Real Bible Rob for Teens - Inclusive and Affirming Christianity Minister Rob Christ Podcast

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I received my first one-star review on this podcast on Apple. She said, "False teaching. Started with the Jonah episode. Saying Jonah wasn’t a real person. That Jonas story was a fable and a teaching for the Jewish people. You lost me 3 min into your podcast. I do not recommend." I guess I don't have to worry about her hearing this episode. But I felt bad about it anyway. Should I be giving young people doubt about the Bible? What does it mean to use the Bible and why? In this episode, I tell you why this is such a big question. If you immediately shut down any other points of view like this person did, then you will miss the much bigger messages of the Bible. I also give you an idea where this idea of biblical certainty comes from. 

From the transcript of S1 E2, "Well, bullies is a big part of the book of Jonah because uh Jonah is uh responding to the fact that these people that he God asked him to go see um were big time bullies. And Jonah hates bullies big time, but as a result, he ends up um by avoiding what God wants him to do. Jonah becomes a bully himself, and um the story is so crazy. It's um, you know, it's not really there wasn't really a Jonah, it's not a real story, it's more like a fable, you know, it's like a story to give you a message, and it was written uh by Jewish people to criticize themselves. And I'm gonna explain that to you, but let's get started by talking about how this um story uh begins and then how uh, you know, of course, the famous fish part of it, but then what really happens with the bullies."

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How do you know if your beliefs are the right ones? I think people need to be much more accepting of each other's faiths. "Romans 14 is for people who have read the whole letter and understand it" said the wise Christian pastor and theologian Karl Barth. I think it is the whole of Paul's letter to the Romans in one chapter. But most people just see it as an afterthought. Like Paul had already said everything important but that is wrong. Instead the whole letter is about learning to live with people who are different than yourself. You might think they are wrong. You might think their beliefs are backwards. You may think what they are doing is silly or stupid. But you must still love them and try to understand them. In this episode, I tell you why Romans 14 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. And why there is so much more to it than just putting up with the eating habits of another person. In verse 13 it says to stop judging each other and never put a stumbling block in the way of your brother or sister. It is more than just acceptance.  It is more than just tolerance. It is a welcome. How far should we take this? Should it extend to non-Christians? What does it mean to be in a community? What does it mean to be right, but then be wrong in how to treat other people? 


Romans 14 (CEB): Welcome the person who is weak in faith—but not in order to argue about differences of opinion. 2 One person believes in eating everything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not look down on the ones who don’t, and the ones who don’t eat must not judge the ones who do, because God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servants? They stand or fall before their own Lord (and they will stand, because the Lord has the power to make them stand). 5 One person considers some days to be more sacred than others, while another person considers all days to be the same. Each person must have their own convictions. 6 Someone who thinks that a day is sacred, thinks that way for the Lord. Those who eat, eat for the Lord, because they thank God. And those who don’t eat, don’t eat for the Lord, and they thank the Lord too. 7 We don’t live for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to God. 9 This is why Christ died and lived: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you look down on your brother or sister? We all will stand in front of the judgment seat of God. 11 Because it is written,
As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,
    and every tongue will give praise to God.[a]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 So stop judging each other. Instead, this is what you should decide: never put a stumbling block or obstacle in the way of your brother or sister. 14 I know and I’m convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is wrong to eat in itself. But if someone thinks something is wrong to eat, it becomes wrong for that person. 15 If your brother or sister is upset by your food, you are no longer walking in love. Don’t let your food destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 And don’t let something you consider to be good be criticized as wrong. 17 God’s kingdom isn’t about eating food and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ this way pleases God and gets human approval.
19 So let’s strive for the things that bring peace and the things that build each other up. 20 Don’t destroy what God has done because of food. All food is acceptable, but it’s a bad thing if it trips someone else. 21 It’s a good thing not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that trips your brother or sister. 22 Keep the belief that you have to yourself—it’s between you and God. People are blessed who don’t convict themselves by the things they approve. 23 But those who have doubts are convicted if they go ahead and eat, because they aren’t acting on the basis of faith. Everything that isn’t based on faith is sin.

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Why don’t I like biblical apologetics? It requires believing in a logical fallacy. Every William Lane Craig video shows you why. It’s circular reasoning. The outcome of every argument is always predetermined, essentially that the Bible proves itself. This isn’t science it’s indoctrination, just Evan training. Even more basic is that it doesn’t work. People don’t come to Christ through arguing, it thru love, serve & Holy Spirit. The prime purpose of apologetics is for Christians to confirm their own beliefs not for others. Bible study & teaching are good. Apol is not. Stop working on your arguments, focus on being kind, listening & loving your neighbor. Being a jerk for Jesus is not doing the work of Jesus. 

