Stone Choir

Stone Choir
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Stone Choir

Two Lutheran (LCMS) laymen bring a theological lens to the world, and relate the state of the world back to theology. Topics are timely, challenging, and fearless. We'll probably make you nervous, sometimes make you angry, but never leave you bored. We are the stones who cry out.

  1. Friend and Enemy

    15 JAN

    Friend and Enemy

    Men do not need to be told that they have friends and they have enemies, and yet many modern Christians have been so propagandized by eisegesis and so misled by false teachers that they no longer believe that a Christian can have enemies, and yet Scripture clearly states that men will not only have enemies, but that some of those enemies will be in their own households. In this life, you will have friends and you will have enemies, some will be weak and some will be strong, some will abandon you when the tide turns and some will stand with you no matter what may come; being a Christian does not change this. Yes, we are to forgive our personal enemies, but that does not thereby make them anything other than enemies, and to treat the friend and the enemy identically is to be derelict in the duties given us by God. We do service neither to God nor to the Church when we pretend that enemies are not enemies; in fact, it is that very sort of wickedness that drives many men away from the churches in disgust. As Christian men, we must reclaim a proper understanding of friend and enemy and a proper approach to dealing with both — not least of all when the enemies stand up in the churches, as they do all too often today. Show Notes I (Mahler) am aware of the audio issues with my track — there is nothing I can do about them. Somehow, my recording lost ~30dB despite sounding fine during recording. I will be reworking my audio stack (and likely purchasing more hardware) before the next episode in an attempt to guard against any future (inexplicable) issues. See Also Further Reading “Personal or Public” Parental Warnings None.

    1h 55m
  2. Conflicted Interest

    8 JAN

    Conflicted Interest

    Every man has a collection of interests. A man has an interest in his family; a man has an interest in his job; a man has an interest in his financial positions; a man has an interest in his city; a man has an interest in his nation. These interests can sometimes come into conflict. To have a conflict of interests does not mean that the man in question is necessarily compromised or untrustworthy, but it does mean that he is in a position where he will have to make a choice between those competing interests. In our legal system, we recognize this in a number of ways. We take the interests of a witness into account when weighing his testimony (and not just for credibility purposes); we take into account whether a statement is made against interest; we dismiss jurors who have certain interests in the outcome of a given case. The same is true of many other parts of our government (e.g., regulators are supposed to at least disclose any interests they have in the entities they regulate). It is not that having an interest means that a man is automatically disqualified; rather, it is that the interests of the man must be taken into account when assessing his arguments, and it is also that men should generally disclose their interests — and those who fail to do so are suspect. However, there most certainly are instances where a man with a conflict of interests should or even must be disqualified from participating in the discussion — this is not only to protect the discussion itself, but also to protect the man from having to make a choice between his legitimate (and possibly even equally important) interests. Handling these issues is a matter of wisdom, and one that has been neglected for far too long in Christian circles. God does not command us to be fools; rather, He commands us to be wise and to be wary of wolves. Show Notes The Small Catechism — The Ten Commandments See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

    2h 6m
  3. Justice and Retribution

    04/12/2024

    Justice and Retribution

    Hosts Corey J. Mahlercoreyjmahler.com@CoreyJMahler Woeaka Eschatologuy@treblewoe Retribution is the debt that man owes to justice. Modern society would attempt to mislead you into thinking that rehabilitation or distribution or restoration or mercy are part of justice, but they are not. God is clear in His Word that justice is a matter of punishment of those who do wrong. The prince does not wield the sword in vain, and he will be judged by his faithful or for his faithless execution of his office. In the coming years, and particularly in the coming year, there will be many who will attempt to conflate the mercy that God has shown us in the right-hand kingdom with the justice that He commands must be done in the left-hand kingdom. Clerics of all stripes will scream and cry that we must show ‘mercy’ and ‘forgiveness’ in the political realm instead of doing what is right and just — these men will be using their collars to spread lies, and God will judge them for their wickedness. Christian men must know how to rightly divide these matters and how to distinguish the voice of God from the lies of Satan — both our souls and our nation depend on this. Show Notes The 2024 Stone Choir Challenge Coin is still available. If you place your order by the 13th, it will arrive in time for Christmas. See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

