Cloud of Witnesses Radio

Leaving Pantheism For A Personal God: From Restless To Rooted | Jesus and Me Just Doesn't Work!

From Restless to Rooted: Joshua Williams on Calling, Repentance, and a Faith That Endures. What happens when the map you drew for your life no longer fits the road God is actually giving you? In this continuation of our conversation with Joshua Williams, we trace a candid journey through disappointment, redirection, and the quiet practices that turn belief into a way of life. This isn’t highlight-reel faith; it’s the daily, hidden work of following Jesus when the feelings fade and the next step isn’t obvious. In this episode you’ll hear about: Calling vs. career: how God reshapes ambition into service and steadies the heart when doors close. Repentance as renewal: not shame, but the rhythm that keeps love honest and hope alive. Prayer that holds in storms: learning to pray Scripture when words run out. Community and accountability: why “just me and Jesus” isn’t enough when you’re tired, tempted, or unsure. Sacrament and Scripture together: how worship and the Word form a faith that lasts beyond trends. Suffering without cynicism: carrying grief to Christ and finding courage to begin again. Why listen: If you’re in a season of waiting, change, or quiet rebuilding, Joshua’s story offers both clarity and comfort—practical ways to keep moving with Jesus when you’re short on answers but rich in questions. If this conversation encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs steadying grace, and leave a quick review with the one practice—prayer, repentance, or community—you’re committing to this week. ********** What if the road to Jesus runs through a guru? We sit down with Joshua to trace his unlikely path from a Romanian “enlightenment” school to Orthodox Christianity, and we ask the questions seekers rarely say aloud: Do mystical experiences prove truth, or do they force us to ask which spirit we’re listening to? Joshua describes leaving the U.S. to “throw himself into the arms of the universe,” clinging to ideas like reincarnation and religious unity while resisting the moral claims of Christ. Inside a syncretic school that blended Hindu and Buddhist concepts, he encountered a compelling teacher, apparent clairvoyance, and a vision of reality where Brahman reigns as impersonal essence. That promise of unity felt expansive—until it demanded he treat personhood, love, and moral responsibility as illusions. We contrast that with the Orthodox claim that God is personal and tri-personal: the Trinity as eternal communion, love that exists before creation, and a God who is everywhere present yet distinct from creation. Rather than absorbing us into a faceless One, God calls us by name and invites real relationship. Across the conversation, we map the turning points: irritation at the name of Jesus giving way to self-awareness, recognition of authentic Christian witness, and a rethinking of “science versus faith” that leaves shallow slogans behind. We explore discernment of spirits, why power isn’t proof, and how an impersonal metaphysics drifts toward quiet nihilism. Then we look at the Orthodox vision of personhood that grounds meaning: if we’re made in God’s image, our capacity for love is not a cosmic trick—it’s the point. If you’ve chased enlightenment and still long for a face behind the light, this story will meet you where you are. Listen, share with a friend who’s wrestling with pantheism or syncretism, and leave a review to help others find the show. Subscribe for more conversations that take faith, reason, and experience seriously. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Modern Protestants or Ancient Faith: Who Owns the Story? | Sola Scriptura vs Historic Christianity

Can you be “just Christian” and still wear a team jersey? In this episode, Cloud of Witnesses team members Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, and James St Simon sit down to react to a Reformed Protestant defense of labels, movements, and sola scriptura, and then press into the deeper questions underneath it all: unity, authority, and what it really means to be catholic in the sense of a complete, historic faith. We explore how “no labels” talk can hide real discomfort with fragmentation, and ask whether you can credibly claim two thousand years of Christian heritage while setting aside the worship, sacramental life, and conciliar teaching that actually shaped that heritage. Along the way, we test modern Protestant confessions against the early Church and ask whether you can quote the Fathers without also receiving the churchly life they inhabited. In this conversation we dig into: • The pull of “no labels” Christianity and the problem of theological tribes • What it means to be catholic as complete, not just universal • How liturgy, sacraments, and councils tether us to the early Church • Sola scriptura versus Scripture within a living Tradition and teaching authority • The danger of cherry picking Augustine, Chrysostom, and others to fit our systems • Justification as declared righteous versus actually being made righteous by grace • Why the New Testament insists that works and real transformation are necessary • Assurance, baptism, and whether a believer can truly fall away At the heart of the episode is the engine of the Reformation: sola scriptura. Our Protestant friends call Scripture “the norm that norms other norms.” We ask what that looks like on the ground, where every believer can become their own referee and the result is endless splintering. Against that, we explore a vision of Scripture inside the Church, where the Bible is read, preached, and lived within the grammar of historic worship and sacramental life. If you care about what unites Christians across the centuries, how faith moves from theory into a way of life, and whether the Fathers can really be claimed without the Church they loved and defended, this episode is for you. Share it with a friend who loves theology, tell us where you land in the comments, and join the Cloud of Witnesses community as we keep wrestling with the faith once delivered to the saints. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Is Protestant Unity Possible or Should Evangelicals & Mainline Christians Seek the Historic Church?

