 6:1-11 Mark 1:4-11

Father Joe Laramie, SJ joined Patrick for a conversation about the power of Christ in the Eucharist. Topics included: the Eucharist as the source and summit of the faith (2:38), caller: I'm a revert to the faith (11:05), caller: how I came to understand the True Presence (20:42), caller: I've come back after years at Protestant Churches (29:13), caller: adoration is a gift for me (33:26), caller: I've started receiving Communion on the tongue (40:09), and how can families grow in their love for the Eucharist? (42:22). 

Readings for April 23, 2023-The Third Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14a, 22-41 Psalm 16:1-11 (Catholic Church) Psalm 116:1-19 (Protestant Churches 1 Peter 1:17-25 Luke 24:13-35

The Church of Jesus Christ has many denominations that have emerged and evolved over the years. In this classic teaching, Pastor Obed details the evolution of the Orthodox and Protestant denominations and their impact on the growth of the Church. You will be established firmly in your faith as you watch!

Readings for February 12, 2023 ·      Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ·      Sirach 15:15-20 (Catholic Mass & Alt for Protestant Churches ·      Psalm 119:1-8, 17-18, 33-34 ·      1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (Catholic Mass) ·      1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ·      Matthew 5:17-37

A New Church in Rattoo St Augustine Wilson Gun 1887 In this special episode Danny Houlihan returns once again to Ballyduff and through the faded brown documents and old newspaper clippings from old scrap books of the day takes a journey back in time at a part of a shared shared history between Ballyduff and Ballybunion a unique Church commissioned by the late Wilson Gun and his wife of Ballyduff North Kerry Ireland in the year of 1877 and 1879.  Indeed not many visitors to the area may know that located on Sandhill Road in Ballybunion there were two former Protestant Churches located there, the old Killehenny built after the Great Irish Holocaust of 1846 & 1847 and another St Augustine which is now the town library and is used by everyone and is well worth a visit. The church has a unique past, its beginnings originated in Ballyduff, its foundations, stone laid upon stone in the shadow of the famous round tower in Ballyduff just outside Tralee North Kerry 3 miles distant from Ballybunion, this church was moved stone by stone to Ballybunion in 1957 If you would like to support my research which is ongoing and podcast episodes, why not Buy Me a Coffee this will be used to update my research and equipment, I will give everyone who contribute a shout out in my series. Just click on the link below to support in any way big or small thank you.buymeacoffee.com/yxqdanny  

Dr. Gabriel Salguero interviews Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research about their recent national survey on Hispanic congregations in the United States. If you are interested in learning about the health, growth, distinctives and demographics of the U.S. Latino church this is the episode for you. A Closer Look! is intended to help all those who wish to collaborate with what God is doing in and through the Latino Church. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gabriel-salguero/support

Noah - Why do some people prepare for the fruits of the Holy Spirit before baptism if that very baptism is what gives them the Holy Spirit? Patrick recommends “Surprised by Truth” Joe - I am debating someone on YouTube about the early Church. It doesn't seem like it is going anywhere. What should I do? Carolyn - There was an openly gay movie that was previewed in the theaters the other day. This was when I was taking my granddaughters to a movie that was rated PG-13. You can't even go to a movie without this being pushed on you. Retailers may let you keep a returned item -- along with the refund Bonnie - I read that you wrote 26 books. Which would you recommend me to read to start off of yours? Patrick recommends “Why Be Catholic” and “Life Lessons: 50 Things I Learned in My First 50 Years” Does Patrick believe in ghosts? Patrick responds to an email related to the gossip topic from earlier in the show Kevin – I'm not offended by Patrick using the words “insane” or “crazy”, but why not just change the word you use? Norman - How can you tell the difference between the false teachers and the true teachers? I used to be Catholic and I see false teachers in both Protestant Churches and Catholic Churches. Why don't priests in today's world have the power to heal? Kimberly - What is your opinion on the new earth theory?

Many know of the great Greek saint of the last century, Nektarios of Pentapolis the Wonderworker. Saint Nektarios is especially known for the countless miracles that he has performed, and many turn to him for help in their time of need. Yet the majority of these people know very little about this saint's life, and still less about his beneficial teachings and writings.In this talk, Father Kosmas examines a broad selection of the saint's teachings and writings. He describes how many modernists have given a distorted view of Saint Nektarios' character, saying that out of humility and meekness he did not speak out against the enemies of the Church, when in fact the opposite is true. Saint Nektarios was especially critical of the “wolves in sheep's clothing” in the Church, and of the incorrect teachings of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches.The following questions are also discussed: why did the saint praise some of the writings of the pagan philosophers? Did the saint teach that memorial services can free some of those held in Hades? What did the saint write concerning the possibility of union between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholics? What was the saint's attitude towards frequent Holy Communion? What valuable advice did the saint give concerning confession? Why is self-knowledge absolutely essential for salvation?Other points covered in this talk include: the saint's condemnation of the Western dogma of purgatory; his view on Darwin and evolution; how the rapidly-spreading message of “don't judge” is actually demonic; how some confuse weakness and fear with the virtues of humility and meekness; how Orthodox ecumenists proudly believe that they are above the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church; and Saint Nektarios' teaching concerning the Holy Theotokos and the saints.Duration: 4hrsVisit our website: www.OrthodoxTalks.com

-WHEREAS, There is a growing tendency in Protestant Churches, and to some extent in our own, to observe days and ceremonies, as Christmas and Easter, that are without divine authority- we urge our people to abstain from all such customs as are popish in their origin and injurious as lending sacredness to rites that come from paganism- that ministers keep before the minds of the people that only institutions that are Scriptural and of Divine appointment should be used in the worship of God.- RPCNA, Minutes of Synod 1905---The religious observance of Christmas , Easter or of Lenten fasts and self-denials has always been discountenanced by our church as mere superstitious customs and without divine sanction. We recognize peculiar temptations to forget this under the influence of present day observances. And, therefore, would urge our ministers and members to avoid all such observances as might compromise our position or influence others to attach any such superstitious regard for these.- RPCNA, Minutes of Synod 1925

Monsignor Ruscitto gives this sermon based on the Book "My Catholic Faith" written by the Most Reverend Louis LaRavoire Morrow, S.T.D. Bishop of Krishnagar. Chapter 71: Schism and Heresy Chapter 72: Protestant Churches "Anyone deeply interested in converts seeks an exposition of the Catholic Faith which not only defines each article of the Creed and each doctrine of the Church, but which also gives an explanation and a reason for the doctrine," writes Fulton J. Sheen in the Foreword to this classic of religious instruction. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/william-j-avila/support

Patrick answers questions about the Holy Spirit, gossiping, and how to tell the difference between true teachers and false teachers Noah - Why do some people prepare for the fruits of the Holy Spirit before baptism if that very baptism is what gives them the Holy Spirit? Patrick recommends “Surprised by Truth” Joe - I am debating someone on YouTube about the early Church. It doesn't seem like it is going anywhere. What should I do? Carolyn - There was an openly gay movie that was previewed in the theaters the other day. This was when I was taking my granddaughters to a movie that was rated PG-13. You can't even go to a movie without this being pushed on you. Retailers may let you keep a returned item -- along with the refund Bonnie - I read that you wrote 26 books. Which would you recommend me to read to start off of yours? Patrick recommends “Why Be Catholic” and “Life Lessons: 50 Things I Learned in My First 50 Years” Does Patrick believe in ghosts? Patrick responds to an email related to the gossip topic from earlier in the show Kevin – I'm not offended by Patrick using the words “insane” or “crazy”, but why not just change the word you use? Norman - How can you tell the difference between the false teachers and the true teachers? I used to be Catholic and I see false teachers in both Protestant Churches and Catholic Churches. Why don't priests in today's world have the power to heal? Kimberly - What is your opinion on the new earth theory?

I talked a couple weeks ago with Paul from the Maniphesto channel. This was a great conversation where we talk about my senior thesis, monogamy, embodiment, and protestant churches in America. I hope you enjoy it. Here is the Maniphesto channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ManiphestoMensWorkMy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Tvr9mBXNaAxLGRA_sUSRAThere is an audio version of my videos (on all podcast platforms): https://anchor.fm/coltonkirbyAbout Me: https://coltonkirby.substack.com/aboutTwitter: https://twitter.com/_coltonkirbyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialcoltonkirbyGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/129883782-colton-kirbyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialcoltonkirby/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/coltonjkirby/_saved/Odysee: https://odysee.com/@ColtonKirbyBooks Wish List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19GTqvKmd3Ter2WCpBwU2DkuD-Qse6xiLAqJFGZzWToo/editIf you want to financially support what I'm doing, you can give one-off donations here (thank you): https://www.paypal.me/ColtonKirby Get full access to Colton Kirby at coltonkirby.substack.com/subscribe

I talked a couple weeks ago with Paul from the Maniphesto channel. This was a great conversation where we talk about my senior thesis, monogamy, embodiment, and protestant churches in America. I hope you enjoy it. Here is the Maniphesto channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ManiphestoMensWork This is episode 88 of my podcast. My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Tvr9mBXNaAxLGRA_sUSRA My writing: my writing: https://coltonkirby.substack.com/ About Me: https://coltonkirby.substack.com/about Twitter: https://twitter.com/_coltonkirby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialcoltonkirby Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/129883782-colton-kirby Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialcoltonkirby/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/coltonjkirby/_saved/ Odysee: https://odysee.com/@ColtonKirby Books Wish List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19GTqvKmd3Ter2WCpBwU2DkuD-Qse6xiLAqJFGZzWToo/edit If you want to financially support what I'm doing, you can give one-off donations here (thank you): https://www.paypal.me/ColtonKirby

Noah - Why do some people prepare for the fruits of the Holy Spirit before baptism if that very baptism is what gives them the Holy Spirit?  Patrick recommends “Surprised by Truth”  Joe - I am debating someone on YouTube about the early Church. It doesn't seem like it is going anywhere. What should I do?  Carolyn - There was an openly gay movie that was previewed in the theaters the other day. This was when I was taking my granddaughters to a movie that was rated PG-13. You can't even go to a movie without this being pushed on you.  Retailers may let you keep a returned item -- along with the refund  Bonnie - I read that you wrote 26 books. Which would you recommend me to read to start off of yours? Patrick recommends “Why Be Catholic” and “Life Lessons: 50 Things I Learned in My First 50 Years”  Does Patrick believe in ghosts?  Patrick responds to an email related to the gossip topic from earlier in the show  Kevin – I'm not offended by Patrick using the words “insane” or “crazy”, but why not just change the word you use?  Norman - How can you tell the difference between the false teachers and the true teachers? I used to be Catholic and I see false teachers in both Protestant Churches and Catholic Churches.  Why don't priests in today's world have the power to heal?  Kimberly - What is your opinion on the new earth theory? 

What is one of the main differences between the Catholic Church and all the Protestant Churches? Perhaps having all seven Sacraments? But what are the Sacraments, who instituted them and why are they so important in your life? Listen in to get a better understanding of this amazing means to receive God's grace! - The topics discussed in this episode can by found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 1113-1134. - Scripture Passages: The man born blind (John 9:6-7); the woman with hemorrhages (Lk 8:44) - Fr. Patrick Wainwright and Fr. Matthew Maxwell are priests of Miles Christi, a Catholic Religious Order. - Visit the Miles Christi Religious Order website: https://www.mileschristi.org - This Podcast's Website: https://www.forcollegecatholics.org - To learn about the Spiritual Exercises (silent weekend retreat) preached by the Priests of Miles Christi, visit: https://www.mileschristi.org/spiritual-exercises/ - Recorded at our Family Center in South Lyon, Michigan. - Planning, recording, editing and publishing by Fr. Patrick Wainwright, MC. - Gear: Shure MV7 USB dynamic microphones and Zoom h6 recorder - Intro music from pond5.com

CRCNA Human Sexuality Report https://www.crcna.org/sites/default/files/human_sexuality_report_2021.pdf CRCNA Agenda for Synod https://www.crcna.org/news-and-events/news/agenda-synod-2022-available David Brooks Morality https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opinion/democrats-morality-wars.html?ref=oembed Bill Maher the Gaying of America https://youtu.be/mMBzfUj5zsg https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-lgbtsqewing-of-america/ First CRC Ripon Leaves CRCNA https://www.thebanner.org/news/2022/05/historic-california-congregation-disaffiliates-from-the-crc Why Marriage Equality means Death to Protestant Churches https://youtu.be/IXgdRQgZNJEC Cis People don't want to Date Trans People https://www.them.us/story/cis-trans-dating Unity https://paulvanderklay.me/2022/05/23/overtures-for-unity-what-do-you-mean-by-unity/ Ideals vs Prohibitions https://paulvanderklay.me/2022/05/23/overtures-for-unity-what-do-you-mean-by-unity/

You will learn how the letter Jesus wrote to the Church of Sardis, shows you the sleepy, dead church. You will learn how this letter to the Church in Sardis peaks of the phase in Church History, after the Reformation and the birth of the Denominational Churches. These churches are still here today, yet they have become boring and lifeless. Jesus wants them to wake up and be saved! Sardis was invaded historically because they were over confident and slept during the night. This is how the Reformed churches became after the Great Reformation. #TheWholeBible #ChurchofSardis #Revelation3 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/george-crabb7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/george-crabb7/support

My friend David Snapper wrote a paper for the Abide website. It isn't published yet but I wanted to touch on it in the context of the upcoming Synod of the CRCNA.  My Conversation with David Snapper https://youtu.be/0quImUMqBtA  Christian Reformed Church Synod https://www.crcna.org/synodresources  All One Body https://www.allonebody.org/  Abide Project https://www.abideproject.org/  Abide Project with Dave Beelen https://youtu.be/X1MG4xHEfUw  CRCNA Human Sexuality Report https://www.crcna.org/sites/default/files/human_sexuality_report_2021.pdf  Madison Square CRC https://madisonchurchgr.org/square/  Why Marriage Equality Means the Death of Protestant Churches https://youtu.be/IXgdRQgZNJE Discord link. Good for just a few days. Check with more recent videos for a fresh link. https://discord.gg/VZpsyC9h Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ If you want to schedule a one-on-one conversation check here. https://paulvanderklay.me/2019/08/06/converzations-with-pvk/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay To support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin (BTC): 37TSN79RXewX8Js7CDMDRzvgMrFftutbPo  To support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin Cash (BCH) qr3amdmj3n2u83eqefsdft9vatnj9na0dqlzhnx80h  To support this channel/podcast with Ethereum (ETH): 0xd3F649C3403a4789466c246F32430036DADf6c62 Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A To support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640  

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the one-and-only Rod Bennett, author and Early Church historian extraordinaire, to talk about the earliest witnesses to the Christian Church – the Early Church Fathers – and how they describe the worship, faith, and beliefs of the very first Christians ... and who look very Catholic indeed!We'll dig into evidence for belief in baptismal regeneration, the Eucharist and Real Presence of Christ, bishops and apostolic succession, and the primacy of Rome. We tackle the common idea that Constantine corrupted Christianity and "Romanized" the simple faith and we discuss why it matters that an Early Church Father wouldn't be accepted in most Protestant Churches. It's a great discussion!For more from Rod check out his books from Ignatius Press: Four Witnesses and Four More Witness as well as his publications from Catholic Answers: The Apostasy that Wasn't and Scripture Wars.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!To try Hallow free for 30-days, please visit this website. Your support of Hallow also helps support this show! If you'd like to pray with me, please join our new Cordial Catholic Prayer Community (or use code: 9E45KD). Thanks to this week's co-producers, part of our Patreon Producers community: Stephen, Eli, Tom, Kelvin, Susan, Eyram, and Jon.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cordialcatholic)

