Dad Jokes and Discernment: The Podcast

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What does it really mean to bring back old-time religion? Are we trying to recover biblical Christianity, or are we simply trying to recreate the church culture we remember growing up?

On this episode of Dad Jokes & Discernment, we're asking some honest questions about traditional Christianity, modern churches, and what it means to be faithful to the Word of God. From old-fashioned preaching and traditional hymns to contemporary worship, church traditions, altar calls, and revival meetings, we're digging into the difference between the outward appearance of religion and the substance of genuine Christian faith.

Is the modern church losing its focus on Scripture? Have we elevated cultural traditions above biblical convictions? And when Christians talk about wanting the old-time religion back, do we actually want biblical faithfulness—or just the familiar sights, sounds, and experiences of the past?

We're not arguing that every old tradition was biblical or that every modern church is wrong. We're asking whether our convictions are rooted in Scripture or simply inherited from the culture around us. Tradition can be meaningful, but tradition must never take the place of obedience to God's Word.

The real question is this: If we brought back every old hymn, every altar call, every revival meeting, and every old-fashioned preaching style—but left out repentance, holiness, prayer, evangelism, and obedience to Scripture—would we have brought back old-time religion, or just its costume?

Our goal isn't to manufacture nostalgia or condemn everyone who worships differently. It's to encourage Christians to examine what they believe, why they believe it, and whether their faith is being shaped by the Bible.

Because the answer isn't simply to make the church look like it did fifty years ago. It's to return to the truth of God's Word, take discipleship seriously, love people well, and keep Jesus Christ at the center of everything.

The culture changes. Church methods change. Music changes. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not change.

Join Dustin and Dustin for a candid, faith-based conversation about old-time religion, biblical Christianity, church tradition, spiritual discernment, and what it means to remain faithful in a changing world.

And through it all, remember: My Jesus still saves today.

📖 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” — Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

If this conversation gets you thinking, share it with a friend, join the discussion, and keep searching the Scriptures.

Dad Jokes & Discernment is a Christian podcast exploring everyday struggles, church culture, biblical truth, and the Christian life through honest conversations and a biblical lens.

#OldTimeReligion #BiblicalChristianity #ChristianPodcast #ChurchTradition #BiblicalPreaching #ChristianFaith #ChurchCulture #SoundDoctrine #ChristianDiscipleship #DadJokesAndDiscernment

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Taken straight from the book of 1st Opinions.....

This week on Dad Jokes and Discernment, we're tackling the annual Christian debate: Can Christians celebrate Halloween, or should we leave the costumes and candy to the world? 🎃

One of us celebrates with his family. The other has some serious reservations. Naturally, we opened the Bible, shared our opinions, and attempted to sort it all out. What could go wrong?

We discuss biblical passages from Deuteronomy 18, Ephesians 5, 1 Corinthians 10, and Romans 14 while wrestling with some important questions:

• Does a tradition's history automatically determine whether it's wrong today?
• What's the difference between a biblical command and a personal conviction?
• How do we balance Christian liberty with spiritual discernment?
• Are we applying Scripture consistently, or trying to make Scripture agree with our opinions?

There are a few tangents, some dad jokes, and more than a couple of moments where we probably could've used a little more preparation. 😂 But we're trying to work through a real question without pretending to have every answer.

We're not here to tell every Christian family they must celebrate Halloween—or that they must avoid every activity associated with it. We're here to consider what Scripture actually says, examine our convictions, and remember that our responsibility is to bring those convictions under God's Word, not make God's Word conform to them.

So grab your Bible and your favorite fall beverage, and join us for a conversation that's equal parts discernment, disagreement, and dad jokes.

Because having an opinion is easy. Making sure it lines up with Scripture takes a little more work.

Thanks for listening to Dad Jokes and Discernment! Find us on Facebook or email [email protected]. We welcome your questions, comments, and disagreements.

And remember: examine the Scriptures, examine your conscience, and don't confuse your opinion with a commandment from God.

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What if the problem in the church isn’t always the pastor?

