I am joined this month by Becky Christenson, the local (Twin Cities) representative for Voice of the Martyrs. We talked about who VOM is, what they do, persecution against Christians around the world, and what we as free Christians can do for our persecuted brethren.
In the course of the [...]
In honor of the 492nd anniversary of the Reformation, I give you the Reformation Polka, and all 95 of Luther’s Theses:
Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will be the subject of a public discussion at Wittenberg under [...]
In this episode, Pastor Bob DeWaay of Twin City Fellowship church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota returns once again. We discussed his new book The Emergent Church: Undefining Christianity. It is the most in-depth analysis of the Emergent Church available. In it, he describes their origins, [...]
The Christian Worldview is often misunderstood, and often deliberately mischaracterized. The reality is that we begin with an understanding of the inherent evil that is within us all. Every man, woman and child ever born (excepting only Jesus Himself), has within himself a selfishness and desire for the destructive that [...]
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky (just outside Cincinnati, Ohio), which is owned and operated by Answers in Genesis. While there, I had the opportunity to speak with a few members of the AiG staff.
Mark Looy is [...]
Being out of town, and preparing for my trip beforehand, I almost forgot to mention the book giveaway in conjunction with the August podcast episode. The deadline was the end of the day Monday, August 31, and I only received one entry. Harold from Fultondale, Alabama asked to be put [...]
It’s been two weeks since the events of my previous post. In that time I have had the opportunity to discuss it more with others. I have found some people that whose opinions I greatly respect, and often influence my own, take exception to my view as expressed on August [...]
It’s been a few years since I’ve written about the amazing correlation between large-scale events that defy God and corresponding disaster. Back in September 2004, I wrote about Bill Koenig’s research into the U.S. Government putting pressure on Israel on the same day that hurricanes hit our country. Many [...]
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One year ago, in the August 2008 episode of Echo Zoe Radio, Ryan Habbena presented us with the Pre-Wrath view of the rapture of the Church. In that episode, he announced a book that he was in the process of writing. That book has been [...]
In my previous post, I described some of the maintenance I’m doing to the site to clean things up. Among other things, I’m going through posts filed under the “General” category and putting them where they belong, as most of the time they got filed that way because I forgot [...]
I’ve been doing a little housecleaning here at echozoe.com, but much of it may go unnoticed.
Now that I’ve looked into what “tags” are, I am finding that I like them, and want to make better use of them. I’ve gotten rid of several post categories (but not the posts themselves), [...]
▪ CHOICE -
▪ DEMOCRACY - A form of government that allows constituents to be involved in government by way of voting for and approving PROGRESSIVE ideals. Democracy is the only form of governance that is free from disagreement or strife and can only function properly after satisfactory education of [...]
For this episode, I am joined by Nick Coldagelli, a friend and ministry partner over at Signet Ring Ministries. Together, we discuss the Christian’s attitude toward government. It is basically a soft exposition of Romans 13:1-7. When is a Christian commanded to submit to government? When is a Christian [...]
In the next podcast episode of Echo Zoe Radio, I mentioned a video about the various types of government that I had watched recently. This is that video:
I’ve heard that Penn Jillette has said this in the past, but it was refreshing to hear it from his own lips, on video. I certainly pray that one day, someone will share their faith with him, and the Holy Spirit will lift the veil from his eyes, grant him [...]
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” – Matthew 7:1 – NASB
While the previous “Misapplied Scripture” articles have dealt with verses that are often used out of context by those professing a faith in Christ, this is a verse that is often used [...]
Stand to Reason is a Christian ministry that has, for over 16 years, focussed on training Christians to be “ambassadors” for Christ in light of 2 Corinthians 5:20, by helping them to develop the qualities of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Character.
Stand to Reason’s Greg Koukl joins [...]
This month, I’m joined by Carl Johnson, assistant pastor of Twin City Fellowship church in St. Louis Park, MN. Our topic is “Moral Relativism,” the idea popular in western culture today that says that individuals determine their own moral values based on their personal experiences and the specific situations they [...]
David Wheaton is a former professional tennis player, a Christian radio talk-show host, and author of University of Destruction: Your Game Plan for Spiritual Victory on Campus. This month he joins me to discuss his book, which deals with the biggest challenges [...]
Returning for his third appearance on Echo Zoe Radio this month is Bob DeWaay, pastor of Twin City Fellowship church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and author of Critical Issues Commentary. The topic of our discussion is “The Problem of Evil”, and is a follow up to [...]
Have you ever heard the question “why do bad things happen to good people?” Have you ever wondered the opposite? Why do good things happen to bad people?
The problem is our point of view. Proverbs 20:6 says “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man [...]