The Meaning of Advent The term advent is unfamiliar to many Protestants, especially if they are baptist or “non-denominational.” However, the term advent is used in churches that value a connection with history, in particular the Christian calendar. For some Protestants, a “Christian calendar” seems Catholic. Yes, the Catholic Church uses a liturgical calendar. Still, after the Reformation, Protestant Churches maintained a connection with a Christian calendar to help highlight important events in biblical and church history. Advent, which leads up to Christmas day, is one aspect of the Christian or liturgical calendar. The other familiar aspect of the Christian calendar is Lent, which leads up to Easter. Why Observe Advent Advent means the arrival of a noble person. Other than my parents, no one was talking about the advent of Shawn Powers. So, when I arrived in the world, my mom was just grateful to survive the arrival of another set of sons. (Yes, there are two sets of twins in my family.) But the birth of Christ is different. We observe advent because the arrival of Jesus changed the world. The 1st advent of Jesus changed the world because Jesus is the only hope for the world. Old Testament Premonitions, Prophesies, or Promises? How is Jesus the only hope for the world? There are several answers to the question but let’s look at the Old Testament to tease out an answer. The Old Testament is full of promises. These promises are more than premonitions but prophetic words speaking about what is to come. It is full of promises made by God to His people. Some of God’s promises are conditional, and some are unconditional. Here are two conditional promises in the Old Testament. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” – 1 Kings 3:11–14 And here is one more example. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.– 2 Chronicles 7:13–14 The word if is key. If my kids clean their room, then they can go outside and play. Their right to go outside and play is contingent upon their ability to clean their room. No clean room, no play. A similar dynamic is going on with God’s conditional promises in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament is full of unconditional promises, and it’s the unconditional promises where we see the reason to have hope in the birth of Christ. So let’s begin with Abraham. Beginning in Genesis 12:1-3 we read that God promises to make a great nation from the offspring of Abraham. And then in Genesis 17 we read,&nb

#spiritualityhindi #catholic 10 कारण Protestants बच्चों का बपतिस्मा का विरोध करते हैं। पर Martin Luther, और साथी इसके पक्ष में Watch the Video Infant Baptism is one of the most debated topics among all the Christian Denominations. Many of the Protestant Churches and all the Pentecostals oppose Infant Baptism. BUT, most of us are NOT aware of the fact that the Fathers of Protestantism - Martin Luther John Calvin & Zwingli - were for it. आदि पाप क्या है? Fr. George Mary Claret on आदि-पाप | Original Sin | Catholic Bible Study in Hindi https://youtu.be/cOU3HdxNtQc बपतिस्मा क्या है? baptisma kya hai by Fr. George Mary Claret (Meaning of Baptism) [Romans 6] https://youtu.be/XKbGChJO7uI ============================================= You are most welcome to follow me on the following platforms. ============================================= To understand the Incarnation (the Word made flesh), try this book by Fr. C. George Mary Claret "God's Journey to Bethlehem: God's Way of Alluring You to Enter Into Your Heart" https://geni.us/nnB5 Connect him on http://bit.ly/WebGGOG Facebook Personal http://bit.ly/FacebookGeo Hindi Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/greatergloryofgodhindi English Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/greatergloryofgodenglish Page http://bit.ly/GGOGFB Amazon Author Page http://bit.ly/FrGeorge Twitter http://bit.ly/TweetGMC YouTube Hindi Channel https://bit.ly/3yff7ef English Channel http://bit.ly/EngYTube Instagram https://bit.ly/frgmcinstagram LinkedIn http://bit.ly/LInGMC Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/GeorgeClaret Medium http://bit.ly/MedGMC Pinterest http://bit.ly/PinCGMC Tumblr http://bit.ly/TumCGMC Goodreads http://bit.ly/GoodReadsGMC Quora Space http://bit.ly/QuoraGGOG Personal http://bit.ly/QuoraCGMC Reddit http://bit.ly/RedditGMC Podmatch http://bit.ly/PodMatch Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/trinityhspirit Spotify http://bit.ly/trinityholyspirit Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/podcastsgoogle --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greatergloryofgod/message

