Tag: the Church

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

“For unto us a Child is born and unto us a Son is given; dominion shall rest upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Angel of Great Counsel, for I will bring peace upon the rulers and well-being to Him. Great is His dominion — and there is no end to His peace — upon the Throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness, from now unto eternity. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.”

The Lord is a God of peace, and those who follow Him are to be peacemakers, but to be a peacemaker does not mean to be a doormat or to refuse to utilize violence when and where morally warranted. In this life, peace will always be imperfect, for we live in a fallen world wherein suffering is both inevitable and inescapable, but the eschatological peace found in Scripture, in God’s promises is an absolute peace. As Christians, we have the perfect peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, upon which we can rely — whatever may come in this life.

Peace applies to all of the estates and spheres of life, but it does not apply univocally or identically. The peace that is appropriate to the home and that which contributes to that peace is not the same as the peace that applies to politics, and the latter may be sacrificed more readily in pursuit of higher goals. These are matters of wisdom, and the Christian must know how to comport himself in the home, in society, in the State, and in the Church — peace applies to them all, but not equally and not identically.

Where there are higher duties (e.g., in the State, in the Church), then a false peace may be sacrificed in pursuit of those higher duties. In the State, security trumps peace; in the Church, Martin Luther may have put it best: “Peace, if possible; truth, at all costs.”

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Show Notes

Parental Warnings

None.

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can be found here

Other transcripts can be found here

Current Sponsor(s)

Coming soon?

Support the Podcast

Recurring Donation
One-Time Donation
Mahler’s Amazon.com Wish List
Woe’s Amazon.com Wish List
The Stone Choir 2024 Challenge Coin
- Update: Shipping has begun.

Comments?

Join the discussion on Telegram, visit the feedback form or comment below.

The State of the Churches

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 17 Apr 2024

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:07:20 — 245.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | More

Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

Knowledge is not what saves us, but faith cannot be devoid of content, for one must have faith in something. Part of being a Christian is, unsurprisingly, knowing the content of the Christian faith. Or, perhaps, this would be surprising to many, given the state of knowledge and belief among those claiming to be Christian — even among the best (in terms of knowledge and right belief) of those claiming to be Christian.

In today’s episode, we return to the state of the churches. This time, we examine the general state of knowledge and belief among Christians. Do Christians even know the basics of the faith? For most, the answer is very clearly: No.

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Show Notes

Ligonier — “State of Theology” Survey Results
Pew Research Center — “Religious Landscape Study” Survey Results

Parental Warnings

None.

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can be found here

Other transcripts can be found here

Current Sponsor(s)

Coming soon?

Support the Podcast

Recurring Donation
One-Time Donation
Mahler’s Amazon.com Wish List
Woe’s Amazon.com Wish List
The Stone Choir 2024 Challenge Coin
- Update: Shipping has begun.

Comments?

Join the discussion on Telegram, visit the feedback form or comment below.

Liturgical Life

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 20 Dec 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:42:01 — 195.5MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | More

Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

Unlike the Old Testament Israelites, New Testament Christians are not required to observe any particular set of feasts, festivals, or commemorations — Scripture does not lay out a Church Year that we are required to follow. However, the Christian standard is not ‘What is required?’, but rather: ‘What is profitable?’ When we ask, instead of what we must do, what we should do for the sake of unity, instruction, and order, we arrive at a far different answer from that of most modern Christians, who have jettisoned from their faith much of the historic practices of the Church.

Whereas we affirm that neither we nor you, as Christians, are required to observe the feasts, festivals, and commemorations of the Church and her historic calendar, we also resolutely contend that these observances are good for the body of Christ. It is in the cyclical and seasonal observances that we live out of lives as Christians and recognize our brothers-in-Christ, who are living out similar lives. There is a difference between the minimum of the faith and the fullness of the faith — we want you to have the latter.

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Show Notes

Liturgical Year [Wikipedia]
Church Year [Encyclopædia Britannica]

Parental Warnings

None.

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can be found here

Other transcripts can be found here

Current Sponsor(s)

Coming soon?

Support the Podcast

Recurring Donation
One-Time Donation
Mahler’s Amazon.com Wish List
Woe’s Amazon.com Wish List
The Stone Choir 2024 Challenge Coin
- Update: Shipping has begun.

Comments?

Join the discussion on Telegram, visit the feedback form or comment below.

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 13 Dec 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:33:20 — 179.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | More

Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

What do we mean by “Church” or “church”? When we use this term (or these terms, when writing permits distinguishing them with the capital letter), we really mean a handful of distinct things — it is important to keep these clear. In today’s episode, we go over the Church (universal), the church (institutional), and the church (local, congregational). For the Christian, there is great comfort in recognizing the reality of the Church, even when the churches may be in disarray.

“In short, according to Lutheran teaching, it is faith in the Gospel which in every case establishes membership in the Christian Church. To him who believes the Gospel, membership in the Christian Church may not be denied; of him who rejects the Gospel, membership in the Christian Church may not be asserted. Excommunication pronounced against true believers does not deprive them of membership in the Church.”
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Show Notes

Augsburg Confession:
- Art. VII: Of the Church
- Art. VIII: What the Church Is
Apology of the Augsburg Confession:
- Art. VII & VIII: Of the Church
Smalcald Articles:
- Part III, Art. XII

Parental Warnings

None.

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can be found here

Other transcripts can be found here

Current Sponsor(s)

Coming soon?

Support the Podcast

Recurring Donation
One-Time Donation
Mahler’s Amazon.com Wish List
Woe’s Amazon.com Wish List
The Stone Choir 2024 Challenge Coin
- Update: Shipping has begun.

Comments?

Join the discussion on Telegram, visit the feedback form or comment below.

The Reformation, Its Causes, and Its Consequences

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 25 Oct 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:25:28 — 278.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | More

Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy