Research finds many Americans are opposed to the gospel because they view Christians as hypocrites, but a new $100 million ad campaign hopes to reintroduce Jesus to the country. But does Jesus really have a PR problem, or does the church have a discipleship problem?
Then, culture war issues are fracturing evangelical colleges into 5 distinct groups. What does it mean for the future of the church? Phil talks to pastor and podcaster Mike Erre about how to think biblically about the culture wars. Does the New Testament call the church to have power over the culture, how did Jesus influence others, and what about the presence of real evil in the world? Mike shares his 3 principles for Christians and the culture war. Plus, the Dutch are giving guns to robots. What could possibly go wrong?
Patreon Bonus: Getting Schooled by Kaitlyn Schiess: Halloween History 101 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/73778907/
News Segment 0:00 - Intro 1:52 - Robots with guns 8:22 - Ad campaign for Jesus 27:56 - Evangelical colleges and culture war issues50:04 - Sponsor: Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology Visit www.biola.edu/talbot for more information and to apply today.
Interview with Mike Erre Voxology podcast: https://voxologypodcast.com
51:20 - Guest intro 55:22 - Culture warring intro 56:53 - The role of the church in the world 1:09:36 - Providing a counter narrative 1:26:00 - Culture warring vs. the way of Jesus in culture
1:28:06 - Credits
Links from news segment:“The Netherlands Has Deployed NATO’s First Killer Robot Ground Vehicles” (Vice) - https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgpax3/the-netherlands-has-deployed-natos-first-killer-robot-ground-vehicles“
Oakland Cops Hope to Arm Robots with Lethal Shotguns” (The Intercept) - https://theintercept.com/2022/10/17/police-robot-gun-oakland/“
A $100 million ad campaign wants to fix Jesus’ image. His followers remain a problem.” (Religion News Service) - https://religionnews.com/2022/10/10/a-100-million-ad-campaign-wants-to-fix-jesuss-image-his-followers-remain-a-problem/
“The Five Emerging Factions in Evangelical Higher Education” (Patheos) - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2022/04/the-five-emerging-factions-in-evangelical-higher-education/
Links from interview:"American Evangelicals: Embattled and Thriving" by Christian Smith
Crazy: 10 years of podcasts, 1 song (by Phil Vischer) - https://youtu.be/Tkgong0GcO0
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I’ve been listening for a couple of years. Y’all always make me smile and always make me think. This interview was probably the most impactful I’ve heard. I’m sure my fellow gym-goers were entertained by my gasps and dropped jaw as I worked out while listening. So much to process and think about. I am sharing it with my husband and will listen again just to take in more.
In these discussions, the parable of the adulterous woman comes to mind. My thoughts are when people in the culture wars are debating what is right and wrong, it is much like the scribes and Pharisees in the parable. Jesus redirects the conversation from a debate over the law to self examination and not condemnation of others. Fighting cultural wars doesn't appear to be consistent with Jesus's teaching
On the segment about evangelical colleges you mentioned students at several institutions who are suing the university and/or the trustees for discrimination, especially around the issue of inclusiveness of LGTBQ+ students and staff. My daughter is involved in such a lawsuit at Seattle Pacific University. SPU accepts LGBTQ+ students but will not hire LGBTQ staff. Queer students have no one like them, no role models, no support system represented among faculty and staff. They are affiliated with the United Methodist Church, however, they receive $5000 year from the church and that's it. That's the tie. 80% of the staff/faculty supported a no-confidence vote against the trustees last year. Students rallied against the Trustee's decision to uphold hiring practices, …
i found the narrative on discipleship and focus on Jesus, consistent with the beatitudes. The focus on the heart towards others and not judging others for self righteousness sake was evident. I am amazed the missing outrage from the church about discussions of arming Jesus with assault rifles and suggesting Trump is a second coming. It seems church leadership is afraid of the mob. This is why many people who respect Jesus's teaching are dismissing the church.
The segment on categorizing evangelical colleges made me reflect on how I view evangelical churches, particularly as I am in the process of relocating. Even if sub-consciously I was categorizing in the same way as described. I filter on the three cultural issues Skye mentions, and like Katlyn I basically want to avoid box 1 and 5, and I worry that box 4 is on a slippery slope to 5. All the other theological distinctives I'd have paid close attention to in years gone by are honestly, and for better or worse, secondary.