Environmental activists often focus on facts and data, as if more climate information will lead to more climate action. That strategy may be effective with some communities, but overall it hasn't prevented global emissions from climbing year after year or habitats from being destroyed day after day.Many folks in the environmental movement are thinking a lot about how to make messaging more effective. But it's not just the message we need to question—it's also the messenger.In the U.S., white evangelical Christians are not known for their strong support of environmental protections or for believing that humans are even causing climate change, but maybe they haven't had the right messengers.Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap is an evangelical Christian climate activist, which is not a combination of descriptors we often hear. Kyle has spent years building a movement of young messengers from within the evangelical community who speak a new language of creation care.He believes that Christians don't need to look any further than the Bible to become fierce and passionate advocates for ecological protection and climate action.Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap was National Organizer and Spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action before becoming Vice President at the Evangelical Environmental Network.I met Kyle in 2019 at a week-long climate storytelling retreat in New York City. I was super excited to continue our conversation here and dive deeper into his own ecological awakening, what scripture says about caring for the environment, and how Christians and non-Christians alike can find common values and build power together to care for life on Earth across cultural lines that often divide us.You can listen on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.Please rate, review, and share to help us spread the word!Rev. Kyle Meyaard-SchaapRev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap serves as the Vice President of the Evangelical Environmental Network. He holds an undergraduate degree in religious studies from Calvin University (B.A. '12), a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary (M.Div. '16), and is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). Much of his professional experience has involved the integration of theology, science, and action toward a deeper awareness of the Christian responsibility to care for God's earth and to love one's neighbors, both at home and around the world. Kyle has been named to Midwest Energy Group's 40 Under 40 and the American Conservation Coalition's 30 Under 30 cohorts for his work on climate change education and advocacy. Most recently, he was named a Yale Public Voices on the Climate Crisis Fellow for 2020. His work has been featured in national and international news outlets such as PBS, NPR, CNN, NBC News, New York Times, Reuters, and U.S. News and World Report. He is married to Allison and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with their son, Simon.Quotation Read by Rev. Kyle Meyaard-SchaapThe Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. - Wendell Berry © Wendell Berry. This poem is excerpted from New Collected Poems and is reprinted with permission of the Counterpoint Press.Recommended Readings & MediaTranscriptionIntroJohn FiegeEnvironmental activists often focus on facts and data, as if more climate information will lead to more climate action. That strategy may be effective with some communities, but overall, it hasn't prevented global emissions from climbing year after year or habitats from being destroyed day after day.Many folks in the environmental movement are thinking a lot about how to make messaging more effective. But it's not just the message we need to question—it's also the messenger.In the US, white evangelical Christians are not known for their strong support of environmental protections or for believing that humans are even causing climate change, but maybe they haven't had the right messengers.Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap is an evangelical Christian climate activist, which is not a combination of descriptors we often hear. Kyle has spent years building a movement of young messengers from within the evangelical community who speak a new language of creation care.He believes that Christians don't need to look any further than the Bible to become fierce and passionate advocates for ecological protection and climate action.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapSo when humans read, have dominion and subdue the earth, and they separate that, from the rest of scriptures witness, which is that Christ is creations true king, then it's easy for us to say, "Well, I guess we have a blank check. Let's do whatever we want." Instead of saying, "Well, let's shape our dominion in our rulership after creation's true king, which is Christ." And when we actually do that, then the way we have dominion and subdue the earth is going to look a whole lot different. It's going to look a whole lot less like privilege and a whole lot more like responsibility.John FiegeI'm John Fiege, and this is Chrysalis.Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap was National Organizer and Spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action before becoming Vice President at the Evangelical Environmental Network.I met Kyle in 2019 at a week-long climate storytelling retreat in New York City. I was super excited to continue our conversation here and dive deeper into his own ecological awakening, what scripture says about caring for the environment, and how Christians and non-Christians alike can find common values and build power together to care for life on Earth across cultural lines that often divide us.Here is Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap.---ConversationJohn FiegeYou grew up in Michigan. And that's where I wanted to start. Can you tell me where you grew up? And as a child, what was your relationship to the earth, to the forest, to the ocean, to the rest of life on the planet?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, absolutely. I did. I grew up in Holland, Michigan, which is a beautiful, small town, on the shores of Lake Michigan, western part of the state and grew up, you know, minutes from Lake Michigan. So the beach and dunes were always a big part of my life growing up, as was camping, and just enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Michigan. Northern Michigan, with it's in the lakes and forests, and obviously, Lake Michigan and the coast there. So creation and its beauty, you know, was always a part of my childhood and my upbringing. I can't say it was always a conscious part, though. We didn't talk often about our relationship to the natural world, our responsibilities toward it. My community was a beautiful Christian community, that that taught me lots of really important lessons and values and virtues. But I don't remember a conversation about God's creation and our relationship to it, our responsibility to it, certainly nothing about climate change. And I don't remember outright hostility, to be honest. I think a lot of people expect that from a small Evangelical community like mine. What I remember most was just silence, around climate change, around environmental issues in general, pollution. Except for recycling, which I'm not sure we would have done if the truck didn't pick it up at our curb every other week for us. Except for that, I can't really remember any intentional choices that we made as a family or as a larger Church community. And, and so my childhood was marked by kind of this dissonance between my experience of God's grandeur in these beautiful, breathtaking landscapes that were just a part of me and a part of my life growing up, and the relative silence around those gifts. Silence around what our responsibility would be toward those things. I think it was taken for granted that these things were here, and very little conversation about how to protect them, or what our faith, well how our faith could inform the way we approached questions about how to protect those gifts.Right. And an interesting thing, though, is even if you're not talking about it, in articulating this connection, you obviously had that really profound experience with the natural world. Even if kind of culturally, politically it wasn't, you know, positioned that way. Do you have any, like, particularly strong memories of an experience that has really stuck with you in terms of being in the natural world?Yeah, I think more than one experience, I think I have just a general sense memory, of being in the sand and in the water in Lake Michigan. I don't think I ever really reflected on how formative that body of water was to me and continues to be for me. It's almost like a my center of gravity. I travel a lot for my work, but I feel most at home back in this landscape in Michigan, close to the lake. It's my directional guide for someone who struggles with innate sense of the cardinal directions with Lake Michigan's always West. So if I know where Lake Michigan is, I know where West is. So I think more than kind of a general, distinct, or discreet memory, just the the general sense memory of being near Lake Michigan, of going to Lake Michigan often in the summers, going to the beach often, being in those dunes, being in the water. A couple of years ago, I was invited to a multifaith space where people were invited to bring a part of creation that's meaningful to them to the space, and to kind of offer it to the group. And I brought a vial of Lake Michigan water because that was the only thing I could think of, right? Lake Michigan is the spot for me. Yeah.John FiegeOh, that's awesome. Yeah, I've, over the last couple years, I've started, when meditating, I've started visualizing, being in the surf of the ocean and having the water come in and out in the same cadence as the breath. And that's, I've really, like connected with that as like a technique. And I've thought about it. And I realized, you know, I grew up going to the Atlantic Ocean every summer for a long time. And it's so embedded in me and in my psyche. It sounds like you might have a similar water relationship there.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, I love that! I love that. And people who grew up in the mountains speak similarly about the mountains. I don't think I realized it, until relatively recently, the impact that that gift has had on me in my life. Yeah.John FiegeOh, that's awesome. Can you tell me the story of your brother spending a semester abroad in New Zealand?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, so my older brother is three years older than me. My hero for much of my life, continues to be one of my best friends. He went off to a semester abroad program in New Zealand when he was a sophomore in college, and I was still in high school, I was a junior in high school. And he grew up, you know, in the same kind of milieu as I did. Pretty conservative, Evangelical Christian community. Very, very little discussion around the environment around climate change in particular, pollution, and the environment in general. And he went on this semester abroad trip, which was designed for Christian college students to engage the disciplines of ecology, biology, environmental science, and biblical studies and theology, in conversation with each other, to examine this beautiful, unique ecosystem in New Zealand; and to bring theological questions and biblical insights into conversation with what they were discovering. And he came back totally transformed.John FiegeIt sounds like an amazing program!Kyle Meyaard-SchaapIt does! I almost went on the same program myself! I ultimately chose to take a different trip elsewhere, but it was an amazing trip. And he came back pretty on fire for what he had learned, and particularly for the way that the trip helped him integrate his existing Christian values, with his burgeoning understanding of the environmental and climate crisis. I think the climax of his return was when he announced to the family...I forget what it was...a couple of days, maybe a week or two, after he came back that because of what he had learned, he was now a vegetarian. Which for my Midwestern, pretty conservative meat and potatoes family, that was pretty shocking. I remember for myself as a junior in high school, I didn't know anybody like me who had ever made that choice. And I had the caricature in my mind of the hemp-friendship-bracelet-weaving, vegan-pizza-eating, throw-paint-on-fur-coats-on-the-weekends-vegetarian, and I was forced to to either keep that caricature and then put my brother in that camp along with them, which was painful, or to suspend my assumptions and hear him out. And he was gracious and patient, and kind of laid out for me all of his rationale for the decision. And most importantly, he helped me see why that decision to become a vegetarian was not a jettisoning of the values that we had been taught by our community. It was, in fact, a deepening of those values. It was a way for him to live more fully into those values, like loving our neighbor, loving God, caring for God's creation. All of the values that we had been instilled with, it was another opportunity to express those values more deeply. And that was, that was a real lightbulb moment for me. I think I had assumed that to make those kinds of decisions or to care about something like the environment or climate change, I would need to turn my back on my community, turn my back on the lessons I learned in Sunday school, turn my back on the values that were instilled in me by my family. And he was the first person who gave me permission to recognize that actually taking these things seriously and doing something about it is a way for us to live more fully into those lessons and those values that we had been taught.John FiegeGreat. That's so interesting, because it seems to set up a trajectory for so much of what you've done since. I'm thinking in particular about this idea, this assumption that, if we just explain the facts, if we just reveal the scientific truth, and everyone would be like, "Oh, okay! Well, let's change everything now!" You know? And it doesn't work that way. You know, we're changed by the people who are closest to us. And that's the key that unlocks people's ability to transform. So I'm wondering if you can kind of start with that moment with your brother. And you know, what path did that take you on? And what does your work and life look like now? And in particular, I'd love to hear you talk more about the work you're doing with young people, and that idea of change from within the community.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapAbsolutely. So that that experience with my brother was really the spark that was fanned into flame, when I myself went off to college a couple years later. Went to a small Christian liberal arts school here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I took classes, and had professors, and read books, and went to lectures, and made friends and all of it just combined to continue to advance my understanding of what my faith had to say about the environmental crisis and the climate crisis in particular, and in how my commitment to my faith was drawing me more deeply into action. At the same time, I was studying religion there. I thought I was going to be a biology major, and all of the intro to bio classes were closed. So I signed up for a religion course, because I had to take two of those as a requirement of the school I was at, and I loved it! I loved it! It was scratching the itch I didn't know I had. It was asking the questions that really got me excited. So I continued to pursue that. I was studying scripture and theology deeply at the same time as I was being exposed to the realities of the climate crisis, being exposed to activists who were doing something about it, embedding myself in a community of peers who are passionate about these things. And were asking these questions too. And all of that led me to after graduation to pursue a seminary degree. I was feeling a call to serve the church. I was pretty clear at that time that that particular calling was likely not to be a traditional pastor of a congregation, but to help the church understand that addressing the climate crisis and taking care of God's creation is a fundamental component of what it means to be a Christian.John FiegeDid you have any models for that? Where did that idea come from? That was in seminary school that you first conceived of that as a calling?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, it was. I had a few models. One model was actually the founder of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, which I think we're going to talk about in a minute, that I had gotten to know over the last couple of years at that point, his name was Ben Lowe. He was certainly a model for me. Other models were Evangelical Christians, or Christians in the Evangelical space, who are active on social justice issues in general, Shane Claiborne, is certainly an influence on me and other Christian activists, who use this language. Who talk about how caring for the vulnerable, protecting the oppressed is a fundamental part of the church's calling in the world. And it's not an ancillary issue for a handful of members in the church who have a predisposition to care about those things. It's not an affinity group on the sidelines of the church. It's at the heart of the church's mission in the world, especially when it comes to climate change. It's just a fundamental part of what it means to follow Jesus and in the 21st century. And so I did have a few models for that. I also had terrific mentors, who helped expand my idea of what could be possible, who kind of helped me discern this calling and tease out the shape of it. And that took some time. That took a few years to really get a sense of the particular shape of that calling. I entered seminary with a general sense that I was called to serve the church in some way. And I was passionate about social justice at the same time, and then over the course of my time in seminary, and conversations with mentors, that the shape of that calling really kind of filled out.John FiegeAnd how would you describe the work that you've done since seminary?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah. So since seminary, I have been working with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, which is a national organization of young Christians around the country, many with a very similar story to mine grew up in a conservative Christian community, were not given a whole lot of tools to help them integrate their faith and the values they were being taught in church and Christian day school, in many cases, with the realities of climate change, and environmental degradation. Many of them came to be concerned about the climate crisis. But were often told they needed to keep that separate from their life at church. So, many of them would join a Sierra Club or three-fifty protests on the weekend, and then go to church and not tell anyone about it. Because they felt implicitly or explicitly that they were told that those things had to be separate. So my ministry really for the last several years, since seminary has been to come alongside these young people, and to hopefully catalyze the kind of experience that I had. Because of my brother, because of other experiences because of other people I had in my life, that wedded together my faith and my faith values with climate action, to do that, for young Christians across the country, and to hopefully, create a space where that transformation can happen more quickly. Because it took me years, and where that transformation can happen for more people more quickly. And that can translate into a movement within the church of young people calling the church back to our own stated values, our own calling in the world, and can translate into real political pressure that can hopefully create the circumstances that will lead to policy change that can address the climate crisis at the speed and scale necessary. So I use the word ministry, because I believe that's what I'm doing. I believe that's what this is. That this calling I have to educate, equip, and mobilize young Christians. And recently, I actually transitioned to a role with Y.E.C.A parent organization where I'm now the vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, continuing to support Y.E.C.E., but also leading other programs for other Christians across the country to. I do believe this as a ministry and I believe I'm called to this ministry. Because the gospel of Jesus, in Jesus's own words is about setting the oppressed free, proclaiming good news to the poor, and climate action is that, and the church needs to recognize that and to get to work.John FiegeWell, great. I'm curious to hear more about, kind of your assessment of how that is going. But before we do that, I want to just jump into more of the heart of some of these ideas that I think that you spend your time steeped in and talking about. So I wanted to jump into this book you contributed to called Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care. I was wondering if you could talk about the evolution of the idea of creation care. So let's let's start in 1967, when historian Lynn White Jr. wrote an explosive article in the science in the journal Science called the historical roots of our ecological crisis, he cites the Dominion Mandate from Genesis in blaming the Judeo Christian tradition for its abusive attitudes towards the Earth and its non-human creatures. So here's Genesis 128, "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." What do you hear in this passage, and how do you think it's been read or misread by Christians or non-Christians?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapHmm. That's a terrific question. And you're right. I think a lot about this. So I'll try to be concise, but I am a preacher by training. This is one of the passages I've maybe thought most about. So I hear a few things. I think the first thing we should name is that read on its face in the English translation from the original Hebrew that you just read. It sure sounds like God has given humans license to do as they please with creation. However, I think my seminary education in particular has sensitized me to the importance of a slow, and careful, and contextual reading of Scripture. So when I hear that passage, I want to ask the question, "What's around it? What's around that verse, those verses that can help us contextualize that command?" And when I asked that, I see a couple of things. The first thing I see is that that command comes after 27 verses of God, creating and reveling in that creation. Genesis 1 says, "God looks at what he had made and calls it good," says that seven times and in the Hebrew imagination, the number seven connotes wholeness, perfection, even holiness. So having that Hebrew word in there, "Tov," seven times, for good, signals something to the original listeners, right? God is calling God's creation maximally good. This is this creation, I'm making as good as it gets. And the other thing I see is, pretty clearly, creations true king going about the work of creating, right? The language of dominion, and rulership evokes kingship. And so when we see God giving humans the command to subdue, have dominion over. That is the language of kingship. And we have to ask ourselves, "Is God really placing humans as creations true king? Or does the rest of Scripture attest that creations True King is actually Christ?" And if that's the case, then we have to ask ourselves, "Is our dominion separated from the dominion of Christ's or is our call to rule over creation supposed to be shaped in a particular way?" I would argue our call to dominion is derivative of Christ's true claim to the rulership of all of creation. And if that's the case, then our rule has to be shaped after the way that Christ rules and scripture is quite clear about how Christ exercises his authority over creation. We see it in the Incarnation, when he empties himself and and takes on human form, and limits himself in human form, to bring creation back to himself. I think Paul says it really well in Philippians, when he says that Christ did not see equality with God as something to be exploited for his own advantage. But he emptied himself and became a servant when he came to serve us in the Incarnation, and in his death and resurrection. So we see that Christ as creations true king exercises Dominion in a particular way, and it's not through exploitation, or through domination, it's through humble sacrifice, and through service. So when humans read, have dominion and subdue the earth, and they separate that, from the rest of scriptures witness, which is that Christ is creations true king, then it's easy for us to say, "Well, I guess we have a blank check. Let's do whatever we want." Instead of saying, "Well, let's shape our dominion in our rulership after creation's true king, which is Christ." And when we actually do that, then the way we have dominion and subdue the earth is going to look a whole lot different. It's going to look a whole lot less like privilege and a whole lot more like responsibility. Responsibility to serve that which we are ruling over. And I think Genesis 2 actually supports that interpretation. Genesis: 1 and 2 are two creation accounts in Scripture. Genesis 1 is really high minded language that belongs and, you know,magisterial archives along side the decrees of the king, but Genesis 2, the language is really intimate and earthy. It's a story about a God who stoops in the mud and forms humans with his hands, and then breathes his own breath into it, into the humans that he's creating. And the first command he gives to humans in Genesis 2 is to serve and protect creation. Genesis 2:15 has the Hebrew words "svad" and "shamar," the garden, those are often translated as till and keep it, which I don't like. Really, when you actually go to the Hebrew, it's pretty clear the word Avad. The Hebrew word Avad is all over the Old Testament. So we have a good idea of what it means. It's almost always used in the context of service and even slavery. And Shamar is also used everywhere. And it's quite clear that it connotes jealous protection and proactive guarding from harm. So in Genesis 2, God takes the humans he just made, puts them in the garden and says, serve and protect this, this thing that I've made. I think when you put that next to Genesis 1's call to dominion, it's quite clear that both of them are calling humans toward a particular responsibility to creation. Not to privilege, but to responsibility.John FiegeWow. Well, that amazing textual reading you just gave it, makes me think about the Protestant Reformation. In the sense that so much of the tumult in the church over the past millennium, has been about who interprets the Bible. And the Protestant Reformation was all about the ability of everyone to be able to read and interpret the Bible as they'd like. But when I listened to you have this amazingly learned and nuanced interpretation of the contextual reading of any one particular line, you know, it makes it gives me pause. I was like, "Yes, we should all be able to read ourselves." But that doesn't mean we don't need help from people who spend their lives studying the intricacies of a very complex text with very old language, that can be interpreted in many different ways. How have you approached that?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, I like that a lot. I think you're right. And I think we can have both at the same time. I think we can invite people to experience scripture on their own terms. Because I do believe that Scripture is alive, that it is less an object to be dissected, which much of modern interpretive methods have tried to do and it's much more a living subject to be encountered. I believe the Holy Spirit works through our engagement with scripture to shape and change us. So I want people to encounter scripture on their own. And at the same time, I want people who have, like you said, spent their lives studying the cultural context of Scripture, studying the linguistic intricacies of Scripture. I want those people also speaking into folks' individual readings of Scripture to help people understand some of the complexities of what they are reading and what they're experiencing. You know, much of especially modern Evangelicalism, has emphasized a plain reading of the text. And that has been held forth as a way to honor scripture and honor the Bible on its own terms. I actually interpret that as the opposite. I think that's doing scripture a great disservice by ignoring all of the depth that is present in Scripture, that can be gained through a deep study, and winsome explication of it.John FiegeYeah. And it's a bit like constitutional originalism. I see a lot of parallels there with this very plain reading of texts. And it's interesting what you say about interpretation. Where, you know, some of the brilliance of these texts, is their openness and their invitation for interpretation and invitation for nuance, and like almost built in layeredness of meaning, and what meaning could be. And to read that plainly can, as you say, really be a disservice to it.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, absolutely. And it's even, there's even more layers than constitutional originalism when it comes to the Bible because the Constitution was written in English, older style English, but English nonetheless. But, you know, Scripture is coming to us through the Hebrew language and the Greek language. Coming to us through a variety of manuscripts, different versions, different interpretations, different translations. There's there's a longer history and more layers of interpretation they're already baked in. So to pretend like we can read the Bible in English and read it, you know, to gain everything we possibly can from it in that one English reading, again, just does a disservice to the complexity and the depth of Scripture.John FiegeLet's go back and read Lynn White Jr's article from 1967 very briefly. What I find interesting is that while he clearly blames the Judeo-Christian tradition for our ecological crisis, as he calls it, his solution is not to abandon religion or even Christianity. He says, "I personally doubt that disastrous ecologic backlash can be avoided simply by applying to our problems more science and more technology." Instead his solution is St. Francis of Assisi. He wants to dig back into Christian history and on earth, more earth friendly theologies that have been suppressed over time. And I'd love to read just his last paragraph from his piece. He writes, "The greatest spiritual revolutionary in Western history, Saint Francis, proposed what he thought was an alternative Christian view of nature and man's relation to it; he tried to substitute the idea of the equality of all creatures, including man, for the idea of man's limitless rule of creation. He failed. Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with Orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecological crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not. We must rethink and refill our nature and destiny. The profoundly religious, but heretical sense of the primitive Franciscans for the spiritual autonomy of all parts of nature may point a direction. I propose Francis as a patron saint of ecologists." I think of our current Pope Francis, I think he would agree. There's this dominant secular idea of replacing Christianity with a purely scientific worldview. But that's not what Lynn White Jr. is calling for. What do you think when you hear this passage? I don't know if you've read it before, but what does it make you think?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapI'm always struck when I'm reminded of Lynn White's conclusion. There's no doubt that this paper looms large in environmental consciousness, particularly in the consciousness of the modern environmental movement, it because in many ways it was one of the catalysts for it. I appreciate his recognition that religion and the Judeo-Christian worldview is so part and parcel with Western civilization that I don't even think a project to jettison it is possible. And I think that's what he's saying too. He's saying, look, we're not going to replace the cultural impact, but the cultural foundations of the Judeo-Christian worldview and Western civilization, probably ever. So how do we work in recognition of that reality toward a better spirituality, a more earth friendly, Judeo-Christian perspective. So I appreciate that. And that's in many ways what we are trying to do in our work. St. Francis is a great example. Scripture is full of support for Saint Francis' kind of spirituality that recognizes the inherent goodness and the inherent sanctity of the created world. Scripture shouts this stuff, not just in Genesis, but all over Psalms, Job, the Pentateuch, the Law, the Gospels, Colossians, Ephesians, Revelation, it's everywhere! Romans. You can't run away from it. And you know, people like St. Francis and other leaders have shown us what it looks like to take those teachings and turn it into an operative theology and a way of life. And this is part of our heritage, too, right? I think that the Church, often especially after the Reformation, the Protestant Church tends to think that the Church of Jesus Christ in the world was established when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the wall, to the door of the church. But it goes back so much farther. And that's all our heritage and that's all worth reexamining. Especially in the light of the current ecological crisis that we are in. We have tools and resources. The church has tools and resources at its disposal that we can use to help understand the crisis we're living through and can point us forward, give us a way forward toward positive action.John FiegeYeah, great. Well, can you talk about Christian environmental stewardship and how that grew out of a response to this criticism of dominion as domination?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapSure, yeah. So the Lynn White article was a catalyst for a lot of Christians to examine Christianity's perspective around dominion, and how that influences the way we interact with creation. And that started some conversations that kind of culminated in the late 70s, early 80s. Around this concept of stewardship, that was kind of the Protestant Churches, at least in America, the Protestant church's answer to Lynn White's, I think, correct critique of dominionist theology, and the Church saying, Look, Lynn White is right! The Bible does not give us a blank check to do whatever we want with creation. Dominion does not mean domination. It means stewardship, it means wise management. And so stewardship became kind of the dominant frame that was articulated by Christian environmentalists and Christian theologians just looking to try to do better theology, say, look, Dominion. Dominionism, isn't it. Stewardship is much closer to what Scripture is talking about. So stewardship was a necessary corrective and a really important step in the right direction. It wasn't without its limitations, though. One limitation is that from a communication standpoint, a lot of rank and file folks and churches didn't quite understand what it meant. And there was a lot of confusion around are we talking about stewarding creation? Are we talking about why stewardship of money. A lot of studies have been done that show that Christians dominant views on stewardship centered around money still. So stewardship had always been used around language of finances and money, and so to add stewardship onto conversations around ecology and creation felt a little confusing to a lot of folks in the church, and it continues to confuse some people. Another limitation of the stewardship model is it creates unnecessary distance between us and the rest of creation. A steward is someone who is outside of and separate from the thing that is being stewarded. A steward is a custodian, a manager, but it can separate us from the rest of creation and kind of reinforce the hierarchy that dominionism created between us and the rest of creation. When in fact, I think scripture actually teaches us that humans are much more radically interconnected with creation. We are not separate from creation, we are created ourselves. We have a unique role to play in the midst of creation, but we are not separate from it. So stewardship kind of developed out of Lynn White's critique, and now, some of us in the church are thinking about stewardship and its legacy. We're grateful for the ways that it's reframed dominionism, but trying to imagine other ways to think about our relationship to creation that might be more effective in mobilizing Christians toward deeper action and care for the earth.John FiegeAnd this seems to be this, this problem of our separation from the rest of the natural world. You know, that's a problem shared by the broader environmental movement. This idea of locking away nature as wilderness in reserves, as important as that might be, it's not everything. And it creates this distance. As a replacement for the concept of stewardship, you suggest the idea of kinship and commonality in difference. I think this is a really wonderful idea for our view of both the nonhuman and the human world. Can you explain what you mean by kinship? And maybe talk about this beautiful metaphor you use of the mother and the child?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, sure. So the the project of the Beyond Stewardship book was to imagine multiple different vantage points that we might use to better understand our relationship to the natural world. So I highly encourage reading the whole book because the contributors offer other really insightful perspectives about how we can think about our relationship to the rest of creation. My contribution was, as you said, this idea of kinship, and off the bat, I want to say, this is certainly not a unique idea. Indigenous cultures, throughout time and space, have been articulating our relationship with creation as one of kinship. And I also think that the Old Testament, and the new, but especially the Old Testament, attests to this relationship too. And what I'm trying to get at with kinship is this idea that, for so much of the Christian Church's history, we have elevated ourselves above the rest of creation. We have elevated our uniqueness over against creation and diminished or completely flattened out our commonality with the rest of creation, in a way that I don't think Scripture supports. I think Scripture is clear that humans are different in an important way from the rest of creation, but not separated from it. One of the ways I think Scripture does that really beautifully, is I often say this in my presentations, and people are surprised, but humans don't have their own special creative day to themselves. Humans are created on the same day as all of the other land creatures, day six, when God creates badgers, and beavers, and billy goats. He also creates human beings.John FiegeRight. And that's not insignificant.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapRight! It's a really brilliant reminder for humans that, hey, we may have this unique image of God thing, which actually, is a call to responsibility and privilege. But we are embedded in creation. We are a part of creation in really important ways. And I think kinship helps us remember that and center that and keep that front of mind. So that the way I tried to express that is through the metaphor of a mother and a child. And I think that was on my mind because when I was writing this chapter, we had recently had our first child. And the metaphor is essentially trying to get at this idea that a mother and a child are deeply connected, right? They are connected through shared DNA, they're connected through shared spaces, but they're different. They are different beings. So just as we are different from other creatures in creation, we also have shared features, we have commonalities. We are all created from the same earth, from the same stuff, we were created on the same day in Genesis 1. In Genesis 2, that connection is even deeper through the the use of a Hebrew pun. The scripture in Genesis 2 says that God formed Adom, which is where we get the English name Adam, for the first man scripture actually never named Adam as Adam. It's just the Hebrew word Adom, which is "man from the soil," Adamah, we are Adom from the Adamah, we are soil people is essentially what Genesis 1 says. And we share that with the rest of creation. So there's a deep kinship and similarity between us and the rest of creation, while distinctiveness and distinction, and we have to hold both of those at the same time, right? We cannot elevate our uniqueness at the expense of our commonality, and we can't collapse our uniqueness for the sake of emphasizing our commonality because that also doesn't honor scriptures witness scriptures witness is that we are radically embedded in the rest of creation. We are radically connected to the rest of creation. And we are unique in that we alone bear the image of God, we alone were called to exercise authority, exercise responsibility toward the rest of creation. We have to hold both of those at the same time.John FiegeAnd that idea of kinship and commonality and difference. It feels like, it's such a beautiful way to live your life in so many ways. It's not just about the environment. But when we talk about race or human rights, or so many other things that that we're dealing with that centering around kinship and commonality in difference is, it's hard to fault that.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, yeah, I think you're right, I think it it extends to a lot of our lived experience. And I think it can inform a lot of the conversations we're having right now, like you said, around race, civil rights, immigration reform, a lot of social justice issues that at their root, in my opinion, are kind of the product of elevating one at the expense of the other. Usually elevating our difference at the expense of our commonality. But if we can find a way to honor our commonality, and our differences, at the same time, recognize that we have commonality and difference, then I think we could we could go a long way in healing some of the divides and divisions that exist.John FiegeYeah, for sure. This mother child relationship is a metaphor used in many cultures across history. But usually in terms of Mother Earth, where we're the children. What you're doing here is flipping the metaphor. We are the mother and the earth is our child. Seeing Earth as our child brings with it, this kind of fierce sense of love and protection and adoration. Do you have a sense of how this image of us loving and protecting the earth as our child is resonating with pastors and congregations and other Christians?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapHmm. I love that. I actually hadn't considered that I had kind of borrowed that metaphor and flipped it on its head. But you're right. I one of my favorite books of the last year is Braiding Sweetgrass, and Robin Wall Kimmerer talks often about how humans are the youngest siblings among the rest of creation, how we have the most to learn from our siblings and creation, about how to live in harmony and in reciprocity with Mother Earth. So yeah, you're right, I flipped it. And and I kind of make us as the mother, because we are given in scripture, this responsibility to steward, to rule over, again, ruling as Christ rules, which is through sacrifice and service, seeking the good of that which is ruled. To your question of how it's resonating, even though as I said, indigenous thinkers and wisdom keepers have been teaching this for millennia. The white Evangelical Church is very much steeped in kind of Dominionism. And I think stewardship even is still trying to break in 40 years after it was put forth as an alternative. So I think the jury's still out, we have a long way to go in reaching pastors with this kind of idea in reaching lay folks and lay leaders with this idea that our relationship to the rest of creation is much more intimate and interconnected than we often think. So I don't have a whole lot of data on that yet. I hope that I hope that in the next several years that this idea can continue to get some traction and can start to make a difference.John FiegeAwesome. You talk about liturgies of kinship, that have been enacted for centuries, including the "Canticle of the Sun," a song written by none other than St. Francis of Assisi. And that reminds me of the second encyclical of the current Pope Francis, which takes its name from the first line of a canticle. I just want to read for a second how Pope Francis begins the encyclical. "Laudato si mi Signore, praise be to you my Lord. In the words of this beautiful canticle St. Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. Praise be to You, my Lord, through our sister, mother earth, who sustains and governs us and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs. This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts wounded by sin is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air, and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself burdened and laid waste is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor. She groans and travail. We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth. Our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air, and we receive life and refreshment from her waters." What did "Laudato Si," the Pope's second encyclical mean to you, as a Christian, if not a Catholic?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapI remember being deeply moved. As I read it. It's just such an important teaching from such an important figure. And like you said, even though I'm not Catholic, I can recognize the beauty of it, the heart of it. I just think the importance of such of such a consequential teacher and leader in the church, saying the things that are said in that encyclical, right, are hard are hard to overemphasize. I think it's so important. And studies have actually shown that even Protestants were affected by the encyclical. Some of their views on creation and the environment and climate kind of spiked after the release, most evidence shows that it went down again. So I wish that had been sustained. But it had an impact even outside of the Catholic Church, and certainly on me personally, I think it's a gift to the Church universal for all time that will be treasured for a long time.John FiegeSo I wanted to talk a bit about the idea of love. Love is an essential element in Christianity. Here's 1 John 4:8 from the King James Version. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." In your work, it seems to me that you're making an argument to Christians that the biblical idea of love must be expanded to include the nonhuman world. Similar to Aldo Leopold's call and his land ethic to enlarge the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or Albert Einstein's call to widen our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. How is your call for love of the nonhuman world in harmony with these ideas are distinct from them?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, you're right. That is what I and others in this movement are trying to do. We're calling the church to expand our understanding of love and who our object of love is. I think it's distinct because the way that I understand this call to an expansive love is rooted in a command given by Jesus in Matthew 22 and other passages in the gospels too, you'll find this in Mark and Luke as well. When Jesus is asked by a teacher of the law, which is the greatest commandment, this questioner is trying to trip Jesus up, because at the time there were over 630 commands in the Torah. So essentially, he's asking Jesus to choose a side, and Jesus refuses to play that game. And he says, actually, I'll tell you this, all of those laws and commandments can be boiled down to these two: love God with everything you've got with your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. And that is the heart of, I believe our call to care for creation and address the climate crisis. Because if we are truly going to love God and love our neighbor, in this 21st century, when the evidence is clear, that God's creation that God called good, that is the work of God's hands, is being degraded and destroyed. Creations own ability to praise God and worship God is being inhibited through human actions, then what better way to love God than to protect those works of God's hands? What better way to love God than to ensure that the rest of creation can do what it was created to do, which is to give praise and honor and glory to the Creator. Taking care of creation and addressing the climate crisis is a concrete way for us to get better at loving God. And it's a concrete way for us to get better at loving our neighbor. Because we know that the effects of pollution, the effects of the climate crisis are human. In their effect, in their impact. We know that especially black and brown communities are being disproportionately harmed by environmental pollution. We know that poor communities are being disproportionately harmed by climate impacts. So taking care of creation, loving creation, addressing the climate crisis, are actually ways for Christians to get better at following Jesus' command. When Jesus said, this is the most important thing that you can do. This is the center of my ethic. Love God with everything you got and love your neighbor as if their present circumstances and future prospects are your own. We believe in the work that we do. And I certainly believe that addressing environmental pollution that harms people's ability to flourish and thrive on the earth, and addressing the climate crisis, which is killing people right now. Right is a way for us to tangibly get better at obeying that command. I also believe that the outpouring of love when we cultivate love for creation, the effects of that love will mean that we are really practically also expressing love for God and our neighbor at the same time.John FiegeWow, that's really beautiful. So let's talk about language for a moment. Language is important in so many ways, it can unite us and build community or it can divide us along lines of identity. It can quickly signal commonality and just as easily signal opposition. In this country, the environment is often seen as a concern of liberals in cities, and when Christians don't identify with those broad political or cultural labels, they often think that the environment cannot and should not be a concern of theirs. You don't use these broad, nebulous terms of nature, or the environment very often you talk about the creation and creation care. What are your thoughts on the complicated nature of relationship, of language and, and how you can use a word to connect with one group, but at the same time, that same word might alienate or repel another group?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah, I completely agree. I don't think I can offer thoughts that are any better than the thoughts you can just offer. That's those, that was beautifully put. And that's exactly right. And it's central to the work of anybody who's trying to organize a community around a particular issue or toward a particular action is, first and foremost, you have to understand who you're trying to reach, you have to understand your community, you have to understand what they care about, you have to understand how they perceive their identity, you have to understand what values drive their actions, and then find the language that will connect to those identities to those values. Right, rather than alienate, and creation and creation care. And using those words is one way that we try to do that. But you know, a lot of the research bears out what you shared, which is that language is the the message is critical. How you share the message is critical, depending on who you're trying to reach. And in many ways, the messenger is almost more important than the message itself too. Who is delivering that message? Are they an outsider or do they get us? Do they understand who we are? Do they share important values? And do they share our identity or not? All of that goes into whether or not anyone is receptive to any kind of message. And just like my brother gave me permission to lean more deeply into who I was, and the values that I held dear in my action on this. That's what we try to do with the people we're talking to. Give them permission to recognize how their existing identity and the values that already drives them are exactly the identity and the values that the movement needs and that they can bring to bear on this issue. A lot of people in the Evangelical church, a lot of folks right of the political center, hear a lot of environmental language. And a lot of times they hear it communicated as essentially saying here are all of the ways that you and the community you love are wrong. Here are all of the ways that you need to change the life that you love to be more like us. Doing so will alienate you from people you love. But don't worry, because it'll make you more like us and the world way more like we want it to be instead of hearing here are all of the things about you and the community you love that are great. Here are other people who share your values that are taking action, as a way to deepen those values. When you take action to join them, you become more connected to them, you become more connected to your community. And the world becomes more like you want it to be.John FiegeThat makes me think a bit about the enlightenment and the scientific revolution where, you know, at that time, you know, truth and knowledge came from people. You believed it because this person said it was, so that may be your priest, that might be your king. And that's where truth came from. And one part of the Enlightenment project was to replace that with objectively verifiable scientific knowledge that isn't dependent on who's saying it. And it feels like we're still fighting that battle, sometimes where sometimes I feel like the environmental movement is saying, "Just look at the science! We don't need to have opinions. We don't need to have personalities. We don't need to have identities. We just need to look at the data and it'll tell us where to move." But that is not that simple. And it's not how people work. It's not how the vast majority people work. And even the people it does work for, does it really? Or is it actually cultural things that are predisposing them to accept scientific knowledge?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapYeah. And it ignores such a huge swath of human psychology, right? Like, we are rational beings, but that is hardly all of who we are. We are also cultural and social beings. We're tribal beings. So yeah, so much of the social science and psychological research is bearing out what you're saying, which is that you know that the scientific revolution has done wonders for the human condition. But it has also, in many ways, at least in the project that you just explained, it has issued huge portions of what it means to be human, in its pursuit of communicating truth and ignores that for millennia, humans have interpreted and understood truth very, very differently. And that's not going to go away anytime soon.John FiegeRight, exactly. So in the foreword to beyond stewardship, Bill McKibben writes, in the most Christian nation on earth, the most Christian people have grown ever more attached to leaders in causes antithetical to the idea of taking care of the earth. And here's what you wrote, in a CNN, Op-Ed entitled Young Evangelicals Are Defying Their Elders' Politics. You write, "We've grown weary of the current expression of Evangelical politics stoked by Trump's Republican Party, that seeks to convince us that faithful civic engagement is a black and white, 'us vs. them' proposition where danger to our way of life lurks around every corner and that our overriding political concern should be our own cultural power and comfort rather than advancing the good of our neighbors. Many of our peers have simply left the Evangelical tradition behind, fed up with how selfish, some of the followers of our famously selfless Savior have become." Wow, those are really strong words! I feel like, you know, are you are you channeling the book of Job here?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapThere was some pathos in that, yeah!John FiegeSo I pulled this Job 34. "Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? Is he not the one who says to Kings, 'You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'you are wicked,' Who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?" How have American Evangelicals become so aligned with worthless kings and wicked nobles who trade in destruction of the natural world? How do you understand that?Kyle Meyaard-SchaapWow, great question. So I've thought a lot about this, as you might imagine, and I think it's the result of a couple of realities. I think one explanation that's necessary is understanding the history of suspicion around scientific discovery and scientific findings in the white Evangelical Church in America. Much of this goes back to, uh, it depends on how far you want to go back. You know, it exists in the church universal going back to Galileo and Copernicus. But more recently in the American Protestant tradition, you can kind of trace it back to the middle of the 19th century when Darwin's Origin of the Species is published. And the US church is divided on how to respond. Some churches and church leaders say, Look, we can integrate this into our understanding of Scripture, we can recognize that Scripture is not a science textbook. It's It's teaching us something other than what Darwin is explaining. And both can be true. And we can integrate an understanding of evolution into how we believe God created the earth and how God sustains it. And other portions of the church said, No, this is this is the straw that breaks the camel's back, we cannot abide this, we need to reject this because it is a threat to the authority of Scripture. It is a threat to the bedrock of our lives and our cosmology, and how we understand God to be at work in the world, and we have to reject it. These camps kind of solidified into what became known as the modernists and the fundamentalists. The modernist arguing for integration of evolution into Christian life and the fundamentalist arguing for rejection of it. And it kind of came to a head in the Scopes Monkey Trial in the 1920s, when a teacher in Tennessee was put on trial for teaching evolution in school. And it became this national frenzy, the front page of all the papers around the country and Clarence Darrow. And William Jennings Bryan, went head to head and the fundamentalists won! William Jennings Bryan won the case! The teacher was convicted, but in the court of public opinion, the fundamentalists looked backwards, they looked ignorant, and public opinion really turned against those who are arguing to keep evolution out of schools. And the fundamentalists were kind of humiliated. And they, in many ways, went underground tended to their wounds, but didn't disappear. They were building institutions, they were planting new churches. And in many ways, they reemerged with Billy Graham, in the 1950s and 60s. And his movement, which in many ways became the precursor to the Moral Majority, the religious right, the rise of the religious rights in the 80s and 90s. Which, more than Graham, to his credit, Graham always expressed concern about wedding a particular political party to Christianity. Went a step beyond Graham and really wedded Christian faithfulness and Christian discipleship to Republican politics. And created a culture for an entire generation of political participation that said, if you're a Christian, you need to check the box with a "R" next to it, that is what God requires of you. And it was it was connected to arguments around particular policy issues, especially abortion, which which was kind of engineered into a wedge issue. If you look at the history of how that happened.The religious right really has its roots in opposition to federal desegregation efforts at Bob Jones University. But these leaders who are trying to create a constituency, turned abortion into a wedge issue and organize millions of Evangelicals into their camp. And that's the legacy right? And it's rooted in this suspicion of science going back to that fundamentalist and modernist controversy. And it's rooted in what a lot of Christians were formed in, which is this idea that faithful Christian civic engagement means supporting the Republican Party. And somehow, environmentalism got wedded to this suite of conservative Evangelical policy concerns also including gay marriage, LGBTQIA rights, feminism in general, and environmentalism as secularism. Environmentalism became seen as a sibling to the evolution debate. An effort to de-legitimize the authority of scripture to replace it with observable objective of scientific method, empiricism. And so environmentalism became lumped in with this suite of policy concerns that animated the religious right, and the movement of Evangelical conservative Christians in the US. And that was exploited by fossil fuel corporations who stood to lose the most from any sort of policy to curb emissions and documents abound, attesting to the fact that Exxon Mobil all the way back in the 80s was suppressing data. That they were spending billions of dollars to resurrect the playbook of big tobacco to hire their own scientists to commission their own studies with no other purpose other than to cast doubt within public dialogue around this conversation about the severity of the problem, the root causes of it, potential solutions around it. And a lot of that money went to target Evangelical Christians, because they were already primed to be suspicious about environmentalism as an "ism," which is to say, as a system of belief ultimate answers to ultimate questions like, why are we here? Who is governing the world or what is governing the world? So they were identified as a particularly ripe constituency to be misinformed. And then they were misinformed to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. And that's the history we're fighting against. And it's really powerful, and the interests allied against our efforts are strong. Those who benefit from the status quo are very powerful. And so it helps to understand some of that history because it gives me, it helps cultivate some compassion in me. I know a lot of these people. I know, a lot of these people are my family. I have extended family, most of my extended family does not understand why I do what I do. And even comes at me sometimes on social media especially. But understanding all of the forces that have aligned against them understanding this gives me some compassion, and also helps to remember my own journey, right? It took me years to recognize this to break the spell that had been cast on me. And so if it took me years, it's okay if it takes others years to and all I'm called to do is try to be one person on that journey, guiding them toward deeper understanding and deeper action.John FiegeWell, I've never heard a more succinct, more beautifully articulated story that starts with Darwin and ends with Merchants of Doubt.Kyle Meyaard-SchaapSuccinct is generous!John FiegeHey, for a reverend, you know!Kyle Meyaard-SchaapI'm rarely described as succint.John FiegeSo what could the largely secular environmental movement learn from Christian environmentalism in the idea of creation care?Rev. Kyle Meyaard-SchaapHmm. I hope one of the lessons is that the environmental movement should try not to give up on anybody. Because I think the emergence of the Creation Care movement, the emergence of Christian and especially Evangelical action on climate change, is a great case study, in the fact that constituencies can move. Especially when those constituencies are being reached by effective trusted messengers with messages that resonate with them. So I hope the larger environmental movement can look to the Creation Care movement, as an example of a constituency that shares their ultimate