​​⁠Apologetics is not testimony or bible teaching. It is training. My gripe about it is why do we have to misrepresent what the Bible says and what it is in order to give testimony? It is saying things must be believed in a certain way and the Bible is univocal and completely consistent when it is certainly is not. It teaches ppl to fall in line and never doubt. While there are many good & gentle people who believe apologetics, it is often misused to indoctrinate, sometimes insidious, sometimes aggressive. It is good to know what you believe & why. Bible study is good answer so is understanding theology. But misrepresenting scripture & fear mongering for evangelism is not. Instead evangelism should be always about testimony what you believe not proofs.

1 Peter 3:15: 
NRSVue
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you,

ESV
always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Message
Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy

NET
always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

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When I said “Jesus lost!” a few years ago thousands of people on social media got very angry and they told me so in the comments. But it’s true. It is the central part of what Jesus came to do. I like to say that the cross couldn’t be emptied until after Jesus had been emptied. We learn that any strength comes from weakness. That any honor comes from humiliation. Philippians 2 tells us why. And it can give you great comfort in Christ if you let yourself be emptied too. I know this isn’t what you’ve been told by so many people, but in this episode I explain why it’s the single most important lesson you can learn in life. 

5Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: 6Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. 7But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, 8he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore, God highly honored him and gave him a name above all names, 10so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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You don't have to accept the pressure that many Christians put on other people to evangelize. They will say "You must be born again to go to heaven!" or "if you aren't born again, you are going to hell!" The Bible in John 3:3 does not say that at all. In the same way, people will say "you must separate from the world!" using Romans 12:2. These are used to pressure you into aggressive evangelism and to separate you from your friends and the people you love. Instead, you should know what these really mean and that the best way to evangelize is to do good and be good in the face of evil. It is not to manipulate and threaten people like it is usually done. 

I am very interested how evangelical Christians use language to signal conformity. A major goal of my online ministry is to point out these code words, often based on the misuse of scripture, and to debunk their common usage. "Born Again" is certainly one of the more sneaky cult code words. It is seems biblical in John 3:3 and 3:7 but when it is pulled out for cult signaling about who is saved and who is not saved, it is particularly pernicious. I have posted several times about John 3:3. I also posted about the cult-like use of Romans 12:2 to separate Christians from "the world." Both verses require considerable nuance to understand in context, which unfortunately makes them perfect candidates for appropriation and misuse. In this episode, I discuss how these verses are used for signaling evangelical separation and why most mainline Christians and Catholics don't use these phrases. I discuss how this is a used for the larger project of Christian dominance. 

NRSVue John 3:3 
Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.

NIV
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Living Bible
 Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.”

NRSVue Romans 12:2 
 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

NIV
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

ESV 
Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

My recent social media post:
"To my John 3:3 “having been born from above” often translated as “born again” video, I have often been asked “have you been saved?” or “are you born again?” Which are very weird questions to ask a mainline pastor who regularly professes my faith online. Where does this come from? It is the exclusionary tribal language that has been drilled to the heads of evangelicals, Your in or your out, that's it. John 3:3 has nothing do with heaven or being saved. Jesus told Nicodemus to be spiritually awakened. In context, Jesus never said Nicodemus or the Pharisees were not saved. He said they were spiritually blind, relying on their special status to be right with God. It's ironic when mod xians use these verses for separation & exclusion. They are constantly worried who’s saved or not. They are being as spiritually blind as Nicodemus was."

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I spoke with Richard Ackerman, also known as the Redeemed Zoomer on YouTube, to the podcast. I really disagree with him, even though he is in the same kind of church that I am. He believes things in a way that I think are harmful. In this episoide, I tell you about what I learned about him that made me appreciate his point of view more. I also learned a lesson about maturity and how you should become less judgmental as you get older. I hope this is helpful for you when you talk to people who don't share your politics, your religion, or your point of view. 

Richard is currently a seminary student at Dubuque Theological Seminary. But he is mostly known for his big presence on social media, especially YouTube, and his Operation Reconquista, now labeled Operation Reformation movement while he was a student. He then co-founded Presbyterians for the Kingdom. He seeks to support theologically conservative churches in the mainline denominations. As a PCUSA minister who is very active on social media, I come across his content and his supporters frequently. I wanted to speak with Richard to find to understand his point of view. 

