Centrally Speaking

The Value of a Tenebrae service for getting the most out of Easter

The week leading up to Easter is one of the most important weeks in the church calendar each year. A special service during this week is a Tenebrae Service, a service of shadows that commemorates Jesus' passion. Central Schwenkfelder has conducted this service for many years on the Thursday before Easter. In this podcast, we ask Rev Dr. David McKinley about the origin of this service and about its importance for Christian devotion so that one can get the most out of this important week of the year. #Tenebrae  #TenebraeService  #HolyWeek  #serviceofshadows Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Devotional Literature from Caspar Schwenckfeld: Heavenly Balm and the Divine Physician

Caspar Schwenckfeld was a Radical Reformer who emphasized the importance of the inner life. As part of his Christian service, he composed a number of pieces of devotional literature. One of those pieces was The Heavenly Balm and the Divine Physician. Rev. Nick Pence from Palm Schwenkfelder Church in Palm, PA has been working on a contemporary translation of this work. In this podcast, we ask him about the contents of the book and about Schwenckfeld's devotional writing. #CasparSchwenckfeld  #Reformationdevotionalliterature  #balmJesus #Jesusphysician Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Why is the Second Century important for a Christian?

Many think of the church as being a first century phenomenon. After all, Jesus and the disciples like Peter led the church then and the books of the Bible were written during that time. In comparison, few understand the great significance of the second century for the understanding of the church. In this podcast, Dr. Shawn Wilhite answers questions about the importance of the second century. He is the Associate Professor of New Testament at California Baptist University in Riverside, California and an Affiliate Professor at Golden Gate Seminary in Ontario, California. He is a co-editor of the Apostolic Fathers with Cascade Publishers and series editor for Studies of Patristic Theology and Spirituality [https://www.baylorpress.com/baylor-university-press-announces-studies-in-patristic-theology-and-spirituality-series/] with Baylor University Press. #secondcenturyChristianity  #ApostolicFathers  #Christianpersecution  #Didachecommentary  #Canondecisions  #biblicalcanon  #IgnatiusofAntiochcommentary Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Illuminating News about Iranian protests and the Iranian Church

News coming out of Iran is limited. On January 8, 2026, the Iranian regime initiated a near total internet blackout. Many digital rights and internet monitoring groups have assessed the current shutdown to be the most sophisticated and most severe in Iran's history. At the same time, nationwide protests are taking place that started on December 30, 2025. On January 30, 2026, we spoke with an Iranian Christian living in the neighboring country of Armenia about the situation in Iran and the Iranian Christian church. In this podcast, he comments on the extent of the protests, reasons for them, the numbers of dead and wounded, the place of the Iranian church in them, and how to pray for Iran. #Iranianprotests  #churchiran  #casualtiesIranprotests  #prayforIran  #prayerIran #christiansiran  #IranProtests #IranUnrest #undergroundchurch Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

The Schwenkfelder Migration as told at the Day of Remembrance

As part of our Day of Remembrance service each year, we tell the story of the Schwenkfelder migration from Silesia, Germany to Philadelphia. On September 21, 2025, H. Drake Williams, Jr. relayed the story to the General Conference of Schwenkfelder Churches at the denomination's Day of Remembrance Service that was held at Palm Schwenkfelder Church. #Schwenkfeldermigration  #emigrationfromSilesia  #Schwenkfelderdayofremembrance Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA  USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org