Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives offers a solo, concise overview of the current Middle East situation, concentrating on Israel, the Iranian protests, and the collapse of Iran’s regional proxy network (Syria, Lebanon/Hezbollah, Gaza/Hamas, Yemen/Houthi).Jerry reviews recent flashpoints—from the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s military tactics to U.S. responses under President Trump—and explains how strategy, technology, and shifting politics have altered the regional landscape.The episode closes with theological reflections on biblical prophecy, Israel’s resilience and identity, and the possible political trajectories for Iran and its neighbors.

A brief announcement and encouragement to attend the 48th Annual Ministers Week hosted by Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute, February 16–20. Expect focused teaching on Scripture and ministry, with classes such as Inspiration and Instruction in the Hebrew Scripture (Nathan Zook); Learning Effective Discipleship (Isaac Diemer); Counted Faithful in the Ministry; Reaching Our Local Communities (Marcus Fox); and The Gospel of the Kingdom (Roger Byers). Sessions run in three periods each day, with two class options per period. There are also ladies’ classes—Spiritual Disciplines for Ladies (Bonnie Bauman) and Why Are You Teaching (Kendra Kennel)—which emphasize mentoring younger women. Meals will be prepared by Leon Kennel, and the event connects informally with other Mennonite ministries and Faith Builders resources. Logistics: limited seating and lodging, so preregistration is required. Call 717-485-4341 or sign up on the institute website. Lodging is about $15/night and meals have a suggested $5 donation. The week is geared toward pastors and ministry workers but open to anyone interested in current church issues and practical teaching.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives explores the necessity of mercy—especially the practice of allowing another person’s evil to run its course so it may collapse under its own weight—without excusing wrongdoing or de-emphasizing justice. The episode examines James 2:13 and Romans 9:15–16, critiques overly deterministic readings that discard human will, and contrasts mercy with discipline and grit. Eicher uses J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (Frodo, the Ring, Gollum, Bilbo, and Gandalf) as a central example to show how pity and restraint—rather than flawless willpower—become the decisive forces that preserve the future and make victory possible. Key takeaways: mercy can look foolish or inefficient but keeps outcomes open, it does not guarantee transformation of the evildoer, and it may be the means by which we ourselves are ultimately saved. The episode closes with a personal anecdote about family mercy and a call to practice patient compassion in everyday life.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives explores the surprising spiritual meaning behind the phrase “making money while you sleep,” using Jesus’ parable in Mark 4:26–27 to show how God’s life can grow within us beyond our constant effort.The episode addresses the tension between inner faith and external disciplines—fasting, prayer, life boundaries, and community—and critiques modern tendencies to abandon those externals. Eicher draws on biblical examples (Old Testament walls, Cornelius), historical figures and movements (Bill Gothard, Joshua Harris), and contemporary cultural commentary (Jordan Peterson) to illustrate the need for protected, prepared ground where God’s seed can flourish.Key takeaways include practical, faith-shaped practices (regular prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, and guarded life patterns), a call to remove fear of godly obedience, and an encouragement to balance inward reliance on the Spirit with outward structures that preserve spiritual growth.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspective responds to Kirk Cameron’s announcement that he no longer believes in eternal punishment, exploring biblical texts (e.g., Revelation 14), the atonement, and competing views of hell and annihilation.The episode covers two central proposals: the ‘preservation of the record’ idea for why evil might be maintained in a contained, demonstrable state rather than erased, and deep ontological questions about being, non-being, and whether created wills or souls can be returned to nothing. Eicher critiques popular annihilationist arguments (mentioning Edward Fudge, Plato, Milton, and 1 Timothy 6:16) and lays out what he sees as the theological and logical stakes. No external guests — hosted and argued by Jerry Eicher.

