Mambadu was a witch doctor and animist priest in Sierra Leone for 11 years and was overseer of 13 villages and their priests for six of those years. When Mambadu lived in darkness, he was involved in sacrificing children, calling down curses, and using dark powers to control the natural elements.Mambadu tells how the Gospel arrived in his village for the first time and how the power of Christ transformed his life. Mambadu has now committed his life to reaching his own people with the Gospel.To support the work of Mambadu and other missionaries, click here.To learn about the audio Bibles Mambadu uses, and to give an audio Bible to believers who don’t have access to Scripture, click here.This is the 326th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

What would your faith be like if you didn’t have access to the Bible? Joe Fleming explains how (and why) this is reality for countless Christians across West Africa and beyond. Joe shares stories from his years of missions experience, where he has witnessed the power of God’s Word to bring people to Christ and into spiritual maturity. The Word of God is living and powerful, and we should never take it for granted.Learn more about the audio Bible project.Learn more about the print Bible project with Heralds of Hope.An episode with Stephen Russell about how we got the Bible in its current form.This is the 325th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Phil Yoder moved with his family to Costa Rica in 1968, when he was a teenager. The early days after moving were difficult. Shortly after his family arrived, a volcanic eruption forced them out of their home. Their business venture didn’t work out, and they struggled to find somewhere to live. All of this was in addition to the challenges that come with adapting to a new culture and language. From those beginnings, the first communities of Mennonites formed in Costa Rica. Phil shares the story of those communities as well as some lessons in missions and church planting that he has learned from a lifetime of living in Central America.I Came to Christ. My Hippie Husband Was Indifferent - Heiko and Sabine KlienSpecial thanks to Digital Manna (https://manadigital.org/) for hosting us for this episode.This is the 324th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Markus Meena was born into a difficult situation in northern India. His parents were unable to care well for him and sent him to an orphanage, hoping he would have a better life there. Markus tells the story of how he found Christ and gave his life to ministry. He explains the basics of Hindu beliefs and tells about the suffering that came to him and his family as a result of their conversion to Christian faith and their work in ministry. He also describes how God is moving in northern India and challenges the American church to practice a more profound dependence on God.Markus’ ministry in India: hopecommunitymissions.orgJohn Ghanim's storyThis is the 323rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Are all theological issues of equal importance? Or should we give greater emphasis to some issues, and be more willing to give and take on others? Paul Lamicela makes the case for theological triage, a framework that defines how core various theological concepts are to orthodox Christianity.The study center Paul started (Lancaster Anabaptist Study Center)“A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity” by Albert MohlerFinding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin OrtlundListen to another episode with PaulThis is the xxxth episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

What is catechesis, and why does it matter for our churches? Mr. Russell returns to the podcast to discuss how we prepare people for joining the church, how the early church did this, and what he believes that preparation process should look like.Here is a previous episode with David Bercot on infant baptismThis is the xxxth episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.Mentioned in this episode:Give online: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate or mail gifts to 127 County Road 616, Athens TN 37303

What would it be like to feel like your whole life was an accident? What if you didn’t know who you really were? Grant Bontrager always knew as a child that he was different. One day, the reality of just how different he really was crashed into his life. Born as the result of abuse, Grant tells how Christ redeemed his story by entering into the intense pain that came to Grant and his family through the circumstances of his life.Faith Child (book about Grant’s story)This is the 320th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.Mentioned in this episode:Give online: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate or mail gifts to 127 County Road 616, Athens TN 37303

It is common to hear people lament about how the world is getting worse and worse, and as we look at the news and what is happening around the world. Yet there are secular optimists who make a strong, data-driven case that in many ways the world is better than in the past. Marlin and Jaran engage with this idea and the concept of Christian optimism. They also look at how this interacts with historical events.A previous episode on thinking well about global politicsA Rival Nations article on Christian optimism “Christian Fundamentals (Mennonite Church, 1921)”“God of Grace and God of Glory““Rise Up, O Men of God”“Father Eternal, Ruler of Creation” Factfullness The Better Angels of Our Nature Data on declining poverty rates A source for data about a bettering worldThis is the 319th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.Mentioned in this episode:Give online: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate or mail gifts to 127 County Road 616, Athens TN 37303

How did we get the Bible that we have today? What are the “missing books” of the Bible? Can we trust that the Bible we have is accurate and complete? Stephen Russell explores how we got the Bible in its present form and how the canon of Scripture was recognized.Church History in Plain LanguageThe Bible Was Not Written in English. Why Is That Important? - Andrew LamicelaHere is a previous episode with Stephen RussellThis is the 318th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.Mentioned in this episode:Give online: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate or mail gifts to 127 County Road 616, Athens TN 37303

The sacraments of the church were some of the most fundamental issues in the Reformation debates. Dean Taylor explains how intense these differences in theology were and how the Anabaptists were often persecuted and executed for not fitting with the standard Catholic or Protestant teaching of the time. So, what did the first Anabaptists believe about the sacraments?Dean’s previous episode on the atonementOur documentary channel on early AnabaptismThe Eucharistic Theology and Ethics of Balthasar HubmaierRussian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics, and StrategyThis is the 317th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.Mentioned in this episode:Give online: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate or mail gifts to 127 County Road 616, Athens TN 37303