In this episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Joe Boot and Dr. Michael Thiessen examine the origin, history and core beliefs of Buddhism.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Cold Open
03:20 Podcast Intro
03:40 Welcome
05:25 The Historical Context of Buddhism
08:00 The 3 Periods of the Buddha's Life
14:33 Core Teachings: The Four Noble Truths
21:00 Inherent Problems with the Four Noble Truths 
25:10 The Great Buddha (Messiah) to Come
32:01 Liberation: The Renunciation of Self
33:03 Folk Buddhism vs. Enlightened Buddhism
35:06 Buddhism's Self-Salvation is a Death Cult
36:41 ReformCon '25 AD
37:27 Navigating the Eightfold Path: Ethical Conduct in Buddhism
46:15 The Illogic & Hopelessness of Buddhism
48:46 Understanding Nirvana
50:00 Desire is NOT the Enemy
54:00 The Eightfold Path is Full of Pot Holes
58:50 Various forms of Buddhism: Tantric, Zen, Animism and Occultism
01:03:11 Gnosticism Within: Illusion, Sin and the Self
01:09:00 Body/Mind Dualism within Buddhism
01:14:15 Conclusion
01:15:06 Outro

The WAIT is OVER!!! Pre-order your copy of the NEW updated and expanded version of Dr. Boot’s Mission of God with a brand-new study guide! Get it here: https://ezrapress.ca/products/mission-of-god-10th-anniversary-edition;

UPCOMING CONFERENCES:
REFORMCON '25 | "Out of the Ashes" | April 24-26, 2025 @ Tucson, AZ: https://reformcon.org/

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Welcome to this special episode of the China Compass Podcast, #23 in the weekly “Prison Pulpit” series! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. You can follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (http://PrayforChina.us). To learn more about our various ministry endeavors and to get any of the missionary biographies I’ve published, visit www.PrayGiveGo.us!

Once again, we turn to Richard Wurmbrand to speak to us on behalf of the persecuted church…

Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian Lutheran minister who spent fourteen years in prison (three in solitary confinement) and published ”Tortured for Christ" after his release in the late 1960s.

He later founded Voice of the Martyrs, but son Michael does NOT recommend VOM’s ministry today. (Read his “Open Letter” about VOM here: https://www.billionbibles.com/michael-wurmbrand-vom.html) 

Michael Wurmbrand now runs his own ministry, and has made most of his father’s books (and formerly unpublished writings) available for free: https://richardwurmbrandfoundation.com/.

What follows was taken from “Samson in Prison”, one of the sermons in Wurmbrand’s book, Sermons in Solitary Confinement.

Read the text version of this podcast here: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/samson-in-prison

If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend Richard Wurmband’s longer book of prison stories & meditations, In God's Underground: https://richardwurmbrandfoundation.com/pdfs/IGU-english.pdf

Follow China Compass

My little book Unbeaten tells the story of my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China in 2018. One of the appendices, Remember My Chains, is a sermon I’ve given all over the world about praying for the persecuted church. You can get the book at http://Unbeaten.vip, or read just the sermon for free on my China Call Substack: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/remember-my-chains

Follow or subscribe to China Compass wherever you are listening. You can also email any questions or comments to contact @ PrayforChina . us or send me a DM on X: @chinaadventures. Hebrews 13:3

As Charlie Kirk put it, let’s hope voters do not have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to Gavin Newsom’s political history. President of California Family Council, Jonathan Keller, joins Joseph Backholm to discuss California Governor Gavin Newsom’s “political rebrand”. Recently, Newsom walked back his support for transgender athletes in women’s sports. Was this a strategic shift or political maneuver? They also discuss his efforts to engage conservatives on his new podcast, his potential 2028 run, and whether this signals a Democratic course correction. Can Newsom successfully rebrand, and will voters buy it? Tune in for the debate!

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Greg sat down with Steve Deace (BlazeTV) and Brandon Wood (Eschatology Matters) at the Dangerous Friends Conference and brought you the goods! Greg & Steve discussed politics, Trump attacks, and the state of the church, while Greg & Brandon talked about the Brother Wars, and being a podcaster on Reformed X. Great episode! Enjoy!

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We're responsible for the results our work produces, or the lack thereof. We don't get to wash our hands at the point of intention or effort. Wanting to do great things is not enough. Trying to do great things is not sufficient. Results matter. Yes, God is sovereign. Yes, we are responsible.

In order to be deemed faithful, we must go beyond desire, effort, and "our best." This "going beyond" is what work is. A worker is faithful when he does more than desire, try, or max out his capability. He's faithful when he gets the job done. Faithfulness is evaluated by the result.

The Master in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 says to his servant who doubled his talents, "Well done, good and *faithful* servant. You have been *faithful* over a little." He makes this assessment because the servant had something to show for his work. The servant was faithful in trading the talents effectively and doubling his investment. Being faithful over a little meant that he actually brought a return. He did not come empty handed. His faithfulness was visible in his results.

How are we to do that? I can say, "Work hard" or "Be smart." But that's not very helpful. When you don't see the results you're after, what can you do about that? How do we make things happen?

3 things I have for you. 
4 to keep it interesting.

The next few episodes will be about just that. Getting it done. Making things happen.

Pastor and musician Brian Sauve, co-host of Haunted Cosmos and the King's Hall Podcast, as well as Bright Hearth, and Dr Josh Howard talk about the basics of thinking generationally and building christian families.

From topics like biblical masculinity, to the relationship between families and nations, and a look at 1 Corinthians 7 and 'holy' children, you will find this a great starting place for deepening practical theology for the household.