ERLC Podcast

Throughout this series, we’ve been seeking biblical answers and practical wisdom to apply to questions of gender and sexuality swirling around in our culture, our churches, and in our hearts. It’s been a joy to explore these issues with you and spur one another on to hold fast to Christ and love our neighbors. On this last episode in our series, we’re going to focus more on pastors and how they can shepherd their people to better understand the biblical sexual ethic and how to apply that to their daily lives. As we discuss these important topics, you might have additional questions. We’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com and let us know how you’re processing this conversation. Joining us on today’s podcast is Dr. Bart Barber. Bart is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Bart has a B.A. from Baylor University in their University Scholars program, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Ph.D. in Church History, also from Southwestern. You’ll also hear from Matt McCullough, pastor of Edgefield Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Before joining Edgefield, Matt helped to plant Trinity Church near Vanderbilt University and served as pastor there for 10 years. He completed a Ph.D. in American religious history. Matt and his wife are the parents of three boys.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

We began our gender and sexuality series by examining what the Bible teaches us about these important topics. And as we close out this series with two more episodes, we’re going to concentrate on the Church and how pastors and leaders can disciple their members to wrestle with and hold fast to God’s good design for us. Because gender confusion has disproportionately affected younger generations, we’ll spend a lot of time today focusing on discipling those at the forefront this ideological assault. As we discuss these important topics, you might have additional questions. We’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com and let us know how you’re processing this conversation. Joining us on today’s episode are several of our former guests: Katie McCoy, the director of women’s ministry at Texas Baptists; Steven and Amy Castello from City on a Hill Church in Boston, where Steven is the lead pastor and Amy is the director for women’s discipleship and care; and Christopher Yuan, a professor and the creator of “The Holy Sexuality Project.”You’ll also hear from Dr. Dub Oliver. Dr. Oliver is the president of Union University, a Southern Baptist college. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Baylor University, Master of Science degree in educational psychology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational administration from Texas A&M. Dr. Oliver and his wife, Susie, have one daughter and two grandchildren. Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

On our previous episode about gender and sexuality, we looked at the family and how parents can approach these important topics with their children. Today, we’re turning our attention to an issue that has caused anxiety for some parents: gender and sexuality in schools and how to direct our children as they are confronted with teaching and examples that contradict what the Bible says. As we discuss these important topics, you might have additional questions. We’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com and let us know how you’re processing this conversation. Joining us on today’s episode is Shaka Mitchell. Shaka serves as a Senior Fellow for the American Federation for Children. He is also an elder at his local church.  He has previously served as Associate Director of Policy and Planning at the D.C.-based Center for Education Reform and led outreach efforts at the Institute for Justice, a constitutional law firm based in Arlington, Virgina. He is an alumnus of Belmont University where he teaches as an adjunct faculty member. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the Wake Forest University School of Law. Shaka and his wife live in Nashville with their children and are active in several non-profit organizations.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

So far in our gender and sexuality series, we’ve learned what the Bible teaches about God’s design, we’ve traced the sexual revolution in our society, and we’ve heard a powerful testimony of honoring God in the midst of a struggle with sexual sin. Today, we’re going to talk about the family. As we discuss these important topics, you might have additional questions. We’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com and let us know how you’re processing this conversation. On this episode, Steven and Amy Castello are going to help us think through some important aspects of teaching our kids God’s intent for gender and sexuality. Steven is the Lead Pastor and planter for City on a Hill Church in Boston, MA. He previously planted Immanuel Church in Birmingham, AL, before moving to Boston. Steven holds an undergraduate degree from Samford University and a M.Div from Birmingham Theological Seminary. Amy is the Director for Women’s Discipleship and Care for City on a Hill Church. She also serves as the Spouse Care Advocate for a non-profit in Boston called “For Greater Boston”. Amy has served in the local church, discipling and counseling women since 2009. Steven and Amy are parents to four daughters who are in middle school and high school. You’ll also hear briefly from our friend Katie McCoy.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

So far in this series, we’ve learned what the Bible teaches about gender and sexuality, how the fall affects our perception of ourselves and God, and what role the sexual revolution played in where we are today as a culture. Today, we will hear an incredible testimony from a man who has learned to honor God with his sexuality. We’re also going to hear how we can respond when someone we love struggles with sexual sin and gender confusion. Joining us on the podcast today for the first time is Christopher Yuan. You’ll also hear again from our friend Katie McCoy, the director of women's ministry at Texas Baptists.   Dr. Christopher Yuan is a writer, speaker, and the creator of The Holy Sexuality Project, a first-of-its-kind video series designed to help parents and grandparents empower their teens to understand, embrace, and celebrate biblical sexuality. Christopher graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005, received a master’s in biblical exegesis in 2007 and a doctorate of ministry in 2014. He has taught the Bible at Moody for over a decade.We would love to hear from you about how you’re processing this conversation and what questions you’re facing related to issues of gender and sexuality. You can e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com. Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