While I never promise to have a podcast episode posted by a specific date unless it is in the can and ready to go, I do strive hard to get them posted by the first Saturday of the month. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts with my next guest have prevented me from [...]
Twin City Fellowship’s Associate Pastor Ryan Habbena returns this month for a discussion on “The Means of Grace.” The basis for the discussion is Acts 2:42 – “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (NASB)
To sign up [...]
After nearly 17 months, I’ve finally gotten around to posting all of the Federalist Papers. With that, the number of political posts here at echozoe.com will drop considerably. There is a lot going on, and it drives my as crazy as it ever has, but I have been working to [...]
Concluding Remarks
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
ACCORDING to the formal division of the subject of these papers, announced in my first number, there would appear still to remain for discussion two points: “the analogy of the proposed government to your [...]
Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
IN THE course of the foregoing review of the Constitution, I have taken notice of, and endeavored to answer most of the objections which have [...]
The Judiciary Continued in Relation to Trial by Jury
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
THE objection to the plan of the convention, which has met with most success in this State, and perhaps in several of the other States, is THAT [...]
The Judiciary Continued
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
THE erection of a new government, whatever care or wisdom may distinguish the work, cannot fail to originate questions of intricacy and nicety; and these may, in a particular manner, be expected to [...]
This month I am joined by Patrick Szalapski of ShareYourFaith.org to discuss seven essential doctrines of the Christian Faith: the authority of the Bible, the Triune God, the incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection, salvation & condemnation, and the church. This episode is a condensed version of an 8-week course [...]
The Judiciary Continued, and the Distribution of the Judicial Authority
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
LET US now return to the partition of the judiciary authority between different courts, and their relations to each other, “The judicial power of the United [...]
The Powers of the Judiciary
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
To JUDGE with accuracy of the proper extent of the federal judicature, it will be necessary to consider, in the first place, what are its proper objects.
It seems scarcely to admit [...]
The Judiciary Continued
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
NEXT to permanency in office, nothing can contribute more to the independence of the judges than a fixed provision for their support. The remark made in relation to the President is equally applicable [...]
The Judiciary Department
From McLean’s Edition, New York
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
WE PROCEED now to an examination of the judiciary department of the proposed government.
In unfolding the defects of the existing Confederation, the utility and necessity of a federal judicature have been clearly pointed [...]
The Appointing Power Continued and Other Powers of the Executive Considered
From the New York Packet
Friday, April 4, 1788
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
IT HAS been mentioned as one of the advantages to be expected from the co-operation of the Senate, in the business [...]
The Appointing Power of the Executive
From the New York Packet
Tuesday, April 1, 1788
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
THE President is “to NOMINATE, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of [...]
The Treaty-Making Power of the Executive
For the Independent Journal
Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:
THE President is to have power, “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the senators present concur.”
Though this provision has been [...]
In this month’s episode of Echo Zoe Radio, Bob DeWaay of Twin City Fellowship Church in St. Louis Park, MN joins me as co-host. Our guest is Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois. The topic of the discussion is “Hearing from God”.
A popular teaching in Evangelical [...]
I don’t have much to say about the way Tuesday’s election panned out besides this:
Sometimes God blesses us by giving us the leadership we want, and sometimes God judges us by giving us the leadership we want.
The 2008 Presidential campaign has only one more day before we head to the polls. Given the short timing and the fact that echozoe.com isn’t exactly the go-to site for political information for the whole country, I doubt this post will have a great impact, but I’ll pretend it will.
I [...]
Back in September, Justin Peters was in town to do a seminar on the Word of Faith movement. While he was in town, I had the privilege to sit down with him and talk about his ministry and his seminars. This episode is, in essence, a summary of many of [...]
In honor of the 491st anniversary of the Reformation, I give you all 95 of Luther’s Theses:
Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will be the subject of a public discussion at Wittenberg under the presidency of the [...]
I had a little fun playing around with Google Earth today (work is really slow). I remembered hearing from some Creationists (I think Answers in Genesis) that the elevation of the terrain at the entrance to the Grand Canyon (the top of the canyon) is higher than the terrain outside [...]
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13 – NASB
So far in our “Misapplied Scripture” series, we have looked at three verses that are fairly well known in the Church, but often taken out of context. In this article, we tackle [...]
The Command of the Military and Naval Forces, and the Pardoning Power of the Executive
From the New York Packet
Tuesday, March 25, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE President of the United States is to be “commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the [...]
The Provision For The Support of the Executive, and the Veto Power
From the New York Packet.
Friday, March 21, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE third ingredient towards constituting the vigor of the executive authority, is an adequate provision for its support. It is [...]
The Same Subject Continued, and Re-Eligibility of the Executive Considered
From the New York Packet
Friday, March 21, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE administration of government, in its largest sense, comprehends all the operations of the body politic, whether legislative, executive, or judiciary; but [...]
I’ve created an email mailing list to notify people when I post a new podcast episode. If you would like to get on the list, simply fill out the form below and follow the instructions.
Note that you will need to verify your address. Once you sign up, an email will [...]
The Duration in Office of the Executive
From the New York Packet
Tuesday, March 18, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
DURATION in office has been mentioned as the second requisite to the energy of the Executive authority. This has relation to two objects: to the [...]
Sam Madrid, my guest for the previous episode, returns for the second episode in a two-part series to discuss Theophostic Prayer Ministry from the point of view of a former auditor for Scientology. He claims that the similarities between Scientology and Theophostics are astonishing, and both are very dangerous. We [...]
The Executive Department Further Considered
From the New York Packet
Tuesday, March 18, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THERE is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous Executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government. The enlightened well-wishers to this [...]
The Real Character of the Executive
From the New York Packet.
Friday, March 14, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
I PROCEED now to trace the real characters of the proposed Executive, as they are marked out in the plan of the convention. This will serve [...]
… it looks to me like the loony-leftists over at Saturday Night Live actually understand the coming election better than 95% of the media - on both sides of the political spectrum.
[...]A friend thought I should sign up on Facebook to promote this site and my podcast. I am trying to figure out how the whole thing works, but it appears that I have to add friends to be seen. Is this correct?
If anyone wishes to add me as a friend, [...]
“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” - Matthew 18:20 – NASB
What a beautiful verse, though so often misunderstood. It is common for Christians to comfort each other with it, implying some mystical presence of the [...]
In this episode, I interview Sam Madrid, a former Dianetics auditor for the Church of Scientology. Sam gives us insight into the beliefs and practices of this very young religion. He shares the process of how people are typically drawn into Scientology, and how he, as a former member, got [...]
The Mode of Electing the President
From the New York Packet.
Friday, March 14, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE mode of appointment of the Chief Magistrate of the United States is almost the only part of the system, of any consequence, which has escaped [...]
I didn’t pay a lot of attention this week. A little talk on the radio driving to and from work. I did watch the speeches by Palin and McCain, and heard a little of the earlier speeches by Leiberman, Romney, and Giuliani - though not much.
After the learning process earlier [...]
The Executive Department
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, March 11, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE constitution of the executive department of the proposed government, claims next our attention.
There is hardly any part of the system which could have been atten ed with greater [...]
Objections to the Power of the Senate To Set as a Court for Impeachments Further Considered
From the New York Packet
Tuesday, March 11, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
A REVIEW of the principal objections that have appeared against the proposed court for the trial [...]
The Powers of the Senate Continued
From the New York Packet
Friday, March 7, 1788
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE remaining powers which the plan of the convention allots to the Senate, in a distinct capacity, are comprised in their participation with the executive in [...]
The Powers of the Senate
From the New York Packet
Friday, March 7, 1788
John JayTo the People of the State of New York:
IT IS a just and not a new observation, that enemies to particular persons, and opponents to particular measures, seldom confine their censures to such things only [...]
The Senate Continued
For the Independent Journal
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
A FIFTH desideratum, illustrating the utility of a senate, is the want of a due sense of national character. Without a select and stable member of the government, the esteem of foreign powers will [...]
The Senate
For the Independent Journal
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
HAVING examined the constitution of the House of Representatives, and answered such of the objections against it as seemed to merit notice, I enter next on the examination of the Senate.
The heads into which this [...]
The Same Subject Continued (Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members)
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 26, 1788.
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE more candid opposers of the provision respecting elections, contained in the plan of the convention, when [...]
The Same Subject Continued (Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members)
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 26, 1788.
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
WE HAVE seen, that an uncontrollable power over the elections to the federal government could not, without [...]
Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 22, 1788.
Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE natural order of the subject leads us to consider, in this place, that provision of the Constitution which authorizes the [...]
Christians with a pre-millenial, futurist view of eschatology differ on their views of the timing of the rapture of the church. The most common views are: Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, and Post-Trib, placing the rapture before, in the middle of, or after the 70th week of Daniel - commonly called “The Tribulation”. [...]
Objection That The Number of Members Will Not Be Augmented as the Progress of Population Demands Considered
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE remaining charge against the House of Representatives, which I am to examine, is grounded on a supposition that the number of members will [...]
The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 19, 1788
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE THIRD charge against the House [...]
The Same Subject Continued (The Total Number of the House of Representatives)
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 19, 1788
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE SECOND charge against the House of Representatives is, that it will be too small to possess [...]
The Total Number of the House of Representatives
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 15, 1788
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE number of which the House of Representatives is to consist, forms another and a very interesting point of view, under [...]
