The Legend of the Martyr

Today we learn about about two of our sisters in Christ in the days of the early Church as well as studying the first chapter of the book of Daniel, where we meet Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

The saint day for the Nativity of John the Baptist falls on June 24 each year (a little late on this podcast, sorry), and we take a look at the context for the Book of Daniel, which we'll begin studying next week.

This is a follow up to the episode on apologetics, science and Christianity, from June 2, 2025. Bryan Osborne joins the show from Answers in Genesis to dig a little deeper into why these conversations matter, and to talk about dinosaurs!

This is the first of hopefully a series of conversations with Christians alive today in other parts of the world who are bearing witness to Christ. What is it like to be a Christian there? What are they risking by bearing witness to Christ? How can we support them in their work? Hear as Mikko Tiira, a Lutheran pastor in Finland, answers these sorts of questions.

We learn about "Good King Wenceslaus," the man behind the Christmas carol, who was actually a duke, and his grandmother who raised him to know Christ Jesus. Sources ·         https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/king-wenceslas/ ·         https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wenceslas-I-prince-of-Bohemia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia

We look at the prophet Jeremiah and begin the final chapter of Peter's letters.

We learn about the apostle Barnabas from the New Testament and also talk about the danger of false teachers from 2 Peter 2.

Apologetics are a part of martyrdom, as we give a defense of what we believe to our neighbor as we share Christ with them. Sources: -my notes for this episode: https://sandhandrews.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/apologetics-science-and-christianity.pdf - Bill Nye video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbYJfwFgOU

We look at the role of hymns and joy in our suffering by taking a look at the lives of the 9th century bishop Theodulf and the 17th century Paul Gerhardt. Sources ·  “They Went to Their Deaths Singing” article by JD Raymond in Gaudium Magazine, March 8, 2022, https://www.gaudiummag.com/p/they-went-to-their-deaths-singing ·     https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/galen.html ·     https://catholi...

Sources • https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=366 • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lawrence • https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/b/125508/files/2024/11/Prudentius-Crown-of-Martyrs_24_11_18_16_24_43.pdf • https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/08/saint-lawrence-of-rome-as-model-deacon.html

Sources: https://ilcouncil.org/tag/jan-van-essen/ https://redbrickparsonage.wordpress.com/2023/06/29/first-lutheran-martyrdom-first-account/ https://www.lutheranchoralebook.com/texts/a-new-song-be-by-us-begun/ https://redbrickparsonage.wordpress.com/2023/07/03/martin-luthers-letter-to-christians-in-the-low-countries/

We look to recent martyrs and what God's Word teaches us about persecution of His Church.

Learn about two 2nd century brothers, Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr.

We learn about the other gospel writers and continue our study of 1 Peter.

Learn about the Apostle Paul and his work in proclaiming the gospel of Christ to all nations.

In this episode, we explore St. George, who really existed, and the legend that he may have slayed a dragon. I also unpack the Scriptures behind my hymn, "Snatch Them from the Fire," which you are welcome to use however you would like. A copy of it can be found at https://sandhandrews.wordpress.com/resources/hymnody/ Thanks to Emma Wohlgemuth for the organ music to accompany the hymn mov...

We finish looking at the lives of the twelve apostles and continue our study of Peter's first letter to the Church.

We continue our review of Christ's apostles.

Edited 3/18/2025: I did not feel like I articulated the topic of 1 Peter 3:1-2 well yesterday, so I recorded that section over again to emphasize the following note clearly - Please note, this episode in no way condones abusive relationships, but stresses that an abused spouse should seek help. Unlike the world, which only focuses on the self and one's own needs, the question for the Christian...

We consider the martyrdom of two more of Jesus' apostles and continue our study of 1 Peter with some words that directly challenge our view of the purpose and meaning of life.

How do we prepare ourselves to endure and stand firm in our faith in Jesus should extreme persecution or even martyrdom come?

If you have any martyrs you would like to learn more about, or if there are current cultural issues you'd like to know how to be a witness of Christ in the midst of, please let me know.