Host Jerry Eicher (Anabaptist Theological Perspectives) quotes scholar Ken Wilson, PhD, on his research of Augustine and the origins of Augustinian Calvinism. The episode summarizes Wilson’s abbreviated booklet based on his PhD thesis, explaining his methodology and main claims. Topics covered include a chronological reading of Augustine’s works, comparisons with Stoicism, Neoplatonism, Gnosticism and Manichaeism, the early church fathers (patristics), and Augustine’s responses to Pelagianism. Wilson argues Augustine’s later deterministic theology—adopted by Luther and Calvin and crystallized in TULIP—was shaped by pre-Christian Manichean and Gnostic influences rather than the first three centuries of the church. Key points: Augustine’s suspension from an early rule barring former Manicheans from office, brought about a decisive shift to non-free will around 412 CE, the reintroduction of “damnable guilt” and radical grace, and the claim that many scriptural interpretations used by Reformed theologians trace back to pagan determinist sources. Listeners should expect a concise, scholarly overview of Wilson’s argument and its implications for how we read Augustine and the foundations of Calvinism.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives explores the historical origins of Christmas, drawing on John Berger’s article "The Roundabout Way: Early Christians Determine the Date of Christmas" and the scholarship Berger cites, including a professor of history referenced in the piece.The episode walks through early Christian attempts to calculate the date of Christ’s birth and death: how Latin Christians settled on March 25 for Christ’s death/conception by applying the Jewish notion of "integral age" and connections to Passover/14 Nisan, which then produced December 25 (and January 6/7 in the East) as the Nativity. It also explains how Emperor Aurelian’s 274 A.D. Sol Invictus festival likely responded to—rather than originated—the Christian date, and traces how the feast spread (Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem) and how some traditions (e.g., Armenian) keep January 6.Key takeaways: December 25 is best understood as a Western Christian development based on theological and calendrical reasoning, not a straightforward borrowing from pagan sun-worship, and this research helps clarify modern debates about the holiday’s origins.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives examines the doctrine of the atonement, engaging with ideas from a forthcoming book by Eitan Bar and reflecting on centuries of Christian theology. Topics include penal substitution, the Jewish view of sacrifice as presence rather than punishment, the Christus Victor (victor) motif, the role of Satan in the passion narrative, debates over hell and universalism, and the danger of discarding two millennia of church reflection. Eicher argues for holding multiple atonement themes together—acknowledging penal language’s place while emphasizing cleansing, restoration, and the life-in-the-blood imagery. Expect a thoughtful critique of both Reformation courtroom metaphors and modern reconstructions, historical references to temple and Torah practice, and pastoral concerns about how theological shifts affect Christian belief and practice.

