Truth Over Tribe
If you’ve ever listened to an episode of our podcast, thank you! We recently compiled the data from last year to see what’s resonating the most with our listeners. Below you’ll find the top five most listened-to episodes from last year and what we’re gleaning about our audience from this list. Take a look and let us know if there’s anything (or anyone) you’d like to hear in the future.
1. You want to interpret and respond to current events in light of the Gospel.
Drumroll, please? 🥁 Our most listened-to episode of 2023 was “Does the Bible Require Christians to Support the Nation of Israel?” We released this episode back in October in response to the tragic events that had recently unfolded in the Middle East. Like many others, we found ourselves perplexed by some of the reactions of supporters on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Without weighing in on this political, international situation, we sought to address one specific question in this episode: Does the Bible require Christians to support the nation-state of Israel? We dove into American Evangelicalism’s historical support of the Israeli state and how this way of thinking has its roots in dispensationalism and End Times Theology. We know that faithfully interpreting and responding to current events can be tricky for Christians and we hope that our podcast continues to wrestle over such issues from an always-biblical, never-partisan lens.
2. You want to understand the Gospel as accurately as possible.
You feel it, too: Something is wrong with the American church. Is it too woke? Too aligned with Christian nationalism? Or is the problem deeper and more theological? On this episode, we spoke with author Matthew Bates to find out: Is Our Understanding of the Gospel All Wrong?
Matthew shared why he believes that today’s American church possesses a fundamental misunderstanding of the Gospel itself. He answered several questions, including: What is the true Gospel message? Why is it “Good News,” even for the “nones” and “dones” of today’s age? What are the malformed Gospel messages that we’ve fallen for? How would our lives change if we adapted this true interpretation of the Gospel?
3. You want to appropriately understand what the Bible has to say about sex and other “taboo” topics.
Joshua Butler’s book on sex, Beautiful Union, took the Christian Internet by storm last year, with many critics warning that it was a profoundly harmful read. In it, Josh issues a call for Christians to see sex as a window into God’s story. But did his narrative do more to help or harm the Christian narrative around sex?
After causing so much controversy, we decided to sit down with Josh to discuss The Sex Book That Broke the (Christian) Internet. He shared with us why he believes that the beauty of sex is an important apologetic. Plus, he addressed several of the book’s critiques: Is referring to sex as an icon of divine reality really appropriate? Is he just rewrapping purity culture? Was his language too graphic? Does his way of thinking lead to trinitarian heresies? Could it be used to justify marital rape? Does theologizing about sex ignore the real-world plight of women? We want to understand the Bible more fully when it comes to these sorts of topics, and we’re glad you do too.
4. You want your love for Jesus to supersede your love for your country.
You’re probably like us. Which means you’ve often found yourself wondering if there is a place for devout patriotism and political activism in the Christian life. Or should Christians instead strive to live as outsiders or “exiles” in their country? In this episode, Hey American Christian, You’re An Exile, Preston Sprinkle joined us in studio to discuss the exile paradigm.
He and Patrick wrestled with questions like: Why do some American Christians think America is closer to Israel than Babylon? Why didn’t Jesus talk about exile? What does it look like to live as an exile in modern America? And given this calling, should Christians avoid politics altogether?
5. You want to view men and women as the Bible sees them, not the culture.
We’re all thankful to be living in a world where women are thriving in comparison to just decades ago. But we’re also confused: what’s going on with men? Has our culture changed in a way that disadvantages them? Have accusations of “toxic masculinity” thrown men into a shame spiral that’s affecting their wellbeing?
Across the board, statistics show that men are falling behind. So on this episode, Keith and Patrick examined these statistics, citing how men are lagging behind in education, the labor force, and relationships and the resulting rise in “deaths of despair” among men. They discussed our changing cultural attitudes toward men and some of the societal, structural challenges that men face. Finally, they proposed some solutions to finding A Positive Vision For Masculinity in a more equal world.
We’re thankful for our listeners and love knowing these episodes resonated with many of you! Got a topic or guest suggestion for the future? Let us know in the comments below.