Been chewing on this for a while. This is long, and meandering, and unfinished, so consider that. Give me your input. Let me know what you think.   @Alisa Childers   Channel on Mars Hill https://youtu.be/k6uneL8DW5A  @Jordan B Peterson  on  @Danica Patrick  Channel https://youtu.be/PimPkpIsN3g   @Jonathan Pageau  with JBP https://youtu.be/2rAqVmZwqZM Tim Keller and Kevin De Young https://youtu.be/3JWQPFvtzck High on God High on God https://amzn.to/38MCnF6 All One Body Human Sexuality Report https://www.allonebody.org/human-sexuality-report.html All One Body Response Trailer https://youtu.be/tRwzgn9-E7M Aaron Rodgers Danica Patrick https://www.nickiswift.com/227408/the-real-reason-aaron-rodgers-and-danica-patrick-broke-up/ The New Puritans https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/10/new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled/619818/ Aquila Report ARC https://www.theaquilareport.com/a-new-organization-alliance-of-reformed-churches-arc/ CRCNA Human Sexuality Report https://www.crcna.org/sites/default/files/human_sexuality_report_2021.pdf   Discord link. Good for just a few days. Check with more recent videos for a fresh link. https://discord.gg/pzBdZgnb Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ If you want to schedule a one-on-one conversation check here. https://paulvanderklay.me/2019/08/06/converzations-with-pvk/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay To support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin (BTC): 37TSN79RXewX8Js7CDMDRzvgMrFftutbPo  To support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin Cash (BCH) qr3amdmj3n2u83eqefsdft9vatnj9na0dqlzhnx80h  To support this channel/podcast with Ethereum (ETH): 0xd3F649C3403a4789466c246F32430036DADf6c62 Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A To support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640