In this episode Jerry Eicher (Anabaptist Theological Perspectives) reflects on mission models past and present and features a recent presentation from the Anabaptist nonprofit OpenHands.org at Oak Hill Mennonite Church. The conversation examines how traditional material-driven missions have often failed to produce lasting spiritual change and contrasts that with Jesus’ model of meeting material needs while prioritizing spiritual transformation.Guest speakers from Open Hands explain their practical approach: savings-and-credit groups with local facilitators that center worship, teaching, mutual aid and economic cooperation. The episode includes concrete stories — a funeral collection that tested group ownership and a founding member attending anonymously — showing how local responsibility, not outside handouts, fosters cohesive, growing churches. Jerry also critiques colonial-era and modern material aid strategies and warns against the temptation to substitute Western wealth for spiritual formation.Key takeaways: sustainable mission requires local ownership, spiritual teaching woven into community practices, and outside funds used to train facilitators rather than replace local agency. For more, watch the Open Hands presentation on Oak Hill Mennonite Church’s YouTube and visit OpenHands.org; the organization currently has a matching fundraiser to support facilitator training.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives continues a series on God’s chosen people, examining how God worked through Israel and then opened the way for Gentiles. Drawing from Old and New Testament texts—Isaiah 53, the stories of Rahab and Ruth, and Matthew 15’s Canaanite woman—Eicher revisits three core questions: Were the Jews God’s chosen people? Why were they chosen? Are they still chosen? He argues that choice and faith (beginning with Abraham) are central, not mere physical lineage.The episode covers Paul’s redefinition of what makes someone a ‘Jew’ (faith, not heritage), biblical examples of Gentile inclusion, and the theological tension between divine plan and human free response. Practical themes include humility for those welcomed as Gentiles, the role of faith in salvation history, and how unexpected forms of faith—like Rahab’s and the Canaanite woman’s—reveal God’s purposes.This is a solo reflection by Jerry Eicher offering biblical exegesis and pastoral insight. Listeners can expect close readings of scripture, thoughtful theological questions (including about foreknowledge and genuine human response), and encouragement to value faith over privilege.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives tackles the recent rise of anti‑Jewish sentiment in Christian circles, disentangling religious theology from political noise. Guests and figures cited include Tucker Carlson, Kirk Cameron, Douglas Murray, and key Pauline theology.Topics covered: whether Jews are God’s chosen people, why God chose Abraham, Paul’s redefinition of “Jew” to include believing Gentiles, and how Jewish cultural structures have been divinely preserved. Key points: the chosen status is rooted in faith, God builds on prior revelation rather than discarding it, Gentiles enter the promise by being made “spiritual Jews,” and Christians should avoid judging Jews by exclusively Christian standards or sliding into anti‑Israel rhetoric.Practical takeaway: engage the topic theologically and humbly, resist politicizing religious truth, and be cautious about the “anti‑Israel rabbit hole” while recognizing the cultural importance of Jewish continuity in Western civilization.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives examines the theology behind how the gospel is presented, focusing especially on challenges faced by ex‑Amish listeners. He critiques a works‑based understanding (including a Luther-influenced view) that equates 'stopping the law' with dying to the old self, and explains why that framework ultimately exchanges one works gospel for another.Eicher lays out the Anabaptist emphasis on the distinction between the old man and the new man and presents three core points: Christ fully paid the debt of the old man; the old man has been crucified with Christ and should be regarded as dead by faith; and God births a new man in believers who is righteous by nature and enabled to live holy. He urges preachers to restore the fullness of the new‑creation gospel.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspective reflects on his unexpected journey into prophecy, including a pre‑COVID novel (Chosen to Die/The Road to Armageddon) that later echoed real events and led to church disciplinary fallout and his resignation.He surveys end‑times themes: the role and preservation of the Jewish nation, Romans 11 and Zechariah 14, the nature of God’s ‘‘wooing’’ of Israel, the Great Tribulation, martyrdom, and why he rejects the modern rapture doctrine as a 19th‑century innovation.Listeners can expect personal testimony, biblical interpretation of prophecy, practical implications for believers during tribulation, and a call to see the broad scriptural arc connecting Old and New Testament promises about Israel and the church.

This sermon message, “The Wooing of the Human Heart,” unpacks how God pursues relationship with humanity—especially the nation of Israel—by insisting on truth rather than mere displays of power. The speaker traces the theme from Abraham through the Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah and into Romans 11, using vivid images like the warrior-lover, the vineyard parable, and the language of divorce and restoration.Key topics include election and foreknowledge, the preserved remnant, Israel’s fall and future restoration, the grafting of Gentiles into the olive tree, and the role of discipline and consequence in God’s wooing. The message emphasizes God’s determination to win a free-willed love and the church’s call to humility within God’s covenantal plan.No external guests are featured; the episode is a reflective sermon aimed at helping listeners understand biblical pictures of divine love, judgment, and ultimate reconciliation.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptic Theological Perspectives examines the growing mixing of church and politics in light of recent events surrounding Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, and emerging voices like Candace Owens and Ali Beth Stuckey. Eicher warns about the historical dangers of church-state entanglement, traces contemporary problems—women speaking to men in political-tinged church spaces, OnlyFans controversies, and the rise of polarizing media figures—and urges a return to non-political, biblical church leadership.Topics covered include the leadership vacuum at Turning Point after Charlie Kirk, concerns over women-led political influence, biblical roles for men and women, Jordan Peterson’s cultural observations, the OnlyFans debate and its pastoral implications, and historical parallels to Constantine and the state church. Eicher calls for churches to draw back from political entanglement and reassert traditional church authority and teaching.

