Centrally Speaking

Western society is being increasingly confronted with other religions.  Many do not understand what these religions believe and fewer understand how Christians can remain faithful and converse with them profitably. In this podcast we ask Rev. Roger Wambold, from Hebrew Christian Fellowship about what Christians should know about Judaism and how to interact with those from this religious background. 

#judaismchristianity  #basicjewishbeliefs  #christiansinajewishhome

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Western society is being increasingly confronted with religions that are not from the Judeo-Christian perspective. Many do not understand what these religions believe and fewer understand how Christians can remain faithful and converse with them profitably. In this podcast we ask Dr. Rob Arner a Professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA and a board member of the Congregational Institute at the Central Schwenkfelder Church (www.congregationalinstitute.com) about what Christians should know about Hinduism and how to interact with it. The picture attached to this podcast is of the second largest Hindu temple in the world, which happens to be in Robbinsville, NJ.

#hinduismchristianity  #hinduisminAmerica  #basichindubeliefs  #christianshinduhome

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

What is some of the latest news in Eastern Ukraine? In February 2022, Russia launched a massive attack against Ukraine. At first the western media paid great attention to the conflict but in recent months is not paying attention to it. In this podcast, we ask Andriy Konovalchuk, the President of Zaporizhzhia Bible Seminary what is taking place in the city of Zaporizhzhia. It is located on the Dnieper River and is 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the front lines of Ukrainian and Russian forces.

#zaporizhzhianews  #russiaukraineconflict2026  #refugeesUkraine  #internallydisplacedpeopleukraine  

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

The Schwenkfelders are a persecuted group from the time of the Reformation. They originated from Harpersdorf in Silesia during the 1500's. Because of their viewpoints on the sacraments, they were ostracized by the Jesuits and the Lutherans. One example of their persecution is found in their burial place at the Viehweg in the 1700's. This led to their migration from Silesia to Herrnhut and eventually on to Haarlem, the Netherlands and then to Pennsylvania. In this podcast, Drake Williams, Jr., Vice-Moderator of the Schwenkfelder Conference presents on the Viehweg as a sign of Schwenkfelder persecution.

#Viehweg  #Schwenkfelders  #ChristianPersecutionReformation  #Harpersdorf  #SilesiaReformation

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

How did we get the New Testament in English? The person responsible for the translation of the Bible into English was William Tyndale.  His New Testament was first published in 1526, five hundred years ago. In this podcast, we ask Dr. Tony Watkins about Tyndale's role in translating the Bible into English. Dr. Watkins is the Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Within this interview, he shares Tyndale's motivation for translating out of Greek into English and the ways that this translation has changed our understanding of the Bible and the English language.

For more on William Tyndale, see the following podcasts from Tyndale House in Cambridge, United Kingdom. 

Episode 1: The Long Road to the English Bible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raYxCn5LE8U

Episode 2: A Turning Point in English History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVPjnnV84CE

Episode 3: Open the Eyes of the King of England. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ymGJYWbI2g

Episode 4: An Enduring Legacy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebzecQlSIZQ

#NewTestamentinEnglish  #WilliamTyndale #Bibletranslation

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Mission work has always been associated with the church. Some mission work takes place in remote corners of the world where telecommunication, airplanes, and even roads do not exist. What does it take to get the message of Jesus Christ to these remote areas? In this podcast, we interview Steven Biggerstaff, the Vice President for Advancement from Jungle Aviation and Relay Services (JAARS), a mission that has been in existence since 1948. JAARS has a long history with transport and logistics for missionaries and Bible translators to distant and isolated places. We ask questions to Steve about what is involved with getting missionaries out to the most remote areas in the world.

#foreignmission  #JAARS  #remotemissionwork  #bibletranslation #missionpapuanewguinea  #missioncameroon  #missionamazon  #missioncentralafrica

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

The week leading up to Easter is one of the most important weeks in the church calendar each year. A special service during this week is a Tenebrae Service, a service of shadows that commemorates Jesus' passion. Central Schwenkfelder has conducted this service for many years on the Thursday before Easter. In this podcast, we ask Rev Dr. David McKinley about the origin of this service and about its importance for Christian devotion so that one can get the most out of this important week of the year.

#Tenebrae  #TenebraeService  #HolyWeek  #serviceofshadows

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Caspar Schwenckfeld was a Radical Reformer who emphasized the importance of the inner life. As part of his Christian service, he composed a number of pieces of devotional literature. One of those pieces was The Heavenly Balm and the Divine Physician. Rev. Nick Pence from Palm Schwenkfelder Church in Palm, PA has been working on a contemporary translation of this work. In this podcast, we ask him about the contents of the book and about Schwenckfeld's devotional writing.

#CasparSchwenckfeld  #Reformationdevotionalliterature  #balmJesus #Jesusphysician

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Many think of the church as being a first century phenomenon. After all, Jesus and the disciples like Peter led the church then and the books of the Bible were written during that time. In comparison, few understand the great significance of the second century for the understanding of the church. In this podcast, Dr. Shawn Wilhite answers questions about the importance of the second century. He is the Associate Professor of New Testament at California Baptist University in Riverside, California and an Affiliate Professor at Golden Gate Seminary in Ontario, California. He is a co-editor of the Apostolic Fathers with Cascade Publishers and series editor for Studies of Patristic Theology and Spirituality with Baylor University Press.

#secondcenturyChristianity  #ApostolicFathers  #Christianpersecution  #Didachecommentary  #Canondecisions  #biblicalcanon  #IgnatiusofAntiochcommentary

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

News coming out of Iran is limited. On January 8, 2026, the Iranian regime initiated a near total internet blackout. Many digital rights and internet monitoring groups have assessed the current shutdown to be the most sophisticated and most severe in Iran's history. At the same time, nationwide protests are taking place that started on December 30, 2025. On January 30, 2026, we spoke with an Iranian Christian living in the neighboring country of Armenia about the situation in Iran and the Iranian Christian church. In this podcast, he comments on the extent of the protests, reasons for them, the numbers of dead and wounded, the place of the Iranian church in them, and how to pray for Iran.

#Iranianprotests  #churchiran  #casualtiesIranprotests  #prayforIran  #prayerIran #christiansiran  #IranProtests #IranUnrest #undergroundchurch

Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org