This feature-length episode launches the final part of the trilogy, 'Irish Political Prisoners from 1848 to 2000', by QMUL's Professor Seán McConville. In conversation with Dr Maggie Scull (Syracuse University London) and Dr Martyn Frampton (QMUL), Seán discusses his latest book, 'Irish Political Prisoners 1960-2000, Braiding Rage and Sorrow'. The broad discussion, peppered with fascinating anecdotes, covers topics such as British and Irish state penal policy, internment, the role of the Catholic Church and Protestant Churches in Northern Ireland, and lessons for how states handle politically motivated offenders.

Today's episode is the third part in our overview of the Protestant Reformation, which started when a young Augustinian monk nailed 95 theses onto the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, and became one of the most influential revolutions in Western Civilization.We have been focused on one of the true pivot points in Western Civilization – the Protestant Reformation, which happened in the 16th century when Martin Luther – the monk with the mallet - set out to correct a problem he saw in the Medieval Catholic church he was serving and ended up splitting the church in two. This is the third of three lectures on the Reformation. In the first we:1.              Looked at the challenges inside the Medieval Church – principally the corruption that was by no means total but which was a real problem – and the ways in which the Gospel had been distorted, especially with regard to issues of repentance and justification. We also tracked the young Martin Luther from birth up to his appearance at the Diet of Worms.  2.              In the second – podcast number 36 – we followed Luther as he attacked indulgences, ended up excommunicated by both the Pope and the Emperor, was kidnapped by Frederick the Wise, spent a year hiding in the castle at Wartburg, and then as he returned to Wittenberg and led the Reformation. We also looked at his marriage, his death and some of his writings.In today's lecture we get a bit more theological. Perhaps I should apologize now. This isn't exactly the deep end of the pool, but it may be deeper. We're going to focus on the Five Solas – which is the shorthand phrase for saying, we are going to discuss the theological principles that Luther and the other reformers will argue for and ultimately establish in Protestant Churches.These are not the initial issues. Let me remind you that Luther – by his own admission – stumbled into the Reformation. Not only did he not set out to do what he did, but when he first started voicing objections, they were not about the things he would later be so adamant about.  When he nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, he was mad at Tetzel's sale of indulgences.  And if you read the 95 theses that is what you hear about. He was not mad at the Pope's power or the celebration of tradition or prayers to the saints, and he is not advocating for the five solas that we are going to focus on.  These things will emerge as the reformation plays out, and they are not all driven by Luther.  The Reformation ends up being much bigger than him.However, these five are important and you may hear them brought up from time to time and any thoughtful summary of the Reformation needs to make mention of them, so today they are our focus.  

Professor Chris Moreland joins the boys to talk about his faith, having grown up in the Catholic Church. We discuss the differences between how the Catholic and Protestant Churches view baptism, confirmation, the liturgy, the eucharist, and more! We discover these differences enrich our faith and do not need to be hinderances to seeing one another as a united Christian body. This is our introduction episode to who Chris is that we recorded as a sort of prelude to "Episode 86: Filioque, Christian Nationalism, and the Apocrypha". . Follow us on Social: facebook.com/thewholechurchpodcast Twitter @thewholechurch Instagram @wholechurchpodcast . Make a one-time donation: Cashapp $wholechurch . Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thewholechurchpodcast . Subscribe to our show: https://the-whole-church-podcast.captivate.fm/listen (https://the-whole-church-podcast.captivate.fm/listen) . Rate us & leave a review: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-whole-church-podcast-104837 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-whole-church-podcast-104837) . Sign up for our newsletter: thewholechurch@gmail.com

I hope that you enjoy this podcast. This podcast addresses briefly, the history of American racism. Given how broad that subject is, even with this being a longer podcast, I was not able to cover as much as I would like. I like to call this a narrative history as it tells the story of racism in America and how it has benefited whiteness. This is Part2 of the 5 part series on Antiracism. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay Randall Balmer article: The Real Origins of the Religious Right - POLITICO Magazine NAACP History of Lynchings: NAACP | History of Lynchings Miller, Robert Moats. "The Protestant Churches and Lynching, 1919-1939." The Journal of Negro History 42, no. 2 (1957): 118-31. Accessed March 28, 2021. doi:10.2307/2715687. Jemar Tisby The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism - Kindle edition by Tisby, Jemar, Moore, Lecrae. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. The Black Church: The Black Church | PBS --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unapologeticallyavram/support

From St. Petersburg, Angelina Davydova, Environmental journalist and head of the German Russian Office of Environmental Information, graciously joins us to give us the surprising facts on environmental activism, protests, and reforms in Russia. She talks about the very real effects of climate change in that part of the world, including the fires in Siberia, the record high temperatures, and the meteorological phenomena in Vladivostok. This was an eye-opening but uplifting conversation in many ways. We learned a lot and we hope you will too! ABOUT THE GUEST https://cdn.theconversation.com/avatars/99966/width238/3pqxrntc-1375095811.jpg Angelina Davydova is a renowned journalist, civil society expert, educator and change-maker with more than 20 years of experience in Russian and international media, international non-governmental organizations, think-tanks and the academy. Her main focus is on climate and environmental policies, efforts and solutions. She is regarded as an expert in Russian climate/environmental policy, “green” civil society initiatives and grass-root movements, environmental/climate journalism and communication, sustainable and resilient urban development. She is regularly contributing for Russian and international media outlets, while also editing a quarterly “Environment and Law”. In addition to this, she is also a director of an NGO “Office of environmental information” (based in St.Petersburg, Russia) and an expert with the DRA e. V. (Berlin). She teaches at the St. Petersburg State University (School of Journalism), the European University in St. Petersburg, School of Architecture March (Moscow) and gives guest lectures and seminars in universities in Germany and the USA. Since 2008 Angelina Davydova has also been an observer of the UN Climate Negotiations (the UNFCCC). She has graduated from The St.Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance in 2000 and completed a number of international educational and professional development programs, including the Thomson Reuters Foundation programme in Oxford University (2006), City of Hamburg Young Leaders Internship Program (2009), Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (UC Berkeley, California, 2012) and Humphrey Fellowship (UC Davis, 2018-2019. Angelina Davydova is a member of the Global Reference Group (Bread for the World, development and relief agency of the Protestant Churches in Germany) and a virtual fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (DC, 2020-2021). She is a member of the World Future Council since October 2020. https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/p/angelina-davydova/ Check out Angelina's journalism here: https://www.reuters.com/journalists/angelina-davydova NOTE: This episode was recorded on November 23rd, 2020 via Zoom. CREDITS Co-Host/Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig Co-Host/Assistant Producer: Zach Johnson Co-Producer: Matthew Orr (Connect: facebook.com/orrrmatthew) Co-Producer: Tom Rehnquist (Connect: Twitter @RehnquistTom) Associate Producer: Lera Toropin Assistant Producer: Samantha Farmer Assistant Producer: Katherine Birch Associate Producer/Administrator: Kathryn Yegorov-Crate Recording, Editing, and Sound Design: Michelle Daniel, Charlie Harper Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Charlie Harper, Ketsa, Scott Holmes, The Polish Ambassador, Michelle Daniel Trio) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Special Guest: Angelina Davydova.

In today's podcast, we'll focus on the Great Schism of 1054, which divided the church between the West — the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches — and the East — the capital “O” Orthodox churches.

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Catholic neoreactionary writer The Social Pathologist drew on the work of G.K. Chesterton to note how and de facto form of Buddhism had grown in the Christian church, more as a result of a loss of balance or a particular temperament or feeling than outright theological error. This manifests itself concretely in many parts of both the Catholic and Protestant Churches today, including the urban church. We see it in how any desire that causes people to become upset can be defined as a form of idolatry. This is true especially for the supposed "idolatry of the family."  A large number of people, especially women, in churches who deeply desired to be married and have children did not. Their grief over this is not evidence of idolatry but of legitimate loss. Similar things are true of teachings about dealing with things such as career failures or not getting into someone's desired college.In essence, to be very hurt or upset by desires unfulfilled is treated as evidence that we've put our hope in something other than Christ. The answer is thus to purge ourselves or desire or to moderate them to low levels so that this does not happen. Thus the path of righteousness is similar to the Buddhist emptying oneself of desireThe Social Pathologist on Christian BuddhismPart One: https://socialpathology.blogspot.com/2019/06/christian-buddhism.htmlPart Two: https://socialpathology.blogspot.com/2019/07/christian-buddhism-ii.htmlPart Three: https://socialpathology.blogspot.com/2019/07/christian-buddhism-iii.htmlPart Four: https://socialpathology.blogspot.com/2019/07/christian-buddhism-iv.htmlThe Litany of Humility: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/christianity-rachel-held-evans-the-power-of-being-wronged/

Mary Kennedy meets former president and author Mary McAleese. “Mary McAleese - President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011, the first person from Northern Ireland to hold that role. She is a barrister and academic lawyer qualified in both civil law and Catholic Church canon law. She was the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen’s University Belfast and is currently Professor of Children, Religion and Law at the University of Glasgow. She is Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin where she held her first academic post as Reid Professor. She was born into a Catholic family in North Belfast’s Ardoyne in 1951. Northern Ireland, to quote David Trimble its one time Ulster Unionist First Minister, was then “a cold house for Catholics”. The eldest of nine children, Mary’s family experienced first-hand the political and sectarian violence which dragged on for decades destroying lives, relationships and hopes. Her response to the challenge of such a bitterly divided society was to become deeply involved in promoting anti-sectarianism, reconciliation and inter-religious dialogue. She was co-author of a seminal report on the Churches’ response to sectarianism which was jointly commissioned by the Catholic Church and the Irish Council of Churches (which represents the main Protestant Churches). The theme of her Presidency was Building Bridges and throughout her fourteen years in office she worked to heal the fractured politico/sectarian relationships on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain. Her ambition was to replace a culture of deep distrust with one of good neighbourliness especially extending the hand of friendship to the hard to reach Loyalist communities. In 2011 she invited and hosted HM Queen Elizabeth II on the first state visit to the Irish Republic by a British monarch. After leaving office in 2011 she spent the following three years living in Rome and studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University where she obtained a licentiate and doctorate in canon law. In 2019 she was awarded the Alfons Auer Award in Ethics of the Catholic Faculty of Theology at the University of Tubingen. In 2020 she received the Woman of Courage Award of UNANIMA International at a ceremony in the United Nations HQ, New York.”

Did you know that the Reformation is quietly mentioned in prophecy? This episode is diving in to the history and formation of the Catholic and Protestant Churches. Please see the show notes for additional information. Show Notes: http://www.psalmstogod.com/2020/10/the-reformation-prophecy.html Website: https://www.psalmstogod.com Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/psalms_to_god YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7W_ZtA7gvpLO82D26uSHA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/psalmstogod7

Shawn began in the pro-life movement as a volunteer while in college at Texas A&M. During this time, he helped lead the first-ever local 40 Days for Life campaign, organizing Catholic and Protestant Churches for peaceful prayer vigils outside of Planned Parenthood Facilities. There is a movie, Unplanned, that shares a part of his story of how he led a Planned Parenthood Director out of the abortion industry to become a pro-life activist. Shawn has grown the 40 Days for Life Movement both nationally and then internationally, and this fall 40 Days for Life will host prayer vigils in 588 cities and 32 countries around the world. On this episode, we talk about the issues facing the pro-life movement today, and how we as leaders can work to end the modern-day genocide of abortion.  You can follow Shawn on Twitter at @CarneyShawn. 

Readings for August 30, 2020 Protestant Churches that use the RCL Jeremiah 15:15-21 (Alt) Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 26 (Alt) Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b (1, 45) Romans 12:9-21 Catholic Church Jeremiah 20:7-9 Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 Romans 12:1-2 Gospel Reading for Protestant and Catholic Churches Matthew 16:21-28

Thanks for joining us for an interview with one of our new exec members, Catherine Parr. An ABCL and former Newman Center exec member, Catherine has been a mentor and role model to so many of us throughout her years at Christian Union and the Newman Center. We're so glad that she has come and shared her amazing and inspiring testimony. We hope that you're as encouraged by her as we are! Timestamps: Intro: 0:00; Catherine Parr: 1:42; Testimony: 3:18; Truly knowing Jesus: 35:06; Pain and Christianity: 37:53; Discipleship and Burnout: 41:40; Tension Between Catholic and Protestant Churches: 48:29; What Changes Do You Hope to See in CU in 5 years?: 51:53; Importance of Her Story: 53:56; Life in Covid-time: 58:55; Fast 5: 1:05:55; Closing Thoughts: 1:06:05; Outro: 1:06:55; Links: www.cupenn.org; Contact: faithandactionpodcast@gmail.com; Nominate a Guest: https://forms.gle/bpcunoUDbpGDrZfM9; Credits: Hosts: Caleb Watt and Tommy Kumpf; Guest: Catherine Parr; Produced by: Caleb Watt; Artwork by: Sam Lee Recorded 5/27/20

Reverend Cornelis Kant is the Executive Director of Christians for Israel International. Rev. Cornelis has previously been working in the banking sector & has served as a Pastor in several Protestant Churches in the Netherlands. Listen in to hear his testimony & about his mission to speak about the biblical promises for Israel and the Jewish people. Support the show: http://historymakersradio.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reverend Cornelis Kant is the Executive Director of Christians for Israel International. Rev. Cornelis has previously been working in the banking sector and has served as a Pastor in several Protestant Churches in the Netherlands. Listen in to hear his testimony and about his mission to speak about the biblical promises for Israel and the Jewish people.

