Faith and Honor

On this episode, we talk about St. Philip and St. James. We cover the various men named James in the New Testament, what the epistle of James teaches about Christian maturity and wisdom, the blessedness of perseverance unto holiness, how Christ reveals the Father, the indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity (perichoresis), and how the Father is glorified in the Son, particularly when granting prayers made in the name of Jesus.

On this episode, we are privileged to have professor Samuel Bray join us to discuss his work on the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, International Edition. He discusses the contents of this edition, the aims in publishing the most influential Prayer Book in history, the philosophy behind editorial decisions, how that philosophy drastically contrasts with modern liturgical revisionists, and news on its use in parishes and missions.

Tallis’ Canon recorded by Steven Dixon.

On this episode, Susannah Roberts joins us to discuss the problem of scrupulosity, which is akin to "spiritual OCD." We discuss how mental and physical issues cannot be separated from spiritual ones, what God's healing looks like, and entrusting ourselves to God as the Good Physician. You can read Susannah's original article here: https://mereorthodoxy.com/when-belief-is-agony/ 
 Tallis’ Canon recorded by Steven Dixon.

On this episode, we look at the collect and propers appointed for the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. St. Mark wrote the shortest and perhaps most lively Gospel in the New Testament, and, historically, he is recognized as the first bishop of Alexandria, a deeply-cultured city which became an important center of Christian learning. Appropriately, the themes for his feast day emphasize not being "carried about with every wind of doctrine" but instead being established in the truth of the Gospel unto spiritual maturity.

On this episode, we talk about the Feast of the Annunciation, which occurs nine months before Christmas (and, on some years, on Good Friday). We will discuss the significance of this "pregnancy announcement" for Christians. We will also have a proper rant against scholars and pastors who downplay or even deny the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

On this episode, we discuss the themes presented in the collect and propers for the Tuesday in Holy Week. We talk about Jesus giving his back to the smiters and not hiding His face from shame, His identity as the Suffering Servant, His determination to save us, His trial at the hands of the authorities, and the amazing events that surrounded His crucifixion as they are recorded by St. Mark.

On this episode, we cover the propers and collect for the Wenesday of Holy Week. We explore the themes of bloodshed, death, the covenant of salvation, the priestly ministry of Christ, and St. Luke's account of the Passion. We discuss the meaning of the prepared Upper Room, the two swords, Jesus great desire to have the Last Supper, Peter's denial, and Christ's fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies concerning the Son of Man.

On this episode, we discuss the collects and propers for Good Friday. This sobering day takes us to the foot of the cross, where we recount the Passion narrative from St. John's Gospel. We explore how the Church is a new family founded at Calvary, how the Church is filled by the crucified Christ's Spirit-breath, how the cross compels us to evangelize (especially to those who are heretics and schismatics), and how Christ enters the throne of grace in the heavenly places as the great high priest Who offers Himself for us.

A few weeks ago, Fr. Gingerich was on Colson Center's Upstream podcast to discuss Andy Stanley and the doctrine of Scripture. On this episode, he joins Shane Morris to continue the conversation about apologetics and faithfulness. How much of the Christian faith must one assent to in order to be admitted into the Church? In an era that downplays catechisms and strongly rejects traditional morality, this has become a crisis. Moreover, how should pastors and others deal with doubts when it comes to the Bible, morals, or important doctrines? How far is too far? How little is too little?

On this episode, Sam Smith, author of the Green Ember book series, joins us to discuss the importance of narrative, the imagination, and the Christian faith. Why does God use story--a book--as a means to reveal Himself to the world, and what are we to glean from that? We discuss the importance of how moral formation is accomplished in good story telling, how truth is revealed in narrative, and how good and evil are presented in writing. We also explore how good literature helps us gain wisdom and discern the meaning of things.