Unshaken Faith

Recently, Natasha wrote an article called, “A Christian Response to a Viral Deconstruction post,” about a woman who deconstructed and has continued to post about her deconversion online. In today’s episode, Natasha and Alisa respond to one of her comments in which she makes the popular claim that you can trust your heart because your heart is “pure.” In popular deconstruction stories, it’s common for people who are leaving the faith to claim that the teaching of Original Sin (that humans are inherently sinful) is actually toxic and abusive. They teach that humans are actually good by nature, so we can trust our hearts to guide us rightly. How can Christians respond?

After wrapping up the Tucson Unshaken conference a couple of weeks ago, Alisa and Natasha noticed a recurring theme in their conversations with attendees. It went something like this: “It’s so nice to know we’re not crazy. It’s so nice to be with other believers who hold to the truth of Scripture and not feel so alone.” That says so much about the state of the church. It can be lonely WITHIN the church to have a biblical worldview and if you’re feeling that, we hope today’s episode will encourage you.

Back in 2018, mega church pastor Andy Stanley came under fire for suggesting that as New Testament Christians, we should “unhitch” ourselves from the Old Testament. At times, Stanley seemed to be walking back his comments, while Stanley’s confusing comments about homosexuality and LGBTQ inclusion have left many Christians wondering if Stanley is sliding into progressive Christianity. Is it time to put Stanley into the category of mark and avoid? That’s the question Alisa and Natasha are asking in today’s episode.

Shannon Harris, ex-wife of 90's purity culture icon Josh Harris, talks about the harm caused by complementarian theology. The hosts discuss Shannon's claims and explore the flawed logic behind the idea. They also debunk misconceptions surrounding women's modesty and discuss the Christian perspective on sexuality and trauma.

So much happened while we were on hiatus this summer! In today’s episode, Natasha and Alisa hash through all the stuff we missed. We talk about drag queens taking the #1 spot on Christian itunes, Oliver Anthony going viral with a modern day protest song, the Barbie movie, Taylor Swift Eras tour, and the strange Christianity today article that praised Barbie and Taylor Swift for bringing us all together while panning Oliver for dissing welfare.

Should Christian parents send their kids to public school in order to be a light and influence on their local campus? What do we do about people who claim that their new age practices or beliefs from other faiths have produced long term good changes in their lives? How do I have any right to tell someone to live more like a Christian when I am a sinner? And finally, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:12 "And I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence." How does that apply to two women co-hosting a podcast and speaking at a national conference? These are the questions we're going to tackle today in a rapid-fire manner.

Whether you’re a Christian, a secular humanist, a Muslim, a Mormon, or anything else, you almost certainly agree that love is one of the most important values for humans. In recent years, love has taken such pride of place in the American culture that it has ousted pretty much every other value. People have boiled everything in life down to a singular focus on love, and in a very practical sense they have made it their religion, effectively claiming that if everyone would just choose love, the world would leave behind all its current divisions. Today, Natasha and Alisa respond to several quotes and memes around the theme that love is all that matters—particularly because it’s a claim that people often use to oppose biblical doctrine, morality, and Christianity in general.

Jesus often clashed with members of a Jewish sect called the Pharisees, who were strong opponents of His ministry. The Pharisees strictly kept the law given to Moses centuries earlier and followed an elaborate system of oral tradition to help them do so. Today, many people have an inclination to label a Christian a “modern day Pharisee” when they don’t like what that person has to say. The Pharisees are trotted out for all kinds of claims that have nothing to do with the problems Jesus actually had with them. Natasha and Alisa talk about several of these myths to clarify what the problem actually was with the Pharisees and how that’s very different than how many people speak of them today.

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has over 147 million subscribers, and is a favorite among American families everywhere. Until recently, Jimmy has remained fairly neutral when it comes to politics and religion. That all changed when one of his best friends and costars Chris Tyson, recently announced that he is transitioning from male to female. Since then, Jimmy has ardently defended his friend’s choices and his Wikipedia page now describes him as an “American YouTuber, philanthropist, and transgender rights activist.” Today, Natasha and Alisa discuss what it looks like to talk with our kids about sensitive issues like transgenderism, and when their favorite youtube celebrity goes woke.

The Orange organization may be the most influential organization you’ve never heard of when it comes to church curriculum for the next generation. According to the Orange website, at thinkorange.com, they have 10,000+ partner churches, influence over 1 million kids and teens per year, and serve over 80 denominations. They also report that 49 percent of the fastest growing churches use Orange. We have long had concerns that this widely used curriculum is primarily moralistic (meaning it’s focused more on so called good values rather than on the Gospel) and that it’s becoming increasingly progressive. In today’s episode, we’ll focus on three recent events which we think demonstrate our continued concern—particularly about progressivism—and bring awareness to these issues.Why is the Gospel Good News? Orange Leaders Dan Scott, Director of Orange 252 Kids & Preteen CurriculumOrange Resources on RacismNeil Shenvi's review of "How to Be an Antiracist"