Have you ever wondered why the Catholic cross is different from the Protestant cross? I did. When I started church shopping in Miami after I decided to come back to God, I noticed a big difference between the crosses in Catholic Churches and the Protestant Churches. I discovered the reason is rather simple. If you want the assurance of a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven, this is what you have to do… Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit. Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly… “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.” Soli Deo Gloria -- to God Alone be the Glory! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/seek-the-truth/message

This day marks the arrival of the most barbaric abortion legislation to Northern Ireland since Christian times. This shift in attitudes comes as a surprise to many sincere believers, but it ought not. Our powerlessness before this proclamation, and the widespread acceptance and welcoming of this return of paganism is welcomed by many, in and out of the churches. Why are we failing to win on this issue? Why the ongoing cultural degradation? It is simple, yet tragic, the 'gospel' proclaimed in most churches is a gospel for the other world, with minor personal behaviour changes, in this world. The churches cannot change the culture because they have adopted the reigning religion, humanism of various shades, wholesale. The Christianity which remains is piecemeal and concerned with heaven, the four walls of what we call 'church' plus Sunday openings and what we ought not to do in the bedroom. Why this great change? We have said that God is not concerned with the central activity of culture, the preservation of its central values and their transference to the next generation. This, it is maintained, is a neutral matter. Cultural activity for Christ is 'dangerous' and tends towards 'works-salvation' and has Judaizing tendencies. I can show clearly, with reference to written statements made by public representatives of the two main Protestant denominations in N. Ireland, that, between the two periods surveyed, the 1830's and 2010's, the names have remained, but the religion has changed. What is the answer? Great big prayer meetings? Marching on Stormont? These can be great things, but without repentance, surely this is nothing but smoke in God's eyes. We need repentance, we need to treat God as God of the whole earth, not just a local diety of the church buildings or of heaven. We don't need special effects, smoke machines, or a re-jigging of Christianity. We need to bring back The King, not just in our churches, but also in our schools. This can never be done within the state system, which enthrones the cardinal doctrines of humanism, new institutions must be built which seek accreditation from God, not the state. Things are dire, but there is hope, but only with a recognition of how far we have fallen, repentance, and works in keeping with repentance. May God give us grace to act. Nathan F Conkey

When the push for homosexual “marriage” began in the late 1990s, word was, from the “LGBTQ Community,” that permitting homosexuals to “marry” won’t hurt anyone. Read the article here!

REV. DR. JONATHAN METTASOPHIA, the youth ministry leader for Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, joins us to talk about the Orthodox Church, its differences with the Catholic and Protestant Churches, and how we can all be better united across denominations. Follow us on Patreon: patreon.com/thewholechurchpodcast

Read all of Sarah’s work, but if we were forced to choose, here’s the place to start:Until We All Have Voices in CatapultFabric of a Community, Gone Threadbare: A Tour of Ohio’s New Trump Country in CatapultThe Crusading Bloggers Exposing Sexual Abuse in Protestant Churches in The Washington Post MagazineTeaching My Daughter That God Might Be a Girl in The Washington PostRebecca Todd Peters take on male-dominated speech in the churchGetting Elected Upended My Home Life. But Here’s What I Hope I’m Teaching My KidsI Made Up Xennial 3 Years Ago, So Why is a Professor in Australia Getting All the Credit?Honorable Mentions:Sex abuse bloggers and activists Sarah mentions: Ashley Easter, Wartburg Watch, & Watch KeepSeveral Houston Chronicle stories on the sex abuse scandals linked here, here, and hereThe awesomeness that is Kevin McFadden, aka Christopher Pike (Remember these? I have very vivid memories of checking these out of the school library and tearing through them like a fiend, battling any kid in my path who was after the new one.)The Problem of Dirty HandsSusan Orleans The Library BookEmily Nussbaum and anything she writes, but also her new book I Like to WatchAlexandria Petri and any of her opinion pieces in The Washington Post, but especially this one called “On Giving Up”

Fr. Michael Maximous- Servants' Edification Lecture. An introduction to the differences between the Orthodox and Protestant Churches.

Episode 18 of B.Boomer Unleashed, The Evolution of the Church: Enter the Mega Church of the 1970s Part 1 discusses the entry of the Protestant Mega Church. For the purpose of discussion, we define Mega Church as any Protestant Church with a membership of 2,000 or more. We discuss how we have gone from less than a dozen Mega Churches in the early 70s to nearly 750 today. We lay the background and provide the early history of development in these churches with particular emphasis on early Baptist Mega Churches. We discuss the first ingredient in the recipe for success in the early Mega Church, and how the Baby Boomers played an important role in this phenomenon. In follow-up episodes, we will move through the remaining ingredients for success, and expand our discussion to Televangelists, Mega Money Churches, and how far we've departed from the Local Community Church that we knew growing up in the 50s and 60s. We'll also discuss how one of the pioneer Televangelists, Bishop Pike, may have been the catalyst that propelled mainline Protestant Churches to capitalize on the groundwork he laid in the early days of religious broadcasting. Each remaining episode in this series builds on information provided in the preceding episodes. We ask you to listen to Episode 18 of B.Boomer Unleashed and every episode as we discuss this important topic. 

Is the Catholic Church the true church? What does the Bible say about the character of the church? Does it resemble Catholicism of the Protestant Churches?

It Is Because of Me this Great Storm Has Come Upon You is a podcast of the Sunday Worship Services at Laguna Presbyterian Church. Rev. Dimitris Boukis is preaching from Jonah 1. It is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Video: Refugees and Migrants, was shown as a part of the worship service, following the reading of Jonah 1. Meet Rev. Dimitris Boukis:  Born in 1965 in Athens Greece, he received a BA in History in 1992 from Deree College in Athens, Greece and an M.Div in Theology in1996 from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Being a minister of the Evangelical Church of Greece since 1996, he has served primarily as a Youth Pastor at Large and as a pastor in its parishes in LA from 2000-2002 and from 2004 as Pastor of the 3rd Evangelical Church of Athens He has been involved with the philanthropic diaconia of the Evangelical Church of Greece and most specifically with the diaconia among the refugees since 1998 and with victims of trafficking since 2008. From 2002 until today, he is elected in the position of Secretary for the Executive Committee of the General Synod in the Evangelical Church of Greece. Since 2012 he has been serving as a proxy-member of the Central Committee of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) and from 2018 as Vice-President of the World Community of Protestant Churches (WCRC) in Europe. He is a visiting professor of Church History and Historical Theology at the Greek Bible College in Athens, Greece, and a regular keynote speaker in Conferences and events through out Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Egypt, Australia and the United States. He is married to Lorraine Kefalas and is the father of Dimosthenis and Alexander.

The LifeWay Research team discusses ways churches welcome guests.

Andrea Zaki, President, Protestant Churches of Egypt

Father Wesley Walker (a BadChristian Media listener mind you) educates Joey on his religious affiliation and shares how he views and carries out his role of a priest.  These two are both seen as “pastors,” but both have different self-reflections on what that means.  It’s my opinion (Joey) that both approaches of shepherding are equally valid, equally flawed, and both approaches equally needed depending on context in which they are carried out.