On Oct. 7, we woke up to the news that Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,400 people in what has been referred to as Israel’s 9/11. In the days following, we have seen the horrendous images, heard the horrifying stories, and learned more about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. To help us understand these events and how we can think clearly about them is Paul D. Miller. Dr. Miller is a professor in the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He serves as co-chair of the Global Politics and Security concentration in the MSFS program. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council and a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Dr. Miller previously served in the US Army (including a tour in Afghanistan), as an analyst with the CIA, and as Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the National Security Council staff. We’ll also talk with ERLC President Brent Leatherwood about the Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel and how Southern Baptists should continue to respond to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Here is Dr. Miller's most recent article at The Dispatch on the Israeli-Hamas war: "To Stand With the Palestinians, Support Israel Against Hamas"Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

A few weeks ago, we learned that Genesis 1 teaches God created us male and female in his image. Because we’re created, God gets to set the boundaries for our lives. But, the fall and our sin nature affects how we view ourselves and our bodies. We also heard about the sexual revolution and how it feeds us the same lie the serpent did in the garden: Did God really say? Today’s discussion is going to explore the sexual revolution more in depth and how Christians can think about it. You are going to hear again from our colleagues on the Research team, Alex Ward and Jason Thacker. We’re also going to hear from our friend Katie McCoy.We would love to hear from you about how you’re processing this conversation and what questions you’re facing related to issues of gender and sexuality. You can e-mail us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com. And just a reminder, we want to make sure you are kept up to date about the important work the ERLC is doing on behalf of Southern Baptists. The best way to do that is by joining us at ERLC.com/updates. Signing up for email updates allows you to hear directly from us about our work and ways we are serving you on the issues that matter most to Southern Baptists. Become an email subscriber at ERLC.com/updates. The ERLC podcast is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.It is produced by Jill Waggoner, Lindsay Nicolet, and Elizabeth Bristow.Technical production is provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.Thanks for listening, and we’re looking forward to being back together with you next time.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

Many of our listeners have expressed a desire to better understand the ERLC’s public policy work. September is the perfect time to share about this area of our ministry assignment because it’s an important month in our nation’s Capitol and a busy time for our D.C. team, specifically. Hannah Daniel, our ERLC policy manager who works in our nation’s capital, and our president Brent Leatherwood will break down the what, how, and why of our D.C. advocacy.We would love to hear from you. We want to know what policy issues are affecting your life and  what questions you're facing related to issues of gender and sexuality. You can email us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com. And just a reminder, we want to make sure you are kept up to date about the important work the ERLC is doing on behalf of Southern Baptists. The best way to do that is by joining us at ERLC.com/updates. Signing up for email updates allows you to hear directly from us about our work and ways we are serving you on the issues that matter most to Southern Baptists. Become an email subscriber at ERLC.com/updates. The ERLC podcast is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.It is produced by Jill Waggoner, Lindsay Nicolet, and Elizabeth Bristow.Technical production is provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.Thanks for listening, and we’re looking forward to being back together with you next time.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

 During this episode, you will hear from expert voices about:What it means to be made in the image of God;God’s good design for all people;How the world was corrupted by the fall in Genesis 3; andHow to live out countercultural beliefs about gender and sexuality.The ERLC podcast is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.It is produced by Jill Waggoner, Lindsay Nicolet, and Elizabeth Bristow.Technical production provided by Owens Productions.It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.You can email us at erlcpodcast@erlc.com.Become an email subscriber at erlc.com/updatesListen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

We’ve been working behind the scenes and are excited to announce an all new ERLC Podcast. While the format is new, our goal for the podcast remains the same. The ERLC seeks to help you think biblically about today’s cultural issues.We’ve been listening to you to better understand the questions you’re facing and how the ERLC can help on matters related to marriage and family, life, religious liberty, and human dignity. On this updated format of the ERLC Podcast, we want to give you brief, informed, practical, and biblically-based answers to important cultural issues.You are not the only one asking these questions. Just like you, we want to hold fast to the teachings of Scripture as we seek to raise our families, serve our churches, and love our neighbors in an ever-evolving and often challenging cultural landscape. Join us starting in September as we look to the Bible for wisdom, hear from trusted voices, and break down complex issues so that we can live in the world, but not of it—all for the sake of the gospel.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.