Maybe God

**This episode contains content that may not be suitable for young audiences.** As the United Methodist Church stands at an impasse in the decades-old debate over the marriage and ordination of LGBTQ people, a split appears unavoidable. Conservatives accuse liberals of disrespecting the Bible; liberals suggest conservatives are on par with slave-owners and misogynists. At times like this, maybe we don't need better arguments or stronger doctrine; maybe we need more stories. On this episode, former anti-Christian gay activist David Bennett, author of A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Following Jesus, shares the shocking story of his conversion to Christianity. Maybe God host Eric Huffman reveals, for the first time, his views on homosexuality and the Bible. Also, the remarkable story of a member of The Story Houston that producers didn't see coming. Watch Maybe God interviews: youtube.com/maybegodpodcast Sign up for our weekly newsletter with exclusive content: www.maybegodpod.com Follow Maybe God on Instagram and Facebook: @maybegodpod

LGBTQ rights have taken center stage in the struggle over the future of America's second-largest Protestant denomination. Heading into this month's Special Session of the General Conference to vote on the marriage and ordination of queer people, conservative and liberal United Methodists have reached a stalemate. Can unity prevail, or is it time, after 40 years of debate, to split up? On this episode, Maybe God host and pastor Eric Huffman sits down with some of the key players on all sides of the debate, including the church's first openly-gay, married bishop, Karen Oliveto, the founder of the largest United Methodist church in the world, Rev. Adam Hamilton, and a leader of the conservative side, Rev. Rob Renfroe.   *** Have questions, comments, or story ideas for Maybe God? Head to maybegodpod.com to contact us. For news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @maybegodpod.

What is a miracle? Is it simply an answered prayer? A supernatural phenomenon? Or is there another way to understand the miraculous in our midst? Maybe God host Eric Huffman explores these questions with two women who both say they witnessed a miracle, even though their "miracle stories" had very different outcomes. One of these women is rising Nashville star Alisa Turner. Hear how her story inspired her new hit song, Miracles.   MUSIC CREDITS: "My Prayer For You" & "Miracles" From the Integrity Music release, Miracle Or Not featuring Alisa Turner All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Do you value happiness above joy? Are you stuck in a season that's left you feeling ungrateful? On this minisode, Maybe God host and Story Houston pastor Eric Huffman reveals the power of chasing joy over happiness. The message he delivers to a room full of Houstonians during the busy holiday season applies to every one of us, any time of year.

When it comes to God, the Bible, and the supernatural, we've all got more questions than answers. So why do Christians ask so few questions, and why do many skeptics feel judged for having doubts? This line of thinking is what inspired Maybe God host and pastor Eric Huffman to write his first book, "40 Days of Doubt: Devotions for the Skeptic," which will be released tomorrow, December 4. For this special episode, Eric invited his friend and The Story Houston member Sarah Bolton into the studio to discuss how "40 Days of Doubt" came to be, and how his favorite Maybe God episodes helped him dig deeper into the issues he addresses in the book.  *** Have questions, comments, or story ideas for Maybe God? Head to maybegodpod.com to contact us. For news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @maybegodpod.

Evolution is real and creation is a myth, or so we've been told. But how can we be sure? Most of us haven't examined the evidence; we trust the experts to bring the truth down from the mountaintop of scientific knowledge. In this Maybe God Live episode, Dr. James Tour, a world-renowned organic chemist, shares the reasons why he puts his professional reputation on the line by rejecting Darwinian theory as the explanation for life as we know it. 

How do you forgive someone who doesn't feel sorry - especially when they're no longer in your life? Deana's father abandoned her at a young age, and the pain and resentment in her heart led her down some dark paths. She knows she needs to forgive him - but how? On this Maybe God mini-sode, Eric and Deana sit down for a raw and intimate one-on-one conversation about forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it.

What do you do when life knocks you flat on your back and - whether it’s because of your bad luck or your bad choices or both - you start to wonder if you’ll ever get on your feet again? We intended for this to be part two of our Hurricane Harvey anniversary episode; we wanted to focus on people who found a way to stand tall again after that storm knocked them down. But as people shared their Harvey stories with us, they inevitably told us other stories about other times in their lives that they were flat on their backs, powerless, with no hope. On this episode, we feature Astros President Reid Ryan, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, a few of Houston's homeless, and a young woman whose life was nearly derailed by drug addiction.   *** Have questions, comments, or story ideas for Maybe God? Head to maybegodpod.com to contact us. For news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @maybegodpod. 

Exactly one year ago, Houston, Texas experienced a flood of Biblical proportions. As much as 60 inches of rain fell in some areas - 19 trillion gallons of water that caused over $100 Billion in property damages and sent 40,000 people to emergency shelters. 13,000 Houstonians had to be rescued by boats and helicopters. As the waters of Hurricane Harvey receded, we wondered how this could happen. If God is real, and He cares for us, where was He when our city was drowning? On this episode, we'll explore this question with some heroes who came to our rescue (the LA Cajun Navy), and some now world-famous survivors (both humans and farm animals). *** Have questions, comments, or story ideas for Maybe God? Head to maybegodpod.com to contact us. For news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @maybegodpod. 

On the last two episodes of Maybe God, we were introduced to a supernatural, spiritual world, through the eyes of three people who had near-death experiences. But some people don’t have to die and come back to life to experience the other side. Jonas Elrod, whose story has been featured by Oprah Winfrey, claims to experience both the physical and spiritual worlds on a daily basis. From his experience, he's determined one key truth we're all missing when we focus on the material world.