Christendom and the World

About Christendom and the World

Conversations on the state of the Christian church anchored against the waves of worldly doctrines, both past and present. Christendom is Christ's church as she has existed around the world in various situations throughout various times. The times change, but God's Word remains the same. Join host Pastor Andrew Preus and guests as we discuss how Christ's church on earth strives to maintain sound doctrine and proclaim the gospel in a fallen world. Through topics of church history, current events, and biblical study, Christendom and the World covers various trends the church must face as she stands on the foundation of Christ and his enduring Word.

Publisher

Pastor Andrew Preus

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Mar 2025

Latest episode

16 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

81 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Did Constantine Invent Christianity? The Truth About Nicaea

   Did the Council of Nicaea decide what books belong in the Bible? Did Constantine invent the doctrine of Christ's divinity? In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus addresses these popular claims and traces the history behind them. Beginning with The Da Vinci Code and other modern conspiracy theories, Pastor Preus examines the Gnostic Gospels, the early Church Fathers, the development of Christian teaching about the Trinity, and the historical evidence surrounding the Council of Nicaea. Rather than inventing Christianity, Nicaea defended and confessed what Christians had already been teaching from Scripture for generations—especially that Jesus Christ is truly God, eternally begotten of the Father, and the Savior of mankind.   #ChristendomAndTheWorld #Christianity #Constantine #CouncilOfNicaea #NiceneCreed #Bible #Scripture #EarlyChurch #ChurchHistory #JesusChrist #Trinity #ChristianApologetics   Chapters (00:00) Opening Scripture reading and theme of grace, salvation, and good works (00:40) Why The Da Vinci Code shaped modern confusion about Jesus and the Bible (02:03) Apocryphal writings, Gnostic gospels, and why the Church rejected them (04:54) Nag Hammadi and the rise of "lost gospel" conspiracy theories (06:18) The claim that Constantine decided the Bible at Nicaea (08:17) The Da Vinci Code as the source of the Constantine canon myth (09:36) Constantine, Maxentius, and the political world before Nicaea (11:29) The Milvian Bridge, the Chi-Rho, and Constantine's conversion narrative (13:04) Arius and the phrase "there was a time when he was not" (15:23) Orthodox Christianity's response to Arianism (16:20) Earlier heresies: docetism, modalism, and denial of the Trinity (17:17) Why Jesus' baptism refutes modalist theology (18:42) Paul of Samosata, Antioch, and early language about substance and person (20:11) Scripture's teaching on the Trinity and the eternal Son (22:42) Josephus and the Jewish canon before Christianity (26:03) Early church fathers and organic reception of Scripture (28:00) Where the Nicaea canon myth likely came from (29:53) Reading the later apocryphal story about books on the altar (35:05) Why the surviving canons of Nicaea do not mention voting on Scripture (37:59) The synodical letter from Nicaea to the Church in Alexandria (38:56) The council's real action against Arius and his teachings (44:44) Easter, church order, and housekeeping decisions at Nicaea (46:38) What the council actually affirmed about Christ's divinity (51:03) Final takeaway: the Council of Nicaea defended Scripture, it did not create it

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Legalism Among Us: What is the Source of the Christian Life?

   In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus continues his discussion of Philip Hahn's "Enthusiasm Among Us" by turning to J.P. Koehler's 1914 essay "Legalism Among Us." Kaler's warning is directed specifically toward conservative, confessional Lutherans: even our zeal for pure doctrine, proper worship, sanctification, and church discipline can subtly become legalistic when we lose sight of the Gospel. Pastor Preus explores the difference between living from the Gospel and allowing the Law—or our outward forms, traditions, and intellectual formulations—to become the source of our Christian life. He discusses how the old Adam can even take good things like pure doctrine and use them to feed pride, suspicion, selfishness, and fear rather than faith, hope, and love. The episode also considers intellectualism, proof texts, traditionalism, ecumenical spirit, and how Christians should interact with those who hold doctrinal errors. The goal is not to abandon sound doctrine or discipline, but to remember why we guard them in the first place: because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our life.     #ChristendomAndTheWorld #Lutheran #Christianity #Gospel #LawAndGospel #ConfessionalLutheran #ChristianDoctrine #Faith #JesusChrist #Theology #ChristianPodcast #LutheranTheology #Legalism   Chapters   00:00 Introduction to the dangers of legalism 02:00 Historical background of legalism among Lutherans 04:24 Legalism as a subtle infiltration in church practice 06:47 The difference between law and gospel 10:08 Manifestations of legalism in doctrine and worship 13:09 The role of faith, hope, and love in the Christian life 16:07 The danger of intellectualism and traditionalism 18:55 The importance of the gospel as the foundation 21:49 The false reliance on proof texts and doctrine 24:46 The ecumenical spirit rooted in the gospel 28:06 Practical application: guarding the gospel in church life 31:51 The life of faith as rooted in Christ 36:05 The danger of externalism and superficiality 39:52 The importance of the Holy Spirit's work 44:10 Summary and concluding thoughts on Christian freedom

3. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Christian Freedom, Adiaphora, and the Worship Wars

   What does Christian freedom actually mean when it comes to worship, church traditions, and adiaphora? In this episode of Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus revisits the Lutheran teaching of adiaphora—things neither commanded nor forbidden by God—and considers what Christian freedom means for the church's worship and life together. Drawing on the Wauwatosa theologians and a recent article, "Enthusiasm Among Us," Pastor Preus examines the dangers of both legalism and enthusiasm. We can fall into legalism by treating traditions as laws simply because "we've always done it this way," but we can also fall into enthusiasm by trying to manufacture spiritual experiences through atmosphere, emotion, or entertainment. The answer is neither prohibition nor indifference. Rather, Christian freedom sends us back to Scripture, where we learn to use the forms and traditions of the church as witnesses to the Gospel. Ultimately, our confidence is not in a particular liturgical form, a tradition, or a manufactured experience—but in Christ and His life-giving Word. "Christian freedom includes a lot of disciplining of your own flesh. It includes a lot of digging into Scripture and a lot of repentance, but it is a wonderful life because it is one that relies only upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ and His life-giving Gospel."   #ChristendomAndTheWorld #ChristianFreedom #Adiaphora #Lutheran #LutheranTheology #Worship #WorshipWars #Gospel #Christianity #Theology #Scripture #ChurchHistory #Liturgy #LutheranChurch #ChristianDoctrine   0:00 — Introduction: Freedom, Adiaphora, and Christian Life 0:25 — Revisiting Wawatosa Theology and Gospel-Centered Teaching 3:22 — Why Doctrine Must Serve Life, Not Become Legalism 8:06 — The Ministry Debate and the Pastoral Office 15:12 — Christian Freedom and the Problem of Tradition for Tradition's Sake 20:27 — "Enthusiasm Among Us" and Gospel Freedom 24:42 — What Reveals the Church's Real Instinct? 30:16 — Adiaphora, Ordination, and Sunday Worship 37:48 — Worship Wars, Forms, and What They Actually Teach 43:11 — Holding to Christ, Not Just to Forms 52:13 — Why Adiaphora Exists for the Christian Will 57:09 — Theological Conclusion: Freedom, Repentance, and the Gospel

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