Jesus vs. America
A Gen X attorney sits down with a millennial and a member of Gen Z to untangle the Christian faith from the influence of the American culture.
For over two decades, we have collectively watched young adults walking away from their faith at an alarming rate. Most Christian resources focus on this exodus from a sociological lens, and we have benefited from the work that has been done in this area.
But as three people with on-the-ground experience working with young adults every day, it is increasingly clear that young adults are not so much reacting to Jesus, his message, or even his plan for the church. Instead, many young people are being repelled by a counterfeit and enculturated version of Christianity, a version of Christianity that commingles the American culture and political ideology with the Christian faith. Jesus told us we could not serve two masters, and yet so many Christians have tried to serve both the teachings of scripture and the dictates of the American culture. Young adults have taken notice, and they want nothing to do with this tainted form of religion. Many may bemoan the loss of so many young people, but we have often given them the reasons they cite when they leave.
Our podcast is designed to first and foremost untangle the teachings of Jesus and the will of God revealed throughout the scripture from the enculturated version of the gospel that has spread to many corners of the church in 21st Century America. In doing so, we hope to validate what young adults have long suspected, while challenging them to go deeper with Jesus rather than bail out on a counterfeit gospel. We want to demonstrate honest questions and to wrestle with doubts while also encouraging young adults to do the work of seeking answers and working to rebuild their faith.
Episodes
29 episodes
America Idols Series: Comfort
In this episode, we dive into the growing trend of comfort, convenience, and entitlement within American Christian culture, particularly as it relates to the modern church experience. From coffee stations to children’s play areas and entertainm...
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34:47
American Idols Series: Size
Americans are obsessed with size, the bigger the better. In this episode, we examine how this value seeps into the American church and influences the way we approach our faith. We may not even notice how often we rely on size ...
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38:46
Predicting the U.S. Presidential Race: Did Any of Us Get it Right?
Ten days before the 2024 election, we sat down to predict who would win the presidential race and why we came to that conclusion. Now that the results are known, listen in as we discuss our thought process and the implications for both the coun...
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40:12
America Idols Series: Safety
Do American Christians worship the idol of safety? In this episode, we look at how the value we place on safety starts to inform and shape our Christian practices in ways that may be counter to the way of Jesus. Many of our cultural...
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35:52
Can You Go on a Short Term Mission Trip without Doing Harm?
The popularity of short term missions continues to increase year after year, and for many it has become a regular part of our Christian practice. And yet, there are so many ways in which our efforts can cause harm, not only to those with ...
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36:00
You Asked: Would God Allow His Word to Be Mistranslated?
In this episode, we answer a viewer’s question about what the work of Bible translation involves, and whether God would allow the scriptures to be inaccurately translated. Our conversation begins with an acknowledgement that even the most conse...
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18:08
How Should a Christian Steward a Vote?
As followers of Jesus, we are to steward every gift that God has given us for the sake of Jesus as citizens of His kingdom. Jesus and the apostles did not have the right to vote, but we live in a country where we do have that right. How a...
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42:48
Why Are So Many Young People Leaving the Church?
Many of us are aware from our own experience that young people who grew up in the faith appear to be leaving the church in greater numbers. In this episode, we look at some of the top reasons cited by researchers who survey young adults a...
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52:30
Why Are Christians So Afraid to Talk About Climate Change?
Christians are not known for stewarding the earth. Instead, the majority of Christians appear to care very little about the planet and are often more concerned about discrediting any view that human activity is a factor in the changing cl...
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1:03:27
Should We Display the American Flag in Church?
We may not even be aware how our attitudes about the flag and its display in houses of worship conflates our faith with our positive feelings about the country. One of the ways we can assess our own hearts on this issue comes when we cons...
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30:57
You Asked: Does the Bible Condone Slavery?
We respond to a listener’s question and wrestle with the fact that the Old Testament did not abolish slavery, but actually endorsed the slavery of foreigners. While most of the slavery described in the Old Testament was debt-servanthood, and th...
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39:56
Do American Christians Suffer from Main Character Syndrome?
Americans are known for their rugged individualism. But our value of individualism and wanting to be at the center of every narrative can derail our efforts to follow Jesus. In this episode, we examine the ways that our culture – an...
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37:03
Jesus Drank Wine, Would He Smoke Marijuana?
Recreational use of marijuana will soon be legal in a majority of states. Is legalization the standard for followers of Jesus, or does the way of Jesus require that we exercise our freedom in favor of being sober minded? In this episode, ...
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38:01
You Asked: Is Homosexuality Addressed in the New Testament?
We respond to a viewer’s question about whether the verses we commonly cite from the New Testament to address homosexuality are properly translated, and whether the issue was a significant concern for the biblical authors. We look at some of th...
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35:31
Would Jesus Attend a Gay Wedding?
The title of our episode is one of the most frequently asked questions that pastors hear from their congregations and a topic that is often discussed in online forums. While there is room to debate the answer, the way we approach this que...
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1:03:44
Are Christians More Gullible Than the Average American?
Studies are mixed on whether people of faith are less intelligent than the average person in the general public, or even those that have no faith at all. Regardless, it does seem that Christians go out of their way to believe the stranges...
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42:01
You Asked: How Can We Trust the Gospels Accurately Recorded Jesus?
In this episode, we respond to one of your comments about why we believe that Jesus’s life and teachings are accurately recorded in the New Testament biographies and the letters authored by his apostles. While acknowledging that there is ...
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21:04
Does Christianity Require Blind Faith or Certainty? (Hint: Neither)
Many of us have heard that faith in Jesus requires either blind faith or certainty, but it turns out that both are incompatible with the Christian faith. Whether our perception from the outside is that belief in God requires magical think...
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42:09
You Asked: How Can Love Ever Be A Sin?
As we work to untangle the influence of the American culture from the Christian faith, we respond to a listener’s question about our culture’s belief that love can never be wrong. Before we work our way toward more difficult topics about love a...
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16:33
Can You Deconstruct Without Blowing Up?
The word deconstruction has become very popular over the past decade. But many young Christians who say they’re deconstructing seem to mean they’re simply leaving the faith. Is it possible to explore difficult aspects of our faith without aband...
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53:50
Are Christians Crazy to Believe That the Christian Faith Is the Only Way?
It feels more open-minded and loving to say all beliefs are equal, that each person should do what feels right for them, and there may be different ways to God. But can there be multiple truths? What do we do with the exclusive claims of ...
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52:33
Can You Love Jesus Without Loving The Church?
Is it possible to be a follower of Jesus without going to church? This episode dives into the frustrations many experience when immersed in Christian community culture, while seriously considering God’s purpose and use of the church....
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1:03:03
Have We Moved Past The Bible?
Statistics consistently tell us that less and less people engage the Bible, and we have largely become a Medieval church, lacking the literacy to read and understand the Bible for ourselves. Is it possible to follow Jesus without engaging...
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58:30
Why is The Church So Fragile on Issues of Race?
It seems that many in the church can receive the most challenging teachings, but the moment the subject of racism is mentioned, the crowd begins to thin out. Why is the church so sensitive to the topic of race? This episode examines this very r...
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1:00:01
How Did Christianity Become So Associated with The Republican Party?
Do all Christians vote Republican? So many young adults are walking away from their faith as a result of a political alliance that often fails to take into account the teachings of Jesus. How did the Christian faith and the Republican par...
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52:15