Jared Smith is a one man metal musician. As an artist he is known as Heliocentric. He was a deeply committed Christian for over a decade and was deeply formed by Christ-followers in the local church and the academy. Although he has left the faith, he still cares about the Christian faith and its adherents. On his YouTube channel, Heliocentric, he conducts what he calls “Atheist Church Audits,” where he attends local church worship services of various traditions and then responds to what he encounters from the people he meets and the conversations he has.

I have watched a lot of Jared’s stuff. I like him quite a bit on a personal level. I reached out to him, asking for a conversation on the topic of how it is that mindful Christians can respectfully witness to people of this age. To be honest, while I am interested in this conversation, it was mostly an excuse just to talk to the guy. I hope you can see why.

I think Jared is a great resource for assessing different Christian traditions, including one’s own. I hope you’ll pray for him, and that you’ll consider him as a resource. I genuinely think he is helpful in finding a good tone to speak to people in the right way. Even if you don’t glean the same lessons from this conversation that I did, it is my fervent hope that this is a blessing to you.

Link to Jared’s YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@HeliocentricOfficial

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