Host Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives leads a thoughtful episode on how Christians—especially students—can engage evolutionary theory in university settings. Topics include the common fear around evolution, Nietzsche’s critique of removing the divine from creation, and why the long‑ages vs. 24‑hour debate misses the deeper issue.Jerry explores reading Genesis from an earthly point of view, the difference between material representation and spiritual meaning, and the dangers of flattening faith to only what is observable. He also critiques confrontational responses, highlights work by thinkers like Stephen Meyer who bring design arguments into scientific conversation, and stresses that science and religion can align when both are honestly presented.Key takeaways: don’t panic, don’t reduce scripture to a flat literalism, focus on reclaiming the role of the divine in explanations of origins, and enter academic conversations confidently and thoughtfully.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives returns to the contested topic of penal substitution, tracing its resurgence in Reformed and Baptist circles and asking whether the theory has been given too prominent a role in atonement theology.The episode surveys atonement themes—penal substitution, Christus Victor (Gustav Aulén), sovereignty versus human freedom, and the implications for reading Romans, understanding redemption, and discerning God’s glory—and argues that penal substitution is true but should be subordinate to the victory-centered Christus Victor framework.Listeners can expect historical references, three central arguments about where penal substitution belongs, critique of Calvinistic dominance, and practical implications for Christian theology and spiritual life from an Anabaptist perspective.

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives explores what he calls God’s greatest work: the wooing of the human heart. He critiques Calvinist depictions of divine power, arguing that God’s true greatness is revealed through love, truth-speaking, and the cross’s paradoxical drawing power.Topics include the necessity of speaking truth in love, biblical imagery from Isaiah (the vineyard) and Romans 11, the election of Israel, the Gentiles’ grafting in, and how God’s long-term plan will ultimately win back Israel. Eicher contrasts coercive images of God with scriptural themes of relationship and covenant and references contemporary voices and theological tendencies to illustrate the stakes.Listeners can expect a theological meditation grounded in Scripture, strong critiques of certain Calvinist formulations, and an affirmation of God’s patient, truth-driven love toward Israel and the world.

In this episode Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives examines the clash between Charlie Kirk’s insistence that Christians must speak truth into politics and Tim Keller’s approach that urged restraint for gospel preachers. Eicher critiques Keller’s influence on church silence during cultural crises, shares personal anecdotes from Mennonite and Amish responses to COVID, and describes the consequences when the church withdraws from moral debate.Topics include the church’s role in addressing creation-level ethics, the dangers and limits of political involvement, historical lessons from Constantine and Anabaptist martyrs, and contemporary controversies such as gender-transition surgeries for minors. Eicher argues for a return to truth-speaking as the primary witness of the church, even while calling for caution about deep entanglement in political machinery.This is a solo reflection—no outside guests—combining theological critique, personal experience, and a call to reawaken the church’s prophetic voice and the attractive power of truth.

In this episode the host/speaker lays out a sweeping biblical case for rediscovering sacrifice as the heart of the gospel invitation. Tracing the theme from Cain, Abraham and Isaac, Saul, Solomon and David through the prophets (Micah, Isaiah) and into Hebrews and Christ’s own call to deny self, the talk contrasts a propositional, “hold-this-idea” faith with an invitational faith that requires wholehearted participation. Historical context (Wesleyan revival emphases and the 19th-century shift that followed Darwin, Freud and Marx) is used to explain how the invitational element faded and why reclaiming it matters. Key points: God does not desire merely external offerings but the giving of ourselves; repentance is redefined as a turning to do God’s will; Jesus’ invitation to take up the cross invites active participation rather than passive belief; doing God’s will brings a foretaste of “heaven on earth” in family and church life. The speaker emphasizes that participation adds nothing to Christ’s finished work, yet it is essential for entering the life to which we are invited and for the church’s renewal. Continuing briefly from the previous conversation, the host calls listeners to practical next steps: step across the threshold of the invitation, embrace costly obedience in everyday relationships and ministry, and practice joyful, fervent submission in family and church. The episode closes with a hopeful plea for revival — that the church might again insist on participation, sacrifice, and the visible coming of God’s will among us.