Stone Choir

Whether our gifts are many or few, great or small, God has most assuredly prepared beforehand opportunities for us to use those gifts to serve our neighbors. We, in fact, have a duty to use what God has given us for the good of our neighbor. All that we have we hold in trust as stewards, for all comes from God and all belongs to God. It is through our good works that we demonstrate, both to ourselves and to the world, that we have a living faith. There are no hard and fast rules or mathematical formulae to determine precisely what one should do with what one has been given — these are matters of wisdom. But we know the basics: Faithfully pursue your work, come to the aid of family and neighbor, and render good works when and where God provides you the opportunity. The Christian life is not found in pilgrimages or hair shirts or in putting crosses on every surface in one’s home. The faithful Christian baker makes good bread; the faithful Christian shoemaker makes good shoes; the faithful Christian woman keeps a good home; a faithful Christian man diligently pursues his calling — whatever it may be. These are not matters over which to be anxious or about which to fret or worry; God knows what we need and he knows what our neighbor needs, and He has so ordered things that our neighbor can aid us and we can aid him. The Christian life is lived out in many thousands of small interactions, all undertaken with thanks for the good gifts, all of which flow from God. »17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.« — James 1:17 (ESV) Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Previous episodes: Persuasiveness Matters Conspiracy Theories and Truth The Fear of the Lord Some recommended Scripture passages: Matthew 6:25–34 Matthew 25:1–13 Romans 12:3–13 Romans 14:1–12 1 Corinthians 4:2 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 1 Corinthians 15:58 Ephesians 2:10 Colossians 3:18–4:1 1 Peter 4:7–11 James 1:16–18 Luke 12:35–48 Luke 16:1–13 Proverbs 3:27–28 Proverbs 16:3 Proverbs 22:29 Ecclesiastes 9:9–10 See Also Further Reading “Family Trump Strangers” Parental Warnings None.

The hosts challenge capitalism, questioning its moral foundations and its alignment with Christian values. They explore the historical roots of usury and capitalism, highlighting how debt can resemble modern slavery. The discussion also emphasizes the negative impact of consumerism on local economies and critiques the inequality perpetuated by major corporations. By viewing economic systems as tools rather than idols, they advocate for a reevaluation of values that prioritize community and neighborly care over mere profit.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.” In the same way also, He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes John 6 1 Corinthians 11 Luke 22 Mark 14 Matthew 26 See Also The Mode of Christ’s Presence in the Supper Further Reading Small Catechism: The Sacrament of the Altar Large Catechism: The Sacrament of the Altar Augsburg Confession: Of the Mass Apology of the Augsburg Confession: Of the Mass Epitome of the Formula of Concord: The Lord’s Supper Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord: The Holy Supper Parental Warnings None.

Dispensationalism is a modern heresy. (No, we are not going to bury the lede.) Taking shape, primarily, in the 1800s and 1900s, Dispensationalism posits a distinction between God’s plans for ‘Israel’ and the Church — this is contrary both to Scripture and to the historical teachings of the Church. God is no polygynist — He has but one bride. Today, the churches, particularly in the US, are rife with Dispensationalist teachings, and it is our duty as Christians to refute these lies. God has only ever had one plan for humanity and one path to salvation — declared to the first man, Adam, in Genesis 3:15 and echoed throughout the pages of Scripture; there is no path to the Father except through the Son. In today’s episode, we go over the history of Dispensationalism, what Dispensationalism teaches, and why we, as Christians, must oppose this particularly pernicious false doctrine. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Exegesis of Genesis 12 (As promised near the end of the episode.) A Brief History of Power: What Is Dispensationalism? A Word Fitly Spoken: Dispensationalism [Overcast] A Word Fitly Spoken: Cyrus Ingerson Scofield [Overcast] Luther’s Preface to the Book of Romans See Also The Augsburg Confession, Art. XVII — “Of Christ’s Return to Judgement” “Dispensationalism Today” by Charles Ryrie [PDF] Further Reading John Nelson Darby [Wikipedia] Plymouth Brethren [Wikipedia] Cyrus Ingerson Scofield [Wikipedia] Samuel Untermeyer [Wikipedia] Amillennialism [Wikipedia] Dispensationalism [Wikipedia] Revelation by Louis A. Brighton from the Concordia Commentary series [Amazon] This commentary is from the Concordia Commentary series from CPH, and, thus, is from a Lutheran perspective, which is to say it teaches Amillennialism. A Case for Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger [Amazon] This book is from the Reformed perspective, and so, naturally, includes Reformed distinctives, but it still gives a good overview of Amillennialism and also spends times refuting various Millenarian claims. Parental Warnings None.

The Reformation was not the beginning of the problems in the Western Church, nor in the Church more generally. Over the centuries before the beginning of the Reformation, generally accepted as 31 October 1517, the Church faced a number of heresies, divisions, and other problems. Yet God has always seen her through these tumultuous waters. Today, we find ourselves yet again in need of reformation, for the existing church bodies are corrupt — virtually all from the top down. This does not mean that there are no faithful churches, that there are no faithful congregations, but we do, indeed, find ourselves virtually bereft of faithful, ‘official’ leadership. To address these challenges and to restore Christendom, we will have to work together. Not as Lutherans or Reformed or Baptists or Romans or whatever other tradition or denomination we may call our own, but as Christians. This is not a call to abandon our distinctives or our doctrinal convictions; rather, it is a call to work together across these lines in the kingdom of the left hand of Christ. God willing, our grandchildren will see a Christendom we have known only in history books. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes The Book of Concord See Also Facing Wokeism as a Church (After Lutheranism Part 4) The Book of Gomorrah by St. Peter Damian Further Reading The Apostles’ Creed The Nicene Creed The Athanasian Creed Parental Warnings None.

