Centrally Speaking

The Schwenkfelders are a persecuted group from the time of the Reformation. They originated from Harpersdorf in Silesia during the 1500's. Because of their viewpoints on the sacraments, they were ostracized by the Jesuits and the Lutherans. One example of their persecution is found in their burial place at the Viehweg in the 1700's. This led to their migration from Silesia to Herrnhut and eventually on to Haarlem, the Netherlands a...

How did we get the New Testament in English? The person responsible for the translation of the Bible into English was William Tyndale.  His New Testament was first published in 1526, five hundred years ago. In this podcast, we ask Dr. Tony Watkins about Tyndale's role in translating the Bible into English. Dr. Watkins is the Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Within this interview, he s...

Mission work has always been associated with the church. Some mission work takes place in remote corners of the world where telecommunication, airplanes, and even roads do not exist. What does it take to get the message of Jesus Christ to these remote areas? In this podcast, we interview Steven Biggerstaff, the Vice President for Advancement from Jungle Aviation and Relay Services (JAARS), a mission that has been in existence since...

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 ...

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 a...

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 Tes...

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 neighbor...

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  #Schwenkfelderdayofremembra...

In December, many celebrate Christmas or the Christmas season. Many who are not a part of the church are unfamiliar with the season of Advent. In this podcast, we speak with Rev. Dr. David McKinley, senior minister of Central Schwenkfelder Church about the Advent season. During the podcast, he also will speak about the Advent Wreath, which is a symbol that is used in the church service.

#advent  #adventwreath  #Germanadven...

At Christmas time, many will recognize that the church speaks about the birth of Jesus. As part of the celebration, Christians also sing Christmas carols. These used to be prominent in western society, but they are heard much less frequently outside of the church. In this podcast, we interview Sally House, the Director of Music at the Central Schwenkfelder Church and someone who has instructed about music for over 30 years in the s...

Many are recognizing that religious persecution is a problem. While this knowledge is increasing, the understanding has not led to persecution decreasing. In this podcast, we interview Prof. dr. Janet Epp Buckingham about these problems. As someone who is serving as the Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Geneva Office since September 2024 and previously as WEA Director of Global Advocacy, she is repeatedly raising awareness...

Migration is one of the largest issues of our time. More than ever before nations and faiths are encountering each other in unexpected ways. This is taking place in Marseille, the oldest city in France. In this southern city, many from North Africa have settled bringing a different worldview. Marseille now has many Muslims who intermingle with those who are Catholic or atheist. Craig Young has been observing this trend for over 35 ...

Abuse happens in many places throughout our society. Does God have a word for those who are feeling manipulated? In her upcoming book, That God is For Me: A Study of God’s Heart Through the Stories of Women in Scripture, Lisa Radcliff points to several stories in the Bible that display his heart for those who have been misused. Lisa Radcliff is an award-winning author, speaker, and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. (web...

How were the ancient writings that compose our Bible translated into our current English Bibles? In this podcast, we ask Dr. Scott Hafemann who was a part of the translation committee for the New International Version translation of the Bible about this process. In his answers, he speaks about the earliest English translations, the King James Version, and the New International Version. His answers also share about his experience se...

The events surrounding the death of Jesus on Good Friday are truly tragic. As Christians remember it, was it completely out of control? Was Jesus just in the wrong place at the wrong time? What difference would it make if there was some divine plan behind it? In this podcast we interview David McKinley, Senior Minister at Central Schwenkfelder Church about this topic.

#deathofJesus  #sovereigntyofGodcrucifixion  #prophecyM...

How did the church globally make some of its decisions?  One of the most important decisions took place in AD 325 in modern day Turkey at the Council of Nicaea. Representatives from all over the Roman Empire came to this council. Eventually, decisions made there led to the Nicene Creed, which many say before taking communion (the Eucharist). 

On the 1700th anniversary of this important date in church history, we ask Dr. Do...

How do we connect with youth today? What are the characteristics of what some people call Generation Z? Dr. Dave Coryell has been answering this question through Christian Endeavor for over 18 years.  In the past 8 years, he has been the Director of Pennsylvania Christian Endeavor (website: https://www.ceworks.faith/) and also serves with Christian Endeavor World (https://www.christianendeavor.com/). He is also an adjunct yout...

During the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, American news was running many stories about the news. In recent months, however, the mainstream news is sharing much less. In this podcast, we interview Ken Sears, missionary from European Christian Mission North America Inc. (website: https://www.ecmna.org/).  

He shares the latest news from the city of Zaporizhzhya, which is just 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the front line. His news i...

How can we have a more spiritual Christmas? While many are focused on gift giving and parties, Christmas is so much more than this. It has spiritual origins. People like Mary and Joseph had distinct spiritual practices. How can we recover these? In this podcast, we interview Rev. Dr. David McKinley, Senior Minister at Central Schwenkfelder Church, about spiritual experiences that will lead to a faith filled Christmas and keep Chris...