The Skeptical Pastor Podcast
By Mike Van Drie
The Skeptical Pastor PodcastMar 18, 2021
Ep. 10 || Is Christianity Inherently Racist with Nate Heyboer
Racial Justice.
It seems to be missing from our churches. Especially, the White Evangelical Church.
How did we get here? What can be done? Can the church be saved? Is Jesus okay with this?
Join the conversation as Pastor Nate Heyboer and I talk about why racial justice became so important to him, what white privilege is (and isn't), how the White Evangelical Church has failed with regards to racial justice, how this has led to much skepticism towards the church and Jesus in general, and our path forward as people, as the church, and as a nation.
Racial Justice Resources Mentioned in Podcast:
The Myth of Equality, Ken Wytsema
Divided by Faith, Michael O Emerson
Race: A Theological Account, J. Kameron Carter
The Christian Imagination, Willie Jennings
Return to Justice, Soon-Chan Rah
Jesus and John Wayne, Kristen Du Mez
How to be Anti-Racist, Ibram Kendi
13th, Ava DuVernay
Verge Network has a free racial justice series on Youtube that is excellent.
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Ep. 9 || The Killjoy God
killjoy /ˈkilˌjoi/
noun
- a person who deliberately spoils the enjoyment of others through resentful or overly sober behavior.
Is God a killjoy?
It sure seems like it, the God of the Bible has a crap-ton of rules and they seem to try to steal our joy. And this makes me skeptical about following Jesus.
Join the conversation as we lean into the rules of God that we find in the Bible and explore why God has these rules.
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Ep. 8 || I Have Doubts...Now What
It's easy to have questions and doubts about Christianity. But what do we do once we have them? Cause doubts can make us feel stuck and lost. And let's be honest, feeling stuck and lost is no fun.
Join the conversation as we use Natasha Crain's article "5 Things To Do When You’re Struggling with Faith Doubts" as the template for our conversation.
And make sure to stick around for the bonus thing to do when you are struggling with faith doubts.
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And Mentioned in the Conversation
Threads Podcast Episode 123: Leaving Christianity
Ep. 7 || The Harlot Church with Adam Aldridge
Is the church leading us away from Jesus?
Often it seems like we have doubts about Jesus because of the church. But what if we need the church to do this Jesus thing? And what if the way of Jesus is the true way, even if the church and her people are horrible sometimes?
Join my special guest Adam and me as we explore the church, her faults, the way she causes us to have major doubts about this Jesus thing, and what we should do with the church moving forward.
Find Adam on Twitter: @adamjaldridge
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Ep. 6 || The Empty Grave Conspiracy
Did 12 ordinary, common men deceive the entire known world? Did they somehow steal the body of their Rabbi from the Romans?
All of history rests on this question. And more importantly, all of eternity rests on this question.
Boiled down: Did Jesus rise from the dead?
Let's talk!!!
Mike's Favorite Line: "If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, if his body still is in the ground somewhere, then Christianity is stupid and useless and is a complete and utter waste of time."
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Ep. 5 || The God Myth
Have people made up the fairytale of a God so they can sleep at night thinking that this life isn't all there is, that there's a God who exists outside of it, that this life isn't just random chance?
Boiled down: Is God a myth?
Let's talk!!!
Mike's Favorite Line: If God exists why in the hell is there evil, pain, and suffering? Like, I just don't get it... if a god exists, if God exists in the midst of all this that's going on why in the world is there evil? Why is there evil that still reigns? Why is there pain? Why is there suffering?
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Ep. 4 || Lunatic, Liar, or Lord
Jesus is DANGEROUS.
He either was a lunatic or a liar. Or he was and is Lord and if this is true it changes EVERYTHING.
So, what’s the TRUTH? Let’s ask a bunch of questions to discover the truth!!!
Mike's Favorite Line: "I believe that if we're going to ask the tough questions, we need to look at the things that would be most skeptical of Jesus. Yes. We could go to the Bible and we can make a claim from there, but I want to go to non-biblical sources because I want to take the toughest route."
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Ending Song Credit:
Instagram: @acharlesmusic @backroomscene
Facebook: @acharlesx @backroomscene
Ep. 3 || The Most Dangerous Book in the World Pt. 2
Ep. 2 || The Most Dangerous Book in the World Pt. 1
Ep. 1 || Doubting Thomas: The Patron Saint of Skeptics
The One with All of the Questions
This episode is about the origin story of 'The Skeptical Pastor Podcast'.
It's a behind the scenes look at the conversations that we are about to embark on as we seek to wrestle with the questions and doubts that we have about Christianity.
Mike's Favorite Line: "Our questions and doubts about Christianity are not something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of."