In this episode of Dad Jokes and Discernment, we turn the mirror around and talk about the heart of the church—the responsibility every Christian has to know Christ, follow His Word, serve His people, make disciples, and help build up the body of Christ.

This is the companion episode to “False Pastors: How to Recognize a Wolf in the Pulpit.” We talked about the responsibility of pastors and church leaders; now we’re talking about the responsibility of the people sitting in the pews.

The church is not an audience gathered to consume Christianity from a pastor. The church is the body of Christ. Every believer has a role to play.

We talk about:

• Biblical pastoral authority and why the pastor is not the head of the church—Christ is
• Why Christians should test what they hear against Scripture
• The danger of consumer Christianity and treating church like a weekly product
• Why pastors are called to equip the saints—not do all the ministry themselves
• Every believer’s responsibility to serve, encourage, evangelize, and make disciples
• Biblical church discipline, restoration, and the danger of gossip disguised as “prayer requests”
• Legalism, traditions, and the danger of elevating church preferences to the level of Scripture
• Why Christian freedom does not mean lawlessness
• Bearing one another’s burdens instead of watching people struggle from a distance
• What it actually means to love the body of Christ
• Why a healthy church is about more than good preaching, music, programs, or attendance
• Moving from simply going to church to actually being the church

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What makes a pastor a false pastor?

Is it bad preaching? A different personality? A disagreement over doctrine? A pastor who preaches hard? Not necessarily.

In this episode of Dad Jokes and Discernment, we take a biblical look at what happens when a man entrusted with the pulpit abuses that responsibility. We talk about false pastors, false teachers, wolves in the pulpit, spiritual abuse, legalism, pulpit bullying, compromise, celebrity pastors, church growth, pastoral authority, and the danger of building a following around a man instead of pointing people to Christ.

The Bible gives us a standard for evaluating those who lead God's people—and that standard isn't personality, popularity, attendance, charisma, or how many people follow them online.

The standard is Scripture.

We look at passages including Matthew 7, Acts 20, 1 Peter 5, 2 Timothy 4, Titus 1, James 3, Ephesians 4, and others to ask some uncomfortable questions:

• Is the pastor faithfully preaching the Word?
• Is he shepherding God's people or controlling them?
• Is he equipping disciples or building an audience?
• Does he submit to Scripture—or elevate his own traditions to the level of Scripture?
• Does he confront sin faithfully without humiliating people?
• Is he pointing people toward Christ—or toward himself?
• What does a faithful shepherd actually look like?

And perhaps most importantly: how do we distinguish a genuinely false pastor from a faithful pastor who simply isn't our favorite preacher?

This isn't an episode about naming names or attacking pastors. It's about giving Christians biblical tools to test what they hear, recognize spiritual danger, and keep Christ—not a preacher—at the center of the church.

Because the sheep don't belong to the pastor.

They belong to Christ.

And when a man stands behind the pulpit, the question isn't, “How can I make people follow me?”

It's:

“How can I faithfully point them back to Christ?”

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What happens when somebody else’s foolishness starts bringing out the fool in you?

In this episode of Dad Jokes & Discernment, we dive into the story of David, Abigail, and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25—and it gets uncomfortably real.

Nabal is foolish. David gets angry. Abigail steps in. And suddenly we’re looking at something bigger than an Old Testament story: what do we do when someone else’s stupidity, disrespect, sin, or bad behavior pushes every one of our buttons?

Because here’s the danger: their foolishness can become your foolishness.

David had every reason to be angry, but that didn’t mean every response available to him was righteous. And that’s where biblical discernment matters. Sometimes the biggest spiritual battle isn’t recognizing somebody else’s sin—it’s refusing to let their sin pull your sin out of you.

We talk about anger, pride, retaliation, wisdom, self-control, grace, and the uncomfortable reality that none of us are above becoming the very thing we're criticizing.

And that’s the heart of Dad Jokes & Discernment:

We’re just two dudes trying to tell the world about THE Dude—and maybe show everybody that we’re all imperfect and desperately in need of grace.