The Apportionment of Members Among the States
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 12, 1788
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE next view which I shall take of the House of Representatives relates to the appointment of its members to the several [...]
The Same Subject Continued
(The House of Representatives)
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 12, 1788.
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
I SHALL here, perhaps, be reminded of a current observation, “that where annual elections end, tyranny begins. ” If it be [...]
The House of Representatives
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 8, 1788.
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
FROM the more general inquiries pursued in the four last papers, I pass on to a more particular examination of the several parts of the [...]
Since I left the Minnesota State Republican Convention in May, I have paid less attention to the current political race than I did before. There just isn’t enough of a difference between the candidates to get me excited. Ron Paul is gone, and he was the only candidate that showed [...]
Essential to one’s salvation is humilty. We cannot come to the point of repentence and faith that is necessary to salvation without first being broken and humbled before God.
Probably the biggest challange once we are saved and we begin going through the process of sancitification is to remain humble. It [...]
For the July 2008 episode of Echo Zoe Radio, I am joined by Eric Douma to discuss the Emerging Church. Eric is a seminary student who first encountered the Emerging Church in his studies with an Emergent professor in his Systematic Theology class. He has since become a local expert [...]
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 – NASB
Popular among Evangelicals today is the idea of “claiming” a verse for one’s self, [...]
The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 8, 1788
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
TO WHAT expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the [...]
Over the last few months, there has been a lot in the news about what’s going on down in Florida with Todd Bentley. I haven’t anything about it until now. I believe this to be a complete and total charade.
The first thing you must ask yourself when these guys start [...]
Periodical Appeals to the People Considered
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 5, 1788.
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
IT MAY be contended, perhaps, that instead of OCCASIONAL appeals to the people, which are liable to the objections urged against them, PERIODICAL [...]
Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 5, 1788.
Alexander Hamilton or James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE author of the “Notes on the State of [...]
These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 1, 1788.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
IT WAS shown in the last paper that the political apothegm there examined does not [...]
The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts
From the New York Packet.
Friday, February 1, 1788.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
HAVING reviewed the general form of the proposed government and the general mass of power allotted [...]
The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, January 29, 1788.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
RESUMING the subject of the last paper, I proceed to inquire whether the federal government or the State governments will have the advantage [...]
The Alleged Danger From the Powers of the Union to the State Governments Considered
For the Independent Fournal.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
HAVING shown that no one of the powers transferred to the federal government is unnecessary or improper, the next question to be considered [...]
It’s been a little over a week since the convention in Rochester. I wanted to share some of the stories others were sharing in response:
So far I have recorded two podcast episodes, both interviewing guests, though recorded differently - one in person and one over the phone. Here is what I have learned from both types of interviews.
My goal going into podcasting was to keep things as cheap as possible, at least initially. My [...]
In this, episode two of Echo Zoe Radio, I interview Mark Huffman of International Messengers. Mark is a full-time missionary from central Minnesota working in Odessa, Ukraine; a major port city of Ukraine located on the north shore of the Black Sea.
Because I very greatly respect and admire my Christian [...]
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” - Revelation 3:20 – NASB
In our previous Misapplied Scripture article, we discussed a verse [...]
So the local Contemporary Christian Radio Station is running a gimmick encouraging people to go through the drive-thru on Friday and pay for the order of the person behind you in line. They even have a note pre-formatted that you can print off to give to the window clerk [...]
Yesterday I got home from the State Republican convention in Rochester. I decided not to stick around for the activities going on yesterday, which I understand to mostly have been speeches. I really only attended Friday, when all of the important business took place.
Friday began with an early morning speech [...]
Today I left work early and made my way to Rochester for the Minnesota State Republican Convention. There are some activities going on this evening, but I’m not certain exactly what yet. The bulk of the convention will begin tomorrow morning.
It promises to be a very contentious convention. The [...]
Restrictions on the Authority of the Several States
From the New York Packet.
Friday, January 25, 1788.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
A FIFTH class of provisions in favor of the federal authority consists of the following restrictions on the authority of the several States:
1. “No [...]
The Same Subject Continued
(The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered)
For the Independent Journal.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE FOURTH class comprises the following miscellaneous powers:
1. A power “to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, for a [...]
The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered
From the New York Packet.
Tuesday, January 22, 1788.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE SECOND class of powers, lodged in the general government, consists of those which regulate the intercourse with foreign nations, to wit: to [...]
General View of the Powers Conferred by The Constitution
For the Independent Journal.
James MadisonTo the People of the State of New York:
THE Constitution proposed by the convention may be considered under two general points of view. The FIRST relates to the sum or quantity of power which [...]
