Stone Choir

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.

The modern world presents many challenges for and to the young man, particularly the young man who would be a Christian. Often men, and particularly young men, may feel that they have been forgotten or written off by society. In today’s episode, we focus on the issues that concern young men — here and now. As Christians, we must contend with the fact that, although we are sons of God and predestined for glory, we yet live in a fallen world plagued by sin, temptation, and suffering. The promises of God always come true, but they do so in His perfect time, not our imperfect one. And so, for the Christians, the question must be twofold: What does God say about these matters? What is our role in these matters? The world offers terrible advice to young men, and so do many of those who not only should know better but also have a duty to offer sound advice. We will try to undo some of that terrible advice and replace it with advice that is both consonant with God’s Word and with the reality of the world we all inhabit. The answer for the Christian man is not withdrawal or despair, but engagement and perseverance. God calls us to be men, so that is what we must do. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes “On the Nature of Woman” “On Sexual Immorality, Temptation, and Marriage” Donate to Stone Choir See Also “Birth Control Pills Affect Women’s Taste in Men” “Abortion” Episode 22: “On Women: Scripture and Ontology” Episode 23: “On Women: Feminism” Episode 30: “Against the Clockwork Universe” Watch Some Chickens Further Reading Proverbs 31 (ESV) Matthew 6 (ESV) The First Commandment, the Large Catechism Parental Warnings These is some frank discussion of sexual matters in this episode, but not in explicit terms. There is a brief discussion of the mechanics of hormonal birth control.

The State is the left hand of Christ; it is that final prepositional phrase — that imports so much of the meaning — that is often ignored. As Christians, the ‘political’ realm is not a realm of indifference or adiaphora — and this is particularly true for Christian men. We are not called to separate ourselves from the world (except with regard to righteous behavior), but to be engaged in the world — put another way: to be in the world but not of the world. Where Christians retreat, Satan advances. The times are evil and the Church must respond accordingly. It is incumbent on the Christian man to do his duty, and such duty most certainly includes a political dimension. So what may Christians do with regard to the kingdom of the left hand? What must we refrain from doing? What is merely permissible? In this episode, we lay the foundation for a series on government, on the political, on the left-hand kingdom. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Gottesdienst: On Resisting the Government: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 See Also The Magdeburg Confession Further Reading Parental Warnings We discuss capital punishment — primarily in the context of Scripture — in this episode.

The ‘scientific’ consensus is that the Earth is some billions of years old (on the order of four-and-a-half billion years old) and that the Universe is some fourteen or so billion years old. But Scripture paints a different picture. Which may, should, or must the Christian believe? Is the contention of the so-called ‘scientific community’ even reasonable? Which is to say: Does it stand up to scrutiny? Knowledge is warranted true belief, and so it is vitally important to ask upon what warrant the scientists base their beliefs. As we will show in this episode, the Christian position is — unequivocally — that the Earth is ancient in terms of created age and young (some six thousand or so years) in terms of chronological age and that God created all things in six literal, twenty-four-hour days. As to the supposedly ‘scientific’ position? Well, it does not stand up particularly well under scrutiny. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Hexameron [Wikipedia] See Also “Geochronologically Speaking” “James Tour: The Origin of Life Has Not Been Explained” [YouTube] “James Tour & Stephen Meyer Bring Clarity to the Origin of Life Debate (Ep. 1)” [YouTube] Discover Science [YouTube Channel] “Copying and Pasting Passwords” (Relevant for the math involved in the latter part of the episode.) Creation.com CreationWiki.com Further Reading Cosmic background radiation [Wikipedia] DNA [Wikipedia] RNA [Wikipedia] mRNA [Wikipedia] Chirality [Wikipedia] “The Significance of Chirality in Drug Design and Development” “Nature’s mirror: The code for chirality” “Understanding the Thalidomide Chirality in Biological Processes by the Self-disproportionation of Enantiomers” Amino Acid [Wikipedia] Abiogenesis [Wikipedia] Neo-Darwinism [Wikipedia] Modern Synthesis [Wikipedia] Hard Problem of Consciousness [Wikipedia] Qualia [Wikipedia] Probability [Wikipedia] Blood Clotting “How it all starts: initiation of the clotting cascade” “Coagulation Cascade” Coagulation [Wikipedia] Vision Visual Phototransduction [Wikipedia] “Phototransduction” Labeling of Fertilizer [Wikipedia] Deoxyribose [Wikipedia] Organophosphate [Wikipedia] Books Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael Behe Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique edited by J. P. Moreland, et al. Also available on ChristinBook.com. Parental Warnings None.

The podcast dives into the controversial legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, comparing him to Martin Luther King Jr. while highlighting the dangers of misinterpreting his teachings. It scrutinizes his denial of core Christian beliefs, revealing a complex and often contradictory theological stance. Key discussions include the nature of Jesus' sinlessness, the implications of the empty tomb, and the concept of religionless Christianity. Listeners are challenged to discern the fine line between faith and ideology, significantly questioning popular theological narratives.

Whether the topic is religion, politics, or something else, a persuasive argument will always be more effective than a merely correct argument. Of course, we must make the truth our goal, but simply having the right conclusion is insufficient, at least if we are attempting to bring others around to our point of view or over to our side. Often, persuasion is a matter of time and patience, but how we go about interacting with others is a key part of whether or not we are effective in our pursuits. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes “Christian Nationalism Is The Only Godly Option” See Also Myth of the 20th Century crossover episode Parental Warnings None.

The existence of one conspiracy theory is not necessarily proof of the existence of any other conspiracy theories. That we have been lied to about a great many things, does not necessarily prove that we have been lied to about all things. It is, regardless of how we may feel about it, necessary to assess truth claims, often necessarily to personally assess them. As Christians, truth is fundamental to our worldview, for our religion rests upon truth claims — verifiable truth claims. This does not mean that we must take a stance or have an opinion on every claim sent forth into the world by other men, but it does mean that we have a duty to hold to the truth when it comes to important claims, and to assess that truth, insofar as we are capable. Under present conditions, we are faced with a great many lies — both of commission and of omission or manipulation; there are those who would have us disbelieve truths and there are those who would have us believe lies — neither outcome is compatible with a proper, Christian view of the world, of reality. How are we to wade through the morass? In this episode, we address a few of the sillier conspiracy theories, and the very serious issues underlying them. Subscribe to the podcast here. Show Notes Buzz Aldrin Talks about the Moon Landing [YouTube] Calculating the Circumference of the Earth: IBM Video Explaining Eratosthenes’ Methods [YouTube] Carl Sagan Explaining Eratosthenes’ Methods [YouTube] Himawari 9: Wikipedia, Live Feed Himawari 8: Live Feed Nuclear Weapons: Smoke Rockets [YouTube] See Also Eratosthenes [Wikipedia] X-Ray Memorial Wikipedia Van Allen Radiation Belts: Wikipedia YouTube Further Reading Flat Earth [Wikipedia] Vanishing Point [Wikipedia] X-rays are referred to as ‘Röntgen rays’ in German, because of this man [Wikipedia]. Parental Warnings None.