So grab your Bible, bring your sense of humor, and come wrestle with this question:

Are you responding to their foolishness with biblical wisdom—or are you letting their foolishness make you a fool?

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You Don't Want the Truth. You Want Confirmation.

What if the problem isn't that you don't know the truth?

What if you already know it—and you're just looking for somebody to tell you it's okay to ignore it?

Ahab had 400 prophets telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. Then Micaiah showed up and told him the truth.

Ahab didn't like it.

Neither do we sometimes.

We live surrounded by voices—social media, influencers, friends, family, preachers, politicians, algorithms—and with enough searching, you can almost always find somebody who will tell you exactly what you want to hear.

But agreement doesn't make something true.

In this episode of Dad Jokes & Discernment, we're looking at Ahab, Obadiah, and Micaiah—and asking some uncomfortable questions:

Are you seeking God's will, or God's permission?

Who has permission to tell you that you're wrong?

And when God's Word contradicts what you want...

which one are you going to change?

Sometimes you don't need another voice.

You need to listen to the right one.

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Are You Spiritually Dead… or Just Busy?

You can go to church every Sunday.

You can serve.
You can teach.
You can know your Bible.
You can be involved in ministry.
You can even have a successful church.

And still be drifting away from Christ.

Jesus looked at the church at Ephesus and said, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”

That ought to scare us.

Because spiritual drift doesn't always look like rebellion. Sometimes it looks like busyness. Sometimes it looks like routine. Sometimes it looks like doing everything you've always done without remembering why you started doing it in the first place.

In this episode, we talk about what happens when faith becomes routine, when serving God replaces loving God, when comfort becomes easier to love than Christ—and what happens when individual spiritual dryness spreads into an entire church.

We talk about Ephesus.
We talk about David.
We talk about spiritual fellowship versus simply going through the motions.
We talk about churches that need renewal.
We talk about what happens when a church is full but spiritually empty.
And we talk about what genuine revival actually looks like.

Because renewal doesn't begin with trying harder.

It begins with remembering.

Remember where you were.
Repent of where you've gone.
Return to the One you were pursuing in the first place.

And here's the uncomfortable question:

If you stripped away your church attendance, your Bible knowledge, your ministry, your reputation, and everything you do that makes you look Christian… what would your relationship with Jesus actually look like?

Are you spiritually renewed?

Or are you just busy?

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Does social media make us feel like we have to have an opinion about everything?

See a post? React.

Hear something? Comment.

Disagree? Correct them.

Get angry? Post about it.

Somebody is wrong on the internet? Obviously, it's our Christian duty to tell them. 😂

In this episode of Dad Jokes & Discernment, we're talking about the biblical wisdom of knowing when to speak and when to hold your peace.

Using the recent Lindsay Clancy trial as a backdrop—not to debate the case, guilt, innocence, evidence, or the verdict—we look at something much bigger: why are we so desperate to render judgments on things we often don't know enough about?

Proverbs 18:13 says:

That's basically the anti-social-media verse.

We talk about how social media rewards certainty, outrage, arguments, rage-bait, and instant reactions, while Scripture calls Christians to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.”

We also get into:

• Why having an opinion doesn't mean everyone needs to hear it
• The difference between information and knowledge
• Why “I don't know” can actually be an expression of wisdom and humility
• How social media turns us into judges of other people's motives and hearts
• Why Christians aren't called to avoid hard conversations
• When we actually need to speak up
• When silence is wisdom—and when silence can become cowardice
• Proverbs 26:4–5 and the apparent contradiction of answering a fool
• The difference between correcting someone and simply trying to win
• The Voddie Baucham story about winning the battle but losing the man
• Why Christian content creators can fall into the same outrage and rage-bait traps as everyone else
• The spiritual discipline of simply not hitting the button
• How to recognize whether you're speaking from conviction or just looking for validation, attention, superiority, or the last word
• Five questions to ask yourself before you post, comment, or jump into an argument

And yes, we get sidetracked.

There are snakes.

There are Skittles.

