Burn the Haystack

Today, Josh and Jesse talk to Matthew Hunter. Matthew is a pastor, church planter, and thought leader originally hailing from Victoria, Australia. He is now a pastor living and ministering in Adelaide, SA. The guys talk to Matthew about church planting, missional living, and his experiences learning about organic church from Francis Chan. Enjoy!

In this episode, Josh and Jesse talk all about independent ministries. What are they, why do they exist, and are they a net negative or positive for the church?

In this episode, Josh and Jesse talk about a recent controversy that started in a humble Hearthstone tournament, and has quickly become a major talking point in the Hong Kong conversation. This episode is a bit different from what we've touched on in the past few months, so we hope you enjoy our take on Blizzard, Hong Kong, and censorship culture.

Show Notes This week, we talk to TJ Sands. TJ is a pastor working in the Oklahoma Conference, and leads the second-largest church in his conference. He's also passionate about discourse and honest conversations, and boy do we have one for you today! Jewelry and the use of it has been a divisive issue in the church ever since the Victorian era. Even today, people look down at those who wear wedding earrings, necklaces, or even wedding bands. So, what's the deal? Does the Bible truly prohibit it, as many assume, or is there something deeper to the conversation?

Show Notes In light of our conversation about women in ministry, new expressions of Christianity, and the constant struggle between established power structures and emerging voices in the Christian space, we thought it appropriate to address a recent controversy.

This week, Josh and Jesse springboard off their conversation last week on Kanye West to a conversation about power and influence in Christianity. Put simply: who gets to define what are appropriate expressions of Christianity, and what aren't?

So, Kanye West just released an album. And it's a Christian album. What are we to make of it, and what does this mean for the Christian world? Let's talk about that!

This week, Josh and Jesse tackle one of the more controversial topics of our church today - women and pastoral ministry. Currently in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, women can not be ordained into pastoral ministry. The guys have refrained from tackling this issue head-on until now, so enjoy our take on ordination, women in ministry, and how gender plays into the church's mission.

This week, Josh and Jesse talk to Shantel Smith. Shantel was, until very recently, a pastor, speaker, and content creator working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In this episode, we talk to her about her resignation from being a fulltime pastor - why she did it, how she sees the church today, and what's next for her ministry. 

This week, Josh and Jesse finish up their series on the Three Angels' Messages.