Unity sounds simple until you try to build it without a shared center. We take listeners inside the lived tension of modern Protestant life: a movement born from reform that still reforms itself into new churches, new brands, and new streams whenever conviction collides with leadership and local control. From the Reformers’ early disagreements to today’s non-denominational megachurches, hosts Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, and Michael trace how authority, interpretation, and personality shape the health of congregations—and why splits feel inevitable when a pastor retires or launches a fresh vision down the street. We examine why Protestant unity remains elusive, especially for Dillon Baker, host of The Protestant Gentleman, (https://www.youtube.com/@theprotestantgentleman/videos) how non-denominational structures fuel repeated splits, and why so many seekers turn to older, historic forms of Christianity. We share lived stories, weigh online apologetics trends, and offer practical next steps rooted in church history. • the claim that Protestantism functions as serial reformations • structural fragility in non-denominational leadership models • real case of a founding pastor splitting a congregation • growth versus true flourishing in church life • online apologetics momentum and confidence gaps • questions to test practice against early Christian history • counsel to study church history before choosing a church • invitation to explore Orthodox parishes as a concrete step Along the way, we unpack a candid story of a founding pastor pushed to retire who planted a new church and took half the congregation, and we ask what that choice demands of ordinary people. Are they comparing preaching styles, or discerning which community is more biblically faithful? We zoom out to the online apologetics landscape where prominent voices admit Protestants are “losing” the debate on history and continuity. That candor points to a deeper hunger: believers want a faith that is ancient, coherent, and recognizable across centuries, not just persuasive proof texts. The guiding question becomes, Where have Christians practiced this? We offer a practical path forward. Start with church history: the first centuries, the councils, the formation of canon, and the worship life that carried the Gospel through persecution and empire. Test present practices against the witness of the early Church. Many seekers find themselves drawn to Eastern Orthodoxy for its conciliar authority, sacramental life, and stable doctrine—less an escape from Scripture than a home where Scripture, tradition, and worship live together. Whether you remain Protestant or explore Orthodoxy, you’ll leave with sharper questions, clearer criteria, and a stronger sense of what flourishing looks like beyond weekly attendance numbers. If this conversation helps you or someone you love, share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review with the biggest question you’re wrestling with right now. Your voice shapes where we go next. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Take a Look inside a Church of the Latter Day Saints | Mormonism Compared to Christianity Reaction

Step past the beige sparse walls and into a Sunday that sparks big questions about worship, history, and truth. Jeremy Jeremiah reacts to the video that walks you through an LDS sacrament meeting—from the first hymn to the closing prayer—and hold its practices up against the standards of historic Christianity. Along the way, we unpack why a service that looks like a college lecture can feel familiar, why borrowed hymns matter more than they seem, and how bread and water signal a deeper break with the ancient Eucharistic faith. We walk through a full LDS Sunday service, from hymns to sacrament, and compare it with historic Christian worship. Along the way, we challenge the classroom model of church and invite listeners to examine claims of continuity, sacrament, and truth. • tour of an LDS chapel and layout • critique of borrowed hymnody and history • sacrament of bread and water contrasted with Eucharist • talk-centered format versus sacramental worship • breakdown of Sunday school and primary programs • analysis of American church growth dynamics • invitation to explore historic Orthodox Christianity We take time to examine the structure: youth speakers delivering short talks, adults cycling through classes, and children moving between singing time and instruction. The building tells a story too: chapel, classrooms, nursery, and a cultural hall that doubles as a gym, all optimized for programs and teaching. That order can be comforting, but we ask whether a church centered on talks can replace a church centered on sacrament. If the early Church guarded the Eucharist as the heart of worship, what does it mean when the centerpiece is reimagined with plastic cups and water? This episode makes a strong claim: form reflects belief. The symbols you see—or don’t see—the bread and wine you receive—or don’t—shape what you believe about Christ, grace, and the church’s purpose. We explore why Orthodox Christianity insists on continuity with the apostles, the fathers, and the councils; why creed, liturgy, and iconography are not add-ons; and why a living tradition offers more than inspiration—it offers participation in the life of God. Whether you’re LDS, curious, or wrestling with where to belong, this is an invitation to test claims by worship as much as by words. If this conversation challenged you or sparked new curiosity, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question or insight. Your feedback helps more seekers find thoughtful, honest conversations about faith and the church. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

What Is It To Be Human: Body & Soul In Christ | Orthodoxy & the Whole Person | Dcn Anthony Part 1

What is a human—dust and breath, body and spirit—without tearing ourselves in two? Deacon Anthony (St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church, San Diego) joins Cloud of Witnesses with hosts Mario Andrew, Jeremy Jeremiah, and John for a rich, practical conversation on an Orthodox vision of the whole person and the mind (phronema) of the Church. We trace a path away from the twin traps of indulgence (living by our appetites) and denial (pretending we’re already angelic), toward a fearless embrace of reality in Christ. Through Scripture, the Fathers, and stories from parish life, Deacon Anthony shows how God meets us in the tangible—mud on eyes, bread and wine, water and oil—to heal the heart and remake our lives. In this episode you’ll hear: * Body & Soul together: why the Incarnation means Christianity is never “purely spiritual” or “only physical.” * The phronema (mindset) of the Church: how a Christian way of seeing reshapes what we notice, how we judge, and whom we love. * Using God-given tools rightly: judge ourselves, not our neighbor; fear sin, not repentance; hate the illness, not the person. * Confession as healing: real accountability, a spiritual father, and why naming sin breaks its power. * Community over isolation: salvation is ecclesial and relational—you can’t be saved on an island. * Heaven & hell begin now: entitlement and isolation taste like hell; humility and communion taste like heaven. * Saints as role models: why children (and adults) need holy examples more than celebrities. * Eucharist & the senses: why worship that engages sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch anchors faith in reality. If “symbolic religion” has felt thin—or if modern “live-your-truth” scripts leave you empty—this conversation offers a hopeful, time-tested alternative: sacrament, repentance, and daily love that form the whole person in Christ. Find an Orthodox Church near you today. Visit https://www.antiochian.org/home  Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok Please leave a comment with your thoughts!