There are dirt bikes.

There are children who apparently know everything.

There is a dog who may or may not be telling the truth.

You know... Dad Jokes & Discernment.

But underneath all of it is a simple reminder:

Just because you can say something doesn't mean you should.

Sometimes the most Christlike response isn't winning the argument.

Sometimes it's walking away.

Sometimes it's saying, “I don't know.”

Sometimes it's speaking truth when truth needs to be spoken.

And sometimes you need to say your piece—or hold your peace.

Scripture in this episode:

Proverbs 18:13
Proverbs 18:17
Proverbs 26:4–5
Ecclesiastes 3:7
James 1:19
Matthew 27:12–14

Hear about it. Think about it. Pray about it. Then decide whether you really need to speak at all.

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Spiritual Warfare Is Real: Demons, Distraction & the Armor of God

What if spiritual warfare doesn't usually look like a horror movie?

What if the enemy doesn't need you to reject Jesus, abandon your faith, or fall into some spectacular sin? What if all he needs is your attention?

In this episode of Dad Jokes and Discernment, we go straight down a theological rabbit hole—starting with the reality of demons and spiritual warfare, then connecting Daniel 10, Acts 19, Ephesians 6, Matthew 28, Genesis 6, and the Dead Sea Scrolls' reading of Deuteronomy 32.

And yeah... it gets WILD.

We talk about the possibility that Deuteronomy 32's "sons of God" connects with the spiritual powers described in Daniel 10, and what that might mean when Jesus commands His disciples to go to all nations and Paul tells Christians that we wrestle against "principalities and powers."

But here's the catch:

A fascinating connection isn't automatically a biblical fact.

And that's where discernment comes in.

Because there's a danger in spiritual warfare that doesn't get talked about nearly enough: becoming so fascinated with the unseen realm that we become fascinated with our own knowledge. We can chase mysteries, rabbit holes, demons, angels, ancient texts, prophecy, and hidden connections until we completely lose sight of Christ.

So eventually, we're pulling the parachute cord.

We're getting out of the rabbit hole.

We're putting our feet back on the ground.

And we're asking the question that matters:

Is this making me more like Christ—or less like Christ?

Because God didn't give us a demonology textbook.

He gave us truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer.

He gave us the Armor of God.

Spiritual warfare is real. The unseen realm is bigger than we can comprehend. But Satan isn't God's equal, Christ has already triumphed over the powers of darkness, and our calling isn't to stare into the darkness until we understand every mystery.

Our calling is to be the light.

So put on the armor, guard your heart, guard your mind, stay repentant, and get busy about the Lord's work.

And whatever you do...

Don't get lost in the rabbit hole.

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What happens when you pray, obey, serve, sacrifice, and genuinely try to follow God—and life still doesn't go the way you expected?

Why didn't God answer the prayer? Why is the marriage still struggling? Why are the finances still tight? Why is the door still closed? Why does doing the right thing sometimes seem to make absolutely no difference?

In this episode of Dad Jokes and Discernment, we wrestle with an uncomfortable question: Are we obeying God because He is worthy of our obedience, or because we expect obedience to make our lives better?

We look at Joseph, David, Jeremiah, Paul, Habakkuk, and ultimately Jesus Christ—perfectly obedient, yet led to the cross. We talk about unanswered prayer, suffering, comparison, disappointment, the danger of treating God like a vending machine, and the uncomfortable truth that Scripture never promises faithful Christians an easy life.

Hebrews 11 shows us something even harder: some faithful people conquered kingdoms, while others were tortured, imprisoned, and killed. Same faith. Same God. Different earthly outcomes.

So what happens when God doesn't give you the outcome you prayed for?

Maybe the question isn't, “When is God going to make this pay off?”

Maybe it's:

“If God never gives me the outcome I want, will I still obey Him?”

Because faith isn't trusting God to give us what we want.

Faith is trusting God when He doesn't.

🎙️ Dad Jokes and Discernment — faith, Scripture, and the uncomfortable questions we probably should have asked sooner.