The Senate is relaxing its dress code so senators can wear hoodies and gym shorts, but senate staffers are still required to wear suits and ties. Is it a meaningless change or the sign of wider institutional decay? A new study finds 7 out of 10 pastors say their congregations are more fearful about the world and the future. Are they really being shaped by the gospel of Christ or by the fearmongers in the media? And researchers asked religious Americans, what’s the bigger problem today—actual racism or false accusations of racism? The responses are telling. Then, author Philip Yancey is back for the 25th anniversary of his best-selling book, “What So Amazing About Grace?” He says our culture is even more divided and condemning than when he first wrote the book in the 1990s, and he examines why grace has fallen out of favor even among Christians and how to get it back.
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Getting Schooled - Christian Asks - How Can We Know an Unknowable God?
0:00 - Intro
1:31 - Show starts
2:05 - Theme Song
2:28 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling
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3:41 - Taylor Swift
6:34 - Dress Codes
15:44 - Growing fear in church congregations
36:20 - White Evangelicals claim racism is overblown
43:46 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food
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46:01 - Interview Intro
Philip Yancey
48:07 - The original version of “What’s So Amazing About Grace”
53:29 - The need for grace
1:08:12 - Why social outcasts are often drawn to Jesus
1:15:27 - End Credits
Links mentioned in news segment:
Skye’s Twitter Rant - https://twitter.com/SkyeJethani/status/1704855253156610395?s=20
Nearly 70% of churchgoers have 'a growing sense of fear': Lifeway Research
White Christians say too many see racism when it’s not there, new poll finds
Other resources:
What's So Amazing About Grace? Revised and Updated by Philip Yancey
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One of things I celebrate and lament about this episode is the acknowledgement of the credible witness of the Black Church as both something to listen to and learn from, as well as the irony that this podcast takes no effort to actually listen to the witness by having guests from the historical Black Church on the show. Maybe it has something to do with the idea that evangelicals think the Black Church still has an inferior theology...who knows. This episode isn't the first time Skye and Kaitlyn have said as much. Please note that there is a stark difference between leaders in and from the Black Church and Black evangelicals, who the show tends to have on. …
I am in the minority in agreeing with Skye about dress codes. (I know there are reasonable exceptions, noting comments below.) But I think the casual way we approach so much today contributes to our lack of discipline in many areas. I know that's not scientific. But there is something about needing to take extra care in our dress that says I care about what I am doing. It is special. I am deliberate. I care about you because I am taking the time to think about the responsibilities that lie before me. Don't get me wrong--I am glad we are more casual about dress in some areas. But I don't think it's unreasonable to raise the bar where it…
I was listening while driving and definitely sang 'God is bigger than the boogeyman' during the fear segment :) Although on a serious note, Philip Yancey saying 'fear drives out love' really clicked for me. The whole interview was great. Skye, fwiw, I agree with you on dress codes! School uniforms are the norm in the UK and I'd have hated the extra social pressure to dress according to trends at school had uniforms not been de rigueur. As an adult you get used to dressing according to the expectations of the work environment you're in, but there's generally much more latitude and less judgement. Though schools could stand to be more flexible - there's been a lot of rows…
The accusations of racism not actual racism is not new. There was a poll prior to 2016 that said that most evangelicals thought that it was good for churches to be diverse racially. The same survey said that most people thought their church did not need to do anything as a church to become more welcoming to other racial and ethnic groups. And again the same poll had roughly the same numbers as this one. I think it used the phrase "reverse racism" by my memory, as being a more significant problem than anti-black racism or anti-islamic religious discrimination.
I really appreciated what Philip shared about the church and the Walmart parking lot; too often we aren't aware of the ways we withhold love, but Jesus set clear examples we can follow.
If anyone wants to press in deeper, this ebook hits that topic hard is free until Sunday, 10/1: https://a.co/d/63ER5u5