    1h 56m
  4. Persecution and Perseverance

    20/11/2024

    Persecution and Perseverance

    We often think of persecution as a matter external to the church, as something inflicted on the church; however, persecution is often — and these days most often — a matter within the church — the persecutors, the goats and the wolves, claim outward fellowship with the sheep. Persecution has almost always been a part of the Christian life, even if it has waxed and waned over the centuries (and some who lived under Christendom enjoyed relative peace). Today, we are faced with a period of increasing persecution; in fact, it is already in full swing. If we, as Christians, are not prepared to face persecution, to persevere in the face of it, then we will almost certainly fall away from the faith when the persecution rises in intensity. There is a great apostasy that has been underway for decades, and now the world and the devil are earnestly seeking to persecute and destroy what remains of the Church on Earth, and they are aided in this by goats and wolves posing as sheep. The persecution of today, as has been the case with so much of the persecution of the past, comes largely from within the church, not from without her. And yet persecution is not a cause for despair or even for worry — it is a reason to act. If we are to persevere, to run the race successfully, then we must spend time in the Word of God, be confident in our faith, and secure in our knowledge that God is always true to His promises, not least of all: ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” Show Notes Acts 7 Romans 8 Hebrews 11–12 See Also Further Reading Germania by Tacitus [Amazon] Parental Warnings None.

    2h 14m
  5. Honor and Loyalty

    13/11/2024

    Honor and Loyalty

    Honor and loyalty are closely related concepts — even nearly, but not quite, identical. In this third (and final) part of our series on honor, we address the matter of loyalty — what it is, what it is not, when it is due, and, perhaps most importantly, when it is not due. To God and nation, a man owes absolute and unconditional loyalty; to family and country, man owes a high degree of loyalty; to all else, man owes only a conditional loyalty (if any at all). Further, a teacher, particularly a teacher of the Word, is not personally owed loyalty because he teachers the word; rather, it is the Word to which one’s loyalty is owed. A teacher who was once true, but has become false, must be deserted and abandoned, as the higher duty to God always trumps. A corporate entity — whether a baker, a school, or a church — is generally not, in and of itself, owed any duty of loyalty at all. Many attempt to exploit man’s sense of loyalty, but it is incumbent on the Christian man to know to whom loyalty is owed and to whom it is not owed. Romans 13:7 (ESV): »Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.« Show Notes See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

    1h 1m
  6. Honor and Shame

    06/11/2024

    Honor and Shame

    Honor was once something that was taken deadly seriously in the West. It was not a matter about which one joked. A man would go to great lengths to maintain his honor, and a woman would go to great lengths to defend hers. In our modern culture, honor has been all but forgotten by the bulk of the population — it has become something so foreign, so alien that most men no longer even know what the word means. But honor is necessary to maintain civilization, and so are shame and guilt. Unto the one who conducts himself according to the Moral Law and conforms his behavior to the norms of his civilization we bestow honor, and upon the one who falls short of these standards we heap shame to add to the guilt of his conscience. Together, honor, shame, and guilt form part of the foundation upon which society and civilization rest; without these, no civilization can long endure. As Christian men, we must endeavor to restore these things to our society, before it is too late and we have fallen too far. Show Notes Bible Hub: kalós Bible Hub: timé Bible Hub: kalós OpenBible: Honor OpenBible: Shame See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings There is some discussion of chastity, et cetera, but nothing explicit.

    1h 46m
  7. Sanctified Image of God

    23/10/2024

    Sanctified Image of God

    All men are made in the image of God. Not all men are in the image of God. These two statements may seem contradictory, but they are not, because they reference different aspects of what it means to be an image of God — and what it means to be regenerate (i.e., to be on the path we call Sanctification). The regenerate man is in the image of God in a way that the unregenerate man is not, because the regenerate man is justified and is being sanctified. This distinction is key, and is often conflated (both accidentally and deceptively) in modern, Christian (at least seemingly) discourse. A helpful way to think about the distinction: Last week, we went over the image of God with emphasis on image; this week, we go over the image of God with emphasis on of God. Show Notes Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. II — Original Sin Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Art. I — Original Sin Colossians The Ten Commandments The Large Catechism, Preface See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

    1h 38m
  8. Image, Idol, and Symbol

    16/10/2024

    Image, Idol, and Symbol

    Man was made in the image of God. This certainly sounds good — even impressive —, and it is frequently used by modern (supposedly) Christian commentators to justify all sorts of things. But what even is an image? If you do not know what an image is, how can you expect to even begin to understand an image of God? In this episode, we lay the groundwork for understanding what precisely it means for man to be the image of God, what it means for us, and what we should do with it. Show Notes Hurricane Relief Links https://www.givesendgo.com/gdepe https://gofund.me/4cdc61f5 https://x.com/Unitedcajunnavy https://x.com/Culture_Crit/status/1821621420591317323 (episode image) See Also Further Reading Parental Warnings None.

    1h 51m
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About

Two Lutheran (LCMS) laymen bring a theological lens to the world, and relate the state of the world back to theology. Topics are timely, challenging, and fearless. We'll probably make you nervous, sometimes make you angry, but never leave you bored. We are the stones who cry out.

Information

  • Creator
    Stone Choir
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stone Choir — 2022–2024, Some Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Stone Choir

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