Today I'm going to try to read the WHOLE Book of Mormon in one day... but before I do, I need to answer some important questions that you've been asking. ---Transcript--- Hey everyone, this is Russell Brunson. I want to welcome you back to the Book of Mormon Challenge podcast. I am so excited for today's episode. It's actually 5:30 in the morning, and I got up really early today because I'm going to be taking you guys on a really special journey, and I'll tell you about it here in a second, but I am just ecstatic. I couldn't fall asleep last night, and this morning I set my alarm for like 5:20, and I was up at 5:00 I couldn't even, which never happens for me. That's how excited I am for today. Really quick, so I launched the podcast this week, which is a huge thing, it's something I wanted to do, honestly, for a couple of years now. And then about 6 months ago or so, I recorded the first two episodes and got excited, then I got nervous and then I didn't do anything about it and then finally, this week I was like, I just need to get this live. So Monday I called my brother up, who does all my audio editing, and got the podcast live. And it's live and I just kind of shared it with friends and family and people I know, and it's been really fun to see people's feedback. And anyway, I'm just going to keep going on this journey and it'll be a lot of fun. So as I have said out there, there are a lot of people obviously, members of the LDS church that listen to it, but I've had a lot of friends, and I've got a big following online, and I didn't really, I haven't published it out there. I think I'm going to talk about it a little bit today, just let people know about it in case they're curious. But some of my friends who aren't members listened to it, and it's been kind of fun and interesting to hear some of their feedback.  Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and it's opening doors to conversations I normally don't have. So hopefully this, for those of you guys who are members of the church, who if you like this, feel free to share this with other people and hopefully it will help open up doors for you to talk about things that we should be talking about. The one thing I want to talk about really quick, the biggest question I've been getting so far by people is, “What's the Book of Mormon Challenge, Russell? What is it?” Well, there's a couple of things. The most basic and the most simple is that I'm challenging everybody, including me to actually go and read the Book of Mormon. And then not to take my word for it, or Google's word for it, but to actually go and pray and see what the Lord says, and say, ask him to find out if it's true. Because if it is true, like I talked about in episode 1 and 2, this is a huge deal and you should know about it, and you should care about it…It's huge. But you gotta find out for yourself, so that's my challenge for you. Now, when you go to BookofMormonChallenge.com, the sites up there right now and all there are is download links to, or subscribe links to this podcast on both apple and android. And a link to where you can get a free copy of the Book of Mormon from lds.org, and just basically a place you can put your email address in to get on a notification list. I'm working on a bunch of really cool things behind the scenes. We have an app coming out and a bunch of other stuff, so those things are coming but for right now I just wanted to start. I wanted to stop using the fact that the site and everything wasn't finished as an excuse, and I just wanted to start. Alright, so with that said, the Book of Mormon Challenge is for everybody to read the Book of Mormon. After you read it to pray about it, ask Heavenly Father if it's true. If it is true, then I got so many exciting things I want to share with you, but that part is up to you. So that's still the challenge. And as I was thinking about this, I thought about when did I take that challenge? And it's been, man, it's been…I'm getting old, it's been like 20+ years since I had that experience. And it changed the trajectory of my life, and I'm so grateful for it. But I wanted to go though it again with everybody. So I was like, I'm going to start reading the Book of Mormon again, in more detail. As you know, if you listened to the intro of this show, and episodes 1 and 2, I actually bought one of the first editions of the Book of Mormon, one of the first 5,000. And what's fun, I've had a chance with my kids to read it, but I don't know the book is kind of frail and fragile, and I haven't really just read the whole thing, and I've wanted to. And Monday, after I launched the podcast I started thinking about a story, and there's a story about a guy named Parley P. Pratt, some of you guys may know him. People who are members of the Mormon church probably know him, but most people probably don't. But he was one of the first people to join the church and he lived back when Joseph Smith was alive in the 1820's, and somebody gave him one of the first 5,000 copies of the book and he started reading it and I found a quote from him last night, he said, it said, “Parley P. Pratt was introduced to the Book of Mormon in an experience that will forever change his life. Later he recalled, ‘I read all day, eating was a burden, I had no desire for food. Sleep was a burden because when the night came I preferred reading to sleep.” And he actually read the entire Book of Mormon in an entire day. Like he said, sleeping and eating became a burden to him. I always thought that was the coolest story. I can't believe he read the entire book in a day. Anyway, on Monday I was thinking about that, I should do a Parley P. Pratt day and actually try to read the entire Book of Mormon in a day, just like he did. How fun would that be? And then I was like, I wonder if I could find the date that he actually did that and I started searching and I couldn't find it anywhere. Then I just went to Wikipedia and looked it up. And it turns out that today was actually Parley P. Pratt's birthday. So this was Monday I found this out. I was like, oh my gosh, Thursday is his birthday. What if I made it a Parley P. Pratt day, I took work off and I just read the entire book in a day? That was the idea, I got excited and now here we are today. I'm going to read the entire book today. So I am pumped and excited and so that's what's going to be happening. So I'm actually going to record multiple sections of this podcast throughout the day to just kind of talk about some of the stuff I'm reading in the book, obviously it's a huge book and I'm not going to have time to talk about everything. But some of the big story lines I'm going to jump back in and just record little pieces for you guys, with the hope that it gets you pumped and excited to go and actually get the book and read it. Those who are members and haven't been reading it recently, it's going to hopefully get you excited to go back in and read it. Those who have no idea what this is about, hopefully get you inspired to actually open it up and read the book. That's my goal, so it's going to be kind of fun. Alright, another couple of things I want to go through before I stop this recording and open the book and start reading. As I've kind of opened the flood gates of this podcast, the questions from people I love keep flying in, so I wanted to talk about one because I think it's really, really important as a preface to any of you guys who are thinking about, “Should I read this? Should I not? I'm scared, do I do it?” and the question a lot of people keep asking me is “Are Mormon's Christians?” and they're like, “I know you've been a Mormon for a long time, but are you guys Christians? What do you guys believe?” I actually, there's an app on my phone called Voxer, it's kind of like a walkie-talkie app, so a couple of my friends who asked me that question, I actually voxed them back a response. I kind of did a little mini history lesson. Let me explain kind of where everything fits in the world history and where Mormons come from. And I explained it and I've sent that to two or three people and they're always like, “Oh, I didn't know that. That's what you guys do? That's what you believe? That's what Mormons are?” and I'm like, “Yeah.” And then it's really fun. So I thought I would just go through that really quick with you guys because if you see where it fits in the timeline of world events and Christianity, it makes a lot more sense. So that's what I'm going to do, I want to kind of walk you guys through that process. For all my good Christian friends, I'm going to start with the Old Testament. So if you read the Old Testament right, everything inside the Old Testament is pointing to Christ. In fact, it's interesting, two weekends ago it was Easter Sunday, it was the Passover, a bunch of stuff, and we don't actively as Mormons, like most Christians celebrate the Passover, but one of our close friends, Monica Tanner who goes to church with us, she actually grew up Jewish and then she became Mormon later, but her and her family always celebrates Passover. So she actually invited us over to their house for Passover dinner, which was one of the coolest things ever. So we went through and we learned all their traditions with the Passover, how it works, and we actually had a Passover meal, we had unleavened bread, it was the coolest thing ever. And she was going through it and she was explaining all this stuff to us, the symbolism, I've always known about the symbolism in the Old Testament and how it all points to Christ, but going through the Passover, it was so cool to see. It was just amazing to see how everything pointed to Christ, it's such a cool….maybe I'll see if I can get her to come on and do an episode because it was just amazing to see how all those things, how they all pointed to Christ. So we fast forward, and we know that Christ comes. He's born from Mary who was a virgin and he lives this life. And what's so cool is we have the New Testament that documents that, right. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell the story of Christ and his coming, and his life and everything that happens here on this earth. There's where it's very, we believe the same thing. I have friends who are like, “Oh you don't believe, you guys are Mormons, you don't believe what we believe.” I'm like, “No, we believe the same things, I read the Old Testament, it all points to Christ. I read the New Testament. I love Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All that stuff, we believe all that stuff.” So I don't want people thinking that we don't. We do, I think I've read it and I understand it more than most people. I believe it and it's something that we cherish. So here's where I want to go into the timeline. So Christ is here on earth and before he's crucified he organizes his church and it's somewhere between 30 and 34 A.D. right. He calls 12 apostles; he gives them keys of authority to do certain things to be able to build his church. So he calls his 12 apostles and then he goes out and starts teaching and sometimes it's received really well, other times it's not so well. And as we know eventually Christ is crucified. And then 3 days later on Easter morning, he's resurrected the greatest miracle in the world. And because he was resurrected, we as human beings all have the chance to be resurrected as well, which is one of the greatest gifts ever. If not, the greatest gift. And I'll go deeper on other episodes about Christ and him being our Messiah, our Savior. By far that moment of him suffering and dying for our sins and then rising again is the most important thing that ever has, and ever will happen on this earth. We love Christ, we sustain him as our savior. So for any Christians, yes, that is the most important event in the history of time. From the beginning of time until forever, and that's huge. Now, if you look at what happened after that, I want to talk about the history side, because it's just, it's interesting. So when Christ comes back, he comes back to his apostles and says, “Okay, now it's time to go out and teach this gospel.” If you read the New Testament, the Acts of The Apostles, they're going out there and doing these things. And the rest of the New Testament, these letters they're writing to different people trying to maintain the church and there's false doctrine popping up coming from other religions and other faiths and other belief's and they get converted into Christianity, but when the apostles leave they start doing all sorts of crazy things. They're writing all these letters trying to, “No, that's not what we believe. We believe this, this, and this.” And they're trying to keep this new church together and it's hard. It wasn't in the day and age, like we live in now where there's internet and things that connect people. They're trying to spread this message around the world and it's hard, and they're going out there. And then about 65 A.D. the persecution of the Christians starts happening and it's getting worse and worse and worse, and that's happening for the next 250 years. Now by about 100 A.D. all the apostles have been killed and most of them by some pretty bad, they didn't die happy deaths. In fact, I have a list here that I pulled up. Andrew was crucified, Bartholomew was beaten almost to death and then crucified, James was stoned to death, the other James was beheaded, John as you know, was exiled and then he ended up dying of old age, Judas (not Iscariot, but the other Judas) was stoned to death, Matthew was speared to death, Peter was actually crucified upside down because he didn't want to die the same way the Savior did, he didn't feel he was worthy of that. Phillip was crucified, Simon was crucified, Thomas was speared to death, Mathias was stoned to death. It wasn't a happy thing. People weren't all excited, they didn't take this message of Christianity well. So within 100 years all the 12 apostles of Christ were gone and false doctrines among all the churches started creeping up like crazy, and it kind of just went out of control. We start moving into the dark ages and all these things because of that. Now if you look at, again, history. About 325 A.D. there was this dude named Constantine, and he was not a good person but he wanted power and he was like, “How do I get power?” And he's like, “I'm going to, there's this little thing, this cult of people called Christianity, if I take that and make that the official church it will give me ability to have power.” So he, not in a righteous, good way took all this, took this Christianity thing and made it the national church, made it this big thing, and that's when Christianity as we know it was formalized like, okay this is Christianity. Now, about that time started the dark ages, and the dark ages there's all this time going by where there's Christianity and you read about all these evil, horrible things that happened in the name of Christianity, very non-Christian things happened during this time. About 1054 A.D. the church splits into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, that's the split of Christianity. But that's kind of what it was. Now fast forward a little bit further down the timeline, 1388 John Wycliffe, he was a Catholic priest. He denounced the Catholic Church, he didn't like it. He was branded as a heretic and then he actually went and translated the bible into English. So if you look at before, there wasn't printing presses, there wasn't computers, there's one or two people who have the bible and they're like, “Oh yeah, the bible says this. You gotta do this.” And they're like controlling people based on what they're saying, “here's the word of God. This is what it is.” So he was a big instrument in getting it translated into English so that other people could actually know about it. But still it was like, there was this book and people just didn't have it. Now fast forward a little further down the timeline, 1455 Gutenberg invents the printing press, which literally changes the world. Bibles were printed all over the place, as well as other books. Bibles were printed and now people, human beings can actually read it themselves and be like, “Wait a minute, it didn't say that. This is what it actually said.” Right, and it gives people the ability to actually know what the scriptures said. Think about that, for the first 1500 years after Christ was born people didn't have access to his words. They just had access to what not righteous people wanted them to believe about his word. It's kind of crazy if you look at it. Fast forward a little more, 1520. This is when it starts, the religious landscape starts shifting a lot. 1520 there's a dude named Martin Luther, and Martin Luther he is going through and he is reading the Bible and reading this and seeing what the Catholic Church is doing and he's like, “This doesn't make sense.” There's things that aren't quite jiving here. In fact, one of his biggest pet peeves was the selling of indulgences, which basically means people would go and would go to their church and they would pay money to get their sins removed. So they do bad things, they would commit adultery, they'd murder, they'd do whatever and they'd go to the church and say, “Hey, I'm going to buy some indulgences, here's some money.” And then the church would forgive them of their sins. And he was like, this is not doctrinal, this is not what the scriptures say, this is not a real thing. And he wasn't very happy about it, so what he did is one day he wrote up what was called the 95 Thesis', he wrote this whole thing up and depending, I was studying last night, depending on different accounts  some people say it was a letter he mailed, some people say he went up to the door of the church and nailed these thesis' to the door. But regardless he basically wrote, “These are 95 things that are not correct that we should be looking at. This is not doctrinal, this is stuff that's being made up.” And so he nailed this stuff to the door of the church, or mailed the letter, or probably a variation of a bunch of things, I don't really know. But that started what we call the Protestant Reformation, where everyone is like, “You're right. This isn't right.” And this is when churches started breaking off from the Catholic Church. We call it the Protestant Reformation, they were protesting the Catholic Church. So they were protesting, they broke off and all the sudden this when all these Christian churches start popping up. Where someone would say, “I believe this is how things should be.” And they would start their own church and they were protesting and they would start it and it became, again, the Protestant Reformation is what this whole thing was. People protesting the Catholic Church and starting their own churches. It was such an important thing because it was giving people the ability to be like, “What do I believe the scriptures mean?” and they would believe that and they could start congregations and churches based on that, so they could worship God in the way that they believed was actually true. And it was super important to the whole foundation of Christianity, I believe. So that's happening and this is happening all over the world. Now fast forward the timeline a little more, boom 1776 America is founded, Columbus comes to this land, a little bit later George Washington comes and they fight for American freedom and one of the biggest things they fight for is religious freedom. They don't want to have the government to be in charge of religion. So they come here to American, they create the constitution, they fight the revolutionary war and this amazing thing happens where they're able to actually worship God in the way that they believe is right. The first time this has happened. There was no government to say, “No, this is what you must believe.” It's scary nowadays if you look at where government is going, they're trying to make it creep back to that. But America was based on religious freedom, you could worship however or whatever you want. So it created this environment now where people could believe whatever they wanted but the pros and cons to that. So what happens is there's all these churches popping up and they're all over the place and there's tons of them. And I can just imagine what it was like then, I know what it's like today, but everyone's believing different things. And one person says, “This is the truth.” And another person says, “This is the truth.” And people are like confused and picking sides and everyone's trying to, everyone in their best interest is like, “I'm trying to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling like the scriptures say. I gotta figure out what's true. I need to know what truth is.” Which, this is by the way, the entire message of my podcast. It's not for us to say, my opinion is this. The whole message of this podcast is what is the actual truth? I'm going to put my opinion on the side and I'm going to suspend my own judgment and try to find out what is God's truth and what does God actually believe, what is the actual truth? So people are trying to figure that out the best that they can. And there are revivals and all sorts of crazy stuff starts happening. Fast forward to the year 1820, so this is where this is kind of coming to a head here in America. All these churches, everything is happening, 1820 there is a boy that lives in upstate New York, he's 14 years old, and he's in the middle of this religious environment and all he wants to do is figure out what church is true. Which one should he follow? In fact, from his history I'm going to read a little part of what he wrote. He said, “During this time of great excitement, my mind was called up in serious reflection and great uneasiness. I often said to myself, what is to be done? Who of all these parties are right or are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it? How shall I know it? While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, 1st chapter, 5th verse which reads, ‘if any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given to him.' He then said, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the hearts of men than this did at this time to mine. It seemed it ended with great force in every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did. For how to act, I did not know. And unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know. For the teachers of religion from the different sects understood the same passage of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the bible. “At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion or else I must do as James directs, that is ask of God. At length I came to the determination to ask of God, concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally and upbraideth not, I might venture.” So he reads the scripture that says, “If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God. That giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” And he's like alright, the scriptures say if you got a question go ask God and he'll tell you. By the way, it's the same message I have for you guys today. So Joseph Smith read that and he's like, “I've got to figure it out.” He's a 14 year old boy. I've got 12 year old twins right now, he's a young, young, young person. And as only a young person can do, he's like, the bible, everyone explains it differently so what am I supposed to do? So he went out next to his home and there was this grove of trees. I've actually had a chance to go there, it was one of the neatest experiences of my life. He goes in this grove of trees and he kneels down and starts praying. And his question is simple, “Heavenly Father, which church should I join. Whatever is your truth, I will do it. If you say this is the church I will go there. I don't care what it is, whatever you tell me is the actual truth, I will do because I want to follow the truth. So he sits down, he kneels down and starts praying and what happened next is not something I don't think he expected, I don't think anybody expected it, but what happened was amazing. And I'll, again, I'm going to read to you his own words of what he said happened. “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, ‘this is my beloved son, hear him.' So what happened to him is he had this vision from heaven. Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ came to him and I can just imagine, I don't know what would happen. I don't know what you would do. I can't even imagine that situation, it's the most amazing thing I've ever heard, once again, if it's true it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened. Again, this is why it's so important for you guys to, I'm going to do a whole podcast on how to get answers to prayers, but you guys have to find out if this is true. Because if it's true, if Heavenly Father and Jesus came to a boy and told him the answer to this question, which church is true, what should I join? If that's true, do you want to know the answer to the question? It's amazing. So he asks them, “Which church should I join?” and they basically came back and said don't join any of them. In fact, let me see if I can find in his own words what he said. He said, “My object to going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner therefore did I get possession of myself was I able to speak that I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right? For this time it had never entered my heart that all were wrong and which I should join. I was answered I must join none of them for they were all wrong and the personages who addressed me said that their creeds were an abomination inside, and that those professors who were all corrupt. “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts were far from me, they teach doctrines for the commandments of men having a form of Godliness but they deny the power thereof.” So he basically said don't join any of them. What's interesting, if you look at this, all these churches are there and my belief is that there's truth in all these churches. Every one was going back to the Bible and saying, “This is what this means.” And they were trying their best to do these things, and there's truth in every single church. And I want you guys to understand that because I have friends in every religious denomination in the world and I have so much love and respect for all of them and there's truth in every single one of them. I love going to other churches and reading other people's scripture. I'm a big believer in that, because there's truth in every single one of them. But basically what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ said to Joseph Smith was there's truth in all of them, but none of them have the fullness of the truth. And that was the key. They also didn't have the authority. When Christ was here and he called 12 apostles, he put his hands on their heads and gave them authority, priesthood authority to do things. When they were killed that authority kind of disappeared off the face of the earth. So what happened through this vision and others, was basically Joseph Smith was called to restore the true church back on earth. Now I want to talk about this, so if you look at the history of the timeline, there was the Catholic Church and it broke into two things. We have the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church and from there, there were these Protestant Churches that were protesting the Catholic church and started their own things. Where does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, where do they feel they fit? We're not a protestant reformation. We weren't protesting the Catholic Church to start our own thing, we consider ourselves the restoration of the church. We're restored back to the original church. And there's so many cool things I want to share with you guys in future podcasts about what happened. Our Heavenly Father came back, he restored, he called a prophet and 12 apostles, and he gave the priesthood authority to these men, he created temples. Have you ever wondered about, in the Old Testament temples were such a vital part of all these things and these covenants were being made in the temples and there's so much amazingness, where are those today if they were gone? Heavenly Father came back and restored temples; they restored all these things that were lost during the dark ages, during all the persecutions of Christians, during all this history. Like how I went through all these plain and precious truths, these amazing things that were there that disappeared; all those things were restored back. So the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is not a Protestant Church, it's a restorationist church. It was restored back to be the same church that was set up when Christ was here. So once again, there is a prophet today on earth, just like there was in Christ's time. There are 12 apostles, all those things have been brought back. That's the message, that's what's so exciting about this. That's kind of where we feel like we fit. And once again, we are Christians, we believe in Christ, we believe he's our Savior, all those things are the same. We just believe that his true church that was on earth when he was here, the one he set up, over the years has fallen apart and become corrupt and he came back to restore in these latter days. So there's where Mormons are and how we are Christians. The next question that people always ask me is, “What is this Book of Mormon? I already have a Bible. What's the point of this? Why do we even have this? I don't understand.” So the back story on that, because I'm going to explain it and then I'm going to, I'm anxious to jump in and start reading. I'm going to try to read the whole thing today, so I'm excited. After this first vision, we call the first vision, it's the first time that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ came and explained it to Joseph Smith. After that there were a whole bunch of other visions from other people, from angels that came to Joseph Smith. One of them happened September 21, 1823, he was praying in the upper room of his parents log home in New York and an angel came to him. The angel's name was Moroni, and he appeared to Joseph Smith and said, “God has work for you to do.” And he was like, “okay.” And he said, I'm going to read from his account. “He informed Joseph that there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates giving the account of the former inhabitants of this continent and the source from wence the sprang. The book could be found in a hill not far from the Smith family farm. This was no ordinary history, it contained the fullness of the everlasting gospel as delivered by the Savior.” Imagine this, an angel comes to you and says, “Okay, there's work Heavenly Father needs you to do. There's a hill not too far from your house, and in that hill there are buried these plates.” Plates, we always call them plates, but that sounds weird to most people. It's like a book written on gold pages, like scratched in. Because back in the day, paper isn't going to last thousands of years, so they had gold and silver plates and they would sketch in the writings in these plates so they would be preserved and wouldn't get destroyed from the elements. So there's this book written on gold plates, and it's over here and we're going to go get it. So eventually he went and he found it, dug it up from the earth, this angel named Moroni and he gives him this book. And he's looking in the book, and the book is written in old reformed Egyptian, it's not English, he couldn't read it. And he's like, “What is this book?” and he's like, “Your job is to translate this book from this old language to English.” And Joseph Smith is a young kid at the time and he's like, “I don't know how to translate. I'm not a translator, I don't know how to speak this weird language that's etched into these plates.” He said, “Don't worry, you're going to translate this through the gift and power of God.” I've written two books, and the reason why I tell you that is both of my books took me over a year to write. I feel like they're pretty good books, but they're not the book I'm about to read today. This book I'm about to read today, I'm holding it in my hand, it is thick, it is hard to read, not hard to read but its scripture. It's not like an easy to read, sit down and read stories and its nice and happy. It's a thick real book, it's a book of scripture. Joseph Smith begins translating and I'm not going to get into this podcast how he translates, because I don't have all the details in front of me, but he translated this through the gift and power of God. The entire translation period from the time he started, to the time it ended, was three months between April and June of that year. Three months. Now I don't know about you, I could not write my own book in three months, and I had ten years of me studying and doing and implementing to do the thing I was writing my book on. This is a book that covers over a thousand years of history, with thousands of characters and wars and geology, and theology and it's amazing. And he translated the whole thing in three months, through the gift and power of God. Now when he was translating it, the question is what's on, what were on these golden plates? What was the book? What is it about? So I'm going to give you guys a hint because I'm about to read it. But I'm going to get you guys excited just so you'll know what it is, and hopefully give you guys some desire to actually open it up and read it. Don't be like, “I'm not going to read it.” Are you crazy? If some dude told you there's a book from God, I don't know, I've read most every religious book I could find because I'm like, “If somebody else believes it, I want to read it and find out if it's true. This is important for me. It should be important for all of us.” So what did he find? So he started reading this book and found out, when you start reading the book, when you start translating it, it begins about 600 years before Christ was born, in Jerusalem.  There was a prophet named Lehi, if you're looking at the Old Testament, this was about the same time that Jeremiah was alive. So Jeremiah was a prophet, and if you read Jeremiah it talks about it in there. It said that there were many prophets in the land. So Jeremiah was a prophet, there were other prophets. And one of the prophet's name was Lehi, and that's where the book starts. It's Lehi and his family. And Lehi has this vision, he says, “Look, Jerusalem is going to be destroyed, and if you look at history actually it was destroyed.” I think 12 or 13 years later. But he has this vision that Jerusalem is going to be destroyed, you need to go and tell people to repent, as most prophets are told to do. So Lehi goes out and tells all the people, “Repent, you need to repent. Jerusalem is going to be destroyed.” And they're like, “Are you kidding me. Jerusalem is like the biggest city in the world, we're not going to be destroyed.” And they start mocking him, they stone him, they try to kill him and they're like, “you're crazy.” So Lehi, this dude back 600 years before Christ is born has another vision that says, “You need to get your family out of here, you're going to be destroyed.” So they gather up all their belongings and they leave Jerusalem, and that's when the book takes place, this exodus of Jerusalem. And they don't know where they're going. They go in the wilderness, and then they start having these visions, “you need to go back to Jerusalem and you have to go get these brass plates.” And they're like, “Why do we get the brass plates.” And they force them to go back and there's this whole story about how they go back and get these brass plates. They get the brass plates, and the brass plates are actually the Old Testament. It was Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, I believe, maybe some more of it. But it's these brass plates back then. So they have the Old Testament that they were able to get and they take these brass plates and they wander in the wilderness for a whole bunch of years and eventually they land on a sea shore, and then the Lord comes to them and says, “you need to build a boat.” And they build a boat, and they jump in the boat and sail across to land. They end up landing here in America, and then they become the ancient inhabitants here in America. So they were part of the ancient Indians, they weren't all the Indians, but they were a part, a big section of the Indians came from Lehi and his family. So they come here to America and the storyline is amazing. There's these two brothers and these brothers get in a fight and they split into two different groups, and one group is more righteous, they're called the Nephites, the other group is more evil, they're called the Lamenites. And the whole book is the story of their civilization and the wars between the two of them and God coming to them and prophesying and prophets coming, and all these amazing things. So it's their dealings. The people who lived here anciently, the ancient Indians and their dealings with God. And it's about a thousand year history. So it starts 600 years before Christ came, and now the coolest thing, and I cannot wait to get to this part in the book, I don't know what time I'm going to get to it. It might be noon, it might be 5:00 tonight, it might be midnight. I don't know how long it's going to take me to get there, but towards the end of the book, the prophets here in America are telling them, “Look, there's this guy, he's going to be the Savior. He's coming here, he's coming to earth. His name is Jesus Christ and he's the Savior of the world and he's going to redeem us of our sins.” Now imagine this, this is other people on the other side of the world in ancient America and they're like, “You're crazy, this isn't a real thing.” The prophet's telling them, “There's a sign when he's born, this is what's going to happen.” And the people don't believe him and they're threatening to kill them and then the sign happens. And they realize that, oh my gosh, on the other side of the world in a little manger in Jerusalem a baby is born who is going to become our Savior and they know that he's born. And they're on the other side of the world, again, there's no internet or TV. But they know he's been born and they don't know what's happening. And however many, thirty some odd years later, Christ is crucified. When he's crucified, the whole world shakes and there's earthquakes and destruction, all this stuff is happening. And the whole story of this is here in the Book of Mormon you guys, it's so cool. And all this stuff is happening and if you look at the history, Christ is crucified and three days later he rises and comes back. He spends time with his apostles, sets up the church, gets the apostles to go and at the end of the New Testament, Christ ascends back into heaven and one of the things he says at the very end, he says, “There are other sheep in my fold, them I must see too.” And he leaves. In the New Testament we have no idea what he's saying. He says, “I have other sheep I need to go visit, I'm out of here guys.” Boom, he leaves. Then what happens in the Book of Mormon, all the sudden these other sheep, this other fold of Christians on the other side of the world, who have been waiting for this day, they've been waiting for their savior, he comes to them. And you get to read it in the Book of Mormon. He comes down from heaven and they get to see him and they see the wounds in his hands and his feet and they get to worship him and he comes down and says, “You guys, let me tell you what happened, and let me tell you the story of my life. And let me tell you the story of how I suffered and died for your sins.” And here in America, he did the same thing he did in Jerusalem, he comes and calls a prophet and calls 12 apostles and sets up his church. What's cool is he sits there and teaches his people. He gives almost the same sermon on the mount to the people here in America, all these things, and so they're writing these words down in these gold plates, because that's what they had to record stuff. And they're writing them down in these gold plates, and you're hearing it straight from the Lord, the lips of our savior and they're being written down in these gold plates. And this is why this is so important. Because if you look at this, when the Book of Mormon was translated, Joseph Smith wasn't a scholar who knew a whole bunch of languages, he didn't have any ulterior motive. If you look at the history of the Bible, it was in the hands of evil people for years who were trying to get the people to believe certain things. And we don't know what happened with the translations, but things shifted and changed and there's stuff that happened. If you look at this, there was a young boy who got this record, these gold plates, and through the gift and power of God he translated them in three months, and after it was done, it was written, it was published in a book, the book I'm holding in my hand, one of the first 5000 that I'm holding here. And it didn't change. It wasn't translated over and over again, people tweaking and changing. It was done once and now it's here. So when you read this, you read the most accurate, the most pure account of Christ giving the sermon on the mount to a different people, but it's the same message. You hear him talk about these things that are confusing in the Bible, and he explains them and they're so simple and so pure and so clean and so much easier to understand, because it wasn't translated from Hebrew to Greek to Italian to English eventually, through ten different variation processes. I don't know if you guys ever played that game phone booth where you whisper in someone's ear and they whisper and like ten people down the message is all messed up. That's literally what's happened to the Bible throughout time. With that said, I love the Bible, it is an amazing thing. But when you read the Bible with the Book of Mormon, it clears up confusion. You hear what he said to the people in Jerusalem, you hear what he said to the people here in America and all the sudden you're like, “Oh, that makes perfect sense now.” The Lord said, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses will every word be established.” So this is the second witness. In fact, the title page of the Book of Mormon it says, “The Book of Mormon, Another Witness of Jesus Christ.” So what's amazing about this, you have two different people from two different sides of the world who had no communication channel through them ever, and they're both saying, “We saw the prints in his hands and in his feet.” This is what he told us, this is what the truth is. This is what the doctrines are. This is what we should believe. And because of that, that is why I know that Christ is my savior. That is why I know that what he did is true. That's why I have absolute certainty and faith in him as our savior. Because it's not just one standard, two separate people have told me the same thing. That's why it's so powerful you guys. That's why it's so exciting, that's why I cannot wait to read this thing today. Now, I don't want to give a spoiler alert, but after Christ came to America and after he preached to these people, he left after that again and after that people were righteous for a long time. And it's cool because you hear all their teachings and prophecies and angels come and all the amazingness that you learn from God from these people in the Book of Mormon, and then eventually throughout generations of time, it gets more and more wicked. And towards the end of the Book of Mormon, like 400 or so, 450 years after Christ had come to them, then the people get wicked and get more and more wicked and eventually these two groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites, they fight so much that eventually all of the righteous people are pretty much destroyed. At the very end of the Book of Mormon, there's basically two people left. One is a guy named Mormon, and that's where we get our name. Everyone's like, “Why do we call you guys Mormons, that's the weirdest thing ever.” So there was a guy named Mormon and he was one of the last righteous people on earth and he was the person who, he had all these gold plates, from over a thousand year history of people, they're all writing their histories and he took all this stuff, and I don't know how many were there, I'm imagining dozens, if not hundreds of different books of histories, of records. So he took all of these records from a thousand years, and he was the one, this was back 400 years after Christ came, he went and abridged, not abridged, but he took the book and put it in order, he went through all of it and said, “Okay, this is the history that's most important for our people.” And he abridged this thing and put it together into the gold plates. Here's the abridged version of our history that's most important, the most important things for some future generation. He knew that his people were being destroyed off the earth, that this book was going to be buried up, and someday in the future God was going to bring this book forth. What are the most important things that these people can learn from our history, and he compiled them to the gold plates. And then he gave them to his son, this is Mormon, he had a son named Moroni. Moroni then wandered and eventually buried them in a hill and then he died. So then fast forward to the 1800s, this angel Moroni, this same person who buried these gold plates, came back as an angel to Joseph Smith and said, “Okay, let me show you where the plates are.” And he dug up the gold plates, and Joseph was able to translate them, and that's kind of how things fit together. So Mormon is the guy that took all the history of his people and put it together in a way that we could read and get the most important things for our day and Moroni was his son who buried the Book of Mormon and actually brought it back. So if you ever see a Mormon temple and you see there's this dude on the top of all of them, a gold guy with a trumpet, that is the angel Moroni. And it's Mormon's son, the one who buried the Book of Mormon, and actually as an angel came and showed Joseph Smith where it was at. So there you go you guys. There is the history of Christianity as it relates back to Mormons, what we believe. Yes, we are Christians. Yes, we love the Bible. Yes, there's a new book called the Book of Mormon and that's why it's exciting and how it fits into the whole grand scheme of this world. And that's why it's so exciting. So with that said, I've been talking for about 42 minutes. I am going to go and start reading the Book of Mormon right now from page number one and I'm going to try to read this entire thing today. You know what I'm going to do. I'm going to end this and have this be one episode of the podcast, and then I will do a separate episode of me kind of going through different parts that I learn today. Because this one's already getting long and I want to make sure that you guys listen to this whole thing through. That's the game plan you guys. Once again, I'm doing the Book of Mormon Challenge again because hopefully this will inspire some of you guys to do this as well, that's what the Book of Mormon is. That's why I'm so excited, that's why you should be so excited. That's why we should all be excited. This book has changed my life. This book will change your life if you will allow it to, I promise you that. But don't take my word for it. Go to bookofmormonchallenge.com. You can go request a free copy of the Book of Mormon there, or if you want, you can read it online. If you go to lds.org and search Book of Mormon, the whole thing is online, you can read it there as well. But read it. And just don't take my word for it. Just read the whole thing from beginning to the end and then go ask our Heavenly Father. And I'm going to end kind of where I started. Joseph Smith, when he was a 14 year old kid and didn't know what to do, the scripture that changed his life and changed the world as I know it and as you know it, was this, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him.” So the same thing's for you. Right now, you know about his, hopefully I'm getting you excited about it, but it's up to you to find out. Okay, you lack wisdom right now, so read it, ponder about it, think about it, figure out is this true? And then go ask Heavenly Father and I promise you, if you ask him, he'll tell you. And I will do a podcast episode really soon talking about how to get answers to your prayers because when you understand, it's exciting. You don't have to take your own word for it, or other people's word for it. Our Heavenly Father wants to tell you. He wants to give you revelation. He will. He asks us. He says, “Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Seek and you shall find.” Ask, if you lack wisdom ask of God. He wants us to ask and if you ask he will tell you. I kind of want to share that with you as well. I'm diving into the Book of Mormon you guys, wish me luck. I hope I can get it all done today. Appreciate you all for listening. If this has helped you at all please share it with other people who you think will be interested as well and we'll talk soon. Bye everybody.

The Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic lay association, provides services to and advocates on behalf of underprivileged, disadvantaged, and low income social groups around the world. Started in Rome by Andrea Riccardi in 1968, the Community has grown to 60,000 members across more than 73 countries and four continents. In this episode, CMSOnAir speaks with Paola Piscitelli, president of the Community’s chapter in the United States, on one of the Community’s innovative programs – The Humanitarian Corridors Project. The project was launched on December 16, 2015 when the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Protestant Churches, and the Waldensian and Methodist Churches in Italy joined with the Italian Interior and Foreign Ministries to protect migrants and refugees making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe. The Humanitarian Corridors Project aims to: • Prevent deaths at sea and exploitation by human traffickers; • Provide legal and safe entry to vulnerable people; • Plan reception and integration processes; and • Self-fund with no costs to the host country. Under the initiative, 1,000 of the most vulnerable refugees (e.g., women, children, the disabled, the sick, and the elderly) in Lebanon were allowed to travel to Italy over a two-year period with humanitarian visas. The success of the project has led to the opening of new humanitarian corridors agreements to allow 500 refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and South Sudan in Ethiopia to resettle in Italy and 500 Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon to resettle in France. In this episode, Piscitelli describes the history of the Community of Sant-Egidio and explains its Humanitarian Corridors Project, including the process of identifying refugee beneficiaries and the communities to host them, the services and programs coordinated to welcome refugees, and the importance of ecumenical partnerships to serve people in need.

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of caring for the widow and the orphan. A new study found that few Protestant churches are taking action in this key area. Find out more when you tune in now.

This episode is an interview with Clare McCutcheon, historian, archaeologist and teacher, about the origins of the walls of Bandon. Clare a native of Bandon and a member of the local COI, also gives us an insight into the two of the earliest purpose built Protestant Churches in Ireland; Christchurch and St. Peters. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thehistoryshow/message

I am thankful for GOD'S chastening that how i know that i am a child.

www.samsonstick.com Looking at an overview of the Swiss reformation which gave us the most mainline Protestant Churches today. Also, how this influence help ultimately form and shape the Untied States of America.

We look at the understanding of Tradition in the Protestant Churches. Focusing on the most common type of biblical understanding Solo Scriptura and the most famous Sola Scriptura.

A number of mainline Protestant churches in the United States and Europe have heightened their rhetoric and hostility against Israel in recent years. Most famous is the 2004 Presbyterian Church USA resolution advocating divestment from specified companies doing business with Israel. This resolution was partly revoked last month, yet the strategic threat remains. Liberal churches in America and Europe promote the Palestinian narrative and some espouse implicit anti-Zionism. The economic and public relations campaigns have spread to universities and labour unions. Who are the players, what motivates them, and what can we expect for the future?

A number of mainline Protestant churches in the United States and Europe have heightened their rhetoric and hostility against Israel in recent years. Most famous is the 2004 Presbyterian Church USA resolution advocating divestment from specified companies doing business with Israel. This resolution was partly revoked last month, yet the strategic threat remains. Liberal churches in America and Europe promote the Palestinian narrative and some espouse implicit anti-Zionism. The economic and public relations campaigns have spread to universities and labour unions. Who are the players, what motivates them, and what can we expect for the future?

The symbols of the constitutional democracy that emerged from theAmerican Revolution correspond to mystical beliefs repressed by Catholic & Protestant Churches, but kept alive by the Freemasons & Rosicrucians. This program addresses three beliefs held by early Christians that were proclaimed heretical by the Catholic Church of Rome as early as the 5th Century. Visit http:www.TheAgelessWisdom.com or call (818) 569-3017 for more information. To learn more about Michael's Premium Audio Programs visit http://www.FocusedPassion.com.

The symbols of the constitutional democracy that emerged from theAmerican Revolution correspond to mystical beliefs repressed by Catholic & Protestant Churches, but kept alive by the Freemasons & Rosicrucians. This program addresses three beliefs held by early Christians that were proclaimed heretical by the Catholic Church of Rome as early as the 5th Century.

The symbols of the constitutional democracy that emerged from theAmerican Revolution correspond to mystical beliefs repressed by Catholic & Protestant Churches, but kept alive by the Freemasons & Rosicrucians. This program addresses three beliefs held by early Christians that were proclaimed heretical by the Catholic Church of Rome as early as the 5th Century. Visit http:www.TheAgelessWisdom.com or call (818) 569-3017 for more information. To learn more about Michael's Premium Audio Programs visit http://www.FocusedPassion.com.

Lawrence Rast and William Schumacher

Graham, Mike and Jane consider the different approaches of the Catholic and Protestant Churches to personal transformation, looking at the place of sacraments and the doctrine of Purgatory. They also address questions of the reliability of the Bible and the revelation of God in scripture.

Graham, Mike and Jane consider the different approaches of the Catholic and Protestant Churches to personal transformation, looking at the place of sacraments and the doctrine of Purgatory. They also address questions of the reliability of the Bible and the revelation of God in scripture.

Graham, Mike and Jane consider the different approaches of the Catholic and Protestant Churches to personal transformation, looking at the place of sacraments and the doctrine of Purgatory. They also address questions of the reliability of the Bible and the revelation of God in scripture.

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has struck a nerve with many people who have sensed that something is wrong with the history of Chrisianity as taught by the Catholic and Protestant Churches. In Part 2, we look at where Dan Brown went wrong. However, the true secret of esoteric Christianity is far more profound and important than anything Dan Brown has imagined. We tell you what it is. Running Time: 00:44:51 Download: MP3

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has struck a nerve with many people who have sensed that something is wrong with the history of Chrisianity as taught by the Catholic and Protestant Churches. In Part 2, we look at where Dan Brown went wrong. However, the true secret of esoteric Christianity is far more profound and important than anything Dan Brown has imagined. We tell you what it is. Running Time: 00:44:51 Download: MP3

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has struck a nerve with many people who have sensed that something is wrong with the history of Chrisianity as taught by the Catholic and Protestant Churches. In Part 2, we look at where Dan Brown went wrong. However, the true secret of esoteric Christianity is far more profound and important than anything Dan Brown has imagined. We tell you what it is. Running Time: 00:44:51 Download: MP3

A new MP3 sermon from Still Waters Revival Books is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Pictures of Christ & Idolatry, Roman Catholicism Invading Protestant Churches - Price Subtitle: Puritan Worship Speaker: Rev. Greg Price Broadcaster: Still Waters Revival Books Event: Sunday Service Date: 2/23/2004 Bible: Exodus 20:4-6, Luke 3 Length: 76 min.