Modern churches, by and large, have been subverted — we all know this. Is the subversion of the churches an argument against Christianity? Of course not. The Church fought for decades against the very sort of infiltration and subversion that is, today, destroying our churches before our very eyes. Further, the Christian faith is the foundation of the West — the West is Christendom and Christendom is the West. Without a restoration of the Christian faith, there will be no revival in the West. As Christians, we must know both where the battle is joined and how we are to fight. In today’s episode, we are joined by an editor from Antelope Hill Publishing to review the book The Sword of Christ by Giles Corey and discuss the issues raised in the book (and maybe a tangent or two). Subscribe to the podcast here. Guest TaylorEditor at Antelope Hill Publishing Show Notes The Sword of Christ by Giles Corey Save 10% at checkout with discount code “stonechoir102023” Further Reading The Magdeburg Confession Parental Warnings This episode contains some discussion of human sacrifice and sex crimes and passing mention of pornography. The book itself contains a number of chapters that are unsuitable for younger readers (but they are not the target audience, anyway). Disclosure Although we did receive free review copies of the book, we have not been compensated in any other way (nor are we compensated if you purchase the book via the links on this page).

Our second listener feedback episode. It took us only five months this time (the last one took six). If you have more questions, submit them now to make it into the next listener feedback episode. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Myth of the 20th Century: Stone Choir after Dark — Good versus Evil Podcast Apps Overcast (iOS): App Store, Web Podcast Addict (Android): Web Bibles Generally: BibleHub.com ESV: Web, Reader’s Edition (Premium) Amazon or ChristianBook.com (also available in leather), paperback: Amazon or ChristianBook.com, imitation leather: Amazon or ChristianBook.com NKJV: Reader’s Edition CSB: Reader’s Edition (also available in a premium version) ALV (Bibliotheca): https://writpress.shop/ Study Bible: TLSB: hardcover or leather (both larger print) Premium Bibles: Schuyler Bible Apps: Literal Word: iOS or Android, Web ESV or NASB Logos: Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, or Android (even Kindle) Bible Reviews: CSB, ESV Treveris versus Quentel See Also Further Reading Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (If you’d like to try your hand at Middle English.) Gulag Archipelago Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 Two Hundred Years Together The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit Helping the Retarded to Know God Parental Warnings None.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Much less so is tomorrow guaranteed to be the same as yesterday. And yet we, as human beings, have a tendency to think of the world as a sort of constant or given — we do not by nature adequately assess the likelihood of catastrophic or even merely significant change. This is not to say that we should be pessimists, alarmists, or paranoiacs; it is, however, to say that we should spend more time thinking about the information we encounter in our lives and what it means for us, for those entrusted to our care, and for our collective future. As men — specifically men, not just the generic sense — it is our duty to protect those whom God has entrusted to our care, and part of this is having an appropriate and accurate view of the world. In today’s episode, we discuss normalcy bias — what it is, why it matters, and how to counteract it. Everything, ultimately, is in God’s hands, but much work remains for us while it is still day. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes James Stockdale (including his paradox) [Wikipedia] See Also Black Starting the Power Grid Practical Engineering [YouTube] Wikipedia NREL Further Reading I, Pencil by Leonard E. Read Parental Warnings None.

The Sacraments are a key — a central — part of the Christian life. And yet there are disagreements about the nature of the Sacraments — what they are and what they do. As Christians, when disagreements about doctrine, dogma, or theology arise, we turn to one source — God’s Word. In today’s episode, we go over the theology and the doctrine of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. We do so from an admittedly and unashamedly Lutheran position; however, we ground everything we say in the Word of God. In essence, today’s episode is a Bible study. Undoubtedly, some of you (or your traditions) will disagree with some of the things we say, but listen carefully to the passages of Scripture and make sure that you are disagreeing with men and not with God. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes The Small Catechism: Baptism The Large Catechism: Baptism Christian Basics: The Solae [YouTube] See Also Stone Choir: “Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews” Further Reading The Smalcald Articles: Baptism The Book of Acts Acts 2:37–39 Acts 8:12–13 Acts 8:36–39 Acts 9:18–19 Acts 10:44–48 Acts 16:14–15 Acts 16:30–34 Acts 18:5–11 Acts 22:16 Parental Warnings None.

If you are in Christ, then your sins are forgiven. Yes, Christ paid the price for all sins on the Cross, but it is only those who are in Christ — those who have faith — who benefit from this forgiveness. And this forgiveness is total, God promises not only to forgive, but says that He will forget our sins — a total erasure. ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.’ As Christians, we are called to turn and show the same forgiveness and mercy to our brothers and sisters that God has shown to us in Christ. Forgiveness is part of the Christian life with regard to the Christian’s relationship to God and also with regard to the Christian’s relationships with others. The Law accuses us — it reveals our sins —, but we are not called to despair, but to repent and rejoice. God has already forgiven all of your sins; in the words of Christ: “It is finished.” Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Psalm 139 (ESV) See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.