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Salvation is the major concern of Christian teens. They look at all the people they love. Their family and friends are not all Christians, at least in the way they are told that they should be. It causes extreme worry. You might think, "What if my friend or my brother doesn't confess Jesus is Lord, will they go to hell?" In Romans 10:9, the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You feel responsible if they don't do this and you feel guilty and frankly terrified. In this comforting episode, I show you why you should not worry about their salvation. You should worry instead about their welfare and their happiness, but salvation is not what we have been taught by many pastors. I describe how the bible describes the security of salvation and even what some people call universal. Which one you believe should put you mind at ease. Salvation is in God's hands not yours. 

Fire insurance. Is that a God you want to follow. 100% fear mongering. What most deconstructioning evangelicals say. History of control and coercion. 

1 Timothy 2:3–4: God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth".

Colossians 1:19–20: God was pleased through Christ "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven".

1 Corinthians 15:22: "As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive"

Romans 5:18: One act of righteousness leads to "justification and life for all".

1 John 2:2: Jesus is the propitiation "for the sins of the whole world".

Philippians 2:10–11: "Every knee should bow" and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord"

People use the parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:31-46 for the final judgment, but I goes the opposite way that we have been taught. 

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It seems like Jesus is crazy. Jesus yelled out his angriest rebuke against Peter when he said "Get behind me Satan!" in Matthew 16:23 We are used to Jesus saying rough things to Pharisees and Scribes who were intolerable religious bullies. But Peter, his most trusted disciple? We must take time to understand why Jesus was so frustrated and what the word "Satan" really means before we think Peter sprung horns on his head. Jesus bore our sins, but also our frustrations with huge reserves of love. These stories show us the human side of Jesus along with his mission. 

Things change quickly, don't they? Last week we heard Peter say, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" to which Jesus said, "Blessed are you Peter! God the Father reveal this to you!" Then only a few verses later Jesus yelled Peter, "Get behind me Satan!" This is one of the most bipolar passages in all of the Bible. It can leave you wondering: Was Peter possessed? Or was Jesus just a bad boss? Well, it's possible that it was neither. 

This whipsawing of emotions in Jesus can tell us a lot about the person and character of Jesus. But the story also tells us about the person and character of Peter. Both Jesus and Peter are humanized in this story, and that is not a bad thing.  Every time we see the divinity of Jesus in the Gospels, we also see glimpses of his humanity. That is if we let ourselves see it. Every time we see the strength of character in Peter, it doesn't take long for Peter to step on it. His zeal and passion comes with a big dose of clumsiness. 

This is a common feature in the Gospel of Matthew.  In their human moments, the characters come alive. Jesus is a little angrier in Matthew than the other Gospels. And Peter is a little clumsier. Whenwe read it well, it can be a lot more relatable for us. Jesus as the great "I AM" gets frustrated. He sometimes seems a little bipolar: at turns being deeply compassionate and other times casually dismissive. We can see ourselves in Jesus and understand what he is thinking. On the other hand, Peter is like an impulsive Golden Retriever. He is always ready to go anywhere, do anything, but then he's also too zealous and too protective. Again, we have no trouble seeing ourselves in Peter.

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When I said the American church must repent of its white supremacy & its colonialism, I got howls of resistance of two kinds. First was the individual  response, They said, "Should I be responsible 4 what my ancestors did?" My answer was tough was tough, it was simply yes. As long as you are pushing ignorance & avoidance then you part of the problem. So yes in this case you must repent. The other thing was people saying, "Why do you talk about white supremacy and slavery so much? I'm not a racist," they say. I say we don’t talk about it enough. Because at its core is the idea when Christians think, “I’m better than you” that is so built into American culture.  When they hear this they say, "Well, we are all sinners!" But this is just an excuse and it masks what they are really thinking. Because people will say "I'm saved and those other people aren't." They will say, "I have the blood of Jesus and those non-believers don’t." 

In this helpful episode, I explain the problems with this kind of thinking. I tell a personal story of opposition and pain. Then I explain 1 Peter 3:18 and how it can get us out of this thinking. Finally, I give some wise advice on when to pick fights and when to be silent. Choosing wisely will really help you with your Christian witness. 

1 Peter 3:13 Who will harm you if you are zealous for good? 14 But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them. 15 Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. 16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you. 17 It is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil. 18 Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit. 

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This is unexpected. Paul is done ranting and his urging becomes much more gentle in last chapters of Romans. If this seems weird to you, these chapters are also misused by Christians for some pretty aggressive things that Paul never intended. Paul urges unity and understanding, but people often use Romans 12:2 for exclusion and separation and Romans 13:1-7 for bullying. Knowing what they really say and how some people use them can show you how people use the Bible badly to support their ideas. In this helpful episode, I celebrate the beauty of these chapters while showing you the pit falls. It’s important to be a skeptical reader, especially when something doesn’t sound right. If you do it well, you can really enjoy and feel uplifted by Paul is really saying in these chapters.